czarina84

I think very few people, if anyone, can recognize every single word meaning in their native tongue. Mostly, it's because of idioms. You can't fully understand what a word means if the meaning is constantly changing. For example, gay at one time meant happy in my language. Now it refers to homosexuals. That is one of many words that has changed meaning over the years.

I am also from the United States. However, I'm from the Northeast and I live in a rural community. We don't have a lot of Spanish-speaking people around here. Some, but not many. Languages have always come pretty easy to me, though. I'm not fluent because I grew up very poor, so I've had to work extra (most jobs around here are minimum wage, but the rents are pretty steep, not to mention the $250 heat bill every month), leaving little time for studying languages. I still try to study when I can. This site has been a huge help.

This wasn't as difficult for me because when I was a child, I used to mimic the cat purring. When I started Spanish, I just relaxed my tongue and mimicked a cat's purr. Then I practiced really easy words like "perro". I moved on to more difficult words after that.

I would tell him the things he is doing well. If he is good at everything except pronunciation, I would start with that. Then I would say, "we just need to work on your pronunciation a bit." Then help him with it as you had planned.

Thank you so much. This is very good information. I love that movie, too. Sadly, I have yet to see El Mariachi (the original of the series, where a different actor plays El Mariachi). I didn't like Once Upon A Time In Mexico as much. I didn't hate it, I just like Desperado better. Anyway, thank you again. I would love to translate the whole song so I actually know what I am singing.

Yeah. Catsup is ketchup. It's just a different way to say it. It is pronounced differently, too. It's cat-sup, as opposed to ketch-up.

I like the new layout. I liked them both, but this one has more personality. I also had the same problem that you guys had with Google Chrome, only I am using Internet Explorer. I just refreshed the page and it works now.

That's interesting. I didn't know that. I usually just write (kiss) instead of the sound.

My favorite is when native speakers complain that foreigners "don't talk English good". There are many variations, but this one has remained my favorite. I like correcting them on the spot, especially because they tend to forget that not all foreigners speak languages that aren't English. In fact, people from England are foreigners who speak English.

I think language assessment is a really good idea. The point you made about correcting people being thought of as rude is very accurate. Personally, I would rather be corrected to my face than mocked behind my back. I think it's great that you have someone who is willing to help you like that. Sometimes you learn more from your mistakes than by just passing tests.

For his next birthday, your anniversary, or Valentine's Day, maybe you can learn a sexy sounding love song in another language. I'm not sure how your singing voice is, but if you can sing well (or average), he might like that.

I don't think that an accent has anything to do with grammar skills. I think maybe they could be misunderstood. I am the one in my house who has always had to order the Chinese food because no one else can understand what people with heavy accents are saying. I'm not sure why, but it's difficult for them. Maybe that is why they think the people speak English poorly: they can't understand what is being said.

Actually, I don't have a problem with either. I didn't realize it early on while I was learning, but I was actually learning both at the same time. As I furthered my learning I realized it. The pronunciations are different and so are some of the meanings, but for the most part, I don't have any difficulty switching back and forth.

"Ketchup" isn't a brand name. Heinz is a brand name. Ketchup is public domain. Using the word "ketchup" is like using the word "soda".

I just want to say that you did a wonderful job learning English. In a lot of posts, I see many people who are fluent in English (including native English speakers!) make many grammar and spelling mistakes. You have obviously worked hard. It's good that there are people like you teaching English.

I have stopped using it as a way to learn the language. I was just unsure which was correct: the audio or the subtitles since they were saying the different things. I also started to work for a transcription service. Clean read for us was to fix grammar problems and slang. I don't understand how that would affect this song. The English translation is "This is Halloween." The audio says, "Esta Halloween". The subtitles say, "Es Halloween."

I have the perfectionist problem, but I still try to speak the language. Actually, I think I try to speak the language because I'm a perfectionist. I think that the more you speak the language that you are learning in front of native speakers, the more you get the changed to be corrected and fix the problems you have with the language.

I will have to check out both the sites that were mentioned. I'm so sorry there isn't much out there for those who want to speak Dutch. I have heard a few words in Dutch. It sounds like a really cool language.

I have seen the spelling "cheque", but I honestly can't remember where. I think it was in a book by a British author or possibly my former boss, who was also from England. The spellcheck just put a red line under it. Wow. I know that it was a once-popular spelling but here in the US, we use "check". Some of us older Millennials have seen it with "que", but I think you would confuse some of the ones born in the 90s or later.

Since you have so many students, I would keep abreast of any grammatical changes. Keep your eye on different German grammar sites. I'm not sure if they have them, but I know they exist for English grammar, so I'm assuming other languages have them. Also, we have had words added to our dictionary, so keep your eye on that, too. I'm so glad you found something you love to do. I wish you so much good luck!

That is very interesting. I can't wait to see the full translation. I have never seen anything quite like that.

I am still trying to learn Spanish fluently. I haven't had a lot of time. I learned a little Spanish in middle school. We only had it for one marking period (a quarter of a school year) for one 45-minute class. In high school, I took French. I learned a lot of it. Sadly, I didn't learn enough to be fluent, and, due to not being able to use it, I got rusty. I still remember a lot of it, though. I try to use anything I can to learn. I pick up phrases here and there in foreign languages. I tried using watching shows/movies on Netflix that I know well in English (like The Nightmare Before Christmas), but the audio and subtitles didn't match up to each other. I like to try to translate songs. I have even read and saved some of those boxes and bottle labels that have directions and warnings listed in different languages. That has helped me greatly. My biggest obstacle is time. I know people always say that's an excuse but for me it really isn't. I have a toddler, I'm training for a new work from home job, and I have no one to babysit her. Even for an hour or two. Our only babysitter died from cancer. When she is older and goes to school, I will be able to have more time for it.

Why count the conjugations as part of the 2000 words? Instead of thinking of the conjugations as separate words, why not think of them as different forms of one word? If you are doing paperwork and there are subheadings, you don't consider them to be separate parts of the file. Treat conjugations as subheadings. That way it won't eat up your 2000 words.

From my understanding, when it comes to catsup vs ketchup, both are valid. However, I have always grown up hearing ketchup. Catsup is just an outdated variant. Merrium-Webster's official site has catsup listed as a variant of ketchup.

I have never tried it, but it seems great. Aren't there some difficulties with understanding each other? Is this something that beginners of a new language shouldn't try?