What is the official language of the European Union?

I don't thkink God hates you and we antimooners certainly love you. Cheer up lad!

Jordi:

Thank you for that....good to know and I am cheered up today. I love antimooners too....whatever we chat about. Off to face the public again now....usually ok on a Saturday and Sunday....all the crazy fun people come on. :-)

It's funny but the main pluses of English are those, which were mentioned by you as minuses. Yeah maybe it's not that interesting and partially simplified but these factors have turned English into an easy language to learn and to be USED as means for international communication.
This is one of the reasons why it can be considered a language of European Union (at least in diplomatic terms).

Hi Dulcinea del Toboso,
yeah in fact things are a bit more complex than what I wrote... I wouldn't speak about Spanish as I am not good enough in speaking that language.
But in French we can put the adjectives before and after the nouns... it depends and the rules seem to be very, how can I say? strange!
Just check it with some examples :
"une grosse voiture" (a big car) is quite better than "une voiture grosse", but the two are good (in that case, it sounds better when the adjective is before the noun).
But "une verte pomme" (a green apple) sounds really strange compare to "une pomme verte" (here the adjective must be after the noun).
So, despite of the fact I am French I couldn't tell you the general rule!
Anyway, you are right I was wrong when I wrote "As in most European languages (English, French, Spanish...) we put the adjectives before the nouns" because things seem to be really harder than that in French! What about Spanish, I do not really know...
You are Italian, how lucky you are to speak that language!

In French, adjectives go before nouns where something being described is figurative. Where an adjective goes after the noun, it takes on a literal meaning. E.g. "un pauvre gars" means a guy whom you feel sorry for, but "un gars pauvre" means a guy who has no money. However in English they can both be translated as "a poor guy" where context determines the true meaning.

"Une grosse voiture" means a big car generally based on your impressions. "une voiture grosse" sounds more objective like it's relative to something. But both relate to "big" anyway so there would be no confusion.

In Spanish or Catalan it would be just the same as French:
Un pobre chico (Un pauvre gars)
Un chico pobre (Un gars pauvre)

Un gran coche A great car
Un coche grande A big car

But you would always have to say "un chico blanco" (white guy) and un coche ridículo (ridiculous car).

So, here we are for new words in euriposih wich are :


Gajo = guy, chico, gars

pobre = the spanish meaning is the best


pobre gajo


gajo pobre!

In a bit of a rush between breakfast and earning money.....my first suggestion for the New Europish. Ok...a word for WINDOW.....is think it should be something like FENESTER. Like in Welsh...so a Celtic contribution! English seems, from what I have now discovered, different from a lot of languages in this word. My dictionary says it orginated in old Norse. I wonder then what the Scandinavian (Danish/Swedish/Norwegian) word(s) for window is/are? (that seems an awkward construction! I am in a rush though.) I always have an excuse don't I? :-(

Window:
German : Fenster
French: Fenetre
Welsh: Fenester

Just a suggestion!

Hi Damian,
Looks like a word of Latin origin :)

Damian,


What about the verb with fenester will you choose to open it?

Nic:

As I chose a Welsh "Celtic" word for window to fit in with similar words in other languages for our revolutionary EUROPISH tongue (which all 380 million (approx) of us Europeans will be fluent in by 2010!) I looked up a Welsh language site and found that the word for open is: "agor". Prounced: 'agoR" In Welsh all Rs are clearly pronounced, strongly so, unlike in English where it is glided over. So: Agor fenester! Open the window in EUROPISH ok? :-)

I found a good site for Celtic Languages:-

http://www.nationmaster.com/

Why not choose the Irish word for open?

Oscail fenester?

or a Latinate word for open, and the Irish for window?

Ouvrez an fhuinneog?

Funny combinations, these!

Hwyl fawr / Le meas,

Criostóir

Cristóir,

Is èireanneach thu?

Ca bhfuil tu i do chonai?

A Shaoirse a chara,

Ní Éireannach mé :) Ach ba chuid mo shinsearach Éireannaigh, agus nuair a bhí mac léinn ionam, d'fhoglaim mé an Ghaeilge ar an Ollscoil Mhic Ghiolla (McGill University) i gCnoc Ríoga (Montreal), i gCeanada.

Tá mé i mo chónaí i nDeisceart Chalifornia, sa Chontae Orange, faoi láthair.

An Éireannach tusa? Agus cá bhfuil tusa i do chónaí?

Is mise le meas,

Criostóir (Christopher go hoifigiúil)

Tà do chuid gaeilge go hàna mhaith ar fàd!

Is èireannach mé - as Contae Lu, ach tàim i mo chonai san eilvèis anois.

Contae Oràiste? BOO!

;)