Just watching his first interview and it got me thinking - do we have anyone in the squad that can speak Portuguese or Italian? I can't think off the top of my head - I think we're mainly populated by French and Spanish speakers? Regardless of that though, he comes across very well, and his Italian is excellent, so he's clearly bright and can learn a language (okay, he's been in Italy four years, but there are plenty here that have been here four years and aren't the greatest on the English front). Says all the right things too. Interesting he held the interview speaking Italian rather than Portuguese too. I'm cautiously impressed.
I have seen the interview too, and learning English seems to be high on his list of prIorities, and which he’ll obviously get loads of help with. In terms of Portuguese speakers, we could always get Jose Fonte back, or assuming Lyanco also speaks Serbian, how about Dusan Tadic? Otherwise it will have to be Graziano or Manolo who returns.
My brother lives in Italy and has mastered the language impeccably - so his Italian friends tell me in English I remember drinking with my bro along with some Italian and Spanish folk and it was interesting who could understand who and how well. The outcome was that Italian speakers could get +70% of what the Spanish were saying, and both nationalities said if your were fluent in another language - like my brother - this improved things further. The Spanish agreed they were at a disadvantage in understanding what the Italians were saying, and said Italians pick up Spanish a lot easier than they do Italian. I think with Portuguese and Italian "O Macaco," will be fine discussing with our resident Spaniard, the finer points of the remaining medieval heritage of the city and the beauty of the nearby 145 square miles of virtually undisturbed deciduous and coniferous forest which provide excellent opportunities for nature watching. Or it might inspire him to pick up English, pronto!
...you mean just like me? Not only am I ½ Italian, but my mother was an A level Italian teacher....and all i speak is English EDIT: In her defence she also taught English and her degree & masters was in Classics (Whatever that is now). She also back in the day taught ancient Greek and I can just about say hello in Greek
There are plenty of people on this message board who have spent their entire lives in England and still struggle with the language.
Yes, Romeu probably best bet then. Someone said to me once that Portuguese understand Spanish better than Spanish understand Portuguese. Could be the other way around! Either way, I get the impression that whichever one of the Latin languages you speak, it's an easier transition to say, us understanding Dutch, German or Danish.
Lad hasn't considered that God may be punishing him for past deeds. I once worked in a supermarket....often wondered what terrible thing I had done in a past life to deserve such a fate....helping to build a Death Star came to mind.
