Zelda's French Log (+ Modern Greek)

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zjones
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby zjones » Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:04 pm

edit: double post
Last edited by zjones on Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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zjones
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby zjones » Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:05 pm

Daveagain wrote:Cavesa and Xmmm have both mentioned talking to the TV, repeating the dialogue of the TV series they're watching. Perhaps that's something you could consider?

(In the case of Dix Pour Cent you could even buy a copy of the screenplay.)


Oooh, I had never thought of buying a screenplay for Dix Pour Cent. It's not too expensive either. Thanks for the marvelous idea![/quote]
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Melkor
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby Melkor » Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:29 am

zjones wrote:Excessively formal speech often sounds antiquated and awkward. Wide vocabulary and variety of expression ≠ formality.

And regardless of what you think of formality, I want to sound natural and to speak well within the context of a situation, especially when I am almost exclusively using tutoiement. I trust my teacher when he says I should prefer "est-ce que" in the context of everyday speech, he's well-educated and well-spoken in both French and English.


Have you tried the Colloquial series before? I certainly used the German versions and found it handy for less formal speech. Oh, and to make yourself sound even less formal, instead of using "est-ce que," why not use a normal sentence and simply raise the pitch at the end? ;)
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zjones
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby zjones » Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:42 pm

It's hard for me to walk the fine line between having a robust goal that is motivating, and having high expectations that make me feel disappointed. I've recently discovered that I can't work without a goal for very long, so I have to set something to work toward. In the past I did well with having goals like "Finish Assimil NFWE" and "Finish Easy French": goals that are structured, have definitive ends, and work well with routines. It's been more difficult to define those goals now that I'm in the intermediate zone, but I'm working at accepting things the way they are without getting stressed. It is what it is. 8-)

I will be starting German next month most likely, with Assimil, Pimsleur and a simple grammar book. The thought of learning a third language from scratch seems incredibly straightforward now. But who knows, maybe I'll be surprised! I don't have any expectations for German, though, which is kind of nice. There's no rush because this language is going to be just for fun.

In non-language related news, I squatted 130lbs the other day, and my deadlifts have regularly been in the 150lbs zone. Two months ago I was squatting 90 and deadlifting about 110.
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MrsStarez
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby MrsStarez » Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:54 pm

Hi Zelda. I could echo a lot of what you’ve said about goals (maybe not the weights though!) I need something more structured and to dedicate proper time to French, rather than just fitting it in as and when. Which Assimil course are you on? I’d say I’m a B1/B2, so want to make sure if I buy into it, I’m going for the right level.
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zjones
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby zjones » Wed Oct 17, 2018 4:38 pm

MrsStarez wrote:Hi Zelda. I could echo a lot of what you’ve said about goals (maybe not the weights though!) I need something more structured and to dedicate proper time to French, rather than just fitting it in as and when. Which Assimil course are you on? I’d say I’m a B1/B2, so want to make sure if I buy into it, I’m going for the right level.


It's great that you're thinking of dedicating proper study time to French! If you are in the B-levels, I would recommend buying Assimil Using French (not Assimil New French With Ease, which is meant for the A-levels). I don't have Using French yet due to the steep price (about $70-80), but I really enjoyed the first Assimil book.

Assimil is made up of individual lessons that include a text in French, a translation in English on the other side of the page, and high-fidelity audio to accompany each lesson. There are usually some short grammar notes in English, too.

Is there any particular area of French that you are trying to improve? Reading, listening comprehension, writing, speaking? If you like workbooks, I recommend CLE's Progressive series which you can buy here: www.cle-international.com. The Progressive books come in several different categories (grammar, writing, vocabulary, conjugation, communication) for specific levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced,
'perfectionnement'). All of their books are entirely in French. They cost about $60 because you have to buy an answer book as well.
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MrsStarez
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Languages: I can read and write French, but my spoken capabilities are limited. I'm looking to develop further, especially in a business sense, as I'm getting increasingly asked if I would be able to use French at work.
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... php?t=8933
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby MrsStarez » Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:00 pm

Thanks :-)

Officially I have two hours free between finishing work and picking my son up from school on Wednesdays and Fridays and I’m determined to do something productive with the time. I’m trying to improve my French to be able to use it at work. I’ve never really made a plan, just been doing online grammar lessons, watching French TV and listening to podcasts in the car. I think because I don’t have a defined task for each session, it’s easy to let work creep into my alleged spare time.

I’ve had a look on Amazon and the book you mention doesn’t appear anywhere near as expensive - is this the one? (The one in the middle)
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zjones
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby zjones » Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:45 pm

MrsStarez wrote:Thanks :-)

Officially I have two hours free between finishing work and picking my son up from school on Wednesdays and Fridays and I’m determined to do something productive with the time. I’m trying to improve my French to be able to use it at work. I’ve never really made a plan, just been doing online grammar lessons, watching French TV and listening to podcasts in the car. I think because I don’t have a defined task for each session, it’s easy to let work creep into my alleged spare time.

I’ve had a look on Amazon and the book you mention doesn’t appear anywhere near as expensive - is this the one? (The one in the middle)


Yeah, it can be tough to find spare hours if you work and have a kid. I'm glad you're making it work, though!

That is the book for Using Assimil (the older edition). If you bought that, you'd have the texts but you'd be missing out on the amazing audio. I recommend buying the "Superpack" which is a book with CDs, for about $50 (plus international shipping, probably): https://www.amazon.com/Using-French-Sup ... 2700580540. You can buy the audio and the book separately, but it's much easier to buy them together.
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zjones
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby zjones » Thu Oct 18, 2018 6:47 pm

French

I've been worrying about my French speaking for the last several weeks. I suck at it. My accent is apparently nice, but my spontaneous output is poor and I can't seem to figure out a way to fix it. But let's be honest here, I'm trying to figure out how to fix my speaking without talking to people. :roll:

So, how do introverted language-learners get good at speaking? Or do they?

Without getting into reasons and details, I barely socialize in English and I prefer it that way. I am emotionally and mentally exhausted after socializing, and it's always worse when I'm talking to people I don't know very well. Therefore speaking in French is frustrating and drains everything out of me immediately. My iTalki teacher was great, but once a week is not enough to really improve my speaking and I don't want to pay for more lessons than that.

I know there are some people on here who learn languages for comprehension instead of output, maybe I'm slowly inching my way over there...

German

I placed the order for Assimil German With Ease today. It's really happening!
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rfnsoares
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Dabbling: Croatian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Turkish, Hebrew...
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Re: Zelda's French Log

Postby rfnsoares » Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:42 pm

Hi! I'm an introverted language-learner too. I see no problem with it. I spend most of the time I devote to learning languages reading. Theoretically, you have to develop the four skills, but only if you want to (or need to for some reason). One way I found that has helped me to improve my speaking skills without talking to people is to write.
I agree with you, one time a week is not enough. One of the reasons I gave up taking classes on Italki was because once-a-week classes were not enough (more than that it would cost more that I could afford :? ) and also because I think the tutors did not do what I had asked them to do.
Well, long story short: write anything that comes to your mind (or you can find some prompts online in order to help you) and post your entry on Italki for getting corrections. Yes, write everything that you were supposed to speak. These two productive skills (writing and speaking) are highly correlated. It might help with your speaking. At least it has been helping me with my English. I guess :?
The classes on Italki usually last 1 hour, you can take advantage of this hour and spend it practicing your writing. Of course it is very hard in the beginning, but if you try hard, it'll work. Start slowly till you are used to it. Perhaps there are many other methods ;)
Last edited by rfnsoares on Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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