Learning a new language?

Merkavar
Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
in Chit-Chat
Anyone here trying to learn a new language? Why do you want to learn it? How are you trying to learn it?

Hey, trying to learn spanish at the moment, no real reason, like I don’t have plans to travel to a spanish speaking part of the world. Just felt like giving it a go.

Curious how others have gone about learning a new language, what they think is best.

I am using duolingo which is an iPhone app, seems to be at the top of my google searches for methods to learn a new language. Seems good but I don’t really have much to compare it to.

Also using Rosetta Stone, which seems fairly similar to duolingo. Except more expensive.

Only at a very basic level but slowly progressing. Well I must be progressing since I would have had little hope of knowing what “ella tiene un falda rojo” meant a month ago.

So hot any suggestions?

Replies

  • caco_ethes
    caco_ethes Posts: 11,962 Member
    Man, good on you. I’m still trying to learn how to speak autocorrect.
  • WorkerDrone83
    WorkerDrone83 Posts: 3,195 Member
    Pimsleur has some great collections. I think I used Rapid Rote more than Rosetta Stone.
  • thecharizardtamer
    thecharizardtamer Posts: 73 Member
    Songs, children's songs and tune in to a Spanish novella.
  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
    edited December 2017
    I used duolingo some time ago to see how much italian i remember (i took some classes 15 years ago) but i didn't like it much because all it taught were 6 words; apple, man, drink, eat, sugar, bread. I think you should look for some teaching videos online or podcasts maybe.
  • dwrightlaw
    dwrightlaw Posts: 804 Member
    Yes, I'd like to be fluent in Spanish as well. Took immersion course in college then didn't use it for yrs, so while i can understand much of what others are saying, i cannot reciprocate in Spanish other than rudimentary stuff. I also used duolingo & memrise apps but you can only get the basics on there.
    I've heard pimsleur is the best self study program but it's pricey. Buena suerte!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    caco_ethes wrote: »
    Man, good on you. I’m still trying to learn how to speak autocorrect.

    Same, maybe learning a new language will help with my first language.

    Practicing how to pronounce words should help right?
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I'm almost finished the Welsh course on Duolingo. Might try Hungarian next. Or go back to the Italian I dropped when Welsh came out of the incubator.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    kakaovanilya wrote: »
    I used duolingo some time ago to see how much italian i remember (i took some classes 15 years ago) but i didn't like it much because all it taught were 6 words; apple, man, drink, eat, sugar, bread. I think you should look for some teaching videos online or podcasts maybe.

    Yeah I can’t speak for the Italian duolingo but for spanish it teaches those in the first few lessens but then goes into to different professions, rooms, objects, etc etc maybe the app was new when you tried it?
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  • madwells1
    madwells1 Posts: 510 Member
    If I had to buy one (I have tried several mind you), the one method I think works the best is the Micheal Thomas method. This actually helped me learn faster than other methods. You basically just listen. For some reason this approach works really well for me.

    Note that I use duolingo for refreshing on a daily basis (and learning) because I am not exposed to the languages I have learned on a daily basis (i.e. Dutch, German, French). I also go to these places 2 times a year.

    Although I am not 100% fluent, I can get by on each and I only started learning them a couple years ago.

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  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
    Merkavar wrote: »
    kakaovanilya wrote: »
    I used duolingo some time ago to see how much italian i remember (i took some classes 15 years ago) but i didn't like it much because all it taught were 6 words; apple, man, drink, eat, sugar, bread. I think you should look for some teaching videos online or podcasts maybe.

    Yeah I can’t speak for the Italian duolingo but for spanish it teaches those in the first few lessens but then goes into to different professions, rooms, objects, etc etc maybe the app was new when you tried it?

    I tried it few months ago. I got bored after level 1, maybe i should have kept going.
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  • mrw0915
    mrw0915 Posts: 40 Member
    When I am not working or working out, I spend my free time learning the Germanic Languages. I first learned German by not only living there, but by also studying it to the advanced level at University. German, Icelandic and Norwegian are my best and the ones of which I am most familiar, so by virtue of learning those I can hold my own alright with Swedish, Danish and Dutch.
  • DAGridesagain
    DAGridesagain Posts: 132 Member
    Been persisting with Duolingo for French. Currently says I'm at 46% fluent, but I don't feel it.

    That said, I'm much better than my CSE school French from 40++ years ago. I will keep going - just want to get by in France whenever I'm there, which is usually 3-4 times a year. I try to holiday there each year, and have regular day trips. Because it's close enough to do so
  • nocookiestoday
    nocookiestoday Posts: 1,022 Member
    I took two years of Spanish in school, and then lived in Mexico for about six years. It blended my formal Spanish with slang and works out pretty well for me.

    I get used frequently to assist with translating in court hearings and recently started re-creating some of the court forms in Spanish.

    Even if you don't plan on traveling, there's quite a bit you can do to utilize it.

    Good luck!
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    I'm almost finished the Welsh course on Duolingo. Might try Hungarian next. Or go back to the Italian I dropped when Welsh came out of the incubator.

    I've wanted to learn Welsh for a long time now! I bought some CDs online but found they didn't help me at all. I think I'm the kind of person who needs to see it and not just hear it; I actually need to learn the grammar at the same time for me to comprehend it, I think - be able to read it at the same time as I learn to speak it.

    I saw the Duolingo course in Welsh and was wondering how good it was!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    It's pretty decent, I guess. They've recently added more vocabulary to older lessons. Sometimes, I feel like I'm forgetting stuff I learned earlier, but when I'm prompted to review, I find I'm retaining more than I think.
  • SusanDSME
    SusanDSME Posts: 194 Member
    I'm learning Spanish on Duolingo, too. I studied French, Latin, and Russian in school, but never tried Spanish until last year. (My high school was so small, it didn't offer Spanish, and by the time I was in college, I was occupied with Russian.)
    I want to learn because we live in an area with many Latinx immigrants, and I'd like to be able to communicate better. I also just love languages, and love how learning languages stretches my brain.

    I feel like Duolingo is teaching me something, but I don't feel it's helping me that much conversationally. Unfortunately, adult ed Spanish classes haven't worked with my schedule so far, but maybe someday...

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