Magnoliophyta's log (FR/DE)

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Magnoliophyta
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Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:55 pm
Languages: English (N), French (C?), German (C1)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17953
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Re: Magnoliophyta's log (FR/DE)

Postby Magnoliophyta » Tue Jun 07, 2022 11:24 pm

Updates since last time:

German
-I am now up to Chapter 80 (!) in Grammatik aktiv (Niveau B2/C1).
-I'm still finding it helpful to practice writing, and lately I've been trying to write a few paragraphs about things like my favorite books/movies, and then to take note of where I have vocabulary gaps or uncertainties that I can work to fill in.
-I also still watch "Bettys Diagnose" and "Verbotene Liebe" episodes and listen to the Methodisch inkorrekt podcast from time to time.

French
-In my effort to revive speaking/writing skills in French, I've started working through Reprise: A French Grammar Worktext from the beginning -- this is an exercise/review book that I still have from a class that I took about a decade ago (!!) -- just to refresh things, and really to be in the habit of writing out French sentences, using those words actively again, and sometimes reading the sentences aloud to myself, which makes the grammar exercise into a pronunciation activity, too! The book has an answer key in the back, which is nice for those of us who are studying/reviewing independently.
-I'm still reading Camus' La peste (slow going, I know -- I guess I haven't been finding time as often as I'd like to).
-I went to a local French conversation group meeting -- for the first time in quite a long time, almost a year -- and speaking went pretty well for me there! I can tell that I'm still not as strong as I used to be, but it feels nice to see that not all is lost.
3 x

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Magnoliophyta
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Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:55 pm
Languages: English (N), French (C?), German (C1)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17953
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Re: Magnoliophyta's log (FR/DE)

Postby Magnoliophyta » Fri Jul 01, 2022 5:59 pm

Time flies, and somehow it's already July! My updates from the past few weeks:

German
-To practice writing (and to help myself prepare for taking a C1 exam eventually), I've written a couple of practice essays in the format of the first task in the Goethe-Zertifikat C1 exam's writing section. (The Goethe-Institut has made some practice materials available online for this, which is great). I've found it to be a helpful and enlightening exercise to practice under my simulation of test conditions (giving myself a time limit, writing by hand, and not using a dictionary) and then to see what difficulties I can identify and work on (things like missing vocabulary words that I would have liked to know, uncertainties around the usage of certain words, or even just small careless errors made in the rush of trying to write quickly).

-I'm now up to Kapitel 81 in Grammatik aktiv -- chapters 78, 79, and 80 all had rather long exercise sets and were quite rich in information that I needed to spend a lot of time reviewing before moving on.

-I still listen to podcasts, watch TV series, and read as much as I can in German, when I find the time. I don't keep track of these kinds of things very carefully -- but for the purposes of the 365-day challenge, I have been keeping track of how much time I spend with the German language overall each day, which keeps me accountable for keeping the language present in my daily life (whether through taking in input to practice comprehension, or through more traditional "study" activities).

-Speaking of study activities, I'm still maintaining my daily Anki review habit, which I like.

French
-I took another italki lesson in French, which went much better than the one a couple weeks earlier! I think I am getting better at not letting German and French interfere with one another -- it also helps, with French, when I do something to prepare myself before speaking, like listening to a French podcast or radio for a bit. That way, I remember and revive those patterns of forming sentences and thoughts, I think.

-I still read in French frequently for my work.

-I've also been more deliberate about regularly listening to radio programs (as podcasts) in French at least once a week: right now I really like Les pieds sur terre from France Culture.

-I also still work through exercises from Reprise as review.
4 x

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Magnoliophyta
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Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:55 pm
Languages: English (N), French (C?), German (C1)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17953
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Re: Magnoliophyta's log (FR/DE)

Postby Magnoliophyta » Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:50 am

Hi again from the beginning of another new month. July flew by so quickly! For my 365-day challenge, I missed three days in July, but considering how much else was keeping me busy this past month, between work and a little bit of travel, I think I did well.

My language study updates for July:

German
-I still review cards from my Anki flashcard deck daily.
-I'm still working through Grammatik aktiv B2/C1 and am now up to Chapter 86, out of 88 total. Almost there! But I've also taken time this month to go back and review some concepts in earlier chapters that I've noticed are still tricky for me at times.
-I also made it a couple times to a German conversation group, and the speaking practice really does help -- even if I don't get corrections there (like I would from a tutor), it helps me I realize where I have vocabulary gaps or what kinds of constructions feel less confident and would benefit from further practice on my own. I also pick up useful vocabulary from others around me!
-I also started listening to a German audiobook for the first time, and it surprised me how different (and helpful) it can be to hear a written style of language spoken aloud. (Usually, when I am listening to something like a podcast, I'm hearing people speaking in a more conversational, informal style).
-I also watched some re-runs of old Bettys Diagnose episodes online in the ZDF Mediathek. (A new season is supposed to start this fall!)

