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It would appear that everyone who's had the privilege of using iTalki is pretty impressed with it. So it's definitely gone in my little notebook of important information, filed away for future use How many lessons do people do per week, because I reckon it could work out a bit pricey? I mean, I know it'll differ from person to person, and also according to individual needs and aptitude.

Wow, that sounds like quite a challenging task! I hope you finally got it wrapped up and found the right tools to help you.

Hehe, Saholy, you make a good point actually! "That being said" is not really an expression you'd use in every day language unless you were in a formal setting and/or wanted to appear a bit more eloquent, so if I were the OP I'd avoid it altogether if I were having problems with it. That quickly solves the problem

Reading daily and watching news and movies in the language you're learning are both very good ideas, actually. The one I find interesting is the singing LOL I wonder if I'd feel a little silly LOL But it does make sense, because songs can hold such deep meanings and there's some degree of repetition. Very interesting indeed, Saholy

Wow, Gee-G; kudos to you! You seem very proficient in both German and French, I'm sure you'll go very far with both. I love French, but have always had this impression that it's a very hard language to learn. So I always take my hat off to anyone who isn't a native speaker but who ends up mastering the language!

I totally agree, takibari. I find that it's also very liberating learning to speak the language as it's spoken, without the rigid barriers that often complicate the learning process LOL Then once you've picked up some skills, adding the meat to the "frame" by learning the formalities doesn't seem as daunting

Hey Eugene111! To be perfectly honest with you, my French has really taken a hit and is very rusty I don't do anything with it at the moment, let alone read anything in French. It has well and truly taken a back seat. I studied it all through uni for 5 years and also did a 3 month stint at a university in France. When I did used to speak half decent French, I used the French-English dictionary ALL THE TIME LOL I always wrote better than I spoke it. My plan is to get back on my feet and start lessons again

If I were living in the country and among the natives, I would also put more emphasis on learning how to speak the language first, and then maybe later down the line I'd look into going for some lessons. I imagine that would actually make it easier to learn the writing aspect. I wish I could hear from someone who's done it this way, to get a feel of how they found the experience

I've never actually learnt through any courses besides the typical classroom situation, which is the most ideal setup for me. I hope more people come forward with answers for you

I just wanted to say kudos to you for tackling those languages because to me, they seem like some of the most difficult languages to learn! Good luck whatever choice you go with, I'm sure you'll do well whatever you decide

No I've never had to do that! I can't imagine it would be easy, to be honest and I personally wouldn't succeed in that sort of situation. I would find it very confusing indeed LOL

I was watching a talk show in which Graham Norton, a popular UK talk show host picked on the fact that the Hollywood actor Benedict Cumberbatch struggled with pronouncing the word "penguin". Do you have any English words you struggle to pronounce?

I think old languages like Latin and Hebrew are just so difficult to learn and I have nothing but respect for people who take them on! I'm not entirely sure of their demand in modern times though. I mean outside of a church setting, where else could you put these languages to use? I'm just curious

I honestly wouldn't know the answer to your question as I'm not familiar with German, a language I consider one of the hardest ever! Another thing I just wanted to mention, I don't think any question is ever boring! If you question something, and want to know the answer to it, chances are there'll be someone out there who's also thinking about the question, maybe even thinking it's a silly question too and deciding not to ask it. So it's good to have someone brave enough to ask questions, even ones they think may sound "silly". Someone is likely to have an answer for you, and we'll all learn something new

When I was studying French at uni, I was able to travel to France for 3 months, where I stayed with a non-English speaking French family and studied French at a local university. It was a fantastic experience and I found I learnt a lot more in the three months than I'd learnt in 2 academic years! I would definitely have liked to stay say 2 years because I feel that I would have learnt a lot faster and become fluent. What's more, I think it would have stuck. On that basis, I think you shouldn't have any problem your fluency once you return home as you'll be in Japan a couple of years. I'd be very surprised if you forgot your Japanese. Maybe when you return home you could stock up on Japanese reading material and movies, to keep your language skills from going rusty. You'll be miles ahead of everyone. I mean, how long would you say is sufficient time to learn a language? I would have thought two years would be more than enough. Good luck

The thing I like about this one is that it's like a fun little thing, there's absolutely no pressure Isn't it funny how sometimes we overlook the simple, uncomplicated things for the more rigid, obvious but boring ones until someone else mentions an easier method? I think your sister is a genius LOL Ask her for more ideas hehe

I agree, learning a new skill or language is always daunting, especially when you're starting from scratch. It's not abnormal to feel that way, so there's really no need to beat yourself up, as you're not an exception. Like Baburra said, my trick is always to keep it fun and remember to just enjoy the experience

I'm not familiar with this method as such. But I can definitely see the logic behind it. With repetition, the information sticks and is retained for future use. The brain is a very powerful tool! Whether we know it or not, the information is stored and we may not use it today or even tomorrow, but the brain can recall it much, much later when we need it. Unless you have a serious case of amnesia, what you learn is retained in your brain forever

That sounds like a very interesting tip, VNtomboy! It's a simple enough one, but I'm surprised I never thought of it! It's not a big thing, but I can definitely see it working. Thanks for the tip

@Baburra, I think what the OP struggles with is the distinction between the two i.e been and being. Some people just seem to struggle with this, for some reason. It's similar to people using borrow and lend interchangeably. I see it a lot in my country and always wonder why there's that confusion because the two have two different meanings

I also believe that writing the language you're learning is important, especially at the beginning when you're building your foundation, learning the rules, the syntax,the grammar etc But after getting that out of the way, I would put more emphasis on the spoken aspect and gaining confidence in your language of choice, because I reckon it then becomes a lot easier to write. I have found that in the past, seeing how words are written can put me off, as the pronunciation can be very far removed from the spelling!

I agree with guarding against being in too much of a hurry to master a new language, Rosa. Quite often we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure, as though we have some deadline to learn a This also ties in with gauging yourself against other people's progress. I know it can be disheartening to see others around you seemingly learn faster, but constantly gauging your progress against theirs can be detrimental to your learning. We all learn at different speeds, so there's no need to beat yourself up.

Assimil sounds like a fantastic way of learning a new language! I wouldn't mind giving it a go! To be honest, I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it here. I think only you can answer your question, because only you know the level of your ability, and you have experience of the programme. So you're best placed to decide how many lessons are ok for you per day. I'd say do what feels right for you. I've heard people say there are similarities between Latin languages, I have some basic French French and Italian, but never could pick up those similarities between the two or even between those and Spanish. Maybe it's just me Good luck with everything and your trip to Europe. I hope you enjoy the experience

Spanglish has covered it well, and I hope that helps you some. I'm not surprised you are struggling to distinguish between been and being, because I have observed it's a problem even for some native English speakers!

If there's no big urgency, I'd certainly advise you go for one at a time. Maybe when you've got your basics down with one, then you can get started on the other; if you really must.