Do you have experience learning another language?

[SpaceAce]

If you have experience learning a second language later in life, especially if you have experience with the Pimsleur method, please give me some advice, here.

Ever since I took a little French in high school, I've had this half-assed notion that I would like to learn to speak the language for real. I only took French for a short time, but I picked it up easily and to this day, I remember and understand more of it than my girlfriend who took like four years worth, including college.

I imagine the best way to learn French would be to move to France (or possibly France, Jr.: Quebec), but that's not in the cards. I am am mostly interested in learning functional vocabulary and conversation and I've read that the Pimsleur method is really good for quickly learning usable speech. So, I am thinking about picking up the Pimsleur beginning French course, and I would really like advice from those of you who have tried Pimsleur or other self-teaching methods of learning another language. Even if you haven't tried Pimsleur, what did you try? Did it work? Obviously, I don't mean those of you who grew up immersed in multiple languages. I really need advice from people who started from scratch to learn a second language.

Also, I am 25 years old. It's supposed to get harder and harder to learn additional languages as you age. Do any of you have experience picking up a language this late? Are my chances of learning conversational French (or Spanish or Japanese) really poor because of my age or my lack of access to native speakers?

Anyway, any useful information is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

SpaceAce

[notjoe]

Originally posted by SpaceAce
If you have experience learning a second language later in life, especially if you have experience with the Pimsleur method, please give me some advice, here.

Ever since I took a little French in high school, I've had this half-assed notion that I would like to learn to speak the language for real. I only took French for a short time, but I picked it up easily and to this day, I remember and understand more of it than my girlfriend who took like four years worth, including college.

I imagine the best way to learn French would be to move to France (or possibly France, Jr.: Quebec), but that's not in the cards. I am am mostly interested in learning functional vocabulary and conversation and I've read that the Pimsleur method is really good for quickly learning usable speech. So, I am thinking about picking up the Pimsleur beginning French course, and I would really like advice from those of you who have tried Pimsleur or other self-teaching methods of learning another language. Even if you haven't tried Pimsleur, what did you try? Did it work? Obviously, I don't mean those of you who grew up immersed in multiple languages. I really need advice from people who started from scratch to learn a second language.

Also, I am 25 years old. It's supposed to get harder and harder to learn additional languages as you age. Do any of you have experience picking up a language this late? Are my chances of learning conversational French (or Spanish or Japanese) really poor because of my age or my lack of access to native speakers?

Anyway, any useful information is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

SpaceAce

While Quebec people call themselfs french they're really frogs, err, real fench people.

If you want to learn real french move to paris. If you want to learn broken french with lots of slang and the ability of how to cover your friends with spit while talking, move to Quebec!

Just stay away from north american french.

I suggest learning PHP as your second languaqe. Sure you might go around saying things like "If ($you == hot) {openwindow();} and people might look at you when you say if ($change != (20 - $costofsmokes)) {echo "give me all my money or i'll fucking beat you";} i assure you it will be all in their head and you will be normal!

Joe

[Alky]

i know php, perl, mysql, basic, c++, and a few more

[funkmaster]

... I think english is all you need. but it´s kinda cool to be bi/tri/muti lingual ...

[winn]

From my experience, one should find a native speaker willing to learn english. Changing "english" and "french" days, you will be able to pick up some "live" french so will your mate.

[SpaceAce]

Originally posted by winn
From my experience, one should find a native speaker willing to learn english. Changing "english" and "french" days, you will be able to pick up some "live" french so will your mate.

That would be nice, but there's really no chance of me going out and finding a native French-speaker who needs my help learning English. Not in Cleveland.

There must be someone out there who's tried Pimsleur or other similar methods.

SpaceAce

[sexmanic]

i ordered at taco bell this afternoon no problem ..

[Paul Markham]

I've lived in Czech 5 years and still cannot speak enough to hold a conversation. But know how to tell a girl to take her clothes off, lie on her back, open her legs and smile at me.

[bugout]

Hi Space,

I used pimsleur portuguese 1 2 and 3 before moving to brazil.

The pimsleur series is great to get the basics down so you don't starve to death in another country. The first 3 (30 lessons each) start with present tense, move slowly into past tense, and cover a little bit of the furture tense. The basics include asking where things are located, how to get somewhere, numbers, places, greetings and a small collection of basic nouns.

