I hate learning foreign languages.

[eric922]

Fine, I don't hate the concept of learning a new language, I hate the way my college class is teaching it. I'm taking German and I've been struggling with the class all semester and I can't help, but think that I really should have been taught this in elementary school and not have been made to wait to college to learn a new language. Does anyone agree with me, and does anyone have any advice on how to learn German?

[Veovis]

I hate the way schools teach languages with long vocabulary lists that have to be memorized by Friday's quiz. A much easier, elegant, and organic way to learn vocabulary is to study the common entymology between the English word and its foreign translation. For example:

The word for hand in Spanish is mano. It's easy to remember because the English word manual sounds similar and describes something done by or having to do with the hands (i.e. manual labor). Indeed, the two words derive from the same Latin root.

This works great for Romance languages that share a common source of vocabulary with English. I'm not so sure about Germanic languages (the number of native Germanic words left in the English language is actually quite small), and of course non-Indo-European languages are right out. Best of luck to you, though! :thumbup1:

[eric922]

I hate the way schools teach languages with long vocabulary lists that have to be memorized by Friday's quiz. A much easier, elegant, and organic way to learn vocabulary is to study the common entymology between the English word and its foreign translation. For example:

The word for hand in Spanish is mano. It's easy to remember because the English word manual sounds similar and describes something done by or having to do with the hands (i.e. manual labor). Indeed, the two words derive from the same Latin root.

This works great for Romance languages that share a common source of vocabulary with English. I'm not so sure about Germanic languages (the number of native Germanic words left in the English language is actually quite small), and of course non-Indo-European languages are right out. Best of luck to you, though! :thumbup1:
I agree completely, I hate these weekly quizzes. I make flashcards, but I don't feel that memorizing is the best way to teach. There has to be a better system. In regards to the bold, isn't English itself a Germanic language?

[RedGrunt]

Ya they do make it more rigid and about parroting. While I do wish the US taught languages in elementary and up, I honestly had a great chance to learn one in Highschool.

I do think English is from Germanic.. but it has had alot of latin influence on it obviously- definitely french.

[Veovis]

English has Germanic grammar, but Latin vocabulary. It's actually quite difficult to construct a sentence in English that doesn't have a word derived from Latin by way of old French.

[The Young Pioneer]

The US school system is absolutely idiotic when it comes to foreign language instruction. They start way too late, only require 2 years (at least my pre-university education did), and generally there seems to be an attitude of, "We already know English, and that's what the international communications are conducted in, so what's it matter?"

Irritating as FUCK.

If I could do my life over I'd have the education of the Balkan region. My friends from there speak better English than I do, plus several other things fluently.

If you're really intent to be fluent, move to Germany. Immersion is the best way. If that's not feasible, listen to German radio, watch German language films/TV, meet some German communities locally and talk with them, read German books (start with the youth stuff).

Best of luck to you- America boned us.

[Tablo]

Different languages should be taught to children much more commonly in the United States. It is much easier to learn such things when you are younger and it can be retained as long as it is made use of afterwards. If/when I have a child I will make sure they aren't limited to one language as I was when growing up. Hopefully I will be properly bilingual by the time anything like that happens.

[eric922]

The US school system is absolutely idiotic when it comes to foreign language instruction. They start way too late, only require 2 years (at least my pre-university education did), and generally there seems to be an attitude of, "We already know English, and that's what the international communications are conducted in, so what's it matter?"

Irritating as FUCK.

If I could do my life over I'd have the education of the Balkan region. My friends from there speak better English than I do, plus several other things fluently.

If you're really intent to be fluent, move to Germany. Immersion is the best way. If that's not feasible, listen to German radio, watch German language films/TV, meet some German communities locally and talk with them, read German books (start with the youth stuff).

Best of luck to you- America boned us.
The American education system has boned us. Their foreign language system is awful, and I highly doubt that most people who finish their general education requirements will be fluent anyway. They teach memorizing of grammar and vocab, but they don't really teach you to speak it.

[Welshy]

This works great for Romance languages that share a common source of vocabulary with English. I'm not so sure about Germanic languages (the number of native Germanic words left in the English language is actually quite small), and of course non-Indo-European languages are right out. Best of luck to you, though! :thumbup1:

This is where you are wrong. The percentage of English words of germanic origin is around 26% (latin origin is 29% and so is words of french origin). 26% is hardly a small amount. On top of that of the most frequently used words in English the vast majority are of germanic/native anglo-saxen origin.

