Jump to content
Linguaholic

lauraxoxo

Members
  • Posts

    18
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

lauraxoxo last won the day on October 16 2019

lauraxoxo had the most liked content!

Converted

  • Currently studying
    italian, french
  • Native tongue
    spanish
  • Fluent in
    english, spanish

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

lauraxoxo's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

2

Reputation

  1. It's all about practice! If you don't practice a language, you lose it! Every day, I listen to music in English, watch shows in English, use phrases in English, and even talk to myself in English (in my head, of course). Before, I used to go to school in English, which meant lots of practice all the time. Now that I am in college, I get some classes in English, though not as many as I would like. Some people start to lose their English really quick, which is why it's important to keep writing, reading, and listening to English to prevent this this from happening.
  2. I find Duolingo very effective! It is definitely my favorite language learning app. It makes it so easy and is such an interactive experience, that you barely feel like you're learning a new language. It's great how there are so many options available to us nowadays, and at little or no cost! Duolingo will teach you the basics of a language, but I highly doubt it will make you a master of conversation at that language. When you're done with the program, I would highly recommend you spend time with a native speaker, or watch tv in that language, or something of the sort to get you familiarized with how to speak properly in that language, now that you know the basics.
  3. I think accent is something very important. In my school, I learned English from native speakers, so it was easier for me to copy and master the proper pronunciation. If you are taught English by someone with poor, or inaccurate pronunciation, chances are you will end up speaking just like them. Over time, you accent will get better with constant practice, and lots of determination. But make sure you are copying people who speak it correctly and with the right accent! One thing for sure is, it's better to speak English correctly, than with a perfect accent. So before you try to perfect your accent, make sure you know all the grammatical rules, and proper pronunciation.
  4. 1) Spanish (native) 2) English (fluent) 3) French (it's so beautiful and useful in literature) 4) Italian (I love how it sounds and want to communicate with Italians) 5) Russian (I love Russian literature and want to read in this language one day)
  5. I have been thinking about this more, and I have more to add! The term "batear" (which is derived from the word "bat" which means to hit with a bat) refers to being stood up "Me bateaste" means "You stood me up" However, there is another way of saying you stood me up: "Me dejaste plantado (or plantadA if you're a girl)" which literally means "you left me planted", but we use it to say that someone left us hanging Also, you could say "Me dejaste morir" which, in literal translation means "you let me die" or more accurately "you left me here to die"
  6. I don't think technology will make language-learning obsolete. If anything, it can make it much easier! Back in the day, one would usually have to hire an expensive private tutor to be taught a new language; now, you can download free apps like duolingo, or pay smaller fees for online courses. This definitely speeds up the learning process and integrates it into our fast-paced, technology-driven lives. I have been more motivated to learn new languages because of technology – not the other way around! I know that there are apps such as google translate, that give you instant translations and such, but I still don't think that it replaces the actual need to know another language. Now, pretty much anyone can learn a new language, which is great!
  7. I love reading books in English, especially the classics. One of my favorite authors, I have to say, is Jane Austen, and Vladimir Nabokov (though he is Russian). I was wondering what yours were
  8. I love "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte, "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov (my favorite), "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and I am currently reading "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins. I love a good classic book too; the characters and the language are both so complex and intricate.
  9. I started learning English around the same time I was learning Spanish (my native tongue). Where I'm from, we learn English from a young age, and usually attend bilingual schools that teach most of their subjects in English, sometimes by native English-speaking teachers. I was learning to count in English, say colors in English, and so, by the time I was about two to three years old. I have learned English so well I sometimes consider it my native tongue, and sometimes, I even think in English! I have a real ease at communicating myself in English, mostly due to my education, but also because I love reading and watching television in English. In addition to knowing proper textbook English, learning conversational English is also essential.
  10. A great way to improve your grammar is to read! When you read, the right way of spelling certain things, in addition to correctly used grammar, stays in your head. I am not a native English speaker, though it has been taught to me as a second language since I was a child, and I went to an American school here in Mexico. It is of utmost important to also have conversations in English; it is just as important to have the proper grammar on paper than it is to speak articulately. Mastering a new language is all about practice, and eventually, you'll level up in your grammar and spelling. Make sure you read books and online articles about the use of punctuation such as colons, dashes, semi-colons, commas, and periods. Grammatical rules change from language to language (I'm telling you this as a native Spanish speaker whose native grammatical rules are very different to those in the English language).
  11. I love reading Russian novels (Nabokov, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy), and I always wanted to know if there are some things that just can't be translated into English. I know it's a different alphabet and it's a complicated language, but what I can understand from these novels is that Russian authors have a more dry, sometimes even dark sense of humor; I wonder if some key aspects to it can't be translated into English. I would be really interested in learning Russian at one point in my life just to be able to read these amazing Russian novels in the language they were written in.
  12. Hi everyone! My name is Laura and I am 20 years old, and from Mexico. I am currently a college student studying Advertising and Market Communications, and I speak English fluently, besides my native tongue of Spanish. I really wish to learn French and Italian, and would love some help in doing so. Once I learn those, I would love to learn Russian. I love Russian novels and I would love to read them in their original language.
  13. My favorite book in Spanish is "Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel García Márquez. Anything from him is wonderful, really. I also like "La Fiesta del Chivo" by Mario Vargas Llosa, and "La Casa de los Espíritus" by Isabel Allende.
  14. This is very true. If you learn a language only from books and classes, you will have a hard time conversing in that language with a native speaker. There is so much more to a language than just conjugations, and knowing basic words. You have to know how to communicate, tell jokes, and use lingo/slang every now and then. Even if you don't use lingo/slang yourself, you have to at least understand it, in order to avoid misunderstandings and feeling left out of the conversation. This is not something you will learn from your language teachers (on most occasions) or from books/programs. I learn by example, and if I see how native people communicate, it is easier for me to master those language skills myself.
  15. I know that sometimes the books we get assigned to read in school can be boring. However, I've found some interesting reads, and I'm interested in knowing what everyone's favorite (or least hated) book from school is. Mine was "The Outsiders".
×
×
  • Create New...