this post was submitted on 17 Apr 2025
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Ok, Lemmy, let's play a game!

Post how many languages in which you can count to ten, including your native language. If you like, provide which languages. I'm going to make a guess; after you've replied, come back and open the spoiler. If I'm right: upvote; if I'm wrong: downvote!

My guess, and my answer...My guess is that it's more than the number of languages you speak, read, and/or write.

Do you feel cheated because I didn't pick a number? Vote how you want to, or don't vote! I'm just interested in the count.

I can count to ten in five languages, but I only speak two. I can read a third, and I once was able to converse in a fourth, but have long since lost that skill. I know only some pick-up/borrow words from the 5th, including counting to 10.

  1. My native language is English
  2. I lived in Germany for a couple of years; because I never took classes, I can't write in German, but I spoke fluently by the time I left.
  3. I studied French in college for three years; I can read French, but I've yet to meet a French person who can understand what I'm trying to say, and I have a hard time comprehending it.
  4. I taught myself Esperanto a couple of decades ago, and used to hang out in Esperanto chat rooms. I haven't kept up.
  5. I can count to ten in Japanese because I took Aikido classes for a decade or so, and my instructor counted out loud in Japanese, and the various movements are numbered.

I can almost count to ten in Spanish, because I grew up in mid-California and there was a lot of Spanish thrown around. But French interferes, and I start in Spanish and find myself switching to French in the middle, so I'm not sure I could really do it.

Bonus question: do you ever do your counting in a non-native language, just to make it more interesting?

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[–] letsgo@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I have four and so does my wife! English, French, German, Spanish/Russian (learnt before it was uncool).

Edit: I remembered I can do Dutch as well. So 5 for me, 4 for her. I could only remember 4 and 5 in Latin, had to look the rest up.

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[–] selkiesidhe@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

Hmmm... English, French, German, Spanish. Japanese numbers, yes, but only half that if we're counting things (iykyk 🫤). I should learn Mandarin 1-10...

My pronunciation ofc is abysmal.

[–] dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

English, Spanish, French, Latin, Russian, German, Japanese, Cantonese, ...

So 8. 10 is not very high. I'd have Arabic too, but I can only get to 5 :)

Edit: I can speak 3 of them, 2 passably, English natively. I took 5 of them in school. I had a Rammstein phase. 17 years Karate. And I dated a Hong Kong girl for 6 years and her family liked to play mah-jong but didn't speak English.

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[–] konalt@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

One two three four five six seven eight nine ten (English)

Aon dó trí ceathar cúig sé seacht ocht naoi deich (Irish)

один два три четыре пять шесть семь восемь девять десять (Russian)

un deux troix quatre cinq six sept huit neuf dix (French)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (cheating)

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[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Replying opened the spoiler for me, but:

  1. English (native)
  2. Spanish (school)
  3. Esperanto (self-taught)
  4. Latin (university)

I can also count to five in German, and I used to know 1-10 in Swahili, but now only remember that "moja means one"

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[–] hossein@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

4: Persian, English, Chinese, French

I used to be able to do so in Esperanto and Arabic as well but not anymore.

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[–] Jumi@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (4 children)

English, German, Austrian and Eastern Swiss

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[–] SalmiakDragon@feddit.nu 2 points 1 week ago
[–] Harrk@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

4: English (native), Spanish (learned at school and 1-10 is about all I recall), Mandarin, and Japanese.

[–] zagreas@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

I can do it in English, Greek, German, Czech, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish (but I only speak the first 3)

[–] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 2 points 1 week ago

Turkish, English, German, Greek, Kurmanji, Japanese

[–] mitchty@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 week ago

English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. Nothing special tbh.

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