Are you bilingual? If so which of these kinds?

French

At school I learned French, for O level and A level. I concisdered myself bilingual. When I went to Belgium, I found a bilingual country, with signs in French and Dutch.

Spanish

At my late parents' second home in Spain I picked up a little Spanish vocabulary. Is there a word for this basic knowledge?

Tests Of Language Levels

What about the tests administered by universities and employers and language courses. Levels A B and C? 

Singapore - Chinese

In Singapore, hearing four languages on the trains inspired me to start trying to learn to recognize Chinese signs. Signs everywhere were in four languages, English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil.

Finally, in Singapore I started an online Toastmasters club and learned a few words of a new language every week for a year.. 

Chinese was challenging. So were Japanese, Korean, and Indian languages. Suddenly, Spanish seemed easy.

Baack inBritain, I speak French fluently, and can translate signs in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. But, am I bilingual in French? 

Words For Multingual Learners

When I was employed to translate packaging for a cosmetics company into French and German, I spent a week hunting for the French translatoion of the word for nail file. So, at that time, I was not really bilingual. I was what? I just found out, in March 2025, that there are several handy words or labels for succinctly describing the type of bilingual I am. 

I did know that I am a native speaker of English. 

But what about my knowledge of other languages? How to describe it accurately, without making false claims, nor belittling myself?

1 Aspiring Learner

Firstly, I am an aspiring bilingual speaker of Italian. My first aim is to be able to read signs and menus.

I have learned new words to describe my aims and achievements in learning this year's new language, which is Italian. I am an emergent (still learning).

Reader - Receptive

My first aim is to be able to read menus and street signs to get to a restaurant, hotel, or museum. And find the toilets and exits.

The magic word describing this level is receptive (understand spoken and written words) bilingual. Not yet proficient in speaking and writing, but able to read menus, streets signs and newspaper headlines.

Productive - Producing Writing

If you can spontaneously speak and write, you are a Productive bilingual. You produce thoughts in the other language so you speak without hesitation.