What is a foreign language?

A foreign language is basically the same kind of language as the one which we speak.  The only difference is that we do not understand any of the words that we hear.  A true foreign language differs from a language that we simply do not speak in one very elementary way.

A completely foreign language turns into one which we do not understand sufficiently well if we hear a few words in the flow of sound which we understand. 

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a lot
1 words of 123
after
2 words of 123
airplane
3 words of 123
and
4 words of 123
animal
5 words of 123
back
6 words of 123
bad
7 words of 123
bag
8 words of 123
bed
9 words of 123
before
10 words of 123
big
11 words of 123
blanket
12 words of 123
boat
13 words of 123
boiled
14 words of 123
bread
15 words of 123
breakfast
16 words of 123
bus
17 words of 123
car
18 words of 123
chicken
19 words of 123
child
20 words of 123
closed
21 words of 123
clothing
22 words of 123
coffee
23 words of 123
cold
24 words of 123
color
25 words of 123
dangerous
26 words of 123
day
27 words of 123
do
28 words of 123
doctor
29 words of 123
documents
30 words of 123
down
31 words of 123
drink
32 words of 123
drive
33 words of 123
eat
34 words of 123
egg
35 words of 123
far
36 words of 123
fire
37 words of 123
fish
38 words of 123
forward
39 words of 123
fried
40 words of 123
friend
41 words of 123
from
42 words of 123
fruit
43 words of 123
give
44 words of 123
go
45 words of 123
good
46 words of 123
goodbye
47 words of 123
hello
48 words of 123
help
49 words of 123
here
50 words of 123
hot
51 words of 123
hour
52 words of 123
house
53 words of 123
how
54 words of 123
how much
55 words of 123
hurry
56 words of 123
I
57 words of 123
inside
58 words of 123
it
59 words of 123
know
60 words of 123
later
61 words of 123
less
62 words of 123
little
63 words of 123
look for
64 words of 123
man
65 words of 123
meat
66 words of 123
medicine
67 words of 123
milk
68 words of 123
money
69 words of 123
more
70 words of 123
my
71 words of 123
night
72 words of 123
no
73 words of 123
now
74 words of 123
one
75 words of 123
outside
76 words of 123
pain
77 words of 123
pasta
78 words of 123
phone
79 words of 123
please
80 words of 123
potato
81 words of 123
quickly
82 words of 123
relax
83 words of 123
rice
84 words of 123
room
85 words of 123
salad
86 words of 123
shoes
87 words of 123
shop
88 words of 123
slowly
89 words of 123
sorry
90 words of 123
soup
91 words of 123
straight
92 words of 123
street
93 words of 123
sweet
94 words of 123
take
95 words of 123
talk
96 words of 123
tea
97 words of 123
thank you
98 words of 123
there
99 words of 123
ticket
100 words of 123
time
101 words of 123
to
102 words of 123
to the left
103 words of 123
to the right
104 words of 123
together
105 words of 123
toilet
106 words of 123
train
107 words of 123
two
108 words of 123
understand
109 words of 123
vegetables
111 words of 123
wait
112 words of 123
wake
113 words of 123
want
114 words of 123
water
115 words of 123
when
116 words of 123
where
117 words of 123
who
118 words of 123
woman
119 words of 123
write
120 words of 123
yes
121 words of 123
you
122 words of 123
your
123 words of 123
a lot
a lot
after
after
airplane
airplane
and
and
animal
animal
back
back
bad
bad
bag
bag
bed
bed
before
before
big
big
blanket
blanket
boat
boat
boiled
boiled
bread
bread
breakfast
breakfast
bus
bus
car
car
chicken
chicken
child
child
closed
closed
clothing
clothing
coffee
coffee
cold
cold
color
color
dangerous
dangerous
day
day
do
do
doctor
doctor
documents
documents
down
down
drink
drink
drive
drive
eat
eat
egg
egg
far
far
fire
fire
fish
fish
forward
forward
fried
fried
friend
friend
from
from
fruit
fruit
give
give
go
go
good
good
goodbye
goodbye
hello
hello
help
help
here
here
hot
hot
hour
hour
house
house
how
how
how much
how much
hurry
hurry
I
I
inside
inside
it
it
know
know
later
later
less
less
little
little
look for
look for
man
man
meat
meat
medicine
medicine
milk
milk
money
money
more
more
my
my
night
night
no
no
now
now
one
one
outside
outside
pain
pain
pasta
pasta
phone
phone
please
please
potato
potato
quickly
quickly
relax
relax
rice
rice
room
room
salad
salad
shoes
shoes
shop
shop
slowly
slowly
sorry
sorry
soup
soup
straight
straight
street
street
sweet
sweet
take
take
talk
talk
tea
tea
thank you
thank you
there
there
ticket
ticket
time
time
to
to
to the left
to the left
to the right
to the right
together
together
toilet
toilet
train
train
two
two
understand
understand
up
up
vegetables
vegetables
wait
wait
wake
wake
want
want
water
water
when
when
where
where
who
who
woman
woman
write
write
yes
yes
you
you
your
your

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When we listen to people who are speaking in a foreign language, it seems that the conversation is an uninterrupted flow of incomprehensible sounds.  It is an insurmountable river of funny noises, and you cannot see its beginning or its end.

We understand those words and can understand the topic – food, travel, sports, shopping, prices, the weather, etc.  That is all, however.  We cannot move beyond the overall topic that is being discussed.  Don’t fear, though – if you understand the general topic of discussion, then that means that you can identify the language that is being spoken – Spanish, French, Italian, etc.  This means that this is not a completely foreign language to you.  You simply do not understand it sufficiently well.

The next thing is this:  A language will turn from an incomprehensible into an understandable one only when you not only recognise the words that are spoken, but also understand the point to what is being said.

Sadly, some people who want to communicate in a foreign language in a comprehensible way must first learn to do so in their own language.  You have to remember a few things here.  If people talk to one another they only use words which the others will understand, and they use those words so that everyone understands the point to what is being said.