FatesWing

The cost is dependent on which location you choose. Generally, the cost ranges from US$160 to US$250. For more detailed information, visit this site: http://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/faq You'll find most answers to your questions there! Good luck with the test!

I agree that there definitely is a bit of a challenge when you first start learning French compared to English especially. In English, mostly everything is spelled the way that it sounds. Whereas in French there are more silent sounds and odd combinations of letters at times. Glad you're enjoying the language so far!

If you have the ability to, I would definitely recommend investing in some language learning software such as Rosetta Stone or Tell Me More. These can help out with the basics and allow you to move forward at your own pace. My other advice would be to see if you can visit Youtube and listen to French dialogue or music. This will help you to become immersed in the language and the culture. Last but not least definitely stay active on this site and meet others who can help you out. Best of luck to you!

There's a French rapper by the name MC Solaar. He's probably one of the more well known French rappers. While learning the French language I love to listen to music in the native tongue because it really can help you understand different vocabulary as it is used in different contexts. I have never heard of Patricia Kass but will definitely check her out now!

The book that I would deem as unforgettable would be The 5 People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. He is an absolutely incredible author and some of you may know him from his most famous book Tuesdays With Morrie. Albom has a very distinct habit of writing in a very relatable and well paced way. If you've never read some of his books I would highly recommend that you do!

I find myself doing both. Sometimes I'll write as if an English teacher will be grading me, and then other times I use slang and text message styled writing. For me it just depends on who I'm speaking with. With my friends if I'm passing down information then I may write very proper vs if I'm telling a friend I'm on my way I may just put "omw" or "bts" for be there soon.

So glad you brought this up! And what an awesome turnaround time! Look forward to seeing what posts will pop up in the Arabic section now!

I am curious if someone has already posted a question/answer to this, but is t here any symbol or indicator that a poster will see if they have already posted in a topic? I find I'll be ready to jump into a conversation but then see my avatar next to an old response. Quite a bummer actually. Any help with this?

I do agree that poetry is one of the best uses of the english language. I feel that lyrics, when written to their fullest potential, are quite identical in form to poetry. A verse can easily become a poem. A chorus can easily become a Haiku. I guess I prefer both really!

Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy yourself on here. I joined recently and absolutely have nothing but positive things to say about both the site and the people on here! I am a writer as well (only in the English language) but I am curious, are you planning on writing in different languages?

Nice! Quite the incentive to keep the conversations going on this here forum! Plus, for those who are extremely active, it's like a silent nod of "hey thanks for contributing to the site!" :grin:

This is awesome! Glad to see you guys are taking advantage of the social mediums to connect. You have my full blown support!

I tried Tell Me More before but always found it wasn't as complete of a learning experience as I would've liked. I switched to Rosetta Stone recently and absolutely love it! I actually find myself mentally referring back to the lessons to use what I learned in everyday life.

It's interesting to hear about all of the different experiences you all have when coming in contact with those who speak the language but have different accents. I have been working on projecting a more authentic accent as for pronunciation and clarity.

I think that this is a great idea to help us work on spelling and context when using the language. I agree with the above poster who said practicing chatting in person may be a good practice as well especially when it comes to pronunciation. For now though, let's use what we have!

Some of my favorite French idioms are: Garder la tête froide: to keep one's cool ("to keep the head cool") Se creuser la tête: to think really hard / to remember something ("to dig into your head") Se mettre le doigt dans l'œil: To put your foot in it - to make a mistake ("to put your finger in your eye") It's awesome reading some of your faves as well!

Some great responses so far on this topic. To the user who suggested Duolingo, I will definitely look further into that. I, like the author of this topic, have also found my fluency went down a few notches due to inactivity. I look forward to relearning as well as learning new things about the language!

My first French movie was Les Miserables. My French teacher in High School thought that it would be a good way for us to become immersed further into the language without turning on the subtitles and seeing what we could translate based off of the visuals, their tone of voice, and of course whatever words we were able to translate as the dialogues occurred. At the time I was so lost! Later on though once I learned more about the language I found myself more interested in the movie!

I have never heard of or used this site before, but now that I know about it I will definitely look into it! Thanks for sharing! Also, it sounds like a great way to immerse yourself into the language of your choice and that really does help a language learner become more comfortable in their speaking abilities!

I think Charlotte's Web was definitely one of the first full novels I read as a child too. The one that I remember reading very early on was Stuart Little which is also by E.B White! Great author for children's books!

I absolutely love poetry and this is a great poem! "Please don't ask how we got here 'cos God knows everything." What an honest yet well written line. I applaud the author of this piece!

I absolutely love Edgar Allan Poe's works! I think the one that comes to mind as one of the best, regardless of its popularity, would be The Tell-Tale Heart. If by some chance you've never read it here's the link to it in it's entirety: http://poestories.com/read/telltaleheart From beginning to end it grabs and keeps your attention and the suspense is well played out in this short story

Firstly, congratulations to her! That is an awesome award to receive as an author especially when there are so many people who really don't ever get acknowledged for their works. Here's a link to an article that offers some more links to about 18 of her short stories for you to read for absolutely free! Enjoy! http://www.openculture.com/2013/10/read-14-short-stories-from-nobel-prize-winning-writer-alice-munro-free-online.html

This is my first time hearing of this site as well. I agree with the previous post about Google translate. Sometimes it'll be a bit off or a bit too formal for casual conversations. Thanks for the link!

As free as a bird. As graceful as a swan. As proud as a peacock. Silly as a goose. As wise as an owl. A birds eye view. Those are some of my favorites that come to mind!