Hi,
I wanted to change my display name. It says "Please contact support to change your display name", however I'm not sure how to contact the support team, so I am writing here.
Just a suggestion, it would be easier if there was a link or information about how the support team can be contacted. :)
Me gusta español tambien :)
I am really passionate about attachment parenting. I'd like to study at the Neufeld's institute and understand even more of it and maybe teach and help others...
Sorry, but can't you do it without a million dollars? :DMichelle.Batan wrote:Probably my husband? lol
First thing - I would buy a big big house.
Second - invest the rest of the money so I wouldn't need to work (only if I want to!) :D
"
Phillip.Laplana wrote:Google says that the Russian name for rabbit is "krolik" while the name for hare is "zayats."
If I were to call a daughter or niece "zayats", does a nickname like "Zayatska" or simply "Yatska" make sense? Or is it wrong? If it's wrong, what is a good nickname for someone I want to call a hare?
"Yatska" wouldn't make sense in Russian. Oxana already helped you with the rest! :)
16 perfect Finnish words you need in your life:
SISU = Determination, perseverance. It means Finnish people don’t give in, and as the saying goes, “go through even a grey rock”. Sisu is also the name of a popular candy that tastes like salmiakki, salty licorice.
ÄITIYSPAKKAUS = Finnish parents put their newborns in a cardboard “maternity box”. This useful Finnish invention that is usually used as the first bed for the baby has even gained attention abroad. The box is available for every expecting mum free of charge, and it includes necessary baby supplies.
(I got one :D )
KALSARIKÄNNIT = Getting drunk at home in your underwear with no intention of going out. You have probably heard of this, as it’s currently an international hot topic. So forget fancy party clothes and red carpets and do it like Finns do!
To read more: http://www.worddive.com/blog/16-perfect-finnish-words-you-need-in-your-life/
Dzien dobry! Ja mowie troche po polski. Studowalam na uniwersitecie 10 lat "ago".
Sorry I don't have Polish letters.
That's an impressive list !Bartosz.Jablonski wrote:10, if any level counts :) First 3 fluent, then communicative and quite good basics.
Polish
English
Russian
Slovene
Ukrainian
Bulgarian
Serbo-Croatian - I know, it doesn't exist anymore, but I know communicative bits of both
French
German
Czech
Good to know!
I like the word "Doryphore". I have a friend who is that way. Now I finally can call him Doryphore. Too bad he will probably not understand what I mean! :grinning:
Technology helps us a lot, but also makes us dumb in a way... New generation wouldn't probably manage without technology ( eg. apps to help in everyday life)
I personally like to learn languages and learn about new cultures by learning their languages. I wouldn't use this device, but I know people who would if they could. I like to learn by myself, you learn so much more that way.
However, even without this device I see tourists using Google translate when they order something at cafes. :) At least they get what they want (I hope).
:)
Stumbled upon this article today.
Do you believe that soon we won't need to learn a language when there is technology that can help us communicate with each other?
https://www.boredpanda.com/real-time-translator-ear-waverly-labs
The article describes an in-ear device that translates everything for you in real time... Thoughs?
How old is she? It's great that she is interested in reading the subtitles.Frederick.Dizon wrote:My daughter wants subtitle every time she watch her favorite cartoons. It really helps her to learn the English language.
My oldest wouldn't bother doing it :grinning:
Khadijah.Davis wrote:I can relate to your situation when it comes to making time for new languagesjanahfacal.. wrote:only English and our native language Tagalog for now..:grin: but willing to learn other languages. The only thing that :sweat_smile: hinders me from embracing other language is my time- how much time will I commit from learning a new one? I am pretty sure, you have same situation like mine..?
I can relate too.
