Then why not try our language aptitude test below!
It consists of ten questions and should take you around ten minutes to complete. It is designed for anyone who does not yet speak a foreign language fluently and will help give you an idea of just how naturally you may take to learning your first foreign language. (Make sure to note down your answers - the answer key and scoring are at the bottom of the test).
It consists of ten questions and should take you around ten minutes to complete. It is designed for anyone who does not yet speak a foreign language fluently and will help give you an idea of just how naturally you may take to learning your first foreign language. (Make sure to note down your answers - the answer key and scoring are at the bottom of the test).
Our Language Aptitude Test
Question One. How often will you get the chance to use the language you are hoping to learn?
a) Almost never.
b) Perhaps once a year, when I'm on holiday / vacation.
c) All the time (My partner speaks the language / I need it for business / I own a second home in that country etc).
Question Two. How many of the following English words do you know the meaning of?
a) tardy b) altruistic c) egregious d) perfidy e) squaliform
Question Three. How many of these foreign words can you guess the meaning of?
a) patriótico b) Intelligenz c) précieux d) enthusiastisch e) gestikulieren
Question Four. Take a look at the following foreign language sentence and its translation:
Foreign language sentence: Ho preparato il caffè per Lei.
Translation: I have prepared the coffee for you.
Use this sentence now as a guide to work out how to place the words below in the correct order to create a new sentence.
a) per Lei b) una c) torta d) decorato e) Ho
Question Five. Can you work out what the new sentence you have just created (using the words above) means?
a) He has bought a new pair of shoes for you.
b) I have two brothers and sisters.
c) I have decorated a cake for you.
Question Six. Translate the names of the following works, written by a famous playwright, into English.
a) Hamlet, Prinz von Denmark.
b) König Lear.
c) Ende gut, alles gut.
d) Ein Mittsommernachtstraum.
e) Die Komödie der Irrungen.
Question Seven. For each of the five English words given below, select one French and one German word with the same meaning.
English cat ox pig swan sheep
French porc chat boeuf mouton cygne
German Schaf Schwan Schwein Katze Ochse
Question Eight. Take a look at these five Dutch proverbs. What would the equivalent for each proverb be in English?
a) Bloed is dicker dan water.
b) De pen is machtiger dan het zwaard.
c) Geen nieuws is goed nieuws.
d) De pot verwijt de ketel dat hij zwart ziet.
b) De pen is machtiger dan het zwaard.
c) Geen nieuws is goed nieuws.
d) De pot verwijt de ketel dat hij zwart ziet.
e) Goed begonnen is half gewonnen.
Question Nine. For each of the five English words below, select the Chinese character with the same meaning.
a) mouth b) child c) horse d) mountain e) paddy field
Question Ten. Using the Alphabet Key below, try to work out what the following Russian words mean in English.
метро сестра* ресторан телефон Толстой
Alphabet Key
A Russian "p" = an English "r"
A Russian "c" = an English "s"
A Russian "н" = an English "n"
A Russian "л" = an English "L"
A Russian "ф" = an English "f"
A Russian "й" = an English "y"
* a female relative
Now For The Answers!
Question One - there was no "right" answer for this question but the points, according to how you answered, are...
a) 0 points
b) 3 points
c) 9 points
Question Two - give yourself 1 point for each word you knew the meaning of:
a) tardy = late
b) altruistic = unselfish / charitable
c) egregious = outstandingly bad
d) perfidy = treachery
e) squaliform = shaped like a shark
Question Three - give yourself 1 point for each word you were successfully able to guess the meaning of:
a) patriótico = patriotic
b) Intelligenz = intelligence
c) précieux = precious
d) enthusiastisch = enthusiastic
e) gestikulieren = to gesticulate
Question Four - give yourself 1 point for each word placed in the correct position, as set out below:
e) Ho d) decorato b) una c) torta a) per Lei
Question Five - give yourself 1 point if you chose the correct answer, which is...
c) I have decorated a cake for you.
Question Six - give yourself 1 point for each of Shakespeare's plays that you correctly translated:
a) Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
b) King Lear.
c) All's Well That Ends Well.
d) A Midsummer Night's Dream.
e) The Comedy of Errors.
Question Seven - give yourself 1 point for each pair you correctly matched with the English equivalent - only a complete pair gets you a point!
cat = chat & Katze
ox = boeuf & Ochse
pig = porc & Schwein
ox = boeuf & Ochse
pig = porc & Schwein
swan = cygne & Schwan
sheep = mouton & Schaf
Question Eight - give yourself 1 point for each Dutch proverb you worked out the English equivalent for:
a) Blood is thicker than water.
b) The pen is mightier than the sword.
c) No news is good news.
d) The pot calling the kettle black.
e) A job well begun is a job half done.
Question Nine - give yourself 1 point for each word you were successfully able to guess the meaning of:
a) mouth b) child c) horse d) mountain e) paddy field
Question Ten - give yourself 1 point for each Russian word you were able to work out:
a) Metro / Underground / Subway.
b) Sister.
c) Restaurant.
d) Telephone.
e) Tolstoy.
Your Score!
(Out of 50 - and what it means...)
(Out of 50 - and what it means...)
1-22 Points
To succeed with learning a foreign language you are going to need to find a course that opens your way of thinking to help you see the connections between different languages and that shows you how to structure sentences in the language you are planning to study.
You are definitely capable of learning a foreign language but in your case it is especially important that you find the right course!
23-39 Points
Very good. Your current level of aptitude is typical for someone setting out to learn their first foreign language. Take a look at where you did less well on the test; this will show you what you need to work on to make learning your first foreign language that much easier. It will also help you decide what sort of language course will help you most with your studies.
40-49 Points
Excellent. You have an extensive English vocabulary, plus an ability to see links between English and other languages when they exist. These factors will make language learning far easier, so long as you find a course that utilises these abilities. If you are motivated and did well on question one to boot, you are likely to go far. Well done!
50 Points
You are a linguistic savant. You will power your way through language learning and may well succeed at learning multiple foreign languages. Sir / Madam, we salute you!
How did you do?
Please, please use the comments box below to tell us what score you got, where you struggled, what you found easy and what your plans are for future language study. We always want to know! And do remember, choosing the right course to learn with will ultimately be the most significant factor in how much progress you make!
What the questions tested
For those of you who are interested in what each of the individual questions tested, here is a quick summary:
Question one was designed to test your level of motivation and likelihood of ongoing motivation. Having plenty of opportunities and the need to use a foreign language regularly can really help language learners stay motivated.
Question two was designed to test your word knowledge in English, which is an indicator of general verbal ability.
Questions three, six, seven, eight, nine and ten were designed to test your ability to reason logically in terms of analysing foreign language, foreign language symbols and foreign language vocabulary; in doing so it measured another aspect of verbal ability.
Questions four and five were designed to test your ability to infer a set of rules from a given extract of a foreign language and then to apply these in a different context.
