Learn a little Luxembourgish, then just speak!

One of Bob's favourite views of Luxembourg: Abbeye de Neumünster

That is the motto of Bob Walton, a US citizen who came to Luxembourg in 2000 with his wife (girlfriend at the time) who had accepted a position with a bank in Luxembourg. 16 years later, he speaks German and is now perfecting his Luxembourgish with Skype courses.

1. Why did you decide to learn Luxembourgish?

I am trying to get my Luxembourgish citizenship. My daughter was born in Luxembourg and attends Luxembourgish schools, so she is truly integrated into the country. While I am sure that my language skills will never match hers, I would like to be able to at least interact in basic Luxembourgish.

2. What was the very first Luxembourgish sentence you learned? And what is your favourite Luxembourgish sentence now?

"Véier béier séier" (four beers quickly) was the first sentence I learned, and I guess that it is still my favourite.

3. How did you get started learning Luxembourgish? What was the first thing you did in order to learn it?

I first started with a course at the "centre des Languages", and then took a basic course offered by the commune. However my travel schedule for work meant that I would often miss class, so I moved to private lessons in person, and now private lessons over Skype, which works better for me.

4. What is your language learning routine like? Do you set aside fixed study times? What do you do when you study (read, speak, listen, write,...)?

I am actually a poor studier, and languages are something that I find hard to learn. I do ok in German, but it has taken me many years, and I once learned a basic level of Czech, but have forgotten almost all of that. I have started to listen to more Luxembourgish radio and now meet with the neighbour often and we speak Luxembourgish together, which seems to be helping. 

5. What is your favourite Luxembourgish website?

I don’t think that I have actually been to a Luxembourg website, but I like the flash cards that Learn Luxembourgish has put together on Quizlet. 

6. What tips would you give to people trying to learn Luxembourgish?

Take the time to learn some basics, and then just try to speak!