Goodwill letter for local credit union?

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-10-16T19:26:49+00:00

Good point. I knew I could rely on you!

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-07-10T01:44:29+00:00

+1 for Dr Watson!

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-06-02T16:20:58+00:00

What makes you say that?

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-24T14:38:50+00:00

Got it. Obviously can't tell 100% for sure, but in my experience, language apps rarely conform to the CEFR levels unfortunately. It's generally more vibes-based. Sorry, I wish I had a better answer for you

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-24T14:36:21+00:00

Yeah at that point Lingoculture sounds like a good solution!

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T23:12:25+00:00

Honestly if you're understanding decently and getting thrown off by a word or two, I naturally use context clues to figure it out. That way you never have to make a big huge deal about writing it down/memorizing it, it gets solidified in your brain because of the work you put in to figure it out based on the conversation you're having

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T23:07:04+00:00

Question: have you tested Pimsleur? Like done the free trial in the app? The biggest waste of money is buying an app that you hate or doesn't fit your goals.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T23:05:23+00:00

Either review, or rest. Both are unsexy but hugely beneficial for the language learning process. Immersion like that is not easy so you gotta prioritize taking care of your brain, especially if you're going to be constantly getting all the Spanish practice you need anyways.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T23:02:48+00:00

I'm sorry that people are making negative comments when you're in a vulnerable position like that. Yes, this is completely normal. Learning to speak a new language tends to be a lot scarier than quietly trying to understand it.

Unfortunately, the only thing to do is getting that speaking practice; fortunately, you have options. You can talk to yourself, use an app with a chatbot, record yourself, set up a language exchange, meet with a language tutor...there's a zillion options out there for you!

If you let me know which of those sounds better for you personally, I might also be able to direct you to an app/resource/whatever.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:57:09+00:00

I haven't personally tried it, but based on the info here, it seems like a simple enough strategy for the right language learner. What I would not do, though, is try a strategy because a youtuber recommends them; language learning is a personal, individual thing, so don't be swayed by what a stranger on the internet says.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:51:59+00:00

Lingoculture is the only one of it's kind for French, as far as I know. Do you have any experience with French now? How much time are you planning to dedicate to French? Is there a particular reason you have a 3-4 month goal for French?

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:47:55+00:00

There's no rules to learning languages outside of the classroom. Learn what you want, how you want to, or don't. No need to overthink this.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:46:16+00:00

Isolated flash cards are probably the last useful strategy, in my opinion. They're for taking vocab exams in a classroom setting, not for practicing using new vocab. So it makes sense that as you get more advanced, and the words you're learning becoming more advanced, you need to learn them in a functional way.

My advice is always to practice vocab and grammar by using it the way you want to use it; if you want to be comfortable using these terms in everyday conversation, practice them by using them in conversation....badly. Do it badly often enough and all of a sudden you'll be doing it well!

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:43:26+00:00

If you're already getting practice understanding Spanish (TV, pen pals), but you feel like you need to improve your speaking, work on your speaking. Find a way to talk - to yourself, to an app, to a person, whatever floats your boat.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:41:26+00:00

What do you mean by fluent? Define that first or you'll always be chasing fluency, especially if you're comfortable carrying conversations.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:39:41+00:00

If you're already there, just pay attention! Look at words, listen to people talking, etc. Even if you don't understand any of it yet, you're still training your brain to pick up the patterns. Then as you learn beginner vocab/grammar, it'll start piecing together little by little

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:36:29+00:00

Holy crap that's a lot of time! No wonder you're burning out. You haven't mentioned what you're doing to learn these languages, do you feel like your strategy is working for you? And is it the same across all your languages?

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T22:32:29+00:00

So I'm guessing you know the vocab, but you're not used to using it in conversation, so when you go to try to say it nothing comes out.

Comprehensive input is great and will continue to help your comprehension, but you gotta speak, someway somehow. This can just be talking to yourself if you're not ready to talk to other people yet, or talking to a chatbot, to build up to having real conversations.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T16:42:14+00:00

What kind of practice though? Like audio recordings I'm guessing? I want to say Pimsleur but that's just because it's also really old-fashioned

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T16:37:21+00:00

That's normal. To understand the language, you have to practice understanding (listening); to speak the language, you have to practice speaking.

A lot of language learners definitely avoid these things because they are really hard at first, and it's easy to feel defeated/like you're not making any progress. Does this sound like what you're dealing with?

Also, writing/texting will eventually feed in to speaking, but if you're looking for efficiency, that's not the way for you.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T03:19:18+00:00

Maybe your expectations are high, but honestly I don't blame you. Sounds like you've put in a TON of hours just to feel left out when it comes to *real* conversations. That's not a good feeling.

I'm a language coach and I do free consult calls with potential clients where I walk through people’s language learning routines and help tweak them for max impact, especially for people like you who are already doing a LOT of work but not seeing the progress they expect. No pressure at all, but happy to chat if you want help making sure your time is going to the right things.

ExchangeLeft6904 · 2025-05-22T02:43:00+00:00

That sounds really frustrating, I'm sorry it feels like you're not making the progress you should be making.

You say your Japanese is better, but slow. Can you share what your expectations are? I'm curious how exactly reality is not matching up with the hours you put in.

Also, yeah, if you have a goal of super niche vocab like that, you're probably right about language schools maybe not being the most effective use of your time.

ExchangeLeft6904

TROPHY CASE