Language learning support/community thread

[MamaBarbara]

MamaBarbara

How would you compare the app your using to memrise or anki? (if you've used them)

Hi ReturnOfElfman! I have used Memrise, and I really like it but just cannot motivate myself to use it. I feel like I first need to finish learning the characters. I really like the icon of Memrise though! So I keep it on my phone's desktop You guys are really like that you live next to native speakers!

 

[ReturnOfElfman]

I've given up on Memrise for the moment it's not working well enough on my phone and I don't want to be online all the time when I use it. Using Anki for a while with some shared decks

 

[Greebo]

Okay, that was slightly weird. During last night's end of Polish meal, it turned out that one of the others who completed the year is starting to learn German, and might or might not be up for practising their spoken German with me over the summer. They could be in for a shock when it comes to quite how much I've forgotten.

 

[october_lost]

That's the thing. You should never stop practising.

The same thing is happening with my Spanish. There must be a suggestion for a minimum repertoire to maintain language, and you just have to strike it.

 

[Greebo]

That's the thing. You should never stop practising.

The same thing is happening with my Spanish. There must be a suggestion for a minimum repertoire to maintain language, and you just have to strike it.

The trouble is that language maintenance falls halfway down a long list of things I really should do more often but just don't manage to because of other demands on time and energy. Spin two plates, child's play. Three plates, fairly easy. Four, on a good week I'm just about dashing between plates which are constantly at the point of dropping.

 

[Greebo]

Specifics: I can just about find enough time to read German and French often enough to retain them at least for colloquial use. Meanwhile, I can just about find the time and energy for minimal work on the newer language, including doing some of that on the bus to the lessons. I know that this is very far from ideal.

Immersion and getting enough exposure are just not realistic. Having said which, it's got to the stage where I can pick out fragments of East European chatter (on the bus and in shops) and work out some of what's being said.

 

[ReturnOfElfman]

Thanks!

Do quite a bit of that myself.

Only thing is, I've never really had a 'proper' teacher. I had a couple of English speaking Chinese give me a couple of free lessons but I wasn't motivated to learn back then. I'm reluctant to pay anything for lessons now because I want to save money for my family. I am at the advantage of being able to practice with 99.99% of the people around me though. Just need more confidence to push myself in conversations though.

Decided to give italki a go and after looking around a while thought I would try a couple of teachers, as it's very cheap compared to what my local Chinese learning centres are offering (as well as many private tutors I've previously come across). Just literally finished my first lesson and I've never spoken so much Chinese in an hour before. I barely spoke any English at all and now I feel like it's going to be worth getting more lessons in over the summer while I have less work. I'll then see what I can do after that.

 

[october_lost]

I have teacher from there. She sends me PDFs of text book material we covered and writes in all the stuff I struggle with in the session. Its great. But I sometimes question the quality aspect, because I ask certain questions and the explanation as to why x grammar works like that - seems limited.

 

[Greebo]

<snip> I ask certain questions and the explanation as to why x grammar works like that - seems limited.

I dunno, basic level grammar sometimes seems to just need taking on trust until you get further along; a bit like basic level science is often far more about rote learning, which interprets what you observe, than it is once you get past the absolute basics. But thanks for the reminder - I've got a few grammar tables to go through before the next term.

 

[Greebo]

And have I gone through those grammar tables? Not yet.

The course (if still running) starts tonight. Later than the first year, so there's more time to eat and revise beforehand. Here goes nothing.

 

[mwgdrwg]

I passed my Beginners Japanese last December, but couldn't do the next stage last January because of work. I've mainly slacked off since then...but I've got my forms in hand to begin the next state this coming January. Also, I've got all my notes and books out to get back to where I was in December. On a mission again.

 

[Chick Webb]

I'm starting Spanish lessons on Thursday of next week. I've gone to some lessons a few years ago and was starting to move beyond beginner level, but then I let it slide a bit (apart from listening to Michel Thomas and Paul Noble on the tube) so I'm going to have to start from the start again. I'm hoping to stick at the lessons this time, and hopefully move onto the more advanced ones without leaving a big gap and having to start again. I'm really looking forward to it. When I get a bit better I'm going to try to read magazine regularly to keep up my practice.

English is my first language, but I learned Irish for my whole school career, and French in secondary school. I don't know what's wrong with the way they teach Irish at home, but despite the years and years of learning it, I know very little now like many (most?) Irish people. My French is even worse. If I ever get good enough at Spanish that I can stop formally learning it, then I might try to learn French properly. I would love to learn Irish too, but it seems more sensible to put effort into learning a language I'll actually use.

