czarina84

What exactly do you mean by "phonetic alphabet"? Here in the US, it means the military or "NATO" alphabet. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.

In English, we have many words that were acquired from other languages. Mostly, they are pronounced differently than in the original language. For example, "hors d'oevres". It is pronounced "or durves" in America, and we use it to mean appetizers. Do any other languages have this.

For me it does help. It's kind of like in school (in the US) when they teach you the root word and then the conjugations. It makes it easier for me to make an association with certain words, and I can actually figure some out using the etymology that I learn from other words.

If you make a mistake in Spanish, how do you apologize? I want to say, "I'm sorry. I'm still learning." If not that phrase exactly, then it's nearest equivalent.

I was thinking of trying this. I was going to start out with something easy, like Scrabble for vocabulary.

I think it's also because being native English speakers, the melody is hard for us to grasp. We are used to a more staccato way of speaking (for lack of a better word). Our words don't flow into each other because English is a Germanic language and Spanish is one of the Romance language, which are more fluid and kind of melt into each other. I think that's what appeals to me the most. How different languages are from each other.

Aunque. It means, "although". For me, it's just really fun to say. I love the way it sounds.

...that was when my life changed forever. Not to break the mood of the story, but, Trellum, you kind of created a run-on sentence. I love the words you used. Your wording was beautiful. To fix the grammar, you just need to replace the comma after "felt" with a period and capitalized the word "the".

I think that it is everything you asked in the thread. For some people, swearing is fun; to others it is offensive. I also think that it is good practice. Any words you use are good practice, regardless of their meaning. I think, however, that they are no more difficult than other words to learn. I know a few swear words in different languages. I can't remember them all. My friend taught them to me when we were children so we could swear around adults and get away with it. I think you should learn to apologize in the language that you are learning the swear words. Some people don't like profanities.

Have you tried using a picture? My fiancé's stepfather used to chew tobacco before he passed away. He was very particular about the type he liked. Some places didn't know what kind he was talking about. He started to carry an empty can with him for those who didn't understand. Once he showed it to them, they were sometimes able to point him to a place that carried that type. Next time you are asking a shopkeeper for your tobacco, show him a picture. Maybe even ask him/her how to say it in the language. It could be that you are using the wrong word.

I couldn't really follow along by listening. The words blend together in a sea of gibberish to me, unless I know the language. For instance, I know some French and Spanish. I can pick out the words and sentences that I already know if I hear them. But for words I have never heard, forget it. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you learn the words and phrases and how they sound individually, you may be able to pick them out better. Relaxing is the method that I found works best. I tend to get myself all bent out of shape and nervous when trying to learn a new language.

Lame/I grab? Sorry if this isn't correct, I'm still learning.

"Dope" is another. It's mostly fallen out of use as a slang term, but in the 90s, it was quite popular. I used to mean either "idiot", "marijuana" or to say that something was great. "Fly" is also a term that means different things: "Great" or an annoying insect.

I wanted to use Netflix to learn Spanish. I figured seeing the words on the screen and hearing them in Spanish would help me get a better grasp on them. I chose a movie that I know by heart in English: The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, the audio and subtitles are saying two different things! There are words in the audio that aren't in the subtitles. For example, the audio says, "Esta Halloween" and the subtitles say "Es Halloween." The audio is correct, right? The English translation is "This is Halloween".

I think you got that absolutely correct. Reading and writing does make you better; that is true with any kind of studying. Also, conversing with someone who knows your native and target languages helps greatly. I learned a great deal of Spanish from a friend I used to have. I'm not fluent, but I can catch words here and there in conversation (which I think is pretty great considering the rapid-fire delivery and the merging of some words into others).

To be honest, me either. I just like knowledge. As I said, my fiancé and his mother are hardcore fans of the shows. I looked it up and kept seeing references to the Klingon "language". I posted this because I wanted to see if it was actually considered one or if people were just throwing it around. What really threw me was the fact that it has defined rules.

This may sound like a joke post, but it really isn't. I am not a Star Trek fan, but my fiancé and his mother are huge Trekkers. I was wondering if (even though it was developed for a television show) Klingon is actually considered a language. It has a syntax, vocabulary, and is associated with a specific culture (because Star Trek fans take their fandom seriously).

Thank you for posting this. It's something I have trouble with, too.

I think that regular vocabulary isn't all that's lost in translation. I know there are some words that are in one language and not in another. I can see how that would cause a problem. Idioms, however, are a greater concern, especially for multinational companies that depend on slogans. We also use slang and idioms in everyday life. That can get complicated as many people use them without thinking about it. Those can get lost in translation.

That sounds very helpful. Where can you get them besides Google Play? I don't have a tablet or a smartphone, just a laptop.

Yes. That's part of the reason that I am trying to learn new languages. I want to supplement her learning at home. I want to be very careful to not steer her down the wrong path, so I want to be fluent first. I also think that helping with homework (helping, not doing it for them) helps children and parent learn better.

My mother's favorite phrase when my sister or I wanted something was, "I'm not made of money". That meant that we didn't have the money for the items. It was her way of letting us know that money wasn't easy to get because we weren't rich. And, actually, "above par" is based on golf. When you par on the golf course, it means that you got your shot in the number that the course was designed for. Above par means that you did better than average. It's not just a money term. If you did something (anything) better than most people, you did "above par". Example: if little Timmy always gets "A"s on his tests, he performs above par.

I know this is a long shot, since many older languages are dying out, but how about some of the older United Kingdom languages? I am really interested in learning Celtic and Gaelic. I would also like to learn Welsh, especially with so many Welsh actors/actresses in Hollywood. For the longest time, I had no idea how to pronounce "Ioan Gruffudd".

Isn't immersion learning the same as acquisition? Won't the teachers speaking in the target language be the same as someone speaking their native language in front of their children?

I think it depends on the writer. You should be as close to the intent of the writer as possible. If the writer wants the mistakes fixed, go ahead and fix them. Try to preserve as much of the style as possible.