Does it need any reason for teatime? (English OT - the first chapter)

[Ranmaru]

I did an English advanced course for my Abitur (dude, is there an English word for that? We tend to call their graduation "graduation" as well, so I guess one germanism in an English text is fine with everyone … regarding the average number of anglicisms in German texts) as well with quite a satisfying result at the exam. I love learning languages in general, the more exotic the better; but English was quite a good start when I had my first contact with it in the third grade in elementary school.
I've never been to England or America actually. During tenth grade my English teacher was the mere incompetence in person who wasn't even able to spell simple words correctly. Once she insisted that the word "alcohol" is spelles "alcohool" and even when some of us tried to correct her, she kept saying "I studied English, I know better".
Anyway, I tried to hang on and watched a bunch of English films during that time and began to read English books. And if I hadn't done that I would probably not be able to speak English as I do now. It helped me a lot, especially to understand colloquial expressions and slang.

I like the language a lot even though I'm far from speaking it perfectly. So I just keep on watching films, reading books (just finished "Memoirs of a Geisha") and writing English stuff in order to improve my skills.

CT's quite right that it's weird to write English here, though I do quite often post in English forums. Feels different somehow. But I like it nonetheless …

[Goddess]

Greetings, Guys!

I'm trying to speak English now for nearly 20 years. And I like it indeed. I love watching movies and reading books in english. Of course I prefer playing english RPGs.

Due to my friends it seems that I'm using American English most of the time, although I think that Americans are strange indeed. But British English just sounds kind of weird IMO.

What else... hm. I've never been to an english-speaking country, but it surely helps you out many times, when you're not able to use a foreign country language correctly. I also need English for my work, so I (hope) am improving still a little bit.

[Ranmaru]

Due to my friends it seems that I'm using American English most of the time, although I think that Americans are strange indeed. But British English just sounds kind of weird IMO.

...

I like it. But I prefer the American writing style, o instead of ou looks better, imo. Due to watchign American films and reading books written in American English, I tend to pronounce the words their way, too. Even though I try to speak Britsh sometimes.

[Goddess]

I like it. But I prefer the American writing style, o instead of ou looks better, imo. Due to watchign American films and reading books written in American English, I tend to pronounce the words their way, too. Even though I try to speak Britsh sometimes.

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Yo, same as me. In school we learned British English, but I hated to write colour and favourite... yieks! I'm pronouncing the words either and neither also in an American way.

By the way, I'm impressed by your japanese thread! I wish I could read it.

[Ranmaru]

By the way, I'm impressed by your japanese thread! I wish I could read it.

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You shouldn't, it's very basic Japanese and probably there a lots of mistakes as well. I'm studying the language for about a year now and that's most certainly how it sounds. Think of the first year after you started learning English and imagine you posting a thread with the skills you had then. Not too impressive, I guess.

[Goddess]

You shouldn't, it's very basic Japanese and probably there a lots of mistakes as well. I'm studying the language for about a year now and that's most certainly how it sounds. Think of the first year after you started learning English and imagine you posting a thread with the skills you had then. Not too impressive, I guess.

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Hehe, sounds like you're hiding your light under a bushel. Japanese is much more advanced, I guess, and at least you know some characters. I speak a little chinese and I know how annoying it can be to remember the characters... I know only a few, but at least I'm able to recognize which one is the toilette for women.

Hmm, I was 7 years old, when I started to learn English... I think your thread is richer in content then: hello, dog, cat, apple

[Fallen Angel]

I've got a new favourite here *__* It's much easier to learn English while using it.


Well, I prefer BE because it's more elegant. We also learned AE but I never used it and I don't remember a lot.
My old teacher wasn't very good in English and the books were also very stupid. But now we've got a teacher who has studied English and the books are awesome *__* I hope my English will change for the better now.

To practice my (bad) English I watch DVD's in English. The Lord of the Rings is in original a thousand times better than in german, imo.


I would write more if I had more time but I have to tidy up my bedroom.

[Jonas-Desirer]

I have forgotten it:

Aki have right!
Movies are in English Thousand Times better than it whos in German!
I Like it to Watch the best Movies in Englisch,Lord of the Rings,Pirates of the Carriebean or most other Fantasy Movies!
Once I have reading an English Book,then it was the Lord of the Rings
I Hope with this English Threads are go my English better now! ._.

[Trial]

Well, I have been interested in this language since I was ten. I'm surely not an expert in the english language (compared to certain other individuals here >_>) and I have never been to Britain. The only english-speaking country I have been to is India and that was at a time when my knowledges in English weren't too extraordinary.

Hmmmm....I have the slight feeling that I'm going to read this a bit more frequently than other OT-threads.

[Wischmop]

Hm, yeah, watching movies in english is quite a good opportunity to improve your own language skills. (Damnit, it feels somehow fine to write in english after writing in japanese, btw thanks to Ranmaru for beginning the thread - I understood your posting very well, so I'm a little ashamed of my own Nevermind.. yeah, back to topic!)

I haven't used my english skills actively since ... ahm, I don't know ... well, it's some time ago, especially writing english. Reading is another topic, you get used to reading a lot of english topics (for studies for example), but writing or active using. So I'm thankful for this thread where we can use our skills (and my quite poor english skills, please excuse my lack of knowledge in expressing myself)... yeah.

