The Student Thread

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by Dragonfly, Oct 20, 2008.

  1. Ducky

    Ducky Master of the Moos Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2004
    Messages:
    21,549
    Likes Received:
    0
    Meh, I've been in English course, English Writing and it drives me insane. I've become so bad with English writing that.. oh dear :lol:

    Would have one compulsory language course for Uni, should be able to go there next spring (English Oral Skills)

    Thank god registering to language and text courses change this Christmas. Back in old days (usually they take 20/group and each course is once during the autumn and once during the spring)
    so when they announced when registering starts - you had to be logged in at the very minute and be able to clicketyclick yourself in that course.. those were usually full at first minute, and you can guess how slow the system became. But then of course, even you didn't reach to top20 and was there listed after those, it's still proven to be successfull just to go to first class and find out if someone hasn't come and get their place (because if you don't appear to first class, you are kicked out automaticly)
    I hate people who register to language and text courses and then don't come. Then there is like 10 people in group, when there could be 20 and everytime there is people left out who would love to be there. Because those are compulsory.
     
  2. dopebabygirl

    dopebabygirl CSI Level Two

    Joined:
    May 28, 2007
    Messages:
    1,546
    Likes Received:
    0
    Englisch is my third and I'm always thinking nobody understands me when I write here something lol
    but in school I'm a lot better in english than in German hahaha
     
  3. SpeedyMeg25

    SpeedyMeg25 Coroner

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2007
    Messages:
    2,064
    Likes Received:
    0
    I understand you just fine. :)
    I took Spanish in Junior High and High School and I always thought that I did better in that class than I did in my basic English classes. But that could just be because it was mostly memorizing things. If you asked me to have a conversation in Spanish I'm not sure that I could do it.
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2008
  4. Dawni

    Dawni CSI Level One

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2007
    Messages:
    755
    Likes Received:
    0
    I always find it funny that English is my first language born and bred in the UK, yet i can't talk it to save my life nor write properly with it... I'm good with slang i've realising and shortening words and stuff but properly grammar i'm awful.
     
  5. Deirdre

    Deirdre Coroner

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2008
    Messages:
    2,368
    Likes Received:
    0
    I know the feeling dopebabygirl and especially when I'm writing quite long posts. I'm thinking how many mistakes I made etc. but all in all, it has sense and we understand each other so I think it's not that bad with us, lol.

    German is my third language but never let me talk in this one. I remember just nothing, ok, maybe few sentences like "Ich spreche Deutsch nicht":lol: And I had been learning for years. Maybe I'll try to learn again 'cause only English is not enough (I consider some Scandinavian but I'm closer to Russian 'cause my family members speaks it fluently and they're able to help me a bit).

    Dawni, it's with every native language. I'm not bad in mine 'cause I'm writing in it a lot and I'm not making serious mistakes. But well, I'm making sometimes too long sentences, lol. But I know many people who seriously still have problems with grammar (Polish grammar is not easy) and with orthography (long to explain - we have two letters which are the same sound but in written language you can't make mistake).
     
  6. bubbles

    bubbles CSI Level Two

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2007
    Messages:
    1,657
    Likes Received:
    0
    i think all of your english is great. I know Deirdre we speak quite a lot, and your English is almost as good as mine- and I'm English!!

    I really wish I could speak another language as well as you guys speak english. I speak a very small bit of german and french, but it's very little.

    "ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch und auch un peu de francais" ;) and "hola" too. lol
     
  7. _Hush_

    _Hush_ Winchester Inc.

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2007
    Messages:
    1,460
    Likes Received:
    0
    Lol, I didn't notice the whole English-as-a-foreign-language discussion.

    Well, I was raised in French, my parents then sent me to a Dutch school, because it's the main language in my area. So I know two languages perfectly (so to speak :p)
    In High School, we got English and later German. I'm still trying to perfection these two now in uni. There's a huge amount of grammar to be known, and german vocabulary is a bitch :p (der, die, das, I can never remember which gender goes with what word).
    English grammar isn't really that hard, except today's lesson, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Something about mood and modality, will have to look at that again. But in general: not too hard.

    Oh, and I also took Spanish last year. I can still hold a small conversation, but don't ask me to hold a presentation or something in it.
     
  8. Deirdre

    Deirdre Coroner

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2008
    Messages:
    2,368
    Likes Received:
    0
    It was even not a half of the problem with German - firstly gender and then which case? lol. When is dem or den?:lol: But well, I can't complain too much, German has only four cases, Polish seven. And German grammar is more logic. In Polish some things are more chaotic so you can only learn them by heart.

    English grammar? What's that?:lol: I'm learning much more English here at the message board than in class, lol. And thanks to reading in general and watching shows etc. in this language. 'Cause of that my knowledge of grammar is really shabby. I learn it only for tests and then easily forgetting, lol.
     