[Tablo]

This is where you are wrong. The percentage of English words of germanic origin is around 26% (latin origin is 29% and so is words of french origin). 26% is hardly a small amount. On top of that of the most frequently used words in English the vast majority are of germanic/native anglo-saxen origin.
This is true. When I took German in high school the easiest part for me was vocab since so many of their words are similar to English.

[Impulse97]

I'm taking German in college too and it's somewhat difficult. Luckily I have a good prof. who lived there for many years and is extremely knowledgeable.

I have trouble with all those endings and stem vowel changes. Like I'll know what a word is but only in one tense and a few positions (1st, 2nd, 3rd person etc.) Constructing sentences is hard too, I've got a reasonable vocabulary for my level,but little idea of how to put them together correctly.

Good luck mate.

[farleft]

Pimsleur German and Rosetta Stone German could make a nice combination.

[Sam_b]

The problem is you really need to live there to fully develop and appreciate a language. Plus you're right - some things are just necessary to learn and drill into your head, such as grammar rules and vocabulary. I take postgraduate Czech language and it's tough, but you just need to put in the hours.

If you have any German friends, why not practice your language though Skype/email/Google Voice? Try and get as much native exposure to a language as you possibly can.

[Zav]

Listen to Rammstein.
Just do some total immersion. German books (for children at first, then more advanced stuff, and if you feel up for a challenge you could read Das Kapital), television, news, video games, porn, or anything you like to do so long as it can be done in German.

[manic expression]

I hear you. German is by far the most frustrating language I've ever encountered, and I've studied Mandarin and Hindi for crying out loud. Learning with a class can really suck if it's not done right...it slows your progress, and any class above 6 or so students is very ineffective in terms of your teacher's ability to spot and correct mistakes. A bad language class is way worse than no class at all.

But yeah, if you ask me don't give up on it...language learning is probably the most rewarding thing I've ever learned in school, it's opened up entire worlds for me and I'm sure it will for you too. And remember, if German isn't working don't be afraid to switch to something else...if you want to try something go for it.


English has Germanic grammar, but Latin vocabulary. It's actually quite difficult to construct a sentence in English that doesn't have a word derived from Latin by way of old French.
I'm not so sure about that. Grammatically English is a lot closer to Scandinavian languages than modern German (English lost a lot of its more nuanced grammar over the past 1,000 years, especially declension IIRC)...in terms of vocabulary, as others pointed out, it's about equal to the amount of Latinate vocab.

[eyeheartlenin]

I had two years of high school Spanish, decades ago, but two visits to see comrades in Latin America helped an awful lot, in improving my Spanish. Reading Spanish-language articles about politics and ongoing struggles in Latin America has also helped. Being there, or visiting there, where the target language is spoken, is the best advice, I think. I also watched a telenovela, La fea más bella, which helped a little.

[tfb]

You know who else had a German class struggle? That's right: Marx. Take inspiration from him!

[Sputnik_1]

Best way to learn a language? Go to live to that country for a year or two. That's the best and fastest way. Another way is to take some private lessons. If both are too expensive then yeah, it becomes kinda struggle. Which is obviously an injustice cause rich are privileged in every aspect as they can invest in their children's education. Well, you can always try to learn a language on your own, but that's something i tried and failed, it depends on what type of learner you are and how determinate you are.

[Firebrand]

I hate to say this but one of the best ways of picking up foreign language vocab is to watch tv adverts in that language. Two reasons, firstly adverts tend to use very clear simplistic language in order to make it easy for you to understand what they are trying to sell you, secondly adverts the world over tend to use the same sets of phrases so you can often pick up on what they are saying without having to check your dictionary.
p.s only try and use this method if you think you can resist being brainwashed into buying vast amounts of shampoo and car insurance.

[praxis1966]

The percentage of English words of germanic origin is around 26% (latin origin is 29% and so is words of french origin)

One could argue that since French is derived from Latin then upwards of 50% of English is Latinate, but that's beside the point I was going to make...

