Languages

[Finnaldo]

Partially inspired by @Alf Bentley’s post in the careers thread, partially my own current doings... does anyone speak a second language? Perhaps a third or fourth one? Did you learn it at a young age or advanced? Or are you learning one now?
 

I come from a family that speaks Polish & Spanish as a first language, and had a family member that could speak Spanish, Italian and, as a conversational level, French, but I always too lazy as a kid to pick any up or make any conscience effort to learn. Last year however I thought I’d try to better myself across the board and a new language was one of the things I wanted to add. 
 

That language was... Czech  It’s an odd choice but it has familial ties and I wanted a ‘challenge’ to motivate me. Alongside a new job and an improved exercise regimen it fell by the wayside but with lockdown and working from home it gave me a good excuse to pick it back up. Admittedly I’m still at a pretty basic level but I’ve impressed myself with how I’ve picked it up so far. I’m just using Duolingo as it stands, but if I continue to improve I’ll probably look into some kit that’s a bit more comprehensive like Rosetta Stone or proper lessons.
 

So does anyone have any tips? I can’t imagine there’s many Czech speakers but any general language learning tips or software/professional lesson recommendations?

[Big Dave]

I did GCSE french (25 years ago) - can speak and understand a VERY limited amount.
The wife and I are thinking about starting to learn French again - thoughts of being able to retire to France when the time comes.

We are not quite sure what the best thing to do to learn is.  Would going back to an evening class to do a GCSE again be best (as learn the structure of the language) or would it be best to an online resource (such as Rosetta Stone), get some CD, etc. 
Any ideas from anyone that may have done similar?

 

[Arriba Los Zorros]

Yeah, I speak Spanish fluently and French to a high level - got a degree in Modern Languages and have spent times working out in both countries since.

 

You won't like this but the only real way of becoming fluent is to go over there and immerse yourself.

 

However, what I'd advise if you have the patience, is to find any way you can online of streaming Czech TV, radio, or Czech language podcasts. Just sit there listening to them, focus, don't stress at first if you can't pick up much then go to see if you can pick up on any words you recongise, and you'll be surprised how quickly that develops you.

 

Once you can start to understand it to some degree, you can practice actually talking from there.

 

Also might be worth looking for any Czech language groups on Facebook etc, and seeing if any Czechs living around locally want to meet up for a coffee or beer and do a language exchange type thing - speaking Czech for half an hour then English for the 2nd one, etc etc.

[Fox92]

I have been attempting to learn Spanish during lockdown.

 

I've got some basics, and can read some stuff now, but would like to go through will it master it. 

 

Might look into lessons when everything goes back to normal. I enquired at my local college but they don't do it.

 

I have no previous experience of Spanish. I did French in school when I first started comprehensive but dropped it as soon as I could which was after about 2 or 3 years. But now I'm fully backing learning another language, it should be compulsive at comprehensive school imo. 

Edited 20 August 2020 by Fox92

[Webbo]

I did GCSE Spanish at night school 25ish years ago. I can just about make myself understood, certainly not fluent.

[Nalis]

I'm going a bit left field on mine and say sign language. My parents are deaf, communicate with my dad without the need for signing but I sign with my mum.

 

I realise how much I've forgotten though when people asked me stuff as I've lived anyway from home for years. 

 

Moral of the story for those learning a language - keep practicing conversations with others otherwise you'll start to forget!

[Finnaldo]

1 hour ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

Yeah, I speak Spanish fluently and French to a high level - got a degree in Modern Languages and have spent times working out in both countries since.

 

You won't like this but the only real way of becoming fluent is to go over there and immerse yourself.

 

However, what I'd advise if you have the patience, is to find any way you can online of streaming Czech TV, radio, or Czech language podcasts. Just sit there listening to them, focus, don't stress at first if you can't pick up much then go to see if you can pick up on any words you recongise, and you'll be surprised how quickly that develops you.

 

Once you can start to understand it to some degree, you can practice actually talking from there.

 

Also might be worth looking for any Czech language groups on Facebook etc, and seeing if any Czechs living around locally want to meet up for a coffee or beer and do a language exchange type thing - speaking Czech for half an hour then English for the 2nd one, etc etc.

I definitely appreciate what you say about immersing yourself in the language! My stepdad’s family in Spain mostly live in a rural village, and virtually none speak fluent English. Despite going to after-school Spanish lessons for a couple years it was in Spain, in the village where I picked up and retained the limited phrases I know now. 
 

Your point about Czech language streams, radio etc. is an interesting one. I’ll definitely get to finding something I can listen to whilst I’m still WFH.

[fuchsntf]

Originally from New Parks...English was my 2nd Language....

No languages at School...

