sidney

Yes, hoax is perfectly ok to use in formal text or speech, even if you use it in informal conversations, it still sounds ok, not to deep or formal for casual use. I actually hear it more when someone refers to a false story.

I agree, exotic words are a big no-no, especially when it comes to essays or using them formally, like your thesis for example. It will make you look trying hard to look smart if you do that. It is also even more prohibited when you speak with someone, the whole thing will sound so awkward.

What country are you from Lasonax? That word that got you kicked out is definitely a swear word, I can't believe you think that it's not a swear word. I would be more puzzled if you are from the US or some Western country and you did not consider that as a swear word.

Your grammar is quite decent, I don't see any mistakes from what you've written so far, although the commas and punctuations could use some improvement. Anyway, for me, wrong grammar sounds so obviously wrong, like I was texting with some seller before, and she told me in English, "Sorry, I don't reserved", meaning she doesn't reserve her items and it's a first come, first serve basis. Ever since I was a kid I always just distinguished poor English grammar from the way it sounds. Poor grammar sounds so off. But of course now that I'm an adult I know the corrects tenses and stuff like that.

For me it's just plain curiosity, I wanted to understand what my favorite German band is saying in their songs, so I decided to learn their language. As for learning Spanish, I'm just curious as well, after all, the Philippines was colonized by Spain for 300 years, so some of our words are derived from Spanish. Our culture is also mostly influenced by the Spaniards.

I think the best motivator for learning a new language is the monetary kind, I know over here call centers pay much more for accounts that speak Mandarin, Spanish, etc. Apart from that, the interest should also be primarily there, because without it, you really won't be motivated to do or learn anything.

I only use the internet, various media like movies and songs, and various reading materials like books and cd's when I'm trying to learn a new language. I can't afford to hire a tutor for now, so I'm content with just self-studying.

No I haven't tried doing that yet, and I agree that you won't really get to pronounce words right. I think it would be better to learn through watching a foreign movie or through other learning materials. I actually have a free German CD-ROM that teaches you basic words in German that I got from the net.

How about changing the verbs to "was" or "is located"? "The closet is located on the floor" sounds a whole lot better to me, don't you think? Although "sit" and "stand" are pleasing to the ears as well.

I think it just implies that you've heard the punchline already, like when a comedian tells jokes, you know? That phrase just became popular because it's the chorus of an awful song.

I actually remembered this word now, and it definitely has no English counterpart: "Sampid". I think you can just explain what it means, like you're an "extra" that does not originally belong to a group, like if you move in to another family's home if you are adopted. There is no direct English translation for that word.

Spanish is actually spoken in a lot of countries, so I got curious to learn it because some of the words being used in Tagalog originated from Spanish. And I got interested in German because I love the music of this German band so I wanted to know what is the meaning of their lyrics, so I am studying their language.

Your question is really a case to case basis. It all depends on the time and level of commitment a person has to learn the language. I think to be really fluent in one it usually takes no less than a year of studying.

I think it depends on how my wallet is at the time and how serious I am in learning a new language. I think spending up to $50 in books or other learning materials is reasonable, but if I really want to step it up and I'm really serious to learn a new language, then I will go as far as hiring a tutor.

I really do not want to buy books anymore of any kind, because I see them as "clutter" nowadays ever since ebooks became popular, so I would have to say that I will stick to the reading material that has less pages, so it's traditional dictionaries for me.

My top 5 languages would be Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, and Thai, all because they interest me. Among the 5 I am most interested in Spanish and German, because Spanish is spoken in many countries and I love listening to the songs of a German band, so I'm curious to understand their language.

I think if you want to learn a language fluently, it's either you have a buddy that is fluent in that language who is willing to teach you, or you hire a tutor. Also immersion can help a lot in your quest to learn a new language because I think self studying can only help you get by and speak and know very basic words and sentences, but being with a tutor or learning through immersion can make you fluent. Remember that we have learned our native language through immersion.

I actually get to practice unintentionally, because I listen to this German band called "Rammstein" and I sing along to their songs a lot, so I find myself googling the lyrics and using a translator to find the English translation for the song. I think the most effective way to practice learning a new language is to just find a language learning buddy who will teach you the proper way to speak the language, plus with accent lessons.

I still have my Spanish-English dictionary with me way back from the 90's. I think having a dictionary is an indispensable part of your journey in learning a new language, because you can easily just browse it when you are out in another country for example and you have no internet connection and you need a quick translation of a something that you saw, like a sign board for example.

Nope, I have never done that, and I'm not really a fan of anime and manga to begin with. I'm actually more inclined to watch a movie with subtitles of the language that I'm learning so that I can also hear how it is pronounced. Don't you think that learning a new language with audio is more beneficial than just reading?

I actually laughed when I read this. It reminded me of "soy sauce" and a local food over here called, "tuyo" which is dried fish that is sold very cheaply, so mostly you can see this as a staple food for the poor people, not that I'm belittling them. So for me, it doesn't sound romantic at all, lol! Funny is more like it. I am from the same country as the thread starter, so I already know how to say "I'm yours" in Tagalog.

I think that as a beginner, it would be ok to learn a new language by self studying, but when you are already familiar with the basics of that language like proper sentence construction and everything, then you should now seek the help of a native speaker to help you polish your speech and help you to be fluent and error free when speaking in that language that you have chosen to study. Nothing beats the benefits of immersion.

I just thought of learning a foreign language because I noticed that Spanish is the next common language next to English that is spoken in many countries, and we were colonized by the Spaniards after all for 300 years, so it makes sense to learn Spanish, since a lot of our local words are derived from the Spanish vocabulary.

Google Translate should never be used to translate whole paragraphs if you're looking for a perfect and error free translation. It lacks coherency when it comes to less popular and "deep" words. I tried using it to translate a whole text just to test it's accuracy and sometimes the translation is too literal to the point that it's erroneous. It's ideal to translate words and common sentences but it should never be used to translate for the sake of conversing with someone. I actually use it mainly to translate the negative feedback of Ebay users against a seller, and it does help me get the "point" even if some of the the translation sounds grammatically wrong.

As for me, I tend to stutter when I get mad but not always, it happens rarely. Luckily for me, something similar to your situation has not happened to me yet. But since I'm not sensitive at all, I don' think I would be embarrassed if I was arguing with someone close to me.