chiller

My native language (French) also has many words having multiple meanings. In my opinion, learning all the meanings of a word from a dictionnary in pointless. Most of the time, relying on the sole context is enough to figure out what the word means.

Well, if you feel your interlocutor has good intentions when correcting your mistakes, you shouldn't get upset. But if you're being corrected in a condescending way, just end the conversation and avoid talking to that person ever again. Expressing yourself in a foreign language is difficult enough without having to deal with this kind of "toxic" person.

The world we live in is becoming more and more globalized. While this process definitely has its perks (for instance, communicating with someone located on the other side of the world has never been easier than today), I'm very anxious about its effect on languages. This process is favouring the rise of some kind of "language imperialism" which, in my opinion, represents a real threat to language diversity. For instance, over the last few years, many English words have somehow become standards in French (marketing, break, boss, feeling, etc.) even though French equivalents exist. I personally wouldn't want to live in a world dominated by 1 or 2 languages only. What about you? What is your opinion about globalization? Should we fear its consequences over language diversity?

The best advice I received : "Language learning is not a sprint, it's a marathon. So take your time but be persistent." Learning a language is never easy. Trying to learn a language in a rush is just counter productive and kills all the fun of the process. It took me some time to realize it but now that I've accepted the idea that language learning is an ongoing process, I progress without getting too frustrated.

Guys, have you ever heard about http://www.engrish.com/ ??

I second that. It cannot be totally trusted but it's useful, especially if you have a basic knowledge of the language you're trying to translate. It's a tool, not a solution.

It happens to me sometimes. I use English at work and from times to times, I can't remember a word or an expression in French (my native language). Hopefully, I always find my way back home! :grin:

I totally agree. Speaking is always the hardest part for me. Especially getting the accent right (at least an intelligible accent ). Thats why they say language learning is all about persistence and practice.

My ex girlfriend was Romanian. (Sorry for the late reply by the way)

Hey people! I'm chiller (my real name is Jonathan). I'm 27 (soon to be 28) and I'm French. I'm fluent in English and French (my native tongue). I'm currently learning Romanian (I'm semi-fluent at the moment) and I just finished learning the Russian cyrillic alphabet (can't wait to start learning Russian, although I'm sure it won't be a piece of cake :confused: ). See you soon on the forum!

Oscar Wilde is such a man of wisdom. My favorite quote from him: "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."