Flowerpower

I feel like there can be a few bad reasons to start studying, and chances are if you don't end up finding a good reason for you to keep studying, you won't actually end up learning much. However, that being sad, having a bad reason is better than no reason at all, and if that is enough just to make you start learning -- that is great! If you really get into it, you will naturally find better reasons to keep studying, and that bad reason probably won't matter much anymore. I think the worst reason to learn a language is for the sake of bragging, or to look down upon others.

This is pretty much the only way I learn things. Except, I will leave out subtitles altogether. I like to try to figure out what the people might be talking about. :P. It might not be the fastest way, but it's worked for me.

Mameha, being asked to teach a language can feel very overwhelming. If I was asked to teach English, I would not know where to begin. I could teach people how to say hello and how are you, but outside of that, I would not know grammar or anything that would be of great importance to someone who does not speak English. If you asked me "Is this the right way to say this?" I could tell you if it is or not, but apart from that, I couldn't really offer much in terms of teaching English, unless what you asked me was to simply try to have conversations with you in English. This I could do. I can keep conversation light and easy, but if you wanted to know what verbs might be helpful to know, or what nouns would be used most frequently, I really wouldn't have a clue. Maybe your friend feels quite the same way. She considers Spanish a first language, which probably means she has no idea what someone learning it would need to know. I think it might be better for you to just initiate conversations with her in Spanish. If she responds in English, or whatever language you two tend to communicate in, then so be it. You tried. Keep trying. Eventually she will start speaking more and more Spanish with you. She probably communicates withyou in the language you two communicate in because it is "easy". Most people default to what is easy. Even I do it sometimes. (Okay, often.) Just keep challenging it by attempting to use Spanish instead of what is easy for both of you.

I am always down for Skyping in French as I have a tendency to not really use French as everyone where I live speaks English. I can't teach, but I can have conversations, which is probably just as good anyways. As for an ''easy way'' to learn; if you have learned a language before I can tell you a very quick way to get yourself forming (simple) sentences in French quickly, but you have to be willing to put in the effort. Get yourself a lot of paper, and head on over to the vast expanse that is the internet. I will give you a very quick brief thing here, but you will have to search for more after this. A few, quick simple words: Hello - Bonjour!/Salut! Bye - Au revoir!/À toute a l'heure! How are you - Comment allez-vous?/Ça va? I am good - Je vais bien. Thank you - Merci. Please - S'il vous plait. You're welcome - De rien. Now, very quickly, you will need to know pronouns. I will tell you them. I - Je. You - Tu. He/She - il/elle. We - Nous. You (plural/polite) - Vous. They - ils/elles. Here are verbs that are essential, look them up. Learn to conjugate these ones first. As a general rule, the most commonly used verbs in any language typically happen to be the most irregular. Avoir - To have. Être - To be. Vouloir - To want. Pouvoir - To be able to. Devoir - To need to. Parler - To speak. Penser - To think. Écouter - to listen. Voir - To see. Régarder - To watch. Donner - To give. Aller - To go. Finir - To finish. Visiter - To visit. Venir - To come. Devenir - To become. Dire - to say. Lire - to read. If you really put in the time to do the past/present/future verb charts of Aller, Avoir, Être, Aller, Vouloir, Devoir, and Pouvoir, you are going to have the keys to do quite a bit of speaking in French. Really get those ones in there. Everything else, for the most part, is based on that. This will be your very very very basic, but very solid foundation. You won't fully know the language, but knowing these through and through will really, truly help a lot. And yes, charts are ridiculously annoying, but it is the fastest way to visually see how everything breaks down. After that, start watching and listening. Listen for those words as you keep drilling them insanely into your head. I hate drills, but trust me on this. The faster you get these verbs in your head, the faster you can begin creating your own sentences vs. just spewing memorized sentences into the air.

Je vais bien, merci! J'ai étudié toute la journée et, maintenant je pense que je vais régarder quelque chose. J'ai commencé la série Masterchef France. C'est pas le meilleur mais, c'est un peu intéressant. Quelles séries/émissions avez-vous régardé? J'habite au Canada et j'aimerais des recommandations! Vivez-vous en France? Qu'est-ce qui passé là bas? Les terroristes étaient dans les nouvelles. J'espère que vous êtes en pleine forme!

Oh mon dieu! J'aime toutes les choses! Je cuisine frêquemment et j'adore touts les plats! Mais, j'aime la nourriture chinoise. Oh tout le gras, tout de l'huile, tout le sel... Donnes-moi le! C'est pas bon pour la santé mais, c'est la vie, non? Je préfère prendre du poids que d'être en bonne santé.

Language apps are great for when you are on the go and need a quick review. I don't think they offer much in the way many other mediums do, but they have their purpose.

I basically swear as much as I breathe lol. But I hardly ever swear in French. It's just... different. I feel like it's harder to really colour your language in French, shall we say. That being said, cursing in another language, for me, really shows that you have either really mastered just the swears, or you have mastered the language. Natives will curse up and down in their language, and if you can keep up, I feel like it really can show you learned it through and through. I've met lots of people learning English, and the ones who developed the ability to swear like we do are the ones that never get asked what their native language is because it's just assumed it's English. EVEN if they have an accent. At least, this is my own personal experience.

It is probably just her body. Some people's bodies just can't handle that amount of movement all the time. It's not for everyone. Those that would develop these sorts of repetitive motion injuries are most likely just more prone to it. Just like some people are more prone to having headaches. It could be the way she was using her muscles (or, not using them.) If you are looking to learn, or you are learning ASL don't let this stop you or give you doubts.

I, too, am from Canada and had French classes. They were stupid at best. They were all taught in english with charts and it was soooo boring. Whoever said that is the way a language is taught needs to back down and have someone else take over.

"It was easy to root for her every step of the way." I'm really bad at explaining grammar, but that one is the only way I've ever heard it.