>Don't you also speak German???

Yes, that is what we used to speak at home.

Then, I know a little Dutch - well, let's say that I understand it, provided it is spoken a) slowly, b) clearly, and c) in English <g>. The same for Portuguese.

>(I've never seen you make any noticeable English grammatical mistakes Hilmar!)

I learned English in school, when I was young. Then, I studied both high school and college by correspondence - in English.

I have quite a few opportunities to practice my spoken English, with English-speaking people here in Bolivia - but I notice a lack of regular practice mainly when somebody uses some not-so-common word, which I didn't encounter in my previous reading.

Some words I can look up, but, as an example, a while ago the possibility of a "Super PUTM" was suggested. When the question was asked "How would you abbreviate this - SPUTM perhaps?" I was at a loss, since I hadn't learned the word "sputum", and could not find the mis-spelled word in www.dictionary.com. I would probably have found it in a paper dictionary, though.