  9. bubbles

    bubbles CSI Level Two

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2007
    Messages:
    1,657
    Likes Received:
    0
    I'll tell you, I bet you have better english grammar than I do. We did a 'test' at work the other day, and the polish girl who works at our place knew more than us english, we were shocked at how bad we were. she knew stuff we'd never been taught.

    I always remember in german at school, we had a 'der,die,das, wer, wie, was' song, can't remember the rest though! I think I could hold a conversation in german, just about, getting the overall gist of things, but yeh, I wouldn't go much further than that. but with german, you could get the case wrong, and you'd still make sense, especially speaking ;) that's what i always told mysef!

    seriously guys, you all speak amazing english! and grammar, a lot of english people wouldn't know the difference between 'there, their and they're' so you're ok ;)
     
  10. Fighter

    Fighter Lab Technician

    Joined:
    May 11, 2008
    Messages:
    570
    Likes Received:
    0
    Geez, what a discussion about learning languages, I want to participate :lol:

    IMO that’s the case with a lot of native speakers, for the simple reason that they don’t really have to study their language so carefully - they just know it, and people who want to learn some foreign language usually have to go through a lot of grammar explanations and exercises.

    I really like English grammar and I think I know its rules quite well (hmm, I definitely should ‘course I work as a teacher and have to explain English to my students – so it would be quite strange if I couldn’t do it :lol:) but I had huge problems with Polish grammar at school and I hated it passionately :lol:. Love my language but really don’t like going into the intricacies of cases, verb endings etc. Fortunately, I learnt it subconsciously :)

    I’m now in my final year at uni (study British literature and I enjoy it very much :)) and I'm not learning any foreign languages at the moment but I remember my battles with German in secondary school (it was mutual hatred :lol:) and later in college (it was better, we had a great tutor but still difficult for me). I definitely want to know some other language except English but I’m torn between giving German one last chance (I know some grammar already, vocabulary etc. so it’d be easier for me but I don’t really like that language) and starting Spanish from the basics – definitely more effort but I kinda fell in love with it so probably I'd be more determined to learn this language :confused:. Well, still have some time to think of it :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2008
  11. bubbles

    bubbles CSI Level Two

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2007
    Messages:
    1,657
    Likes Received:
    0
    Wow, so many languages. That's amazing!

    I just think in the UK we're very relaxed on learning foreign languages- which is really bad of us, and really wrong, I mean in my old high school, they don't even have to do GCSE in another language anymore.

    I really feel quite embarrassed how litte other languages I know, and compared to a lot of people, I'm quite good.
     
  12. Ducky

    Ducky Master of the Moos Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2004
    Messages:
    21,549
    Likes Received:
    0
    with your ywsysze words :p I hope it is as bad as our language, god I hate Finnish grammar. We don't have prepositions but add different letters to end what tells who is talking and... well like "from the city" "kaupungista" when city as a basic word is "kaupunki"

    Swedish grammar is rather easy as well, somehow even easier than English. I'd love to learn Estonian, but they don't teach it in my uni. Grrr.. Even I almost joined Sami class (our ethnic group, who were here before Finns and have own language and culture) but then left out... Then I understand some of Norwegian since it's close to Swedish and bits of Danish.

    And German..I hate the language with passion. Studied it 6 yrs and I know the numbers, I can introduce myself and order a beer :p

    Thinking of taking few SPanish classes next year
     
  13. Dragonfly

    Dragonfly ~Queen of Sarcasm~ Moderator

    Joined:
    May 26, 2006
    Messages:
    8,634
    Likes Received:
    0
    I've always felt horrible about this, but I speak English, and well, english. I've tried to learn other languages, I really have, but I just can't :(
     
  14. Deirdre

    Deirdre Coroner

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2008
    Messages:
    2,368
    Likes Received:
    0
    Did you think about something like "chrzaszcz brzmi w trzcinie w Strzebrzeszynie"?:lol:

    Yeah, your 14 (or 15:confused:) cases. And some cases can be used only with other case etc. But well, don't complain, Hungarian has 24 cases:p
     
  15. Ducky

    Ducky Master of the Moos Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2004
    Messages:
    21,549
    Likes Received:
    0
    Exactly! :guffaw::lol:

    I know... I do remember names of those, even I don't remember ending for 'em. THose are called: nominatiivi, genetiivi, akkusatiivi, partitiivi, essiivi, inessiivi, elatiivi, illatiivi, adessiivi, ablatiivi, allatiivi, abessiivi, komitatiivi and instruktiivi :p (I still get nightmares when we had to learn all those" (I just checked Polish page for FInnish language in Wikipedia and there was Polish names for those :eek: )
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_language

    Yup, dats the language.

    *sniff* our finno-ugric languages are just soo... lovely complicated.. and we have 8 vowels instead of 5 :p
     

Share This Page