today I go back to German class >.>
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today I go back to German class >.>
6000 languages in the world and I'm stuck studying German. what don't we do for a citizenship for our kids
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elilla&, tactical travestireplied to elilla& last edited by
should have immigrated to Norway, the language is like German if German was fun
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elilla&, tactical travestireplied to elilla& last edited by
no but seriously it's not the German I find so dismal. it's the textbooks, the exercises, the forced conversations about nothing, and worst of all, :bowsette_redhead_angry: the homework. I would feel this way even if it was a language I'm currently enamoured with. Classroom education is a fuck in general, but especially for languages it's downright depressing
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elilla&, tactical travestireplied to elilla& last edited by
there's also a factor in being *forced* to learn a language. Every time a German tells me "you've been here *how* many years?? and you still can't speak it?!", my repulsion for it grows. the fact that this is significant for my citizenship application process makes it even worse. if someone tells me "dance the tango or I'll put a gun to your children's heads", I will grow hatred for the tango.
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elilla&, tactical travestireplied to elilla& last edited by
I don't know if you can power through that out of pure spite. I think spite isn't as long-lasting as intrinsic interest and fun, and fun opens up your brain with a receptiveness that spite can't match. but spite is all I have left so may it carry me to a B2 certificate if not actual fluency.
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elilla&, tactical travestireplied to snjågloe last edited by
@owl germans: you should talk in German not English, you've been here for so long.
me: na gut, ähm ich möchte gerne zum Flugháfen (rather than "Flúghafen")...
germans: zum *was*? (Flugháfen) was?? kannst du das aufschreiben? OMG literally unintelligible, just speak English from now on
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elilla&, tactical travestireplied to elilla& last edited by
* speak German to them and encourage them to speak German to you even if their German is terrible. when they do venture some German, try to act rewardingly.
* use context, facial expressions, body language, and rephrasing to get the core meaning across (e.g. "ich möchte gerne spazieren [makes little walk in place gesture and continues:] möchtest du? in den Park gehen? schönes Wetter heute, oder?"). quick translations are ok too.
* use context, facial expressions and body language to get the core meaning of what they're trying to convey. quick translations are ok too. Don't get hung up on details: Don't expect German pronunciation to be like that of a native, don't expect case inflections to be perfect, and don't expect grammatical gendering to match a native's.
* if you need clarification, encourage them to repeat the word and rephrase it in German, or just a translation.
* never ever ask someone "can you write that down?"
* never ever correct someone's pronunciation or grammar, unless specifically asked to do that. you can help with vocabulary and grammar by fluidly echoing and rephrasing things without calling attention to it ("studieren[sic] deine Kinder hier?" "genau, sie lernen in dieser Schule.")
* do fun things in German (smalltalk, fooling around, boardgames, flirting, gossiping, trash talking...). don't let German be this rigid stolid language of government forms and grammar books. make them feel included in the insider groups, like intimate mates, like part of everyday life.
* generally try to act warm and kind towards immigrants who are trying to learn your language out of personal interest or material necessity.
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@elilla And a don't: speaking louder doesn't help. They aren't having hearing difficulties, but comprehension difficulties.
Instead, give them some time to process what you said.