But decided when travelling..learn at least basics, Listen ( radio/tv/ cinema)  & Read your hosts media.And the streets cafes/bars/markets

When more serious immense & comit yourself to the language....I

Fluency in German,Spanish ,workable French some Urdu/hindi, and S.American indos variants,but simple sentences...

Learn the Humor & local phrases....

my Spanish & French has fallen off..due to Lack of use..Spanish is getting use to the tact and the speed...Though I can still Read Spanish & French okay

Just started Italian,last year....very basic, might consider Babbel to Kick me off again...

 

but still struggling with English...

[VLC86]

Had private Spanish tuition because we were moving abroad, ended up in Italy so kind of sacked off other languages after that.

 

Also once said Bonjour to a Spanish person.... as they were leaving.

Edited 20 August 2020 by Costock_Fox

[stix]

3 hours ago, Finnaldo said:

Partially inspired by @Alf Bentley’s post in the careers thread, partially my own current doings... does anyone speak a second language? Perhaps a third or fourth one? Did you learn it at a young age or advanced? Or are you learning one now?
 

I come from a family that speaks Polish & Spanish as a first language, and had a family member that could speak Spanish, Italian and, as a conversational level, French, but I always too lazy as a kid to pick any up or make any conscience effort to learn. Last year however I thought I’d try to better myself across the board and a new language was one of the things I wanted to add. 
 

That language was... Czech  It’s an odd choice but it has familial ties and I wanted a ‘challenge’ to motivate me. Alongside a new job and an improved exercise regimen it fell by the wayside but with lockdown and working from home it gave me a good excuse to pick it back up. Admittedly I’m still at a pretty basic level but I’ve impressed myself with how I’ve picked it up so far. I’m just using Duolingo as it stands, but if I continue to improve I’ll probably look into some kit that’s a bit more comprehensive like Rosetta Stone or proper lessons.
 

So does anyone have any tips? I can’t imagine there’s many Czech speakers but any general language learning tips or software/professional lesson recommendations?

My wife is from Poland and she has mentioned to me before that the Polish & Czech languages have some similarities. Is that one of the reasons you decided on it? I have tried to learn Polish before, mainly so I can have at least some conversational skills to speak to the in laws. It’s a difficult one though! Especially the reading and writing!! 
 

I did find Duolingo a decent free app to start learning though. 

Hodnê štestí!!

[Finnaldo]

1 hour ago, stix said:

My wife is from Poland and she has mentioned to me before that the Polish & Czech languages have some similarities. Is that one of the reasons you decided on it? I have tried to learn Polish before, mainly so I can have at least some conversational skills to speak to the in laws. It’s a difficult one though! Especially the reading and writing!! 
 

I did find Duolingo a decent free app to start learning though. 

Hodnê štestí!!

The West Slavic languages (Czech, Slovak, Polish, Sorbian if you’re being very niche!) are all very similar, with Czech and Slovak being mutually intelligible and Polish having a lot of words in common I’d not a little different, but it was actually that my great grandfather was a Czech airmen who was KIA in WW2, I thought it would be a nice tribute to him to learn it now. I’m also an idiot who tends to be more engaged if I’m thrown in the deep end and thought Czech would be one of the more challenging languages without learning a whole new alphabet  

[Alf Bentley]

3 hours ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

Yeah, I speak Spanish fluently and French to a high level - got a degree in Modern Languages and have spent times working out in both countries since.

 

You won't like this but the only real way of becoming fluent is to go over there and immerse yourself.

 

However, what I'd advise if you have the patience, is to find any way you can online of streaming Czech TV, radio, or Czech language podcasts. Just sit there listening to them, focus, don't stress at first if you can't pick up much then go to see if you can pick up on any words you recongise, and you'll be surprised how quickly that develops you.

 

Once you can start to understand it to some degree, you can practice actually talking from there.

 

Also might be worth looking for any Czech language groups on Facebook etc, and seeing if any Czechs living around locally want to meet up for a coffee or beer and do a language exchange type thing - speaking Czech for half an hour then English for the 2nd one, etc etc.

 

Some excellent points in that post.

- Spot on about listening to native language media and expecting to only understand some words.....worth then re-listening and you may be surprised that you pick up more on the 2nd or 3rd listen as your ear gets attuned.

- 1-to-1 language exchanges can be great but may be stilted and less useful when still at a fairly basic level. Some sort of conversation class or group might work better until you progress a bit (easy for Fr/Sp/Ger in cities, less so for Czech or rural areas!).

- There are a lot of language groups that operate via Meetup.com (in person usually, maybe via Zoom for now). There's even a Czech/Slovak Meetup group in London, @Finnaldo

- Absolutely right about going native for a while if you can. I spent 6 months in Paris once, working with French people, sharing a flat with a French bloke, watching French TV, reading French papers, talking in bars.....will never reach that level of fluency again unless I go and live there again some day.

