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Linguaholic

Verba

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Everything posted by Verba

  1. I am quite good in spelling. In fact, some native speakers that I've worked with even ask me the correct spelling of some English words. That's when I feel the satisfaction. Lol! But there are instances, I seem to doubt my own ability. So like what you do, when there's no way for me to check the correct spelling, I also write many variations of a word I can't seem to spell right. Then I choose which one seems to click right to me. So far, my guesses have been mostly correct.
  2. I notice that with me. But I am talking about a dialect that my mom uses when talking to her siblings. I think I am on the above average level in understanding it. In my head, I can even make my own sentence but I am afraid to say it out loud. I am conscious because my accent is different. I seem to try too hard. It makes me cringe like what I feel when my older sister speaks that dialect. She's not scared to talk with my mom's family. But she's really often the gutsy type which is good. So I think it's more of a confidence issue for me.
  3. I agree with you. Constant reading and writing is needed to learn the language. But I will need a dictionary or the internet to check the meanings or translation of some words, which is really helpful. Getting familiar with the words makes you remember faster. Application is very important in language learning. Immersion is the key to practise the language. So talking to native speakers or bilinguals will make you adapt to their manner of speaking, the words they use and their accent.
  4. Why not? I would like to go back to a regular classroom set-up just to learn a language because it might motivate me to continue learning whatever it is I am doing. I will be forced to study to sit for exams or to write homework perhaps. I have to prepare for any requirements for the course that will make me learn more. It would be fun also to learn with others since there is interaction. It can make learning faster too. If I am alone I can just dilly dally because I learn at my own pace. So why rush? I might even stop learning because there is no need to really do it.
  5. No, I don't mind Taglish at all because there are English words that we cannot directly translate to Filipino. This is allowed in Philippine Universities. Some college students I know wrote their theses using the Filipino language with a mixture of English words. But I remember some of the English words are spelled in Filipino. I cannot exactly remember the words, but it was allowed. It is acceptable. Maybe what's annoying is how some people use Taglish. The way it is constructed and said have a lot to do with it.
  6. Kamusta kayo is more formal than Kamusta 'tol. The latter can be likened to your How are you bro? or 'sup bro? Kamusta kayo is used in asking older people or an older person or a person you respect, but not necessarily older than you. Or if there are two or more people you're asking, whether they're your friend or mere acquaintances, you can say Kamusta kayo? (How are you? Or How are all of you? Or How are you all?) Kayo means you. It is a pronoun in Filipino that refers to two or more people. If used to address one person, he/she is either older or someone you respect but not necessarily older as I've said earlier. Kayo in that usage shows respect. Hope that helps.
  7. Mahal Kita Mahal kita asawa ko? That sounds like a beautiful thing to tell his wife! I don't know what it is but I like it when someone shares words like that in their native language with the people their close to. It's just another thing that makes language beautiful.
  8. I started learning English as a second language since I was in Prep. During my time, that's the entry level for a first-time student. But at home, my mom sometimes talked to us in English. It was in school though where I was obliged to really write and speak the language. Not only it is compulsory, it is also the medium of instruction in every school in our country.
  9. I have a friend who's married to an American. One time, on Facebook, her husband commented this on her status: "Mahal kita, asawa ko." A lot of us instantly liked it. :-) It means, "I love you, my wife." So maybe you can use some Filipino words that can add a more personal touch to the words, "mahal kita."
  10. I don't think he will mind as long as you do it for the sake of him learning the correct pronunciation. Without any sign of rudeness, just point out his mistake. You said you liked to teach him as he is an eager learner. So as his teacher, you should correct him just like a teacher would. I don't see any problem with it since that's what you're supposed to do as his teacher. He might even feel bad if others would correct him when all along he's been saying those words to you and you're not pointing it out to him.
  11. My 10-year old daughter tried this. On her own, without me and her dad telling her, she made a dialogue using Filipino, our native language. Now, she's more used to speaking, writing and reading in English because we left the Philippines when she was just 2 years old. But I want her to also learn how to speak Filipino. She can understand maybe about 80% of it because I talk to her in our language most of the time. The skit was hilarious! We had so much fun watching and hearing her read it. The words used and accent may be funny and awkward to hear but she learned so much from it. I have yet to follow her up on doing another one. Thanks for your post I was reminded about it.
  12. This is informative. Now I know the appropriate uses of fewer and less. And number 9 confirms my doubt that some of my native English speaking colleagues are using it wrong! Lol! No, it's not because they sound 'of' but they actually mean 'have'. Some texted me using of, not have. Lol! BUT could these be old English? Someone told me so.
  13. Thanks Linguaholic for improving the translation. I think this must not really be a perfect translation since my daughter is just studying French in school. Although, that's been her language option since Year 7, she does not have an actual application except when we travelled to France and that was even 2 years ago.
