Hi I need some inspired ideas on how to learn languages. Firstly German, as that is the language I need mainly in Switzerland, but also after French and Spanish as I learnt these at school but have forgotten it all.

I would love to do an intensive course but unfortunatly do not have the money. My problems are......

1, I am scared of trying to speak and getting laughed at.
2, I have no money for intensive course.
3, I am rarely in a place that has evening classes, I am always living in small towns.
4, Everyone I work with speaks bloody good English.

Any ideas would be great, thanks

Do you have the money for Migros? If so, I would try that.
It doesn't look like it though by your location.

There are a set of books by Hueber that are really good. They
will take you from step 1 to professional. Rosetta Stone might
also be a good way to go.

I would love to do an intensive course but unfortunatly do not have the money. My problems are......

1, I am scared of trying to speak and getting laughed at.
2, I have no money for intensive course.
3, I am rarely in a place that has evening classes, I am always living in small towns.
4, Everyone I work with speaks bloody good English.

Any ideas would be great, thanks[/quote]

... that reminds me of the Austrian. He was so afraid to speak Swiss German because he was sure people would laugh. So he devised a plan... he would learn Swiss German PERFECTLY before he would dare speak a word. So he practices alone in his room. So a year went by, two years went by, three years.... well - to make a long story short, after five years living in Switzerland he finally felt confident that he would be able to speak Swiss German and no one would ever notice he was Austrian. So he walks into a shop and asks for a croissant ("i hett gärn es gipfeli"). The sales girl responds "Are you Austrian?". They guy falls apart, starts telling her how he was so sure his Swiss German was perfect after practicing for years and how did she EVER guess he was Austrian... and the girl shrugs her shoulders and says "this is the butcher shop, the bakery is next door".

.... sorry - that wasn't helpful - but did it make you smile? : )

My advice - start by learning at least ten new words every day. You can make index cards (self-made flash cards), post-its on the various things around the apt... don't let a day pass without learning some German.

Here is my advice to your questions.

1, I was also scared of being laughed at, but then after a while i thought stuff it, i am trying my best, and at least i am trying
2, How about trying to watch German cartoons
3, Again the T.V, or computer i think there is a website on how to learn German for free (i will ask my friend for the link then let you know)
4, LOL i know.

Goodluck

I believe the OP is seeking ways of learning the German language, not a remedy for insomnia, Ms. Sutter.

Mr.Rusty When i first arrived i was adviced to watch cartoons to help me, and they did, but not with my insomnia (EEK)

A friend of mine learnt very good french by

1. ONLY watching French TV

2. Buying ONLY French papers & magazines

3. Making all contacts who usually spoke English to speak French

4. There are some good Language sites online/tapes in the Library so they could be a great help

5. If you are single - find a boyfriend who speaks the Langauge you want to learn

So I guess you could apply the same rules to German.

What do you think about self study courses like linguaphone?

I have a linguaphone "all talk" course, the problem I find is although I can ask for a train ticket or directions and order lunch, when my friends start having a conversation I understand nothing! I don't know if the courses with books not just listening will be any better??

If I were in you situation, I would begin with French as it's something you have already studied. It will come back to you. I spoke Italian fairly well once - now, when I have to think outside of English, the words come to my mind in German because that's what I'm studying now. But I know that if I spent a week or two where Italian was the only language spoken it would come flying back to me.

It's like riding a bike, it will come back to you.

How about putting a flyer somewhere with a contact e-mail where you can exchange English for French or German so that you don't have to pay anything?

As for the fear of making a mistake - you have have to try and get over that - making mistakes is how you will learn. It really is more important that you can communicate (for those times when somebody can't speak English) rather than that you speak perfectly.

The first thing I learned to say was that I don't speak German so well and that I'm studying it - sort of my way of saying - "Get ready to wrap your brain around what you are about to hear."

I've said some doozies myself. I told my son once when I wanted him to move over "Mach platz" - a woman near me starting laughing. I learned later that its really rude to say that to a human - apparently its something you say to a dog! It was actually pretty funny.