French
-I met a new italki tutor and took a couple French conversation lessons this month, which was helpful for me. As I continue trying to actively speak French more often, it goes more and more smoothly. I can feel that I'm slowly re-remembering some of the vocabulary that had deteriorated away over a few years of not speaking French very often.
-I've also been occasionally doing some of the free online listening comprehension activities from TV5Monde, so that I am not just practicing listening, but also checking my understanding with the accompanying exercises. The vocabulary activities included in with some of the exercise sets have also been helpful as places to find words that I'd like to add to my active vocabulary (or bring back, in the case of vocabulary I've forgotten over time).
-I've started a small Anki deck for French, which seems to be helpful. My flashcards are set up where I have to type in the answers, and sometimes I catch myself wanting to write in German, doing things like typing in a "die" instead of a "la" for a brief second before I correct myself -- I think my brain must have made a strong association between Anki and studying German! Anyway, any amount of mental exercise that makes me practice keeping French and German separate, but actively usable, must be helpful, I like to think.
-I finished with La peste and want to start in on another French novel soon...
3 x

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Magnoliophyta
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Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:55 pm
Languages: English (N), French (C?), German (C1)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17953
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Re: Magnoliophyta's log (FR/DE)

Postby Magnoliophyta » Tue Oct 04, 2022 12:40 am

Hello from the end of another couple of months (plus a few days)! October already! It's been a while since my last log update -- the beginning of the fall has been a busy time for me -- but I'm still here, and still working on language learning.

Some updates since last time:

German
-I'm still maintaining my streak of Anki flashcard review every day.
-This means that, even though there have been a few days when I haven't managed to get my 30 minutes' worth of study in (for the 365-day challenge goal), I have still done at least something for my German every day, which feels good.
-I finished Grammatik aktiv (level B2/C1) in mid-August and then started the Hueber Deutsch üben: Wortschatz & Grammatik C1 book. I'm now done with the "Wortschatz" (vocabulary) exercises and midway through the grammar exercises -- for me, this is mostly review, but it makes things feel more solid, plus sometimes useful new vocabulary comes up that I take note of.
-I've started reading Sven Regener's Magical Mystery oder: Die Rückkehr des Karl Schmidt, a spin-off novel following Regener's Herr Lehmann trilogy, which I already read in early 2021.
-I still listen to podcasts and/or watch TV series in German online, when I feel like it (but pretty regularly).

French
-I've taken a few more italki lessons, which has been helpful for reviving, practicing, and improving my speaking skills. I made it to a local French conversation group a couple times, also, which was fun and helpful.
-I also do the scheduled reviews each day for my relatively new, small (but slowly growing) Anki deck for French vocabulary. I add new cards when phrases or words come up that I want to hang onto.
-In early September, I read a recent novel, La poule et son cumin by Zineb Mekouar.
-I still read French news from Le Monde in the morning for at least a few minutes each day. And I listen to podcasts or watch films/TV series in French when I feel like it -- somewhat regularly, though I'm not super systematic about it.

I'm learning how it feels to have both foreign languages coexist, without neglecting either one for too long. And in general, at this stage, I'm enjoying what I can do with each language, while also appreciating how it feels to keep actively working to improve, when I have the time.
3 x

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Magnoliophyta
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Posts: 32
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:55 pm
Languages: English (N), French (C?), German (C1)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=17953
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Re: Magnoliophyta's log (FR/DE)

Postby Magnoliophyta » Thu Dec 01, 2022 1:59 pm

Another new month!

I'm still here, though my language-learning work has slowed down quite a lot in November. A little bit of travel plus some extra-busy weeks at work were just enough to throw off my usual routines. It meant that I only got to count 10 days of November towards my 365-day challenge with German -- but I'm glad to be still here and keeping track, and this new month of December is feeling like a new opportunity to hopefully find more time for language study again. (There will be much less going on in the rest of my life, compared to November.)

With both German and French, I've been continuing with italki lessons every couple weeks or so and find the conversation practice both helpful (to maintain skills) and validating (to see that my skills are already as good as they are).

I also continue to study with my Anki decks for both languages, though I've now broken my daily streaks.

Taking in entertainment (reading, listening, TV series, etc...) in both languages is also something I still do, when I feel like it, though I haven't been very strict or organized about it lately. But it's fun and I can tell it's helpful for me to spend time with the languages that way, when I make the time for it.
3 x


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