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Just wondering if anyone has any decent tips to learn a language from personal experience?
I am currently making a real focus on building my German, and I am currently following a daily routine of:
- Watching one video from a recommended German learning YouTube channel. - Learning and reviewing a few words and sentences on Anki. - Listening to a natural podcast even if I can't understand it (plus sometimes a slower podcast which I can actually mostly understand). - Reading something every day. Speaking it out loud as well. - Making a few of my own flashcards with words/verbs relevant to my daily routine.
I am also intending to begin talking to online tutors two or three times a week. Did my first session last night. It was rough, but we got through it and he said I'm not the worst he's ever worked with.
It seems a lot but it is manageable thus far. Perhaps ~2 hours in total every day.
I am curious to know if anyone on here has had success with language learning, and how they went about it?
Language learning tips on 15:47 - Jun 18 by JakeITFC
I did German at school and have found Duolingo is good for building vocabulary but not sure it's that good in general.
Thanks. I've dabbled in the past with various languages but I think the chances of anyone ever speaking a language properly from Duolingo are slim to none.
Anki is great for a similar purpose as it uses spaced repetition to expose you to new words and sentences.
Language learning tips on 15:47 - Jun 18 by JakeITFC
I did German at school and have found Duolingo is good for building vocabulary but not sure it's that good in general.
My current streak on Duolingo is 1727.
Most of it spent learning German, but having gone to Holland last summer, have been learning it since then with the view going back next year being able to speak it.
Have found I can read languages quite well (German and Dutch anyway), but do struggle with speaking it!
A brother of an old colleague of mine learned Spanish when he was kidnapped in Colombia and held for 3 months. Wasn't fully conversational but better basic understanding.
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Language learning tips on 15:54 - Jun 18 with 900 views
Thanks. I've dabbled in the past with various languages but I think the chances of anyone ever speaking a language properly from Duolingo are slim to none.
Anki is great for a similar purpose as it uses spaced repetition to expose you to new words and sentences.
duolingo's great for starting, but you're way beyond that.
probably not what you want to hear, but immersion's probably the best way, either by living there or regular chats with native speakers
Language learning tips on 15:54 - Jun 18 by positivity
duolingo's great for starting, but you're way beyond that.
probably not what you want to hear, but immersion's probably the best way, either by living there or regular chats with native speakers
Absolutely agree with immersion, I think it's the only way you can truly become comfortable talking in another langauge.
I'm 3 years into learning Portuguese, still using Duolingo as I think the daily repetition helps too, I had an on-line teacher for about 6 months, but only an hour a week, its worth doing I think, but I always struggled with the lessons as they weren't really structured, it was more conversational.
I've also had 2 trips to Brazil, the first time I barely spoke as I only knew the basics, but I forced myself (and was forced!) to talk more the second time around and I found it easier than I thought it would be. Obviously being surrounded by Portuguese speakers everyday helped.
I also have a Brazilian TV channel website open most days, so I can just listen to stuff in the background, that helps too.
Podcasts are great, especially if you listen on Youtube or a player that allows you to change playback speed (you want to be able to slow down as well as speed up, depending on who you're listening to and how you progress).
Also better to listen to something that interests you, rather than something about language learning itself - football podcasts were a big help for me when I was starting out with learning Spanish.
Try finding some childrens TV in German. The vocab will be simpler and you will train your ear. I learnt how to converse in French much quicker by watching kids TV and also having conversations with kids. Children will also happily point out your mistakes, rather than politely ignore them, which is also handy!
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Language learning tips on 17:57 - Jun 18 with 626 views
A brother of an old colleague of mine learned Spanish when he was kidnapped in Colombia and held for 3 months. Wasn't fully conversational but better basic understanding.
Language learning tips on 17:57 - Jun 18 by Swansea_Blue
There’s a business opportunity there for someone…
Despite the PSG tag I don’t live anywhere near France, but I have studied French for 20 years, and I am nowhere near fluent. To reach that level you would have to live in a foreign country for a year.
But I reached à good level by using a course on CD by Michel Thomas who teaches it in a pretend class room which involves two other students.He teaches French, German, Spanish or Italian without the use of reading or writing. He builds up the grammer slowly so eventually you get to speak in the future or past tenses.
I used Michel Thomas and then started reading and watching DVDs etc. Also I then started to learn written grammer etc. I also go to French conversation once a week, although it teaches you little but you can practise talking to people.
So start with Michel Thomas CDs/on line and go from there.
