Post: #76

(10-15-2014 03:47 PM)britchard Wrote:  Does anyone else use duolingo? They've got Danish, Gaelic and are adding Turkish as well as the 'big' languages

That's how I've been learning French for much of the past 90-100 days. I use other websites for specific purposes as well, though. I wouldn't mind having a little formal instruction, but Duolingo was a nice place to build a foundation. I use it for practice, but it can only do so much. When I start seriously learning Spanish at the end of next month, I'm going to start off with Duolingo.

Post: #77

(10-15-2014 03:47 PM)britchard Wrote:  Does anyone else use duolingo? They've got Danish, Gaelic and are adding Turkish as well as the 'big' languages

I use it for Italian, since sadly they still don't have Russian yet.

Post: #78

End of year is about 90 days away. I have been going to learn Spanish for the past 5 years. It is time for me to shift into gear. I'd like to be able to hold a conversation by December 31.

Post: #79

I've seen a lot of people start to learn a new language. They almost never get to the point where they can use their new language conversationally. That's because they lack motivation. And that lack of motivation comes from not having any clear, strong reason for learning the language in the first place. They're learning the language for no concrete reason.

This has been studied in terms of external motivation and internal motivation. External motivation is something instrumental. There's something specific you want to do and the language will let you do it. (Game.) Internal motivation is more about the satisfaction of mastering the language or identifying with the language's speakers and culture. Both types of motivation can lead to success in language learning. It's the strength of the motivation that counts the most. Everything else (method, resources, age, talent) is secondary. If you're only spending an hour a day on your new language, undermotivation is your major obstacle. It takes more than that.

Post: #80

I've been trying to learn Italian for almost 3 years now, and I'm still bad at it.

Lack of motivation at times + no immersion.. and I'm only using Duolingo

I have a good social circle of Sicilian friends but they always wanna practice their English with me..

I'm eager to become fluent or at least conversational level

anyone that has any additional free things I can use please share...

Post: #81

The key to making progress is to use better methods and study a little bit every day. Use memrise SRS to attain vocabulary, but focus more on the sentence method. You can start with Assimil and then progress to Glossika. Copy the files to your cell phone so that it is easy for you to do short periods of study two to three times a day. If you have an exceptionally busy day, study at least once. Even if it is only for five to ten minutes. It always takes longer than you would think, but you will realize it is worth it later. Be patient. You may have difficulty pronouncing an entire sentence at first. So, just learn the sentence in manageable pieces. Say what you can. Such as the beginning first few words, the end, or the middle. Then combine these pieces together.

Start to write out typical conversations you would have with people that you meet. Submit this writing in small pieces to italki and native speakers will correct and refine your writing. You are also able to use italki to find speaking partners once you have been studying for a while. You can also hire teachers at reasonable rates, but it is not necessary.

Memrise or Anki ( memrise often includes audio )
Assimil ( buy on Amazon )
Glossika ( buy package that includes the audio & ebook. Can buy paper back on Amazon )
italki ( speaking partners for Skype )
fluentu (paid, subset of languages, but very good)

I used to use other services such as Babbel (lots of practice speaking), etc.

Post: #82

Almost 90 days now to finish the year.
I will continue learning Portuguese. for motivation, I'll use Badoo or Tinder pointing to Brazil as if I was there, like a virtual visit.. That way I'll be forced to do it because of the conversation. And maybe later i'll do the real trip

I'll Finish Rosetta Stone and continue with something else.