CarlyD's 2020/2021 German Log

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Fri Nov 27, 2020 11:50 pm

Montmorency wrote:It may not be the same in the USA, and it's probably all but died out in England by now, but at one time, you'd hear older people express numbers in German-style order, but only (I think) in the context of time:

e.g. "it's five and twenty past twelve". I think my own father did this sometimes, and almost certainly his father.

Then there is the old nursery rhyme: "Four and Twenty blackbirds...". Whether that reflected common usage when it was written, or whether it was just "literary licence", I don't know. :-)

(Does this usage occur in Shakespeare, does anybody know?)


I used to find German numbers difficult, although I cope better nowadays. At least with cardinal numbers. I still have trouble with ordinals sometimes, especially if it's combined with a "[something] und [something]" type number, e.g. 33rd or 34th. Usually because my brain is fiercely struggling with the question of what ending to give it, and whether it includes an "s" or not, in real time, and not quite making it. :-)

(in writing you can get away with it just by writing it as a number followed by a "." but in speaking it, there is no place to hide ... ).


I can't think of a single example in U.S. English with the numbers backwards like that. The only time I can remember a number even being split apart is in Abraham Lincoln's speech that started "Four score and 7 years ago."

I'm still practicing with them. They'll sink in sooner or later.
0 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Sat Nov 28, 2020 12:15 am

This came up as an assignment in Study Habits course regarding setting language goals.

Spanish:

Learning Goals:
I would like to be able to read the books I already have (A1 thru maybe A2+)
Follow (well enough) newspaper articles, maybe websites
Understand well enough to watch the detective shows on V-Me

Study Goals:
Spend one more full year (after German) with tons of tv watching, reading and using Advanced Spanish Step by Step
Emphasis would be on listening and reading comprehension

German:

Learning Goals:
I am currently aiming for B1 with an option for B2.
I want to be able to read all the books I already have
I want to be able to read/figure out newspaper stories, websites, etc.
Understand normal spoken German on the news, on detective shows, at least enough to follow the story
I want to be able to post and respond in German on Facebook, on knitting sites and other online sites.

Study Goals:
Throw everything I've got at learning German every day thru 12/31/21.
Emphasis on listening comprehension
Actually locate a more extensive repository of German content to listen to that I currently have
Read every book that I can between now and 12/31/21.

Russian Goals:

Learning Goals:
Be able to identify and know the sound of every letter in the alphabet
Be able to sound out a written word

Study Goals:
None yet. I still have that Russian alphabet book in my basket on Amazon for "some day."

Slovenian Goals:

Learning Goals:
Basics of tourist Slovenian--greetings, etc.

Study Goals:
None yet, but probably Memrise and a tourist phrasebook

Once I laid out all my actual goals and hopes I can clearly see that speaking isn't on any of the lists. I'd like to be able to speak, but to be honest, I'd probably be paying for a tutor to help me speak and then when it's over, I end up not speaking to anyone. So I'm going to leave that for now--I'll continue to speak during my lessons, but will not seek any specifically speaking courses--like the 90-Day Challenge that is totally based on how well you can hold a conversation.

I'm sure these goals will change in the future, but this is what I'm planning for right now.
4 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:04 pm

I was in a very interesting Zoom class this morning--Kerstin Cable's Breaking the Grammar Code. Very interesting take on how to handle grammar, and particularly when you are ready for grammar.

One point was--you learn it best when you're ready for it. I have a clear memory of posting, probably in this log, of facing the dreaded chapter on Datives in my textbook. It was horrible and I didn't get a lot out of it. Much later, something came up that had a lot of Datives in it, and I was asking--why is it doing that? Why do you need the Dative there? Turned back to my textbook and--oh, ok. Got it. Because I was ready to learn Datives then, not when the textbook said I needed to. And because I was ready, suddenly they became the easiest thing in the world.

I've been doing Clozemaster every day for a good while. I currently have over 700 sentences to review. No matter how many I review every day--100 to 200--the number goes up the next day. I have 100% Mastered set to review every 180 days, but they're coming up like every 3 to 5 days. I had to screen shot everything this morning at the request of their tech person, so hopefully they can figure it out. I'd like to get back to doing a bit of review, then some new sentences every day.

I'm already starting my planning for 2021. Will it be a better year? This is what I posted here in November 2019:

"Ok, I know it's not 2020 yet. But 2019 turned out to be a terrible, horrible year and I'm just totally done with it. So I'm starting 2020 early."

