Btw, have you been reading/watching movies in Italian? It helps a lot (specially if you try not to compare it with other languages).
Crevs is absolutely right - it helps a lot too! I learnt a lot of things watching TV series and movies in English in the past. You can start watching a movie with dubs, so that you can listen and learn a lot about pronunciation and period constructions.
I understand that subjunctive can be very hard for foreign people. However, keep in mind that LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of Italians cannot use it properly, so...
1.) "Tu sia sexy." Wrong - please note that you cannot use subjunctive in this way; in Italian, subjunctive can be use just in subordinate clauses 2.) "Tu sei sexy." Correct
Aaahhhh, you are just overthinking! It is not a matter of opinion - it is a matter of grammar rules! You cannot use subjunctive with a main clause. Subjunctive can be use just in subordinate clauses, so "Tu sia sexy" is wrong.
Just letting everyone know that Duolingo's Japanese course has now been released for iOS and coming "very very soon" to Android.
It seems they took the route of learning you basic hiragana and then base the course on that. Rather than using one of the romanization systems. So that's nice!
Just letting everyone know that Duolingo's Japanese course has now been released for iOS and coming "very very soon" to Android.
It seems they took the route of learning you basic hiragana and then base the course on that. Rather than using one of the romanization systems. So that's nice!
I found Japanese much easier to learn than French, Latin, Chinese, and Gaelic. Basic hiragana is the way to go before tackling all the chinese characters that get added latter. Cherokee is probably up next for me given my location and interest in their total immersion school programs for the young-uns.
What I find really striking is that there are words of which the meaning I can derive from English.
Some examples:
soggiorno - sojourn richiesta - request cercare - to search invitare - to invite costare - to cost permesso - permission
Some are obvious. Some not so much. I really like the first three because it took me a while and I needed to hear the pronunciation of "richiesta" and "cercare" first before I recognized them. And I have actually never used the word "sojourn" in English but I know it from one of the Drizzt books, called the same way: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Sojourn And then I read "soggiorno" and I am immediately reminded of "sojourn" and Drizzt of course
I find this really fascinating. Of course these words share a common heritage, from Latin I'd strongly assume.
There are many more words of which the meaning I can derive from English.
Edit: Oh yes, of course just because the words share a common heritage, that does not mean they have the very same meanings nowadays. They can. But the meaning can also slightly differ or have some new additional meaning in one language but not in the other etc.
Heh I tried learning Hungarian (mostly out of the challenge - since its not related to any of the neighbouring languages - except Finnish).
Now there is a language that you can only rarely derive words from English from
I find this really fascinating. Of course these words share a common heritage, from Latin I'd strongly assume.
There are many more words of which the meaning I can derive from English.
Edit: Oh yes, of course just because the words share a common heritage, that does not mean they have the very same meanings nowadays. They can. But the meaning can also slightly differ or have some new additional meaning in one language but not in the other etc.
English is kind of funky in that way. It isn't a romance language, but it has soaked up so many words from French and Latin through the centuries that it might as well be one. And yeah, false friends are always a hassle in these cases!
I found Japanese much easier to learn than French, Latin, Chinese, and Gaelic. Basic hiragana is the way to go before tackling all the chinese characters that get added latter. Cherokee is probably up next for me given my location and interest in their total immersion school programs for the young-uns.
I really have a hard time making Japanese words stick in my head for some reason. Maybe because of how hard it is to find similarities with the languages I do know. It would be awesome to learn Cherokee or any other of the indigenous languages of America. But I think I've already reached the limit of how many languages I can study at the same time...
@JoenSo Agreed, too many at once is tough, one at a time is all I can manage as it is. Sometimes things can get a LITTLE confusing for me, even with just ONE at a time.
@Zaghoul Yeah, that's usually tricky enough for me to. I find it easier when learning languages that are very different from each other. So I can keep Japanese and Spanish apart in my head, while I started to fill in the blanks with Esperanto when studying a bit of French.
I think I just made myself sound like some polyglot. I'm really not. Unfortunately.
@JoenSo That is what I was thinking. I think that's why I enjoyed Japanese, very different with no connection to english at all, plus it seemed a very straight forward language, compared to English. Im not sure how others feel but I would think english would seem a bit strange to learn as a 2nd language. And any language seems a little more interesting when have a particular interest in the social culture and history as well. Polyglot, hah, for some reason that reminded me of the movie Bladerunner, where the city speak was a mishmash of spanish, chinese, german, etc. . Anybody that's very fluent in 2 or more languages is pretty amazing already. The US is kinda insulated but is definitely changing in the languages more widely spoken.
Comments
I learnt a lot of things watching TV series and movies in English in the past.
You can start watching a movie with dubs, so that you can listen and learn a lot about pronunciation and period constructions.
2.) "Tu sei sexy." Correct
It is not a matter of opinion - it is a matter of grammar rules!
You cannot use subjunctive with a main clause. Subjunctive can be use just in subordinate clauses, so "Tu sia sexy" is wrong.
For instance:
"Può venire?"
"Che venga!"
But that is a very advanced level of Italian. You are learning the basics, so stick to the rules and use them
You are a wet lettuce. My wrath shall burn you.
You act like a rather damp and soggy lettuce. My wrath will be like the flames of hell on your hiny.
...
Interesting. I use the subjunctive quite a bit.
...
I don't teach this at school. Another grammar rule that people learn subconsciously.
It seems they took the route of learning you basic hiragana and then base the course on that. Rather than using one of the romanization systems. So that's nice!
Cherokee is probably up next for me given my location and interest in their total immersion school programs for the young-uns.
I could sure use a 'Babel Fish', from HHGtotheG
Now there is a language that you can only rarely derive words from English from
Agreed, too many at once is tough, one at a time is all I can manage as it is. Sometimes things can get a LITTLE confusing for me, even with just ONE at a time.
Yeah, that's usually tricky enough for me to. I find it easier when learning languages that are very different from each other. So I can keep Japanese and Spanish apart in my head, while I started to fill in the blanks with Esperanto when studying a bit of French.
I think I just made myself sound like some polyglot. I'm really not. Unfortunately.
Polyglot, hah, for some reason that reminded me of the movie Bladerunner, where the city speak was a mishmash of spanish, chinese, german, etc.
Anybody that's very fluent in 2 or more languages is pretty amazing already.