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gw120 · Mar 24, 2007, 04:04 pm

I can speak French to an extent, like if I go to France I could get around, but not have a conversation. I'm dropping French class as soon as I hit grade 9 because I doubt I will EVER need it in my life.

Nono · Mar 24, 2007, 04:18 pm

That's what I thought LOL. Actually it was grade 9, my first exposure, and I flunked in spectacular fashion (15% of something pathetic like that). And promptly dropped it.
You never can tell.

LtMisha · Mar 28, 2007, 11:32 am

Zdrastye, comrades.
I speak a little Russian, more French, and I'm fluent in Welsh and English. Both Welsh and Russian sound real cool when spoken properly.
Poka.
Hwyl fawr.
Salut.

Peidiwch bod yn anti-comiwnydd

Gods_Mercenary · Mar 28, 2007, 05:33 pm

would like to learn enough russian to sound cool speaking it but that looks like another project I don't have time for.

Kamehameha34 · Mar 28, 2007, 05:44 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Nono

That's what I thought LOL. Actually it was grade 9, my first exposure, and I flunked in spectacular fashion (15% of something pathetic like that). And promptly dropped it.
You never can tell.

Porquoi? Est-ce que tu fatigue en general? C'est une langue facile.

Gods_Mercenary · Mar 28, 2007, 07:50 pm

Everybody found french hard, but I always got A's in High-school french.

Hmm · Mar 29, 2007, 07:53 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Kamehameha34

Porquoi? Est-ce que tu fatigue en general? C'est une langue facile.

Mais non, tu te trompes. Au début, le français peut sembler facile, mais comme le temps continue, cette langue devient plus difficile avec toutes ses règles de grammaire.

Aeris · Mar 29, 2007, 07:55 pm

I speak French, a tiny bit of Russian, and I'm teaching myself Old English to study the loss of inflected case from OE to MnE.

fushigi · Mar 30, 2007, 04:32 am

Quote:

Quote by: LtMisha

Zdrastye, comrades.
I speak a little Russian, more French, and I'm fluent in Welsh and English. Both Welsh and Russian sound real cool when spoken properly.
Poka.
Hwyl fawr.
Salut.

Peidiwch bod yn anti-comiwnydd

Welsh huh? I had a Welsh friend, he taught me one expression. I have no idea how to transliterate it, but it was something like "Tosch pobb seiss."

It means "all Englishmen are pigs" or something like that.

Is it true government-mandated Welsh TV is just awful?

Nono · Mar 30, 2007, 03:04 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Kam

C'est une langue facile.

That's what they said about Cheney's daugther...

BruceWillis · Mar 30, 2007, 03:27 pm

Esperanto, Mandarin, and some French

The Architect · Mar 30, 2007, 04:15 pm

Speak English (native),speak Italian ( not that good) but i think either Italian or French are beautiful to the ear but it really does depend on the person. Cant stand Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. I wouldnt mind learning Icelandic or Finnish maybe Russian or Latin.
Any one speak Greek?

nobodyatall00 · Mar 30, 2007, 04:16 pm

Does anyone know of an effective way to actually learn a language. I've always wanted to learn Italian since I'm 1/2 Italian but I can't seem to grasp it.

The Architect · Mar 30, 2007, 04:23 pm

Question, you know how people say French is beautiful when spoken I was wandering what English sounds like to the non-native speakers who learned another language first?

Nono · Mar 30, 2007, 04:27 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Architect

Any one speak Greek?

I'll refrain from the obvious crappy joke here.

Quote:

Quote by: body

Does anyone know of an effective way to actually learn a language. I've always wanted to learn Italian since I'm 1/2 Italian but I can't seem to grasp it.

Well, buy a dictionary and move to the country concerned for about 10 years. Hey no problem. Seriously, the best way all depends on the manner in which your mind works, plus your personality (one example -- are you shy? better stick to the bookish approach).

Anyway, I'm struggling to learn Italian. I'm at the point where watching Italian TV is starting to pay dividends. That's definitely a hot tip, but you need to accumulate a sort of critical mass of grammar and vocabulary before it will do any good.

fushigi · Mar 31, 2007, 12:25 am

Quote:

Quote by: nobodyatall00

Does anyone know of an effective way to actually learn a language. I've always wanted to learn Italian since I'm 1/2 Italian but I can't seem to grasp it.

Buy some Pimsleur CDs to start. Get a feel for the language, work on your ear and the muscle memory in your lips, tongue, etc. Practice speaking a lot.

If you're still interested in it after the first level, buy a textbook and start self-studying some lessons. Lock yourself in your bedroom and read the dialogues out loud, again and again until it becomes familiar by rote. Then start with the grammar/vocabulary cramming.

Best to find a language partner. A girlfriend's even better.

