Do you think you could go to Italy knowing only Spanish? [Archive]

Solstis

Mar 16, 2006, 05:21 PM

From experience, about 1 in 100 Italians will speak Spanish.

About 1 in 10 understand English.

1 out of 1000 tourists knows Italian.

Outrider

Mar 16, 2006, 05:28 PM

On 2006-03-16 14:07, Saiffy wrote:
Why would I wanna only know some obsolete language in an obsolete country?

I can imagine that a lot of Italians and Spaniards would disagree.

rena-ko

Mar 16, 2006, 05:34 PM

spanish and italian are related. not as much as portugese and spanish are, but i guess if you use your hands to describe, they'll understand your spanish.

however, refrain from using this gesture:
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/EYW/EYW189/han_020.jpg

roygbiv

Mar 16, 2006, 05:38 PM

My friend just asked me if it would be ok for him to go to china without knowing chinese... hmm...

Saiffy

Mar 16, 2006, 05:40 PM

On 2006-03-16 14:28, Outrider wrote:

On 2006-03-16 14:07, Saiffy wrote:
Why would I wanna only know some obsolete language in an obsolete country?

I can imagine that a lot of Italians and Spaniards would disagree.

Only 1/10 of them. :3

navci

Mar 16, 2006, 05:41 PM

On 2006-03-16 14:38, roygbiv wrote:
My friend just asked me if it would be ok for him to go to china without knowing chinese... hmm...

<.<
Man. People need to maybe at least learn some basic sentences before thinking they can go and survive in some other country.

Scrub

Mar 16, 2006, 06:39 PM

lol illegal spanish-speakers in americaland reference

HAYABUSA-FMW-

Mar 16, 2006, 06:44 PM

Someone in a rant told me to STFU for saying its a positive for people to be able to speak more than one language.

What a depresssing little man. He'll never leave the confines of his home I guess. :/

Global economy folks.

don't get left behind speaking one language and being branded a noobus.

Blitzkommando

Mar 16, 2006, 07:13 PM

The thing is that would assume I would want to go to Italy. While I suppose I wouldn't mind, it's not the first country on my list.

Tact

Mar 16, 2006, 07:54 PM

On 2006-03-16 15:44, HAYABUSA-FMW- wrote:
don't get left behind speaking one language and being branded a noobus.

Eres un/una n00b!

(You are a n00b!)

Note, I'm not saying he's a n00b for saying that. I'm just saying it. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Tact on 2006-03-16 16:55 ]</font>

HUnewearl_Meira

Mar 16, 2006, 09:09 PM

My buddy Omar is in the army. Omar is a Mexican, second generation in the United States, and therefore, quite fluent in Spanish. Omar has recently been stationed in Italy. Communication doesn't seem to be a significant problem for him. Oddly enough, it's my understanding that he has an easier time deciphering Italian than Portuguese. So, my verdict is that if you're clever and you know Spanish, you'll probably do all right in Italy.

Solstis

Mar 16, 2006, 09:18 PM

On 2006-03-16 18:09, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:
My buddy Omar is in the army. Omar is a Mexican, second generation in the United States, and therefore, quite fluent in Spanish. Omar has recently been stationed in Italy. Communication doesn't seem to be a significant problem for him. Oddly enough, it's my understanding that he has an easier time deciphering Italian than Portuguese. So, my verdict is that if you're clever and you know Spanish, you'll probably do all right in Italy.

Yeah, but I wasn't fluent in Spanish either.

I found that it was easy to decipher what people were saying, a bit more difficult to respond.

navci

Mar 16, 2006, 09:21 PM

If you are smart and willing to learn I think you will flourish just about anywhere.

Outrider

Mar 17, 2006, 12:35 AM

On 2006-03-16 18:21, navci wrote:
If you are smart and willing to learn I think you will flourish just about anywhere.

Except here. We all know what these forums do to people.

Skorpius

Mar 17, 2006, 01:51 AM

On 2006-03-16 14:06, navci wrote:
Sure. You didn't say anything about surviving.

WHAT'S FUNNY IS THAT YOU CAN SRUVIVE IN THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT KNOWING ENGLISH

Yet everyone else expects tourists to learn their language.

lol

astuarlen

Mar 17, 2006, 01:57 AM

I once survived a fortnight 'midst the peaks of the Pyrenees by gnawing on my own calves. True story. The hard part was when they--y'know, them--asked me to conjugate irregular French verbs. I was all, "O SHI--!"

HUnewearl_Meira

Mar 17, 2006, 02:00 AM

Well, yes, Skorpius, this is because the United States doesn't actually have an "official" language. English is most common in the United States, but by no means is it mandatory. I suppose, however, that it's at least worth observing that if you don't learn English while living here, your chances of living comfortably are slim to none.

Maridia

Mar 17, 2006, 02:54 AM

On 2006-03-16 22:57, astuarlen wrote:
I once survived a fortnight 'midst the peaks of the Pyrenees by gnawing on my own calves. True story. The hard part was when they--y'know, them--asked me to conjugate irregular French verbs. I was all, "O SHI--!"

<3

HAYABUSA-FMW-

Mar 17, 2006, 03:49 AM

Conjugate verbs, by an English speaking person?

No way.

Its easier to say French people stink and bitch during a kwanzaa fieldtrip cuz we're cool Americans like that.

I thought I was the lame-o being 12th grade in French 1 class, but boy was I wrong. Those stupid 9th grade kids. Saying kwanzaa field trip is boring. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif Saying French people = stinky jerks.

Wow.

fumatanera

Mar 17, 2006, 12:59 PM

depends what you want to do in Italy, but i know people that went for vacation only knowing Spanisg and got by just fine. Italian and Spanish are very similar in some ways like grammar and sentence structure, etc. some words are the same and some completely different. there's probably more chance of Italians knowing spanish than english.

my wife is from Milan, so the couple of times i was over there, i had a ersonla translator and didn't learn jack ":P

fumatanera

Mar 17, 2006, 01:01 PM

lol i think i just made up a new char name: ersonla

*ahem* personal.

ciao ciao ragazzi ^-^

Maridia

Mar 18, 2006, 07:42 AM

On 2006-03-17 00:49, HAYABUSA-FMW- wrote:
Conjugate verbs, by an English speaking person?

No way.

Its easier to say French people stink and bitch during a kwanzaa fieldtrip cuz we're cool Americans like that.

I thought I was the lame-o being 12th grade in French 1 class, but boy was I wrong. Those stupid 9th grade kids. Saying kwanzaa field trip is boring. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif Saying Kef = stinky jerks.

Wow.

D:

HAYABUSA-FMW-

Mar 18, 2006, 08:12 AM

Yeah, Kef is more than one stinky jerk to a 9th grade school kid.

They also fail math/plurals. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

I got to walk around Oakland Chinatown, by myself!

Sat and read an EGM in front of a fountain like a nerd after not buying a Starbucks, and buying a cheap McDonald's chicken sandwich instead. Yeah, bookstore browsing too.

Some 12th grade dood on the trip also went up and danced with the Kwanzaa performers when they asked the kids to come up(everyone else at the field trip was different school little kids. >_>).

AWESOME.