hanseung

Hmm, I actually had to think a little about this one. Personally, I really like the word 'camaraderie'. The word not only sounds quite nice, but the meaning is also quite nice: "mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together". It reminds me of times that I gradually became friends with people up to the point that we trusted each other with anything and everything, and that feeling of friendship is such a lovely one.

I think I'm quite good at reading comprehension, but if there is a word I don't know, I end up staring at it for much too long. Sometimes I try to break down the word to see if I am able to understand it, but other times it is difficult. I do try to improve my reading comprehension by reading scripts and children's books, etc. I hope it will get better soon!

Younger is definitely better. I wish my parents had taught me a second language when I was younger, because it certainly becomes more difficult as you get older. When I have a child, I think I will probably teach them a new language around 4-5, as they would already have a grasp on English so it would be easier for them to learn another language at that time.

I have found apps that pair you up with language partners, which helps tremendously because you are made to find a way to communicate with the other person, and they can correct you if you are wrong, thus improving your language skills. I also like to watch shows that are in that language without subtitles and look up any words I don't know. I've been looking for children's books to practice my reading skills, but sometimes even those are hard. Recently I found a YouTube channel that has videos teaching Korean that are in Korean, which I think is a really good idea!

Yes! I love Korean music, but that might also have something to do with the whole k-pop culture and atmosphere. Listening to a song and realising that you actually understood the lyrics is an amazing feeling. Other times, I look up the lyrics, attempt my own translation, then look at the real translation to see if I was close or not. That helps me with my language learning and it's quite fun.

I've always thought that learning a new language opens up a new world - so many extra opportunities are brought to the surface after learning a new language: business opportunities, education opportunities, work opportunities, and friend opportunities. After learning some basic Korean, I've made so many new friends that I would've never had the chance to communicate with if I hadn't known any Korean. Most of them also want to learn English, so I'm able to help them with that, too. Another thing is learning about the culture of the language you're studying - it's fun to acquire knowledge about different places, and it allows you to be able to add a possibly unknown opinion/perspective to common conversations you have with friends. There are so many benefits from learning a new language, and I love them all.

I have a friend who was born in the Philippines so she had that kind of American Filipino accent. I spent a while talking to her only a few years ago, and I actually ended up picking up her accent. I eventually kicked that habit, but one week in the school holidays, I spent the whole time watching a series, rather than talking to anyone in real life. A guy in the series I was watching had learned English himself so he had a mix of a lot of accents, but somehow I ended up picking up his accent as well. I seem to speak in whatever accent the person I'm with has; it's really strange.

After reading so many people's experiences with learning languages, I noticed that a lot of those experiences were associated with learning a language through watching television shows. I think that learning a language through a show would be really helpful because you can see people interacting and having real conversations, so it's easy to see how the language you're learning can, and should, be used. It's also good to pick up on recent slang that wouldn't be in dictionaries and textbooks. Of course, it's good to memorise vocabulary and learn grammar of the language you're learning, as you can then reinforce the words by watching television shows or listening to music. Another way to learn a language is to read children's books that are in that language, especially if it's a picture book. This allows you to see the word with the picture and it may stick in your mind for longer!

I'm assuming that you mean the app/website Memrise, right? I do use it for learning languages occasionally and I find that it's extremely useful - if you continuously use it. If you just use it for an hour and then leave it alone, you probably won't remember the words or phrases you learned when you return to the website. I think I need to keep using it more as it's a really good site to memorise vocabulary and it has helped me learn a lot of new words that I wouldn't have known before. The fact that it has pre-made courses makes it a lot easier to learn stuff as well.

I think I'm better at using movies to learn a language when I actually know the words being said - sometimes the actors in the movie are speaking way too quickly for me to even grasp what they're saying, or there are too many words that I don't know said in a row so I can only get the gist of the scene from watching the actions, which is quite difficult. I find the amount of people that have learned English from watching movies astounding because it's such a hard thing to do for me. I'm really envious. I think I just need to study harder, haha.

