Language Software and Websites

[Jasonator]

I Hope everyone is still climbing their trees !!!!

Been a little while since anyone has posted !

I'm almost one-third of the way through the newest editions added to the Norwegian tree.

Sometimes I think they are easy, orther days it just beats me into the ground LOL.

I have to admit that my audio ability is improving.

I find the additions a bit "non-conventional".  It might just be that I don't use slang

in my normal conversation.  Has been an interesting Journey so far.

I look forward to finishing the tree again.

Hope everyone is progressing.

[Silvervane]

I am indeed still climbing.  I am almost back to where I left off.  Should be back there by the end of the week (just past check point 3).  Then I will be back to slow climbing up the new parts of the tree.

[Doug Sundseth]

One hundred day streak, 51% fluency (back 1% as I was slacking for the last few days), level 13, just past checkpoint 5.

[Jasonator]

Glad to see that everyone is making progress... Level 13 !!  Nice.

I don't usually futs with the level stuff, but I'm on 13, almost to 14 with all the upgrades that I am doing.

 

Today I found several errors, and was getting major PO'd by them .  Was costing me time I didn't have to spare

this morning.  I finally hit another error and posted to them that they were Using a new word in a listening sentence,

BEFORE it had been introduced into vocabulary.  Frustration is not something I put up with easily.  So I posted "

"Stop Frustrating me" and let them know the issue.  Someone must have been looking at the board, suddenly it stopped,

questions went back to normal sequence.  I had about 40 lines of txt written down in my notes.  Grinding me down.

So, if you find yourself in that loop, in the error section (if it is an error) type the problem, and it is frustrating you.

They'll back off.  At least it seemed that way to me. 

[Doug Sundseth]

Levels seem to be just based on the number of lessons you complete at 10 pts/lesson and an escalating gap between levels. (I have about 800 points or 80 lessons to level 14.)

 

Last night's new subject seemed to follow a different paradigm. Previously, a lesson would be tightly focused on the new material and run to 10-ish screens the first time through. Strengthening lessons were focused just as tightly but about twice as many screens. Last night (the first past the fifth checkpoint), the lessons were less focused on the new material and longer as well. It will be interesting to see whether this is a change based on the position in the tree or just an anomaly localized to a single skill.

[Silvervane]

Hmm, I'll have to start paying more attention. I'm at level 14 myself(last night). I have noticed that as I reviewed back through that they have added new words that were not there first round through.

[Kangaroorex]

 

I picked Italian. In normal worlds, it's probably not super useful. That said, I work for an Italian company whose biggest profit centers are in my home office, so I feel like I'll get some immersion and (maybe) some career boosts. Either way, "io mangio zuchhero" is the most false sentence I've ever gotten right.

This got me intrigued. My own company overlords are Brazilian, so maybe a bit of Portuguese wouldn't hurt.

 

Though I'd be more interested in Japanese and Chinese, Duolingo doesn't offer them (...yet).

 

***Shivers*** Brazillian.  Ug.  Its Portuguese except when its Natal... or german... or Spanish...  and they like anglo-Portuguese puns.  I worked down there for about 5 months and one of the places we ate at was the Xis (pronounced chis) burger.  in the local dialect (yes they have them too) xis was not.  the place served pretty good egg sandwiches and great fries.

 

the language lost me when it came to doors.  the word that looked like push was pull.   what I learned didn't stick. 

[Jasonator]

I remember being in Rio many years ago.  I was a young hot shot, that spoke Spanish.

Boy did that place cause me to crash and burn ROFL.

I still remember the pollution, and there was a lot of seediness, but gosh was it beautiful.

Circle (roundabouts for the brits/australian/Canadians among us, were shaped like butterfiles;

and I think every car on the road was a volkeswagon !!

I came to the realization that German was an alternate language down there, and I would NEVER get to understand

the language !  Sure was a magnificently, beautiful place though.  Ipanema Beach was breath taking, as were the mountains

and the Christ of the Andes overlooking the city !

[Erifnogard]

205 days.  I both feel like I have learned a lot and feel like I will never be fluent.  Probably just a stage.  Wish I knew some really, really, really, really patient Swedes.

