PixelBaebee

Thanks! This actually helps a lot. I have trouble with de/het and adjectives. Having a well-defined list to study off of will make it easier for me to differentiate between them. Wouldn't it be easier to have a list of "het" words though, since it's a smaller percentage so it'd be easier to remember the rules for fewer words. Something like "These are the few things we need to remember, and everything else* is 'de'"

Has anyone heard of it? It's a fairly new(came out in 2012 iirc) game that started out on Kickstarter. You play as a guy who develops this device that translates real-world objects when you scan them with your camera. Your idea/invention is quickly accepted, but it's been stolen! So you have to develop a new one to show off. I've only played a couple minutes of it myself, but the reviews were as expected and I think it's a very good game to expand your vocabulary. At the moment, it's only got several languages, but I'm sure they'll include more as time goes on. I like how this game gives you a plot to follow while teaching you things. This doesn't happen often, and the ones that have plots are generally boring or heavily forced. This one has a good plot to follow. The only thing is that this isn't meant for people who want to learn sentence structure or grammar, it only teaches you words. As I said, it's a game to help you expand your vocabulary, it works well when it goes hand in hand with something like Duolingo. I'd definitely recommend Influent to all you language learners if you want to get ahead of your class or something. The game is available in this week's Humble Bundle for $6 and you also get other games along with it.

Actually, Brussels is full of a mix of different languages. Your driver understood you but didn't understand why you were speaking German. Many locals speak Dutch, so had you spoken French, there'd be a chance you'd have been less than appreciated there! Haha. You shouldn't worry too much about that experience, though! You learned a little something and it didn't completely ruin your trip!

It's pretty irresponsible to try and look for an easy way to learn a new language though xD People spend their whole lives growing up with language and only very few are able to master it completely. You can't just up and learn language that easily, you know? It's pretty insulting. As far as audiotapes go, most of them weren't even designed for the sleeping mind. I've listened to a few and they all require you to be very awake during. You have to repeat the words that the instructor tells you, and the audiotapes are only meant as a crash course-- something you listen to while you're on a flight to your destination or something. They aren't good for substituting the learning process at all. They're just enough to get you by.

It is pretty frustrating. There isn't only a difference in accents. Many things are spelled differently and I think I'd go so far as to say Dutch is only the basic structure to learning Flemish, because all of the Flemish-speaking people I know can speak Dutch, but most Dutch people I know can't understand Flemish very well. As far as I know, Dutch is taught in Belgian schools, but Flemish is used more loosely at home, not much unlike slang, although it is an official language.

There are already quite a few threads about Duolingo, though I guess that means another wouldn't hurt. Is English really your native language? I see a few foreign quirks in your manner of typing... But anyway, Duolingo is perfect for any beginner, but it really does depend a whole lot on the individual's desire to learn.

So I'm taking the time to learn Dutch, although I have to familiarize myself with Flemish too. Since I'll be in a mostly Flemish-speaking area, what are some differences I have to take note of? I can't find many places online that teach Flemish instead of Dutch.

I grew up having my family make fun of my Americanized Vietnamese accent, which made me refuse to learn it as a child. I made honest effort yet my parents and my mother's side would mock me if I said some word oddly or if I didn't know how to pronounce a word. I'm not sure if my Vietnamese has gotten better or if they've gotten less hostile over the years. Growing up was really embarrassing for me because of my family.

At the moment, I can only write in English. When writing short stories or poems, I try to add a certain flare to it, but I find that if I don't do so naturally, I won't be able to do it at all. Writing artistically/poetically in another language is something I wouldn't do unless I am fluent in that language, and English is the only one I'm fluent in so..

You have to have partial knowledge of the language you're translating it to if you want to translate full sentences. It's not a bad idea to use google translate to translate things, but as a computer, it won't get the full meaning of your original text, so you'll have to know how to read and reason beyond what the computer knows.

I'm just moving to Belgium because schooling's cheaper and I was offered a place to stay. I also have family over in France, but I'd prefer Belgium because it's right in the middle of everything.And yeah, I live in the US at the moment. It's gonna be a big move, yeah.

I hope this works, it'd be so much easier for me to talk to my family members in other countries. If it's a paid service, I might not have to worry about anything since I have Skype premium. If it's entirely separate, though, I'll be pretty disappointed. Here's to hoping this feature is free, though!

I found Duolingo through Facebook, surprisingly. One of my friends shared his status about "Leveling up" in a language and it certainly raised a few questions with me. I clicked it and it brought me to a screen that said "Which language do you want to learn?" with a drop down menu. All of the languages I wanted to learn were there, so I kept at it! As a beginner, it helped me so much with my French and Dutch. Learning them at the same time also provides for a fun challenge, haha.

^ThisI took a placement test for Spanish since I already took it during school and I had already completed nearly the entire course. It brought me almost to the end! And I don't even think I know Spanish all that well.

Ohey! I'm also a fan of Rammstein. My favorites are either Du Hast or Amerika. My favorite foreign song isn't from Rammstein, though. It's French! My favorite foreign song is Dernière Danse by Indila. The music video is art, and the song itself is one of the reasons why I want to learn French. It's so beautiful.