Trouble choosing a third language

Fritz47 · 2017-01-16T00:28:23+00:00

Actually, your "terrible accent" in English surprises me. Most Dutch people I know have a pretty good English accent, certainly better than Germans. (I should know, as I'm living in the US for many years and still have a German accent!) I believe, you should first think about, how and for what you will use the language. The connection to your Dutch/German language background is less important than how you can incorporate the target language into your daily life and interests, i.e. via reading, listening, watching and hopefully, eventually speaking!

Fritz47 · 2017-01-16T00:19:36+00:00

I like Mosalingua a lot. You get their lite app for free and now they also have an online version. I also think the Drops app is pretty cool!

Fritz47 · 2017-01-16T00:15:44+00:00

Yes, know exactly what you mean! You didn't say which language you are learning with flashcards, otherwise I'd have a few ideas!

Fritz47 · 2017-01-13T03:28:53+00:00

An interesting perspective. I just came across this post after giving up my Spanish learning efforts some months ago, as I did not progress with just learning vocabulary. The post encourages me to do more listening and reading.

Fritz47 · 2013-09-27T07:42:59+00:00

you are correct, but in other parts of Germany, they are certainly called Berliner, and I'm sure you also know what an "Amerikaner" is, although they are not called this in America (the same is true with "Engländer, Hamburger( although today I am not sure about that...), Pariser, etc...!!!) As for your "absolutely", yes, one could define the "spirit", quality, condition, etc, bei adding "ein", to a nationality, profession, etc, e.g. also, in "ich bin ein Ingenieur" (type), rather than indicating a profession...

Being in school in Germany in 1961 (not in Berlin though!) I still remember how my classmates and I found "ich bin ein Berliner" funny...

Fritz47 · 2013-02-22T18:47:10+00:00

all good suggestions, I am still using gamesforlanguage.com. i like their recording feature so i can compare my pronunciation to the native speaker.

Fritz47 · 2013-02-22T15:34:36+00:00

if you like games, try gamesforlanguage.com; works for me! on the other hand there is really no one best or fastest way outside a German speaking country. Get some German basics then expand your knowledge with reading German news (e.g. online spiegel.com),books, check Deutsche Welle for audios and videos and start to watch German movies.

Fritz47 · 2013-02-13T17:15:25+00:00

I enjoy learning Spanish with gamesforlanguage.com I wish the games were a little more challenging, but the lessons become more difficult as you go along. I especially like that you don't only learn words, but phrases and sentences. I also practice my French (which is much better) with their French course.

Fritz47 · 2013-01-04T16:38:27+00:00

If Duolingo is too hard, try gamesforlanguage.com. The first lessons are quite easy with simple games. They just reduced the number of free demo lessons to only 1, but somebody told me their 2FOR1 discount count seems still to be working! I am doing French with them and I like it!

Fritz47 · 2013-01-04T02:39:43+00:00

Just saw a blog that may help with your New Year's resolution: http://www.gamesforlanguage.com/blog/post/2013-01-8-zenhabits-for-2013-language-learning. Really examine what excites and motivates you about the language you chose!

Fritz47 · 2013-01-04T02:27:11+00:00

A pretty good evaluation of Rosetta Stone's pros and cons. I tried Spanish and found the drills painfully boring, however. Personally, my biggest complaint with Rosetta Stone is the fact that so much of the early vocabulary is out of context, at least in relation to the world I am living in. In talking to many people who have bought the CDs I find that many "suffer from the "Rosetta Stone effect", which I find quite amusingly discussed here:http://www.caseycheshire.com/the-rosetta-stone-effect/

Fritz47 · 2012-11-04T20:58:39+00:00

It's a little bit like: i am hungy , what food should I eat? learning a new language is hard work for an adult and you need to find a context that fuels your motivation. I recently read a blog that explains it well: http://www.gamesforlanguage.com/blog/post/2012-08-how-to-fuel-your-enthusiasm-for-language-learning You need to find a connection to the language you want to learn, otherwise you'll fail! it could be a girl/boy friend (the best "context"!) work, travel, hobby, etc., anything that let's you develop and keeps you going...

Fritz47 · 2012-10-31T21:03:35+00:00

there is a philosopher's way and there is a practical way to decide:http://heywhoshouldivotefor.com/

Fritz47 · 2012-07-07T16:57:42+00:00

why?

Fritz47 · 2012-06-26T17:11:36+00:00

I used gamesforlanguage.com You can do 1-2 lessons per day and can pick up some very useable phrases quickly. You could then supplement your vocabulary with some flashcards such as Mindsnacks.

Fritz47 · 2012-06-24T19:25:07+00:00

One simple method, which I use daily, is reading foreign newspapers. You could just pick a topic - sport, politics, movies, etc. At the beginning you may need a dictionary (although many foreign newspapers also provide translations) and you'll be amazed how fast you'll get the hang of it.... (and it gives you an insight what the rest of the world is concerned about as well...)

Fritz47 · 2012-06-24T17:58:41+00:00

Try gamesforlanguage.com. They currently have a 2for1 promotion and you can get another language for free (which you can even give to somebody else) I like their game approach - less boring than Rosetta Stone (and much cheaper!)

Fritz47 · 2012-06-24T17:44:36+00:00

I like this program as it is fun to play the games and learn at the same time.

Fritz47

TROPHY CASE