Many people hesitate to try andspeak in a foreign languages . This might be because they dont want to feelfoolish, are worried about how they will sound, are scared of sounding sillyand so on. As a result they remain resolutely monolingual during any tripabroad, preferring to speak loudly in English. These are the same people whoare clever, articulate and never lost for words when speaking in English. Thesame people who are achievers in other areas of life.

But why ?It may be because many people stop learning (or never start) languages whenleaving school and when they travel abroad have only haunting memories ofhaving to learn lists of words or conjugate verbs. Yuk. It could also bebecause many foreign language courses are detailed, promise a lot and requireto much time. Anyway, lets cut to the chase. Who has the time or inclination tospend months learning Spanish/French/German or any other language when planninga three day visit ?

Well, maybethings have moved on or maybe not as regards language learning when still atschool. I dont know, but I do know that it is fun and possible to learn somebasic language for when you travel.

By basic, Imean basic. How to start ? Learn a few key words. For example, hello, goodbye, please,thank you. These are words that you will hear all the time and be able to useall the time. Learn them and say them as often as possible. It is a greatconfidence booster to do this, and once you can do this you have cleared thefirst hurdle.

Im suggestingthat it is always worth learning these key words because you will almostcertainly have a better holiday. Try them out. Taxi drivers and waiters aregreat and will almost always respond positively. The moment you attempt tospeak in another language you stop being a number to them and become a humanbeing.

Almostalways you will receive a positive reaction. In some cases, especially withshop-keepers it takes longer, (a few days) but most will crack eventually andreward you with some recognition that you are not just another tourist.

So, here weare, you can now speak ten or so words fluently. A good start but perhaps itmight be fun to learn a few more and so how about some numbers. Start with one,two, three. Remember that the goal is not fluency, or obsessing about finishingwhat you start (like having to count to ten) but to have a little fun andcommunicate.

Everyonebuys drinks on holiday. This is an ideal occasion to use the numbers you know.It doesnt matter if you ask for the drinks in English. The important thing isto use the opportunity to ask for the number of drinks in the foreign language,or to confirm the number of drinks ordered.

Feelinginspired move onto a few phrases. A good one is that was delicious, assuming ofcourse that you have chosen a good restaurant, and it is amazing howappreciative and surprised the owners will be.

Decide inadvance what you are going to say. If you are getting a bus or if you are goingto take a taxi learn one ticket or whatever you will need, but keep it simple.

Start withthe simplest phrase you can imagine. A common mistake is to make sentences in aforeign language more complicated than necessary. For example, instead ofsaying could you tell me where the beach is ?, it is easier to say where is thebeach?. In other words skip out the non-essential.

So, dontbe shy, learn ten, twenty or thirty words and a few phrases and make sure youuse them.