lingose

I think it's a great way to expand your knowledge of a language, but I personally wouldn't rely on it alone. I would definitely take formal classes as well, simply because that's the way I learn best, by having a structured approach and the ability to ask even the most complex questions concerning grammar that most native speakers simply don't know becuase it's natural to them. Of course, there are people who find this approach terrible for them because of how formal it is, and I think language sharing is a great alternative, as well as a great supplement to formal teaching where a student is able to practice in a real world situation what they've learned.

For me it's definitely the articles! Since my mother tongue has no articles at all, it's been really a challenge to learn when I'm supposed to use the definite or the indefinite article. I have made some progress, but it's really more guesswork than knowledge. Does anyone have any tips on using the right form? Also, I'm not used to nouns and verbs having so many forms to memorise. I mix up the plural suffixes constantly (on a recent test I wrote färgar instead of färger ). What are the most common mistakes you make with Swedish? And what parts do you find the most difficult?

I like 'green around the gills', to look sick. It sounded so strange to me when I first heard it. Also, 'just what the doctor ordered', as in something that's just right for the situation. Most of the other ones I can think of have been mentioned already, but I guess these would fit the bill: nothing but skin and bones, come down with something, as fit as a fiddle... Most of these and all the other ones mentioned here sound pretty weird to us non-native speakers haha.

Hello! I am lingose, and I'm excited to start meeting all you fellow language enthusiasts! I am currently studying General Linguistics and the Scandinavian Languages at college, but I'm also trying to master Japanese and Italian. I'm fluent in English and my native tongue is Serbian. I am interested in all languages, which is why I'm studying linguistics. I also hope to one day teach at a foreign language school. I've already acquired the Cambridge Advanced Certificate in English, but I'd like to earn certificates from Swedish and Japanese too, as well as to achieve fluency. I'm looking forward to posting here!

I agree that learning a language early is best, I know I wish my parents had taught me more languages back then. I started learning English when I was 5 years old and it was extremely easy for me to master it. On the other hand, I started learning Swedish in college and it's very difficult - not to learn the rules and the words but rather to make them automatic and to be able to speak and write without thinking about which word comes next. My 7-year-old cousin can now fluently speak Swedish, Serbian and English because the people around her spoke those languages constantly since she was born. I know a lot of people think that is bad for the child because it confuses them, but as far as I've seen it's the opposite. She has no difficulties expressing herself in whichever language she chooses. I'm studying Linguistics and we learned that proper articulation and accents can only be taught if the child starts learning a language before they're around 7. Otherwise they can master the grammar and the vocabulary but they will never sound like a native speaker. As far as other aspects of language go, it's easier for children but not at all impossible for adults. Honestly I don't think accents are such a bad thing, as long as the person's understandable. Mostly they even sound better because they're unique and different.