Linguetronix

Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry.

Simple, yet tough!

I have to, in my native language too, so don't fret. Grammar is tough to remember, we just tend to "know" it. I'm learning Spanish and I have to constantly look up what some grammar terms mean (preterite, anyone?)

No, I've noticed nothing of the sort... Where did you get this from?

I've read all the books. I'd suggest you read the first one, and maybe the second. That's all. No point wasting your time with the others. The style is unique. He gets your attention with his dry, sardonic humour, but once the style grows on you - there's no point.

Salut!

A pleasure to have you here (c'est un plaisir tendre vous ici). My french isn't great, but I try to do what I can! Maybe we can help each other, yeah? Let me know. Cheers,

I cringe when I hear terms like "LOL" and "OMG" being used in daily conversation too, but the sad truth is, that is what makes English special! This is how the language has always evolved and always will. It grows and blends as people speak it since it doesn't have an institution to "preserve" the language the way French or Spanish does. And that's what makes it great!

It's better than nothing. It gets idiomatic expressions horribly wrong, but word-for-word, is a pretty good translator. I use it pretty often, though sometimes it leads me astray.

Listening to Julieta Venegas has helped my Spanish quite a bit. Her songs are peppy, upbeat and fun too, while being easy to understand. I'd recommend her songs to anyone learning the language.

Tolkien's Elvish (Quenya?). I didn't try learning it, but I remember using an online tool that would let me write stuff in that language. I inscribed a few birthday cards for friends in Quenya because I thought it would be cool. Needless to say, they didn't understand it.

The princess bride (the 80s movie) has some great quotes.

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

"HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Hilarious and a part of pop culture now.

I think we don't need any more languages, rather we need some involvement in the languages already present. I'm trying to generate some interest and activity in the Spanish forums, but it's not very easy. I think the number of forums that are present may have something to do with it, diluting activity.

Hey!

I hope you enjoy your stay here. The spanish forums are pretty dead, so it would be great if you could post there and help out! Glad to have a Spanish learner around. See you!

Hi,

Are you still looking for someone to learn English with? Puedo ayudarte con tu ingles, hablo un poco de espanol.

Gracias!

Tough to think of a "stupid" reason to learn a language, but, I guess if you were learning it for the sole purpose of passing an examination or a test, I would find that pretty stupid. Language is meant to be learned for the joy it gives, for communication and for its beauty.

I used to think that feature would be very useful too, but frequently I find words that aren't used a lot being chosen. This probably would still lead to an expanded vocabulary, but not a very useful one. Their app still has loads of other great features though - like the mini games!

I think you need a base before you go to a country and expect to pick up a language. I say so because I'm in a foreign land where they speak a tongue I know not much of, and I have struggled to pick it up well. However, other languages, like Spanish, I excel at since I formed a base for the language and built on it (using audiobooks). I may not have been to Spain, but I know the language better.

I wonder if Turkish is similar to Arabic. In Arabic, "Marhaba" means "hello" which is similar to what it means in Turkish I assume.

In any case, welcome to the forums and I hope you have fun!

When I read something from the early 20th century (or any different time period, really), I find myself having to constantly look up words in the dictionary. I probably look at it once every 5 pages, on average.

Where I live (India), both words are used equally. However, I guess as "check" is more similar phonetically and easier to spell, it has been getting used a bit more than "cheque".

I would say for verbs and functional use, Michel Thomas' audiobooks are worth trying.

For vocabulary, go for duolingo or memrise (both have apps available).

I would recommend Babbel, memrise and duolingo for Android. These three cover your vocabulary and should help you learn quickly. The Duolingo app is a little slow though, so you might prefer the website there.

Can you all please explain these jokes as well? I am not getting any, though I understand the words and what they mean. After the first one was explained I loved it and would like to know what the others mean too!

Please could someone explain?

I would recommend Michel Thomas' audiobooks. Those are excellent to get you started with functional use of the language. Post that, you could work with Duolingo like others have suggested.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Hera Pheri. It's a great comedy and will have you bursting with laughter from the beginning till the end (may vary depending on how much Hindi you understand).

I speak English and Hindi and know a bit of Arabic and French. I would love to have someone to practice conversing in Spanish with (listening/talking is the aim). Failing that, I would like to get better at writing and expressing myself in Spanish, but I'd definitely prefer conversing. I can help my Spanish buddy with their English (or Hindi).

You can reply to this thread if interested and/or PM me here.