Omg isn't it hella hard? My kid is still undecided to continue Old Greek
― nathom, Monday, 13 May 2019 11:15 (five years ago) link
Doesn’t seem so to me, but I am learning at my own pace
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 12:19 (five years ago) link
I can dance a tango, I can read Greek — easy.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 12:57 (five years ago) link
Modern Greek is easier than (the) Ancient Greek(s)... but it's still quite hard for English speakers to learn! On par with Russian, definitely harder than Dutch. But easier than Arabic or Mandarin.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 13 May 2019 14:14 (five years ago) link
Ah, you are right, f. hazel, it is in the second hardest category. Very hard to shake that feeling of “In just a short period of time I have learned a few simple greetings, phrases and grammar points — it’s all downhill from here!”
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 17:17 (five years ago) link
But easier than Arabic or Mandarin.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 17:19 (five years ago) link
Japanese is pretty easy. Apparently Korean is easier? Ancient Greek is still taught in schools here but less and less kids want to study it. I would love if Ophelia continues but it's up to her.
― nathom, Monday, 13 May 2019 17:25 (five years ago) link
How do you all do it: do you randomly pick a theme or finish one before heading to the next one?
― nathom, Monday, 13 May 2019 17:38 (five years ago) link
Japanese is not easy
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 17:55 (five years ago) link
I studied Japanese for three years, it feels easy at the very beginning (no subject/verb agreement, no plurals, very few sounds not already present in English) and then rapidly destroys your self-confidence (honorifics, counters, ten-year investment in memorizing Kanji if you ever want to read a newspaper headline)
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 13 May 2019 18:37 (five years ago) link
^otm
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 18:53 (five years ago) link
Well, true, the honorifics are quite hard. But compared to dutch (and other languages) it felt easier. Much less exceptions. It feels more structured compared to my language. Granted, languages come easily to me.
― nathom, Monday, 13 May 2019 19:05 (five years ago) link
Also I read a book on how the Japanese think. (Sociology, psychology,... and how that relates to the language.) It was eye opening and hence made studying the language easier for me.
― nathom, Monday, 13 May 2019 19:07 (five years ago) link
Did you visit Japan or take any sort of certification test?
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 19:11 (five years ago) link
I remember my Japanese-as-in-from-Japan professor being asked if she was going to move back to Japan and her momentary abandonment of her usual formal-Japanese-professor aspect to exclaim "absolutely not, I hate living there!" and then she spent the rest of the class saying how great Japan was to make up for it. Not mentioned in textbooks: it really sucks to be a woman there.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Monday, 13 May 2019 20:06 (five years ago) link
Also I read a book on how the Japanese think. (Sociology, psychology,... and how that relates to the language.) It was eye opening and hence made studying the language easier for me.― nathom, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 5:07 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― nathom, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 5:07 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I would like to read this book.
As for kanji, I find that relatively easy. I’m thirty weeks into a kanji learning programme and I can read most of what a 6th grader can a lot of what a high schooler can. Actually I’m slowing down that to bring my grammar and comprehension up to a similar level. It’s been a real boon to be able to read so much more, though.
Position of women in japan is pretty shocking, if slowly getting better.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 13 May 2019 20:56 (five years ago) link
Yeah, but aren’t you actually in Japan now? Don’t you think that makes it a wee bit easier as well?
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 May 2019 21:15 (five years ago) link
I’m only occasionally in japan. In Australia till August. I’ve just started using an iTalki tutor which is helping.
日本語の文法を覚えるくらい難しいことはない。
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Monday, 13 May 2019 21:26 (five years ago) link
I'll look in the attic, Ed. It's been two decades since I read it. Lol
― nathom, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 07:43 (five years ago) link
Wat voor noten hebben jullie?
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 11:53 (five years ago) link
Meneer beer eet een peer.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 11:56 (five years ago) link
I'm doing the Irish course and it's bizarrely obsessed with menus and apples.
― Plinka Trinka Banga Tink (Eliza D.), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 17:00 (four years ago) link
Yeah. I looked at that one for a bit and it seemed to be missing something, not a lot of audio for one thing, and also the kind of stuff you are describing.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 17:03 (four years ago) link
1000 day streak today!
¡Hoy he logrado una racha de mil días!
― brain (krakow), Friday, 24 May 2019 21:13 (four years ago) link
Waaaaht. Omg. I'm on day 120. Slipped off the top 20. Thanks to returning to FB. LOL
― nathom, Saturday, 25 May 2019 06:41 (four years ago) link
I'm a creature of habit and many days just do a quick couple of lessons, but more when I have time (I'm at 55000XP over those 1000+ days). I've always maintained my streak freeze, which has saved me a few times along the way when life got particularly busy.