Especially now that I have small children, it became pretty much impossible to focus on learning new language, maybe when they are sleeping... :grin: So if you want to learn seriously a foreign language do it before you make kids :grin: My next goal is to teach my children more than 1 language :)
wow that's a great meaning. :grinning::+1:Michelle.Batan wrote:this is what google says
Michelle is a given name, originally the French feminine form of Michel, from the Hebrew name Michael meaning "Who is like God?". :joy:
lol sometimes I overthink too, or just start thinking for myself "that wasn't a correct translation" and how I would translate the phrase :grinning:Khadijah.Davis wrote:Subtitles work for me but if I overthink about them I get distracted. I watch Korean films and drama and sometimes find myself not even looking at the subtitles and I can still understand what they're saying but when I focus on the subtitles, overthinking, I get dizzy. :)
Frederick.Dizon wrote:Olga.Cygnel wrote:Nine, five of them fluently. And some more that I can understand a little bit but don't speak. :)
That's a lot. :grin::grin::grin:
To be fair, I grew up in a multicultural family so I spoke 3 languages since I was young. I didn't need to learn them all completely from scratch :)
And thanks to that, it was easier to learn other languages since there are many similarities in Germanic languages for example.
Wow interesting. Here in Finland they are supposed to pay more for each language that you can use at work, but they don't. And as I said they think it's enough with English so they don't necessarily hire people who speak other foreign languages, even if we have lots of tourists from Russia, Germany, China, Italy!
Philippines sounds like a country I should visit! :)
Too bad it's too expensive to learn other languages there. But nowadays with internet I guess it's possible to learn alone with the help of apps and websites like this one.
In my country speaking many languages doesn't necessarily mean you will be appreciated on the job market. It's annoying, only few employers appreciate when their employees speak foreign languages. :( Most of them don't see why it's good, what the benefits are. They think only the national language + English is enough, no need to try to hire employees who speak more than 2 languages.Aileen.Cortes wrote:The most convenient for me is by taking courses online. My motivation is to have more job opportunities.
I always feel so flattered when I go abroad and people compliment me on my language skills. It's encouraging :)
Nine, five of them fluently. And some more that I can understand a little bit but don't speak. :)
Usually I'm interested in visiting the country where the language is spoken and getting to know the culture better through the language.
I would also learn a new language if I needed it for work. It's a pleasure to learn when there is a reason behind. :)
I personally like to attend courses, 2-3 times per week when I start learning a new language. I like to understand the logic behind the grammar. I like when there is a teacher that explains everything to me.
I don't have a lot of patience to study a language by myself. So I always start by attending a course. It's fun to get to know other people at the course with the same interest.
And what is it? :)Michelle.Batan wrote:I discovered the meaning of my first name. :joy:
Elso.Martinez wrote:I've always wanted to learn sign language and braille too! I'd say it countsKhadijah.Davis wrote:Does sign language count. I wanted to learn sign language too! :)
Me too!
But I don't know what sign language to learn because they are different in every country, just like languages.
Today I learned that you say "susIna" and not "sUsina" in Italian, which means "a plum" :D
I've probably learned more but it's hard to remember all the new words that I'm picking up.
Probably not anyone, but a lot of people.Sourabh.Kumar wrote:I will go with English language because it is widely spoken language and i can communicate to anyone around the world.
First I wanted to choose Italian because I love Italy, my second home.
But I would probably go with English too. A useful language to know in Europe, a business language most of the times.
When I was learning Spanish I found two pen pals to write with. The website doesn't exist anymore, I don't even remember the name.
One guy that I was talking with, we had a lot in common. He wasn't native Spanish but the discussions we had were very interesting and entertaining for me. I lived alone at that time and had a lot of time to chat on Skype after work. Our friendship ended abruptly when he discovered that I was married. Then his interest to chat with me in Spanish decreased. It's a pity. I thought I made a friend. :/
I listened to a lot of rock when I was a teenager. As I grew older in my twenties I was more into something calm, ambient. I listened to the music in the background while studying.
I liked bands like Placebo, Muse, Swedish band Kent, Russian artist Zemfira. I still like them and occasionally listen to them but not as often as before.
Now I just listen to whatever the radio plays :)
I think the best way to learn a language is to use it. Since it is not always easy to find a native speaker in your country, pen pal can be a solution.
Do you guys use pen pals? Do you know where I could find one?
I don't always have time to meet new people but I think a pen pal could help me to remember the languages I once learned...
English because of Spice girls 
It's hard to believe right now that French will become the lingua franca again... even if a demographic boom in the African states could bump the world’s percentage of French speakers from 3 percent today to 8 percent by 2050, it does not mean French will become an important business language again.
