Language Learner's Thread - Cunning Linguists Welcome. - General

I am studying for one semester at a German university and then going back to my home university in Jordan! I can already speak German (almost fluently) because it's one of my favorite languages, but I am really struggling in understanding the lectures. I am only taking two courses: Computer Architecture and Design and Computer Networking I. The cool thing is that the text books are originally in English, so I bought the original English ones on Kindle. Does anyone know any resources where I can learn some technical computer science terminology in German? Although I bought the text books in English, I still feel left out in lectures. I can have a good conversation with someone in German if I wanted to, but it seems that understanding lectures is still too advanced for me. I have decided to replay Portal 2 in German; I feel like that might help me a lot in improving my language skills. Also, it's been years since I played Portal 2, and there's no harm in replaying it. By the way, I absolutely love everything about Germany; this is the best country I have ever visited! :happy:

Absolutely aced my Chinese exam today, feels good. I'm at the point now where if I forget how to write a word I can just usually just write something else, for example, I forgot how to write 尽量 （to the best of one's ability) so I wrote something like 做得用光了他所有的精神。Which translates roughly to something like "did it( 'it' being a task or something, easier to be ambiguous in Chinese) to the point where he used up all of his energy". Fun times.

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[QUOTE=timbered.plum;52389858]I just yesterday started spanish on duolingo, i'm not sure i like the way it works though. there's no real explanation as to why one word is used over another, so i sort of feel like i'm just memorizing stuff over repeated loops, and not really gaining any background[/QUOTE] Same feeling about german. I'm using duolingo for 4 days, german and spanish. I have knowledge in spanish so it's easier, I just have to memorize new words. German is much more complex to me, I don't know anything and after 4 days I don't understand, for example, why Ein becomes Einen after a verb, or what's the difference between Das, Die and Der, when use them. A pain in the ass really, as those words stand for "the" and "a".

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[QUOTE=timbered.plum;52390240]yeah, it seems like it would be great as a reinforcement tool, but i'm struggling to find value in it without a little bit of background explicitly explained to me[/QUOTE] Not for people with "advanced" knowledge however. French is my native language, so I tried the English courses. Lmao positionning test says I have +75% knowledge and mastery of the English language, while I feel like I barely touch the surface of it, and I feel like I'm making grammar mistakes everywhere.

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Don't know if you're aware but the duolingo website has more info about each lesson if you do it from a computer. I wish that feature was mirrored in the mobile app I'm also doing German and Spanish on duolingo, if anyone wants to practice with me feel free to hit me up

[QUOTE=timbered.plum;52390590]just based on what you've written here tho, that sounds pretty accurate. You write better than at least half of the graduating class of my highschool....[/QUOTE] Half of the French people don't know how to speak French properly, and a foreigner may write better than them. The same might happen in the US ? I seriously lack a lot of vocabulary, and oral practice (but obviously you can't tell). I don't have much spontaneity neither, I'm always rephrasing what I write and I wonder if I would be able to have fluent conversation with someone. I didn't learned much from school about English, but watching Vsauce, Nostalgia Critic, Numberphile etc.. gave me much more comfort with the language and now I'm able to understand the majority of what comes to my eyes or ears. I think both reading books (I'm currently reading Harry Potter) and listening to shows and vids are the best way to practice, understand the language and learn vocabulary in a pleasant way. I would try to do this with Spanish and German languages but I'm not enough at ease with those. [editline]22nd June 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=inebriaticxp;52391053]Don't know if you're aware but the duolingo website has more info about each lesson if you do it from a computer. I wish that feature was mirrored in the mobile app I'm also doing German and Spanish on duolingo, if anyone wants to practice with me feel free to hit me up[/QUOTE] Owh I didn't know, I practiced only using my phone. Gotta try this asap !

[QUOTE=Eirheinger;52391127]Owh I didn't know, I practiced only using my phone. Gotta try this asap ![/QUOTE] Yeah the app is fucking awful. Turns on audio recording every time it pops up a notification on top of it just sucking in general.

I wish there were more resources for Bulgarian.

[QUOTE=WhiteGirl88;52403258]I wish there were more resources for Bulgarian.[/QUOTE] What about Duolongo / memrise ? I believe I've seen Bulgarian somewhere. Maybe Babel.

I really like Memrise. Just got back from China for my fourth time. I went to buy tissue in the airport and I completely missed what the person said my brain was so out of whack from not hearing much English for a month. Although now that I‘m used to it I feel like a communication wizard in English now after using Chinese so much.