― brain (krakow), Saturday, 25 May 2019 10:09 (four years ago) link
I'm at the stage I want to purchase a grammah book bec it feels duolingo is fun but not informative enough (in that regard).
― nathom, Saturday, 25 May 2019 17:48 (four years ago) link
Sounds like a good idea.
This page might be useful for those willing to follow into the Modern Greek rabbit hole: https://www.foundalis.com/lan/greek.htm
― TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 2 June 2019 19:00 (four years ago) link
Ophelia started Japanese! So proud of her.
― nathom, Tuesday, 4 June 2019 09:42 (four years ago) link
Still waiting for https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/32196326/Improved-Norwegian-Course-Overview-and-F-A-Q
― If I were a POLL I’d be Zinging (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 23 June 2019 16:23 (four years ago) link
In the meantime just noticed Arabic on the app.
― If I were a POLL I’d be Zinging (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 02:58 (four years ago) link
Only the app barely works anymore. Overtaxed servers, I assume.
― If I were a POLL I’d be Zinging (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 03:00 (four years ago) link
Okay, it’s a go.
― If I were a POLL I’d be Zinging (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 03:15 (four years ago) link
It’s a super tiny course :(
― If I were a POLL I’d be Zinging (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 03:32 (four years ago) link
Tap the pairs
― If I were a POLL I’d be Zinging (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 27 June 2019 00:51 (four years ago) link
Hardly any discussions either. I saw a few but they were only a day or two old.
― Vini C. Riley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 29 June 2019 20:19 (four years ago) link
Seems like at least a good way to work the writing system.
― Vini C. Riley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 29 June 2019 20:20 (four years ago) link
― nathom, Sunday, 30 June 2019 07:03 (four years ago) link
Doubt if it will enable me to catch up to Ed, but the Japanese course is much improved with the recent update. Although I think it may still be in A/B testing so not all will see.
― Vini C. Riley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 30 June 2019 23:53 (four years ago) link
The French course got a nice refresh. Having a lot of fun with the "Bad Day" and "Junk" modules.
― maura, Tuesday, 10 September 2019 13:41 (four years ago) link
What about “Bistro”?
― The Fearless Thread Killers (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 10 September 2019 13:57 (four years ago) link
Can I just say, I hate the Leagues? I mean, it was cute when there were a limited amount of them, and it was a race you could win. But it got old really fast - and now the leagues are just never-ending, like every time you complete one, another one appears?
Also, the "scoring" for the leagues is really unfair. I'm on Level 5 (the top level) for over half the available courses. The ones that are left are actually really difficult, because German grammar is complex.
Stupidly, because I was trying to "win" a league, I raced really fast through levels 3 and 4, so I did not absorb the actual grammar. Now I'm down to no lessons left, but I still need to review them, so I do a lot of reviewing.
It used to be that reviews and new lessons counted for the same amount of points - 10. Then you got up to 5 "bonus" points for new lessons. Then the "new" lessons got bumped up to 18 points, with "bonus" points on top of them. And now reviewing older lessons had been demoted to only 5 points. Like, it's actively penalising you if you are reviewing grammar rather than trying to absorb new lessons at an unfeasible speed.
At first the Leagues were useful, because doing 20 or 30 reviews a day was really GOOD for my German. But now it's really stopped being fun, and I wish I could opt out of them without feeling like I'm "losing".
― Branwell with an N, Tuesday, 10 September 2019 14:03 (four years ago) link
yeah i try to not pay attention to them and just go at my own pace. too much gamification!
― maura, Tuesday, 10 September 2019 14:11 (four years ago) link
Same here, mostly
― Our Borad Could Be Your Trife (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 10 September 2019 16:25 (four years ago) link
I complained, and discovered that it is possible to disable the Leagues:
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33039989
Though they made another new change today - vastly decreasing the number of "lessons" in the levels, especially the upper levels, and wow, has that been unpopular.
― Branwell with an N, Wednesday, 11 September 2019 18:10 (four years ago) link
James Redd, sehen wir uns in Stuttgart?
― mick signals, Monday, 23 September 2019 15:36 (four years ago) link
Haha, leider nicht!
― The Hillbilly Chespirito (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 23 September 2019 16:03 (four years ago) link
Don’t know how much it is helping solidify my understanding of any particular language, but going through these Duolingo stories like candy when they are available.
― The Hillbilly Chespirito (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 29 September 2019 23:33 (four years ago) link
They have a kind of Encyclopedia Brown feel to them.
― The Hillbilly Chespirito (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 29 September 2019 23:40 (four years ago) link
Helped me bust through to Ruby League. Hopefully I can hold on like George and Tammy. Oh wait.
― The Hillbilly Chespirito (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 30 September 2019 00:43 (four years ago) link