I believe Chinese can become the next lingua franca.
Recently I've decided to learn Chinese. It would be nice to at least be able to say common phrases, mostly I want to be able to speak a little bit with the Chinese tourists that come to our town.
Do you have any tips how I should start? I've never studied a language with a different script so I'm lost!
Wow, what an interesting observation!
Thank you for sharing.
This wouldn't work for me though, as I usually don't compare two languages when I'm learning a new language, it is just my way... but it was interesting to read this observation anyway :)
1) Italian
2) Spanish, French
3) Find the way to learn a foreign language that suits you best: some prefer talking with native speakers, some want to travel, some prefer to learn the grammar and understand the logic behind the language, some don't care about the grammar or mistakes they make as long as they get understood. Find your way!
Good point!
To put a link you need to use the hyperlink function in the text box.
Example:
Would be much easier if the links were hyperlinks automatically. :)
I've accidentally created four of the same topics "Parliamo italiano" in the "Other than English" section. How do I delete the three extra topics? I can't seem to find the delete button. My connection was bad and I pressed "create topic" too many times, that is why there are four of them...
I also enjoy watching movies in the original language even if I don't speak the language.
I love the French cinema. Watching dubbed French movies would not be the same as watching them with subtitles (in English in my case, as I don't speak French)
Do any of you guys get excited with learning a new language? To me, learning a language is not a chore, it's not something I have to do, but it is WHAT I LOVE TO DO!
What's your reason for embarking on your language journey?
Since I started watching movies and tv-series in original language with subtitles in the original language my language skills quickly improved. For example, when I started watching English tv-series with English subtitles I noticed that after a while I didn't even need the subtitles to understand the speech.
Also, I'm curious. How is it in your country, are foreign movies dubbed or are there subtitles?
Nice to meet you!
Learning a new language takes time and dedication. I particularly have encountered issues at work because, I need to make sales and negotiate with clients who are speakers of foreign language to secure contracts. My work involves regular contact with foreign language speakers then, being able to talk with them in their own language will help me communicate better with them. Knowledge of foreign language increases my chances of securing contracts for jobs.
Some learn a new language for practical, aspirational, intellectual or even sentimental reasons however, having a clear idea of why you're learning a new language can help to motivate you in your studies. Some learn a new language for reasons such as emigration, in-laws family, friends, culture, study and research or even religion .
What is your reason for learning a new language?
I'm learning Italian. For me the pronunciation is the hardest part. It would be great to speak like a native speaker but there are certain sounds that I can't pronounce right!
Also, everyone is speaking their own dialect. So the second challenge is to learn that. Sometimes I say a word, but I'm not sure whether I speak a dialect or Italian. 
In Swedish - Mångata
This beautiful Swedish word refers to the road-like reflection of the moon on the water. It's the long, wavy shape that appears across the water when the moon is shining on it. It is made up of the prefixes "Måne" meaning moon, and "gata" meaning street/road. For this reason, it is sometimes indirectly translated as "moon-path," "moon-river," "moon-track," or "moon-wake."
There is another Swedish word that we use. The word is "Lagom", which can be translated as "just the right amount".
If I ask you - how much coffee do you want? You can answer "lagom" :)
I was afraid of speaking a foreign language before with native speakers. But as I grew older I stopped caring for what other people think about my language skills. They should be happy I evem try to have a conversation in their native language. I am always happy to meet someone who is learning my language even if they make mistakes or have an accent.
Italian... My 6th language and the easiest so far!
I agree. I listen to songs in English every day and I can't repeat the words the way a native speaker would pronounce them. But knowing where to put the tongue would probably help.Jessica.Moreno wrote:Greg.Jones wrote:Not certain if this will work well for people learning English as a language, but i used to work as a training manager for a customer service company, when people had issues with being heard clearly over the phones i would get them to practice over enunciating syllables in a mirror and get them to watch themselves.
I was trying to find an image to go with this, but then i found an even better explanation - https://www.wikihow.com/Enunciate
We do this during training. :) Some sounds can only be produced if you're using the correct parts of your mouth so we do this so they can see if the shape of their mouths is correct or to see where their tongues are.
Same goes for English speakers when they speak a foreign language. Even if they hear the right pronouciation they can't repeat it the same way, at least not immediately.