 

Even though I translate docs for a living, my spoken Spanish & Portuguese are terrible now as I don't make time to do the stuff you recommend. My spoken French is slightly better but still not what it used to be.

 

I did a degree in the 3 languages at age 30-34. Before that.....

- French: Did A-level at school, started uni at 18 but dropped out....but mainly learned verbal ability by hitch-hiking & grape-picking in France in my twenties

- Spanish: At 28, did basics especially grammatical structures via a teach-yourself book & cassette (pre-Internet era), then went native in Latin America for 4.5 months accumulating vocab & oral ability, then did A-level when I got back to UK

- Portuguese: Started from beginners for degree (quicker to learn due to partial similarities to Spanish, though my fluency & vocab was inferior).

- German: Did O-level (GCSE) at school 40+ years ago then dropped, but brushed it up a bit before going to 2006 World Cup in Germany - and did fine over there for practical arrangements, simple conversations with natives

 

[Alf Bentley]

4 hours ago, Big Dave said:

I did GCSE french (25 years ago) - can speak and understand a VERY limited amount.
The wife and I are thinking about starting to learn French again - thoughts of being able to retire to France when the time comes.

We are not quite sure what the best thing to do to learn is.  Would going back to an evening class to do a GCSE again be best (as learn the structure of the language) or would it be best to an online resource (such as Rosetta Stone), get some CD, etc. 
Any ideas from anyone that may have done similar?

 

 

What suits best might depend on how much time you can spare for learning - and how soon you hope to retire to France.

 

Evening classes can be fine, and good socially, but often progress very slowly in my experience. Indeed, some people who attend them do so largely for the social experience & don't learn at home - so they may dictate a slow pace of learning.

 

You might progress more quickly by using a teach-yourself facility (online, CD and/or book) to learn all the grammar, structural stuff & initial listening work, then attending a reasonably advanced conversation class/group and/or taking up the good suggestions in the post by @Arriba Los Zorros. That could provide a good base on which to build fluency, comprehension & vocab once you moved to France.

[martyn]

Wife is Mexican, and her Dad speaks no English, so I had no choice but to at least try and learn Spanish.

 

I got to a decent enough level (B2), but have completely stagnated over the last few years, i'm no better now than i was in 2012/13. We're raising bilingual kids, and our 3 year old's English is just starting to overtake his Spanish, so might exclusively speak Spanish at home for a bit which will get the brain working again (currently i speak English to them, my wife Spanish).

[UpTheLeagueFox]

I've been using Duolingo since lockdown started. Done 150 days in a row, anywhere between 30 mins and two hours. Learnt a lot of words. Structuring sentences very tough but understanding when people speak is still very tough. Keep grinding on though.

[Captain...]

My response to anyone talking about languages is always the same. It's not difficult to learn a language, just hard work. Everyone who can speak English can speak Spanish. It's not difficult it's hard work you work at it and follow the rules it's actually pretty straightforward.

[Vacamion]

 

I LOVE it every time a thread like this comes up. Languages are my absolute passion.  At school, I was a bloody swot in language classes.

 

In order of fluency:

 

German

 

French

 

Spanish

 

Latin

 

Hindi

 

Russian

 

I did modern languages at Uni and lived in Germany for a bit as a young man.

 

I can get fed and watered in Dutch, I can read a bit and sing songs in Italian and Portuguese (love a bit of bossa nova) and bits of several other European languages.

 

As an adult I dabbled a bit in Japanese and Arabic but they were both fiendishly difficult (but still interesting) for me, so I settled on Hindi as my book learning hobby language, and I've been improving my Hindi comprehension over recent years.  Star Plus TV might help me with practice, but the content is utter mince.  I do love a Bollywood singalong, though (fave film: Lagaan).

 

I've studied linguistics as a hobby all my adult life, my favourite thing is historical linguistics, I read textbooks on Proto Indo European linguistics before I go to sleep most nights.

 

So yeah. I love languages. 

 

Yay, languages  

 

[MPH]

On 20/08/2020 at 18:53, UpTheLeagueFox said:

I've been using Duolingo since lockdown started. Done 150 days in a row, anywhere between 30 mins and two hours. Learnt a lot of words. Structuring sentences very tough but understanding when people speak is still very tough. Keep grinding on though.

which language?

[Guest the fox]

English and Arabic (standard Arabic, and 1 dialect that I speak and many I understand for the most part). and a bit of French.

 

English and Arabic are very different. The grammar and structure are different so you can't translate a sentence word for word in most cases and expect the same meaning. I started learning English by watching TV shows (like Top Gear). And also learned it in school. Sometimes I couldn't pinpoint the error of an English sentence using grammatical terms, but I just had a feeling that the grammar was wrong from watching too much TV.

