I wish English was more like Latin

[TK421]

You can do almost whatever you want with the subject-verb-object order of a sentence and it’s grammatically fine. The Romans like a bunch of Yodas they were.

 

[Beryllos]

German language you might like.

 

[Salibi]

Also Arabic. You can do both V-S-O and S-V-O in Arabic.

 

[Annie]

Nah, the only thing I wish we had in English is for one word not to be both singular and plural second person pronoun (you). I would like either a plural you (tricky given verb forms) or a singular second person like thou/thee/thy/thine.

So much clearer!

English is such a wonderful language, very adaptable and full of words and phrases.

ETA: Latin has a lot of complex endings in order to do what you like; 13 (iirc) types of declensions, and 6 or 7 declensions. This also applies to the adjectives used with the nouns, which might be of a different type…

And then you have the verbs (which are not that hard, but is added on to the noun/adjective endings).

 

[TK421]

Also Arabic. You can do both V-S-O and S-V-O in Arabic.

Soooo many dialects of Arabic from what I’ve read. What would be the most “standard” one to learn, or does one even exist?

There’s a possibility I’ll be teaching in the Gulf come Spring/Summer.

 

[Sarcelle]

How difficult is it to read and write in Arabic?
Is it as difficult as Chinese?

 

[Salibi]

What would be the most “standard” one to learn, or does one even exist?

That would be Classical Arabic, but it won’t help you with talking, only Koran or Bible reading. Modern Standard Arabic is also considered “standard”, it’s less complex than CA and is used in writing, like newspapers, essays, and modern poetry.

If you’re going to the Gulf, you should focus on studying a Gulf dialect, like Saudi, or MSA. I would advise learning Saudi because people don’t usually speak in MSA, only write in it.

Good luck in the Gulf! Drink lots of water. I’ve lived in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for several years.

How difficult is it to read and write in Arabic?
Is it as difficult as Chinese?

I don’t think it’s difficult. It’s way easier than Chinese, because Arabic has an alphabet that just needs a little practice.

 

[TK421]

@Salibi

My job application went through literally the same week that US and Iran were on the brink of war ( ) but that ended up blowing over. I’ll be in one of the little countries like UAE or Qatar if I end up going.

 

[Salibi]

UAE and Qatar are among the better countries in the Gulf. UAE is the more open of the two, although of course they’re both still conservative Muslim nations.

I lived in Saudi during the more strict days when religious police would be patrolling and berating anyone who was out during prayer times so I had to tailor my outings accordingly.