Alrikidokie

I write things down too! Flashcards also work really well for me too especially the ones you can make online and then play match games and such with them.

I think smart people know more languages more than knowing more than one language is a marker of intelligence. Smart people didn't wake up smart they studied and learned what studying techniques worked for them which made it easier for them to learn new languages. However, some people just know languages but nothing else.

I'm a flashcard and note taking kind of girl. If I write and rewrite the same thing over again it eventually sticks. I use that for learning grammar rules and stuff like that but flashcards and repetition work best for vocabulary.

Middle Eastern men with deep voices speaking in English, yum. It's to die for. However, I love country accents too.

I live in the part of the US that doesn't have a recognizable accent save for the fact that people know where I'm not from. To my knowledge anyway so I don't think I have an accent. It's like an anti-accent.

I barely have a grasp on Hiragana and I'm not looking forward to diving into Katakana, however, I know at the end of the day it's just spending the time to practice them. Flashcards work wonders!

The first time I took Japanese it was because my best friend was really into the culture and the second time I took Japanese was to fulfill a college credit.

My biggest hurdle has been memorizing how to properly use each particle. I constantly get stuck trying to remember which one to use when  :cry:

The faster you memorize the hiragana/kanji the easier your experience is going to be. Once you have that down it's literally easy peazy. I'm currently in a Japanese course and the thing that weighed me down was not knowing the symbols.

I've only ever learned language in a classroom setting or on my own. The combination works really well for me but I think private lessons would only enhance my learning experience. Even if just using Skype tutoring would work too.

Well I do now! 

I had no idea this website existed by it's certainly full of very useful things, especially as a writer. Thanks!

Youtube videos with weird songs that teach you how to say things in whichever language you're learning are always fun. There are some seriously weird videos out there too lol

I'm learning Japanese in a classroom structure so you could say that my professor is my mentor, however, there's no one on one interaction on a personal level. I would love to have a more one on one mentoring type situation though.

Google translate has never been anything other than a load of trouble for me. It makes the simplest things even harder to understand! I've no doubt that it's no match for learning a language.

For all of you out there learning romance, and other, languages, what is the sexiest thing you know how to say?

Unfortunately, I didn't start until I was a senior in college. I honestly wish my parents would have stuck me in a language program earlier.

With the way the world is growing I think it would be a great idea to teach my child another language, if not several. I don't know if I'd be able to teach them to full fluency but I'd like them to at least be able to use the basics of different languages.

It's definitely a mixture for me as well! I like to write to reinforce what I'm hearing, reading makes me feel as though I'm really comprehending, and talking means I'm able to use what I've learned.

I live in the US so I'm naturally using English more than any other languages I know, granted, I'm not fluent in anything else but I wouldn't be able to communicate with most people if I were walking about speaking Japanese.

I find speaking more than one language very attractive, however, I wouldn't want it to become a reason to put me down. Some people get high and mighty when they are bilingual and that's a real turn off. Assuming they are a nice person though I don't think it could be a bad thing.

There's no way to tell really. The only thing I can think of to back up the assumption is the way women are socialized to believe they are below men thus making them want to work harder and learn faster. At the end of the day I think it comes down to the individual and what their personal goals are.

are afraid to actually use it in real situations? As my username obviously states, I want to become fluent in Spanish, and am in an area where I could use it on a fairly regular basis here in the US, but if the opportunity presents itself, I DON'T. I get language shy! I think I'm just afraid of sounding like an xxx, or appearing like a show-off or something because I can attempt to speak it. Does anyone else have this problem, or has anyone had this problem and overcome it? Any advice would be great.

I feel the same way! I even get shy in my Japanese class. My professor has only recently come to the US and her manner of speaking is so authentic and intimidating I get nervous. The only thing we can really do is "man up". People will understand that you may not be a native speaker and as long as you aren't mocking their language you'll be okay!

My best friend used to watch Japanese and Korean dramas all the time. I was hooked for awhile and while I don't really watch them anymore they did help me decide to learn Japanese and maybe I'll go for Korean after this!

I've never thought of that before but it's a good idea, it helps you keep track of how far you have come and helps you envision how far you want to go. Maybe I'll keep track for the next language I decide to learn.

We all talk about why we want to learn another language and the process of learning another language but I'm curious to know what your first time actually using your second language was like? Did you feel empowered at all?