luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7194 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 329 of 439 02 November 2014 at 8:24am | IP Logged |
Jeffers wrote:
I am especially intrigued by the keybr website. I had a quick look, and the settings don't include any non-English keyboards. Does he just leave the settings "as-is" and supply his own content to type? |
|
|
I notice the site is different on an iPad versus a PC. The iPad just had English and a Russian keyboard available. The website offered more keyboards on a PC.
Under keybr.com's "settings", you can choose to copy/paste content or point it at a URL.
1 person has voted this message useful
|
luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7194 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 330 of 439 03 November 2014 at 7:45am | IP Logged |
I'm back in the U.S., back in the U.S., back in the U.S.S.R...
Actually, I never left the country, but I did leave my study routine for a couple weeks, so that's kind of like
leaving the country.
I've continued to do a lot with French in Action. I'm in the middle of lesson 6. I'm working the course
from both ends. By that I mean I'm doing the current lesson pretty much according to the instructions. I'm
also watching ahead in the videos. I've watched up to lesson 10 or 11 in this little bout with FiA. That's been
helpful when I don't feel like studying per se. Watching the videos more than once is also something the
course encourages. I'm just not sticking to a single lesson.
As usual though, I have FiA audio on both my smartphone and my trusty memory stick. The telephone has
been great because I've been listening to early audio on it. I've found that one can shadow the audio and do
several of the lessons even without the workbook. I was picking my wife up from the airport yesterday and I
was there in the middle of the hustle and bustle repeating French phrases and responding to various
prompts. My smartphone has the "truncated silence" audio. I got through most of lesson 2 in just about 30
minutes of wait time and it felt very good. I mention shadowing because with the silence mostly truncated
out, I am speaking along with the audio a good deal of the time. It was helpful for reviewing things like
nationalities.
The memory stick, AKA in the car audio does not have truncated silence. That's slower going and not quite as
exciting, so I have been doing that more when I am quite fatigued and doing something easy is a nice break.
There is also the "text workup", which is meant to be done right after watching the video. Since I'm in the
easy part of the course, this has been fine as a review several days after I did the lesson and text workup
initially.
There are also the miscellaneous colloquialisms such as "il faut voir" or simply "faut voir" that I don't recall
hearing elsewhere. Most of my French has come from more formal sources, so it's nice to get some of that
in. There's also a good bit of tu usuage, which hasn't previously got much active use in my study, although I
know it's all over the place in Assimil. Half way through FSI, I don't know that they've even mentioned "tu"
yet. It's easy to use though, so I'm a bit worried I'll start using it in real life when it may not be appropriate,
getting caught up in the excitement of using French and all.
I have also started using http://lang-8.com/ again for the first time in a couple of years it seems. This
is a great way for the FiA more extensive writings that are more free form. I feel good about leaving
corrections for other language learners as well. It's fun!
1 person has voted this message useful
|
PeterMollenburg Senior Member AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5465 days ago 821 posts - 1273 votes Speaks: English* Studies: FrenchB1
| Message 331 of 439 03 November 2014 at 9:56am | IP Logged |
Hi Luke,
I love that you're using FIA. I absolutely love this course. Probably too much. I have a very nerdy obsession
with both Destinos and French in Action. I wish more courses were made like FIA. I think it's the multi-
platform, the size of the course, and the quality of it's production that I like. I made it to leçon 26 il y beaucoup
d'ans so it would be nice to see you surpass that. I naturally intend on using the course at some point myself
but it's a case of saving the best until last, but i'm sure i'll be itching to use it sooner rather than later. Sounds
like you're using the course wisely. I remember I used to watched each episode probably about 4 or 5 times.
More recently I'd listen to the audio in the car too (about a year ago). Anyway, keep it up, catch ya soon, good
work!
PM
2 persons have voted this message useful
|
Jeffers Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4898 days ago 2151 posts - 3960 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German
| Message 332 of 439 03 November 2014 at 10:10am | IP Logged |
luke wrote:
There's also a good bit of tu usuage, which hasn't previously got much active use in my study, although I know it's all over the place in Assimil. Half way through FSI, I don't know that they've even mentioned "tu" yet. It's easy to use though, so I'm a bit worried I'll start using it in real life when it may not be appropriate, getting caught up in the excitement of using French and all. |
|
|
Just as bad is when you finally get going in a real conversation, and the other person says, "on se tutoyait?" That actually killed the conversation because I just started going "uh... uh... uh...".
All this talk about FIA "interests me strangely", but like PM, I'll save it for a bit later. I've watched all the videos, and done the audio exercises for lessons 2-3, which was enough to make me think I really need to focus on this, not just zip through it.