Little did I know. :P
6 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
lingua
Blue Belt
Posts: 951
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 11:23 pm
Languages: English (N)
Maintaining: italiano (B2/C1ish)
Studying: português, Latina
Dabbling: siciliano, Deutsch, français, piemontèis
Abandoned: ไทย, español
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=12257
x 2024

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby lingua » Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:25 pm

I have more than 5000 German sentences to review in Clozemaster. I don't know if you have the Pro version or not but if you do you can set Play review sentences ordered by percent mastered, 0% first. So at this point with so many to review I only ever review the 0-25% mastered. Eventually the others may come up but there is enough redundancy in the sentences I think it is sufficient. On the downside my percent mastered never goes up but I prefer to spend my limited Clozemaster time doing new sentences so I can gain vocabulary in a somewhat natural way. I do 50 new sentences per day and review 50-100 per day on average.
3 x
Super Challenge 2022-23:
DE: books: 0 / 2500 film: 1654 / 4500
IT: books: 3065 / 5000 film: 5031 / 9000
PT: books: 2921 / 5000 film: 5010 / 9000

Output Challenge 2023:
IT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 84 / 3000
PT: write: 0 / 50000 record: 0 / 3000

PT: Read 100 books: 28 / 100

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:54 am

I see what you're saying, but I did review the 100% Mastered, and they're not supposed to come up for review for 180 days, so them coming up every few days is some kind of glitch. Hopefully they can fix it.
1 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:32 pm

First, Clozemaster did have a glitch in their reviews. They didn't answer my email, but a day later the reviews went from over 800 to 154 and are now near zero as I keep up with them.

There is a "new" book coming out next month. A German Word Family Dictionary: Together with English Equivalents by Howard H. Keller. It's a dictionary based on the root word, not the actual word. If you look up the root word mach (verb machen) you get verbs, nouns and adverbs all based on this root. I thought it fascinating and of course wanted it. But--it's a reprint of the 1978 book. Not revised, not updated, just reprinted. And $47.

So it sat in my basket on Amazon for quite some time. A couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, my credit card company said I had earned enough points for a $75 gift card from a variety of places. Of course I chose Amazon, and the book is arriving in two weeks. :lol: Here's a link to the Amazon page. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/05203 ... UTF8&psc=1
2 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Mon Dec 28, 2020 7:09 pm

Finally we're moving into 2021. And I've made such plans. So many plans. Way too many plans.

1. Here, I've committed to both the Break Out of A1 and 365-Day Challenge. I know I can do another 365 days. It's the hitting B1 that's still a little scary.

2. I joined Language Conqueror, but just for January. You can either do the whole year or just go month by month, so I got a really good discount, and decided to try a month. There's a monthly Quest that you have to commit to and a group of people that are both support and that you are accountable to. So far the other people that have joined are doing Spanish. Might be fun, hopefully it will be worth the time and effort.

3. My online courses thru Ollie Richards. I'm currently in German Uncovered, that I seriously need to finish (on Chapter 9 of 20) and then I go right into German Grammar Hero. I'm hoping to finish both next year.

4. I'm in a (knitting) Stash Down group and have committed to knitting (or getting rid of) 150,000 yards of yarn (actually it's over the next 18 months, not 12.) Given that I only knit 18,000 yards this year, I don't have a clue how I will accomplish that--although I'm already trying to figure out how to work on German while I'm knitting.

Seriously hoping that 2021 will be a better year--although news stories are already saying we'll still be wearing masks thru the year. Since I can't wear one, guess I'll be home a lot for another year.
2 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Mon Dec 28, 2020 8:57 pm

I can't believe that I just flunked the Busuu A1 exam.

There were three conversations to listen to, then you had to answer questions about the conversation. I understood about 90-95% of the conversations and I got every answer right as to what was going on in the conversation.

I made stupid verb tense mistakes--three were basic verbs that I absolutely knew and don't have a clue why I typed what I did. (Ihr hat :oops: ) One was a modal that I translated wrong.

I'm trying it again on Jan 11th. If I fail again, I'm running back to Spanish. :P
4 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000

User avatar
Dr Mack Rettosy
Orange Belt
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2020 5:53 pm
Location: USA, The Great Lakes
Languages: English (N), Mandarin
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=16180
x 729

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby Dr Mack Rettosy » Tue Dec 29, 2020 5:15 pm

CarlyD wrote:Getting ready for another 6 Week Challenge. This will be the year that I bump it up to Intermediate. Of course I've been saying that for how long?

And here's a shot at uploading someone else's schedule with the times:

FSI Language Categories.png


I really enjoy charts like this. They are great primers for day-dreaming about language learning progress! Hadn't known others had made similar charts! I made a chart for learning Chinese Mandarin which can be seen here:https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16180&start=10#p177364. But love this one!
1 x
Mandarin goals:
Read: 2146000 / 10000000 /10,000,000 汉字
Study: 2006 / 5000 / 5000 hours

User avatar
CarlyD
Blue Belt
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:44 pm
Location: California, USA
Languages: English (N), Spanish--A2, German--now studying, A2
x 1318

Re: CarlyD's 2020 Log--mostly German

Postby CarlyD » Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:30 pm

Dr Mack Rettosy wrote:
CarlyD wrote:Getting ready for another 6 Week Challenge. This will be the year that I bump it up to Intermediate. Of course I've been saying that for how long?

And here's a shot at uploading someone else's schedule with the times:

FSI Language Categories.png


I really enjoy charts like this. They are great primers for day-dreaming about language learning progress! Hadn't known others had made similar charts! I made a chart for learning Chinese Mandarin which can be seen here:https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16180&start=10#p177364. But love this one!


I like your chart. It's always nice to say--"well, if I try a bit, it will work"--and then stark reality hits and says if you want it, you have to work for it.

Every time I start getting lazy and sliding back to 30 minutes a day, I look at my chart again.
1 x
2024 15,000 pages Reading Challenge--pages: 1131 / 15000


Return to “Language logs”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests