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Russian Read&Speak - TAC 2013 Team Mir

 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log Post Reply
142 messages over 18 pages: << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... 17 18 Next >>
Solfrid Cristin
Heptaglot
Winner TAC 2011 & 2012
Senior Member
Norway
Joined 5332 days ago

4143 posts - 8864 votes 
Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian
Studies: Russian

 
 Message 129 of 142
14 November 2013 at 5:28pm | IP Logged 
Expugnator wrote:
I'm fully aware
that I don't really like Russian that much, because even with books I like a lot -


Ouahaæ - you shock me :-)
1 person has voted this message useful



Expugnator
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5164 days ago

3335 posts - 4349 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento
Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian

 
 Message 130 of 142
18 November 2013 at 1:12pm | IP Logged 
I thought it was nothing new =D I like BCSM and Czech better, I even promised Chung I'll
join his studies for these two and for Estonian asap (which means in a couple of years =)

The beginner's section of Russian pod is over. I decided to stick to Living Language only
fpr the time being, as its lessons are rather long and have audio. Anyway, I took a look
at the advanced lessons at the russian pod and they don't seem so advanced! They actually
seem easier than the ones on my previous textbook because they got translation and audio.
So I'll probably go for grammar (that is, theold TY) once I'm done with LL and then I'll
resume the podcast.
1 person has voted this message useful



Expugnator
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5164 days ago

3335 posts - 4349 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento
Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian

 
 Message 131 of 142
21 November 2013 at 3:39pm | IP Logged 
It was busier than usual today at work, so, after I did the background activities
(podcast, the English and the Georgian series) there wasn't really much I could do. So I
decided to take the day off schedule and focus on reading the forum and trying to come uo
with new dialogues for the Dialogues Challenge.
1 person has voted this message useful



Expugnator
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5164 days ago

3335 posts - 4349 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento
Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian

 
 Message 132 of 142
21 November 2013 at 5:33pm | IP Logged 
I had to skip just the French reading, the French film, the Chinese series (which I'm
fortunately about to finish), the 2nd Chinese textbook (Étape par Étape) and I only read
the first page of 4 of a Georgian text at EGS. That means I could still do the Norwegian
grammar reading, the Georgian reading and the Norwegian reading. I can still finish some
of these tasks at home, but I better not worry that much about them now. Tomorrow is a
new day.
1 person has voted this message useful



Expugnator
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5164 days ago

3335 posts - 4349 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento
Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian

 
 Message 133 of 142
26 November 2013 at 12:01am | IP Logged 
It turned out that I could accomplish everything last Thursday and last Friday too (both
were busy days but I could finish the pending tasks while back at home). I think my study
routine is quite flexible even though it is still exhaustive. Today was specifically
tiresome, but I had a nice time specially with French. And I even got time for some
writing and for helping someone practice English.
1 person has voted this message useful



Expugnator
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5164 days ago

3335 posts - 4349 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento
Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian

 
 Message 134 of 142
26 November 2013 at 5:26pm | IP Logged 
Time for an overall update:

Russian
I've cut down in half my Russian resources. I've finished the podcast lessons for
beginners and the upcoming ones are too advanced. So, I'm sticking to Living Language.
I like the dialogues, and I'm focusing on them. Still not enforcing case endings. I may
leave the unavoidable torture of exercises for when I take the old TY.

I found a podcast for Brazilians, but it got only 24 lessons, so it might not bring me
much further. It will be only a waste to start over and only get some improvement in
the final couple of lessons.

I should be doing some L-R by now, but I'm just too busy with every other language.

Georgian

The book I ordered still haven't arrived. I'm still working on Teach Yourself for
English speakers, which is a good book, even if too vague sometimes. It is ok since
I've been through other books before, and it is actually a good point that it covers
aspects of grammar in a non-linear way, that is, i didn't have to wait till the second
half of the book to be acquainted with some of the most important verbal forms.

Still reading the neverending Lord of the Flies, at two pages a day, that is. Might
take the beginning of 2014. Then I will take texts that matter. As for EGS, I'm about
to finish it. Kinda. 100 pages left as a whole, but only 8 out of 63 texts. So, I
should expect the final texts to be rather long. It got harder, I must say, and
sometimes I skip some sentences after understanding them only vaguely. The good thing
is that it is doing well for my German, which is also improving slowly and warming up
for next year. Needless to say, reading texts in Georgian with translations in German,
neither of which I'm profficient at, has proved to be a real mental struggle and I'm
glad to see some progress.

Norwegian
It remains as my multimedia language. Anki with audio, TV series, bilingual reading and
two grammar books a day. I really want things to get easier in a few months, though, so
I can enjoy it rather than study.

French
Not much evident progress in terms of listening skills for native materials, I think
I'm improving day by day. I'm watching a film with subtitles in English, Rien à
déclarer (nice comedy) and I'm taking the chance to really analize the colloquial
expressions. Reading an easier book with more contemporary vocabulary. I expect to work
more on writing dialogues for the Writing Dialogues challenge and I want to take part
at the Rencontres Francophones more often, last week's was particularly crowded and I
couldn't attend it.

Papiamento
As I just posted at my Papiamento's log, this language is under low maintenance. I keep
watching an YT video and reading two pages from a teenager novel. But I have a special
project on hold!

Chinese
The language I don't learn "officially" at HTLAL, but at which I had been spending a
lot of time, with fun and tiresome sides. I currently have 5 "slots" when it comes to
my Chinese learning schedule:

a) An Anki deck with sentences
b) A textbook for studying characters with sample sentences (currently Tuttle's)
c) A podcast, still at the beginners' level . There are so many starter, pre-beginner,
post-beginner, pre-intermediate levels anyway. Lessons are still easy for me and I get
to know one or two new words here and there, but it is something I do on the
background, so I don't want to try harder podcasts just like I didn't want to for
Russian.
d) A pre-intermediate or intermediate textbook - currently the great Étape par Étape,
lesson 27
e) An educational series from CN.TV, still Happy Chinese
f) A cartoon, still Pleasant Goat & Big Big Wolf. Finally understanding and enjoying
it, even if only about 60% sometimes.

That accounts for more than 1 hour of study each day. It's been two years and a half
and I really want my Chinese to reach somewhere. I'm a bit more confident and I think I
should start writing dialogues for my Chinese.

===
That's it for the moment! Hard to think of a way to insert a new language there, even
if not as a fresh start. Though I want to try some new language and I still haven't
actually benefited from studying Georgian and Russian, that is, I haven't read or
watched much that would allow me for a good use of the languages. So, I have to endure
to the fact it will take still several months till I can reap the seeds I've sown in
the pebly grounds of Russian, Chinese and Georgian.
1 person has voted this message useful



Expugnator
Hexaglot
Senior Member
Brazil
Joined 5164 days ago

3335 posts - 4349 votes 
Speaks: Portuguese*, Norwegian, French, English, Italian, Papiamento
Studies: Mandarin, Georgian, Russian

 
 Message 135 of 142
12 December 2013 at 10:34pm | IP Logged 
While I have already evaluated my Norwegian and Georgian as TAC languages at their
respective logs and I think it is still a little bit early for an yearly overview of
all languages, I think my Russian situation won't change much. My focus was indeed on
reading skills. I went through 3 Assimil books but retained very little. On the other
hand, I'm starting to get used to the sound of the language, even though my active
skills are non-existent. I can't imagine how to formulate a sentence in Russian.

Things are likely to change next year. I'm really, really glad the Russian team is
going to continue with most of my fellow cosmonauts. That might bring the extra
motivation I need. I'm sure I'll become more interested in Russian once I move up from
the A2 plateau, just like it happened with Chinese. I need to do with Russian the same
I did with Chinese, that is, to watch native materials I like with subtitles.
Preferably TV series, maybe cartoons are actually better. There is that site people
always suggest with video lessons but which I can't open anywhere but home. I also have
trouble finding time for Russian at my busy schedule which is getting even busier with
the addition of German - even with cutting away Norwegian textbook study - and, later
in the year, Estonian. Actually I need to be successful with my goal of basic reading
for Russian if I want to start Estonian with peace of mind.
1 person has voted this message useful



Emme
Triglot
Senior Member
Italy
Joined 5345 days ago

980 posts - 1594 votes 
Speaks: Italian*, English, German
Studies: Russian, Swedish, French

 
 Message 136 of 142
12 December 2013 at 11:17pm | IP Logged 
Expugnator wrote:
[...] I'm really, really glad the Russian team is
going to continue with most of my fellow cosmonauts. That might bring the extra
motivation I need. [...]


You’ve summed up my thoughts perfectly! The journey with Russian is still so long that it’s such a relief we’re doing it with trusted companions.

I hope you’ll enjoy leaving behind textbooks to move on to native materials: I’ll be in textbook hell for a few more years, I’m afraid.

Anyway, with the stamina you’ve shown with Chinese and Russian, I’m quite sure you’ll find German a walk in the park in comparison.



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