Anyone here ever tried to learn a second language?

[Alphathree33]

If so, I've got a few questions for you...

1) What motivated you?

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?

Thanks guys... looking forward to hearing your stories.

 

[zinfamous]

what worked best for me is going and living there.

Though, Florence is not exactly the bast place to learn Italian, b/c most people speak English and want to speak English. But they will speak to you in Italian if you make a decent effort (unlike those asshole Parisians).

1 year of it in college 2 years before going to Italy was almost worthless. One really, truly, needs immersion. It becomes surprisingly easy soon after.

2 years of Japanese in High School was also a joke.

 

[OCGuy]

inb4 l33t sp3ak

 

[bfdd]

I really wish I hadn't attempted with Japanese. I hated the language so much it has made it incredibly hard for me to get into learning another language. Especially since I want to learn Spanish and Chinese.

 

[Duder1no]

English in my second language, learned it by watching a lot of English TV growing up and having an English-Spanish translation dictionary near me all the time.

English is much more harder to learn than Spanish BTW.

 

[jhu]

1) 因為我比你聰明
2) 成功了
3) 沒有人跟我講普通話
4) 上網念網站的條目

 

[Alphathree33]

I really wish I hadn't attempted with Japanese. I hated the language so much it has made it incredibly hard for me to get into learning another language. Especially since I want to learn Spanish and Chinese.

What was it about learning another language that was hard to get into for you?

 

[bfdd]

What was it about learning another language that was hard to get into for you?

I just hated Japanese as a language so fucking much. It's seriously retarded and I can't stand it. I took it for 3 years in high school. I never got completely fluent, but I could read and write at a pretty decent level. 3rd year in I realized how shit it was and how little use I would get out of it, so I stopped caring. I can pick up a little of conversation every now and then, some vocab when I hear it, I can't read it and the only thing I cared to remember was how to ask if they speak English and how to say I don't understand Japanese. Also, where are the hookers.

 

[bhanson]

1. Necesito hablar español para mi trabajar.
2. Pues, ahora hablo un poco pero yo tengo más aprender.
3. Escuchar es muy díficil. Personas hablan muy rapido. Mi acento es muy malo tambien.
4. Estudio los libros, tomé un clase de español, y usarlo at mi trabajar.

 

[Alphathree33]

Have any of you tried Rosetta Stone? If not, what was the major reason?

 

[bfdd]

Have any of you tried Rosetta Stone? If not, what was the major reason?

I have and it's not to bad. Pimsluers is also pretty good. Once I get my PC back up and running maybe I'll give it another shot, but probably Spanish.

 

[zinfamous]

I just hated Japanese as a language so fucking much. It's seriously retarded and I can't stand it. I took it for 3 years in high school. I never got completely fluent, but I could read and write at a pretty decent level. 3rd year in I realized how shit it was and how little use I would get out of it, so I stopped caring. I can pick up a little of conversation every now and then, some vocab when I hear it, I can't read it and the only thing I cared to remember was how to ask if they speak English and how to say I don't understand Japanese. Also, where are the hookers.

Nihongo de, skoshi wakirimasyo! Yurosuku, onigaisimasu!

yep.

that's all I remember. I know the spelling probably sucks, but I speak that one phrase pretty well. Japanese people have told me "You speak very poritery!"

 

[TridenT]

If so, I've got a few questions for you...

1) What motivated you?

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?

Thanks guys... looking forward to hearing your stories.

1) It was high school courses. 2 years of foreign language for college admission is normal.

2) 2 years. I started sophomore year because I didn't think I was allowed in my freshmen (I was lied to by counselors). I didn't take the third year in my senior because it would have been a waste. (No college credit, no reason to take)

3) None really. It was easy.

4) Just read the shit, try to memorize it... I was in high school after all.

 

[zinfamous]

I have and it's not to bad. Pimsluers is also pretty good. Once I get my PC back up and running maybe I'll give it another shot, but probably Spanish.

Yeah, I would suggest Pimsluer over any others. It's an awesome program.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Yes, once with Spanish, and once with Chinese.

1. Spanish was offered at my school and I wanted to take that rather than some of the other classes offered. Thought it might be fun, and I felt it would be more useful than French or German. Took Chinese much later when I lived there for 10 months.

2. Absolutely didn't succeed either time. I was able to get the basic grammar down for each but it took me forever to form coherent sentences and I was always incapable of understanding native speakers.

3. Memorizing vocabulary. There's just too much of it. My brain isn't big enough for it to all fit or something. I can remember rules for pronunciation and grammar (all my teachers and classmates commented on my excellent Chinese pronunciation, something most people had major problems with), but the vocabulary is too tedious. Chinese has the added wrinkles of tones and non-phonetic characters.

