Have you ever wished there was an English word that perfectly captured how you feel on travels? Well, it turns out there are quite a few foreign words which capture travel’s magic and delight more accurately than its English equivalent can do.
Learning one or two of these languages can make your travels even more enriching and fulfilling!
Swahili
Swahili, an African language, evolved over centuries from interactions between empire builders, traders, slavers, and slavers. Influenced by Arabic as well as borrowing words from Portuguese, French, German and English during colonial rule. However, its grammar and syntax remain solely Bantu-centric.
Swahili became widely spoken through coastal trade and Christian missionary activities, spreading rapidly throughout Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Today it remains Tanzania’s official language as well as being widely spoken throughout East Africa as well as parts of Southern and Western Africa.
An understanding of even just a few basic Swahili phrases will assist in getting around and communicating with locals. You might use them to negotiate a fair taxi fare in Dar es Salaam or explain your dietary restrictions to your tour guide, and even for ordering drinks at bars!
German
Travel is thrilling, yet sometimes hard to put into words. Luckily, foreign languages offer numerous words to express what it’s like – such as resfeber, coddiwomple and sonder – in ways English simply can’t. These foreign words will help capture your experience more fully than ever!
Sehnsucht, the German term for yearning for past and future trips, perfectly describes wanderlust – that feeling when you find yourself daydreaming of all of the places you want to see but wish there was more time in which to do it all! So next time you find yourself looking back through old photos from trips past, remember there is always more waiting to be discovered! For anyone wanting to expand their language learning capabilities while traveling or studying German as a foreign language – FluentU’s German lessons offer just the solution – they make learning fun! And for anyone wanting to brush up while abroad sign up now for your free trial now!
Italian
Italian sentences tend to be shorter than their English counterparts, making this language ideal for fast communication on the move. But remembering how to structure them properly will be key to your success: for example “C’e un treno alle dieci.” – There is a train at 10 which I will take.
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Spanish
Learn Spanish phrases whether traveling for vacation or work purposes is invaluable. Learning how to say travel in Spanish will give you confidence on your trip and enable you to enjoy every moment. Furthermore, knowing some basic conversational Spanish such as how to describe the weather (el clima) or saying things such as: buen clima hoy, eh? (“good weather today”, is extremely useful.
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