JustysiaS
12 Nov 2007
UK, Ireland / Do all Polish newcomers to the UK speak some English? [14]
I learnt English since i was 6 (private lessons), but when i went to primary school, and then high school, a lot of people in my year either learnt German, French or Russian instead of English or couldnt be bothered to get on with English and they PAID to the brainier students to do their homework... People in my class in high school had difficulties saying what their name was and how old they were after THREE years of English class! The teacher was very laid back and forgiving so they somehow got away with it, but the level was so low i was always bored... I didnt learn anything new in about 6 years untill i came to England and had to learn to SPEAK English all over again because my teachers didnt bother getting us to actually have normal every day conversations. I wish Magdalena was my teacher! Lol. Anyhow, i know a lot of Polish people who came to Britain with very little or no English, and surprisingly this was the 'young' generation. Even though they picked up quite a lot of the language since they came here, they dont speak it very much becaue they live with their Polish friends and families so they dont need to, which i find very arrogant at times. I work with a guy who used to be an English teacher in Poland, and his spoken English is dreadful! I mean, i have to help him out cos' he gets stuck so much, its embarassing... He loves to get back at me for his lack of conversational English by making an idiot out of me in Polish when i don't remember an 'obvious' fact from history or geography, but hey, whatever makes him feel better! :P
I learnt English since i was 6 (private lessons), but when i went to primary school, and then high school, a lot of people in my year either learnt German, French or Russian instead of English or couldnt be bothered to get on with English and they PAID to the brainier students to do their homework... People in my class in high school had difficulties saying what their name was and how old they were after THREE years of English class! The teacher was very laid back and forgiving so they somehow got away with it, but the level was so low i was always bored... I didnt learn anything new in about 6 years untill i came to England and had to learn to SPEAK English all over again because my teachers didnt bother getting us to actually have normal every day conversations. I wish Magdalena was my teacher! Lol. Anyhow, i know a lot of Polish people who came to Britain with very little or no English, and surprisingly this was the 'young' generation. Even though they picked up quite a lot of the language since they came here, they dont speak it very much becaue they live with their Polish friends and families so they dont need to, which i find very arrogant at times. I work with a guy who used to be an English teacher in Poland, and his spoken English is dreadful! I mean, i have to help him out cos' he gets stuck so much, its embarassing... He loves to get back at me for his lack of conversational English by making an idiot out of me in Polish when i don't remember an 'obvious' fact from history or geography, but hey, whatever makes him feel better! :P