Ninibo Diglot Groupie Germany Joined 4004 days ago 88 posts - 116 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: Mandarin
| Message 1 of 7 29 November 2013 at 5:18pm | IP Logged |
Hello fellow language learners!
I'm Ninibo and not really an accomplished language learner yet. My mothertongue is German and I know English fairly well, but I have never really learned a language without taking classes. I had French in school, but you might be able to guess how that went, I don't think I could order a pizza in France.
I have been studying Mandarin Chinese on and off for a few years and have reached an intermediate level. At least when it comes to my passive skills, when it comes to actively using the language I'm still a beginner. I decided that I would take my Madarin study more seriously and make better progress in 2014. What mostly made me make an account on here instead of just lurking was the Language Log section. I think being accountable might help me focus.
I also really want to work on my French, because I think it's a great language to know and wasting years at school without having anything to show for it is a shame. This will mostly mean reading and listening, so I can give Mandarin my full attention.
So, that's a little about me guys. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and hope I will fit in with you.
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Hekje Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 4691 days ago 842 posts - 1330 votes Speaks: English*, Dutch Studies: French, Indonesian
| Message 2 of 7 29 November 2013 at 5:46pm | IP Logged |
Good luck reviving your school French, Ninibo! I just started doing the same, it really does seem like a waste to not
do otherwise.
Welcome to the forum. :-)
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iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5250 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French)
| Message 3 of 7 29 November 2013 at 5:47pm | IP Logged |
Welcome to the forum, ninibo! You've already learned English to a high level. To improve your Mandarin, start by following some logs of people who are learning it. More general advice would be to start making it a part of your life, engage the language by speaking it, try a language exchange (italki.com, interpals), using native media- television, films, listening, listening and reading. Check out Ari's Chinese pod method for some good advice.
For French, EMK has written a thorough guide to what he has done to bring his French to intermediate and beyond- French: Wandering towards C1. To search the forum more efficiently, click "search" then "G-search".
Think about starting a log. That way people can get more of an idea about your level, your methods and offer motivational support and practical advice. The key to writing a log that will be more popular is to go beyond- "Today I studied "X" for 30 minutes- tomorrow I will work on chapter 3 of "Y". Try to make it more conversational, as if you were talking to a friend. Good luck!
Edited by iguanamon on 29 November 2013 at 5:48pm
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Ninibo Diglot Groupie Germany Joined 4004 days ago 88 posts - 116 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: Mandarin
| Message 4 of 7 29 November 2013 at 6:25pm | IP Logged |
@Hekje
It's funny, but here in Germany so many people take French in school, but you would'nt know, because only very few can actually use it. And it's such a great language.
@iguanamon
Thank you! I'll check thore threads out, I'll need any advice I can get.
I was thinking about starting a Mandarin log, but I think I will read a few of the others for a few days to see what I can do to make it more interesting for others to read.
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Hekje Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 4691 days ago 842 posts - 1330 votes Speaks: English*, Dutch Studies: French, Indonesian
| Message 5 of 7 29 November 2013 at 6:50pm | IP Logged |
Ninibo wrote:
@Hekje
It's funny, but here in Germany so many people take French in school, but you would'nt know, because only very few
can actually use it. And it's such a great language. |
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Definitely! Yeah, it's the same in the United States, but apply to all languages. :-P
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Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 4997 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian
| Message 6 of 7 30 November 2013 at 3:10pm | IP Logged |
Welcome to the forums, I wish you a lot of success and fun with your languages :-)
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Ninibo Diglot Groupie Germany Joined 4004 days ago 88 posts - 116 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: Mandarin
| Message 7 of 7 30 November 2013 at 4:55pm | IP Logged |
@Cavessa
Hello and thank you!
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