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Language learning tips on 18:28 - Jun 18 with 574 views
Sounds like you're doing the right things, personally I found Babbel a much better app than Duolingo.whilst my vocab is pretty good so constructing sentences is fine, it's the understanding/speed of the other person I still struggle with. So i suggest Lots of conversations with real people and watching tv/radio shows in realtime , the apps/training videos etc are too slow compared to reality
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Language learning tips on 18:52 - Jun 18 with 523 views
I struggled with languages at school, definitely not a natural. I moved to the Netherlands and set about starting to learn the language. No Duolingo in those days. I hoped I would somehow absorb the language, but I just didn’t happen. In the end I enrolled in a language class. It forced to to tackle head on the pressures of speaking a language (however badly) head on. That was undoubtedly the hardest part, but arguably it’s the speaking of a language that is the most important bit. I now work in Dutch education as an art teacher, teaching my art lessons to Dutch kids in English. An immersion approach involving no grammar just diving in and doing it. For children in my opinion it is the very best way to learn. But for adults I would say a lengthy holiday in Germany where you place yourself so often as possible in language rich situations where you don’t crash back into your English also is very useful.
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Language learning tips on 19:05 - Jun 18 with 501 views
Language learning tips on 18:16 - Jun 18 by PSGBlue
Despite the PSG tag I don’t live anywhere near France, but I have studied French for 20 years, and I am nowhere near fluent. To reach that level you would have to live in a foreign country for a year.
But I reached à good level by using a course on CD by Michel Thomas who teaches it in a pretend class room which involves two other students.He teaches French, German, Spanish or Italian without the use of reading or writing. He builds up the grammer slowly so eventually you get to speak in the future or past tenses.
I used Michel Thomas and then started reading and watching DVDs etc. Also I then started to learn written grammer etc. I also go to French conversation once a week, although it teaches you little but you can practise talking to people.
So start with Michel Thomas CDs/on line and go from there.
It might speed things up if you’re held at gun point?
I’m poor at languages, but from the little experience I’ve had, that mixed approach you describe works best. And it can be a long slog if you’re not fully immersed (Duolingo isn’t a quick fix).
My Spanish from school developed very quickly working in Chile and Peru on and off for a few years to the point I was comfortable in meetings conversed only in Spanish. I spent some time trying to learn Welsh pretty much by the methods you describe - didn’t go so well even though I’m surrounded by Welsh speakers. I didn’t stick at it though, whereas it sounds like you’re reaping the rewards for doing so. We go to France a lot and I always feel so embarrassed having, at best, a GCSE understanding.
Language learning tips on 19:05 - Jun 18 by Swansea_Blue
It might speed things up if you’re held at gun point?
I’m poor at languages, but from the little experience I’ve had, that mixed approach you describe works best. And it can be a long slog if you’re not fully immersed (Duolingo isn’t a quick fix).
My Spanish from school developed very quickly working in Chile and Peru on and off for a few years to the point I was comfortable in meetings conversed only in Spanish. I spent some time trying to learn Welsh pretty much by the methods you describe - didn’t go so well even though I’m surrounded by Welsh speakers. I didn’t stick at it though, whereas it sounds like you’re reaping the rewards for doing so. We go to France a lot and I always feel so embarrassed having, at best, a GCSE understanding.
I'm functionally trilingual (English, French, German) to the extent I could happily live in any environment where one of those languages were predominant [certain Schwyzertüütsch dialects notwithstanding]. But I never got on with Spanish, despite spending quite a bit of time in Spain. I can read it pretty well, newspapers, TV subtitles etc, but have almost no active knowledge.
I conclude it us down to two things: desire and exposure. With both, you will master conversational basics & beyond very quickly. Exposure would ideally be living in a whichever language-speaking environment, but I am sure online tools would get you a long way there.
In the absence of desire, simple utter need can take over [eg i won't eat tonight unless I bring myself the talk to the worker in the bakery].
I wish the OP well. Nailing a new language opens up new worlds.bb
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Language learning tips on 21:48 - Jun 18 with 351 views
I teach German for a living (and some French). Depending on where you are vocab-wise, I can recommend as some decent videos to watch, as well as WDR radio, which I get my students to listen to. You could also try Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten - German news read slowly to help you understand. I would agree with the podcasts thing and immersing yourself as much as you feel comfortable. Feel free to message me if you want some grammar resources!
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Language learning tips on 07:43 - Jun 19 with 142 views
A mixture of sources (and of course getting in and around the language).
Don't have one source, there is nothing wrong with Duolingo/Rosetta Stone but it should be accompanied by flashcards, podcasts, lessons, self-learning etc.
Nothing will beat using the language day to day though.
On a side note, if Anyone wants Duolingo premium I have 3 places left in my family plan, would be £15 each but happy to take £10 as it's a month in.
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Language learning tips on 08:29 - Jun 19 with 112 views
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