I’d second parent’s point. Im Swedish, lived in the US for 8 years now, and am moving to Spain. I speak a little Spanish. Obviously I intend to learn more, but it’s not a prerequisite to know everything up front, that’d be a catch-22. This is of course how I treat others as well.
Learning is 99% for yourself to socialize and thrive, and maybe 1% showing respect. I think actions speak louder than words, and being kind and respectful can take many forms.
I say this because I’ve seen first hand how travelers, expats and tourists from the Anglosphere self-limit at least a bit more than us who grew up speaking less common languages. We’re used to the discomfort and misunderstandings, and hand gesture our way through sometimes. I’d say most Europeans can relate to this strongly. (Of course, we always joke about the French, who refuse to speak English even if they can, but I think even that’s a dated stereotype these days)
Best of luck with your plans.