 

I can read and talk a bit of French (I sometimes regret not putting more effort in learning). I can understand most of what French commentators say and read simple manuals and paperwork in French. (I watched the TV show House with French Dub and it helped a bit). My French is about 2/10, maybe 3/10. 

Edited 29 August 2020 by the fox

[NasPb]

If anyone wants to practice moroccan arabic or Spanish I'm happy to help 

[Sly]

I’ve learned bits of German, French and Spanish over the years. 

 

I do regret dropping Spanish when I was at school, as it’s such a widely used language. I picked it up again via Duolingo. I find that my Spanish improves, the more time I spend in a country where it’s the first language. The hardest part is getting to drips with dialect. I can’t imagine it’s as bad as coming to England though and trying to have a four way conversation with people from Newcastle, Liverpool and London. 

 

My grandparents were South African, so could speak Afrikaans. I didn’t bother with that at all! 

[NasPb]

25 minutes ago, Sly said:

I’ve learned bits of German, French and Spanish over the years. 

 

I do regret dropping Spanish when I was at school, as it’s such a widely used language. I picked it up again via Duolingo. I find that my Spanish improves, the more time I spend in a country where it’s the first language. The hardest part is getting to drips with dialect. I can’t imagine it’s as bad as coming to England though and trying to have a four way conversation with people from Newcastle, Liverpool and London. 

 

My grandparents were South African, so could speak Afrikaans. I didn’t bother with that at all! 

I speak Spanish with a andalucian accent. Even native Spanish speakers have trouble understanding us. 

[Paninistickers]

YouTube is a brilliant resource. 

 

There's  a series channel of  'easy German/ french/russian' - and probably more - that are very watchable and funkywith new content every couple of days...plus for me

 the subtitles in the spoken language help massively. 

 

My tip. Pick a  small subject theme ( football?) and learn it all. Present, past, future and conditional tenses There's only a limited number of words/phrases/clichés to.learn ( transfer, the boys done good, gutted, quick break etc etc) and you can get fluent in a topic pretty quick 

 

[Finnaldo]

10 hours ago, Vacamion said:

 

I LOVE it every time a thread like this comes up. Languages are my absolute passion.  At school, I was a bloody swot in language classes.

 

In order of fluency:

 

German

 

French

 

Spanish

 

Latin

 

Hindi

 

Russian

 

I did modern languages at Uni and lived in Germany for a bit as a young man.

 

I can get fed and watered in Dutch, I can read a bit and sing songs in Italian and Portuguese (love a bit of bossa nova) and bits of several other European languages.

 

As an adult I dabbled a bit in Japanese and Arabic but they were both fiendishly difficult (but still interesting) for me, so I settled on Hindi as my book learning hobby language, and I've been improving my Hindi comprehension over recent years.  Star Plus TV might help me with practice, but the content is utter mince.  I do love a Bollywood singalong, though (fave film: Lagaan).

 

I've studied linguistics as a hobby all my adult life, my favourite thing is historical linguistics, I read textbooks on Proto Indo European linguistics before I go to sleep most nights.

 

So yeah. I love languages. 

 

Yay, languages  

 

Funnily enough I’ve always thought that should I get competent with Czech, the next step would be trying German, it’s somewhere I’ve wanted to move out to one day, whether it be short term or long term! 
 

10 hours ago, the fox said:

English and Arabic (standard Arabic, and 1 dialect that I speak and many I understand for the most part). and a bit of French.

 

English and Arabic are very different. The grammar and structure are different so you can't translate a sentence word for word in most cases and expect the same meaning. I started learning English by watching TV shows (like Top Gear). And also learned it in school. Sometimes I couldn't pinpoint the error of an English sentence using grammatical terms, but I just had a feeling that the grammar was wrong from watching too much TV.

 

I can read and talk a bit of French (I sometimes regret not putting more effort in learning). I can understand most of what French commentators say and read simple manuals and paperwork in French. (I watched the TV show House with French Dub and it helped a bit). My French is about 2/10, maybe 3/10. 

 

Is French taught in school in Algeria? Obviously with its history I didn’t know if that’s something that was carried over with independence. 
 

It’s interesting you bring up learning it a lot through TV (with some at school as well) I know that’s been brought up as a tool alongside actually learning the language through more dedicated resources, but I’ve known a lot of folks who English is a second language and a lot of them said they learnt through TV, but I’d have no idea where I’d start with that avenue! Do you just pick up words you recognise and begin to fit it’s function? Kind of trial and error?

[UpTheLeagueFox]

10 hours ago, MPH said:

which language?

Spanish