A lot of people are sometimes shocked to hear that I only speak one language fluently.

It's true, and it's a product of growing up in an English-speaking family in an English-speaking country.

But I think about it for a bit, and I find it funny that although I only speak English fluently, there are certain words or phrases in other languages that I do understand, but don't necessarily remember when/where I learned them. I've just been hearing them from young.

Just note that the spellings I use here, are probably grossly wrong. Remember, I only speak, read and write English! So I just sound it out when I write...

For example, if says they want to jalan jalan, I'll know they'll want to go for a walk. Or if someone tedo already, then I'll know they've already gone to sleep.

If someone says they want to 吃 (in Hokkien dialect), I'll know they want to eat.

Other words such as lobang, etc also have some kind of connotation in my mind, although maybe I couldn't use it in a sentence or translate it directly for you. Or was that even the word? I don't know it, but I understand it conceptually every time I hear it mixed with an English sentence.

Certain words I understand but don't always think of an English translation off-hand. Like, "don't anyhow hantam ah!"

Same with, "ai ya, siang siang" or "ai yo, so turok leh"

And of course there's always "eat until gelak" or "wah, this soup so kyam!"

And there's always things like kecil or besar that I've also come to associate with describing how small or big someone is - and I always know it in reference to either me, or other kids around me. From my childhood.

But here's the thing! It's so useless! If you spoke to me completely in Bahasa Melayu, I'd be lost.

When I think about it, I find it pretty funny. And I can almost see that I had the potential to speak to languages growing up. I just didn't.

If only I spent more time with the older Nyonya aunties at church, maybe I'd be able to speak 1.5 languages haha!