Trellum

Thanks a lot for sharing this!  This is probably the most useful link in the whole forum!  I just watched one of the videos from this web site and I loved the fact the video has subtitles to reinforce what I heard (just in case there was any doubt the word I heard was actually the one I thought I heard).

What a wonderful web site, it definitely deserves to be bookmarked and I actually did   One of my biggest weaknesses in English is pronunciation!  I love how clear and entertaining the videos in this web site seem to be. 

Hi Alex!!  I just took a look at your web site and I must say your idea is really brilliant and will surely help a lot people trying to improve their spoken English!  I'm actually trying to improve mine and my biggest problem so far has been the pronunciation and learning the phonemes.

The idea of adding animated diagrams for all the phonemes is excellent, I'm so looking forward to see this idea being executed.  I think learning the phonemes is the biggest obstacle, take me as an example... I learnt English on my own, but never took the time to learn the phonemes! 

Thanks a lot, I had never heard about this web site!  I just answered several questions in a row and donated 220 grams of rice for the needy   What a wonderful idea, I hope it truly makes a difference and that people can benefit from it. 

This site seems to be a wonderful places to practice your vocabulary and help people in need.  I hope more people start using it and all that rice is donated to those who need it the most.  Our world needs more people willing to help those who are needy, even if it is like this!  Every little action adds up!

Thanks for the link, I'm actually in a dire need to improve my writing and speech, hehe! But it's easier to say than to do!  This article has some really interesting tips, that might seem too obvious to some, but most of us (specially me) tend to skip them.  Like for example reading before I start writing an assignment, lately I lost my focus and get bored so easily that attempting to read and research something doesn't seem doable. 

I have a problem, I know!  I have ADD so is really hard to concentrate on anything, as a kid they thought it was bad, but now as an adult is far worse, hehe! 

Anyways, going back to topic!  Writing is a skill that can only be improved with practice, but every time you practice you must put all your effort in it. Because is actually pointless to practice and practice if you are not even trying to do your best and improve.

Text-broker accepts only Native English speakers. Currently they have two websites. Text-broker.com [for U.S writers] and Text-broker.uk [for all the other writers]. To qualify as a writer for Text-broker.com, you MUST be a U.S citizen. For Text-broker.uk, you HAVE TO BE a: a Brit, Canadian, Aussie, South African [with a Smith-sounding surname. . .if you get my drift], an Aussie or a Kiwi.

So I guess that locks out most writers no matter how good they might [if English is their 2nd language.]

I was about to comment about that! I'd have loved to be able to join hat web site, but as you said they only accept native English speakers and they are extremely picky when it comes to your location (as you pointed out). It's a pity, because a monetary incentive is always a good motivation for someone to improve any skill, just like the OP suggested 

There are other sites that accept people who are not US based,  so I would really recommend all the users that don't have all the requisites to be accepted at text-broker.com to try the other sites that do.

I was wondering the exact same thing a while ago, and that's why I posted in this forum a very similar question.  My guess is Esperanto turned out to be a linguistic failure.  I only know a person who speaks it, he learnt it when he was very young, but I doubt he ever uses it.  I doubt anyone else in the world ever uses it.

Back when I was a teenager there were several site that were promoting this language, I even read bout an Esperanto association that offered some kind of hostel service for all those who could speak this language, as some kind of incentive, you know?  I guess that site no longer exists.

What a pity this didn't work out, in theory it was a great idea, but no idea what the heck happened! I guess that's the main issue with artificial languages.

I'm a native Spanish speaker, but surprisingly enough Spanish isn't my language of preference at all!  I actually prefer English over Spanish!  I don't really know why, I guess I like how clean and simple English is.  I like the simplicity of this language, I love the fact it has no genders! 

Some people here think I'm crazy but I actually find easier to communicate in English than in Spanish.  Could it be because I use English every day almost the whole day?  It could be, but it could also be because some things sound way better in English than in Spanish.

For me the list would go like this (yes, in a specific order):

1 - English.

2 - Spanish.

3 - French.

4 - Arabic.

5 - Chinese.

