Good day Steemians,

![hello-1502369_640.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQ9gv3brxLDxRNEjZT66KRX7tvDk9GY7L4pAGQeCsULkd/hello-1502369_640.png)

I wanted to share with you all that are maybe considering living in another country what you might need to do when 
dealing with language barriers. 

**English is universal**

English is a universal language alongside french so many countries speak their mother tongue and English as a second language. But not all countries do this some countries also use french as a second language. 

**What do I need to learn.** 

Well if you have not had time to study the language before moving out you should at least learn some basic words
to help you communicate for example. 

*Hello*
*How are you?* 
*My name is*
*What is your name?*
*How much is this?*
*Please*
*Thank you* 
*1-10 (in the language)*

These are all basic principles to help us to begin communication, when I first moved to *Bulgaria* I knew extremely little probably not even these sentences, which I deeply deeply regret not knowing.  Languages can be complex, it is easy when you are requesting something from a shop for example, because you can simply point to what you want. 

![iman-1465170_640.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXNXQ18LLoMAsZtEKUF3hv1nw2MsWrsruVdJzh9V4bnJ7/iman-1465170_640.jpg)

**Well most speak english in the country right?**

Technically yes the younger generations speak english but not all do,  for example many countries in slavic regions the older population speak no english. This is because many of these countries are not or were not part of the EU. So english was not a mandatory requirement. Also think of it this way you are moving to their country so why would you expect them to speak english, after all its not *England.*

**So what should I do.**
Well firstly don't dive in and enrol in a class to try and learn the language, this will not get you anywhere because even if you are 
learning, if you are not using the language then you will quickly forget what you have learnt because you are not putting it into practice. 
Learn your basics and build from there, the best advice I can give is talk to the locals, that may sound stupid when you know very little but most locals will take endless amounts of time to sit and talk if you show the effort of learning. 

**Repetitive words**

When speaking with the locals you will start to hear words that are very regular and repeated lots, the first word for me was (siga) which means now, at first I thought it meant smoke from a fire as we were talking about my wood burning stove at the time. It does not matter if you don't understand the word or you don't get it right its how you learn from it. 
Then you will find other words that you will pick up on and once you know the meaning slowly integrate them into your vocabulary. 

**Conclusion**
Learning a new language is no easy feat, but the best way in which to learn is to get your hands dirty from day one, be prepared to make mistakes, laugh about them with the locals this is an excellent ice breaker. And in no time at all you will start to hold a conversaton. 

**Backup support**

Remember as a backup google has a good translation app you can use to help you if you are really struggling too but don't over 
depend on it as it is not always correct from either language.