aceofnoobs

I don't think that it is necessary to go to the country where the language is spoken in order to learn your target language. I'm pretty sure that you can immerse yourself from the comforts of your home, if you are willing to put in the effort. It may be harder to get the food and vibe of that country in your own country though. I think a combination of everything (reading, listening to podcasts, watching tv shows and movies, speaking with natives) is the best way, but this is just me. I think the most important thing is that people have fun when they are learning a language, or else the motivation will be fleeting even quicker.

I am studying languages because it will open a world of opportunities for me. I will be able to discover other cultures, connect with other people, and increase my job prospects. I think, however, the biggest reason is just for the sake of learning. The learning process in a language can be quite frustrating, but is always very rewarding as time goes on. I love that it is a continuous journey, and never a final destination.

I love Cantonese. I love the way it sounds, as it sounds very melodic and harmonious to me, contrary to what some people might think. I also love that I do not have to remember 10000 verb conjugations, because there are no verb conjugations. The language is hard to master though pronunciation wise. I also don't know why, but I do not like Vietnamese aesthetically.

Are you constantly strengthening your skills? If I recall correctly, DuoLingo uses a Spaced Repetition System, so practicing on a regular basis will definitely solidify the words into your brain. If you have the time/motivation, you should try to strengthen previous skills on a daily basis in order to help you remember the vocabulary better.

This sounds like a decent strategy, but the amount of words that they are teaching might be too little. I think watching some TV shows with subtitles, and then writing down words that you don't know will help you much more. You will be able to see the words being used with proper grammar, and in a natural context that will be applicable to you when you travel to Europe. Good luck with your learning, and have fun!

From reading your sentences, your grammar seems fine to me. I think that grammar is only "poor" when it makes a language significantly harder to understand than it normally would be. I think massive amounts of passive input (reading and listening) can help you soak up good grammatical habits if you feel that you need to improve upon your grammar. Good luck!

I have heard much better things about Assimil than Rosetta Stone. I have heard that Rosetta stone is quite overpriced and not worth the money for what the product offers you. Rosetta Stone is definitely also to be only used as one resource, as self-taught methods for languages are very lacking and will only get you so far. I have also heard good things about Pimsleur, especially when you are a beginner. Good luck with your learning of Chinese!

Although this might be a bit extreme, I think that forcing him to speak solely in English will help him tremendously. Even when he doesn't know how to express himself perfectly, he should still try to express himself in the target language. That way, he will be forced to learn new words and think in the target language. You can also fill in the gaps for him and he will definitely pick up on it . Good luck!

I personally prefer Word Reference to Google Translate because it gives more concrete examples of how the word is used. When translating single words, it might be harder to use Google Translate because it lacks context. I think it is getting better, however, but whole sentences may still come out as awkward chunks that are comprehensible as a whole.