Swedish, Please


Blogging has been on my mind. I miss it. I am still pretty busy, but I am learning to say no and have made some changes. Hopefully I will have a bit more time for the things that are most important to me right now.

One of my newest focuses ~ taking a Swedish language course! I have done a tiny bit of research on it, but am looking forward to finding the "right" class for me. After all, I would like to at least be able to say "hello" and "where is the bathroom" when I go to meet my family, right? 

I truly wish I could just bring one of my family members here to live with me for a year, I think that would be the best way for me to learn to speak, and that family member would be able to see a bit of California! Wouldn't that be nice? If only I could afford...

I am very interested in your experiences with foreign language learning. Have you taken an online course where you can hear the language being spoken? Have you bought the version where you take the course at home, in your own space and time? Have you taken a course at a college or local venue?

I have an old at home tape program for learning Spanish. It was ok for awhile, but I felt the program was "too formal." I think it helped me picked up some words I had forgotten, but not much really new. I would focus on it when I RETURNED from Costa Rica, and would quickly loose interest.

Which brings me to a good point. My husband speaks Spanish fluently, and I haven't learned to speak it yet. I understand a lot, but won't speak out loud. I am lazy, I do not HAVE to speak Spanish, or learn to understand every word. SO, if a relative came from Sweden to live with me for a year, would I really learn to SPEAK Swedish? I don't know. I have a bigger desire to learn Swedish though, I do not have anyone to depend on who would/could translate for me.

Yes, there is English spoken in Sweden. Some of my family can read and understand English a bit, but I understand speaking it is another thing. Very much like me and Spanish. One of our relatives lives in Stockholm and because of his job, does speak English. However, most of the relatives live in the outskirts, not touristy places, so there wouldn't be any reason they would need to speak English. I am sure most of the older relatives do not know or understand English at all.

So, if you have any experiences learning a foreign language, I really would love your input. I would like to make a decision on something very soon, as I need to get a move on!

As of right now, I literally know one word in Swedish, which I give you now~

Tack!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts! 




 Copyright © 2012 By Cheryl Palmer All Rights Reserved

Comments

  1. Hej min kusin!

    Vilken trevlig idé. :)
    Jag är säker på att du lyckas lära dej Svenska bättre än vad jag någonsin blir på Engelska.

    Kram / Janne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hej min kusin! I will do my best learning from you! I made my first lesson a full sheet of paper, off this statement you sent. You are the PERFECT person to learn from! I need a small paragraph every week! Tack!

    Kram/Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  3. Learning languages is one of my favorite things to try to do. I've found that if you're really serious about it, you need to spend 2-3 hours every day practicing and applying what you learn. When I took a language class in college, I'd try repeating over and over in my head what we went over that day, and finding ways to use it that we didn't use in class. Find a native speaker if you can (looks like you have one, if your comments are any indication) and just try to converse with them about everything. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you! I am not sure I can spend that amount of time on this a day, but I hope I can apply myself more than I even hope! I do agree it is a lot of repetition as well as staying on track with it. That will be a challenge for me too. I will try my best!
    Tack!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Make a flashcard keychain to keep in your purse and look at it throughout the day. Perfect to pass waiting time!

    ReplyDelete

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