[Silvervane]

Well, I managed to catch back up on where I was just past checkpoint 3.  Only managed to get my streak back up to day 19, hopefully day 20 tomorrow.  Yup, also not feeling the fluency thing (though it tells me I'm at 52%).  Back to the slow steady progress of a new lesson then two reviews that was working well for me.  It satisfied my obsessive need to review and forcing me to keep pressing forward.

[Jasonator]

205 days.  I both feel like I have learned a lot and feel like I will never be fluent.  Probably just a stage.  Wish I knew some really, really, really, really patient Swedes.

I wonder... Have you ever been to Stockholm ?

Its only six hours of flying, and I believe you can get an SAS flight (it will stop in Denmark though), or get a Lufthansa flight that will

stop in Germany, and cause you to race to the the gate..ROFL.  Been there, done it, I think it should be an Olympic sport.

Spend a week wandering around Sverge, it will do your heart good, and also your taste buds.

Sweden is cheaper than Norge, so do it.  I think if you book six months in advance the rate is like five hundred bucks round trip !

Find an inexpensive hotel (all reservations include breakfast), and just wander the streets, and see what is there.

Tallk to folks, they will be shocked du kan snakke Svenske, (I don't speak Swedish, but I think my Norwegian carries through to Swedish.

I did that with Oslo before I met my cousins, what a blast it was !!!

[Erifnogard]

 

205 days.  I both feel like I have learned a lot and feel like I will never be fluent.  Probably just a stage.  Wish I knew some really, really, really, really patient Swedes.

I wonder... Have you ever been to Stockholm ?

Its only six hours of flying, and I believe you can get an SAS flight (it will stop in Denmark though), or get a Lufthansa flight that will

stop in Germany, and cause you to race to the the gate..ROFL.  Been there, done it, I think it should be an Olympic sport.

Spend a week wandering around Sverge, it will do your heart good, and also your taste buds.

Sweden is cheaper than Norge, so do it.  I think if you book six months in advance the rate is like five hundred bucks round trip !

Find an inexpensive hotel (all reservations include breakfast), and just wander the streets, and see what is there.

Tallk to folks, they will be shocked du kan snakke Svenske, (I don't speak Swedish, but I think my Norwegian carries through to Swedish.

I did that with Oslo before I met my cousins, what a blast it was !!!

 

I'ld like to but it will be a while before that is feasible.

[Jasonator]

 

 

205 days.  I both feel like I have learned a lot and feel like I will never be fluent.  Probably just a stage.  Wish I knew some really, really, really, really patient Swedes.

 

I'ld like to but it will be a while before that is feasible.

 

Hmmm, switching hats.....

Have you thought of calling your Local Lutheran Church in town and asking the secretary if they have any Swedish speaking Members ?

You might also check to see if there is a local "Swedenborg" Church or school in your area.  They are a very pleasant group of people that also might have members that speak Swedish.  It only takes one to improve your Svenske.  Maybe you could meet for coffee for an hour on a schedule ! One Note about the "Swedenborgian's"..Notice the word BORG in their name.  They accept ALL religious thought and denominations into their pan-theological thoughts.  We needed a bigger church for my ordination, we went to the Swedenborgians, and they allowed us to hold my ordination at their church.  So, they are really cool, and they don't thump, so if you can find a Swedish speaker in there.. Win Win !

Edited June 1, 2016 by Jasonator

[Jasonator]

Modified the above Post !

[dispatchdave]

I recently started playing with DuoLingo (Spanish and French); I really like it but need to dedicate more time to it.

 

For those looking for a way to interact with native speakers, I recommend the Android app HelloTalk. It's a language exchange app where you find native speakers who teach you, and whom you teach your native language. Features include translations and sentence correction, multimedia interaction (photo, voice, video). It is free to use, though there are limitations for non-premium members (the only one I recall off hand is limited translations). Multiple languages can be exchanged, but there is a fee for each additional language.

 

For those learning Japanese, I highly recommend JA Sensei; again free app with premium unlocks . I've been using it off and on for a year or two, and like it's setup.

 

Have fun learning!

-Dave