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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a lot
1 words of 123
after
2 words of 123
airplane
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and
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animal
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back
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bad
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bag
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bed
9 words of 123
before
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big
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blanket
12 words of 123
boat
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boiled
14 words of 123
bread
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breakfast
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bus
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car
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chicken
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child
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closed
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clothing
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coffee
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cold
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color
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dangerous
26 words of 123
do
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doctor
29 words of 123
documents
30 words of 123
down
31 words of 123
drink
32 words of 123
drive
33 words of 123
egg
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far
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fire
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fish
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forward
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fried
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friend
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from
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fruit
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give
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good
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goodbye
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hello
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help
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here
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hot
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house
53 words of 123
how
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how much
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hurry
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I
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inside
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it
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know
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later
61 words of 123
less
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little
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look for
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man
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meat
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medicine
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milk
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money
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more
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my
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night
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no
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now
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one
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outside
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pain
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pasta
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phone
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potato
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quickly
82 words of 123
relax
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rice
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room
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salad
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shoes
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shop
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slowly
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sorry
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soup
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straight
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street
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sweet
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take
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talk
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tea
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thank you
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there
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ticket
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time
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to
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to the left
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to the right
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together
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toilet
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train
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two
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understand
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up
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vegetables
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wait
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wake
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want
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water
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when
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where
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who
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woman
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write
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yes
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you
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your
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a lot
tanto
after
dopo
airplane
aereo
and
e
animal
animale
back
indietro
bad
male
bag
borsa
bed
letto
before
prima
big
grande
blanket
coperta
boat
barca
boiled
bollito
bread
pane
breakfast
colazione
bus
autobus
car
auto
chicken
pollo
child
bambino
closed
chiuso
clothing
abbigliamento
coffee
caffè
cold
freddo
color
colore
dangerous
pericoloso
day
giorno
do
fare
doctor
dottore
documents
documenti
down
giù
drink
bere
drive
andare
eat
mangiare
egg
uova
far
lontano
fire
fuoco
fish
pesce
forward
avanti
fried
fritto
friend
amico
from
da
fruit
frutta
give
dare
go
andare
good
bene
goodbye
arrivederci
hello
ciao
help
aiutare
here
qui
hot
caldo
hour
ora
house
casa
how
come
how much
quanto
hurry
fretta
I
io
inside
dentro
it
quello
know
sapere
later
più tardi
less
meno
little
poco
look for
cercare
man
uomo
meat
carne
medicine
medicina
milk
latte
money
soldi
more
di più
my
mio
night
notte
no
no
now
adesso
one
uno
outside
fuori
pain
dolore
pasta
pasta
phone
telefono
please
per favore
potato
patate
quickly
veloce
relax
riposare
rice
riso
room
camera
salad
insalata
shoes
scarpe
shop
negozio
slowly
piano
sorry
scusa
soup
zuppa
straight
dritto
street
via
sweet
dolce
take
prendere
talk
parlare
tea
thank you
grazie
there
ticket
biglietto
time
ora
to
a
to the left
a sinistra
to the right
a destra
together
insieme
toilet
bagno
train
treno
two
due
understand
capire
up
su
vegetables
verdure
wait
aspettare
wake
svegliare
want
volere
water
acqua
when
quando
where
dove
who
chi
woman
donna
write
scrivere
yes
si
you
tu
your
tuo

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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.