Bono's languages

[Dr. Lemonseed]

Just curious--what languages does Bono know? Is there any he can speak fluently besides English?

I've heard him deliver snippets in Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, French, Gaelic... Is he really good at any of these?

 

[U2girl]

That's the thing, those are just snippets.

 

[Dr. Lemonseed]

Also, his Italian pronunciation in Miss Sarajevo sounds good...

 

[corianderstem]

Yes, but many singers will learn correct pronunciation of foreign languages to sing something in that language, but don't necessarily speak it.

I did some singing in Italian, and while I have the gist of pronunciation, I by no means can speak it.

Long story short, I wouldn't take Bono's singing as sole proof of what other languages he might speak.

 

[last unicorn]

I don't think he's fluent in any language besides English. I'd say the languages he probably can speak a little are Italian and French, mainly because he has spent so much time in his second home in the South of France. I've heard him speak French without having it "rehearsed", he may also use it in Africa. Since Bono is an autodidact, I guess he's just "learning by doing" without really properly learning any language.


And, of course, there are his very promising Spanish skills.
Unos, dos, tres .... errr and so on.

 

[Salome]

1. English
2. Bongolese

3. French

 

[last unicorn]

Bongolese, that's right, I forgot about that.

At least Bono has his own language. Who needs foreign languages anyway?

 

[JCOSTER]

I thought he was pretty fluent in, French, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and German.

 

[Galeongirl]

Knowing a few words or sentences is not exactly fluent...
I think that the only foreign language he really seems to be fluent is is French, since he lives there half the time (and the people in Eze don't exactly speak english.. )
other than that, he used to speak with Pavarotti in italian..

 

[RedRocksU2]

definitely not Spanish.

 

[u2search]

I thought he might speak a bit of German. Something I read in - uhm - think - U2 at the End of the world?

 

[LemonMelon]

Obama overestimated the linguistic skill of the everyday European, let's just say that much.

 

[bonocomet]

He did give that entire award acceptance speech in French at the French NRJ awards. I don't speak French but it seemed the audience was following along with him pretty well anyways.

 

[65980]

Irish!

Just curious--what languages does Bono know? Is there any he can speak fluently besides English?

I think y'all are forgetting Bono's second language entirely.... Gaeilge (Irish)!!!

Although, in Ireland, there are only 20,000--50,000 fluent speakers of Irish, according to Wikipedia 42% of the total population of Ireland consider themselves competent Irish speakers.

Naturally, few Dubliners speak Irish regularly, but Irish is an official language (the 1st, actually) in Ireland, and in Dublin you'll see public signs in Irish and in English. (In the Gaeltacht region, 60% speak Irish on a daily basis.)

So, while Bono may speak some French, I think there's no doubt that Irish is his 2nd and probably 2nd best language.

 

[bonocomet]

Didn't he flunk Irish in school?

I'm sure he's much better now though

 

[An Cat Gav]

I think y'all are forgetting Bono's second language entirely.... Gaeilge (Irish)!!!

Although, in Ireland, there are only 20,000--50,000 fluent speakers of Irish, according to Wikipedia 42% of the total population of Ireland consider themselves competent Irish speakers.

Naturally, few Dubliners speak Irish regularly, but Irish is an official language (the 1st, actually) in Ireland, and in Dublin you'll see public signs in Irish and in English. (In the Gaeltacht region, 60% speak Irish on a daily basis.)

So, while Bono may speak some French, I think there's no doubt that Irish is his 2nd and probably 2nd best language.

I don't think so. Bono didn't get accepted into university because he didn't speak Irish to a high enough standard.

 

[u2search]

Bono repeatedly said he doesn't speak Irish but Larry does.

 

[A stor]

I read too, that Bono failed his exams in Irish. Though, I think it would be probable, he would have a working knowledge of French.

 

[rihannsu]

I think y'all are forgetting Bono's second language entirely.... Gaeilge (Irish)!!!

Although, in Ireland, there are only 20,000--50,000 fluent speakers of Irish, according to Wikipedia 42% of the total population of Ireland consider themselves competent Irish speakers.

Naturally, few Dubliners speak Irish regularly, but Irish is an official language (the 1st, actually) in Ireland, and in Dublin you'll see public signs in Irish and in English. (In the Gaeltacht region, 60% speak Irish on a daily basis.)

So, while Bono may speak some French, I think there's no doubt that Irish is his 2nd and probably 2nd best language.

Only if he learned it later. I've no doubt he probably learned to read it because he talks about having fallen in love with Irish poetry later, but he most definitely flunked Irish in school which is why he was sent back to Mount Temple after two weeks in University. He has said in interviews that at that point he hated Irish.

He has also said that he knows enough find the venue, the hotel, a restaurant, and a place to drink in every country they play.

Dana

 

[Galeongirl]

Bono definately failed his Gaelic at highschool, and got kicked out of the arts uni for that..

You're right Comet, I totally forgot the NRJ speech! that was perfectly fluent french, I perfectly understood what he said.. the pronounciation is another part, but I can forgive him

 

[rihannsu]

Bono is a natural mimic and although he probably doesn't think of himself as fluent I would bet that in 30 years of traveling all over the world he's probably picked up a fairly good working knowledge of a lot of different languages. I think Anton has mentioned that Bono speaks a little Dutch as well. The thing is he developes friendships with people who primarily speak other languages and he has a strong desire to communitcate so who knows how many languages he can at least get by in.

Dana

 

[Galeongirl]

his dutch is mostly limited to saying thank you and good night... and it sounds incredibly amusing when he tries to speak dutch! (bootleg of Rotterdam 1990, he tried saying something and I have no clue what!)

 

[bonocomet]

add Russian to the snippet list too, I've heard him snippet it in an interview.

 

[last unicorn]

And don't forget Japanese. He spoke some Japanese when he was in Japan recently, as well as in the ONE clip for the Japanese One campaign. I have no idea what he said, but it sounded somewhat comical.

Don't be too hard on him, at least he's trying.

 

[rihannsu]

And don't forget Japanese. He spoke some Japanese when he was in Japan recently, as well as in the ONE clip for the Japanese One campaign. I have no idea what he said, but it sounded somewhat comical.

Don't be too hard on him, at least he's trying.

I know. I've never understood people who mock someone who at least tries to speak the language of the place they are visiting. To me it shows a willingness to communicate. Some people say he's lame when does the little snippets from the stage in the native language of wherever they are but it seems to me that it is a gesture that is appreciated by the audience.

Dana

 

[Butterscotch]

Every time he does a show in a country he tries to be friendly by speaking a few lines in their native language but I doubt he even understands what he's saying most of the time.

 

[phillyfan26]

He knows little of any language other than English. Nothing he speaks in other languages would be described as "proficient."

 

[jimehewson]

None, not even english!

 

[Liesje]

I think just English? Didn't he flunk Gaelic in school?

As for the snippets....just snippets. My sis-in-law can sing for hours in 5 other languages but that doesn't make one conversational, or even close.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

I cringe every time I watch U2 in Milan on the Vertigo tour and right after he says "They don't know what I'm talking about..." he says "excuse moi" in frech ...and he's in Italy.