CiaoBella

I agree. I definitely feel like students in the US should be taught different languages starting in grade school. I am a senior in college who have taken Spanish twice in high school and twice in college, yet I cannot seem to retain the rules of the language or vocabulary. My knowledge of Spanish is very basic and minimum. Perhaps, if I had started learning Spanish beginning in elementary school or even earlier (parents should provide ways for their children to start learning other languages) I would most likely be very fluent in Spanish now. There is a video that I have recently seen of an eight year old girl who is fluent in 9 languages in counting. She is training her brain while is easiest to retain multiple languages. I admire her and her parents for setting up a bright future with any awarding opportunities.

I like English the most because it is my native language and the grammar rules are quite simple. I also like French because its such a romantic and exotic language. My least favorite language is German because of the strong "breathy way" the words are pronounced.

I studied foreign languages because it was always an requirement for me in high school, college, and while studying abroad. I am glad that I learned the basics of Spanish and Italian though, because its great to know different languages as it may benefit others.

My Spanish teacher would always emphasize that effectively learning a new language consists of reading, writing, and speaking it consistently.

I'm currently in Italy studying abroad and when I don't understand something being said to me, I either say "Non capisco" (I don't understand) or "Parli ingest?" ("Do you speak English?"). When Italians don't understand me when I am speaking in English they tell me to "slow down please".

My favorite non-English word is the Italian word for hello and goodbye, Ciao. Hence, my user name. It sounds so inviting when people use it. I love that Italians say it twice ("Ciao ciao"). Its so cute.