In the process of learning language ( English) you can face to some problems. Even if your vocabulary and English grammar are perfect, it can still be difficult for people to understand you because of your pronunciation. Learning to pronounce English words correctly can be one of the hardest parts of learning English. So, what can you suggest in order to improve pronunciation skill?
Jessica.Moreno wrote:Really?! :D So quickly? That would be cool!Khadijah.Davis wrote:Awesome! I would really like to finally learn how to read alphabets outside of the roman-latin ones. It would definitely challenge my handwritting skills to learn this correctly.
Korean's pretty easy. You can learn it in 2 - 3 hours. :)
I can't do the French R either. It sounds horrible when I do it :DJessica.Moreno wrote:I can't. :( I can only do a rolling R, American R, and a horrible UK R.
Hi Frederick! Welcome! Nice to meet you!
Hi! Nice to meet you too :)
What is your opinion? More than one? More than two? More than three?
I think if you can speak two languages, you’re bilingual; three and you’re trilingual. If you speak even more, you might be known as a polyglot.
Ah, yes, I am familiar with this framework. I consider C1 and C2 to be fluent. B2 in my opinion is proficient. I had level B2 in Polish language but I couldn't call myself fluent. And now I am probably back to A1. I haven't used Polish for 6 years now...
What is CEFR scale? :)leosmith wrote:I actually don't use the term "fluent" any more because it means so many different things to different people. Instead I use the CEFR scale.
So far I have really been enjoying the tournament even if I am not a big fan of football myself. This year the games have been quite unpredictable. The usual winners either didn't qualify or lost in the beginning.
Tonight I'm going to want the second semi-finale :) Exciting! I don't even know what country I'm cheering. I just enjoy watching the games, and I'm happy for whoever wins. :)
When I'm learning a foreign language I like to listen to songs in this language and translate the lyrics. Thanks to this method I've always learnt many useful words and phrases. Sometimes a song gets stuck in my head so I repeat it in my mind over and over again, remembering the new words.
Aside from their memorable melodies, many songs have memorable stories in them as well. You simply have to follow the story and learn the vocabulary along the way. I thinks it's a great and easy way to learn foreign words!
What about you? Do you learn languages through music too?
How do you define "perfectly"? Even native speakers make mistakes :)
Someone may say they are trilingual when in fact they perhaps speak one language as a native speaker, a second language fluently and the third at only a proficient level.
What about you?
When can you say that you are fluent in another language?
I would like to learn Spanish better, I know the grammar, the logic, the basics already but I just need to hear and speak it. At the moment I dont have any Spanish speaking friends :/
I have a hard time writing on my phone. Before I couldnt type anything at all. Now I changed my phone keyboard to SwiftKey and managed to type. However it keeps putting extra words as I type and here is an example of how it looks. I need to manually delete the double words:
I am trying to type tjethe wprdswords but tjethe sotesite doesntdoesn't let me.
Hello! I am really interested in learning from those who may be fluent in a language or trying to become fluent in a language some of your best tips/advice that you have personally benefited from in your pursuit of mastering the art of a foreign language.
To share some of my own advice, I think that the 3 most important traits a language learner must have to reach fluency are: (1) discipline in learning the language, (2) sustainable interest in learning the language, and (3) a passion for a culture that speaks the target language.
Looking forward to hearing what the rest of you may think or would like to share. Thanks!
Personally I don't expect everyone to speak my language when visiting my country. I don't mind speaking English with tourists or any other language we have in common.
Same for me - double messages in the chat.
If I was your teacher I would respect your wish not to be corrected. In a way it is even easier to teach if you don't have to correct your students. :)
I agree though that you don't necessarily need to correct everything a student says in a wrong way, but maybe just mistakes that a students makes repeatedly. However, I would not interrupt a student while speaking.
Personally I like to be corrected. Whether I need a long explanation or not depends on a mistake that I make. If it is a small mistake and I know the rule already, then I don't need a long explanation. But if it is a mistake that I make repeatedly, and I think I am speaking correctly, then maybe I would need an explanation. It happened to me that I said a word in a wrong way for YEARS and only after 6 years or so my husband finally corrected me. 
