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Education & Reference Best way to learn a new language?
- Thread starter treefingers
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Poseidon
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Not sure if they have it in Swedish but currently learning German with the Michel Thomas method (CD/Book) You start at 'Start' then go to 'Total' and finish with 'Perfect' I am currently at 'Total' I recommend it.
Also social networking sites like Livemocha and busuu are pretty fun, I don't use them anymore but I did when I first started.
You should also test yourself. I picked up a novel in German from the library and set about translating it into English (armed with a German-English dictionary for cheating) did about 3 chapters before I got sick of it, but it helped. I've also started listening to German hip hop
Anyway, to kick start get yourself the Michel Thomas method, if they have it for Swedish.
Also to hijack your thread, anyone recommend any books/sites/software to learn Arabic including Arabic script?
Also social networking sites like Livemocha and busuu are pretty fun, I don't use them anymore but I did when I first started.
You should also test yourself. I picked up a novel in German from the library and set about translating it into English (armed with a German-English dictionary for cheating) did about 3 chapters before I got sick of it, but it helped. I've also started listening to German hip hop
Anyway, to kick start get yourself the Michel Thomas method, if they have it for Swedish.
Also to hijack your thread, anyone recommend any books/sites/software to learn Arabic including Arabic script?
Cannot recommend Verbling enough. It's awkward as **** at first, but everyone's there for the same reason. It's also a bit of a reality check when you're talking to a native. I've never heard "Well, yeah that's technically right, but no one would ever say that" so much in my life. Get into it early, even if you feel like you have nothing to say, just have a few questions and try and ask them in Swedish.
Also have a geeze at Pimsleur Swedish. A guy at work is going over to Swederland for work and he seemed to think pretty highly of it. There's a few of the introductory lessons on youtube.
Diese Welt ist geiiil, denn ich hab alles was ich brauch. Listen to much CRo?I've also started listening to German hip hop
Edit: Also plz for the more recommendations for German hip hop.
raskolnikov
Hall of Famer
Do what I did and move in with a local family that don't speak a word of English. After six months, as well as one on one tutoring three times a week, I was speaking pretty fluently.
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- Jun 5, 2008
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1. Get a private tutor before you go to Sweden to learn the grammar (rules of the language)
2. When you are there set yourself to learn 5-10 new words every day (build vocab)
3. Get a girlfriend when you are there (Criticial)
After 3-6 months you should be having decent conversations
Make an effor to learn how to ask what things are called.
e.g. You dont know the word for door handle, you ask 'what is the thing you use to open a door'
2. When you are there set yourself to learn 5-10 new words every day (build vocab)
3. Get a girlfriend when you are there (Criticial)
After 3-6 months you should be having decent conversations
Make an effor to learn how to ask what things are called.
e.g. You dont know the word for door handle, you ask 'what is the thing you use to open a door'
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Hi mate, I am now a Swedish speaker living in Sweden after moving here 6.5 years ago so can let you in on how I learnt it.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself before you leave on how much you should know. I took some lessons in introductory Swedish at Melbourne Uni (about 20 all up, not sure if they still do it). It was good for basic conversation, learning to count etc. and giving my girlfriend a laugh but not much more. Unless you have a Swede who basically forces you to only speak with them in Australia, you will not be able to get a huge head start before you get there.
The real learning time comes when you land and how you deal with it. I had a whole group of Swedish friends and family due to my girlfriend which was good and bad. My advice is to find some people who will only speak Swedish with you (that is really, really hard to find in Sweden, people love practising their English and will especially love doing it with an aussie guy as they don't meet many of them here). For me that was my girlfriend's parents and grand parents who basically couldn't speak good English and also the friends in my girlfriennds group who weren't great at English but if you don't have that situation and you were studying for instance, this will be your biggest challenge. Find interests like sport or music that you can meet Swedes in... not easy but can be done.
You will find that in social situations most will speak English with you. This bothered me a bit at first as I found it weird that a whole dinner party would speak english just because I was there. But after a while I took it more easy on that one. I realised that I needed to unwind socially just like I was in Australia and if that meant not stressing about talking Swedish at a party, fine. You will really need time to unwind and relax if you are trying your hardest to learn a language quickly and making new firends through talking English will keep you sane. But it is a really tough balance to get right and there is no perfect formula.
An example to illustrate my point, since I moved here, besides my Swedish friends, I have made eight really close english speaking mates. 3 of them went gung-ho learning Swedish perfectly as soon as they got here and became fluent within two years. Me and another mate went pretty hard but didn't go overboard and learnt it within 3-4 years. 2 other mates still don't really know Swedish at all: one simply doesn't speak it.
