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Goethe Istitute | ||
Tags: Language School | German | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Programs, Books & Tapes |  | |
| MichaelM204351 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5447 days ago 151 posts - 173 votes  Speaks: English*, Biblical Hebrew Studies: Modern Hebrew, German, Spanish | Message 1 of 8 29 January 2010 at 6:12pm | IP Logged | ||
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Has anyone used (or heard about) the Goethe Institute's E-Learning classes? I was wondering if it would be a good class to take along with my studies at home. I don't get a lot of time to practice speaking, so I thought this could be a good idea. It is a lot of money, though, if it ends up being worthless...
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| magictom123 Senior Member United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5596 days ago 272 posts - 365 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French | Message 2 of 8 29 January 2010 at 10:18pm | IP Logged | ||
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Just today I found out that a local community centre near me does Italian classes. In my
circumstances they are free but even paying they would be considerbaly cheaper than a college class. Is it not possible to scout around for a similar course. Surely this would be more benficial than an online e-class? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sprachjunge Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 7168 days ago 368 posts - 548 votes Speaks: English*, GermanC2 Studies: Spanish, Russian | Message 3 of 8 29 January 2010 at 10:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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My two cents: Don't take the course if money is at all an issue. The Goethe-Institut is good, but man are they pricey.
Nowadays there are so many free ways to get speaking practice--especially for a language as popular as German! I would try finding a Skype buddy because 1) Many Germans are interested in improving their English, and thus would be more than happy to trade 1 hour of German for 1 hour of English, and 2) You will get feedback that is just as quick and explicit. And if you're worried because the explanations aren't coming from a "teacher:" To be honest, the grammar explanations that the Goethe teacher offers are probably not worth the money you'll be paying. You essentially need a German speaker who is educated enough to know when something is right or wrong, and can tell you so. That's all. You can then look up the grammar explanation yourself. Again, you mentioned money, and I think this is a much, much cheaper option that will give you the same results. 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5588 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French | Message 4 of 8 29 January 2010 at 11:01pm | IP Logged | ||
I couldn't agree with you more. I learned more in a MONTH speaking with a native than I did in a whole year of formal classes. It's unbelievable how fast you'll make progress. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| MichaelM204351 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5447 days ago 151 posts - 173 votes Speaks: English*, Biblical Hebrew Studies: Modern Hebrew, German, Spanish | Message 5 of 8 30 January 2010 at 12:17am | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks, guys! How would I go about finding a German speaking buddy on skype?
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| MichaelM204351 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5447 days ago 151 posts - 173 votes Speaks: English*, Biblical Hebrew Studies: Modern Hebrew, German, Spanish | Message 6 of 8 30 January 2010 at 12:21am | IP Logged | ||
I was taking classes in the university, but I had to stop because I am moving to another state. I would just start taking classes there, but I am going to be going back and forth between the two states, so I really need something that will work regardless of my location. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sprachjunge Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 7168 days ago 368 posts - 548 votes Speaks: English*, GermanC2 Studies: Spanish, Russian | Message 7 of 8 30 January 2010 at 12:57am | IP Logged | ||
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On the Skype site itself, under "communities" you can find people offering free Skype sessions in return for the languages they want to learn (again, you have a huge advantage since English is your mother tongue--be thankful for it every day!). There's also a website called the Mixxer that apparently pairs people. But I think the most organic way is to interact in other forums or websites where you use your language so that you can get to know people. Then you can ask: Would you like to occasionally have sessions on Skype? (However, chances are they will ask you first.)
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| katilica Bilingual Diglot Groupie United States Joined 5474 days ago 70 posts - 109 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish* Studies: French, Catalan | Message 8 of 8 30 January 2010 at 3:11pm | IP Logged | ||
I agree, interacting with a native speaker is much easier. Grammar is not at all an issue. Whenever I come across something in French, I look it up myself. For example, I once saw on wordreference someone use à nouveau and people were marking it off as wrong so since no English sites had an explanation to this I looked it up myself in French and found out that either de or à nouveau is acceptable depending on the circumstance. To make sure my research was correct I asked my friend who was French and actually ended up teaching Her something when she looked it up and learnt the rule since she only knew it sounded right. Whenever she has a question as well, she askes me and if I don't have a clear answer I always look up the grammar explanation and explain it to her. Plus, you learn words that aren't mentioned in those delusional textbook dialogues as well as colloquial grammar. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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