Topic: Learning a new language.

[TheKid.]

is it difficult? i have found some in manchester at the language college, just wondering if its gonna be far to difficult for my brain to handle!

Do you already speak Spanish?
If so then it'll be easy, with the verb structure being familiar, and also some vocabulary.
If not then it'd be no more difficult than learning any other language.
It does sound very funny being spoken, however, almost like Spanish being spoken in a weird Russiany Dutch accent

[adopted_scouser]

In school we did both German and French.  Everybody found German much easier out of the two.

[Garstonite]

would love to learn Spanish but spair time [...]

First, conqeur English.

[deadlybuzz]

Just found out that my old secondary school has had to drop German and Italian due to little interest from the new students. Which is a pity because I loved the fact I could choose to study any of the 4 main European Languages. But what was also a pity I chose French and I didn't enjoy it! Couldn't grasp it at all.

[Col]

I (and most of my friends) found German much easier to learn than French... after 5 years of French and 3 years of German, I knew enough French to pass the exams, but understood enough German to still be able to hold a basic conversation 8 years later.

[TheKid.]

German is one of the few European languages I don't speak, never initerested me as much as the Latin based ones

[deadlybuzz]

I thought I'd do ok in French but I think it was the pronounication and spelling I couldn't grasp, so the aural and oral exams were my downfall. I started learning Spanish last year and have a much better grasp of it than I did with French. I wouldn't dismiss learning German at some point in my life either.

[Gaz123456]

Did French & German at school. Like others I found German easier to retain.

Now when I'm abroad I just talk loudly and slowly and point at things

[jackh]

For those using Coffee Break Spanish...how long are you allowing before moving onto the next podcast?

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Don't learn French. Who really would want to talk to a French person?

[deadlybuzz]

For those using Coffee Break Spanish...how long are you allowing before moving onto the next podcast?

It depends, some podcasts I would mull over longer than others. I suppose whenever you are comfortable and confident.

[Lady_brandybuck]

Don't learn French. Who really would want to talk to a French person?

[jackh]

It depends, some podcasts I would mull over longer than others. I suppose whenever you are comfortable and confident.

Is it worth signing up for the extra materials?

If it was a fortnightly/monthly fee i'd sign up straight away, but it looks a bit pricey...

[GermanCarra90]

I (and most of my friends) found German much easier to learn than French... after 5 years of French and 3 years of German, I knew enough French to pass the exams, but understood enough German to still be able to hold a basic conversation 8 years later.

wow, that's really impressing!

[deadlybuzz]

Is it worth signing up for the extra materials?

If it was a fortnightly/monthly fee i'd sign up straight away, but it looks a bit pricey...

To be honest, I'm only listening to the podcasts on iTunes whilst reading over my notes from college. I hadn't considered subscribing for the materials. I'm sure someone here has subscribed to the full programme will help you more.

[ying_agger]

Is it worth signing up for the extra materials?

If it was a fortnightly/monthly fee i'd sign up straight away, but it looks a bit pricey...

I thought the main podcasts for CBS were sufficient. However, Show Time Spanish is a little bit more difficult. So I'd probably get the extra materials for STS rather than CBS.

[Col]

wow, that's really impressing!

Nein, es ist nicht so gut... jetzt kann ich nur ein bischen Deutsch sprechen, weil ich zu viele vergessen haben! Ich mochte es wieder lernen.

[coffeehead]

According to Barry Farber who wrote How to Learn Any Language, and fluently speaks about 20+ languages himself, the easiest language to learn by far is...








...Indonesian.

Off you go

[Something Else]

would like to learn german, but dont want to have to pay for anything

any decent links to free stuff?

[GBF]

would like to learn german, but dont want to have to pay for anything

any decent links to free stuff?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/

[PattoLFC]

Am learning spanish now at GCSE level, i find it quite easy.  Once you have grasped all the tense ending and person ending (I, he, she etc.) to a verb then you can change them at will, and it gets alot easier and more fun to learn.

[TheKid.]

And, astonishingly, the speaking part will soon be no longer on the syllabus, work that one out

[TheKid.]

