Qamra

Yay! It said I should learn Arabic I'm already learning Arabic so I guess I know where I'm going. I wouldn't mind learning Latin either but I know I won't use it in life. Shame, such a beautiful language.

I know some people that have that problem and I feel similar way. It's a bit harder to think and read aloud in the same time. I often end up not knowing what I read at all But sometimes in goes another way round - I read some sentences loud to help myself understand them better. Yeah, I'm confused

It all depends on the person I text. If it's a close friend that I text a lot, we usually don't bother with using full words or punctuation marks. I do use internet shortcuts and abbreviations but I still keep my grammar correct.

I try to read as often as I can. I switch from reading books in Polish to English and I translate every single word I don't understand. My work is pretty mundane and I would never learn new words if I didn't learn on my own, using the same words all the time... I also try to make friends with intelligent people and discuss various matters to make myself sound better and learn new words.

I love the link, thank you! How have I not stumbled across it earlier?? It's funny how many things we learn by accident listening to radio or watching TV. Thank you

I often hear some talk or music in foreign language and, though I never learned or spoke this language, still can tell what language it is. It's easy with popular languages, like French, Italian or German, most of people know the sound of them, but how about less known languages? Does it happen to you? Can you see the difference between similar languages even if you don't know them?

Oh yes. I work in transport so I meet a lot of people from different countries. Sometimes I get to talk to lorry drivers and they are often not very friendly. I once had a German guy who didn't even speak a word in English and he was mad at me cause I didn't know what he wanted. I learned German at school and tried to work the situation out but I don't know transport/machine/truck related words. In the end I had to send him to security because I don't need to deal with rude shouting people.

Do people really say 'suicided'? :amazed: That's just so wrong. Fortunately I never heard anyone saying that.

It depends on the language but it's always harder than you thought it would be. It's easier when you have native speakers and culture around, much harder if you don't take classes and do everything at home, having internet as only source.

I used to translate from Polish to English and the other way round for my parents and foreign boyfriend. My parents don't speak English so I was translating everything they were saying. It's not fun, trying to keep up with everything, especially when there is slang and jokes.

Or, sometimes, I'm wearing the dress I love... I never know which to use. It's easier in speech, no one really cares, but writing takes more considering.

I used to put pics including the world all around the house when I studied for German tests at school. I put some sticky notes picturing words on my desk, fridge, above the bed. It really helped me, especially with more difficult words. Maybe you could give it a go

This one is deliciously creepy! :grin: Thank you for this post, now I have something to spend few hours practicing.

Oh all those toilet words! I started working at my company two years ago and one guy asked me where the loo was. I had no idea what he meant :grin: Just say 'toilet', people, for god's sake. I also don't understand why Americans refer to toilet as 'restroom'. You don't rest there. You just do your business. I thought 'restroom' would be a place where you have your break or something.

I sometimes do, I always felt embarrassed at my German skills at school. Also, sometimes my co-workers have a laugh at my English when I happen to mispronounce some word. They can be really mean and it makes learning harder because I'm afraid to try and you learn by trying. Oh well