Cactus Language Blog

Learning English & German in Brighton…as a Spaniard!

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, German, Language Courses UK, Learning a language

Cactus intern Fátima Rego tells us how she juggles English & German during her stay in Brighton

Hello to all. Thanks for your warm welcome! I am called Fátima, Spanish (from the north-north), and I’ve been living in Brighton for three months. I work in a wonderful company, Cactus, that has offered me the possibility of doing a foreign language course of my choice and…Voilà! No, I haven’t chosen French, but a 10-week German evening course in Brighton (for beginners); a course that leaves me exhausted every Wednesday after two hours of an interminable battle between my intellect and my desire to learn it.

My present reality is quite complex, that’s for sure. On the one hand I am learning English, a universal and attractive language for most ‘non-native English speakers’, for those who would like to complete their CV with a more than an acceptable Level A.

English is the universal language per excellence - I mean, we all use a PC or sometimes play on Play Station. Aside from this, I practise English at work and have the good luck to live with two wonderful English boys who correct my accent and help me increase my vocabulary.

On the other hand, I share the same nationality as three people at work and between us we speak Spanish. I was surprised how popular the language is here. Many English speak Spanish (or they try to, clearly). But we all have good intentions when speaking a language that is not ours. I like this language, so smooth and sweet to the ear…

At the same time I speak with my family and more intimate friends on the phone almost on a daily basis and our language is almost Portuguese (reminding us of the old times when Lusitania belonged to the kingdom of the Gallaecia, my homeland). It’s the most wonderful language in the world, tender and honey-coloured. It’s also the language of the deepest affection for me.

And now, as if this wasn’t enough, I begun my new adventure with German, a completely different language for me. Every Wednesday I try to surpass myself and I say to myself “Try it”; and I do, I really do. But it is far from easy and although, surprisingly enough, the majority of phonemes look much like those of the Spanish, each word is a as long as Lewes Road! With this salad bowl of languages every day it is hardly a surprise that today I entered into the store of my friend Anne to buy a cafe latte and, without realising, I said “¡Buenos días!”. Gratefully a voice from the bottom of the store answered to me “¡Buenos días!” - it was the Spanish girl who works part-time day in the store.

The truth is, I really like to learn new languages. It’s an extraordinary experience when you hear yourself talking in a foreign language; so I will continue trying to learn German and I may even start other languages! There’s no doubt that the more languages you can speak, the more people you can meet and talk to.

Tags:English, German evening course, language courses in Brighton, learn English, learning German