Learning a new language
Discussion
I've been learning Italian for the past 2 years,as I often go to Italy on holiday I thought I'd like to be able to speak the language and not rely on a few tourist phrases.
I go for a couple of hours a week to an evening class,not enough if you want to learn quickly or unless you are disciplined enough to do a fair bit of homework.
I also use Duolingo for a bit of useful fun.
I have not found it an easy language to learn quickly and properly as it has all the rules about masculine and feminine nouns that change verb endings and other quirks and irregularities.
Fact is that I feel more confident speaking German and French that I learnt many years ago at school but that was at a well disciplined grammar school with 4 one hour lessons every day for 5 years.
Undoubtably living in a country and using the language daily is the quickest way.
I go for a couple of hours a week to an evening class,not enough if you want to learn quickly or unless you are disciplined enough to do a fair bit of homework.
I also use Duolingo for a bit of useful fun.
I have not found it an easy language to learn quickly and properly as it has all the rules about masculine and feminine nouns that change verb endings and other quirks and irregularities.
Fact is that I feel more confident speaking German and French that I learnt many years ago at school but that was at a well disciplined grammar school with 4 one hour lessons every day for 5 years.
Undoubtably living in a country and using the language daily is the quickest way.
battered said:
scherzkeks said:
battered said:
I disagree. I have lived in France, I was proficient after 3 months, expert after a year. Don't neglect that I spent some years learning it at school, and on holidays.
Oh, and I'm not full of it.
You are, or we have vastly different ideas of what constitutes proficiency.Oh, and I'm not full of it.
Still don't believe me? Well, be my guest. It makes no difference to my life, or my ability to still speak the language.
I think I agree with a post a couple back - some people have the knack for picking up languages quickly, others don't.
I'd like to think that if I immersed myself in 100% French, I'd pick it up fairly quickly.
I'm normally really getting the hang of the basics and I'm comfortable approaching locals without fear of making myself look like an idiot at the end of our holiday. Typical!
Rosscow said:
Yes, I would say so.
I think I agree with a post a couple back - some people have the knack for picking up languages quickly, others don't.
I'd like to think that if I immersed myself in 100% French, I'd pick it up fairly quickly.
I'm normally really getting the hang of the basics and I'm comfortable approaching locals without fear of making myself look like an idiot at the end of our holiday. Typical!
Certainly some pick up languages faster than others. From scratch, German takes about 6-7 years for true proficiency on average. Unless you don't need to do more than visit the bakery. Have yet to meet one expat who has gotten fluent sooner; and many never do it. I think I agree with a post a couple back - some people have the knack for picking up languages quickly, others don't.
I'd like to think that if I immersed myself in 100% French, I'd pick it up fairly quickly.
I'm normally really getting the hang of the basics and I'm comfortable approaching locals without fear of making myself look like an idiot at the end of our holiday. Typical!
Edited by scherzkeks on Wednesday 29th June 14:26
scherzkeks said:
Certainly some pick up languages faster than others. From scratch, German takes about 6-7 years for true proficiency on average. Unless you don't need to do more than visit the bakery. Have yet to meet one expat who has gotten fluent sooner; and many never do it.
Which, when you think about it, is the same kind of time it takes a child to learn English to a good standard. Edited by scherzkeks on Wednesday 29th June 14:26
scherzkeks said:
Certainly some pick up languages faster than others. From scratch, German takes about 6-7 years for true proficiency on average. Unless you don't need to do more than visit the bakery. Have yet to meet one expat who has gotten fluent sooner; and many never do it.
It took me 6 months of living in a tiny village in Germany to learn how to speak it fluently. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can learn a language when you are 17 years old and walking around with a permanent hard-on but are unable to talk to any of the girls. Edited by scherzkeks on Wednesday 29th June 14:26
Adenauer said:
It took me 6 months of living in a tiny village in Germany to learn how to speak it fluently. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can learn a language when you are 17 years old and walking around with a permanent hard-on but are unable to talk to any of the girls.
Have a guess why I learnt French. In my case the epiphany moment was a French exchange with school when I met this impossibly exotic and beautiful French-Moroccan or French-Algerian girl, who would have been all of 14 at the time. I was 13, before anyone decides I'm a pervert. I still have a thing for French women and still joke about only bothering learning French because the French girls were so much more exotic and interesting than the boring old English girls I saw every day.I think her name was Nadege, or similar. *sigh*. I wonder where she is now. Middle aged and no longer exotic is a safe bet.
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Dutch is a pain in the arse to learn, in 6 months living here I've only met one person who didn't speak really good English. The guy who sits next to me in the office has been here 10 years and still doesn't speak it very well, his kids are fluent though as they go to a Dutch school battered said:
Adenauer said:
It took me 6 months of living in a tiny village in Germany to learn how to speak it fluently. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can learn a language when you are 17 years old and walking around with a permanent hard-on but are unable to talk to any of the girls.
Have a guess why I learnt French. Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff