Anyone here ever tried to learn a second language?

[Mide]

1) What motivated you?

Parents spoke Chinese to me when I was getting yelled at. I thought it may be better to learn a bit more than I knew.

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

I'm much better now than I was before but there is still a bunch of vocab that I don't know

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

The tones in Chinese suck ass. It's just too damn confusing with some words. Also there are words that have the exact same tone but have different meanings depending on context.

Here are some Chinese words that totally sound the same to me:

Policeman
Chinese word for "tight" and "tea"

Be Careful
Chinese word for "small" and "heart"

Fruit
Chinese word for "water" and "country"

Perv
Chinese word for "Last name Liu" and "busy"

"Check plz"
Chinese word for "buy" and "egg"

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

Taught English in China for a year...immersion helps a lot. Rosetta Stone helps also. Chinese Pod lessons help with learning new vocab words. But the main way is to get a GF/Wife who doesn't speak English all too well.

 

[bfdd]

日本語 が 解りますか?

no goddamnit!

 

[shortylickens]

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.

Spanish

1. Illegals are mostly hispanic and many independent sources have confirmed they will take over the country soon.

2. Not really well. Just 101.

3. Tough language if learned properly (ie. Castillian as opposed to latin)

4. Standard classroom.

Since learning to speak latin Spanish from a Spaniard is like an American trying to learn ghetto English, I gave up. I'll probably just hire a translator servant to follow me around.

 

[jhu]

no goddamnit!

私も日本語が解りません.

 

[Ricemarine]

私も日本語が解りません.

I hope that the incorrect kanji of 解りません emphasizes the point...

1) What motivated you?
Anime, Jpop, etc.

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?
1 year in HS, 3.33 years in college

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?
Learning kanji (gg. I forgot most of them), idioms, dissecting the sentences properly (it's really easy to misinterpret sentences)

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?
Watch anime and J-drama... read some manga...

To this day, I still don't understand half of what people are saying. Communicating in simple Japanese is okay, but anything beyond that is blahhh...

 

[Malak]

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. Diversity in the community. Communication is a major barrier to peace.

2. I am not fluent in anything but English, but I haven't really made an effort to learn the language I want to learn. I learned a lot of german and french but both are not very relevant here and I forgot most of what I learned.

3/4. I learned a lot in high school, but lack of use made me forget. I tried learning spanish with some software I ordered but it was garbage software, a lot cheaper than Rosetta Stone.

 

[Alphathree33]

So I've seen several people specifically mention vocabulary as a problem... and that's been a problem for me too, in the past.

Anyone else share that problem? e.g. "The major barrier to me learning a language is learning and remembering the vocabulary I need to get by."

Also, does this problem statement resonate with anyone: "I tend to forget the words I learn fairly quickly as they fall into disuse."

 

[jhu]

The tones in Chinese suck ass. It's just too damn confusing with some words. Also there are words that have the exact same tone but have different meanings depending on context.

Here are some Chinese words that totally sound the same to me:

Policeman
Chinese word for "tight" and "tea"

Be Careful
Chinese word for "small" and "heart"

Fruit
Chinese word for "water" and "country"

Perv
Chinese word for "Last name Liu" and "busy"

"Check plz"
Chinese word for "buy" and "egg"

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

Taught English in China for a year...immersion helps a lot. Rosetta Stone helps also. Chinese Pod lessons help with learning new vocab words. But the main way is to get a GF/Wife who doesn't speak English all too well.

你只要多訓練就會進步。英文也有很多同音詞像bear,bare,there,their,they're,

 

[Nox51]

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.

English as second language, Romanian native, fluent in both. Dallied in French, Italian, Latin. I was pretty much at conversation level in French and Italian if a bit slow. Latin was a bit worse since I didn't really bother with it.

English because I always thought it'd be usefull, particularly for pc stuffwhere I couldn't stand an OS in any language other than English. Turned out to be super usefull when actually moved overseas to live

Really practice practice practice. Once you actually go in a native environment you'll realise how shitty your textbook language is and adapt to local idioms. Some of the local expressions really did my head in. Also, the differences between Amercian and British English sometimes drive me nuts.

