I'm thinking of learning a new language (Portugese). Anyone have any good suggestions/theories on how to approach it? I've seen several different language programs on CD. Any of these any good?

Jason

 

WOW... talk about starting at the top...
have heard that is a tough one... not as tough as russian or german, but tough....

How about the language filters on some of the web pages ?
you know... look at a web page then change it to Portugese
fun and u KNOW u KNOW it when u don't have to translate !!

I knew I knew a language when I didn't have to translate in my mind... I thought in the language !!!!

but like anything... haven't used them in years and so I've lost them !

 

I have a hard enough time with english!

 

I am learning German now. Some of the words are as long as an English sentence though. The one thing to remember is to study and practice. If you don't use it, you will forget most of what you learned. Good luck.

btw- why Portugese? I work for a German based company, that is why I am learning German.

 

Move to Portugal

Are you talking about European Portugese or Brazilian Portugese? If you know Spanish, it would help a little.

 

I lived in Italy for 10 years. I had to learn the lingo. Books didn't really help, neither did CD's, but I bought this langues program that translates for me... I would sit and type in 20 words a night, then print the italian words, and the next night try and translate them back to english... the ones I missed would go on the next nights list, along with 20 new worlds.... repeat, repeat, repeat.... Bilingual translators can make big big bucks.

 

I'm considering Brazillian Portugese and from what I gather there is a difference with that and European Portugese. Why? Because it's a move I'm considering in the near future. I do know some broken Spanish but not complete sentences. Portugese seems vaguely similar to Spanish though.

 

Berlitz has good and easy programs-- the trick to learning a "foreign " Language is repeat, repeat, repeat.... A good way I found to do this is every time you pass a car , house, boat, man say it in the foreign language, then move on to grey car, large boat, then later dirty grey car, fast large boat - whatever. Saying anything a zillion times will surely make it simple. Remember that is how we learned English to some extent. Of course people around you may think you are crazy , but that would be a whole different issue. It is really about repitition. There are also a ton of websites that teach it for free, try them see if you like and retain it-- go from there.

 

My wife is of Mexican decent so just to understand her when she "cusses me out" I tried to learn Spanish. I soon found out that Spanish and "East L.A. Bario Spanish" are two completely different languages! What one word in Spanish meant would get me shot in downtown L.A.!

I was doing good to till I got into past participles and the like! Heck I couldn't even do that in English! And the labeling an object male/female (el sombrero=a hat; la mesa= a table) would throw me too!

I'll just stick to my dirtclod English thank you very much!

 

Offbeat: How about offering (cheap) room and board to a Brazilian student/traveler for a month in exchange for him/her teaching and practicing with you?

A local university or youth hostel might be a place to post such an ad. In my home town there is an org that places foreign students with families so the student can get some English immersion. It can work both ways.

Erik

 

Thats exactly what I was going to say!

Stephen

 

In thinking about a language like Portugese (sort of like learning Tagalog (Phillippines) ) it is helpful to be backgrounded at least a little in the languages that have affected the original version of it - languages in many countries "MORPH" as various cultural influences come into play. Every language has some amount of 'slang' that just gradually becomes a part of it. The Spanish of L.A. is not the same as Baja, and the Spanish of Mexico is not the same as "Castilliano" (the language of the upper classes in Spain).

Spanish is a heavy influence in Portugal, and I think French was another.

Spanish and French are so similar though, that if you know one of them, you can pretty much understand the other.

I have several language learning proggies that I find incredibly fascinating - they are by "Eurotalk" and can be had from CompUSA and other PC Ware distributors. The brand name is "Talk Now" and it describes the product as an "Immersive" language tutor. It puts you into a virtual in country learning environment. The advantage in them is that they make a game of it, they provide clear pronunciations of the words via audio clips, and can be had dirt cheaply if you look for the earlier versions in the discount software racks (About five bucks each)

I always thought "Die" in German was pronounced the same way as "Die" in english - but it isn't. It's (phonetically) pronounced "DEE" - a fact that would have been hysterically funny if I went to "Die Duetchland" and opened my mouth even once.

I might not have found it funny - but everyone around me would have...

Yes, I recommend the above programs very much.
You can learn at your own pace, and its fun. Its even better if you have some friends or family members playing the "Learning Game" at the same time!!!

I know for a fact that they offer a set that teaches Portugese, I have seen it.


~Wolfie

PS: Wilkommen til FTE!!!

PPS: Another thing about different languages is that there are different ways that words and ideas are put together - the classic example is of a young man's (Pennsylvania German) parents saying good-by at a train station. His Papa said:

"Remember to throw Momma from the train - a kiss."

 

phatpony -

Was ist du achtiengesselschaftehaussen?
*winks*



>:oD

IE: Where do you work?
My god that's funny...
(Dunno why)

 

I took two years of German in high school, and it is true that you can pick up similar languages easily. I can still understand it a bit, but I am so rusty I could never carry on a conversation in it anymore. Immersion is the best way to learn, so take a vacation in Portugal. A couple weeks, you'll be good to go.

 

Lol, they dont know what a space bar is, do they? That is the hardest part so far to me, their compound words are extremely long, and I usually get lost somewhere in the middle of the word when trying to pronounce it. Imagine writing out a check, OMG.

I work for B/S/H/ (Bosch/Siemens/Hausgerute/), a German company obviously. I am a team leader building Thermador brand, built in ovens. I've only had 4 German classes thus far, so pardon my use of English, lol.

Auf Wiedersehen