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Sprechen Sie Deustch [Study Habits]
Waffles or whatever
Previously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered User regular
Previously known as, I shit you not, "Waffen"Registered User regular
For my major I am required to take a foreign language. Last year I tried to take Italian, but it ended up going badly and I delayed taking the class. This year I'm now taking German because I took it for two years in high school and still have a little grasp on it (Though most of it is hazy). I'm two days in am already feel like I'm falling apart. What are good methods I can do to help me actually learn the language? I took the class as pass/fail this year and failing the class is no longer an option (Otherwise I'll be facing a delayed graduation).
Overall, I'm already freaking out because its day 2 and I feel like I'm already behind (I already bombed a pop quiz today and the instructor was less than user friendly when it came to the quiz)
Overall, I'm already freaking out because its day 2 and I feel like I'm already behind (I already bombed a pop quiz today and the instructor was less than user friendly when it came to the quiz)
Waffles or whatever on
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What are you having issues with? I'm assuming it's an immersion class? You're going to understand next to nothing that the teacher is saying for quite some time. Just study, study, study and pay attention. You'll get it.
You might try Memrise.com or Livemocha.com to help out, but honestly, 100 level languages are pretty basic and not much is expected of you. I'm about to start my 300 levels in French, FYI.
You need to be more specific. What aren't you getting? How is the teacher confusing? Is the class taught entirely in German? What are you being taught currently? Basic greetings? Objects? Conjugations?
I can try to help as I'm a Linguistics AND a foreign language major, but I need more to go on.
Yeah, make flashcards. This is simple stuff. Just drill them in to your head. Also, make post-its and put them on the respective objects around your house. It's straight up memorization.
Being taught entirely in the language is par for course at college level. Is it a condensed Summer class or something?
If you're having a lot of trouble, see a tutor. Ask your prof about them. They'll be happy to point you in the right direction. Just listen, listen, listen in class and repetition is key! If you don't practice, you'll never get the language. Languages are one thing you can't slack on. Study with other students. Drill each other. The first two terms are easy. At least you're not me. I have to go through 400 level with my French AND take a year of a non-indo European language as well (Arabic, Swahili, Chinese, etc...), but I love languages, so...
If you apply yourself, you won't fail. It's only 100 level.
Guess its a start. I'm gonna ask the professor today about tudors und additional advice to play it safe. Though I'm very happy atm that I took this as a pass/fail. Worst case scenario I get a C that doesn't hurt my GPA.
Oh, don't expect at all to understand her full sentences at this point. You're going to be straining to hear individual words. Hell, I've taken two years of French at college level and I still only can catch about 3/4s of what the prof is saying. I can understand it by piecing it together, but it takes a while. Don't feel discouraged. That's how it works!
I'm studying German as my major right now actually - I am fluent speaking the language, but have a harder time with writing. I personally learned it from a total immersion situation, where I had to talk with others in order to survive there. I can tell you, you learn a language real quick when you don't have anyone able or willing to speak your own.
That said, it took me about a half a year (speaking with people on the street, on busses, in trains, at the supermarkets, in the town squares all day long) before I really had a truly functional understanding of the grammer, and was comfourtable making simple small talk. After two years of living there I had the capacity to talk with lots of people about lots of things. Languages take time, and a whole lot of practice, the more you put into use what you are learning the faster you will pick it up.
The things that helped me most were my study books - a copy of a fourth edition german grammer book (I can't remember the exact title any more) - with a work book, and a german/english bible which I spent about an hour reading everyday, and a load of flash cards which I spent a lot of time using (when I wasn't talking I was practicing). The grammer book helped me understand the rules, the work book let me experiment on my own, the bible let me see the grammer in action, and the flash cards helped me to memorize vocab that I could then try and use in conversation. Talking with people was the real bread and butter of learning the language for me.
My advise, if you can manage it, is get in a study group or just find a friend in the class and practice reciting phrases, or colors or whatever you are learning to each other. Writing things down and using note cards is a secondary thing to acutally being able to speak with someone. That said, don't feel bad, and don't feel behind - there are likely far more people in the class who don't get what's going on then not. There are people there who will need to exercise what they are learning as much as you do - find them and befriend them.