Try to relax and laugh at yourself. If you want to learn Swiss-German, get that book Hoi - its a great primer.

Good luck.

My boyfriend is Swiss, speaks High German, Swiss German and near perfect English

This is how it goes....

I say please speak german with me
He says something in German
I don't understand
He just says it louder
I still don't understand
He shouts
I cry
We revert tpo English

He isn't really the patient teaching type

Hi

I listen to cd´s by Michel Thomas and have found them really great. Here are the details, you may be able to purchase them second hand.

Michael Thomas German 8 hour course.
ISBN 0-340-78065-7
Price as new is 70pounds


Good luck

Annie

OMG - Don't cry - when he shouts - tell him "Heb d'Schnurre zue". (It's pronouced phonetically Heb schnuritzur) It mean's shut up

Take it 1 day at a time, and do not think you can learn German over night, i did this, and i remember coming home the first day of school and inviting my then partner`s (now my husband) parents over for dinner sitting down at the dinner table, and asking them to please only speak German with me, after a while they asked should they speak English, because at the time i could only say my name is ........, i live ........ i come from........ so after a while it got boring for them lol, having me say the same 3 things about 100 times

Anything else I can say to him??? Like oy it's your turn to make tea!!

Hi, if you are short on cash, then I think you can find pretty good learning materials on the internet. Just do a search and you'll see plenty of links.

Here are some examples of some good, free courses:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,2142,2547,00.html (scroll down to view beginner's course called, "warum nicht" (this translates to, "why not").

http://fsi-language-courses.com/ (this has audio and text from FSI)

http://german.about.com/library/anfa...ang_inhalt.htm (a beginner's german course from about.com -- lots of resources here)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/ (another beginner's course from the BBC)

As for the "fear factor" -- that is my biggest problem too. You have to really try to get yourself to surrender to the fact that you are learning something new and are bound to make mistakes -- in fact, making mistakes will reinforce your learning, so embrace them I have found that the anxiety I feel is not really warranted -- it's me who is putting all the pressure on myself to be perfect (which I am not and will never be), everybody else is patient and understands that you are learning a new language and doesn't have the sorts of expectations we place on ourselves. Try to relax about this part -- it comes with the territory.

GOOD LUCK!

Anyone have any experience of the Rossetta stone vs Linguaphone??

Thanks for all the advice.

Even if your primary interest is in speaking the target language, get to the point where you can read in it as soon as possible. Then keep reading, anything and everything, and let vocabulary and grammar just sort of soak into your head. Sure, you'll still have to go back and learn the grammar rules inside out at some point, but they'll seem a whole lot more natural and less intimidating by then, because they will confirm the patterns you've already absorbed by reading.

When you do read (assuming it isn't your rental contract or something) try to guess a new word's meaning from context, and then DO NOT reach for the dictionary to confirm your guess. Just keep going - if you're wrong by enough to matter, you'll figure it out eventually, right? By the time you've encountered the word several times in different contexts, you'll have gotten a fairly good idea what it means, and you'll have done so on the fly, which is how you have to learn new words in conversation anyway.

Note: I'm a highly visual learner; if you're not, this will not work and will probably frustrate you no end. Substitute "understand spoken language" for being able to "read", perhaps, and then start listening to the radio all day? At least, that's what would not work for me and would frustrate me no end, so it's probably about right.

My advice would be to seek a penfriend. The asynchronousness and distance afforded by written communication enables one to review one's mistakes at leisure and without pressure. Moreover, the risk of being shouted out is limited to receiving emails in capital letters.

I came across this website advertising (http://www.alemania-deutschschule.ch/englisch/tipps.htm) on the tram the other day and when I looked them up in one of the section (study tips) they say they have a board at the school where you can post your details for Language Exchange with other swiss students.. Apparently its a free service.. I haven't tried it but am thinking about it.

OR how about this http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~joyce1/abinitio/pronounce/index.html its free and the best part they have sound files that tell you how to pronounce the words exactly.