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Originally Posted by Milit
If there was one language that people would recommend to learn some of for travel mostly in continental Europe what would it be? Or perhaps it’s possible to get by with just some common phrases?
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Sadly (or happily) the best single language to be able to speak for multi country travel in Europe is English. Obviously French is better in France, German in Germany etc but in my experience you'll come across more people throughout the continent with some understanding of English than you'll find French speakers in Germany, Italian speakers in Poland and similar - border areas excepted of course.
As a general rule you'll find English more easily understood in cities or tourist areas - people often need it to make a living. Out in the "backwoods" it'll be less likely and if you really need to get something across your best bet might be to find a schoolkid or two to act as intermediaries. Failing that a long and slightly awkward session with a phrase book / google translate etc.
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