Rowanexer's log (FR, JP, PT)

[Sizen]

I spent ages looking through different websites and found it really difficult to figure out if I could buy them without using their proprietary reading apps. Amazon has also made it almost impossible to convert their ebooks to epub now too.

This is why I gave up on my e-reader. I have an old kindle paperwhite from forever ago, but it's just easier (not necessarily on the eyes) to use my tablet/phone. I have the Kindle, Kobo and Libby app and can read books from any store or library. Plus I can google anything the dictionary doesn't pick up. There's a part of me that wants to get an e-ink screen android tablet, like BOOX, to achieve the same thing, but with a better screen for reading. Definitely a big upfront cost, though, depending on your budget.

[rowanexer]

I spent ages looking through different websites and found it really difficult to figure out if I could buy them without using their proprietary reading apps. Amazon has also made it almost impossible to convert their ebooks to epub now too.

This is why I gave up on my e-reader. I have an old kindle paperwhite from forever ago, but it's just easier (not necessarily on the eyes) to use my tablet/phone. I have the Kindle, Kobo and Libby app and can read books from any store or library. Plus I can google anything the dictionary doesn't pick up. There's a part of me that wants to get an e-ink screen android tablet, like BOOX, to achieve the same thing, but with a better screen for reading. Definitely a big upfront cost, though, depending on your budget.

Phone/computer definitely beats ereaders on most things, but I use my computer for work and for a lot of my hobbies so I'm trying to reduce my screentime. It's annoying not having instant dictionary look-ups but the screen of ereaders is much more pleasant. I might look into getting a newer Kobo that's a bit faster with a better dictionary.

[rowanexer]

Been very into language studying recently. Even so much that I don't really find anyone as passionate about the learning process when I've been going to the languages exchange group. I will calm down eventually but I'm enjoying it right now.

Spanish
Spanish has been my focus these last two weeks. I'm on lesson 4 of Pimsleur. It's very easy and sometimes I wonder if I should skip ahead but I think the practice will be good for separating it from Portuguese. I have a habit of trying to think of the Portuguese equivalent when I learn a new word in Spanish which I'm trying to stop doing.

I used more video content recently. I watched a few videos from Dreaming Spanish - the beginner and intermediate levels. I couldn't stand the repetition and gesturing in the beginner levels so I moved to intermediate. It's okay? Not very compelling.
I did however try watching Destinos and got all the way up to episode 4. I'm actually very intrigued by the story! I'm not using the supplementary materials but they do a good job of teaching key phrases and vocabulary through repetition.
I also watched 3 episodes of Peppa Pig. I honestly think it's a fantastic resource and I used it when teaching kindergarten students English. There are multiple videos for so many topics, and the characters repeat important phrases and vocabulary so it was perfect for reinforcing vocabulary they'd been learning. I'm an adult though so I only managed 3 episodes before I needed a break.

What I've been spending the most time with has been Lectia--for Spanish, Portuguese and French. I love how they use authentic materials and even when it's hard at the beginning I come away being able to understand it all, which feels very good. I did a whole bunch of lessons and really enjoyed it. It's such a fantastic resource.

I also finished an A2 graded reader "La profe de español". It was a really entertaining read! I could understand a lot even though I've just started and have barely studied any grammar yet. I experimented a little with the Ilya Frank book for Spanish and read the first short story. Not as interesting as the graded reader but it's free and seems good for reading.

Portuguese
I've been putting some effort into finishing Assimil Portuguese. I'm on lesson 94 now. I'm almost there!! I do enjoy this but it usually takes 40 mins a day and it's hard to find the time/motivation to do it.

I tried listening/reading to Brazilian sources now that I feel securer in my European Portuguese production skills. Lectia was great for this and I did 4 lessons. I tried one of the Fábulas Africánas bilingual texts iguanomon sent me and it was pretty good! I got lost a bit while listening but when I read it after I knew most of the words but wasn't used to hearing them (like sapo for frog).

The other thing I did was finish episode 1 of Desliga a televisão on RTP. This was a fairly intensive process and I did consider not doing the dictionary/translate look-up step but I'm glad I did. There was a parody of Hell's Kitchen and I learned a bunch of Portuguese dishes through image searching words. I also watched a dance tutorial in Brazilian after deciphering this hilarious pop-up:

"Coming Soon: How the Paster healed a paraplegic and got him dancing the Axê in a disco in Caparica"

Looking forward to episode 2!

