The French interested/disinterested in the English language

"In france in the north, Algeria, Tunisia and morroco in the south"

In Morroco is Spanish clearly dominant, I think.

"I don't know about most Italians, but my husband and his family can't understand a lick of French... unless they read it. I'm pretty sure this has to do with accent though. They are most apt to understand Spanish in which all syllables are pronounced, like in Italian and the "R" is familiar."

I agree with Tiffany, I think the most Italian can't understand French, but the Italians understand very good Spanish (and vice versa), Italian is much closer to Spanish than to French, a Italian don't need Spanish courses (and vice versa).

I mean "I think most Italians" and "an Italian". :)

Tiffany, are you Italian (from Italy) or "Italo-American" ?
When I say "Italians" I speak of course of the people who live in France's neigbouring country. In Italy a lot of people can speak french, much more than in Spain. France is a neighbour country for Italy, while Spain isn't.
I would be not surprised that it is nopt the case for "Italian americans". as long as there is a strong spanish speaking community in USA, Italian-american can feel closer to Spanish.

We don't speak about Italian-Americans feeling closer to Spanish because they live in America. The Italians (from Italy) can understand Spanish simply for the reason that Italian and Spanish are very close languages, furthermore the Spanish have too Italian (Roman) blood (except in the nord of Spain I suppose).

... North of Spain

" In Morroco is Spanish clearly dominant, I think. "

It's wrong. Almost morocans can speak french.
French is the country second language. there is a lot of french speaking morocan TV programs. the country is almost bilingual morocan arabic and french

" agree with Tiffany, I think the most Italian can't understand French, but the Italians understand very good Spanish (and vice versa), Italian is much closer to Spanish than to French, a Italian don't need Spanish courses (and vice versa). "

I'm sorry. You are German and you seem not knowing nothing about latin cultures. Fench and Italian are very closely related languages. Italians need to have Spanish course to speak the language, as we do.
When I was in Spain I saw a lot of Italians using english to communicate with Spanish people.

" We don't speak about Italian-Americans feeling closer to Spanish because they live in America. The Italians (from Italy) can understand Spanish simply for the reason that Italian and Spanish are very close languages, furthermore the Spanish have too Italian (Roman) blood (except in the nord of Spain I suppose). "


You've just showed your ignorance about the latin countries...
Italian and spanish seem closer due to a more similar "sound". linguistically they are not so close. Italian is more similar to french (86% of commun words), while spanish is closer to Portuguese (both with a huge amount of arabic words)

"the Spanish have roman blood;;;"
We too, and not only in the south as you seem to think. despite the fact that I don't agree with the term "blood" (wich sound a bit nazi to my hears), it is true that Spanish people are partly decendants of Romans (with celtic, arabic, germanic, iberian, gypsy too). In france we are basically from Gallo-roman (roman and celtic) "blood", with some germanic and other influences. We're Culturally latins.

Bernard,

"Almost morocans can speak french"

Almost Moroccans can speak Spanish

Bernard

"I'm sorry. You are German and you seem not knowing nothing about latin cultures."

Right, I'm German... and my grandfather (father of my mother) was Italian... :-P My mother can speak Italian, but I don't. We went once to Spain in vacation, and she spoke in Italian with Spaniards without Spanish courses... That's why I know Spanish and Italian are so close.

"When I was in Spain I saw a lot of Italians using english to communicate with Spanish people."

X-DDDD I think you're lying. They don't need that. Furthermore most Spaniards don't speak English...

... on vacation

What do you know about morocco ?!!
When I went to Spain I heard a lot of time moroccans speaking together in French!...

even the CIA factbook say it : Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy

Go to casablanca, marakech, or Rabat, you'll see everything is bilingual !

Hans, you seem to be very young, and you seem not having enouth your own experience of life. It is not because your mother said one thing that she is systematically right.

You said yourself that YOU don't speak Italian, Spanish neither (and I suppose you don't speak french too)
I speak French, Italian, Spanish and Catalan. I can assure you that I know what I am saying when I speak about latin languages.
I can assure you that Italian speakers have to learn spanish If they want to speak it, and reciprocly (I'm not sure this word exist in english). what is true is that is is pretty much easy to learn another romance language for a romance speaker.


me, for exemple, I don't know much about germanic languages (even if one of my grand-grand father was from Germany). So I won't spend my time claiming that danish is closer to german than dutch or that norwegian is more similar to german tha to swedish ... It is a subject I don't know, so I don't say nothing about it, it prevent me from saying stupid things...

"You've just showed your ignorance about the latin countries..."

Now I am ignorant? You don't need to insult. How arrogant!

"Italian and spanish seem closer due to a more similar "sound". linguistically they are not so close. Italian is more similar to french (86% of commun words),"

I beg to differ, but Italian is very more similar to Spanish.

"while spanish is closer to Portuguese (both with a huge amount of arabic words)"

I have right now asked my mother. She understand Spanish but not Portuguese. I'm sorry to dissapoint you. The "arabic words" of Spanish are a few, not "huge amount", word which are never used.

"it is true that Spanish people are partly decendants of Romans (with celtic, arabic, germanic, iberian, gypsy too)."

I think you mix up Andalusien (arabic, gypsy) with middle und North Spain (castallans, basques). Anyway, the Spaniards are 60% Romans.

I see you don't know very much about Italy and Spain...

"When I went to Spain I heard a lot of time moroccans speaking together in French"

A part of Marocco was a Spanish colony, the other part French.

"Hans, you seem to be very young, and you seem not having enouth your own experience of life"

And you seem to be very arrogant...

"It is not because your mother said one thing that she is systematically right."

Alright, my mother lie. X-D

"I can assure you that Italian speakers have to learn spanish If they want to speak it"

And I can assure you that Italian speakers can communicat with Spaniards without speaking Spanish..., but Italian.

"It is a subject I don't know, so I don't say nothing about it, it prevent me from saying stupid things..."

So, I am now too "stupid". You seem to be a very nice and polite French.