sillylucy

I ordered their free trial a few years ago. I asked for a French sample and they sent me one in Polish. I think they were just trying to prove a point by saying "You can learn any language with this software," but it was disappointing that they didn't send me a French one. Anyway, it was very quick and you do pick up on terms quickly, but I didn't see any benefit more than my $20 Berlitz program.

Get a pen pal or someone who will voice chat with you! Immersion is the only way you are going to be able to speak it without sounding like a total noob. You can watch all of the anime you want, but you won't learn until you're able to respond to someone in a real life setting.

Hi everyone! What are some good sites for learning Japanese for children? I'm thinking of learning with my younger cousin. She has a great appreciation for anime and all things kawaii so I thought it would be fun to learn with her. She's 7 right now and so I don't think some of the sites I have been using would be of any interest to her. Thanks!

I also like to think of it in terms of "Mine" and "Yours." I just interchange those words when translating and then it makes it easier to remember. Hope that helps.

I like anything by Paulo Coelho and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I would have to say that they are two of my favorite authors who write in Spanish. :wacky:

I thought duolingo's content was good, but the site design was too cartoonish for my liking. It reminded me of something that a 5th grader would use.

Yo no quiero vivir en Espana, pero yo quiero vivir en Francais! :grin:

Are there any blogs in spanish that you like to read for fun? So far I follow a few fashion blogs and some mommy blogs, but I haven't found much outside of that.

I think the words "moist" and "envelope" sound weird to me. I think any word can sound strange to you if you say it more than ten times really. Language is mouth sounds when you think about it.

I don't really think that it is spelled wrong, but I hate it when some people use "theatre" instead of "theater." It just irks me.

I always think of my high school English teacher when I think of onomatopoeia. She would always bring up the word "tic tac" when trying to teach us the lesson. She said that the brand of mints was the perfect example.

Anything with a "larly" ending. Words like "singularly" just make me trip up. It is like my mouth does not want to make those sounds at all.

I literally hate it when people overuse the word "literally" every 3 seconds in their conversation. It is so annoying! It makes me cringe.

You can always visit your local library and ask your librarian for the latest children's books in Spanish that they received. Most libraries have a large Spanish section these days. Resources aren't as limited as they once were.

I really do. I think people who know multiple languages are always so interesting. Most of them are well traveled and put their knowledge to use. I find it to be very attractive.

One thing that I hope will happen down the line is a streamlining system that is integrated with the technology that is available to us. I don't know why we don't have multilingual translation systems on our devices. It would make travelling much easier.

At first I thought you were talking about solo reading vs. group readings. I think that you can't really learn a language just through books. You have to hear it and practice speaking it with others. That's why I prefer instructional videos in addition to readings.

I think there is a time and a place for it. You don't want to go and use it in a job interview. I think it can be beneficial for young people because it makes you feel like you belong. It is useful when you socialize as a teen and it can help you fit in.

I learned Spanish by the time I was 5. My grandmother taught it to me and I spoke it with her for 3 years. Then I forgot it when I moved away and had to re-learn it when I was 15. I also stopped speaking it in college and picked it up again when I was 22 and had to work at a shop.

I was always confused by the one "cat got your tongue?" What does that even mean? :nerd: Who first came up with that one? Did some mean kitty attack someone's tongue? :confused:

I really like Japanese cinema and have always wanted to know what they were really saying in movies. I started watching stuff like Battle Royale and Suicide Club and wanted to get the full experience. I also like High School of the Dead and other mangas. :emo:

A lot of the children I would teach would respond well to images. If I showed them flash cards with picture or we would use a CD Rom with videos and images then they would remember a whole lot more. I guess they were visual learners.

I don't really read a lot of new sci-fi writers, although, I should have because we are kind of living in a futuristic society. I read a lot of Philip K. Dick and that is about it. I did try to give Snow Crash a read, but I couldn't get through it. :frozen:

I wouldn't say that any language is not worth learning, but I will not learn a language unless it is useful for my life. I would love to have the time to try to learn Japanese or Chinese, but I know that I won't use it in my daily life so I am hesitant to do so.

I know I have an accent when it comes to speaking Spanish. :cry: I have people tell me all of the time that I sound like I am not from Mexico. A lot of Mexicans in my area will correct me too. As a child, that made me embarrassed and that's why I never tried to learn Spanish, but now as an adult, I take it as constructive criticism.