Rosyrain

My cursive writing is terrible and I don't really use it anymore. With the internet now, people don't even write letters anymore. I used to love getting letters from my friends and family when I was a kid. I don't even think they are teaching cursive in school anymore.

Have any of you ever use Google translate to converse with someone in another language or to learn a word in the language you are trying to learn? I have used the service with Spanish sometimes, but it seems as though the translation comes out wrong.

Reading kids books is a great way to learn a new language because there are always lots of great pictures to look at as you go to help you figure out what the story is about. It is the same principle that kids use when they learn to read in their native language.

Here is my favorite...in English: Betty Brown made some butter, but the butter was to bitter. To make the bitter butter better, Betty better butter in the bitter butter to make the bitter butter better!

I think it is much easier when you are absorbed into the culture where the language is that you want to learn to speak. If you live it, you will catch on much quicker than if you are in your own native area and just trying to study the language.

I don't think I have ever used the word cheque, when I was growing up, it was always "check" for everything. It is probably one of those words that has disappeared through new generations.

I think it is different accents and different words are pronounced different depending on where you are. It is kind of the same way with Spanish. In Mexico, some words are pronouced differently than in Spain.

Watching movies is a great way to help learn the language, because you have to figure out what is going on in the movie, and your brain kind of craves this. Another good way is to read children's books in the given language that you are trying to learn. They are simple and have pictures to help you follow what you are reading.

I had a friend in school who was deaf and so I learned a little sign language to help her out. I am a creative artistic thinker, so it was rather easy for me to pick up on the signs because I could visually see them. I imagine that there are differences in signs from one region to the next as I don't think there is a standard world form of the language. There are certain gestures that mean different things depending on where you live too.

I'm not sure we should ever be done learning our chosen language, unless we come to a point that we really are not interested in it anymore. Life is a learning process, and there are always new things to learn, even with languages that we speak.

English is my native language and I generally think in it, as I have no reason to think in the other language I learned. I learned Spanish out of need, so I use it when I need to. I would eventually like to travel and so I am going to need to pick up on another language. I can see how thinking in the language would help you learn and practice more though.

English is a very hard language and it there are different spellings and ways to say the word depending on where you are in the world. The word "muffler" for instance...if you are in England, it means a type of scarf and in America, it is a car part.

I do the same thing when I read books. The whole story plays out like a theatrical performance in my mind. This is why I hate watching a movie based on a book after reading the book. I find that the movie often leaves out some really good parts, and it is nothing like the story that played out in my head.

This happened to me when I stared to learn Spanish. I spent so much time trying to learn and practice the language that I started to intermix English and Spanish words. It was quite funny to my friends and family. Sometimes when I am looking for something in the store, I think about it in my mind in Spanish and not English.

I don't find it very helpful in the sense of remembering what the words mean. You get to catch on to the sound of the music, but I think that is all...you really don't memorize the meaning of the words. Maybe some people are different, but it really has never helped me out that much.

My favorite is the Southern American accent...also known as the southern drawl. Anyone with this accent can make a statement sound hilarious and light hearted....and yet can be so stern and serious!

I don't recall the last time that I made up a word when speaking to someone, but I have made up my own phrases before to describe a situation...I will not repeat any of them on this site though as some of them are quite vulgar and use profanity. It was just the way I felt at the time and how I expressed myself.

I text in normal language with full sentences and words as well. I know people who abbrivate everything and using texting lingo and it gets so confusing just trying to read what they are trying to tell me. Not to mention I am just slightly old enough that I don't understand what some of the symbols mean. What ever happened to just plain talking?

I use it as part of what I am talking about if I really am laughing, but it drives me crazy when people respond with just lol. I take the time to type out something to my friends and all I get in return is an lol, I can't stand when that happens.

I agree, I would avoid using Google translator unless you have to. If you do need to use it, make sure you keep it simple, one or two words. I have used it in the past and people get really confused as to what you are trying to say to them. Babblefish is an ok site to use.

Vosotros killed me in college and I almost failed as a result. It is so confusing to try and get the tenses right in the Spanish language. Is there an online study app that makes learning the different uses of the Spanish language a little more simplified?

I learned Spanish in school in a classroom setting and this really helped out. If one student was not understanding a concept, we would all pitch in and help out. You can't feed off other people if you are trying to learn the language alone. The group setting also helps out so you can ensure that you are pronouncing the words correctly and can start to have a conversation with others in your new language.

Good grammar is very important, as it makes you look a little more educated and intelligent. It is also very important if you are going for a new job as this is something that employers look at when hiring new employees. I think one of the key factors in learning a new language is to get the grammar right as well so that people can understand the thought you are trying to express.

I live in America and there are certain words that Canadians say different than Amercians which makes you sound like you have a bit of an accent. In America we say "about" and when Canadians say it, it sounds like "aboot." There are a couple of other words, but they are not popping into my mind right now. Depending on where you live in America, there are different accents here too. In the South, there is the southern drawl, and in the upper east coast, there is the "Boston" "New York" accents...hard to explain unless you know what I am talking about. I live on the west coast, I don't think we have any sort of accent...correct me if I am wrong here.

I began to learn American sign language and Spanish when I was in college. I wish I had started when I was younger so I could have had more time to study. It is so much harder to learn a new language the older you get.