
Hi everyone! I hope you’re doing well. It’s Wednesday, and it’s time for the next post in the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews. If you’d like to join in, you can check out the list of topics for this year here. You can see what other people said about today’s topic here.
Languages I’m Learning or Want to Learn
I have been fascinated with languages since starting secondary school, where I discovered we could learn them. Before that, I hadn’t thought much about foreign languages, not even when I was six and a German foreign exchange student came to live with us for a few weeks. There wasn’t too much of a language barrier that I can remember since he spoke perfect English.
The first secondary school I attended did not give us a choice: we had to learn French and German.
I found both languages difficult, though French was the more challenging to wrap my tongue around.
When I changed schools, we were allowed to study just one language and had to choose between the two. I chose German because it was the closest of the two to English in terms of sentence structure, which made it easier to grasp.
I struggled to learn German in my early teens; I think it’s because I was studying so many other things at the time, and as we got closer to the end of school and closer to studying for our GCSEs, we were given the option of dropping one subject. I chose German to focus on my other subjects.
I regret the decision now. There are so many things, like typing proficiency, which I never really use these days. I do most of my typing on a phone or tablet. I wish I’d dropped that instead.
These days, I still study German and a little Spanish through the app Duolingo. I have found it phenomenal; I have learned much more from this app than I ever did at school. How the app approaches language learning helps you to retain what you have learned. It takes you through the basics of German, and you need only move to the next section when you feel ready. It’s interactive, too, which helps you to keep using the skills you learn.
If you ever want to learn a new language, I recommend giving Duolingo a go. You can learn lots of languages and move along at your own speed. I should also say here that I am not sponsored by Duolingo, even though it seems like it. I merely love the app.
Well, that’s post number 4. Hopefully, it wasn’t too long.
As always, thank you for spending your time here with me today.
Until next time,
George
© 2024 GLT
Categories: life, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge
I love the idea of being able to speak several languages, but only have my school French. I never thought of using Duolingo, but what is there to lose, you don’t have to take an exam or be embarrassed in class.
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And the nice thing about Duolingo is that you can pick it up and drop it when you like. It’s easy to get back into if you need a break.
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Duolingo is awesome.
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I agree, Lydia!
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German can be rough because it has a very rigid grammar structure, but that can be good, too. It throws me off that in Spanish and Romanian you can just eliminate the subject and rely on the verb to figure out what’s going on. LOL
But I do love Duo and it’s crazy sentences. I’ll never forget Maria and her love of eating mosquitos. 🤣
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Yes! There have been a few strange ones! 🤣
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I know some people complain about the silly sentences, but it does help me remember words. Last night I had one that was something like, “The pigs usually wash the dishes but yesterday the cows did.” Like, okay, my cats need to step it up then!
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Haha! They need some lessons from their farmyard cousins 🤣
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I am also a DuoLingo lover… the stories are my favorites.
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Ah, I love them, too. Sometimes, I struggle with them, but I do find they help reinforce what I’ve learned.
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No, it’s not too long!
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Ah, thanks, Priscilla! 🙂🙂
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