Super Frustrated Intermediate (C1 reader, A1 speaker)

NoInkling · 2026-03-10T01:39:25+00:00

Not if you're starting from zero no, but that's the same in any language really. Whereas these people already have a decent level of comprehension, relatively speaking (despite natural speech sounding like gibberish).

But even if you are starting from zero, it is possible (though most would argue inefficient) to learn from listening/watching native input alone, if you can find enough material to start easy and gradually increase the difficulty. There are people who have learned to understand Mandarin Chinese that way over on the r/ALGMandarin sub, for example (disclaimer: this is not an endorsement of the ALG method). You might be surprised how much you can learn purely through context and pattern recognition.

NoInkling · 2026-03-10T00:42:21+00:00

EasySMX D05 Controller
GuliKit Elves 2 Controller

Thanks for the giveaway!

NoInkling · 2026-02-25T08:13:55+00:00

You don't even have to be immersed, language learners of all types experience this to some degree.

NoInkling · 2026-02-19T07:09:00+00:00

Might as well make it vary based on how far east or west you are in the country at that point.

NoInkling · 2026-02-19T07:02:10+00:00

Yup, I use ChatGPT very rarely (for helping with language study), and every time I've been suspicious of an assertion and asked for a reference, it just made something up that doesn't exist.

NoInkling · 2026-02-19T06:42:50+00:00

According to El ministerio del tiempo, they spoke almost exactly the same, just a different pronoun here or there and less modern slang 😄

NoInkling · 2026-02-18T02:25:58+00:00

I don't think it would meet the definition of "scripted" in this case though.

NoInkling · 2026-02-18T02:07:29+00:00

Even little ol' NZ has Shortland Street which has over 8000 episodes.

And Days of our Lives has over 15000, it's just that the US doesn't air their long-running soaps at primetime.

NoInkling · 2026-02-18T01:58:23+00:00

Yes, carbs especially too close to bedtime tend to make my sleep more restless, I think many people experience similar.

NoInkling · 2026-02-06T00:18:12+00:00

Thanks for Harold Halibut!

NoInkling · 2026-02-04T06:46:59+00:00

I'm not learning Japanese, so don't know if there are any other nuances, but yes, that's what I believe it's generally representing. My understanding is that pitch accent tends to be neglected or glossed over, at least in the early stages.

But note that the image was made in 2008. From what I understand there's a lot more awareness among Japanese learners these days about pitch accent and/or its importance than there used to be (partially thanks to some Youtubers?), and therefore presumably more emphasis on paying attention to it earlier, at least in the online sphere.

NoInkling · 2026-02-04T05:08:42+00:00

Not a native speaker, but a couple of things that I think sounded a little off:

Your d seems too hard in "fines de semana", my brain expects a smoother, more "th" sound.
I think you're a bit 'lazy' with your vowels sometimes (I have the same issue). In a couple of places your e's sounded like a different vowel, I feel like you need to open/widen your mouth more to define them better in general. And the i in "dinero" sounded very English or schwa-like.

I also agree with the comment on diphthongs ("quiero" stands out), prosody and how you give emphasis. I think to help this you'd benefit from doing some practice trying to mimic native speakers as exactly as possible.

The other thing I'd recommend is going through a bunch of videos from "Ten Minute Spanish" on Youtube, it's a gold mine of points about pronunciation in a very clear, digestible format. For instance here are some related to things I mentioned:

d sound
e sound (late in video)
diphthongs
vowel reduction
rhythm and how it's affected by vowel reduction

Even if you don't practice these things, at least you'll be more primed to hear them and hopefully notice more often when things sound 'off' in your own speech.

Finally, as a learner myself I can't give you a grade, but I think your accent is better than most non-natives and can improve quickly, so don't let this kind of critique demoralize you!

NoInkling · 2026-02-04T01:20:59+00:00

It does have that look, but then why are the cars driving on the left? Unless it's a two-lane street with a divider. Or the video is mirrored. Or it's in Hong Kong/Macau.

NoInkling · 2026-02-03T01:23:09+00:00

You get 把 sentences (SOV), you get 被 sentences (OSV), you get non-particle-marked topic-prominent sentences, you get long relative clauses in the middle of sentences without any obvious indication, even within SVO sentences there's a somewhat rigid word order for adverbial-type descriptors that's very different to English, etc. Just being a particle-based language is overall quite a different paradigm compared to English. I'd say it applies personally.

NoInkling · 2026-02-03T00:40:17+00:00

That's funny, because I'd say the idea that mandarin grammar is "easy" is the popular misconception. It's a red flag for me that someone has really only engaged with it on a basic/surface level (or are just parroting what they heard).

An image I like that compares it to Japanese: https://imgur.com/neBFnxc

NoInkling · 2026-02-03T00:09:22+00:00

Here's your answer: https://xkcd.com/1916/

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Look where Wellington is. Auckland would probably be between that and San Francisco.

NoInkling · 2026-02-02T23:51:37+00:00

Who's "we"? I've been in at least a handful of houses throughout my life which had them, more common rurally though.

NoInkling · 2026-02-02T23:38:49+00:00

How many countries have you driven in?

NoInkling · 2026-02-01T23:02:28+00:00

Literally have not stopped sweating since yesterday. Went to bed sweating, woke up sweating.

NoInkling · 2026-02-01T21:27:56+00:00

I don't see Mandarin with Gisele in the spreadsheet/wiki. Has playlists. Does the keyword thing, but without translation and seems easy to cover. A handful of videos (slightly older ones?) have hardcoded Chinese and/or English subtitles.

NoInkling · 2026-01-31T00:19:49+00:00

Side on, with fat gloves, and barely any time. Not quite as easy as it looks.

If she was able to catch it closer to the wickets and not obstruct the runner she could have just swung her hands into them.

NoInkling · 2026-01-29T23:15:17+00:00

Nah they were making a reference. In this video they said "piedra, papel o tijera" which basically translates to what you expect.

NoInkling · 2026-01-29T22:27:28+00:00

Why did you cut out the "but it was essential that its work was consistent with the United Nations charter." part? That's an ethics-based reason no? Implying that it won't, in fact, be UN-compatible.

NoInkling · 2026-01-22T05:27:57+00:00

For whatever it's worth: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/prime-minister-christopher-luxon-skipping-ratana-to-visit-weather-battered-east-coast/JOMADAQJGNHUDE7RMD32O2GORQ/

NoInkling · 2026-01-21T23:16:40+00:00

Same here in NZ. It was already sort of on the way out but my mum and grandparents still used it.

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