  14. From the time my kids could already communicate, I started talking to them in English. That's not my native tongue but I taught since it's the universal language, it would be advantageous for them to be fluent in it. They are but they're left behind in our own. :-( My eldest though still has a grasp of it and can communicate fairly well. But my youngest cannot. However, she can understand much better now than before. So I will continue to teach her.
  15. I asked my daughter who's taking French in Yr 12. This is what she typed in: "Je m'appelle Christine et je suis jamaïcain. J'ai vingt- quatre ans and j'ai un fille et elle a deux ans. Je vais à l'Université des Antilles où j'etude Administration des Affaires et je suis dans deuxième année. Je sais que nous voulons à communiquer mais nous ne pouvons pas comprendre l'un l'autre donc tu peut essayer télécharger logiciel de traduction pour nous aider." Roughly translates directly to: "My name is Christine and I am Jamaican. I am 24 years old and I have one daughter and she is 2 years old. I go to the University of the West Indies where I study Business Administration and I am in my second year. I know that we want to communicate but we cannot understand one another so you can try to download a translation software to help us." And sorry I don't know of any translation software that you can use. But I can ask my daughter to ask her French teacher for one. I'll let you know as soon as she replies. Hope that helps. Good luck!
  16. How about "at the drop of a hat?" It means doing something without any hesitations. Why can't it just be a hankie? Lol! It's easier to drop. Or the idiomatic expression "a hot potato" which refers to a trendy topic that's being disputed. But honestly, I haven't really thought about these idioms as strange. I think I related its use in sentences. When the sentence seems appropriate with that idiom, it appears logical to me. For example, "My husband follows my whims and caprices at the drop of a hat." How I wish. Lol! Anyway, it sounds logical because dropping a hat is an easy task to do. Hence, when used in that sentence, the meaning makes sense. So I related the idiom not to its origin or the why-a-hat-not-a-hankie kind of reasoning, but to the way it is used in sentences.
  17. Wow! I will look that up when I find the time. I told my Spanish colleague today that I wanted to learn her language. She was very willing to teach me that she taught me more than five words already today and to think we were busy. Unfortunately, I forgot what she taught. :-( Maybe I can surprise her a bit if look up memorise on the internet and learn a bit faster. I just hope I can carry on with the enthusiasm level I have now.
  18. I think it is essential to learn the basic like words that you will usually use in asking for directions or ordering in restaurants. People in some countries do not really know how to speak English. It can be so frustrating and you'd feel helpless. When my family and I went to France, it was not easy speaking to French people because they don't know much English. Good that my eldest who had been taking French lessons in school for 3 years at that time can carry on a fairly decent conversation in French. She asked for directions and we did not get lost. Without her, we would not have properly read signs and street names, train stations, etc. So I highly suggest learning even just some words essential for travellers. Or bringing along a dictionary may do the trick.
  19. Definitely. Now-a-days, we have no right to be ignorant. We can learn so much right in our own home on our own pace and at our convenience. We just click on our keyboards and presto! We got loads of answers to a question in a matter of seconds. The internet is such a powerful tool! What more, with the latest gadgets, we can learn anywhere we want to. As long as there is internet and/or wifi connection, then learning never stops. Or we can always depend on our mobile network's data services. Life has become so much easier in this aspect. I just hope people will be wise enough to put it into productive and worthwhile use.
  20. Yes, that's what I am doing now with my youngest. She does not know our language so I talk to her using our language. She has improved already because she can understand most of what I'm saying and what our families back home tell her. She can also speak some words though the accent is not proper yet. But she's getting there. :-) I'd like my kids to know as many languages as they can learn. But I hope they can learn each language more fluently rather than jump to the next one. In their school, my youngest learned French for 4 years but due to change in curriculum, she's been learning Spanish since 2 years back. So there's really no mastery of the language, I think.
  21. I am definitely like you. I study better at home where I can be comfortable. But not in my room where I will doze off for sure. Lol! So I prefer studying on a table sitting on an ergo chair. I have back problems so I need an adjustable chair. I can't study well with a big group, say a class. I can absorb but not as fast as when I'm alone or just with a small group. Mostly though, I like to process things alone. I easily get distracted so I'd rather study on my own. I can chat and chat which is not good when you want to learn.
  22. Personally, based on what you wrote above, your grammar is all right. It can be improved though like in your choice of words and use of punctuations. You could have put a full stop or a period after sites. 'However' can be changed to Hence or So and it will have to be another sentence. But your grammar is definitely not poor. Just to support your mastery of grammar, take an English proficiency test. It will somehow silence your critics. Lol!
  23. This is how we do it in school: First, see Mr. Johnson. Then, see the supervisor for the next meeting. For whatever reason you need this, hope you get the correct answer. Good luck to you!
  24. When I studied Spanish it was because that was part of the courses offered for my University degree. There was no way I could skip it. French I did study for the mere fact that it was free. The same thing was true when I took Arabic lessons. I believe I can be pushed to study any foreign language when it is needed for a job that I really like to do. Or maybe, if I live in a place where there are more people speaking the same language that I don't, I will be more motivated to study since I'll be left out. Besides more people speaking the same language means I can really practise what I'll learn.
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