2 persons have voted this message useful
|
luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7194 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 333 of 439 03 November 2014 at 11:14pm | IP Logged |
PeterMollenburg wrote:
I made it to leçon 26 il y beaucoup d'ans so it would be nice to see you surpass that. I naturally intend on using the course at some point myself but it's a case of saving the best until last, but i'm sure i'll be itching to use it sooner rather than later. |
|
|
Just go for it Peter. Replace flashcards with Mireille et Robert et le professeur et Marie-Laure et leurs famille. Tout ira bien! With all your background, just start watching the videos and your French will go into orbit.
Quote:
I remember I used to watched each episode probably about 4 or 5 times. |
|
|
Just watch them once in row. The multiple repeats are always there for down the road. It's better SRS-wise to have time between each viewing anyway.
Make it the fun course. That's what I'm doing. We've been soldiering too long. C'est bonne pour la santé !
Edited by luke on 03 November 2014 at 11:21pm
4 persons have voted this message useful
|
luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7194 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 334 of 439 03 November 2014 at 11:34pm | IP Logged |
Jeffers wrote:
luke wrote:
There's also a good bit of tu usuage, which hasn't previously got much active use in my study, although I know it's all over the place in Assimil. Half way through FSI, I don't know that they've even mentioned "tu" yet. It's easy to use though, so I'm a bit worried I'll start using it in real life when it may not be appropriate, getting caught up in the excitement of using French and all. |
|
|
Just as bad is when you finally get going in a real conversation, and the other person says, "on se tutoyait?" That actually killed the conversation because I just started going "uh... uh... uh...".
All this talk about FIA "interests me strangely", but like PM, I'll save it for a bit later. I've watched all the videos, and done the audio exercises for lessons 2-3, which was enough to make me think I really need to focus on this, not just zip through it. |
|
|
I don't think it's something to zip through and say you're done. For me, it's more like work on various pieces at the same time. The videos can be watched way ahead, as you've already done.
It is fun and interesting watching the video again after you've completed the lesson and done the exercises and read the text a few times. Things all start coming together.
I think it's really helpful to be working on various parts of various French in Action lessons at the same time. By that, I think in tracks like these:
* Watch the video.
* Read the text after the Text Workup.
* Do the workbook exercises. Do the hard ones more than once.
* Watch the video again, or maybe the previous one.
* Watch the next one if you don't feel like study.
* Listen back to the audio from previous lessons. Get so that saying the things on the recordings are easy.
* Sign up for Lang-8 and get corrections for that final exercise in each lesson.
* Have fun!
Do FSI when you're fresh and have the eye of the tiger or just want to get taken out to the wood shed.
2 persons have voted this message useful
|
PeterMollenburg Senior Member AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5465 days ago 821 posts - 1273 votes Speaks: English* Studies: FrenchB1
| Message 335 of 439 04 November 2014 at 12:42am | IP Logged |
luke wrote:
PeterMollenburg wrote:
I made it to leçon 26 il y beaucoup d'ans so it would be nice to see
you surpass that. I naturally intend on using the course at some point myself but it's a case of saving the best
until last, but i'm sure i'll be itching to use it sooner rather than later. |
|
|
Just go for it Peter. Replace flashcards with Mireille et Robert et le professeur et Marie-Laure et leurs famille.
Tout ira bien! With all your background, just start watching the videos and your French will go into orbit.
Quote:
I remember I used to watched each episode probably about 4 or 5 times. |
|
|
Just watch them once in row. The multiple repeats are always there for down the road. It's better SRS-wise
to have time between each viewing anyway.
Make it the fun course. That's what I'm doing. We've been soldiering too long. C'est bonne pour la santé !
|
|
|
You know what I'm going to take your advice. I'm going to ditch Fluenz French 3 from my rotation and replace
it with a full hour of FIA (no FC's). It's time to give it another shot :) Thanks Luke. I'm going to expand a little in
my own log on some other details.
PM
2 persons have voted this message useful
|
luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7194 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French
| Message 336 of 439 04 November 2014 at 1:03am | IP Logged |
PeterMollenburg wrote:
luke wrote:
Make it the fun course. That's what I'm doing. We've been soldiering too long. C'est bonne pour la santé !
|
|
|
You know what I'm going to take your advice. I'm going to ditch Fluenz French 3 from my rotation and replace it with a full hour of FIA (no FC's). It's time to give it another shot :) Thanks Luke. I'm going to expand a little in my own log on some other details. |
|
|
Sweet!
P.S. the secret with the videos is to stand up and play along! Be the professor!
Edited by luke on 04 November 2014 at 1:10am
1 person has voted this message useful
|