deyvion

YES! I believe I explained this in another thread. In Sweden, many, if not most, young people use English daily for different reasons. This sometimes lead to us using the English word if it comes to us faster, even if the conversation is in Swedish.

This happens to me a lot too since I am more of a visual person than an audio one. However, what you can do if you have problems distinguishing what it is you are listening to is to download the lyrics and follow it as you listen. You will be surprised to see that you soon learn to hear the words also. At least this has worked for me with English, Spanish, Turkish - and even Swedish songs! And I learned a lot from it. =)

Marcel suggested a Language Exchange Subforum which could be of great help for all of you. Since you have all come here and shared your problems about daring to speak up - maybe speaking with each other is the best way to overcome it. =) Check it out and see what you can do. =)

That is good! Having a goal and being determined to achieve it is the main ingredient in language learning. If you really have your mind set on accomplishing what it is you want, you are more likely to succeed. For me, with the Spanish, I am not 'determined' to learn to speak, not yet at least, and that is why, when the situation presents, I shy away from answering in Swedish and use Swedish instead since it is more comfortable for me. Good luck with your goal! =) The Language Exchange Subforum that Marcel suggested could be of very good use for you. =)

Thank you for the tip! Now maybe I can start learning Spanish again. I love those resources online that are free and simple but still so helpful. =)

I am exactly the same. My mother is Spanish, but me and my brother were never taught Spanish due to some reasons. However, we still encountered the language whenever we had familydinners etc. I live with my grandmother now, and sometimes she speaks Spanish to me. I understand most of the time, but I still reply in Swedish. I get shy too, not wanting to say anything wrong. It is stupid since I actually have the opportunity to learn the language that was supposed to be my second native, but my shyness and low confidence gets in the way of that.

Youtube is usually the source I go to if I want a tutorial about something. There are really great videos about English grammar on Youtube which I normally watch and search for if there is something I want to know. That goes for most languages, so I do think that online tutorials, no matter in what form or from where, are good.

Thank you, Laura. I will definitely check it out. =) What I like about studying the English language is that there are so many resources available online. I wish there was a good site like this for Swedish because there are some really funny idioms that I'd really like to know the origin of. We have sayings going like this: 'You shit in the blue cabinet' and 'you have your beard in the mailbox' - I mean, there must be some funny background stories to those ones, hehe.

Interesting thread. Word origin can be very interesting. Does anyone know a site where you can look up the origin for different words? With real explanations.

I have heard the word before, just never really thought about it. Like you mentioned, it is used by ignorant people, and I guess I have just learned to ignore it when heard. Good that you brought attention to it. I will definitely think about it next time I hear it, and I will sure not say it myself.

It sounds like a very good idea! Hopefully more members with more diversity in languages will join, and this can become a very great thing

Maybe it is because I am Swedish, I don't know, but I am not so fond of how the Finnish language sounds. I know many Finnish people (my best friend is 75% Finnish, and I have no problem with Finnish people, but the language is just so harsh. And reading it? They have like 20-lettered words with like 6 a's in a row (okey, not really, but sometimes it looks like it).

Thank you all for your answers. The tip about reading a book is something that I can easily do now that I am actually in Turkey (Turkish is what I want to learn). Fortunately I found a bookstore that has Swedish books in Turkish, so I might as well go for those ones, since I can have the same book in my native language alongside. Thanks!

What are your best strategies when learning a NEW language? Where should one start? Learning new words, grammar, or to speak? I am a person who really wants to know WHY something is like it is, so I tend to look in the grammar books first. However, it takes some time to go that route. So, any ideas where to begin?

Glad to see you onboard, Sarah! =) You say you are here to help people learn English - great! I really need to get caught up on grammar, so if you are good at explaining grammar, then see me as a potential student of yours. =)

Eagle English - a bird

For me, priority one at the moment is Turkish. Mostly because I propbably will move to Turkey next year, and because I would like to be able to properly speak to my boyfriend's family. English is not a well-taught or prioritized subject in this country, so I will have to be the one to learn the other language. After that, what should have been my 2nd mother tongue (Spanish) is what I will focus on. Fortunately, I get exposed to these two languages and have close relations to people who are native speakers of the languages, so it should be easy to learn. Especially since I have noticed that Turkish and Spanish have sort of similar grammatical systems.

Thank you for the very easy answer to what an idiom is. I have had troubles understanding what an idion really is. I cannot think of any idioms at the moment, but at least when I see one I will know. =)

As long as you try, and you contribute to a larger vocabulary, it is okey. =) Andas Swedish: to breathe

I use Google Translate all the time for translating specific words, and I like that you get several options. However, when it comes to translating sentences, the results have had some severe misunderstandings. So for me Google Translate is still good for word findings, but I do not use it for sentences anymore.

otakt Swedish: off beat as in 'singing off beat'.

Okey, so a game section has been proposed, and there is already a game posted, so I thought I would start up a new one and see how it goes. I previously proposed the 'Five Letter Word Game', and since this thread is in the General section, I thought I'd change the rules a little. Basically the rules are these: I write a five letter word, let's say, GLASS. Then, the next person has to come with his/her own five letter word that starts with the last letter from the word by the person before - in this case S. Easy right? However, as I said, I would change the rules a little. Since this game is not posted under a specific lanugage, and this forum is about learning language, I thought that the person could choose a word from whatever language, as long as it is five letters, starts with the last letter from the word before, and also includes a definition. So, I start. GLASS Definition: SWEDISH: Ice cream

I would have to say my boyfriend. Sounds odd, I know, but really, coming from different cultures, religions, and countries, no one including myself would have thought we would be so good together. Who knew that a vacation-flirt would turn into something so good and loving. Especially since he seemed to only know 3 words in English when we met (I later learned that he did not only know 3 words, but he was too shy about his English to speak more).

I must say that you are a very devoted Admin, and I am glad I found this forum. I really hope more people will find it so that it can become a large community for language lovers. Cudos to you :kiss:

The one with building a sentence sounds very fun, challenging and especially educational! I'd really like to try that one! =D This was what I meant about the game sections. The members could create games like these in every language (there would be a game section for each language). It is fun and educational at the same time.