Does anyone have a bilingual family?

[kirlykird]

I agree with you there Cassi,

my OH comes from Darlana and everone there says that he is stuck up and has a Stockholm accent as he has lived in London for 9 years!

 

[Minime]

MY husband is South African and can speak Afrikaans but doesn't really at home, only when he's around other SA's

Does your OH talk to himself in afrikaans too or am I shacked up with a nutter?

 

[kirlykird]

Was just reading your Swedish post Cassie!

Realised that I understand more Swedish than I actually thought!

Imoressed with myself...lol!

 

[Miracle babe]

We speak English and Welsh in this house and just tend to swap back and forth between the two. LOL you never know whats going to come out next as I'll ask a question in welsh the hubby will answer in english and then I'll reply in part welsh and part english. We also have welsh and english books and have always read stories daily. We dont worry about the language we just pick the book we think she'll like. Also we have S4C the welsh channel and she watches some welsh programs and some english. Its a bit of a crazy household but the dd is now completely fluent in both languages and can read and write confidently in both

 

[Freya]

My husband is dutch and I am English. He only speaks in dutch to both children. My daughter can understand everything he and his friends and family say but she too mostly answers in english (v occassionly in dutch). what is amusing is that her friends are also beginning to understand a little bit of dutch because they too hear it when OH is talking to daughter.

We hope when she is older she will be able to speak it fluently as well as son.

The good thing about this is that my dutch has improved because I now hear it daily which helps when we go and visit his family.

 

[cassi]

I have forgotten so much Swedish though im really upset, when i left there i was near enough fluent in under 2 years! I learn very quickly and made an effort to speak in Swedish and only Swedish when there, and went to a Swedish college. I lived in Malmo .

I cant seem to find any Swedish lessons over here so the only way is to speak to my friends in Swedish or on MSN. Though i do have all my Swedish films still the lukas moodyson ones and i seem to understand everything still .

 

[kirlykird]

We've just moved to Oxford so OH is trying to find me a Swedish course, apparently there are a few around here...we tried with him teaching me but he's not a good teacher!

Just had the inlaws here for a week so picked up a few more words.

I'm actually understand what people say but struggle to speak it!

Can't get my tongue around the number 7!!!

 

[Xena]

wow so many swedish people on here!

 

[cassi]

say number seven like qhoo lol, i dono how else i could type it? you have to take it to the back of your throat but softly, but depends i speak with a skane accent so might be different to you're fella's...

 

[melhoney]

Am french and my husband is pakistani, and we leave in UK!
not the easiest, isn't it!
Well, I speak French to Maheen, and the plan is my DU speaks in Urdxu?punjabi to her, but he keeps on forgetting and actually speaks a bit of the 3 languages (ie French/Urdu and English!)
But it's true that people recommend each parent to stick to their own language and it all falls into place.
I am a French teacher in a sec. school, it would be such a failure if my own daughter could not speak French, but equally, I would feel sorry if she could not speak Urdu/Punjabi, for the same reason as Louise, really: we want her to be able to communicate with the pakistani side of her family.
I can tell you already that she understands both languages!
stop in French and Bas in urdu! (same thing!!!)
I hope we are all getting somewhere!!!

Mel xx

 

[violet-glow]

Im an english speaker, the only language I know, but OH can speak welsh. Been trying to get him to teach Zack, but they both of them dont want to know .....hopefully if I carry on nagging OH he'll teach the kids welsh

 

[BubbleB]

Sera my oldest is 4 and we lived in france till a few months ago n dan my x oh spoke french n english to her n i spoke english to her n she went to french nursery n shes fab at french i just hope she dosent forget it all lol

shes always running into the house goin "mamie mamie regarde! regarde!" n then switchin languages i wish i could do that lmao

luv b xx