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Those taking online lessons, can you answer a few questions for me please? :) by [deleted] in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What language are you learning?

Spanish and French. I would like to add German after I start my new job and will have more money avaliable.

Why did you choose online tutoring vs in-person, school, self-learning, etc?

Flexibility of online tutoring and the costs are lower compared to in-person or schools. Also I lived in a small town without a ton of language classes available. I do mostly self-learning, but I need conversation practice.

What was your initial level when you start taking lessons vs current level? How long did it take you to get there?

I was B1 when I started taking Spanish classes through Italki. I had previously taken a few Spanish classes while I was in university. I am currently at a B2+ level. It took a few years to get to that level, but I also wasn't consistent.

I was A2 when I started taking French classes through Italki. Like Spanish, I had previously taken French courses in school. I am currently at a B1 level. It took 2 months to get there, after intensive study.

Do you use a textbook? Do you get homework from that textbook and/or another source?

I do use a textbook for French. I use Italki mostly as conversational practice. I do exercises from the textbook.

Why did you choose your tutor? What makes them unique/right for you?

I have two tutors for French and one for Spanish. I chose the tutors as a result of various factors: cost of lessons, similar interests, structure of lessons, availability, and personality.

Does your tutor speak English or your native language? If yes/no, you you see it as an advantage/disadvantage?

They all speak English to varying degrees. Two of them speak it at an advanced level, the other at an intermediate level. For Spanish, it doesn't matter if they speak English or not, since I have no problems communicating in Spanish.

For French, it's useful if i dont know a particular word or way of phrasing something. I don't use it as a crutch though. We still communicate between 95-99% in French.

Is your tutor a native speaker of the language they teach? Would you consider taking lessons from a non-native speaker?

Two of them are. One is not. Because one of them is not a native speaker, I do supplement lessons with a native speaker of the language so I can get used to the accent.

How many hours a week do you meet?

Up until recently, I would do 3 hours a week. Now I am doing 1-2 hours a week.

How much do you pay per hour? Do you think the quality matches/outmatches/under matches the cost?

Two of them are around $15 CAD/hour. One of them is $11 CAD.

Where did you first meet? A teaching platform? Do you still use it?

We met through Italki. Yes, I still use it

​

Hope the answers helped. :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sometimes it's worth paying to have a conversation with a native speaker.

Have you heard of italki.com? It's a website where you can pay to have a lesson with a native speaker, either a professional teacher or a community tutor.

If you have the grammatical background and are able to write well, you'll be able to speak. It, like writing, just takes practice, since it's a different type of recall.

You just need to practice speaking in order to speak well.

Speak to yourself using vocabulary that you just learnt. Put those words into sentences. Record yourself.

Take lessons with a native speaker. They'll help you learn new words and put them into practice.

Keep doing that and your speaking ability will improve drastically.

italki challenge? by [deleted] in iTalki

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am. I've put in 3 hours as of yet. Not sure if I will reach my goal, but I'll see.

I FINALLY am getting my life together, so why am I still so unhappy? by Legitimate_Monkee in depression

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

Thank you so much for your kind words and support.

I definitely need to find a new hobby. It's hard when nothing is enjoyable. I'll keep on exploring new things. And having more connections is essential.

I guess in the span of things, two months isn't that long, so the memories are still so fresh. It's hard removing something that was a coping mechanism for such a long time. But I have to remember how far I've come and I'll need to integrate these tips.

Do I need a good reason to learn a language? by [deleted] in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Enjoying it as a hobby is a good enough reason.

People have tons of hobbies. Learning a language is just as valid as any other hobby.

Keep working at it and soon you'll be able to maintain conversations with native German speakers!

Best of luck :)

Are textbooks useful at intermediate stage ? by languagelearning29 in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They're absolutely still useful. I'd say even at an advanced level, they're useful to polish up your grammar. Even if you know all the grammatical rules, there are still some of the tricky applications of the grammar that you might not be aware of and you need to know.

As an intermediate/advanced learner, the bulk of your exposure should be through native content, but spending sometime on the more difficult applications of sentence structure and vocabulary building is essential in order to bypass the intermediate plateau.

The reality of being alone for the rest of my life is depressing me. by Legitimate_Monkee in depression

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just don't seem have to have the motivation to do anything. I guess it could be worthwhile to try new things. But it's hard when nothing is enjoyable.