4. I took classes? Probably didn't study enough, which is part of why I failed. When I was in China, many people spoke Chinese to me and I was friends with many people who were more fluent than I was, so I didn't have many opportunities to practice.

 

[Patranus]

Why would anyone want to know a language other than English?

 

[wheresmybacon]

If so, I've got a few questions for you...

1) What motivated you?

When I was younger, soccer was my life, and pickup games often included Mexican and other Central American immigrants. I wanted to be able to talk to them. I also watched a lot of soccer on Univision and I wanted to be able to understand Andres Cantor.

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?

I took 4 years total, and these days I understand much more than I can speak. I never use it now and I forget words. And of course after only 4 years there are a lot I just don't know.

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?

Conversationally, the speed at which native speakers speak. Also the accents. Spanish accents were weird to me. Also I never went anywhere to live where it's the native tongue. My brother went to Spain and my other friends went to Central America to live for a while. /jealous

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?

As stated, I would watch Univision sports.

 

[bfdd]

Why would anyone want to know a language other than English?

For fun mostly. I love reading about languages and what not, but for some reason I'm just not keen on learning them. From what I understand pretty much everything anyone could want from a language is handled quite well by English, more so than other languages. Especially business, which we all know makes the world go round.

I really want to give Chinese(Mandarin) a shot because it seems similar in syntax to English, minus a few things here and there. It's just the pronunciation I have a hard time with because I'm not used to all the different tonal sounds.

 

[Zen0]

If so, I've got a few questions for you...

1) What motivated you?

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?

Thanks guys... looking forward to hearing your stories.

Trying to learn? And then failing?

Probably just about everyone.

 

[Zen0]

I just hated Japanese as a language so fucking much. It's seriously retarded and I can't stand it. I took it for 3 years in high school. I never got completely fluent, but I could read and write at a pretty decent level. 3rd year in I realized how shit it was and how little use I would get out of it, so I stopped caring. I can pick up a little of conversation every now and then, some vocab when I hear it, I can't read it and the only thing I cared to remember was how to ask if they speak English and how to say I don't understand Japanese. Also, where are the hookers.

Japanese is super useful for watching Anime and reading Japanese video games.

Essentially, completely useless.

 

[Zen0]

For fun mostly. I love reading about languages and what not, but for some reason I'm just not keen on learning them. From what I understand pretty much everything anyone could want from a language is handled quite well by English, more so than other languages. Especially business, which we all know makes the world go round.

I really want to give Chinese(Mandarin) a shot because it seems similar in syntax to English, minus a few things here and there. It's just the pronunciation I have a hard time with because I'm not used to all the different tonal sounds.

Learning a tonal language is also learning to master singing a few notes. Because tonal languages are literally singing on a speaking level.

 

[jhu]

i just hated japanese as a language so fucking much. It's seriously retarded and i can't stand it. I took it for 3 years in high school. I never got completely fluent, but i could read and write at a pretty decent level. 3rd year in i realized how shit it was and how little use i would get out of it, so i stopped caring. I can pick up a little of conversation every now and then, some vocab when i hear it, i can't read it and the only thing i cared to remember was how to ask if they speak english and how to say i don't understand japanese. Also, where are the hookers.

日本語 が 解りますか?

 

[zinfamous]

Why would anyone want to know a language other than English?

I'm certain that you honestly believe this drivel, too.

 

[zinfamous]

Japanese is super useful for watching Anime and reading Japanese video games.

Essentially, completely useless.

 

[sonambulo]

If so, I've got a few questions for you...

1) What motivated you?

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?

Thanks guys... looking forward to hearing your stories.

1. Latin women
2. Yes, my Spanish gets rarely used these days but it is still somewhere between conversational and fluent. I have no problem reading Spanish newspapers and books or watching Spanish television. However I do struggle with Puerto Rican and Dominican Spanish at times. They are both very bastardized, slang-heavy variants of the language.
3. None, really. Lots of opportunity to use it while learning helped quite a bit. It is vital that you pursue Castilian Spanish as opposed to South American Spanish (with the exception of Colombian Spanish) as S.A. is so regional and each country has it's own obnoxious slang.
4. Textbooks and tapes to get a rough handle on things, and then practically complete immersion for two years. Immersion is KING when learning a foreign language. If you cannot move to another country where the language of your choice is spoken exclusively, simulate it. I.E. if you're learning French only watch French TV, read French books and publications, play video games in French, get some French language partners, etc.

There are tons of podcasts for every language out there. Satellite TV options, you can always get books and movies in a given language, etc. There are also websites out there where people can trade language time. I.E. you find a French speaker who wants to learn English. For a half hour you converse in English and a half hour in French or vice versa.

It would help quite a bit if you could tell us what language you're trying to learn as they all have unique tactics for studying ESPECIALLY East Asian languages.