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Do you think there will be a Deal or No Deal?


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To be accurate, "ex-patriate" is a person living in another country who intends to return to their original country at some time. "Immigrant" is a person who makes a permanent move. Most of these Brits in Spain are ex-pats, because they have no intention of settling there for good.

In this instance then 'ex-patriate' includes those who intend to return to their original country in a coffin, right? ;)
 
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Whether to use the word immigrant or emigrant depends on the location of the speaker rather than the subject. So for example, if my cousin moved to France then I, in England, would call him an emigrant, but a French person would call him an immigrant. Both would be correct.
 
Whether to use the word immigrant or emigrant depends on the location of the speaker rather than the subject. So for example, if my cousin moved to France then I, in England, would call him an emigrant, but a French person would call him an immigrant. Both would be correct.

Well, yeah, but what on earth does that have to do with anything posted in the last day or so?
 
Well, yeah, but what on earth does that have to do with anything posted in the last day or so?
:lol:

On that subject though, my girlfriend the other day is the first person I've ever heard use ex-pat who isn't British or Irish when referring to people from Curaçao in the Netherlands. I always thought it was a term solely used by Brits and Irish. I, on the other hand just call everyone immigrants. I'm an immigrant and so are my parents but then I've also never heard any Canadian call themselves an ex-pat.
 
Some of those immigrants to Spain are a bit well, thick aren’t they.

Never understood why there are called ex-pats instead of immigrants, it’s not like we call the Polish community ex-pats is it. It’s like British people living elsewhere hold themselves in some sort of weird high regard.

Ive lived in Germany for almost thirty years now and have never once called myself an Ex-pat, i´m British living in Germany end of story and have integrated myself as well.
 
I'm happy that the people who didn't even attempt to fit in to the local way of life went back home.
I can quite safely say i dont ever want to fit into dutch life. I dont want to eat shit food, i dont want to eat at 6pm on the dot, i dont want to complain all day about everything, i dont want to eat chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast, i dont want to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork, i dont want to moan about being too busy while doing not much, i dont want to eat lunch at 12 on the dot and i dont want to be ultra racist.
 
I can quite safely say i dont ever want to fit into dutch life. I dont want to eat shit food, i dont want to eat at 6pm on the dot, i dont want to complain all day about everything, i dont want to eat chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast, i dont want to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork, i dont want to moan about being too busy while doing not much, i dont want to eat lunch at 12 on the dot and i dont want to be ultra racist.

Do you speak Dutch? Your mrs is dutch, isn't she?
 
I hear people in England complaining about foreigners who don’t try to integrate. I think it’s fair to complain about these people.

There is a small difference, Paul is talking about small villages where it's extremely easy to spot someone that is actually not trying to integrate, I'm sure that it also happens in british villages and that's an issue for the people not integrating more than the rest of the population.
 
I hear people in England complaining about foreigners who don’t try to integrate. I think it’s fair to complain about these people.

Foreigners should try to integrate to at least a minimum extent whichever country they go to live in.

The people I'm talking about lived in complete isolation from their surroundings.

I hear people in England complaining about overhearing foreign languages on a bus for example, that's not what I'm saying, people can talk to each other in any language they want.

You wouldn't expect a Russian , for example, to walk into a shop in Manchester, and expect the person behind the counter to understand what he was talking about.
 
I do and she is. My dutch is crap and we speak english at home.

Even if your Dutch is crap you make an effort, you're working in NL, you're part of Dutch life to some extent, you don't have to become completely Dutch.

My wife and I are fluent in each other's languages and we can both speak a decent amount of German so if we don't want people to know what we're talking about we switch languages.
 
Even if your Dutch is crap you make an effort, you're working in NL, you're part of Dutch life to some extent, you don't have to become completely Dutch.

My wife and I are fluent in each other's languages and we can both speak a decent amount of German so if we don't want people to know what we're talking about we switch languages.
I bet that brings back sweet memories for the locals.
 
I hear people in England complaining about foreigners who don’t try to integrate. I think it’s fair to complain about these people.

What do you call integration though, getting shitfaced at the weekend, pissing on your trousers and eating a kebab off the floor?
 
No. Don’t know anybody who doesn’t that if I’m being honest.

I would say learning the language would be a start, whether you live in a village or a big city.

It can be hard, particularly as an adult. I have no aptitude for languages and I think I would struggle, even if I moved to another country. Id probably rely heavily on my kids - who I'm sure would adapt more quickly- as many immigrants do.
 
I can quite safely say i dont ever want to fit into dutch life. I dont want to eat shit food, i dont want to eat at 6pm on the dot, i dont want to complain all day about everything, i dont want to eat chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast, i dont want to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork, i dont want to moan about being too busy while doing not much, i dont want to eat lunch at 12 on the dot and i dont want to be ultra racist.

Maybe not racist, but after all your rant previous the boldened sentence at least tiny tiny bit xenophobic towards the dutch
 
I can quite safely say i dont ever want to fit into dutch life. I dont want to eat shit food, i dont want to eat at 6pm on the dot, i dont want to complain all day about everything, i dont want to eat chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast, i dont want to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork, i dont want to moan about being too busy while doing not much, i dont want to eat lunch at 12 on the dot and i dont want to be ultra racist.

No, just somewhat xenophobic.
 
When someone switches language to talk secretly, its so obvious you're talking about people around you.

I don't mean when you're talking to someone or when you're in a group together. If I'm in a group of mixed French and English for example I'd say what I'm saying in both languages so everyone understood.

I meant if you're talking privately, for example in a supermarket or restaurant, why should people be allowed to eavesdrop on your conversation, unless you're called Farage and he has the right of course.
 
No. Don’t know anybody who doesn’t that if I’m being honest.

I would say learning the language would be a start, whether you live in a village or a big city.

You should go out more.

I don't know if you're talking about ALL "foreigners" or just the EU but if referring to the latter I would say a lot of the people who have come over here from the EU speak and write better English than a lot of the people who voted leave.

If you're talking about the older refugees and asylym seekers who wouldn't normally go to school then its extremely difficuilt for them to integrate considering services in this country have been cut to the bone. There are no more programs in community centres to teach them English, there are no more skills programs etc Some of them could even be illiterate so it would be doubly hard. It doesn't help that their neighbours see them as dirty foreigners either so its not exactly easy but you're welcome to clarify exactly who you're talking about.
 
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