What is a foreign language?

Don’t confuse a foreign language with one which we do not know sufficiently well.  There are times when we cannot understand someone who speaks our native language.  We know all of the words, but we still cannot understand what the person is saying.

A foreign language is basically the same kind of language as the one which we speak.  The only difference is that we do not understand any of the words that we hear.  A true foreign language differs from a language that we simply do not speak in one very elementary way.

When we listen to people who are speaking in a foreign language, it seems that the conversation is an uninterrupted flow of incomprehensible sounds.  It is an insurmountable river of funny noises, and you cannot see its beginning or its end.

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and
1 words of 119
animal
2 words of 119
before
7 words of 119
boiled
11 words of 119
chicken
15 words of 119
child
16 words of 119
coffee
19 words of 119
color
21 words of 119
dangerous
22 words of 119
day
23 words of 119
doctor
25 words of 119
documents
26 words of 119
drink
28 words of 119
friend
37 words of 119
from
38 words of 119
give
40 words of 119
goodbye
43 words of 119
here
46 words of 119
hour
48 words of 119
house
49 words of 119
how
50 words of 119
hurry
52 words of 119
know
56 words of 119
little
59 words of 119
meat
62 words of 119
medicine
63 words of 119
milk
64 words of 119
money
65 words of 119
night
68 words of 119
no
69 words of 119
outside
72 words of 119
phone
75 words of 119
rice
80 words of 119
salad
82 words of 119
slowly
85 words of 119
soup
87 words of 119
straight
88 words of 119
sweet
90 words of 119
tea
93 words of 119
thank you
94 words of 119
there
95 words of 119
ticket
96 words of 119
to the right
100 words of 119
together
101 words of 119
toilet
102 words of 119
when
112 words of 119
where
113 words of 119
woman
115 words of 119
you
118 words of 119
your
119 words of 119
and
و
animal
حيوان
back
الى الوراء
bad
سيئة
bag
حقيبة
bed
السرير
before
قبل
big
كبير
blanket
بطانية
boat
قارب
boiled
مغلي
bread
خبز
bus
حافلة
car
سيارة
chicken
دجاج
child
طفل
closed
مغلق
clothing
ملابس
coffee
قهوة
cold
البرد
color
اللون
dangerous
خطير
day
يوم
do
لكى يفعل
doctor
طبيب
documents
مستندات
down
أسفل
drink
يشرب
drive
اركب
eat
تأكل
egg
بيضة
far
بعيدا
fire
نار
fish
سمك
forward
إلى الأمام
fried
المقلية
friend
صديق
from
من
fruit
ثمار
give
يعطى
go
اذهب
good
خير
goodbye
وداعا
hello
مرحبا
help
مساعدة
here
هنا
hot
حار
hour
ساعة
house
منزل
how
كيف
how much
كم العدد
hurry
عجل
I
أنا
inside
في داخل
it
هذا
know
أعرف
later
في وقت لاحق
less
أقل
little
قليل
look for
ابحث عن
man
رجل
meat
لحم
medicine
دواء
milk
حليب
money
مال
more
أكثر
my
لي
night
ليل
no
لا
now
الآن
one
واحد
outside
خارج
pain
الم
pasta
معكرونة
phone
هاتف
please
رجاء
potato
البطاطس
quickly
بسرعة
relax
الاسترخاء
rice
أرز
room
غرفة
salad
سلطة
shoes
أحذية
shop
متجر
slowly
ببطء
sorry
معذرة
soup
حساء
straight
مباشرة
street
شارع
sweet
حلو
take
تأخذ
talk
ليتحدث
tea
شاي
thank you
شكرا
there
هناك
ticket
تذكرة
time
زمن
to
إلى
to the left
إلى اليسار
to the right
إلى اليمين
together
سويا
toilet
مرحاض
train
قطار
two
اثنان
understand
نفهم
up
فوق
vegetables
خضروات
wait
انتظر
wake
استيقظ
want
اريد
water
ماء
when
متى
where
أين
who
من الذى
woman
امرأة
write
اكتب
yes
بلى
you
أنت
your
ك

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A completely foreign language turns into one which we do not understand sufficiently well if we hear a few words in the flow of sound which we understand. 

We understand those words and can understand the topic – food, travel, sports, shopping, prices, the weather, etc.  That is all, however.  We cannot move beyond the overall topic that is being discussed.  Don’t fear, though – if you understand the general topic of discussion, then that means that you can identify the language that is being spoken – Spanish, French, Italian, etc.  This means that this is not a completely foreign language to you.  You simply do not understand it sufficiently well.

The next thing is this:  A language will turn from an incomprehensible into an understandable one only when you not only recognise the words that are spoken, but also understand the point to what is being said.

Sadly, some people who want to communicate in a foreign language in a comprehensible way must first learn to do so in their own language.  You have to remember a few things here.  If people talk to one another they only use words which the others will understand, and they use those words so that everyone understands the point to what is being said.

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