I have an Australian accent, but I feel like it's kind of boring - there's no... definition in the words. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I don't think it's anything special. A lot of people find it strange, but I absolutely love the Singaporean accent. I'm not sure if it's the way they can speak Singlish, or the way they sound like they're trying to keep their words as short as possible, or the intonation that their voice brings with their accent, but I am in love with it. It's not a typical accent that people say they love or want, but I really do! Another accent I love is the South African one. My best friend when I was young was from South Africa, so along with bringing some nostalgia and old memories to mind when I hear it, it sounds lovely. I'm also not sure why I like this accent, but it does have a certain class to it. And, of course, I like those beautiful English accents that sound like a waterfall in a rainforest.

I would definitely have to say Chinese, in my opinion. Having the ability to speak Chinese seems to open up a lot of business and work opportunities for people, and it is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, if I recall correctly. There's a large population of non-native Chinese speakers or individuals who are learning the language, although Mandarin is said to be one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. It is definitely an advantage to go live and work or study in China for a period of time to properly learn the language to open up new doors in life and make some new friends!

There are positives and negatives that come with both, and I've had the experience of both as well. I'm studying Korean and there are plenty of apps out there that help with that which I have used, but I'm also currently taking a Korean course at university. Having a teacher really helps because they are there when you need to ask questions about something and can answer you in real-time, whereas apps do not have that option, unless it's an app that's associated with having a language partner. Even then, it's sometimes hard - language barriers can be a huge burden, unfortunately. I've also had experience with a website that teaches the language, with actual teachers who are both fluent in English and Korean. I think the website helped me the most in my language learning because I can work at my own pace, I understand everything that's being said in English, and the teachers are fun, exciting and entertaining. I do have to do vocabulary tests in university and, now that I think about, I cannot remember any words that I learnt - or, had to memorise - in Semester 1. I think Memrise is good for that. Overall, I think I learn better on the internet or self-studying a textbook than with a real-time teacher, and I've found there are plenty websites where you can ask questions about the language and get quite fast replies, so I have no complaints.

I am a native English speaker but I hate the way some words are spelt, as it seems like it implies a certain way of saying the word, but the actual pronunciation is different! Take archive, for example. For 16 years of my life, I thought it was pronounced 'ar-chiv', with a ch sound, but it's actually pronounced 'ar-kive'! Who would've known? I also find it annoying that America has different spelling for a lot of words. Why can't we all just write and spell the same way?!

I'm into the Korean culture and learning the Korean language, so I have thought about teaching English there before. I think I changed my mind because I don't really have the skills to be a teacher, but I would love to see the cute kids' little faces every day!

After learning a few simple, common phrases, I found that Korean became much easier to learn because I already knew a little bit of things that people say a lot. Different phrases that I've come across while learning are those such as: 밥 먹었어요? (Bap meokeosseoyo?) - Have you eaten? This is often said after talking with someone that you haven't spoken with in a while. 잘 자요! (Jaljayo) - Goodnight/Sleep well! I love Korean phrases as a lot of them can break awkward silences and things like that, which is quite hard to do in English.

I've never actually looked up the complete translation for this song even though it was/is so popular, so thank you for this! I learnt a lot of new words through this explanation and the lyrics aren't as poor quality as I initially believed, haha.

I'm not a native Korean speaker, but I am quite sure the 'burago' you are hearing is '뭐라고?' (mworago). It means 'what did you say?', and the 'm' sound in Korean often sounds like a 'b' sound because of the way the lips are used to pronounce Korean sounds.

Yes, of course I know 2NE1! They are one of the most iconic Korean idol groups that have ever existed, especially since their style is quite unique compared to the rest of the artists in Korea. Now that their song, I Am The Best, is on the Surface Pro ad, they might become even more popular than they already are. I know there are a lot of people who don't like Bom, but I think she's cool!