
How many words do you need to speak a language? - ALee
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44569277
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basica
Those numbers are about right IME. I speak two languages and I'm learning a
third. With a vocabulary of around 1100 words I am able to make basic
conversation (able to talk about myself, who I am, what I do and what I enjoy
and so on). If I read a newspaper I understand on average about 60% of what's
written which sounds like a lot, but it's often not enough to understand
what's going on for certain.

If someone is learning a language for fun, I'd recommend starting off with one
with a lot of shared vocabulary with your native language. French for English
speakers is a good start. Much better than German (despite English itself
being a Germanic language). Even as someone who's only exposure to French was
a couple of Michel Thomas cassette tapes; I understand a surprising amount of
a French newspaper. I studied German in high school and I understand virtually
nothing in a newspaper in comparison.

