i want to learn a language - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

sirensounds · 05-09-2007, 09:14 PM

i wasnt sure where i should post this so i'll put it here.

i want to learn a new language. the only language i can speak it english and a little bit of italian i learnt in primary school about ten years ago!

i dont have time to go to classes but i know you can buy kits that you can learn at home with. does anyone know of any good ones that i can get either in the shop here (oz) or over the net?
im thinking either dutch or german.

thanks guys.

**aliz** · 05-09-2007, 09:30 PM

the BBC website has a pretty good basic language course that will get you started quickly. i did the german course and you pick it up very easily and remember the phrases well. past that, I found it hard to learn from any other 'learn at home' type things - the CDs were useless to me (in one ear and out the other).. i learned most german from being around german people. if you cant go to classes or dont know any native speakers, i think there are a few websites that hook you up with penfriends who speak the language you want to learn. often you have to teach them english in return. i just find that the best way to learn a language is to use it.

**TheJake** · 05-09-2007, 10:30 PM

Many of us here have had great success with Pimsleur
I was able to pirate every one they've ever made off of the internet through torrents but if you are not into that it is still worth the money. Best program to learn at home, bar none.

**Canadian Bacon** · 05-10-2007, 08:45 AM

Two words... ROSETTA STONE. Revolutionary langauge learning software. Instead of translating, the system consists of images and words, so you learn the language as a child would... its very effective.

http://www.rosettastone.com/en/

You can download it here: http://www.torrentspy.com/

**Majestic58** · 05-11-2007, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheJake

Many of us here have had great success with Pimsleur
I was able to pirate every one they've ever made off of the internet through torrents but if you are not into that it is still worth the money. Best program to learn at home, bar none.

Which torrent service do you use Jake? I haven't had any real luck finding a good one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon

Two words... ROSETTA STONE. Revolutionary langauge learning software. Instead of translating, the system consists of images and words, so you learn the language as a child would... its very effective.

http://www.rosettastone.com/en/

You can download it here: http://www.torrentspy.com/

I really like Rosetta Stone... It worked well for me anyway.. I've had much better memory retention with it than with other programs, the only problem is that it is aimed for people who want to become fluent in the language, so it goes about things in a very round about way... If you're looking more for sentances that might help you with travel, this probably isn't the best program for you...

**louse** · 05-11-2007, 08:01 AM

why would you want to learn a language as useless as dutch?!?!!

haha ok thats bit mean and dutch is actually kind of cool to learn. a lot of it is VERY similar to english except for the coughing g sound. and knowing a more obscure language is useful to pretend you are from a different country and if you want to avoid communicating for some reason. i did it with the portrait sketchers in paris. actually all i said was, "nee, nee, nederland, nederland!!!" they were very confused about how someone could be walking around france without knowing any french or english.
oh and i recently discovered that knowing dutch means you can understand a bit of german. i was talking to a turkish guy who only knew german and he managed to communicate that he left his wife because one of them was a good muslim and one was a bad muslim... :S.... i think that's what he said..
but also, knowing german and english means that you can understand dutch too.
i know you werent asking for which lanugage to choose, sorry.... just trying to be kinda helpful, maybe...:S

**Canadian Bacon** · 05-11-2007, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majestic58

I really like Rosetta Stone... It worked well for me anyway.. I've had much better memory retention with it than with other programs, the only problem is that it is aimed for people who want to become fluent in the language, so it goes about things in a very round about way... If you're looking more for sentances that might help you with travel, this probably isn't the best program for you...

Very true. So far I am learning Arabic, I can say "the boys run" or "the car is yellow"...but I can't ask for directions

**TheJake** · 05-11-2007, 11:23 AM

http://www.torrentz.com/da4f725f5da9...81182d604a3c49

there's the torrent for the complete language set. It's HUGE and takes awhile to download but I think every life-long traveler should have it.

**DC_Jessica** · 05-11-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon

Very true. So far I am learning Arabic, I can say "the boys run" or "the car is yellow"...but I can't ask for directions

J - just say "ayna" (sounds like "eye-nah"). It means where. So you can say "where" and gesture or say the name of a city or site (most are really close to the Arabic - Aleppo is Heleb, Damascus is Dee-mah-shq). Believe me, they know what toilet is. Or WC. And if you wanna know "how much" just say "Kem." Or if you want to be more specific, say what you're asking for after kem so "How many Dirhams (or whatever currency)" is "Kem Dirham?"

And Louse, I know TV words in Dutch. My host mom in Germany, you know, so I could learn *German* was from the Netherlands! So she paid for Dutch TV. Which was awesome because they subtitle whereas the Germans dub, so I could get a breath of English. But I learned some TV words from the advertisements. "Vanavond!!!"