I'd just like to echo folks suggesting watching cinema and television in the target language. I know that I've picked up a helluva lot more French than I ever expected simply by watching the films... Of course, it doesn't hurt that New Wave is probably my favorite film movement and I have a background in Latin. At any rate, I would imagine that at some point, OP, you'll find surprised by the increasingly long intervals in which you don't need the subtitles and surprised even more so when you begin to realize that there's been an improper translation someplace.

[Rusty Shackleford]

german is hella easy. i just watched a ton of german movies. watched some x3 clips (extra 3) and when i found decent music (not rammstein imo) i would listen to it. enough to where i could sing along with some.

it really helps with pronunciation and understanding structure.

its really simple. conjugations may be difficult at first but just remembering word placement is all you really need.
its been a while since ive used german in class so im rusty. and ive never had anyone to actually have proper conversations with in german but id imagine if i were there for a few weeks it would be no problem.

just have a positive outlook and try to immerse yourself in the language a bit. have fun with it. dont make it feel like a chore. unless you dont care about it then whatevs.
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[Drowzy_Shooter]

I'm learning Norwegian myself. Many reasons, mainly because it is my heritage, partly because it'd be great to learn a new language, and partly because I want to speak it with my great grandmother (bestemor is what we call her, bestemor = grandma in Norwegian) who is 92 years old.

[The Dark Side of the Moon]

60% of French is English and 60% of English is French

French is a language I really want to use, but I only have 2 years of it. And I can't see a use for it, as almost all French people speak English.


The beautiful girl? I never took Spanish, but I plan on it

[Sosa]

I've been trying to learn french for about a year now. I have all the materials I would need but I just cant seem to find any initiative to learn. I'm so fucking lazy. I have to force myself to learn it. But its something that I do want to learn.

[The Dark Side of the Moon]

It is an easy language to learn after you get the congigations down

[Scrooge]

I want to learn French for travel in France. I have heard that the French are protective of their culture and don't like having to speak English to tourists. Is there any truth to this, or is it more anti-French bias? Obviously we can't generalize millions of people, but what have been your experiences of speaking English in France?

[manic expression]

I want to learn French for travel in France. I have heard that the French are protective of their culture and don't like having to speak English to tourists. Is there any truth to this, or is it more anti-French bias? Obviously we can't generalize millions of people, but what have been your experiences of speaking English in France?
Um, you sometimes get that in Paris (especially in the summer when the city is flooded with tourists and the only French people in the city were the ones who weren't able to take a vacation so they have a chip on their shoulder anyway), but in the rest of France it's not such a big deal. Regardless, if you make a genuine effort in speaking basic French, you'll be OK because people will respect the effort.

[Os Cangaceiros]

People in Paris are pricks sometimes. I disagree with the notion that if you try and speak French with them, it makes it better. Not in my experience, and I'm not an arrogant tourist. You might encounter a Parisian who you just want to punch repeatedly in the face, Paris doesn't have that reputation for nothing.

But I can't make generalizations about the French, I would hate for a tourist to come to NYC, have a bad experience, and judge all Americans based on that.

[Ocean Seal]

People in Paris are pricks sometimes. I disagree with the notion that if you try and speak French with them, it makes it better. Not in my experience, and I'm not an arrogant tourist. You might encounter a Parisian who you just want to punch repeatedly in the face, Paris doesn't have that reputation for nothing.

But I can't make generalizations about the French, I would hate for a tourist to come to NYC, have a bad experience, and judge all Americans based on that.
My experience with the French is quite good. I didn't really find the dickweed stereotype, and what's wrong with New York?

[Os Cangaceiros]

There is nothing wrong with New York...I used to live there. NYC has a bit of a reputation for rude, abrasive personalities, though, a reputation that's mostly unjustified. That was my point; perhaps if I had extensively visited Paris or lived there, I would have a better view of the city.

[Leonid Brozhnev]

There is nothing wrong with New York...I used to live there. NYC has a bit of a reputation for rude, abrasive personalities, though, a reputation that's mostly unjustified. That was my point; perhaps if I had extensively visited Paris or lived there, I would have a better view of the city.

One of my uncles went to NYC... he was sitting outside a store and sneezed very loudly. A guy near him dropped to the ground and shouted 'Don't shoot!'... I base my opinion of New York on that.