I'd highly recommend it to get your feet wet, but in order to really learn a language you have to completely immurse yourself in it. That way you don't have a choice but to learn.

I've been here six months. My portuguese has increased 1000% , but I still use the dictionary constantly. The best sign of progress for me has been that I can understand just about everything now. The problem is when I want to say something, I forget the words sometimes. I'm 30.

Hit me on ICQ if you have any other q's

Bugout
163541634

[Undutchable]

I speak Dutch, English, French and a bit of German. I also want to learn Spanish, but don't have the time for it right now...

[Jakke PNG]

I speak finnish, english, french, swedish and a bit of spanish.. english is the only language I seem to need (aside from finnish daily routines)
Why bother with another language?

[some_idiot]

I married a girl who's parents ONLY speak chinese.
At 27 I found myself having to pick up some mandarin
just to figure out what they were saying about me.
Later that year I moved to ShenZhen and had to learn
some cantonese just to be able to eat. This year I doing
some work that requires me to be in Germany, well
guess what, same thing... want to eat, learn some german.

I spent grades 7 - 12 in french immersion and all tests
were conducted without english.

It's all in the motivation!

[DjSap]

don't learn new languages it just encourages people in fucked up countries not to learn english, i was in barcelona a few weeks ago and i would have thought that an international city like that would have people who speak english but fuck no...

[.:Frog:.]

I'm trying to learn how to speak Cantonese.

I've decided to forget about reading/writing Chinese though...
Its way too difficult for me.

[BR Guy]

I speak portuguese (native) and english, and I was used to speak spanish and german.
All foreign languages I learned in school, but for spanish and german I give a shit, I don't even remember how to say "hi my is X"

[some_idiot]

Originally posted by .:Frog:.
I'm trying to learn how to speak Cantonese.

I've decided to forget about reading/writing Chinese though...
Its way too difficult for me.

You should try mandarin first, the tones are lower.

I taught myself how to read using karioke VCDs of Andy Lau.

Also don't forget that EVERY school child in the last 12 - 15 years in the middle to south has been taught to read and write pinyin (romanized writing) , in a pinch even with tone symbols atleast you can get yourself ' yi bei pijiou '
(a glass of beer) by scribbling on the bar napkin.

[SpaceAce]

Originally posted by bugout
Hi Space,

I used pimsleur portuguese 1 2 and 3 before moving to brazil.

The pimsleur series is great to get the basics down so you don't starve to death in another country. The first 3 (30 lessons each) start with present tense, move slowly into past tense, and cover a little bit of the furture tense. The basics include asking where things are located, how to get somewhere, numbers, places, greetings and a small collection of basic nouns.

I'd highly recommend it to get your feet wet, but in order to really learn a language you have to completely immurse yourself in it. That way you don't have a choice but to learn.

I've been here six months. My portuguese has increased 1000% , but I still use the dictionary constantly. The best sign of progress for me has been that I can understand just about everything now. The problem is when I want to say something, I forget the words sometimes. I'm 30.

Hit me on ICQ if you have any other q's

Bugout
163541634

Hi, bugout. Thanks for the reply! This is the sort of thing I was hoping to learn. I appreciate you sharing your experience with me. It sounds like Pimsleur is a pretty good idea, overall

SpaceAce

[SpaceAce]

Originally posted by TeenGodFather
I speak finnish, english, french, swedish and a bit of spanish.. english is the only language I seem to need (aside from finnish daily routines)
Why bother with another language?

Just because. I don't _need_ to speak French but I've always wanted to learn another language. I know a few people (mostly over ICQ) who speak 4, 5 and 6 languages. Mostly, I just think that's cool. I really like to learn new things, and this would be a big one.

SpaceAce

[SpaceAce]

Hey, everyone, thanks for the replies. I think I learned what I was hoping to

SpaceAce

[JFK]

Originally posted by charly
I've lived in Czech 5 years and still cannot speak enough to hold a conversation. But know how to tell a girl to take her clothes off, lie on her back, open her legs and smile at me.

Thats all you need .......and you have seemed to learn that very well judging by your pics