Logic isn't a term used when talking about exam syllabi, I fully agree tho, awful decision

[GermanCarra90]

Nein, es ist nicht so gut... jetzt kann ich nur ein bischen Deutsch sprechen, weil ich zu viele vergessen haben! Ich mochte es wieder lernen.

Well, that's quite good isn't it?

[Col]

Well, that's quite good isn't it?

Danke schon!

[GermanCarra90]

Danke schon!

Gern geschehen 

I always find it funny when you can't type the ü or ä or ö 

Don't mind, I always wrote the "`" instead of the ' but thanks to a Rawkite that problem is solved 

[Col]

Ha, it's 2am, there's no chance of me trying to find out how to write an umlaut!!

[GermanCarra90]

Ha, it's 2am, there's no chance of me trying to find out how to write an umlaut!!

You know even that, I don't now what to say now 

oh, maybe that it's 3 pm here haha

[PattoLFC]

Unfortunate that GCSE level prepares you for fuck all in any of the four skills though (listening, speaking, reading, writing).

Oh i know that, but im taking it at A-Level aswell, which is supposed to be easy when you know all the basics on what to say as you can manipulate the verbs and things like that

[TheKid.]

Good lad, I'm teaching a level for the first time this year, got a fairly big class (well ten) too.

[RigBon1892]

Unfortunate that GCSE level prepares you for fuck all in any of the four skills though (listening, speaking, reading, writing).

isnt that the case with any language?

Im due to spend a month in Avignon, need to brush up on my French again...

I did extra curricular German but would quite like to take it up again at some stage, and wanna learn Spanish though hoping my A Level Italian might help with this...

And some day I wanna go back and do A Level Irish, or I'll just do the degree at Liverpool...(cant do it anywhere else without at least an A Level)

[dfdave12]

Anyone else learning Russian here?

[jackh]

I've returned to Coffee Break Spanish in the last two weeks or so.  I had had a look at it about 15/16 months ago, but became distracted for one reason or another, and it never really took off.

I've gotten through the first 8 podcasts (which acts sort of as a 'unit one') and am just about to have a listen to the end of unit revision/test yourself episode.

I've really enjoyed it actually - just listening to a 20 minute podcasts a few times in the week really makes you feel as though you're acquiring knowledge of the language.  I've listed to each about four times.  I think i'll listen to them all over again once or twice before moving onto the second unit, just to make sure it's all stored up there!

Anybody interested in taking up a new language should definitely take a look at the Coffee Break series (French and Italian are also available I believe) - in the last two weeks i've learned how to say a nice little introduction about myself.

Excellent stuff.

[Slick_Beef]

Anyone else learning Russian here?

Not learning but I did it in school. Interesting language. Not sure how much I remember mind you!

[Slick_Beef]

does anyone speak portuguese? i really want to learn it but finding lessons is a bit difficult!

Yup.
When I used to learn in the UK, the problem I had was that most audio courses etc seem to lean towards Brazillian Portuguese which is quite different in terms of pronounciation. As TheKid said tho.. if you do know some Spanish already it'll all make a lot more sense. I never learnt Spanish but now that I speak Portuguese I find Spanish easy to understand (written spanish that is.. spoken is harder for me).

Great language tho.. .love it

[royhendo]

This is how you say "Heskey" in sign language...













http://www.learningsignsonline.com/freeASL/?p=182

 

[royhendo]

Other than that I'm brushing up my french for my hols and the BBC CD courses are superb. The best one was "Suenos - World Spanish" - thoroughly recommended!

[TheKid.]

now that I speak Portuguese I find Spanish easy to understand (written spanish that is.. spoken is harder for me).

Portugal used to be part of the Kingdom of Galicia, so similarities between the two are obvious

Eu gosto de falar o portugues!

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

Not sure if I've mentioned Michel Thomas yet, can't be arsed going back in the thread to see but he's well reccommended. It's an entirely new way of learning languages. no pen or paper required, just your ears and your mouth.

It's available from all good torrent sites

[TheKid.]

Not sure if I've mentioned Michel Thomas yet, can't be arsed going back in the thread to see but he's well reccommended. It's an entirely new way of learning languages. no pen or paper required, just your ears and your mouth.

It's available from all good torrent sites

My mum had the Michel Thomas Spanish CD, his accent was horrible