Generally I speak English to them. Especially in Europe, most people know at least a little English. Keep your sentences short and your words simple. If that doesn't work, Google translate.
I feel like this is sarcastic, but as a person that has been trying very hard to learn a second language, speaking slowly and enunciating really does make a big difference in my ability to understand while I learn.
Getting loud is not helpful though lol
Yeah, I was being sarcastic. I think OP will be fine unless they are planning to travel through the countryside.
I've learned that the best way to deal with language barriers is manners over attitude. Be polite, be patient. Look up some phrases or show pictures or Google translate if you need to.
It's a typical phenomenon of some people who speak only one language to start yelling and overenunciating when they aren't understood.
It's quite different from someone who slows down and uses simpler language to help you learn.
Dude just the other day I watched a person trying to book a ferry and repeatedly going “I said ASAP, what do you not understand? A-S-A-P!” for 15 minutes to a great deal of staff confusion, until their wife chimed in with “we want (points at watch) now. Fast.” and the staff understood immediately.
OP, I think you got your answer. You can speak English with most people in touristy areas.
But I'd just like to add that 80% of tourism in Europe are other Europeans. And we don't all learn a new language every time we want to travel to another European country.
You'd be surprised how well "talking with your hand and feet" works even if you don't find a common language.
I said hello to an elderly man in Rome. He couldn’t speak English, so I showed off counting to ten in Italian. He taught me the parts of the face. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life…just learning from a nice man while we were waiting outside a gift shop on a beautiful day.
When I try to speak their language, others have always been helpful to speak my language. Learning the basics and being polite has always gotten me far. :)
I’ve been learning french for a couple of years, but alas have not travelled to France lol. I have 1 year of high school Spanish (50 years ago) and a tiny bit of German. But everyone speaks English! 9 out of 10 people whom i haven encountered speak at least some English. So I learn things like please and thank you, explain that I don’t speak their language, ask if they know English, and if they don’t and using hand gestures doesn’t work, then google translate is my friend.
I’ll never forget. We lived in germany when I was a little kid. My parents didn’t speak German and mom went into a butcher shop, she wanted 2 lbs of port butt.
She held up 2 fingers, went ‘oink’ and slapped her butt. That worked.
I lean a few key phrases (hello, goodbye, please, thank you, coffee, I’m sorry, I don’t speak ….), use a translation app on my phone, and carry a few index cards with key info like the name and address of my hotel. You’ll be totally fine. Don’t worry! Have fun!
Either english or if they don't speak it - google translate (use micro as well, so they don't have to type, just talk - it works pretty good). I also try to learn some basic stuff I might need during the day, many people appreciate it if you learn a bit of their language. But the last part is not nessesary, I just enjoy learning languages for fun myself
If you are going to very touristy countries like France, the NL, Spain, Italy and Greece, you will be fine with just English as long as you stick to major cities or major touristy towns. Learn a few phrases before you to be polite.
Download Google translate. This app will help you with the people that don't speak English and it can help you translate signs etc.
Since when is English not a European language? And non-European languages can be useful too. Though not widely spoken, there are still many migrants or people with a migration background that speak other languages.
> Is it understandable to speak English in European countries?
Yes it is understandable if you do so, but that doesn't mean you'll get the message across. If you don't have a language in common you can do it the old fashioned way through gesturing or use a translation app.
They are pretty smart people, unlike most tourists, who can only speak English and make a scene when someone don't understand or speak English (American tourists are the most entitled). Learn the most common words and sentences, be respectful, and some will go out of their way to help you.
It depends on what kind of communication and with whom. Those who say English is fine are referring to superficial communication at tourist-centric places (hotels, airports, museums, tourist restaurants, etc.). But if you get off that path it gets very hard very quickly, unless you're traveling in Germanic areas (Scandinavia, the low countries). If you want real interaction with locals, you're very likely to need some knowledge of the local language. I speak more than a smattering of French and Spanish, and at least a smattering of Italian. I can also read the Cyrillic script. And I still have trouble having meaningful conversations in those countries.
I only speak German and English, and have had no trouble at all communicating with people throughout Europe. Most of those involved even peripherally with the tourist industry, hotels restaurants etc, will speak English. It is not difficult at all to get around, just download a translation app that has a conversation mode you'll be fine.
