I've studied a buttload of languages to varying degrees. In fact, I'd say I've got at least a taste of just about every major language in Europe.

I'm most proficient in French and Portuguese. I started self-studying French around my Sophomore year in high school...basically just using whatever internet resources I could find, the French movies that came on IFC every now and then, and buying some dictionary, vocab, and grammar books. In senior year of high school I took AP French, and raped the hell out of it...I was even in the top 5% of the National French exam. Currently, I'm still not fluent though. I neglected the language for at least 6 months, and I had never really gotten enough speaking and listening practice. So, as of now, even though I can deal with French when it's around me (particularly when it's written), I wouldn't say I'm very functional in it, which is disappointing. It is nice that when someone says something to me in French, I usually reflexively understand them, even though I'll respond in English.

And what's worse, I've lost the momentum I had with it a few years ago. Occasionally I'll get inspired, but it quickly disappears. I just don't care much anymore.

Now, Portuguese, I began studying that in Junior year in HS. I saw City of God, and basically became really interested in Brazilian culture. Learned a bit online, and because I had 10 years of Spanish exposure in crappy high school classes, a lot of came very quickly to me. I learned most of it by talking on MSN with a Brazilian. Even though I wasn't even literally speaking a lot, I find that when I meet Portuguese-speakers in real life, I can converse pretty easily. Like, in London I was staying at a hostel...I started talking to some cleaning lady and found out she was from Rio. I immediately switched to Portuguese and blew her mind. Yet despite all the effort I've put into French, I still have trouble conversing in it (though a big part of that is I'm not a big fan of the vocal movements required for pronouncing French).


This past month I've been working on Greek and Italian. I got Pimsleur for both of them, and am going to go through all of it and see where it gets me. I really do like that you learn how to converse right off the bat. I listened to a few Greek lesson sand could actually have a brief, yet fluent exchange with a Greek friend of mine. The downside is that overall, even when I finish all 3 levels of Italian, I'll still have a very limited vocabulary...but whatever, I'm really excited about the conversational skills you get. A few years ago, I considered Pimsleur as just basically helping you memorize a phrasebook, but no...I actually find that it implicitly and progressively teaches you grammar. There's some linguistic terminology for the method they use, but anyways...it's good.

Oh, I've also used Rosetta Stone for several languages. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it has tons of vocabulary...basically words that will allow you to describe pretty much everything that you'll experience. On the other hand, the method doesn't seem to stick very well. Maybe I go through it too quickly...perhaps 3 or 4 days per each lesson?

TL;DR

but i learnt french by memorising basic verbs, greetings, that sort of stuff, and then just learning nouns as i went along. it helps when the people around you speak the language.

this, i suppose, could be used for any language.

except for arabic; impossible...

DerDrache, it sounds as though you learn more from Aural methods than visual?
I'm the very opposite. I've tried Pimsleur and it went in one ear and right out the other. Whereas with books I seem to absorb te info.

That's how I learn, I study something excrutiatingly obsessively nd read several different books just to make sure I know I'm understanding things correctly (different books explain things in different ways, either more coherently or too complicatedly).

So, books books books!


With a language that uses the same alphabet as english it's not so bad. French I'd be able, I think, to use Pimsleur or similar and learn atleast the bafsics. But with a language like Russian using Cyrlic I seriously need to understand the alphabet and it's pronounciations first.



With a language like Russian, and Polish, I aim to be able to read and write it fluently first of all, and then worry about being able to talk it later. Maybe that's not a smart way of learning but it works for me.

With a language like Russian, and Polish, I aim to be able to read and write it fluently first of all, and then worry about being able to talk it later. Maybe that's not a smart way of learning but it works for me.

Well, that's the thing. You'll internalize incorrect, anglicized, pronunciations and then be fucked in the ass when you want to speak or understand the language.

Even with a language like Italian, which is relatively easy, I find that it's much better to be exposed to audio first (it can be accompanied by video, but written language should be avoided initially). You see the word "mangiare", and an anglophone will think it's pronounced "manh-ji-aarre". Having been exposed to the spoken word first, I now instinctively think of it as "mahn-jar-eh". So, you first learn how the words are pronounced, and then as you start seeing the written language, you won't risk anglicizing the pronunciation.

I'm surprised that you say Pimsleur went in one ear and out the other. It goes very slowly, and it certainly is geared toward the language layman...Did you start from the beginning and actively pay attention to the lesson?

Anyways, I certainly understand the reading-based methods. That's what I did a lot of when I was younger. I figured "okay, if I can read and write fluently, then it'll be no problem speaking fluently". Well, that's basically what happened with French...I could read and write very well, and even though my pronunciation wasn't bad, I just couldn't speak and understand well. So, consider your goals. If you just want the reading and writing skills, perhaps the ability to decipher websites or read literature, then go for it. But if you really want to know the language, I think it's actually detrimental to focus so much on reading and writing ,especially initially.

EDIT: Oh, and I seriously recommend using an audio-based course for Polish. Their spelling system is so fucked up...I think if you went the reading approach, you would literally be incomprehensible. I mean, they use the Latin alphabet, but since they have sounds that are unique to Slavic languages, they use bizarre, non-intuitive consonant combinations to denote new sounds. I mean, the word for "Excuse me" is pronounced "Pshe prasham", and it's spelled "Przepraszam." Definitely don't neglect listening and pronunciation with Polish.