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38 [thirty-eight]

In the taxi

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+ 38 [trīsdesmit astoņi]

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English UKlatviešu
Please call a taxi. Iz-------- l----- t---------. +
What does it cost to go to the station? Ci- m---- b-------- l--- s-------? +
What does it cost to go to the airport? Ci- m---- b-------- l--- l-------? +
   
Please go straight ahead. Lū---- t-----. +
Please turn right here. Še--- l----- p- l---. +
Please turn left at the corner. Lū---- t-- k--------- p- k-----. +
   
I’m in a hurry. Es s-------. +
I have time. Ma- v-- i- l----. +
Please drive slowly. Br------- l----- l----! +
   
Please stop here. Pi------- t-- l----! +
Please wait a moment. Pa-------- l----- k--- b----! +
I’ll be back immediately. Es t---- a----------. +
   
Please give me a receipt. Lū---- i------- m-- k----! +
I have no change. Ma- n-- s--------. +
That is okay, please keep the change. Tā b-- l---- a------- J---. +
   
Drive me to this address. Ai------- m---- l----- u- š- a-----! +
Drive me to my hotel. Ai------- m---- l----- u- v-------! +
Drive me to the beach. Ai------- m---- l----- u- j------! +
   

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Linguistic geniuses

Most people are pleased if they can speak one foreign language. But there are also people who master more than 70 languages. They can speak all these languages fluently and write them correctly. It could be said then that there are people who are hyper-polyglots. The phenomenon of multilingualism has been around for centuries. There are many reports of people with such a talent. Where this ability comes from has not yet been thoroughly researched. There are various scientific theories on this. Some believe the brains of multilingual individuals are structured differently. This difference is especially visible in the Broca Center. Speech is produced in this part of the brain. The cells of this area are constructed differently in multilingual people. It is possible that they process information better as a result.

However, further studies to confirm this theory are lacking. Perhaps what's decisive is just an exceptional motivation. Children learn foreign languages from other children very quickly. This is due to the fact that they want to blend in when playing. They want to become a part of the group and communicate with others. With that said, their learning success is dependent on their will to be included. Another theory implies cerebral matter grows through learning. Thus, the more we learn, the easier learning becomes. Languages which are similar to one another are also easier to learn. So a person who speaks Danish learns to speak Swedish or Norwegian quickly. Many questions are still unanswered. What is sure, however, is that intelligence doesn't play a role. Some people speak many languages despite low intelligence. But even the greatest linguistic genius needs a lot of discipline. That is a little comforting, right?
Guess the language!
_______ is among the languages that dominate the book market. Great works in world literature were written by _______ authors. Thus many books are translated from _______. _______s also enjoy reading new texts so translators always have a lot to do. _______ is the native language of about 160 million people. Additionally, many people in other Slavic countries speak _______. With that, _______ is the most widespread language in Europe.

Approximately 280 million people speak _______ worldwide. As an Eastern Slavic language, _______ is related to Ukrainian and Belarusian. _______ grammar is structured very systematically. That is an advantage for people who like to think analytically and logically. _______ is absolutely worth learning! _______ is an important language in science, art and technology. And wouldn't it be nice to be able to read famous _______ literary works in their original form?