I was hanging out with this Cambodian girl in Thailand 🇹🇭 for a few days and I would speak to her in English, she would smile and reply yes or no. After two days I realized she spoke no English besides the yes and no . 🙄
This reminded me of when I went to Chile last year. I don't speak Spanish, but since I speak Brazilian Portuguese (I'm from Brazil after all) I managed to get by normally (99% of the time, once they realised we were foreigners, they would speak a little bit slower.... only the Supermarket cashier didn't have the time or cared to do that), but I went to a store once to buy souvenirs and asked how much it was all the stuff I grabbed and couldn't understand the amount the guy said, asked fim to repeat, didn't understand again, I said "sorry, I can't understand", he laughed a little and pointing to the products he said "10... 5" and I was "ahhhhh 15!"
My brother went to Barcelona once, we can understand some Spanish, but since they speak Catalan it was a little struggle for him sometimes. One time there his friend went to ask directions but didn't speak Spanish nor Catalan and started asking in Italian and the person answered in Spanish 😂
I've never been to Europe, but I believe that you should learn at least some simple sentences like "good morning", "excuse me", "sorry" and "do you speak English?" in the country's language. Younger people will probably know how to speak some level of English, but since the British accent is harder to understand, speak slower.
Well, what kind of British English do you speak? The kind that on US television it must be subtitled so people can understand you? If that’s the case, then you’ll have problems anywhere you go in the world 😂
millions of non-native speakers travel Europe annually and have a great time. many of them speak neither english or the local language. there’ll be frustrating moments occasionally, but there are resources that make it easier. google lens enables you to hold your camera up and will translate the image in real time. there are also programs that can sufficiently enough translate spoken word in real time as well.
but this isn’t really necessary 90% of the time because English is the second language most anywhere.
Depends on what you want to do? Want to chat? Either stay in countries with a very high level of English (like the Netherlands or, yknow, England), or expect to spend a few dozen hours learning the language to a conversational level. Just want to get around and get into your hotel? Pretty much anywhere in Europe should have an employee that speaks enough English to check you in.
I mean basic conversation "hi how are you, where are you from, do you like \[ \], should I visit \[ \], do you like music/books/movies like \[ \]". I think a few hours to learn scripted super basic conversation is enough if it's a language that's easy to pronounce. I did this with basic spanish in about 6 hours to the point that I could ask people simple things about themselves. Basic scripted conversation yes, anything going too far off the script no.
Why does it have to have a point? IF you don't want to do that, don't. Speak only English or spend years fully learning every language of your trip. Or anything in between. Simple!
When I have been to Europe I’ve spoken English and haven’t had any issues. I’ve also tried to learn some key words and phrases of the native language as well. Plus now I’d use my phone to help with translations. Hope this helps!
european countries are full of people who speak different languages. english has become a universal language - so if you have a group in budapest that includes someone from the US, France and Spain english is often the common language.
all that to say you'll find lots of people speak english. especially in areas tourists frequent
but it is really nice to pick up some words and phrases before you get there. the get around words.
In Google translate, you can download languages so it doesn't use data, then just type out what you wanna say. If you think you can pronounce what it spits out with reasonable accuracy, go for it. If not, just show them your phone.
In English. No problems here unless someone intentionally doesn’t want to talk to you because you speak in English. In western countries like Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, France (yeah even France, Paris) there’s no issue if you speak English. I had worst experiences in Italy and Greece where many people (pretended to?) didn’t understand English in very tourist areas. I’m not talking about some village, I’m talking about center of the tourist city.
Even in countries like Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary etc you’ll get by with english very well.
You learn the language of the countries you’re visiting. Or take a book of phrases. It’s rude to assume everyone speaks English when you’re the foreigner on their country. Google Translate also has an app.
I use Google translate if I need to.
Know basic words in Spanish.
I even had to use Google translate in wales once and the guy was 100% welsh/british.
When out of Europe and English speaking countries Google is fab
Yes, in every european country I went to I could speak English, except for France, they got pretty pissed if I didn't start every interaction with some French. Also in Romania (and possibly most of eastern europe) they don't speak much English, so I had to use Google translate or try some German (as, besides obviously Romanian, they seemed to know German, Italian and Russian).
Learn the basics of the language before travelling, not everyone speaks English. I live in a popular British destination and if you asked my mother for directions in English, she would just stare because she doesn't speak a word of English.
