Something has gone full circle. And now I might need to find another circle. I wonder how I’d say that in French, German, or Spanish. And it turns out that I probably can. I’ve read that people get by with a vocabulary of 500 words, which means if I can become confident with 500 words in a language, I could pass as bi-lingual. Suddenly, language isn’t magic anymore. And if you don’t know – not speaking another lingo has been bugging me for years. So, 500 words seems achievable doesn’t it? Well, yes! Most things are if you take your time and have a goal. My Penguin French Phrase Book (first published 1968 – my second edition published 1978) will be my guide.

Why would do this when I have Google Translate? I still have a brain, and it’s not full yet. And more than that, I’ll let other people give their data to Google. Alright, it may all be for the greater good where we can all understand each other, and the world will be a happier place, but a little effort can go a long way. I might meet people instead of looking at a smartphone, my brain might wake up so I can do new things, and outsourcing this won’t necessarily lead to that. There’s no reason that the old school method will, but it will be more of an adventure if I want it to be.

I shouldn’t let this distract me from all the things I need to do. The important thing is that I do have the time if I take every second, minute, hour and use them well. So a good start for me would be how to tell the time in French. I know how to ask for the time, and no way to understand the answer. This might seem pointless because everyone has a watch or a way to find out themselves, but this has been bugging me and I might as well get it out of the way.

This project (ok it’s nothing like a project) started with 400 words (it was 500 at some point) and it is going to move ahead with 500. This is a number I can deal with and it feels familiar for some reason, so I’m more excited than anxious about getting on with this. Then I can go cycling in the Alps and not let excuses hold me back.

Time to do some jobs that need doing!