Okay so how about we share some basic words/sentences in all the different languages? (in Roman letters of course)
Like “Hello” “How are you?” “My name is…” “Thank you.” etc…
I will start.
Arabic: (note my Arabic tend to have a Lebanese accent to it I guess but I will try to use the standard one)
Hello = marhaba
How are you? = Kayfa haluka? (addressing boy) - Kayfa haluki? (addressing to a girl)…
but I honestly like the lebanese one better “Kifak?” (boy) “Kifik?” (girl)
My name is Wafaa. = ismi Wafaa.
Thank you = Shukran.
French:
Hello = Salut
How are you? = Comment ça va? (the “ça” is read as a “sa”)
My name is Wafaa. = Je m’appelle Wafaa.
Thank you = Merci.
Okay so just ask me for more sentences if you want to learn more from my languages, I would be happy to answer.
Also I hope to see all the other different languages basic sentences!!
How are you? = Hoe gaat het met je? / Hoe is het met je? (for formal you replace the “je” with “U” and often times the “met je” is dropped among friends/family)
My name is Dudie. = Mijn naam is Dudie. / Ik heet Dudie.
Thank you = Bedankt/ Dank U (formal)/ Dank je (informal) are the most basic.
Could you tell me what the most natural way is of saying ‘‘I’m studying/learning French’’? There are different ways to translate ‘learning’ or ‘studying’ so I’m actually not sure which one to use…
!!! Note that in Romanian, we have specific characters:
ş (you would know it by “sh”), ţ (it is pronounced “tz”), ă (like ‘a’ in "about), î & â (no English equivalent - it’s best to hear it being spoken. â and î are the same sound in Romanian. î is used at the beginning and end of words, â in all other cases. The best way to approximate this sound is to attempt to make the vowel in “ski,” then retract your tongue toward the center of your mouth).
Here they are: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Romanian/Pronunciation_and_alphabet
Now for the translations:
Hello = Bună
(but we use this one merely with friends and family, when we say “Hello” to other people, we frequently use “Good day” = Bună ziua)
How are you? = Ce mai faci? (2nd person, singular) or Ce mai faceţi? (2nd person plural)
We also use Ce mai faceţi? for 2nd person, singular, when we want to show respect to a person: “How are you, Mr. Prime-Minister?” = “Ce mai faceţi, domnule Prim-Ministru?”. So, you see, even though he is one person, we use the plural form, showing respect. If you think, it’s something like the “We, the King…” form.
@Eurasia Basically you can use both but Wafaahs is right, “apprendre” has a more general meaning. You can say “I’m learning how to cook” or “I’m learning French”.
“étudier” is more specific. You’d say “étudier” if you study at university or take classes. It’s used for more structured learning processes.
“Kifak?” (boy) “Kifik?” (girl)
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