Out of the above, it would surprise you that the three that learnt it fluently have all ended up leaving the country. Their relationships failed (their girlfriends all dumped them strangely) and they are back in Australia/England. All of the rest of us are still here although the bloke who speaks no Swedish feels very isolated in this society and isn't happy. I've often thought about it and think that the blokes that went too hard on it lost their personality too much. Their girlfriends probably didn't recognise them after a while. They would get to the point where, if a Swede like my girlfriend for instance would speak English to them if we were out in a group situation (because her english is flawless) they would make a point of speaking Swedish back to her. In hindsight, it showed they just couldn't chill out. But as you are coming for just a year, it might be different for you as well. Whatever you do, have fun with it.
Geez sorry, long post, could probably write more but the crux of what I am saying is that, with Swedish, it is a really tough balance. Have fun with it, find a few Swedes to speak only Swedish with, don't just get caught hanging with english speakers but don't be a nazi about either. Sounds easy doesn't it. Seriously, you will have a lot of fun here with the right attitude.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself before you leave on how much you should know. I took some lessons in introductory Swedish at Melbourne Uni (about 20 all up, not sure if they still do it). It was good for basic conversation, learning to count etc. and giving my girlfriend a laugh but not much more. Unless you have a Swede who basically forces you to only speak with them in Australia, you will not be able to get a huge head start before you get there.
The real learning time comes when you land and how you deal with it. I had a whole group of Swedish friends and family due to my girlfriend which was good and bad. My advice is to find some people who will only speak Swedish with you (that is really, really hard to find in Sweden, people love practising their English and will especially love doing it with an aussie guy as they don't meet many of them here). For me that was my girlfriend's parents and grand parents who basically couldn't speak good English and also the friends in my girlfriennds group who weren't great at English but if you don't have that situation and you were studying for instance, this will be your biggest challenge. Find interests like sport or music that you can meet Swedes in... not easy but can be done.
You will find that in social situations most will speak English with you. This bothered me a bit at first as I found it weird that a whole dinner party would speak english just because I was there. But after a while I took it more easy on that one. I realised that I needed to unwind socially just like I was in Australia and if that meant not stressing about talking Swedish at a party, fine. You will really need time to unwind and relax if you are trying your hardest to learn a language quickly and making new firends through talking English will keep you sane. But it is a really tough balance to get right and there is no perfect formula.
An example to illustrate my point, since I moved here, besides my Swedish friends, I have made eight really close english speaking mates. 3 of them went gung-ho learning Swedish perfectly as soon as they got here and became fluent within two years. Me and another mate went pretty hard but didn't go overboard and learnt it within 3-4 years. 2 other mates still don't really know Swedish at all: one simply doesn't speak it.
Out of the above, it would surprise you that the three that learnt it fluently have all ended up leaving the country. Their relationships failed (their girlfriends all dumped them strangely) and they are back in Australia/England. All of the rest of us are still here although the bloke who speaks no Swedish feels very isolated in this society and isn't happy. I've often thought about it and think that the blokes that went too hard on it lost their personality too much. Their girlfriends probably didn't recognise them after a while. They would get to the point where, if a Swede like my girlfriend for instance would speak English to them if we were out in a group situation (because her english is flawless) they would make a point of speaking Swedish back to her. In hindsight, it showed they just couldn't chill out. But as you are coming for just a year, it might be different for you as well. Whatever you do, have fun with it.
Geez sorry, long post, could probably write more but the crux of what I am saying is that, with Swedish, it is a really tough balance. Have fun with it, find a few Swedes to speak only Swedish with, don't just get caught hanging with english speakers but don't be a nazi about either. Sounds easy doesn't it
. Seriously, you will have a lot of fun here with the right attitude.
Yeah, not bad. Anki is better for the flash card style of learning. Much more customisable and you're not tied into the particular programs that Babbel has.
There's only one guy to learn Swedish from
I speak considerably more German than any other language due solely to Rammstein.Not sure if they have it in Swedish but currently learning German with the Michel Thomas method (CD/Book) You start at 'Start' then go to 'Total' and finish with 'Perfect' I am currently at 'Total' I recommend it.
Also social networking sites like Livemocha and busuu are pretty fun, I don't use them anymore but I did when I first started.
You should also test yourself. I picked up a novel in German from the library and set about translating it into English (armed with a German-English dictionary for cheating) did about 3 chapters before I got sick of it, but it helped. I've also started listening to German hip hop
Anyway, to kick start get yourself the Michel Thomas method, if they have it for Swedish.
Also to hijack your thread, anyone recommend any books/sites/software to learn Arabic including Arabic script?
As poor as my attempts at other languages are, best thing I can suggest is immersion. Even if you don't understand half (or any) of it, watch the news in that language if you can. Listen to the radio, have it on in the background. I did it with both French and Spanish and you'd be surprised what you start picking up.
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