Learning Languages for Leisure Travel

[UnrealizedPotential]

I did take German in my single years, but I only vaguely remember a few words. Maybe I need to refresh my memory.

I find German hard. A lot of the sentences, even if you break it down word by word, still doesn't make sense. On the plus side, it gets better as you go along. I am a long way from being fluent, but do pretty good with German subtitles.

 

[Lsbcal]

Just finished my Duolingo German for the day. I can now say critical survival phases like "brote und wasser bitte".

 

[audreyh1]

Brood en water alstublief!

 

[Lsbcal]

Brood en water alstublief!

So I got mine wrong? I did spell bread wrong (brot). Confused.

 

[Fedup]

Just finished my Duolingo German for the day. I can now say critical survival phases like "brote und wasser bitte".

My guess is 'bring water please'. I know bitte is please.

 

[Fedup]

I find German hard. A lot of the sentences, even if you break it down word by word, still doesn't make sense. On the plus side, it gets better as you go along. I am a long way from being fluent, but do pretty good with subtitles.

I like the gutter sound, tongue twisting. I know I'm strange.

 

[Fedup]

I was looking for Spanish course or Italian, nothing nearby for a Italian but there is Spanish. I'm debating whether to take it. Maybe I can rely on my French.

 

[Lsbcal]

My guess is 'bring water please'. I know bitte is please.

I was trying to say "bread and water please". Google says Audrey is right but I don't know why mine is wrong.

 

[Fedup]

I was trying to say "bread and water please". Google says Audrey is right but I don't know why mine is wrong.

That was a good guess without google.

 

[audreyh1]

So I got mine wrong? I did spell bread wrong (brot). Confused.

Sorry, I was repeating your sentence in Dutch.

Didn't mean to play a trick on you!

 

[kcowan]

Just finished my Duolingo German for the day. I can now say critical survival phases like "brote und wasser bitte".

noch ein bier bitte
una mas cervesa por favor
une bière, s'il vous plaît

Yup I guess I can go anywhere!

 

[Fedup]

Sorry, I was repeating your sentence in Dutch.

Yeah, I didn't think it was German. At least my memory is not as bad.

 

[Lsbcal]

Sorry, I was repeating your sentence in Dutch.

Didn't mean to play a trick on you!

Ahh, I see my confusion now. We are also heading​ to the Netherlands on that trip. No way will I try learning 2 languages.

 

[audreyh1]

Ahh, I see my confusion now. We are also heading​ to the Netherlands on that trip. No way will I try learning 2 languages.

They speak such good English in the Netherlands, that Americans really don't need any Dutch. I have family there, that makes a difference.

 

[FUEGO]

Just finished my Duolingo German for the day. I can now say critical survival phases like "brote und wasser bitte".

My duolingo German from a year or two stuck in my brain somehow! Bread and water, please! Danke schoen.

I love saying thank you in the local language in my email correspondence when dealing with folks overseas. Obrigado, grazie, gracias, and danke schoen.

 

[gerntz]

From what I have read, Frisian is actually a separate nordic language, not a dialect of Dutch. It has only 500,000 speakers - with what some consider to be 3 different dialects of its own. And, yes, it is the closest living language to English even though Frisian and English are not mutually intelligible.

Schiermonnikoog is in Friesland, BTW, so I got to visit it last year.

Actually, Frisian is a West Germanic language like English/Dutch/German, not nordic, i.e., North Germanic (Ex-Finnish which isn't Germanic of any kind.).

 

[Fedup]

My duolingo German from a year or two stuck in my brain somehow! Bread and water, please! Danke schoen.

I love saying thank you in the local language in my email correspondence when dealing with folks overseas. Obrigado, grazie, gracias, and danke schoen.

Yeah, that's another word I remember 'Danke schoen'. Now maybe I can learn to swear, I would be good. 3 words in my vocabulary for my travel is sufficient.

 

[GoodWishes]

Someone a while ago talked about Memrise in this thread. I gave it a try and like it a lot. I have been using Duolingo for over a year and I am out growing it. Duolingo doesn't have more levels. Memrise has many levels. I took Spanish in college and has always wanted to learn more. Now that I am ER, I have more time.

 

[Nemo2]

Our Polish 'vocabulary' consists of one word "lody", (ice cream); the weather's hot, the ice cream's good, and our Polish theme is John Fogerty's "Oh Lord, I'm stuck in lody again".

 

[FUEGO]

Our Polish 'vocabulary' consists of one word "lody", (ice cream); the weather's hot, the ice cream's good, and our Polish theme is John Fogerty's "Oh Lord, I'm stuck in lody again".

"I've really got to take a lody, can you tell me where the lody is?"

 

[audreyh1]

Today during video chat, my Dutch nephews discovered a new game: see if Aunt Audrey knows this Dutch word! They are 6.5 and 4 years, and they got so into it! I did pretty well - maybe two-thirds or better. They didn't want to stop and almost missed out on story time before bed, LOL!

A great version of flash cards! We'll be seeing them in person soon.

 

[braumeister]

That has to be a huge boost to your learning curve.

 

[audreyh1]

That has to be a huge boost to your learning curve.

Well, the kids are motivated now, so it's going to be an educational summer!

 

[pullmyfinger]

I was fascinated to find that in northern Switzerland (Zurich area) they don't really speak the German I was familiar with like I expected. It's actually "Swiss German" and different enough that I was constantly baffled listening to people chatting in the streets. One guide told us that Swiss children begin "real German" language lessons on their first day of school.

Boy, isn't that the truth! My German comprehension is pretty good, but when I watched TV in Zurich I couldn't understand a word they are saying!

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I speak passable "restaurant German" and I don't have any trouble with trains and normal activities in Germany, but I've always wanted to be able to speak "real" German.

So I signed up for German classes at a local college (it's free in my state if you're over 65) and I'm really looking forward to starting in August.

I also use Duolingo and think it's good, but sort of basic. Basic is good enough for most people.

It seems as if I should have an advantage in my genes, since my GGGrandparents came from Germany in the 1840s. On the other side, my GGGrandparents came from Ireland in the 1860s, but Gaelic is a seriously hard language to learn.

If you want to speak and understand German a little better, you can try "easy German" videos. They are pretty good, and you are bound to get better. I can usually follow the episodes with subtitles, and I am getting better all the time, and there are a lot of videos covering all subjects. It sounds to me like you are better in German than me, so you might fill in whatever is missing from your understanding real quick.