# I'm British and I speak English



## paradoxa4

Hello.

I was studying countries, nationalities and languages, I've noticed that most of them are created just by adding a 語/人 to the name of the country. However I've found something irregular with the word "English"

When you're "*English*" (Because you were born in *ENGLAND*) it's イギリス人 but when you *SPEAK* English, then it's 英語。

Why does that occur? Why is it not *[*イギリス人 and イギリス語*]* or *[*英人 and 英語*]* Of course I won't say either 英人 or イギリス語 since I already know that that's wrong, I just wonder why that's not like that.

So; How could I say "I am British/English and I speak English"?

Thanks for your time.


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## alice313

Because a word 'イギリス' is from Portuguese (inglez) ,and a word '英語' is from Chinese (ying1yu3).
But also there is another way to call it; イングランド、英国、イングリッシュ.
Even though イギリス　and 　英語　is the most common words I think.

わたしはイギリス人です。わたしの母語は英語です。or　わたしは英語で話します。
I'm english. My mother tongue is english. I speak english.


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## paradoxa4

alice313 said:


> Because a word 'イギリス' is from Portuguese (inglez) ,and a word '英語' is from Chinese (ying1yu3).
> わたしはイギリス人です。わたしの母語は英語です。or　わたしは英語をしゃべります。



Thanks a lot, however I'd like to do an observation on your English. I think it should be "the word" instead of "a word" in your sentence.

And talking about the answer, I agree with all of them, but I choose the last one since I was looking for "I speak English" rather than "My mother tongue is English" (Both express theoretically the same idea though).

You're very kind for explaining me.


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## alice313

Thanks for your observation. And I couldn't sure whether the sentence ' わたしは英語をしゃべります' is natural or not. That's why I write another expression.
Good luck with your Japanese voyage!


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## xiaolijie

> わたしは英語で話します。


"英語を話します" is slightly more natural. So, you can say: わたしはイギリス人です。英語を話します。


> 'わたしは英語をしゃべります' is natural or not.


Again, this is fine but tends to be used very informally. "英語を話します" is more neutral.


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## paradoxa4

xiaolijie said:


> "英語を話します" is slightly more natural. So, you can say: わたしはイギリス人です。英語を話します。
> 
> Again, this is fine but tends to be used very informally. "英語を話します" is more neutral.



Can I say "私の母語は英語です" to express that "my mother tongue is English"? (Although mine is Spanish, I want to learn the sentence, and, of course "to speak English" doesn't imply that that is your first language)

I want to add something.

Since the sentence provided by alice313 says: 私は英語で話します。 Does that mean something like this? Let's guess that the following conversation is in Japanese, sadly, I don't know enough words to say that in Japanese as such.

Random person 1: What do you do on vacations.
Random person 2: I speak with Hungarian people at the embassy.
Random person 1: Oh cool, and how can you communicate with them?
Random person 2: 私は英語で話します。 (I speak with them THROUGH/BY MEANS OF English)

Is that right? Did I get the idea?


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## 涼宮

paradoxa4 said:


> Can I say "私の母語は英語です" to express that "my mother tongue is English"?* Yes you can.*
> 
> Random person 1: What do you do on vacations. *The usual question is 休暇で**何をしますか* (formal) *or 休日に何をしますか*
> Random person 2: I speak with Hungarian people at the embassy.
> Random person 1: Oh cool, and how can you communicate with them?
> Random person 2: 私は英語で話します。 (I speak with them THROUGH/BY MEANS OF the English) *Yes you got it right. But little detail, you cannot say '' by means of the English'', languages in English never use an article unless you say the English* *language*
> 
> Is that right? Did I get the idea?



ほなな～


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## uchi.m

Hello





paradoxa4 said:


> Hello.
> 
> I was studying countries, nationalities and languages, I've noticed that most of them are created just by adding a 語/人 to the name of the country. However I've found something irregular with the word "English"
> 
> When you're "*English*" (Because you were born in *ENGLAND*) it's イギリス人 but when you *SPEAK* English, then it's 英語。
> 
> Why does that occur? Why is it not *[*イギリス人 and イギリス語*]* or *[*英人 and 英語*]* Of course I won't say either 英人 or イギリス語 since I already know that that's wrong, I just wonder why that's not like that.
> 
> So; How could I say "I am British/English and I speak English"?
> 
> Thanks for your time.


I don't know, really, the reason why _igirisujin_ and _eigo_ happen to exist, but I may suppose that British people are most probably praised in Japan due to historical reasons and thus could be given an exception to the rule.


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## uchi.m

paradoxa4 said:


> Random person 2: [私は]英語で話します。 (I speak with them THROUGH/BY MEANS OF English)


Subjects can be dropped when context helps.


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## paradoxa4

uchi.m said:


> Subjects can be dropped when context helps.



I know, that's kind of similar to Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. However; What if I just say 英語で話します。 without any context? Shall be understood that I'm the one who speaks English, or somebody else?


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## uchi.m

paradoxa4 said:


> I know, that's kind of similar to Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. However; What if I just say 英語で話します。 without any context? Shall be understood that I'm the one who speaks English, or somebody else?


If you are asked about the language you speak and you reply reporting a language, that's the language *you* speak. It could be even simpler: eigo de desu.


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## uchi.m

Hi there





paradoxa4 said:


> Random person 1: What do you do on vacations.


This one was cleared up by Suzumiya on post #7.


paradoxa4 said:


> Random person 2: I speak with Hungarian people at the embassy.


Taishikan de hangarii-jin ni deatte, shaberimasu. 大使館でハンガリー人に出会って、しゃべります。


paradoxa4 said:


> Random person 1: Oh cool, and how can you communicate with them?


あ、すごいね！どうやってお話が通じるんですか？ a, sugoi ne! dou yatte o-hanashi ga tsuujiru n desu ka?


paradoxa4 said:


> Random person 2: 私は英語で話します。 (I speak with them THROUGH/BY MEANS OF English)


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## paradoxa4

uchi.m said:


> Hi there
> This one was cleared up by Suzumiya on post #7.
> 
> Taishikan de hangarii-jin ni deatte, shaberimasu. 大使館でハンガリー人に出会って、しゃべります。
> 
> あ、すごいね！どうやってお話が通じるんですか？ a, sugoi ne! dou yatte o-hanashi ga tsuujiru n desu ka?



Thanks for telling me that sentences


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## uchi.m

paradoxa4 said:


> What if I just say 英語で話します。 without any context?


Well, almost every attempt to comunicate asks for context: when you go to the pizza shop, when you go to school, or at work, or even reading a romance. Have you ever watched CSI? People die and cannot communicate themselves any more, yet there's plenty of context they leave away, from where one can think and understand something about them.

The only place context is not a prerequisite is in arts, I think. As long as you don't know what goes inside the heart mind of the artist...


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## Aoyama

Let me also put my two bits here :
英国人 can also work for イギリス人, especially in formal or official documents. Likewise 英 (only) will also mean England (or more precisely Britain or the United Kingdom).
You may have 英bei bungaku ("Anglo-American Literature"), you will never have イギリスbungaku (but on the other hand, you could have "Amerika bungaku" or "Furansu bungaku" as well as "Futsu bungaku"...).


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