KAYL — What started off as a mission to spray paint a simple anti-capitalist message on an old building turned into a frustrating ordeal for one teen when he couldn’t figure out which of his five languages to use. Yannick Pereira, 17, had hoped to spray paint the words “I shop therefore I am” to […]
New support group for people who get nationality but still can’t speak Luxembourgish
In an upscale cafe on the Grand Rue in Luxembourg’s capital, Helen Porter and six other adults stand in a circle and hold hands. “We are Luxembourgish, we deserve to be Luxembourgish, but we cannot speak Luxembourgish,” they say in unison. “And that’s okay.” Porter is leading a weekly meeting for people who obtained the […]
Luxembourg finally agrees to just pay expats to learn Luxembourgish
LUXEMBOURG-VILLE — In response to a recent petition asking the state to provide free Luxembourgish lessons to anyone who wants them, expats all around the country are saying that such a plan doesn’t go far enough. “Cute idea, but here in the real world, our time is precious,” said one expat. “Between work, hot yoga, […]
Luxembourg urging residents to adopt new greeting
LUXEMBOURG-VILLE — Aware of the language uncertainty many residents face when greeting each other, the Grand Duchy’s Office of Applied Linguistic Integration is urging people to adopt a newly created word. “We spent nearly a year trying to solve this problem,” said Virginie Muller, the office’s chief language officer. “If we asked everyone in Luxembourg […]
He said ‘moien’ and now everyone thinks he’s local
Integrating has never been easier, as least for one expat who only moved here in January but has effortlessly blended into his surroundings thanks to one word. Seven weeks ago, web developer Sanjay Singh, 29, greeted a neighbor by saying “moien,” to which he got a “moien” in response. By mid-morning, word had got around […]