Not really

[Rocky Rococo]

It's possible to do immersion without actually living in a country, but it requires a controlled environment. I learned Russian when I was in the military at the Defense Language Institute. They had us in classrooms six hours a day, 2-3 hours a night of homework, plus living in barracks where everyone is taking a language and at least at the time over 50% of us were studying Russian. The DLI Russian program had even, quite unintentionally and by the students themselves, developed its own pidgin language, "blizkiy angliyskiy" ("near English").

[Rusty Shackleford]

It's possible to do immersion without actually living in a country, but it requires a controlled environment. I learned Russian when I was in the military at the Defense Language Institute. They had us in classrooms six hours a day, 2-3 hours a night of homework, plus living in barracks where everyone is taking a language and at least at the time over 50% of us were studying Russian. The DLI Russian program had even, quite unintentionally and by the students themselves, developed its own pidgin language, "blizkiy angliyskiy" ("near English").
thats kind of interesting actually. almost like nadsat?

[farleft]

I want to learn French for travel in France. I have heard that the French are protective of their culture and don't like having to speak English to tourists. Is there any truth to this, or is it more anti-French bias? Obviously we can't generalize millions of people, but what have been your experiences of speaking English in France?

I have been to France many times and it is my experience that French people don't like making the effort to speak English, even if they can.

Best learn some important words and phrases at the very least before you go.

Where is = Ou est
I would like = Je voudrais
Je suis = I am

Then you can easily add many things to each phrase such as:

Where is the toilet? - Ou est le toilet?
I would like a beer - Je voudrais un bier
I am English - Je suis anglais

I may have spelt some of that wrong and don't forget the all important French accent!

Happy learning and travelling.

[Oswy]

Fine, I don't hate the concept of learning a new language, I hate the way my college class is teaching it. I'm taking German and I've been struggling with the class all semester and I can't help, but think that I really should have been taught this in elementary school and not have been made to wait to college to learn a new language. Does anyone agree with me, and does anyone have any advice on how to learn German?

I'm learning German myself, albeit very slowly - it's quite a complicated language for a native English speaker, especially if you've never tried to learn another language before, as I haven't. I've got a holiday phrase CD and a couple of beginners books but I'm also making the effort to watch films on DVD where there is German voice-over, so I can get a feel for how Germans talk 'in real life'. Recommended films for this purpose include The Hunt for Red October, Collateral, Dazed and Confused, Blue Streak, Twisted, V for Vendetta and the remake of Shaft. I'm sure there's plenty more. The only German film I've got which I also watch for this purpose is The Edukators, which is a great film to boot, but I don't know enough about German cinema to spend money on films which might not be too useful for German learning.

At first I thought German was hard because of the gendering thing (we don't do this in English so it seems like a bizarre complication to us), then I notice they have this whole formal/informal set of variations happening, then I realised that Germans have lots of complicated verb variations just for good measure, then I noticed that Germans change the ending of an adjective depending on the gender of the related noun, now I find out that they have four different 'cases' which determine how a noun is referenced as the object of a sentence - and apparently English doesn't even have one such 'case' so it's a particularly hard concept for us to grasp! What's funny is that both English and German are 'western Germanic languages' and have relatively recent common roots; a point easily observed when running through common German verbs and easily recognised by an English speaker for their similarity (and some nouns being the same or similar too).

I'm not giving up though, I've given myself a five year window and am determined to be German speaking by the end of that time. This year, for example, I've set myself a target of learning 40 German verbs before Xmas.

Sprichst du Deutsch? :lol:

[tanklv]

I took German and Ukrainian for a couple years each - I was always reluctant to use them - but my German friends say I'm not too bad, but my Ukrainian Grandmother would cry whenever I tried to speak with her in Ukrainian - because she was laughing so hard at my effort - god I miss her!!!

Now, in my sleep - I mix up the two languages while dreaming.

When I was growing up, we used to visit my Grandmother, who liked to play cards with all the ladies in the neighborhood on her front porch - my Mom, who could speak Ukrainian and understand a lot of Eastern European languages - would always leave with a big headache - because all the ladies would switch languages a few dozen time in the same sentence!!! German, Ukrainian, Slovak, Russian, Hungarian, Romainian and Polish - with a bit of Hebrew too!