Started learning Korean about two and a half weeks ago. I can already read/write Hangul and form basic sentences (I am/he/she/you are x, what's your name, my name is, etc.) I know it's gonna be an uphill battle from here though. The easy stuff is over, now it's gonna be about grammar, grinding vocabulary with Memrise and other resources, and practicing pronunciation, which is easier said than done. I also have to improve my reading speed, because it uses a new alphabet it's taking a long time to adjust to being able to read it with any decent speed. It's gonna be fun, though. I love the language, and the amount of media in Korean there is for me to consume will help a lot I think. I wasn't aware of much Korean media before I decided to learn Korea (besides a few k-pop songs) but I've been looking into it and a lot of it is pretty cool. Plus, there's a few cartoons I watch which have Korean dubs, which is also really helpful because I'll know what originally was being said in English.

So I'm learning French still, and I'm struggling with the difference between all of the prepositions. For example, why use "sur" instead of "pour" to mean "to" when both also have other meanings? How should I know when reading or listening which meaning is implied?

Think I might give wanikani another shot, my (almost) flawless anki streak broke the fuck down when I got a job. Just didn't have the time to dedicate a solid hour to doing anki daily - at least the SRS wanikani uses doesn't just use days so it's better spaced out. Not sure why but I lack the ability to just do part of what is due, once I got a couple of days behind in anki (mainly due to stress of moving) I just couldn't get motivated enough to overcome the burden of 3-400 cards being due. Get bored studying, go back to reading shit, neglect to look up words I don't understand and just try to fill in blanks, miss part of the story, get confused, go back to study, rinse, repeat.

I use Memrise. The leaderboards are some extra motivation and you can keep going as long as you want. Though I don't like that they made it aliens. [url]https://www.memrise.com/user/Evanrs/[/url] [editline]7th August 2017[/editline] I wish you could set a streak to every two days. I don't have the time to study daily either.

Damn I can't believe I've missed this thread. I could contribute to this! Let's start with you! [QUOTE=Adelle Zhu;52537692]So I'm learning French still, and I'm struggling with the difference between all of the prepositions. For example, why use "sur" instead of "pour" to mean "to" when both also have other meanings? How should I know when reading or listening which meaning is implied?[/QUOTE] Well I'm not sure what you mean. "To" in English means anything, what kind of "to" are you talking about here? Like "going to a place"? In that case, French people usually use "vers", or "sur" like you said only if it's approximate. "Je vais vers Lyon = I'm going to Lyon". "Je vais sur Lyon = I'm going near Lyon".

[QUOTE=Loadingue;52558501]Damn I can't believe I've missed this thread. I could contribute to this! Let's start with you! Well I'm not sure what you mean. "To" in English means anything, what kind of "to" are you talking about here? Like "going to a place"? In that case, French people usually use "vers", or "sur" like you said only if it's approximate. "Je vais vers Lyon = I'm going to Lyon". "Je vais sur Lyon = I'm going near Lyon".[/QUOTE] I got a super helpful explanation from Samiam22 [QUOTE]Sur" (from Latin, super, meaning "above") is a preposition used mostly for locations and can usually be translated as "on", "sur la table" being "on the table", for example, when you use "sur", you're talking about things as they are. "Pour" (from Latin, pro, meaning "for, about, concerning") is for purpose, for instance; "J'écrire pour améliorer", "I write to improve", as well as a lot of other catch-all things like comparisons, recipients of gifts/actions/etc, directions, points of view, that sort of thing. When you use "pour", you're talking more about things more abstractly. It's like the difference between the indicative mood and the subjunctive mood. Rule of thumb that works most of the time; "sur" is for locations and where things physically are, while "pour" is for purpose. In English, the distinction would be something like "turn to the left" (even though this is "tourner á gauche in French) and "I read to learn".[/QUOTE]

Still trying to prep my French for going to Brussels in October, but because of work and a wonderfully timed resurgence in my depression I fell off the practice wagon. I'm back on Lingvist but I am still terrified as I am definitely not ready, R.I.P. me. Thankfully it's a pretty international program and the instructors aren't all native French speakers, but I am [b]terrified[/b]. Let's hope that instinct kicks in when I have to use it 24/7 and that picks me up!

[QUOTE=ihatecompvir;52495623]Started learning Korean about two and a half weeks ago.[/QUOTE] Three weeks later, I am considerably better at Korean by simply learning the tenses, how to conjugate verbs, and how particles work. I would say I am rapidly approaching the ability to have simple Korean conversations (banter about the weather, asking questions abut the other person and answering questions about myself, etc.) and the ability to ask a wide range of questions (can I have a pizza? where can I buy some bulgogi? how do I get from A to B? etc.) and it feels great. I think within 6 months my Korean would be good enough to have Korean-speaking-only friends and have meaningful conversations. They probably wouldn't be 100% grammatically proper all the time, but I think I could get my meaning across. I'm also really considering moving there for a period of time some day. I think the only way I'm going to achieve my desired level of proficiency is if I move there and only speak Korean for months. Unfortunately, that will have to be a few years away, because I still cannot understand spoken Korean worth a shit. Every now and then I'll hear a word and be like "oh yeah, that's the word for skirt" but it's always a few seconds after. It's just gonna take a lot of practice, but I can do it! Definitely excited to see my own progress get this far. Every time I find out a new piece of grammar, I can't stop making up sentences in my head and on paper. I even speak Korean to my friends, who don't know what I'm saying, but I do it anyway for practice.