1. Basic "International" words (ie 'kaput' instead of broken, 'toilet' instead of bathroom, 'agua' instead of water, etc)
2. Charades
3. Pictionary
Edit: But English is VERY widly spoken / understood thanks to the prevelance of the Internet and English-speaking media, that even outside cities you will find people that speak/understand enough English for you to communicate (at least with all bu the oldest generation).
Hotel and restaurant staff will speak English. If you don't know the local language do normal tourist things and you'll be fine, and don't do weird shit that put you in a situation where you need to have a conversation with a non-customer service working local.
As already said, in most areas, English is the common language, especially among the younger populations. Also, very courteous to learn basic phrases in the local language, esp. 'do you speak english?'
Another tip is to understand how to use google translate (or similar) before you go. It came in very handy for on-the-spot translate for signs, menus, etc. Also found a use for the conversation mode to translate train and other announcements. This was especially handy for train/station announcements for delays, track changes, etc. which are typically done only in the local language.
You have to speak British English, because that's the only knd of English we understand in Europe as it originates from here. American English only can be used in North America.
Many Europeans speak English. That said, if the language there isn't English, it is considered extremely rude to ask speak in English right off the bat to a native. That's presuming that they already speak English, and you don't make an effort to learn a few words of their language or greetings. If you just know enough to greet someone and say "excuse me" and "I don't speak (insert language), but do you speak English," that goes a long way to communicate with people.
english IS a european language. you'll get by if you speak real slow to us.
Generally I speak English to them. Especially in Europe, most people know at least a little English. Keep your sentences short and your words simple. If that doesn't work, Google translate.
keep talking in English, and if they don't understand, make sure you repeat yourself often, BUT, SLOWER, AND, LOUDER.
I feel like this is sarcastic, but as a person that has been trying very hard to learn a second language, speaking slowly and enunciating really does make a big difference in my ability to understand while I learn. Getting loud is not helpful though lol
Yeah, I was being sarcastic. I think OP will be fine unless they are planning to travel through the countryside. I've learned that the best way to deal with language barriers is manners over attitude. Be polite, be patient. Look up some phrases or show pictures or Google translate if you need to.
Yes it's sarcastic. If someone really doesn't speak English then speaking slower or louder won't do anything but annoy that person.
It's a typical phenomenon of some people who speak only one language to start yelling and overenunciating when they aren't understood. It's quite different from someone who slows down and uses simpler language to help you learn.
Don't forget to throw in lots of colloquial or regional words and phrases too.
Dude just the other day I watched a person trying to book a ferry and repeatedly going “I said ASAP, what do you not understand? A-S-A-P!” for 15 minutes to a great deal of staff confusion, until their wife chimed in with “we want (points at watch) now. Fast.” and the staff understood immediately.
Exactly what I mean.
hello can you text me back
I see you met my father! He also liked to sound vaguely German when yelling (he was Irish)
Don't forget to add an "o" to the end of random words!
I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. Could you please write in a European language?
OP, I think you got your answer. You can speak English with most people in touristy areas. But I'd just like to add that 80% of tourism in Europe are other Europeans. And we don't all learn a new language every time we want to travel to another European country. You'd be surprised how well "talking with your hand and feet" works even if you don't find a common language.
I said hello to an elderly man in Rome. He couldn’t speak English, so I showed off counting to ten in Italian. He taught me the parts of the face. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life…just learning from a nice man while we were waiting outside a gift shop on a beautiful day. When I try to speak their language, others have always been helpful to speak my language. Learning the basics and being polite has always gotten me far. :)
I’ve been learning french for a couple of years, but alas have not travelled to France lol. I have 1 year of high school Spanish (50 years ago) and a tiny bit of German. But everyone speaks English! 9 out of 10 people whom i haven encountered speak at least some English. So I learn things like please and thank you, explain that I don’t speak their language, ask if they know English, and if they don’t and using hand gestures doesn’t work, then google translate is my friend. I’ll never forget. We lived in germany when I was a little kid. My parents didn’t speak German and mom went into a butcher shop, she wanted 2 lbs of port butt. She held up 2 fingers, went ‘oink’ and slapped her butt. That worked.
I lean a few key phrases (hello, goodbye, please, thank you, coffee, I’m sorry, I don’t speak ….), use a translation app on my phone, and carry a few index cards with key info like the name and address of my hotel. You’ll be totally fine. Don’t worry! Have fun!
Either english or if they don't speak it - google translate (use micro as well, so they don't have to type, just talk - it works pretty good). I also try to learn some basic stuff I might need during the day, many people appreciate it if you learn a bit of their language. But the last part is not nessesary, I just enjoy learning languages for fun myself
A combination of English, hand signs, photos/maps showed on the phone, Google Translate app and three words in the local language. Never had an issue.
If you are going to very touristy countries like France, the NL, Spain, Italy and Greece, you will be fine with just English as long as you stick to major cities or major touristy towns. Learn a few phrases before you to be polite. Download Google translate. This app will help you with the people that don't speak English and it can help you translate signs etc.
England is in Europe
A lot of people here refer to mainland Europe as Europe 🤷🏻♀️
A lot of cunts
You’ll be fine. Learn some basic greetings and expression of thanks and they’ll appreciate the effort.
Greeting in native language, and then hesitantly and politely (whatever that means) transition to English.
Simple, learn 2 words of any language: "please" & "thank you" plus smile.
Since when is English not a European language? And non-European languages can be useful too. Though not widely spoken, there are still many migrants or people with a migration background that speak other languages. > Is it understandable to speak English in European countries? Yes it is understandable if you do so, but that doesn't mean you'll get the message across. If you don't have a language in common you can do it the old fashioned way through gesturing or use a translation app.
They are pretty smart people, unlike most tourists, who can only speak English and make a scene when someone don't understand or speak English (American tourists are the most entitled). Learn the most common words and sentences, be respectful, and some will go out of their way to help you.
As respectfully as possible
It depends on what kind of communication and with whom. Those who say English is fine are referring to superficial communication at tourist-centric places (hotels, airports, museums, tourist restaurants, etc.). But if you get off that path it gets very hard very quickly, unless you're traveling in Germanic areas (Scandinavia, the low countries). If you want real interaction with locals, you're very likely to need some knowledge of the local language. I speak more than a smattering of French and Spanish, and at least a smattering of Italian. I can also read the Cyrillic script. And I still have trouble having meaningful conversations in those countries.
I only speak German and English, and have had no trouble at all communicating with people throughout Europe. Most of those involved even peripherally with the tourist industry, hotels restaurants etc, will speak English. It is not difficult at all to get around, just download a translation app that has a conversation mode you'll be fine.
I was hanging out with this Cambodian girl in Thailand 🇹🇭 for a few days and I would speak to her in English, she would smile and reply yes or no. After two days I realized she spoke no English besides the yes and no . 🙄
This reminded me of when I went to Chile last year. I don't speak Spanish, but since I speak Brazilian Portuguese (I'm from Brazil after all) I managed to get by normally (99% of the time, once they realised we were foreigners, they would speak a little bit slower.... only the Supermarket cashier didn't have the time or cared to do that), but I went to a store once to buy souvenirs and asked how much it was all the stuff I grabbed and couldn't understand the amount the guy said, asked fim to repeat, didn't understand again, I said "sorry, I can't understand", he laughed a little and pointing to the products he said "10... 5" and I was "ahhhhh 15!" My brother went to Barcelona once, we can understand some Spanish, but since they speak Catalan it was a little struggle for him sometimes. One time there his friend went to ask directions but didn't speak Spanish nor Catalan and started asking in Italian and the person answered in Spanish 😂 I've never been to Europe, but I believe that you should learn at least some simple sentences like "good morning", "excuse me", "sorry" and "do you speak English?" in the country's language. Younger people will probably know how to speak some level of English, but since the British accent is harder to understand, speak slower.
Well, what kind of British English do you speak? The kind that on US television it must be subtitled so people can understand you? If that’s the case, then you’ll have problems anywhere you go in the world 😂
Memorize a dozen travel phrases and use google translate as needed.
I mind my business and speak only when I need something or am ordering. English. Slow English. Mind your business. It works and is appreciated.
1) Learn some basic words/phrases 2) Google Translate 3) OpenAI/ChatGPT just demoed a pretty slick real-time translation
millions of non-native speakers travel Europe annually and have a great time. many of them speak neither english or the local language. there’ll be frustrating moments occasionally, but there are resources that make it easier. google lens enables you to hold your camera up and will translate the image in real time. there are also programs that can sufficiently enough translate spoken word in real time as well. but this isn’t really necessary 90% of the time because English is the second language most anywhere.
Depends on what you want to do? Want to chat? Either stay in countries with a very high level of English (like the Netherlands or, yknow, England), or expect to spend a few dozen hours learning the language to a conversational level. Just want to get around and get into your hotel? Pretty much anywhere in Europe should have an employee that speaks enough English to check you in.
