Good ways to learn a Language?

Half Time Pies · Aug 30, 2017

As a break from refreshing twitter and NSC for transfer news, I thought I would ask if anyone has tips on good ways to learn another language? My wives Mother is Spanish and my Wife and I have been trying on and off for several years to learn Spanish so as we can better communicate with her family when we visit them.

I have tried many things over the years, audio courses, classroom based lessons, books, 1 to 1 tuition but I never seem to stick with it for long enough to make a break through. I can get by with the basics like ordering food, asking for directions and I even managed to negotiate with a bar owner to put the Brighton match on the other day, however although I can ask questions I really struggle with listening skills and tend to panic when someone speaks back to me.

We spent the whole of August in Spain and intend to do the same next year so I would really like to make progress for when we return.

If anyone on NSC has successfully learned a language whilst living in the UK I would be really interested to hear how you went about it?

Is it PotG? · Aug 30, 2017

spence · Aug 30, 2017

Google translator app is very good and useful.

Vankleek Hill Seagull · Aug 30, 2017

Check out Duolingo. Multiple courses available through a web browser and apps for iOS / Android. They also do a flashcard app that might help as well.

indy3050 · Aug 30, 2017

Our new columbian friend stuck post it notes on everything from his phone to the walls. Maybe try that?

Rugrat · Aug 30, 2017

My Mrs used Duolingo. She did about 10 mins a day for about a year (although during that time we were in Tenerife for about 4 months) and is now fairly competent and can 'get by'

seagulls4ever · Aug 30, 2017

As mentioned, Duolingo, which you can download onto your phone (and other devices). The gamification of language learning. It's not perfect, and you might have to look things up that aren't clear, but it does make it a lot easier to stick with IMO.

Weststander · Aug 30, 2017

Will Self wrote an article on this, where he could never get a grip of French, no matter what method he tried.

In the end he enrolled on a Berlitz course and cracked it, at last!

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/mar/23/will-self-learns-french

Napier · Aug 30, 2017

It also helps to watch tv/films and listen to music. Take a look at All 4, Walter Presents, and start watching some Spanish stuff - it helps to get your ear in.

Weststander · Aug 30, 2017

indy3050 said:
Our new columbian friend stuck post it notes on everything from his phone to the walls. Maybe try that?

That works well with building a vocabularly of nouns.

Is it PotG? · Aug 30, 2017

Napier said:
It also helps to watch tv/films and listen to music. Take a look at All 4, Walter Presents, and start watching some Spanish stuff - it helps to get your ear in.

Indeed. Over the past year or so I've done Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Spain thanks to Walt.

Colonel Angus · Aug 30, 2017

Thunder Bolt · Aug 30, 2017

Another vote for Duolingo. It's an app on my iPad. It's great on the iPad because you can download the keyboards with the accents etc.

I can speak French a little, and on holiday, get better every day. Then I come home and forget a lot of it. Last year I downloaded Duolingo, and did the exercises every day for 10 or 15 minutes. You also speak the sentence and it grades your prounounciation.
I noticed a big difference this year, being able to understand much more quickly, and feeling more confident to say what I want to say.

I did German at school, which was many many years ago, but as I'm enjoying the French learning, I decided to try the German as well.

Herr Tubthumper · Aug 30, 2017

I'm in a similar boat. My spoken German is well behind my level of writing and reading. I wouldn't say I panic when someone speaks to me...but I do give up quickly and easily. The wife found a "tandem partner" to practice spoken German with. A tandem is someone wanting to practice the reverse ie a German wanting to practice English. They would meet for 30 mins and spend half he time speaking English and half Deutsch. It took some time to find a suitable partner...both in language levels (you don't neccessary have to be at the same level) and also getting on with each other. She feels this has helped a lot and really progressed her spoken language. This will be my next step. Maybe you could find a Spaniard in Brighton to help you and vice versa?

Good luck.

bhaseeer · Aug 30, 2017

Find a chick who's a native......simple.

If you fail in that department - much worse and boring option is Michel Thomas - he is the king of language.

Between both these tactics I learnt Spanish to a good level.

afters · Aug 30, 2017

I learned French for family reasons, not so different from you.

The most important step for me was to realise that if i could ask for a beer, a direction, buy clothes or whatever, that i was already speaking French. After that it was just a matter of not panicking, explaining that I am english and could they speak slowly please. After that major step, i started reading french books, newspapers, articles on line and just going for it. Grammar is far less easy than vocab but also far less important, so I rote learned vocab around subjects: football, things around the house etc etc and it builds. I was fluent after a few years, but once you're on the journey, it gets easier, and easier. Good luck!

Gwylan · Aug 30, 2017

I've dabbled with Duolingo and didn't find it that useful TBH.

I'm with Herr T, the only way to learn is to immerse yourself in it with a live partner and speak nothing but that language. I find evening classes are useful particularly if you go at a higher level than you actually are.

When I moved to London, I enrolled in Intermediate German (despite knowing little more than a few words) within half a dozen years I spoke it fluently (that wasn't just through evening class but my speaking a bit, I found German friends and spoke regularly with them). I did the same with French - I spoke quite a bit of French but nowhere near fluently - I enrolled in an advanced conversation class, supplemented that with a few private lessons and I could speak French fluently too.

Live conversations and aim to stretch yourself - worked for me

(the sad news is that as I no longer live in London, I can't keep them up. I can still get by in French, German and Welsh but can't speak them as well as I used to, it's a downside of living in Brighton).

tip top · Aug 30, 2017

http://www.michelthomas.com/learn-spanish.php

Really helped me when I started from scratch. Couple of years later with alot of study I was pretty much fluent.

crasher · Aug 30, 2017

Don't bother. Just speak English LOUDLY AND SLOWLY. They pretend they don't understand, but they do.

(And they'll be queuing up to do trade deals with us).

Weststander · Aug 30, 2017

Thunder Bolt said:
Another vote for Duolingo. It's an app on my iPad. It's great on the iPad because you can download the keyboards with the accents etc.

I can speak French a little, and on holiday, get better every day. Then I come home and forget a lot of it. Last year I downloaded Duolingo, and did the exercises every day for 10 or 15 minutes. You also speak the sentence and it grades your prounounciation.
I noticed a big difference this year, being able to understand much more quickly, and feeling more confident to say what I want to say.

I did German at school, which was many many years ago, but as I'm enjoying the French learning, I decided to try the German as well.

How are you getting on with German?

Dabbling, I found the verb rules (and non rules), and the logic of sentence construction often being the opposite of English, the main challenges.

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