[QUOTE=ihatecompvir;52560780]Three weeks later, I am considerably better at Korean by simply learning the tenses, how to conjugate verbs, and how particles work. I would say I am rapidly approaching the ability to have simple Korean conversations (banter about the weather, asking questions abut the other person and answering questions about myself, etc.) and the ability to ask a wide range of questions (can I have a pizza? where can I buy some bulgogi? how do I get from A to B? etc.) and it feels great. I think within 6 months my Korean would be good enough to have Korean-speaking-only friends and have meaningful conversations. They probably wouldn't be 100% grammatically proper all the time, but I think I could get my meaning across. I'm also really considering moving there for a period of time some day. I think the only way I'm going to achieve my desired level of proficiency is if I move there and only speak Korean for months. Unfortunately, that will have to be a few years away, because I still cannot understand spoken Korean worth a shit. Every now and then I'll hear a word and be like "oh yeah, that's the word for skirt" but it's always a few seconds after. It's just gonna take a lot of practice, but I can do it! Definitely excited to see my own progress get this far. Every time I find out a new piece of grammar, I can't stop making up sentences in my head and on paper. I even speak Korean to my friends, who don't know what I'm saying, but I do it anyway for practice.[/QUOTE] That's a serious amount of progress in only a month and a half. Well done.

[QUOTE=Samiam22;52560974]That's a serious amount of progress in only a month and a half. Well done.[/QUOTE] Thanks (감사합니다). I am very dedicated to learn this language, so I spend a ton of time on it. I'm not entirely sure why, either. I didn't have any interest in learning a foreign language before (even after I took French in high school which I loathed), and then one day on a whim I decided to learn Korean and developed a love for learning it almost overnight.

[QUOTE=ihatecompvir;52561049]Thanks (감사합니다). I am very dedicated to learn this language, so I spend a ton of time on it. I'm not entirely sure why, either. I didn't have any interest in learning a foreign language before (even after I took French in high school which I loathed), and then one day on a whim I decided to learn Korean and developed a love for learning it almost overnight.[/QUOTE] 나도 한국어를 약간 안다 (at least, I think that's right). I decided a few months ago to examine Korean a bit and learn some pieces of it, partly because I don't know much about languages that aren't Indo-European and partly to tease a friend who seems to hate being reminded that he's Korean. Even if the language isn't as impossible as it looks (Hangul is an incredibly ingenious writing system), it's still completely different to English and English's PIE roots. I'm still quite impressed at that kind of progress because it's the kind of thing I would only expect from people who either already learned a foreign language or know grammar very well.

That's how I took to Chinese. Insane progress. Bit busier now though. Still trying to crack out some Memrise every few days. I've taken to playing Gartic.io(kind of like drawful) in Chinese with Taiwanese people that I find on Twitch streams. Only problem is my traditional Chinese isn't fantastic, but it's a good oppourtunity to learn it. Good to see some activity in my favourite thread. 你們都好棒

having had spent over a year learning finnish at this point, it's refreshing to start getting knowledge of the colloquial language - which in many ways is much much easier and better than standard some people cite "kuusi palaa" as an example of finnish being fiendishly tricky (because it can mean six pieces, your moon is on fire, etc) but when it comes to how people actually speak, nobody uses kuusi to mean "your moon", they just say "sun kuu" instead. instead of kuusi, people will say "kuus" to mean six. a lot of finnish words and phrases which seem devilish (either in length or multiple uses) may not be actually used in real life and you can afford to cut the bullshit once you get to the point where you realise the actual meaning of something lies. having now started to learn this, things are progressing more smoothly and faster

[QUOTE=Adelle Zhu;52558814]I got a super helpful explanation from Samiam22[/QUOTE] Well now that I know what you were talking about, it's a really simple distinction. Simple as "sur" means "on" or "about", "pour" means "for" or "to". That's pretty much it, really. Careful about "à" though, because "á" doesn't exist in French. [editline]11th August 2017[/editline] I have university-level knowledge in French grammar rules and vocabulary, you can ask me anything.

how big should your deck be when starting?

Hey, does anyone know of any resources geared toward learning Canadian style French? Although the basics are the same I've heard a lot of language usage is different and if you learn to pronounce as a european French person does it can make it pretty difficult to get Acadians to speak French with you, especially in New Brunswick where I live.

[QUOTE=waylander;52581576]how big should your deck be when starting?[/QUOTE] A stack 6 inches high is a good starting point but if you're lacking a little you can make up for it by being more creative. [editline]17th August 2017[/editline] I actually would love some physical flashcards, but they're not that easy to find.