"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...
On 17/12/15 17:47, Phil L wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
One of the things I intend to do in my retirement is to relearn to
read French - I shall never speak it, because I can't hear it, but
I used to be able to read up to Pierre Boulle (not Camus, though).
I can hear northern German, but my knowledge is very limited.

How can you hear German but you can't hear French?

Supposedly 70% of basic English is derived from the
teutonic languages, whereas French is derived from Latin.

If you have an electronic or computer background, the
RPN nature of German won't bother you. Exception:
German to English simultaneous translators can't begin
their translation until they've heard the verb at
the end of the sentence

I lived in very rural Germany for 3 weeks. No-one except my friend spoke
any English so I know the German for hens, dogs, bees, hedgehogs. that sort
of stuff. Nouns only. Couldn't hold a conversation though. and even if did
speak what is called "high german" (equivalent of posh) no one there would
understand it much, they speak a dialect.
I asked my friend if should learn German, she said "don't bother"
I loved it there, miles from anywhere. Sat by a pond listening to bats
sweeping over the water, ran for the house when the wild boars came.
Amazing place.
Gardening is difficult because of voles. They eat everything. they look
like water voles but they are all over the place.
My friend traps them, but they are quite crafty. Her cat catches one or
two, but they are quite big for him. my own cat would say hmm, I think not.
Never seen anything like them in the UK.