Trellum

How could they be similar? English is a Germanic language and french is a romance one, they belong to two very different language families, so the only similarities one could ever find is similar words with similar spellings to English, but that's it. To me the closest language to french is Spanish and Portuguese. My only advice for you is to be careful with the false friends you will surely encounter, if you do that you will be fine, always check a word when in doubt!

I have experience with Dutchpod101, from what you described in your thread I am sure they use the same system for french as they do for dutch. Let me tell you I think their system is great, I am not the kind of person who often finds herself paying for this kind of things, but let me tell you I felt so tempted to pay for the premium, because i really thought it's so worth it! Actually I plan to for the premium once I am done with my exam... I still have another important exam in 3 years, so I better prepare myself early on!

I am familiar with the series, back when I was very interested in several languages I thought the course was great, specially the TV series, back then I was very interested in french and many other languages. I think this series in particular is a very great choice Don't worry, just keep reviewing your current course and you will be fine. This is what I am doing with my dutch course.

I remember when I was trying to learn English, I had just starting and I often misunderstood a lot expressions. I talked to a lot English speakers and i often asked what this or that meant and so on. That helped me a lot to be honest. No idea where I'd be if it wasn't for them. Back then I wasn't afraid to make mistakes and was shameless using my awful English. I think all that and the fact I was so young helped me loads.

Awesome post, am so going to use this trick with Dutch! Dutch verb conjugation is not as complex as the Spanish one, but it still requires some work to remember, specially when you are just learning the language. For now I do need it. I might apply this trick to other parts of the speech.

Some phrases you might want to check out: Les dije a ellos que tenían que visitar a su abuela. In this case ''Les'' is used to refer to several people, the person saying is either giving some explanation to someone or nagging them ''Le'' is used for only one person as in: Yo le dije a ella que tenia que irse''. In this case the person is telling another person something he or she said to someone else. Se les fue el avión! (A ellos). Often used when you are just an observer, or want to talk about something that took place in the past. Those are the most common uses of ''se''.

Hi guys ! I just noticed i forgot to mention my favorite movie in the last post! I'm not sure if I have mentioned it earlier or not, but I am a big fan of the Harry Potter franchise. Actually I am super happy today, because there is going to be a marathon of at least 4 Harry potter movies on TV today. I could watch those online, but I love it when they air them on TV Makes my day, last week they aired them whole week, every single evening, so yes, it was so hard to concentrate!

Well, I must said I feel so flattered right now :shy: I hadn't seen this reply until now :shy: It flatters me you say that :cry: Such a skilled linguist as yourself, I feel honored. I'm sad to report I didn't get the job, but oh well, there will be other good chances sooner or later. And thanks a lot, the addition of ''if'' or whether'' would have improved that sentence a lot! I need to use those more often and in that way, specially if D: I need to polish my English. Thanks for taking the time to bring this to my attention

English is my second language, I believe that when it comes to learning you are always learning something new, when it comes to English... well, it's been a while since the last time i ever learnt something new about it, but it still happens from time to time So I guess in a way I am and will always be an ESL student I am not actively learning English anymore, but I use it on a daily basis. Any new knowledge is always welcome.

It's very simple, the verb ''do'' is its past form when written as ''did'' or ''didn't''. That is why placing the other verb in past tense is invalid. Like for example: ''Did you go there?'' You are asking something about the past, did is there, so that basically means the other verb in the sentence needs to be in present tense.

I had the same problem, that is why I no longer use it at all. Memrise is better, because you can learn so many different words, you can even create your own word lists according to your needs! It's excellent, because you get exactly what you want and need. I of course recommend to also be using a good course, sites like Memrise are supposed only to serve as an aid. That site has really helped me be more fluent, knowing more words does help loads!

I like the TV show ''vecinos'', their Spanish is very neutral and hey don't use so much slang even though it's a Mexican TV show. It's a very funny comedy, it should be easy enough to understand most of it. If you are learning latinoamerican spanish then this show is the right one.

The best way to do that is practice, you need to start using your Spanish more! Luckily you don't have to go out and meet new people who speak Spanish, you can meet a lot though different language exchange web sites and then talk to them on Skype. As simple as that, this is the approach I am taking with dutch and is working. You can also try watching more TV shows and learn more sentences by active listening.

This has yet happen to me, and I use English on a daily basis. But then again, I live in a Spanish speaking country right now, I hear Spanish everyday! So maybe this is why my English is on par with my Spanish. I am a bit afraid that when I move abroad I will start forgetting Spanish more and more D:

Don't feel bad about it. People don't usually communicate in that way in other contexts (and if they do... they are in the wrong). Just keep learning and you will be ok Keep focusing on your Spanish, you can get as colloquial as you want later. Remember this kind of language is only used in text messages, not in every day writing and communication. Is not really important.

My fiance is a newbie I might recommend him this app, I know it's for kids, but I think this kind of apps are also good for people who have little to no experience with Spanish. It looks so pretty I'm sure he is going to like it. I think learning as many words as possible of the new language is important, actually now that I am seriously studying dutch I realize that. It's the same with Spanish... the more words you learn the better, so you can start communicating with others faster and your motivation grows.

Awww, too bad this is only for Spanish students I wish there sites like these for people learning dutch I'm so fed up with those people I've met at those language exchange sites. Most of them aren't even serious, just sign up to see how many friends they can get in the site, so lame.

Supposedly is a kiss sound. The way people write it varies greatly from country to country. Some write ''muack'' some write ''muaaaaaaa'' or ''mwaaaaa''. So she is basically sending you kisses I hope you do reciprocate them

It really sounds to me like you really want to learn Japanese, you seem to be very interested both the japanese culture and language. But not so much in french. So why don't you just try to learn Japanese again, maybe you will have an easier time if you try again. In life you got to try things before giving up, so you can know for sure what you can and cannot do. Do yourself a favor and try it.

When it comes to learning languages, what do you prefer guys? Doing it online or offline? I ask because lately I have been thinking a lot on the topic, I will have to take a very important exam soon, that is why. So I'm getting more and more serious about learning dutch! The time is so near and now is the time to shine or at least pass the exam So what do you think guys? Online or offline courses? Going to language classes or studying online? Studying at home with a book? What do you prefer and what has worked better for you?

It's a fact, I am going to be taking the Inburgering examen in 2-3 months, so now I am quite serious studying dutch. I am almost done with the book, but I feel I need some extra support. So I ran across Dutchpod101 the other day while checking some dutch learning videos online. I thought they were great, so I went on and checked the web site. It looks like a great place to learn dutch, but it's a bit expensive, their monthly plans are so expensive and am not even sure I have that much time. At least not enough time to make the most out of that site in one month. But then the yearly price is good, but I'm not sure I'll be needing a subscription for a full year! Plus a lot people tells me there are many good sites where I can learn dutch fro free, but I have told them all those sites have their limits and are not ideal for people who need to seriously improve their dutch in a short amount of time. So right now I am not sure what to do, but so far I favour the paid sites more over the free ones, specially now I am super serious and am having an exam so soon. What about you? Do you use free or paid sites for learning languages?

The hardest part for me was the spelling... I studied some Norwegian, so for me it was very easy to confuse the spelling of some words :/ Also the indefinite and definite articles have always been a problem for me, specially in Swedish for some reason. I'm no longer studying those two languages, but I've been thinking of studying Norwegian again.

Has anyone tried this web site? I tried their 7-day long trial and it looks like a really nice way to learn dutch. I liked the fact they have a very nice seasonal vocabulary list, and their lessons are really fun. The only complaint I have are how the quizzes are presented, but I really like they added examples to the words used in their flash cards. For me that is very important. I'm seriously thinking of upgrading to the premium service, I get a very nice discount I pay for a whole year! I was thinking of paying month by month, but it costs $25 a month! If you go for the 1 year long membership it costs $133, so just $11 a month! It's cheaper in the long run, but a part of me is afraid to spend that much on a language course. Plus they spam a lot!!! They send 2 or 3 e-mails to my inbox daily, not cool. Has anyone used this site? Did it help you? Know better options?

Thank you, a very well written post Truly excellent, I am sure this post will come in handy for all those people who are trying to perfect their English. When I was learning and my level was advanced-intermediate, I found this kind of info truly useful Thanks for the excellent post.

I feel so relieved to hear that!!! To know also you guys make that kind of mistakes, not only us people who have English as their second language. By the way, up until now I also thought it was ''ar-chiv'' not ''ar-kive'', that is so odd This is the first time I hear about this word being pronounced this way. English never ceases to surprise me