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Your app looks interesting. I'll check it out! I learned conversational French, German, Russian and Spanish as an adult. The method that worked best for me is
by diskzero 5y ago
Your app looks interesting. I'll check it out!
I learned conversational French, German, Russian and Spanish as an adult. The method that worked best for me is similar to what you mentioned. I watched as many shows as I could in the various languages. I listened to native language programming and attempted to read as much material in the languages as possible. While I was doing this, I was also working through Rosetta Stone, which worked well for me. I also went to language MeetUps and just absorbed the sounds and patterns of conversation.
When I did decide to join the conversation, I took on a philosophy of fearlessness and just went for it. Sure, many mistakes were made, but I had zero negative feedback from my attempts. When I later travelled, I adopted this same attitude. I knew I was going to make mistakes, but I generated a lot of goodwill for my attempts. Sometimes I got corrections, sometimes I had to repeat myself, sometimes I would get an answer back in English, whatever! No one ever shamed me and my skills continued to improve.
- ch4s3 5y ago> Sometimes I got corrections, sometimes I had to repeat myself, sometimes I would get an answer back in English, whatever! No one ever shamed me and my skills continued to improve. Whenever I'm traveling abroad I always make an attempt to learn a few hundred words, some phrases, and how to sting together simple sentences. With very few exceptions, the attempt is usually greeted with amusement and a polite response. People were down right thrilled in Hungary, and the Portuguese are in my experience quite happy to suffer through you attempt.
- ngokevin 5y agoInterestingly in Hong Kong, they will go to hell and back to divert the conversation to English if they see you aren't a native speaker. You literally have to say "I can't speak English" if you want to keep it in Cantonese.
- diskzero 5y agoYeah, sometimes that will happen in countries where people have strong English language skills. I'll respect their wish to speak in the language they want to communicate in.
- ch4s3 5y agoYeah Holland is like that.
- JCharante 5y agoIt also happens in places where people want to practice their English. In Vietnam I once told my taxi driver that I can't speak English, but then ended up having to have a conversation with him in Vietnamese. (I told him I didn't speak English because I wasn't feeling up for a conversation, but then tricked myself into one)
- c_o_n_v_e_x 5y agoSame experience in Singapore when practicing speaking Malaysian... steer back to English, although I get the occasional person who's genuinely amused with my attempts.
- ngokevin 5y agoYeah, the method is very appealing because speaking requires interaction with other people. People are very content to learn passively via watching movies because speaking does require that fearlessness.