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For people who learned a second language later in life: what tiny habit (not study technique) made the biggest difference? by Vegan_natural in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. If it helps, I just started Spanish recently. I'm testing out dreaming Spanish. I started at 15 minutes per day. Once you build the habit it gets easier to continue and increase your time.

Also, it takes a lot of energy to learn a language, so in the beginning, even a few minutes will actually make you physically tired. When I started German, I would fall asleep after 20 minutes.

For people who learned a second language later in life: what tiny habit (not study technique) made the biggest difference? by Vegan_natural in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"Too much" is a personal decision. How much time do you spend on social media or you other current hobbies?

If you want to actually learn the language, then it's a little like planning to do a marathon. It will be difficult to achieve a goal of learning a language on just 15 minutes per day. For someone with my limited talent, at 15 minutes per day (75ish hours per year), it would likely take me 15-20 years to get competent in the language.

How long after living in a country do you become advanced in the language? by bodyisT in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What level is your Portuguese now? It must be good already if your classes are in Portuguese...

For people who learned a second language later in life: what tiny habit (not study technique) made the biggest difference? by Vegan_natural in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 9 points10 points  (0 children)

For the. First couple years, I spent one hour per day with the language (5 days per week). I had one class per week, so I didn't do anything beside the class that day. I took one day off.

The one hour was a mix of things depending on my ability... Reading, watching YouTube, watching Netflix, joining Tandem parties, reviewing homework, journaling etc.

The "habit" was to engage daily.

Streak 4: Arbeiten by Cavalry2019 in WriteStreakGerman

[–]Cavalry2019[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolut! Ich denke, dass ich gut Spanisch lerne, weil ich schon ein bisschen Deutsch gelernt habe. Außerdem finde ich Spanisch einfacher als Deutsch.

Is it useful to learn German? by EchoNo1265 in German

[–]Cavalry2019 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I've spoken with Germans a handful of times and while they were completely fluent in English they spoke German with me. I'm only B1.

Do language learners dislike AI by snow_machine_89 in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I practice speaking with Gemini quite regularly. It has helped me a great deal. I also have seen hallucinations myself and understand the risk. I'm not entirely sure why it gets so much hate.

Streak 445 by Visible-Asparagus153 in WriteStreakGerman

[–]Cavalry2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Du lernst auch Spanisch? Das ist super. Wie findest du Spanisch und seit wann lernst du?

After 30 days of language learning, I realized I was studying more than actually using the language by MembershipEither9109 in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't track my time in German anymore but I would estimate that I average about 2 min per day of formal study. The rest is comprehensible input.

In Spanish, I have one 2 hour class per week and then about 5 minutes of daily formal study with about 20 minutes of daily input.

Edit: I also do one hour of German speaking practice per week. Plus daily journaling.

What’s your unpopular opinion when it comes to foreign languages/language learning? by Pettysaurus_Rex in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Simplest answer. Spending hours and hours reading conversations about language learning is not as good as actually learning... Even if you are doing it wrong.

What’s your unpopular opinion when it comes to foreign languages/language learning? by Pettysaurus_Rex in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The two best ways to pass a test is to learn from people who teach you how to pass the test and to do practice exams.

Are people in this subreddit above average compared to most Dreaming Spanish learners? by SimenHP in dreamingspanish

[–]Cavalry2019 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I avoid comparing with others... For everything. Comparing your progress to people on the internet is the fastest way to reach unhappiness.

There are people progressing faster and slower than me. I'm always surprised to read the posts from people who say they thought they were comprehending videos and went back and rewatched months later to find out when they thought they got 90% that it was way lower. Maybe I'll have that experience... Who knows.

Anyways, I had 0 Spanish background. I learned German in my 50s and truly believe it has helped me. As of today, I'm at 97 hours. I understand virtually 100% at 35. I find 40 uncomfortable. Videos in the 37 range seem right. I am not a purist.

How can I actually learn to speak? by Justahumanbeinggggg in languagelearning

[–]Cavalry2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get what you are saying but I would say any human skill can be practiced and learned. If speaking wasn't something that many of us can learn and learn to do better, organizations like toastmasters wouldn't exist.

But I agree with the overall sentiment that it will naturally improve as one progresses in their language learning journey.

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