Knowing more than one language is a beautiful thing in this day and age. Not only does being multilingual allow you to communicate more expansively with people from different parts of the world, but it will also give you an advantage when it comes to your own career. Now, growing up in a household where more than one language is spoken is truly a fun concept, I'm not going to lie. Learning many languages at a time, however, can get rather, how do I put this... complicated.
Anybody who has grown up in a household where two or sometimes even three languages are spoken or have grown up taking language courses at school have all gone through similar experiences. Some of those experiences being funny, embarrassing or even life-changing. If you're one of these people, you've definitely encountered some of these obstacles.
1. You switch languages mid-sentence without even noticing.
Yes, can I get un cafe con leche y una arepa con carne mechada para llevar please?
2. You start to forget basic words in your native language.
Wait, what's that word we use to describe someone's height? You know, not short but...? Tall...? YES! Thank you!!
3. Your humor never properly translates from one language to another.
I promise it's funnier in Spanish, hahahaha just isn't the same as jajajaja.
4. The person you're speaking to determines the way you pronounce your name.
The number of times I've had to butcher my own last name on purpose are countless.
5. Your phone auto-corrects into the wrong language at the moment - every time.
Yes iPhone, when I typed "lla voy en cammino" I meant to say "La void enter camera."
6. Sometimes it takes you a minute to register what language you're currently speaking.
Just give me a second; a second is all I need.
7. You have a secret language you can gossip in when you're from a household that speaks a less common language.
It's kinda like code. You make people wonder.
8. You really can't explain grammar rules properly, you just know.
I just kinda talk you know? I can't really explain how/when/why you conjugate a word.
9. You can only do math in a specific language, and one language only.
But, maybe that's just me.