That's my advice. It's worked well with Chinese (everything but the girlfriend - but I learned Japanese pretty well using that method...) - I'm conversational after just 1.5 years of study. (Average about 2 hours a day.)

LtMisha · Mar 31, 2007, 07:47 am

Quote:

Quote by: fushigi

Welsh huh? I had a Welsh friend, he taught me one expression. I have no idea how to transliterate it, but it was something like "Tosch pobb seiss."

It means "all Englishmen are pigs" or something like that.

Is it true government-mandated Welsh TV is just awful?

Yeah. Government mandated Welsh TV does suck.

Tosch pobb seiss? no idea what that means.
Mae pob Saes yn foch. That's how you say it.

Gods_Mercenary · Mar 31, 2007, 02:31 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Hmm

Mais non, tu te trompes. Au début, le français peut sembler facile, mais comme le temps continue, cette langue devient plus difficile avec toutes ses règles de grammaire.

You don't have to pay too much attention to the more complicated rules when speaking conversationally, and I find that a lot of the rules make sense, and the others I've just picked up with practice. And in high school, you just have to have a good memory to pass, as well as some head for the language, admittedly.

phoenix_fire · Mar 31, 2007, 04:20 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Hmm

Mais non, tu te trompes. Au début, le français peut sembler facile, mais comme le temps continue, cette langue devient plus difficile avec toutes ses règles de grammaire.

It's probably not nearly as bad as English. I am just starting Japanese grammar and already I have an appreciation of how overly complicated English grammar is to the non-native speaker.

phoenix_fire · Mar 31, 2007, 04:24 pm

Quote:

Quote by: nobodyatall00

Does anyone know of an effective way to actually learn a language. I've always wanted to learn Italian since I'm 1/2 Italian but I can't seem to grasp it.

Well, I don't know that this would work for Italian. But I've been learning Japanese with a book, a dictionary, and most importantly all the subtitled anime I can watch. Immersion is always best. The more you need to know the language to function (such as to watch something without having to look at subtitles), the better you will learn. Not only that, but it helps a whole lot with pronunciation, inflection, culture and idioms that you just can't get out of a course or book.

Mar 24, 2007, 04:04 pm	#41 (permalink) (top)
gw120 Stabbed By Satan Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 247	I can speak French to an extent, like if I go to France I could get around, but not have a conversation. I'm dropping French class as soon as I hit grade 9 because I doubt I will EVER need it in my life. Economic Left/Right: -9.25 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.79 Reality is fantasy; Facts are perception.

Mar 24, 2007, 04:18 pm	#42 (permalink) (top)
Nono Throbbing Member Location: Old Europe Posts: 7,158	That's what I thought LOL. Actually it was grade 9, my first exposure, and I flunked in spectacular fashion (15% of something pathetic like that). And promptly dropped it. You never can tell. "I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything." -- Viscount Melbourne

Mar 28, 2007, 11:32 am	#43 (permalink) (top)
LtMisha Instant Leninist Location: Leningrad Posts: 340	Zdrastye, comrades. I speak a little Russian, more French, and I'm fluent in Welsh and English. Both Welsh and Russian sound real cool when spoken properly. Poka. Hwyl fawr. Salut. Peidiwch bod yn anti-comiwnydd You must obey the law, always, not only when they grab you by your special place. Vladimir Putin

Mar 28, 2007, 05:33 pm	#44 (permalink) (top)
Gods_Mercenary Altruism Assassin Location: Massachusetts Posts: 5,286	would like to learn enough russian to sound cool speaking it but that looks like another project I don't have time for. “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein

Mar 28, 2007, 07:50 pm	#46 (permalink) (top)
Gods_Mercenary Altruism Assassin Location: Massachusetts Posts: 5,286	Everybody found french hard, but I always got A's in High-school french. “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein

Mar 30, 2007, 03:27 pm	#51 (permalink) (top)
BruceWillis Sedimentary Rock Location: where everybody knows your name Posts: 7	Esperanto, Mandarin, and some French

Mar 30, 2007, 04:15 pm	#52 (permalink) (top)
The Architect Agnostic, Cynic Location: New York Posts: 285	Speak English (native),speak Italian ( not that good) but i think either Italian or French are beautiful to the ear but it really does depend on the person. Cant stand Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. I wouldnt mind learning Icelandic or Finnish maybe Russian or Latin. Any one speak Greek?

Mar 30, 2007, 04:16 pm	#53 (permalink) (top)
nobodyatall00 Jenseena Posts: 9	Does anyone know of an effective way to actually learn a language. I've always wanted to learn Italian since I'm 1/2 Italian but I can't seem to grasp it.

Mar 30, 2007, 04:23 pm	#54 (permalink) (top)
The Architect Agnostic, Cynic Location: New York Posts: 285	Question, you know how people say French is beautiful when spoken I was wandering what English sounds like to the non-native speakers who learned another language first?