Mafdet

Has anyone tried this software? I've used it for a while but I find that the beginner level was not really for beginners and it was difficult for me to get used to it and not get a headache while trying to guess words.

Is this app available only for iPhone? I have an android phone and I can't seem to be able to get the app on it. Is there a website version to it?

I use Duolingo as a website and I think it's a great tool that can be used in order to learn a new language. However, it does have some problems with the sound from time to time or depending on the browser and it's frustrating when you can't complete the exercise because of that bug.

I have tried Pimsleur for German and it's really great. Now that I've read your feedback I'm thinking about going back to it since I had a time when I didn't really have time to listen to the audios. But it's great and you can learn even without paying attention to it. You can let it play in the background and do whatever you need to do during that time.

Do you still learn Latin in schools? Or any other "dead" language? Do you find it useful or not and why?

There were a few attempts along the years to create a universal language that everybody would be able to learn so that we don't have to struggle with learning so many languages. What is your opinion on this and which are, in your opinion, the pros and cons?

Duolingo is, in my opinion, the best site to start learning a new language. It's still developing but they already have platforms for German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Has anyone of you tried it?

I am what people call a "grammar Nazi". I believe it's very important to use grammar correctly, first of all in order to be understood and also because if we don't correct our mistakes, there a high chance we will teach our kids to speak/write using the same mistakes until we damage the language completely.

Hello guys,

It's always a great motivator when somebody says they've learned a new language very fast. I gives you confidence that it's not going to be impossible for you is somebody else did it. So I'd like to know how much time it took for you to learn a new language. Most of use learned a new language in school and I guess we should not refer to those cases.

I've experienced the exact same thing with French. And there is no other way to prevent it from fading from your memory aside from practice. Try listening to french music or watch french movies from time to time. It really helps keeping the words handy for when you actually need to use them.

The second language that I've learned was French. And the reason I've learned it is simply because they thought us in school. But the interesting thing is that after 12 years of learning French, I still can't speak it properly. The third language was English, also thought in school, but I guess I liked it more and I also saw the benefits of knowing it when watching a movie or understanding stuff on the internet. i am now struggling with German, and the reason I want to learn it is because I like very much the sound of it, even though it's quite a difficult language to learn.

If we're talking about Spanish, try watching Spanish/Mexican TV series. It's a great way to get accustomed with the accent. But it helps a lot if there's someone that you can practice your speaking with. It's no use to have it in your head if when you're trying to speak your mouth does not know how to help.

When talking about German, the language that I'm currently trying to learn, I've started to learn on my own. I've used books and online learning sites. However, recently I've started to learn together with other friends and I think it is a lot easier when there is someone else that you can talk to and that you can learn together with. It helps with practice and also with motivation.

I think everybody has an accent. This is because every language has its own pronunciation rules and when you get used to pronouncing letters in a certain way, it tends to stick with you when trying to learn a new language that uses different pronunciation rules. But I don't think this is something that one can not overcome through practice. 

I think it sounds "aggressive" mostly because it uses less vowels and many consonants. But I personally don't find it aggressive. Try listening to Dutch. That's even weirder. Latin or francophone languages sound softer because they use many vowels.

I don't use LOL at ALL. I don't like it and I think it's very inexpressive. When used, it gives the impression of sarcasm rather than amusement. So is YOLO. I've noticed people stated to abuse this acronyms and there are more and more acronyms created. Some of them are useful, but some of them have no real purpose.

I think that a language is just a form of communication and if I were to choose between using an old, difficult and unproductive language just because of the cultural value and a simple, worldwide language, I would choose the second. I like languages, I like tracking back the meaning of words in order to better understand them, but most of all I'd like to be able to communicate, understand and be understood.

There is a language called Esperanto. I'm not sure if to consider it real or fictional but from what I know there are groups of people who use it. I would say it's artificial rather than fictional. So is any other language that was developed from scratch with a specific purpose. There was the idea some time ago to develop a global language called Globbish. But I guess English will become that global language without any help.

I've had situations in which it was easier for me to express myself in English than in my own language. I can't say I forgot words in my native language though. I'm not sure if this counts as forgetting. It did become a habit though to say half of the sentence in my native language and the other half in English.

Hey guys,

I see that most of you are planning on learning German. I like German a lot and I've been trying to learn it many different ways. I've gathered a lot of books that I can't seem to find time to read. I've also tried online learning sites and different software. What is your favorite way of learning? I'd like to find the most time and cost efficient one.