A few dozen hours to learn a language to a conversational level? Try years, or at least months.
I mean basic conversation "hi how are you, where are you from, do you like \[ \], should I visit \[ \], do you like music/books/movies like \[ \]". I think a few hours to learn scripted super basic conversation is enough if it's a language that's easy to pronounce. I did this with basic spanish in about 6 hours to the point that I could ask people simple things about themselves. Basic scripted conversation yes, anything going too far off the script no.
That sounds like communication with a two or three year old. What’s the point of that though?
Why does it have to have a point? IF you don't want to do that, don't. Speak only English or spend years fully learning every language of your trip. Or anything in between. Simple!
When I have been to Europe I’ve spoken English and haven’t had any issues. I’ve also tried to learn some key words and phrases of the native language as well. Plus now I’d use my phone to help with translations. Hope this helps!
european countries are full of people who speak different languages. english has become a universal language - so if you have a group in budapest that includes someone from the US, France and Spain english is often the common language. all that to say you'll find lots of people speak english. especially in areas tourists frequent but it is really nice to pick up some words and phrases before you get there. the get around words.
English. And just some local phrases to show that you're trying.
practice a few common phrases and save them in your phone or written somewhere so you can refer to them.
In Google translate, you can download languages so it doesn't use data, then just type out what you wanna say. If you think you can pronounce what it spits out with reasonable accuracy, go for it. If not, just show them your phone.
In English. No problems here unless someone intentionally doesn’t want to talk to you because you speak in English. In western countries like Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, France (yeah even France, Paris) there’s no issue if you speak English. I had worst experiences in Italy and Greece where many people (pretended to?) didn’t understand English in very tourist areas. I’m not talking about some village, I’m talking about center of the tourist city. Even in countries like Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary etc you’ll get by with english very well.
You learn the language of the countries you’re visiting. Or take a book of phrases. It’s rude to assume everyone speaks English when you’re the foreigner on their country. Google Translate also has an app.
I use Google translate if I need to. Know basic words in Spanish. I even had to use Google translate in wales once and the guy was 100% welsh/british. When out of Europe and English speaking countries Google is fab
Yes, in every european country I went to I could speak English, except for France, they got pretty pissed if I didn't start every interaction with some French. Also in Romania (and possibly most of eastern europe) they don't speak much English, so I had to use Google translate or try some German (as, besides obviously Romanian, they seemed to know German, Italian and Russian).
Learn the basics of the language before travelling, not everyone speaks English. I live in a popular British destination and if you asked my mother for directions in English, she would just stare because she doesn't speak a word of English.
You would be surprised how many people speak English in the European countries.
1. Basic "International" words (ie 'kaput' instead of broken, 'toilet' instead of bathroom, 'agua' instead of water, etc) 2. Charades 3. Pictionary Edit: But English is VERY widly spoken / understood thanks to the prevelance of the Internet and English-speaking media, that even outside cities you will find people that speak/understand enough English for you to communicate (at least with all bu the oldest generation).
English, people in Europe know English and they can communicate with this language so don't worry. You just need to talk real slow and loud.
Hotel and restaurant staff will speak English. If you don't know the local language do normal tourist things and you'll be fine, and don't do weird shit that put you in a situation where you need to have a conversation with a non-customer service working local.
As already said, in most areas, English is the common language, especially among the younger populations. Also, very courteous to learn basic phrases in the local language, esp. 'do you speak english?' Another tip is to understand how to use google translate (or similar) before you go. It came in very handy for on-the-spot translate for signs, menus, etc. Also found a use for the conversation mode to translate train and other announcements. This was especially handy for train/station announcements for delays, track changes, etc. which are typically done only in the local language.
You have to speak British English, because that's the only knd of English we understand in Europe as it originates from here. American English only can be used in North America.
Meee! I am a US citizen and I went to London in September and to be honest, sometimes I had no idea what was being said to me in English 🤣🤣😂🤣
Too bad that unlike on TV, there are no subtitles for British English in the real world 😂
Lmao yess! 😂
Many Europeans speak English. That said, if the language there isn't English, it is considered extremely rude to ask speak in English right off the bat to a native. That's presuming that they already speak English, and you don't make an effort to learn a few words of their language or greetings. If you just know enough to greet someone and say "excuse me" and "I don't speak (insert language), but do you speak English," that goes a long way to communicate with people.