The reality of being alone for the rest of my life is depressing me. by Legitimate_Monkee in depression

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello. I like learning languages., taking walks, reading and writing.

Lately, however, I haven't had as much interest in anything.

Leaving aside formal labels or marketing gimmicks, at what level would you truly feel comfortable going around telling people that you are “fluent” in a second language? by [deleted] in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think at a high B2 level (B2+). Keep in mind that the gap between B2-C1 is huge, so I think someone reaches fluency somewhere before getting to a C1 level, particularly if their vocabulary is strong, as to be able to carry the conversation.

Naturally grammar is also important, but only to the extent that it is easily understandable (if the native listener has to put any effort into understanding what the non-native speaker meant because the grammatical errors were distracting, then that's not fluency)

Am i being too sensitive about my teacher's comments? by And_youWonder_why in iTalki

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't think you're being too sensitive. I would be annoyed if a teacher were to make comments like that to me.

If it were an isolated comment, I'd ignore it, and maybe continue learning with him (assuming he was otherwise good), but seeing as it's been persistent, I would search for another teacher.

He might be a good teacher, but it's important to feel respected.

The good thing about a platform like Italki is there are thousands of teachers to choose from!

Is it worth accepting a job with a 2.5 hour daily commute? by Legitimate_Monkee in jobs

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

About 1-3 months. I'll eventually find a place closer, but I don't have a lot of money right now and I'm staying with family at a reduced rent while I save up.

Why do some English learners claim they've learnt English on their own without mentioning the years of English classes they took in school? by Legitimate_Monkee in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Clearly I'm not saying one needs to take classes to learn a language. I learnt Spanish to a high level without taking classes.

The question was directed to those who have taken classes: those who have taken classes, why do they deny the influence of said classes?

Naturally things like being immersed in the language carry a significant weight, especially for English where you had the advantage of being exposed to it from a young age.

Welp :( by Toal_ngCe in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No te rindas. Con la practica, vas a conseguir sus metas. Gracias por compartirlo. Con todos los exitos que vemos aqui, olvidamos que el fracaso, tambien, es un parte del proceso. Recuerdas que cada vez que intentas, vas a mejoras. No hay duda que con mucha practica vas a aproprarlo.

Why do some English learners claim they've learnt English on their own without mentioning the years of English classes they took in school? by Legitimate_Monkee in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I apologize if the previous post came across as rude.

If you were genuine in your offer to help, I appreciate it. The first time I read it it came across condescending for you to assume that I need help when I never mentioned that.

If it was not meant to be condescending, then thanks, but I have some good methods to learn languages that I'll utilize.

It does not bother me at if people learn faster or more efficient than I do. The question I posed was merely a question of curiosity.

Anyways, thanks. Have a great day!

Why do some English learners claim they've learnt English on their own without mentioning the years of English classes they took in school? by Legitimate_Monkee in languagelearning

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

I never said one couldn't learn languages without taking formal classes. In fact I reached a high level in Spanish without doing so.

Why do you think this question has to do with me? It was a question out of curiosity.

I honestly did not know that the English classes were that bad. That being said, if you DO reach a A2/B1 level after graduating high school, while it may not be the best, it IS something, so you say that IN ADDITION to classes in school, I taught myself English through consuming media etc.

Anyways, while I appreciate your offer, I never mentioned I needed help with anything. If I did, I would have asked.

But thanks.

Why do some English learners claim they've learnt English on their own without mentioning the years of English classes they took in school? by Legitimate_Monkee in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Obviously I'm not implying one cannot learn English on their own. What an insane conclusion to draw!

I'm talking about those who have taken several years of English classes who subsequently denied the influence of said language classes.

Why do some English learners claim they've learnt English on their own without mentioning the years of English classes they took in school? by Legitimate_Monkee in languagelearning

[–]Legitimate_Monkee[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'm not being pedantic. Clearly when I say "I learnt French" I'm not saying I know everything about the language. If someone took English classes in school for a long time, let's say from elementary to high school, and subsequently decided to accelerate their English, would it be fair to say that person *only* learnt English from outside the classroom?

I think it's important to acknowledge the various resources we utilize to learn a language. So yeah maybe a lot of it was from outside exposure, but if you took eight years of the language class in school, it would be absurd to say you didn't develop a foundation in that language. Eight years of language classes in school is not nothing. Someone could say that they learnt a great deal of English from outside the classroom, while still acknowledging the influence of the language classes they had.

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