French
A mix here. Not too seriously. Went through severial Lectia lessons and finished reading a graphic novel "Les esprits d'Hirta". The book was a bit of a disappoint. Wondering if I should reread it intensively but it might ruin my motivation.

Otherwise I picked up my old copy of Assimi's Using French and tried to do it. Only up to lesson 2 now but repeating after the tape has been really useful. I definitely need more practice to make my french accent more natural again. For that goal I also worked through some of the pronunciation drills in FSI. As you can tell I'm very casual and not particularly motivated by French anymore, but I think I need a good comprehensive-ish resource I can work through in order to improve my skills rather than flitting about.

Japanese
I'm 70% through コンビニ人間 (142 pages) and it's taken an unexpected turn. It's a really funny and unusual book. I find myself holding back laughter when I'm reading/listening to it in public. I recommended the book to a Japanese friend and she's already read it so I'm looking forward to discussing it with her when I finish. Otherwise I've only read a couple of news articles on the Todaii app.

[DaveAgain]

French
A mix here. Not too seriously. Went through severial Lectia lessons and finished reading a graphic novel "Les esprits d'Hirta".
Japanese

I came across a mention of the Japanese 2nd hand book shop chain Book Off recently, they've got some shops in France too.

[rowanexer]

French
A mix here. Not too seriously. Went through severial Lectia lessons and finished reading a graphic novel "Les esprits d'Hirta".
Japanese

I came across a mention of the Japanese 2nd hand book shop chain Book Off recently, they've got some shops in France too.

Aw I love Book Off. So many cool books and manga, and the name used to make me laugh too. If I end up in France in the future I'll make sure to stop by. Thanks!

[rowanexer]

Spanish
Watched two more episodes of Destinos and managed to pick up the past tense from context! Also did two more lessons of Pimsleur. This time I listened while doing some crafting and it was very relaxing. One Lectia reading lesson and one GLOSS listening lesson (about partying in Madrid, a fun topic!).

I also watched a show "Rutas Bizarras" on RTVE which was a funny travel show about walking the Camiño. I watched it with my Mexican sister-in-law and my brother and we had Spanish subtitles on. i was able to grasp quite a lot thanks to the subtitles. I also realised just how much my previous language studying must be helping me, because my brother, who has been studying Spanish (to B1 level) since marrying said that he couldn't understand the majority. At one point he asked what "peregrino" was and I answered "pilgrim". I haven't learned that word in Spanish or Portuguese, but it seemed obvious to me from the context. But I think if you're new to language learning this stuff can be really tricky, and listening comprehension in particular. My brother is using Dreaming Spanish a lot, which I think is a good resource for beginner learners, but I hope he'll be able to graduate to authentic materials at some point.

Portuguese
Finished Assimil lesson 97 tonight. Skipped 96 because it was a proverb lesson and I didn't know the French translations and did not want to spend ages looking all this up. Been thinking about my next learning material for Portuguese once I'm done. I have the B1 Português XIII textbook, some grammar workbooks, and Português Atual 2 which I used for the exam prep. I remember the audio in the XIII textbook being really hard, so I think I'll move to that next.

I read a short story "O homem que sabia javanês". I listened to the audiobook here while reading along, then read an English translation. I understood the gist of it. The story was pretty funny so I recommend it! Although I'm a bit lost whether he actually did end up learning Javanese in the end or not.

https://librivox.org/colecao-librivox-d ... eiros-001/
https://ashortspell.com/the-man-who-spo ... a-barreto/

Japanese
I finished コンビニ人間!! My first novel in Japanese. I'm really happy and proud of myself. The book was fantastic and a really great read--unexpected and funny, with a nice ending. There were a bunch of descriptive vocabulary that I wasn't clear on, but I don't want to do any intensive study since it's a paper book and it's too annoying to look words up in the dictionary. Instead I've decided I will move onto "Read Real Japanese Essays" which I bought a while ago. It already has audio and vocabulary notes so it's ideal for intensive study.

I also looked up my results for my N1 test I failed years ago. I wasn't well prepared and didn't have any energy to study for it despite being in Japan so I'm not surprised at the results. Still kicking myself I didn't take the test when I was at uni and could have passed easily without any prep. Now I have to actually work to regain my skills.

Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/grammar) 29/60
Reading 40/60
Listening 27/60
Total 96/180

I actually passed the minimum for all sections but missed the overall passing score by 4 points :'(
My listening and vocabulary scores were weakest so I think I might buy an N1 listening prep book. I also downloaded some kanji & vocabulary flashcards from Wanikani but almost fell asleep at the prospect of drilling. I do not have it in me anymore. I'm first going to explore if extensive reading and listening practice will be enough.

French
I keep discovering just how rusty my French is. Tried a GLOSS level 3 listening lesson and struggled a lot. Although I could get the gist I missed a lot of detail. My attempt to intensively watch "Kaamelott" was a struggle too, but the show is fun and I was able to intensively study it with French and English subtitles, as well as using Language Reactor to look up individual words. I think I will continue with it.

[robokey]

I finished コンビニ人間!! My first novel in Japanese. I'm really happy and proud of myself.

おめでとうございます！！Congratulations!! That was my first Japanese novel as well! I really loved it too.

I also downloaded some kanji & vocabulary flashcards from Wanikani but almost fell asleep at the prospect of drilling. I do not have it in me anymore.

I feel this deep in my soul. Having to drill flashcards is like eating raw onions to me. Extremely unpleasant. I hope your strategy of extensive reading works out. Good luck in your studies, I'll be cheering you on!

[rowanexer]

I finished コンビニ人間!! My first novel in Japanese. I'm really happy and proud of myself.

おめでとうございます！！Congratulations!! That was my first Japanese novel as well! I really loved it too.

Thanks! I checked out your log too. The Night Market sounds like an interesting book. I'll add it to my list!

[rowanexer]

I kept up my LingoJournal habit all last month so here's a breakdown of how I spent my language time in May:

Spanish - 15h 32m
Reading - 2h 30m (A2 graded readed and Ilya Frank reader)
Listening - 4h 10m (Destinos, a bit of Dreaming Spanish, Peppa Pig, Rutas Bizarras)
Speaking - 3h 10m (this is mostly all Pimsleur. Maybe it's cheating to put it in speaking rather than studying)
Studying - 5h 22m (mostly Brulingua and Lectia/GLOSS)

Portuguese - 13h 27m
Reading - 47m (Books - All native materials)
Listening - 3h 4m (TV series and audiobook)
Speaking - 45m (Language exchange)
Studying - 8h 51m (Assimil, Lectia, Brulingua)

Japanese - 8h 54m
Reading - 4h 23 (NHK news, コンビニ人間)
Listening - 4h 31 (listening to the novel コンビニ人間, youtube authentic videos)

French - 7h 53m
Reading - 55m (bande dessinée)
Listening - 1h 37m (Podcasts, TV show)
Speaking - 15m (talking with another French learner)
Studying - 5h 6m (Gloss/Lectia, Brulingua, Assimil Using French)

Dutch - 12m
This was solely from finding a link to an old video course for learning Dutch and getting curious and watching the first episode.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... p34F4LxJMy
It was really good for complete beginners! Honestly though, Spanish is of more use in my life right now so I've put Dutch aside.

Thoughts

Overall my impression is that I need to spend more time doing active activities such as speaking or writing. It's fine to be doing more passive things for Spanish which I've just started, but for my other languages active activities would help cement my knowledge in my brain so that I can actually use it comfortably. I don't encounter speakers of my languages regularly in my daily life, so I need to make a bit more of an effort.

To this end I am signing up for French conversation classes which will start in June. For Japanese I can make regular connects with friends abroad and try to find people local too. I am also going to try writing short summaries of what I read or writing diary entries.

I might also try a technique for improving speaking I saw on from youtube:
https://youtu.be/Bue05mPPoFw?si=RB8CzG-pqqsI6U3e

The regime is extreme but basically the idea is to record yourself speaking on a subject (e.g. summarising a news article or video you've watching), then rewatch and notice any words/phrases you didn't know. Look up those words then re-record a summary again. My concerns are that I could end up learning unnatural ways of saying things if I don't check with a native speaker. The man in the video used DeepL to look up words then put them in Anki to learn but I don't know if I trust DeepL. I will have a think about how best to do this.