Spanish is hard to pronounce with an Irish accent, but then again it's hard for Brits to pronounce too (in a slightly different way) so me and my new class will all be in the same boat.

 

[Chick Webb]

http://www.babbel.com/magazine/10-tips-from-an-expert?slc=engmag-a1-vid-bv1-tipsandtricks-ob

 

[Greebo]

That was painless, and a less uneven spread of ability this year

 

[Greebo]

It's funny, but you don't realize how often you switch tenses, until youv'e only just started being able to use future and past tenses instead of sticking to the presnt tense.

 

[october_lost]

Been slacking a little of late (at least prior to the last three weeks) but with semi-good reasons in the mix. Organised to sit an exam with the idea of working towards the 'big day' goal and it's now tomorrow.

I'm taking HSK 4 which I might luck-out on because of my reading level. My listening is no where up to that level, at least not beyond the superficial, but I wanted to move on from HSK 3. And fuck me it's a big leap up. Like 600 new characters!

Also have an elementary oral exam same day, which I am hoping I should pass without much incident.

 

[october_lost]

It's funny, but you don't realize how often you switch tenses, until youv'e only just started being able to use future and past tenses instead of sticking to the presnt tense.

Using tenses always seems really artificial when you're starting to learn a language. It's a really strange feeling.

 

[Greebo]

A year and a bit on, and I'm still hitting words I don't know every time I open my mouth. OTOH the spelling is getting easier to decode.

 

[Greebo]

Just listened to myself this morning and it's appalling. Really need to speed up and stop pausing to think between words as I'm using more fillers than a stereotypical French person who's trying to sound as if they're thinking hard about what they're saying.

 

[october_lost]

Do you use Meetup or Skype?

 

[Greebo]

Do you use Meetup or Skype?

With mobile broadband? You must be joking!

 

[sim667]

I would love to get my french up to scratch as I've got french family I don't really talk to, if there's any french speakers on here

 

[Greebo]

I would love to get my french up to scratch as I've got french family I don't really talk to, if there's any french speakers on here

Je devrais t'avertir, mon accent est attroce, et puis il y a la manque de haut débit. But there are plenty of other urbanites, and there should be, seeing as french is/was the first foreign language taught in most UK secondary school pupils. It's so easy to find films and music in french so you've got a really good chance of getting your used to hearing it and making sense of it.

JC3 was AFAIK wanting to refresh his spoken french, might be worth a PM to see if skyping him might be possible.

 

[sim667]

Maybe a good idea….. my understanding of french isn't too bad when i hear/read it…… but I've always been nervous about speaking it. Im sure my accent will be worse than yours, I partially learnt french at school, from my family who apparently have farmers accents, and my friends family who have squeaky belgium accents….

 

[sim667]

I can't tag JC3, is he untaggable or sommat?

 

[Greebo]

I can't tag JC3, is he untaggable or sommat?

Try PMing Johnny Canuck3 - it mgiht have something to do with the space in the username.

 

[sim667]

Oh lol, I just tried tagging @JC3 haha

Johnny Canuck3 how you feeling on this french ting?

 

[Greebo]

Maybe a good idea….. my understanding of french isn't too bad when i hear/read it…… but I've always been nervous about speaking it. Im sure my accent will be worse than yours, I partially learnt french at school, from my family who apparently have farmers accents, and my friends family who have squeaky belgium accents….

Mine's probably worse, just about okay pronounciation, but very English intonation, and I've hardly spoken it at all since the early 1990s. There's also the problem that in this part of London, any French I hear on the bus etc is with a heavy African accent and verging on patois. Fine if you mostly travel outside Europe, but it's not what I need.

FWIW your nervousness in speaking French is what I get when trying to speak Polish (and the first several hours of trying to speak German, when I must).

Oh god, the last time I bought magazines and a few bits from the Polish supermarket, the cashier took one look at what I'd bough and told me the total in Polish. Seeing as I wasn't really expecting that, did I say "I'm sorry, I didn't understand much of that, please repeat"? No. Knew the words, I'm even okayish saying things like that, if relaxed, but couldn't retrieve the words in time.

 

[sim667]

My spoken spanish is a lot better than my french.... But i think its because the french speakers I know are much more likely to take the piss.

My spanish is picked up from spending 3 months in spain every year for about 15 years. I actually really like talking spanish too.

What I really need is to be somewhere that I literally am surrounded by a language for a year or too. I think Riklet has learnt spanish that way, unless he spoke it before he moved out?

 

[Greebo]

Really shouldn't be so surprised to find that some Polish maps directly onto German.