Pretty good in Spanish, would like to work more on German
How to become fluent in a second language
How I did it: I had to forget about trying to sound like myself in the second language. The most important thing that improved my fluency was speaking with people who were not bilingual. Sometimes I would get frustrated because monolinguals are not always very patient or kind with people learning a new language. I also spent a lot of time talking to children who accepted my poor language skills. It also helps to read the newspaper and listen to the radio. These activities helped me build vocabulary and gave me something to talk about with strangers.
Lessons & tips: As a dear friend told me, you can't be afraid to sound like a two year old.
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JDeanP likes pie
Being able to speak fluently in another language would be a great benefit on many levels.
i’ve learned bits and pieces of both spanish and mandarin chinese but not enough to be fluent. second languages are difficult to learn and i give up too easily. it’s really bad when i don’t use the language daily because then i forget every thing i learned and have to start over. i am going to make it my goal to take a whole year of spanish in college so that i will use it often and study it a lot more. i really like chinese but learning how to write out the little signs has proven very difficult for me. at least spanish uses a similar alphabet. i’ve already mastered writing letters. i think i can handle it!
Like so many others, I studied Spanish in school, but without the constant rehearsal of language labs and classes, I quickly lost what skill I’d managed to gain. Spanish wasn’t my first choice, and I wonder if I’d actually do better with a language that holds more internal meaning to me, like Japanese for the years I spent in Okinawa, or Latin for my love of history?
Come Ayyam-i-Ha, which in the Baha’i Faith is our gift-giving time (think Christmas), which is at the end of February, I’ll be getting some sort of language-learning program to learn Danish. Hopefully I’ll become fluent enough that I can put it to good use once I start my school up in Greenland.
I, like most college students, had to learn a language at some point. But I, like most college students, soon forgot it once I didn’t need it anymore. The thing is, I actually DO sort of need it, now. So, I’m determined to learn Spanish, and if all goes well I intend on picking up a few more to help in future traveling.
But for right now, I’ll just focus on the Spanish. And maybe I’ll frequent some discussion groups to help keep it fresh in my head.
i think maybe french for starters just because i have some basis in it (and i’m reading a book that takes place in paris right now, that always helps). or maybe spanish.




