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[Travel] Learning a new language
- Thread starter Rodney Thomas
- Start date
Wrong-Direction
Well-known member
- Mar 10, 2013
- 13,640
Hola tres cervezas por favor gracias buenas noches
Learnt this off by heart when I went a few years back
Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk
Learnt this off by heart when I went a few years back
Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk
basque seagull
Active member
- Oct 21, 2012
- 378
I think if you say Vale! (OK) De puta madre! (Fkin brilliant!) and Ya te digo! (Too right!) a lot you may sound more Spanish hahaha!
basque seagull
Active member
- Oct 21, 2012
- 378
I am living in Saudi Arabia at the moment and am learning Arabic! Very difficult and so frustrating. I am just A1 (more A0) level. The only person I speak Arabic to is my dry cleaner. I always carry a notebook and make him repeat things to me and write down what I hear. When I have done some shopping I take it in and ask the name in Arabic. I took in a can of chick peas and said "Arabika?" and he says "Humus" and I say yeah and point again at the tin and he says "Humus". I guess humus is chick peas in Arabic haha... well it is for me. These realistic situational learning scenarios are very motivating and practical. My dry cleaner Arabic is probably A2 
Throw in the odd pues, bueno, claro, oye and coño and you're there.
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I am living in Saudi Arabia at the moment and am learning Arabic! Very difficult and so frustrating. I am just A1 (more A0) level. The only person I speak Arabic to is my dry cleaner. I always carry a notebook and make him repeat things to me and write down what I hear. When I have done some shopping I take it in and ask the name in Arabic. I took in a can of chick peas and said "Arabika?" and he says "Humus" and I say yeah and point again at the tin and he says "Humus". I guess humus is chick peas in Arabic haha... well it is for me. These realistic situational learning scenarios are very motivating and practical. My dry cleaner Arabic is probably A2
It is. That's why it's a bit odd when places sell "hummus" that doesn't contain chickpeas.
basque seagull
Active member
- Oct 21, 2012
- 378
Hahaha.... No, I don't watch it.... Like something out of the 1970s. I think ideally for series better a series made in Spanish originally. La casa de papel has had good reviews. Also on Channel 4 they were airing a Spanish series that was meant to be quite good: Vis a vis (original title), Locked up in English and it is meant to be good.
La Casa de Papel is on my list. I'll check out Vis a vis too. Cheers.
Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ
Hove / Παρος
I don't think I'd feel comfortable shouting that about.
madinthehead
I have changed this
Same, I found classes not too helpful. Watching quiz shows is a help. I've watched the German equivalent of the chase on ARD plus the one that now comes on at 18.00 in it's place. Plus listening to announcements on trains & trams helps. I too have a random notebook for phrases learnt. Remembering them perfectly and into context is the challenge.
Mastering German grammar is a nightmare. Verb placement in the sentence is slowly making sense. It's not an easy language to learn, but its slowly coming into place. I get by, probably around the A2 level now. My worst moment occurred when feeding the cat of a friend who was away for a few days. A neighbour politely enquired if she could assist me. (being nosy as to why I was in the building) My verb placement & rest of the answer was perfect, but replacing füttern with essen, I told her, I'd come to eat the cat.
It didn't taste good tbh.
Ha ha.. Yes, the grammar is a bitch, especially the nonsensical usage of accusative and dative. I think I now get more right than wrong, although I am still guessing a lot of the time.
I also struggle with the gender of things, there is very little sense used there either, although I have seen a book online that I would like to buy which apparently can bring some clarity.
The real sods in German are those words that have different meanings according to their gender - like See, Steuer or Kiefer - I nearly always get those wrong.
pearl
Well-known member
Mellor 3 Ward 4
Well-known member
That's fine, but you do have to remember that most Dutch speak better English than we do.
sussex_guy2k2
Well-known member
- Jun 6, 2014
- 4,085
I learned quite a bit of Spanish travelling. I had some background in the language and realised I could read it very well even before I got there, but my spoken language wasn't good at all as it simply took me too long to work out what verbs etc to use, and my comprehension suffered similarly. Initially I was put off by their constant correction of my Spanish (it came across as rude to an Englishman, to be honest), but once I accepted it and just started chatting, repeatedly, with random people I got much much better. Then I returned and I've not spoken any, which is a real shame. But consumption, repetition and trial and error were the absolute keys for me.
BrickTamland
Well-known member
No excuse not to learn the language though, in their country they would still prefer to speak their language (especially elderly people who were educated before English was compulsory).