Santos

[Faliro]

she looks a bit weird man

[Jotenko]

No, no, she's pretty!

[Faliro]

yea

[Lm27]

From my experience, greeks speak English. It is incredible. Most Greeks can converse in English with little problem, far more than italians, french or Spanish who in general don't speak any English.

I find the Greek accent in English one of the most hilarious globally. I have to stop myself laughing at it when in public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvl9N9GdraQ

Italians can speak English, of course with some problems but they can....you're confusing with the Spanish

[Faliro]

Naa they can't/ I have traveled in Italy - many times. Many italians don't even speak Italian properly especially the further south you go. There are many variations and dialects.  Italians speak little to no English outside of the Rome tourist district and some other northern Italian cities where tourists visit. There was a Dutch Architect who just completed designs to pedestrianize a huge chunk of central Athens and plant 800 trees there, he gave an interview this week, he said what everyone always says:

 

Generally it is easier to work with Greek architects than it is, say, Italian ones, because everyone speaks perfect English,

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite6_1_19/05/2014_539784

[Lm27]

Naa they can't/ I have traveled in Italy - many times. Many italians don't even speak Italian properly especially the further south you go. There are many variations and dialects.  Italians speak little to no English outside of the Rome tourist district and some other northern Italian cities where tourists visit. There was a Dutch Architect who just completed designs to pedestrianize a huge chunk of central Athens and plant 800 trees there, he gave an interview this week, he said what everyone always says:

 

Generally it is easier to work with Greek architects than it is, say, Italian ones, because everyone speaks perfect English,

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite6_1_19/05/2014_539784

The south isnt even Italy...The south is more like Africa, they cant even speak italian

[Faliro]

Naples is the most violent city I have visited and I have lived in Brazil..

[pcssousa]

Lived in Brasil and don't speak Portuguese? Not even a little bit?

[Faliro]

I can read portuguese, understand about 80% (depending on the accent of the person speaking) and speak it myself... but like a 5 year old kid. I have enough to socialise and buy train tickets, make jokes, but not enough to call the council and explain that the property I live in should be taxed less because of XYZ etc... especially in cities like Rio. I live mostly in Belo Horizonte when I stay in Brazil and they speak a more 'italianate' portuguese. I find the portuguese accent from portugal cryptic - very hard. But many many portuguese speak good english, so no problems there.

Sadly, my wife, who is Brazilian, is an English teacher and speak to me 99% of the time in English..even though I ask her NOT TO.  This is a big issue for me. 

What helped me is a can speak - badly French.. and studied latin for 8 years at at school. Greek is 0 help, obviously - and pointless.

[HJDK]

Faliro, you're a man of the World!

[pcssousa]

I can read portuguese, understand about 80% (depending on the accent of the person speaking) and speak it myself... but like a 5 year old kid. I have enough to socialise and buy train tickets, make jokes, but not enough to call the council and explain that the property I live in should be taxed less because of XYZ etc... especially in cities like Rio. I live mostly in Belo Horizonte when I stay in Brazil and they speak a more 'italianate' portuguese. I find the portuguese accent from portugal cryptic - very hard. But many many portuguese speak good english, so no problems there.

Sadly, my wife, who is Brazilian, is an English teacher and speak to me 99% of the time in English..even though I ask her NOT TO.  This is a big issue for me. 

What helped me is a can speak - badly French.. and studied latin for 8 years at at school. Greek is 0 help, obviously - and pointless.

In old times, everybody who took a college degree in Portuguese language always had to study Latin and Ancient Greek.
There was also classes of Latin and Ancient Greek in High School for those who wanted to study Portuguese Language in college. They're both the basis of our language. I guess 80% Latin, 10% ancient Greek and 10% other languages like Arab or barbaric languages.

Of course, I took French and English in high school and English (a more technical, but also very simple one) in medical school.

[Faliro]

Yea, Greek is useless, seriously. The fact it even survived unscathed over 400 years of muslim rule is incredible. Greeks are forced to learn ancient Greek at school and absolutely HATE it mostly and find it pointless. I am amazed you poor portuguese had to learn ancient Greek. It is very intellectual to be made to learn that. In England in the old days, latin and ancient Greek were also required at university. In those days we still believed in the classics, however decades of communist thought have tried to damage our classic roots in Europe as communists don't believe in the ideals of the ancient world - the worship of the hero, the obsession with beauty, classical architecture and numerical logic etc.

I went to school in England - where I was born and raised. I had to study french from 7 years old to 18 years old. I did latin from 11 to 18.

[Jotenko]

Yea, Greek is useless, seriously. The fact it even survived unscathed over 400 years of muslim rule is incredible. Greeks are forced to learn ancient Greek at school and absolutely HATE it mostly and find it pointless. I am amazed you poor portuguese had to learn ancient Greek. It is very intellectual to be made to learn that. In England in the old days, latin and ancient Greek were also required at university. In those days we still believed in the classics, however decades of communist thought have tried to damage our classic roots in Europe as communists don't believe in the ideals of the ancient world - the worship of the hero, the obsession with beauty, classical architecture and numerical logic etc.

I went to school in England - where I was born and raised. I had to study french from 7 years old to 18 years old. I did latin from 11 to 18.

O-oh... This conversation is getting dangerous.

[Godescalco]

I had 3 years of Latin in high school. Loved it.

My Latin teacher then also taught me some Ancient Greek. When I was in the university, I had the opportunity to take 2 years of Modern Greek. It was interesting.

[HJDK]

The closer I got to Greek was in Mythology books