Has anyone tried learning another launguage

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Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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I did Italian, French and Spanish classes in college but each one was only one semester each and I have pretty much become rusty, partly because i was never fluent. I had the best command with Italian than any. Spanish was really hard for me.

I found that there are a ton of apps to learn but of course they are not free.

I was thinking of paying for either Babbel or Rosetta stone.

I'm starting with French.

Anyone have experience with either babbel or Rosetta stone ?

Babbel is slightly cheaper but Rosetta stone has been around a long time.

Also, any French speakers here??
 
does English count?

(ik bedoel maar, het was voor mij een vreemde taal toen ik klein was)

hey, that brings up an interesting point, how old were you when you learned English?

it has been my experience that immersion works best
find a group of people that only speak whatever you're trying to learn, and surround yourself with them (or just camp out at walmart for a few days, aint no one speakie the inglish there)
 
Reminds me of the time about 36/37yrs ago. We were in a store and had gotten ahead of the daughter who was 4/5at the time. Turned to look for her and she was standing between two oriental women and looking back and forth between the two. They were speaking in their language. We called for her and asked what she was doing. She said those two were gossiping.
 
I know enough Spanish to ask where the beer, bathroom and ladies are and to start a really good cantina brawl. I took Spanish from the 10th-12th grades because that's where all the hot chicks were.
 
German! Started when I was growing up with siblings. They took it, and I was a ginny pig when they had tests to prepare for. Then, finished my learning off when stationed in Germany for 4 years at a small base. Everyone lived offbase/on the economy. Bars were my teacher- you drank, Germans drank, pretty soon everyone was conversing! You always understood it better then speaking it. But after a little alchohol, everyone could carry on a conversation effort. Used to watch/listen to Sesame Strassa their too! Also, radio helped some too while there.
 
I don't have any experience with the online courses, I wish you well.

I have been living in Mexico now for the past 10 years. I have a B.A. in Spanish/Political Science from San Diego State University (2009), was taught Spanish at the Border Patrol Academy (1985), and married a Mexican born spouse thirty years ago (1988). I hated Spanish in high school (circa 1972) and dropped it in exchange for an hour of study hall. My Spanish is passable, but not perfect. Some of us (especially guys) are just not that great at picking up a second language. Of course, what I learned at a university level did not help one iota when overhearing conversations in the male restroom of a Tijuana cantina, that is all slang.

Circa 2005, I took a summer school class in Arabic. After a month or so, my vehicle broke down for the last time and I had to drop the class. I can sign my name in Arabic (see photo), but that is about all. Arabic uses different verbiage when addressing a male or female, does not use the verb "to be" (for example to say "girl is pretty" one just says "girl pretty". Then one writes backwards from right to left, using squiggly lines and dots, nothing to do with our ABC alphabet. If I thought Spanish was difficult, I was not going to learn Arabic in a million years, especially starting out at fifty years of age. I was lucky having had to drop the class, in lieu of making a complete fool out of myself.

arabic signature copy.png
 
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I took Spanish from the 10th-12th grades because that's where all the hot chicks were.

In one of my Spanish classes at San Diego State there were 28 girls and two guys. Then the other guy dropped the class and left me alone with the girls. The girls were 18-20 year olds and I was fifty-plus. Bad timing you say? Well, if I had to do it over again ...

girls.jpeg
 
I think they started teaching us Spanish in 4th grade in San Diego County. After that it just seemed to be part of my cirriculum, I continued with it. Worked out okay in the short run, in 7-10th grades the teacher was muy caliente :lol:.
 
does English count?

(ik bedoel maar, het was voor mij een vreemde taal toen ik klein was)

hey, that brings up an interesting point, how old were you when you learned English?

it has been my experience that immersion works best
find a group of people that only speak whatever you're trying to learn, and surround yourself with them (or just camp out at walmart for a few days, aint no one speakie the inglish there)
Maybe your Walmart but I'm not looking to waste time either.