As far as I know those are the languages that have more speakers around the world, and that's why I think they are must for any decent polyglot out there

One of my favourites is : "Quiero ser un bombon para derretirme en tu boca..." (correct me if I wrote it wrong)

Lol, that's a really odd pick up line!  Kinda rude depending on where you come from, in my country if you said that to someone, specially a woman, there is a huge chance she would slap you right away.  I'd not blame her because I'd probably do exactly the same!  This phrase has some sexual connotations, or should I say a lot?  I'd never dare to use it.

Thanks for the good laugh 

Uhm, I guess I can understand some words in dutch, but most of the things dutch people say are still a mystery to me, specially the spelling of said words, hehe!  But in general I'd say most of us can understand some random words of most languages, this applies to English speakers mostly   When I was in the Netherlands there were many words that sounded so familiar,  because they sounded like their English equivalent!!! So yes, in a way I could understand a language I couldn't speak

Sadly my future mother-in-law gave me a dutch-Spanish dictionary that I will probably never use  :shy:  I might try it tho, but I honestly think having Google translate installed on my mobile will come even more in handy, and will be using it far more than that dictionary.  But I was really grateful for her attempt to help me learn dutch, I can tell she really loves her son and that is why she wants me to learn dutch fast  

Physical dictionaries are no longer practical, sadly   I will try to use it today

Maybe you are wondering what I mean by ''bad language habits'', right?  I will explain myself by telling you about my bad language habit. 

I'm the kind of person who enjoys writing proper English, even when I'm just ''talking'' to my friends online.  Yes, I'm serious when it comes to that because I believe that's a bad language habit. And instead of being just the exception, this habit might become he rule later on.  That's why is better not to indulge in this kind of habits, because when you least expect it you will find yourself forgetting how to write certain words or certain prepositions and so on.

I do, however, have a bad language habit that I can't seem to be able to get rid of.  My bad language habit is...  not putting enough effort into my pronunciation when I'm with people who are close to me. Like for example my boyfriend and his family!

I was well aware of this  bad language habit, but it wasn't until I watched a video of myself in which I was speaking, that I realized how bad this habit has become.  I was perplexed because I knew there was a problem, but I didn't know it was this bad! I know I can speak a better English, that's why it shocked me  to see and hear that media version of me speaking with such a heavy accent 

What about you, do you have bad language habits?

In the written form? Yes, definitely!  Because if I don't take the time to write proper English when I'm communicating with friend online, then there is a huge chance this will become a habit and little by little my spelling will just get worse and worse, so will my grammar.  Yes, I know it sounds silly, but it can actually happen, at least to me (I know myself).

I'm guilty of doing something far worse than this tho, I'm guilty of not putting a lot effort into SPEAKING  proper English when I'm with people who are close to me.  Yes, my accent is horrid, because I'm not putting  a lot effort into sounding better, because well, I'm just chilling!

But this is awful and needs to stop!  I did this in the Netherlands, I was aware of it, but it wasn't until I watched a video of myself and heard myself talking that I realized my accent was really strong!!!  Yes, to my dismay!  I need to work on that if I want to find a decent job soon...

I know how you feel!  My boyfriend also speak another language, he speaks dutch with his family most of the time, so I can't really interact much with them. The best you can do is getting a Spanish course that gets you to speak the language fast or at least learn the basic of the language, a good option would be the Pimsleur course (my favorite) or the ''for dummies'' series.  I think there is a good Spanish course that belongs to that series (for dummies), it comes with an audio CD too.

I'm planning to travel to South America. I'm very interested in its history and archaeological sites. (pre-settlers).

My main reason however is family. My mum was born in Paraguay (moved to Europe when she was 9) and I still have family there. I'd love to meet them one day and speak in their native tongue. Unfortunately, my mum never spoke Spanish to me or my sisters, so I have to start from scratch. I still have a long way to go.

Wow, Ella!  That sounds like a really interesting story!  I'm guessing you are based in the UK? I must say you have such a nice reason to learn Spanish   Meeting your relatives who are living there for the first time and talking to them in Spanish will surely be such a special moment and a moment you will never forget.

As a matter of a fact I do believe German sounds a bit aggressive, but it sounds a bit less aggressive than dutch, mostly because of that sound in dutch, you know like in words like ''gek''. I have such a hard time saying things like: U bent een beetje gek!  Lol, try saying all that together in correct dutch, so weird!