[Diomedes]

My english skills are very lowly, so please don't complain if it'll be hard to understand.

I'm intrested in learning this language since there was no way playing FFIV without english knowledge. So all i did was playing the game with a dictionary by my side, and by and by my skills improved far enough to communicate in this language. Can't say i'm really great, but at least other persons can just understand what i'm saying. As long as they're intrested in what i'm saying, of course.

I watched english movies, and read some english comic books, but that didn't really helped my improving my abilites. I'm terribly weak in expressing myself, but at least i'm able to understand what was written here. I count this as an success.

usually dialogue is so flat it doesn't really reward itself

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Oh, you think so?
Isn't this right like normal people are talking?

Movies are in English Thousand Times better than it whos in German!

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Hm... not really. I guess I prefer german movies because i hate it to think about what they are saying instead of knowing it right away. But I admit that the most synchronisations gonna let me puke compared to the original.

[Knumonmaster]

Well, I'm interested in English since I first started to learn it at elementary. Now I'm English advanced course student in the 12th grade. I very like this language and I very sympathise with english speaking countries. I was in the 9th grade for 2 weeks in the UK (South East Coast) and it was so wonderful that I decided to choose English advanced course though my marks were about C-D. lol
Well, 'cause I love this language that much I want to become English teacher. Especially I look for a opportunity to teach English (and German) language at Japanese schools or night schools sth like that.

Well, very good for raising the English skill is to read english books (with German translation, like some Shakespeare's) and watching English movies. But this is just sth for advanced anyway!

Mh, tea time lol
Knumon

[Evanescence]

Oh, you think so?
Isn't this right like normal people are talking?

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is shakespeare writing like the people of his time spoke? certainly not.

dialogue is in hollywood productions to great parts standardized. sometimes I can tell even from foregoing sentences how a spoken scene is going to end.
and often they are so stupid and heroic, you need to withstand the temptation to vommit right in front of your TV. furthermore, patriotism is an abnormally obtrusive subtheme of nearly every production. >__> in contrast to our own past it always seems a bit off.

by the way has anyone seen SEVEN (SIEBEN) a few minutes ago on pro sieben? well, it's not overwhelming but compared to others a fine piece and it has NO happy end. °_____°

[Princess Aiu]

hi ^^

I learned English in my school.
At first I didn"t like this language,because I prefered French,but this changed with the time.
Now,I have fun in learning and speaking english.

Nevertheless,I still have to learn a lot.

[Boo2k]

Its weird when you hear from your teacher that you´re like 13-15 points right now.... i honestly tought this will get hard in english but it seems that this advance course/regular course will both be a piece of cake... on the other hand ... when i look at the work of my classmates i can understand my ranking. We had to write a short story, of our own, in the last week. The other girls/boys wrote some story, wich were so bad that i tought i´m back in the 5th grade... like "july and tom was" or "they take us to the hotel and spoke with us"... i mean okay, my english isnt good... like "13-15 points"-good, but their english is that bad that i´m automaticly getting a push in grades

weird

[Omega]

Its weird when you hear from your teacher that you´re like 13-15 points right now.... i honestly tought this will get hard in english but it seems that this advance course/regular course will both be a piece of cake... on the other hand ... when i look at the work of my classmates i can understand my ranking. We had to write a short story, of our own, in the last week. The other girls/boys wrote some story, wich were so bad that i tought i´m back in the 5th grade... like "july and tom was" or "they take us to the hotel and spoke with us"... i mean okay, my english isnt good... like "13-15 points"-good, but their english is that bad that i´m automaticly getting a push in grades

weird

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Word! Same here

I started "learning" english with my lovely RPGs and Animes, the games I used to buy in the United States helped a lot improving my english but i have still some problems with the grammar. actually i dont really know when to use which "time" so i often mess up everything.
and the japanese animes where helping also, because i get subbed animes from the internet, animes with english subtitle.
my english teacher warned me that it wouldn t be easy if I take the english leistungkurs in my school. like boo there are only idiots in my class so it wasnt that difficult to get 15 points.

I would appreciate it if someone would point out my mistakes in this post ^^

[Diomedes]

Why is everyone complaining about Tolkien?
I loved this book. I just read it in german, but still, this is right like fantasy should be. Like a big fairy tale, you need a few moths for. Many details, that helps you to imagine everything.
I admit that it is sometimes tiring, but you shouldn't rush reading a book of this size. Just take your time and enjoy the fantasy, that is the way to read fantasy stories.

actually i dont really know when to use which "time" so i often mess up everything.

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I know this. Acutally i trust my feelings, when to use which time or word. Doesn't work always, though.

there are only idiots in my class

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In my class, the idiot is the teacher not the students. We had a listening comprehension last lessen, and she wrote down some words we might not know, and explained them. And "need" was one of those words. Maybe i'm wrong, but i guess that everyone should know this word to reach the 12th class.

[Ranmaru]

I signed the contract for an apartment today, so I won't have to live in a student's dormitory where I have to share the bathroom with a bunch of others for another semester. After I changed my university, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find an apartment in time since I'll move to the last federal state that's not charging tuition fees, Rhineland-Palatinate, and there's a zillion of students going there. As for sure, there are not enough apartments or flats and the secretary told me that she expects that about 1000 student won't have a domicile when the semester starts.
So I just saved 500 euros that I now invested into a hot 40 square meters apartment.