Yes, immersion does work but i don't have that luxury right now.

The main thing I was trying to find out is anyone has any experience with Rosetta stone and / or babbel
 
Of course, what I learned at a university level did not help one iota when overhearing conversations in the male restroom of a Tijuana cantina, that is all slang.

My ex's parents were both Mexican nationals. My limited knowledge of Spanish was quite helpful. Mother in law spoke both, father in law not so much, but I knew enough to understand what he said, but I seldom respond in Spanish and he was likewise. He was pretty cool, didn't want to be a associated with the age of being a father in law, so we were Primos, cousins :lol:. Whenever I heard "ballaso", I knew my mother in law was talking about me, ballaso=clown :lol:. We had a heck of a party when they became Naturalized US Citizens.
 
I've tried learning some Spanglish words.
No luck. Too old.
I had a hot strawberry blond for HS French with nice legs that wore skirts.
That and this phrase are about all I remember.
"je t'aime je t'adore que voulez vous encore"
She taught us that so we would be able to say something if people wanted to hear some French.
 
I used to have access to Rosetta stone.
I didn't do well with it, but I also have a hearing impairment, so the problem is likely in my set.
I've been told that Babble is better. The university that I'm at also went to Babble over Rosetta Stone. That may not be saying much, as these people are whores and go with the lowest bidder.
Sorry, can't help with the French. I can do English and some Hebrew (I'm not that great with that).
 
I did Italian, French and Spanish classes in college but each one was only one semester each and I have pretty much become rusty, partly because i was never fluent. I had the best command with Italian than any. Spanish was really hard for me.

I found that there are a ton of apps to learn but of course they are not free.

I was thinking of paying for either Babbel or Rosetta stone.

I'm starting with French.

Anyone have experience with either babbel or Rosetta stone ?

Babbel is slightly cheaper but Rosetta stone has been around a long time.

Also, any French speakers here??
You may want to watch alot of Star Track reruns you may be able to pick up a little Klingon.
Side note
I spent a fair amount of time off and on in the 80's in Italy for work.
I cant speak the language but about once a month I dream in Italian.
 
Maybe your Walmart but I'm not looking to waste time either.

Yes, immersion does work but i don't have that luxury right now.

The main thing I was trying to find out is anyone has any experience with Rosetta stone and / or babbel
Try Duolingo, it's free, and it has many languages to choose from. It helped me when I used it, and a guy here has learned English over the last year and is very proficient now.
 
We had a school district Superintendent in Macon a few years back. A real piece of work. The lawsuits still continue to this day......anyway......one of his "bright ideas" was to make Mandarin Chinese a requirement for students. Parents went ballistic. Stupidest thing ever. Everybody and I mean everybody who was interviewed said that Spanish made the most sense if a language was going to be required. I agree with that.

Also......just a personal note, I happen to think Spanish is perhaps the most beautiful language on earth.
 
My son briefly used Rosetta Stone to learn some Pashto before a deployment to Afghanistan. He was far from fluent, but it was useful, and he could communicate with some locals in a rudimentary manner. They had a great interpreter, so he stopped working on it. But, it was working.
 
We had a school district Superintendent in Macon a few years back. A real piece of work. The lawsuits still continue to this day......anyway......one of his "bright ideas" was to make Mandarin Chinese a requirement for students. Parents went ballistic. Stupidest thing ever. Everybody and I mean everybody who was interviewed said that Spanish made the most sense if a language was going to be required. I agree with that.

Also......just a personal note, I happen to think Spanish is perhaps the most beautiful language on earth.
I can't help but think people who want us to learn Chinese want us to be slaves

WE are the top dog, have them (the chinese) learn English
That is how you establish dominance
 
Rainy, I have used Rosetta Stone exclusively. I do not know how it compares as I have not used anything else as I was very satisfied with Rosetta Stone. I am learning Madarin now but used Rosetta for Spanish. I am not what I would consider fluent but most folks think I am.
 
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