eebeejay learns French (again)

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eebeejay
White Belt
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:19 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: English (N), French (B1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1408
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eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby eebeejay » Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:57 pm

Hello!

I was a very inactive member on HTLAL but perhaps I will be able to keep up some more regular posting here.

I'm back because I would still like to achieve a good working knowledge of French. I was making some progress on this some time ago and then my life circumstances changed. I moved to the UK and started working in a completely new industry, so relocation and career stuff took up a lot of my time. Now I'm looking at getting back into a study routine again.
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Duolinguo:
French: 26 / 156
Super Challenge:
Books: 0 / 100
Movies: 0 / 100

Cavesa
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby Cavesa » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:23 pm

Welcome back!
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tomgosse
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Posts: 1143
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:29 am
Location: Les Etats Unis
Languages: Anglais (langue maternelle)
Français (A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1185
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby tomgosse » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:27 pm

Bonjour et bienvenue !

I'm looking forward to following your journey. What resources are you using?
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Rejoignez notre groupe français ! Les Voyageurs

eebeejay
White Belt
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:19 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: English (N), French (B1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1408
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby eebeejay » Sun Oct 04, 2015 6:20 pm

Thanks for the welcome!

I'm planning on picking up where I left off with Duolingo and French in Action lessons, as well as drilling grammar with FSI. I've also got a few word lists on Anki.

I was working on Assimil French with Ease before I left and unfortunately I had to leave the book behind. I did rip the audio lessons from the CDs though, so I might pick up Assimil again if I can find a reasonably priced copy of the book.

I'm looking for some ways to increase my exposure to French. I used to have a few Francophone housemates but now that I don't I'm really missing hearing it around me.
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Duolinguo:
French: 26 / 156
Super Challenge:
Books: 0 / 100
Movies: 0 / 100

eebeejay
White Belt
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:19 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: English (N), French (B1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1408
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby eebeejay » Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:41 pm

I've been pretty good lately about doing a bit of study each day, working on my Anki decks on my way to work and then a bit of Duolingo in the evenings. I'm still mostly working on reviewing material I've encountered previously and I'm looking forward to getting through everything so I can start learning some new things. I've been pleased and surprised by how much I've retained, despite not touching French in a year.

The other day I got sucked into a hole for a couple hours reading and translating an article about the city of Petra. I seem to recall the last time I ventured into the translations part of that site I got bored and frustrated by it, so I was surprised by how much easier it seemed to be this time around, and I ended up translating a substantial part of the article. So despite some of its obvious flaws, I've apparently learned a fair bit from Duolingo.
1 x
Duolinguo:
French: 26 / 156
Super Challenge:
Books: 0 / 100
Movies: 0 / 100

eebeejay
White Belt
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:19 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: English (N), French (B1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1408
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby eebeejay » Sun Oct 25, 2015 1:31 pm

I have a few things to help keep me motivated this time around. One of them is that if I eventually end up back in Canada, having a good working knowledge of French will give me more options in terms of finding a decent job. I think it is unlikely that if I go back I will find a job in my field in my home city, and that I would have better chances in Toronto or Montreal. French would be an asset in either case.

The other is that I have gotten back into hiking again and I'm getting pretty bored of hiking in South East England. It's lovely and I love how accessible it is by public transportation, and it's wonderful that there's a pub where you can get a pint every 3-5 miles, but coming from British Columbia, I'm really starting to miss the challenge and remoteness of wilder terrain.

I've been reading up on some of the long-distance routes in France, such as the GR10, which even if I never go, it's providing me with some interesting reading material in French:

L'intégrale du GR10 en 47 jours, de Hendaye à Banyuls
GR 10 > Traversée des Pyrénées

Besides wanderlust, I'm also finding myself with renewed interest in learning German, and also finding that if I stay in the UK, it may be advantageous for me to learn some Welsh... but I think I will stick with French for the time being.
1 x
Duolinguo:
French: 26 / 156
Super Challenge:
Books: 0 / 100
Movies: 0 / 100

eebeejay
White Belt
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 12:19 pm
Location: Canada
Languages: English (N), French (B1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1408
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby eebeejay » Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:09 pm

Two sad things:

1) I've been having a hard time at work lately so I haven't been studying French nearly enough. My phone died completely and it took me a good week to sort out, meaning no anki flashcards either.

2) The situation in Paris right now, which I'm listening to on RFI.
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Duolinguo:
French: 26 / 156
Super Challenge:
Books: 0 / 100
Movies: 0 / 100

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PeterMollenburg
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3229
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:54 am
Location: Australia
Languages: English (N), French (B2-certified), Dutch (High A2?), Spanish (~A1), German (long-forgotten 99%), Norwegian (false starts in 2020 & 2021)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18080
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby PeterMollenburg » Sat Nov 14, 2015 3:42 am

Hi eebeejay,

I've just caught up on your log. Good luck with your French! Glad to see you're back learning this beautiful language.

PM
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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby Mohave » Sat Nov 14, 2015 12:37 pm

Bonjour eebeejay !

Bienvenue et bonne chance ! I look forward to following your progress and reading your log!

Mohave
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Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
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French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

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Montmorency
Brown Belt
Posts: 1035
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 3:01 pm
Location: Oxfordshire, UK
Languages: English (Native)
Maintaining: German (active skills lapsed somewhat).
Studying: Welsh (advanced beginner/intermediate);
Dabbling/Beginner: Czech

Back-burner: Spanish (intermediate) Norwegian (bit more than beginner) Danish (beginner).

Have studied: Latin, French, Italian, Dutch; OT Hebrew (briefly) NT Greek (briefly).
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1429
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Re: eebeejay learns French (again)

Postby Montmorency » Sat Nov 14, 2015 7:24 pm

eebeejay wrote:Besides wanderlust, I'm also finding myself with renewed interest in learning German, and also finding that if I stay in the UK, it may be advantageous for me to learn some Welsh... but I think I will stick with French for the time being.


Well, if you want some challenging walking, there is always the Welsh coastal path.
And if ever you decide to learn Welsh, give https://www.saysomethingin.com a try. Pob lwc.
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