I really prefer German over dutch, I think learning German is way easier than learning dutch. I actually wish I had to learn German instead.  I like how aggressive German can sound sometimes, I find that appealing, way appealing that ''softer'' sounding languages, like for example french!  German is a beautiful language

The hardest part of learning English was and still is the pronunciation!  I started learning English on my own when I was just 16 years old, I'm currently 27 (turning 27 today) and so far I haven't truly mastered the English pronunciation.  I still have a strong accent and I hate it. I wish my accent could be more neutral, just like it is in Spanish.

I think the pronunciation will always be the hardest part of learning a new language.  I know it is for me now that I'm trying really hard to learn dutch!

I have the exact same problem, op.  I am a bit shy when it comes to speaking a language I'm starting to learn, I had this same issue with English and I'm not having it with Dutch!

I feel so shy when my boyfriend asks me to tell his sister what I have learn in Dutch! This language is so hard to pronounce right, so I actually feel a bit concerned I will sound funny, because I do have a strong accent in English (I have heard myself speaking in videos!). 

I'm guessing in Dutch it will  be way worse. I will sound very funny, but I guess as I get better and feel more confident my fear to speak the language in public will disappear.

Hello everyone!  I am finally back from the Netherlands and truly looking forward to go back, but the only thing stopping me right now is the language! After spending a few weeks over there, I must the language doesn't seem as hard as I thought it was and I could easily recognize many words in dutch that are identical in English!  So that gives me some hope! 

Bad news is I should at least learn the basics of dutch in just 6 months!  I need to hurry up, but I don't want to stress about it.  I have an action plan and it includes the pimsleur course, I guess once I'm done with that course I will know at least a few basic phrases   I plan to look up the words and phrases I learn with that course online, then write them on a notebook so I can keep track of all the things I have learnt

I know this won't be easy at all tho, because I still have to work and also study before I apply for an online job I am hoping to get (I truly need to save money for my treatment!).

Wish me luck! 

We all have weaknesses, even in our own language!  I am native Spanish speaker and sometimes I still get confused with a few things regarding my language, that's why I keep my Spanish grammar and orthography books nearby   Just in case I need to consult something.  Because knowing what your weaknesses are in the language you are learning or have already learnt actually makes you stronger   There is nothing to be ashamed or disappointed about!  We are all humans who make mistakes!

So tell me guys, what is your main weakness in Spanish?  Do you have more than one weakness in Spanish? What are you planning to do to improve that?  Do you have any plan?

Spanish is my mother language, and I must say that even tho isn't my favorite language, I can see it's really useful to know it, mostly because there are so many Spanish speakers out there!  Seriously!  When I was in the Netherlands I often heard people speaking Spanish, even more when I was at the airport trying to go back home.  Learning Spanish is really worth it because it has so much relevance nowadays, I'm sure there might be a lot job opportunities for those who speak Spanish and English. 

So if you are an English speaker and want to learn a language you will actually use, then learning Spanish is the perfect choice for you!

Yes, if there isn't a piece of paper nearby then I do it.  I will not hesitate to do it, specially if the info I have to write on my hand is important.  By the way,  some classmates used to cheat this way, I tried it once, but it I hadn't enough space to write everything I had to write.  Glad I started to learn more about mind mapping   Too bad I was already done with school when I did, hehehe!  It would have helped me so much!!!

It really annoys me when people use a very vulgar language, specially if there is not a real reason for that.  just hate it how some people throw in the f word in almost every sentence they speak or write.  That's something that gets in my nerves, I don't really know why, but I am guessing is because my mom never liked me to do that when I was little.  Maybe I need to be more open minded?

I used to teach English when I was younger, for that I used a lot visual aids and always encouraged my students to speak the language as much as possible.  I never used Spanish or any other language, if I needed to explain something, I always did it in English. Because I believed this was a good way to emulate ''immersion''. 

We used a book, there were times we sat in a circle and just discussed some parts of the book.  I always encouraged my students to communicate with each other without fear to make mistakes.  I made it very clear it was ok to make mistakes, as long as they were willing to work on them and fix them later on.

Definitely! Now that I'm staying in the Netherlands I can finally see the similarities! Like for example: train, lamp, cat, etc. The pronunciation in dutch is so similar to the one in English, but it can be kinda confusing for me at times, mostly because English isn't my mother language.