I never had much issues learning them. For example, I never did Spanish but I can get enoguh of it to understand what the general topic of the conversation is. My problem at the moment is that anything of speciality I learned at uni I can't actually carry across into Romanian when talking with parents or friends for example.

I've pretty much got to the stage where I think in a different language depending on who I am addressing or the situation I am in. Obviously this is for the two I am fluent in. My French and Italian are no longer that good, I might pick them up again later.

Conversations with people that know both English and Romanian end up being quite amusing. Switching between langauges mid sentence or using the grammar structure of one into the other can end up with some really funny stuff.

Ant spelling errors in the above are my own pure suckage.

 

[jhu]

i hope that the incorrect kanji of 解りません emphasizes the point...

分かる = 解る= 判る

 

[shortylickens]

I wish I hadnt forgotten all my kanji.
Or my katakana.

Or my hiragana.
:\

 

[zerocool84]

I worked at Home Depot and Lowe's and most of the customers that frequent those places speak only Spanish so I just naturally learned.

 

[holytechie]

trying a third actually, French, but its not easy when you a family and a job.

 

[shortylickens]

trying a third actually, French, but its not easy when you a family and a job.

I got neither and its still a pain.

 

[bfdd]

I wish I hadnt forgotten all my kanji.
Or my katakana.

Or my hiragana.
:\

When you put it that way, I am glad I have forgotten. Seriously, the more I experience the Japanese language the more and more I dislike it. Not that I have anything against the Japanese or Japan, I just think the language is stupid.

 

[Ricemarine]

分かる = 解る= 判る

http://oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/1676345.html

 

[jhu]

http://oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/1676345.html

そうか

 

[zanejohnson]

spanish and english

my grandmother spoke nothing but spanish, and there were times when my mother refused to speak english in an attempt to teach me, eventually got conversational in it after high school and getting out into the work world...

 

[TecHNooB]

i have the hots for korean girls but all the american born koreans advise against it haha

 

[gaidensensei]

我会说中文と日本語が解りました.でも,易しくありません.
そしてentiendo un poco de espanol,可是要长长联系不样会忘了.

The most important thing for mastering any language is to constantly use it. If you don't have a need nor use it, you can't get fluent in it. It's like exercising, you have to keep it up.

 

[Xcobra]

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.

Que? lol jk, taht was pretty good.

 

[jhu]

我会说中文...

你是共產黨員！！！

 

[gaidensensei]

你是共產黨員！！！

连你不是吗？

 

[Lummex]

I know basic Spanish.

1) What motivated you?
It was required for High School, and I still have another year require to graduate from college. Now that I'm older, I do have a desire to know another language (albeit begrudgingly )

2) Did you succeed and/or how far did you get?
I am at level 2, soon to be level 3. So I guess I'll be pretty knowledgeable about important things in the language, but will not be fluent by any means.

3) What were the major barriers you experienced, if any?
Both of my major years of learning Spanish, I was taught by native English speakers. I feel like that's not a great way to really learn the language.

4) What method(s) did you use to learn?
Basically just used the text books. Next year I'm hoping the fact that my best friend is Mexican and fluent in spanish will be a great help. I'll want to try to have Spanish-only convos with her and see if that helps.

 

[BoomerD]

I was "pushed" into taking Spanish while I was going to community college...so, I spent a summer taking Spanish 101. Got an "A" in the class, yet I really don't know much more than I did before I took the class. Yo no tengo amigos hablar espanol...so I never use it...and I've forgotten most of what I learned.

As a kid, when my dad was sent to Okinawa, I learned a smattering of Japanese, but since I rarely used it once we came back to the States, I've forgotten MOST of that too. Same with the Vietnamese I picked up in Vietnam...and a smattering of Chinese and Russian. Mostly a few key words and phrases that I'd listen for when we were listening in on the NVA radio channels.