I moved to Sweden recently and am discovering just how embarrassing this is for me. People will be chattering in Swedish and I don't know if there's a good time for me to jump in if I have to ask someone about something and I feel like an asshole just wandering in possibly mid sentence. Or someone sees me trying to pay attention and they all switch to English. I'm trying to learn Swedish but I've only ever known English and it's difficult getting my brain to hold on to all the new words

Or commonly "we're speaking English because it's the only language we have in common"

I speak english, because it's the only other language we both know.

Lowest common denominator.

Nha it’s mostly because of culture. Music, books, movies later in my life… they taste better in OG. Much more appealing than Dutch for me. Japanese and Korean would have been equally good options but the additional alphabets were too much for me back then.

But English was 100% for content. Communication needs came much later.

So many people are genuinely excited to learn a second language in school and then the lesson is just the dullest textbook session directed by someone who does speak the language but has zero actual teaching qualifications. Foreign languages get the same kind of education non-funding as art.

Can also be known as Canadian bilingualism.

I mean, let's level our euro pride here -- we were pretty much forced to learn it with the gun of dropping out of school pressed against our heads.

You speak English because the Brits dreamed big and didn't mind taking what wasn't theirs.

"Ok monolingual" is my favorite passive aggressive come-back for situations with (mainly) anglophones. To be honest, I don't have the guts to tell it to anyone's face, but it's very satisfying to think it.

Also a way to see it 😅

I also know Japanese and Spanish.

Nihongo no kata ga yoidesu ka?

I don't need to speak yuro. Why would I bother learning your mostly valueless languages? They don't help me travel in Western nations. They won't get me paid more at my job.

I don't NEED your silly languages. We are not the same.