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Some countries you'd assume are English-friendly (France, Italy, Japan) actually see more mixed results than smaller countries like the Netherlands, Sweden, or the Philippines, where English proficiency is consistently near-native. The pattern has more to do with education systems and media exposure than with a country's overall wealth or how "Western" it feels.
Wherever you're headed, learning five words — hello, please, thank you, excuse me, and the check please — goes further than you'd expect, even in destinations with strong English proficiency.