Language Learning + Motivation!

[SmileyK]

I know there's a few posts on this already, but they seemed to focus more on whether or not you were learning your SO's language, and places to go for learning resources and such. Well I have another question - motivation! Where does it come from and how can you lasso it with some rope and rein it in for good?

I've been attempting to learn my SO's language, Swedish, for I don't know, about 9 months now on and off which included 6 weeks living in Sweden and picking up a bit there, but was generally too shy to speak it. I'll go through moments where I do get really motivated to learn, but then it might only last a few days, and I really want my learning to become a daily task. It was for a while with an app called SwedishVocLab, until I learnt out all 200 of the words on their word list. I have... let's see... abouuuuut.... 20-25 Swedish learning apps on my Phone and iPad... with the plan that I'd go through 1 at a time and master 1 app at a time before deleting it. I've only mastered about 2. I've also got an eBook, about a dozen bookmarked websites and 2 Swedish learning podcasts I'm subscribed to, and I've only just started listening to the first one on my walks, but I don't necessarily pay the most attention to that because the walk is noisy and hard to listen, comprehend, understand and remember all at once whilst on those walks. But when I'm home all day I can't find the motivation to listen to them, either. I know, I know, I've overwhelmed myself a bit with my resources, and now I can't keep up the motivation to use them all, even when I am only trying to focus on one at a time!

I learnt a bit of Indonesian for several years in primary school/early high school and was one of the best in the class so in a classroom environment, I had no trouble picking up a language, and I would like to take a Swedish class some day, preferably on campus, but I can only seem to find one here in Brisbane, and for me it seems a little pricey and I worry about how much of it is stuff I've already learnt as it only sounds like a very basic introduction to which I'm already getting through all of these other free resources, if only I kept at them. xD If ever I move to Sweden, I would definitely want to take on a language class there, but that could be years away yet and I want to prepare myself now! My vocabulary of words is certainly growing and I know a lot of lists (animals, colours, numbers, etc) but piecing them together to form conversations, no. It just becomes so confusing! My SO helps a little, but I think sometimes my energy and "but whhhyy?" questions wear him out a little xD Sorry. Rambling.

TL;DR

So back to the question of motivation, which I seem to be lacking or at least it comes in horrible short bursts that never last long. What methods do you find work best for you to keep at language learning? I try to motivate myself by saying "you're not returning to Sweden until you learn the language!" but that doesn't help at all. xD Other methods I've tried that may help you, but have only managed to help me for short periods of time:

-Writing a letter to his younger sisters in Swedish. (Wrote this out in English trying to use words I knew I'd already learnt in Swedish, then threw them into Google Translate to piece it all together for me and got a friend to check it over for Google Translate discrepancies. Was really fun to be able to hold a conversation, if only letter form, with his sisters who I had trouble communicating with when I was over there.)

-Public whiteboard drawings for his family where I spoke in English, but threw in words and things I'd learnt in Swedish along the way to show my progression. Kinda like the Draw my Life videos. This was also really fun, and they were all really impressed to see me trying, but I got bored after 4 videos Here's an example.

[differentcountries]

I use cooking as a motivation. Basically, I go shopping and cooking in Turkish. I have learned a lot of Turkish at the grocery store! And together with SO, trying to make Desserts from the package... I am making us a three language cookbook as well, hope SO can use it to learn a bit of Norwegian, too.

Also, I really like Babbel.com. That is the best app and especially website I have tried. I delited my other apps after I found it. It has several levels with words and grammar. After I finished the first one I got a diploma They really encaurage you to do it every day. I used to take one or two sub-levels every other day. It was fun in the beginning because I knew all the words, then harder with new words and introducing grammar, then more fun again. It is not so expensive and it costs less if you use it for longer time. I will sign up for three or six months next time.

Some words are fun to know or say, it happens even grammar is fun too, especially when you can use it. Our landlord who only speak Turkish introduced us to an older woman and I was like, she just said (this is) MY mother! And then later she asked if we wanted regular or Turkish tea, and talked about the dog, and SO told the family what my job is, in Turkish, and I got all of it. Best day ever! I notice too that each time I am in Turkey I understand more. I was so proud the first time I was able to go to shops all by myself and not buy anything wrong! I am slowly learning to speak too. Soon I hope to be able to order at a restaurant in Turkish, and talk to his friends.

Har du nogon favorit ord på svenska?

[merlinkitty]

Ok. Disclaimer. I don't have to learn my SO's native language. Well, except if you ask him. Apparently "Americanised" English isn't a language. But that's another issue entirely

When I'm trying to learn something new I find myself grabbing anything I can and overwhelming myself with resources. When I was reading through your post, though, I was thinking. Would it be easier to learn it bits and pieces at a time? The only thing I could think of that was similar was "Spanglish." I learned French in school, which doesn't help me since I live 60 miles from the Mexican border. I've learned a bit through friends over the years, however, listening to them speak "Spanglish," which in case you're not familiar with the term is English interlaced with Spanish.

Perhaps your SO could help you with this? You've a learned a bit. You could try speaking "Swenglish" with him You could let him know what you would like to try. Knowing you're trying to learn, he could correct you when you use words or phrases wrong, with the intent that, over time, you become more proficient, and are able to use less and less English to express yourself. It could become a game for you two You're still learning the language and no one expects you to be proficient the first time you give it a go

I went to France a couple times when I was younger. The first time I was too shy to use the language and didn't know enough to compose sentences. The second time I knew a bit more, and was a bit braver, and the people were really good about bearing with me as I tried to speak their language. I think giving the effort is a sign to others that you want to learn and most people seem willing to help you along.

It doesn't seem like you lack the motivation as much as have a ton of information to process, are becoming overwhelmed by it all, and have few resources to practice it on. Baby step it and I'm sure you'll get there in time

[jana89]

I am learning Danish, because I will be moving to Denmark and I need to know the language to get a job there. Also I would love to be able to talk more with my SO´s mum, who speaks English just a little. I started with an interactive DVD course, that I got from my SO. Then I bought an educational software, which is great because it covers several very practical areas. When I am in DK, I am trying to call things with Danish words, so my SO can correct me. I occasionally exchange e-mails with SO´s mum. Also I got some children´s books from her and my reading in Danish improved a lot while reading those. Anyhows, so far I can´t get myself to talk Danish (unless I am drunk .... guess my first weeks in Denmark will include lots of drinking, since my SO wants to make me speak )

[Inspirement]

Smiley's SO here, just to make that clear :P

Har du nogon favorit ord på svenska?

In Swedish it's "något", just fyi And I don't think she'll want to try the cooking. She hates cooking (though she did just fine when she helped me cook over Christmas). But doing some kind of book or collection of words with a functional purpose is a good idea

Perhaps your SO could help you with this? You've a learned a bit. You could try speaking "Swenglish" with him You could let him know what you would like to try. Knowing you're trying to learn, he could correct you when you use words or phrases wrong, with the intent that, over time, you become more proficient, and are able to use less and less English to express yourself. It could become a game for you two You're still learning the language and no one expects you to be proficient the first time you give it a go

I do help her, or at least I try. And she's made a lot of progress. The problem comes when she starts going "but whyyyyy" when I point out that in that particular sentence she's trying say, one word has to be in another form. And to that I reply "Because that's how it is, I'm not a language professor". "But whyyyy"... yeah, I guess you get the picture. I've never been good with grammar. I know how to speak Swedish because it's the language I've grown up with. I know how to say stuff, but even though I've been trying, I have a hard time dealing with the underlying grammar. Especially stuff that's not the basics. So I can't help her with the harder parts, like why the word order differs and stuff. But she's done a lot of progress and she learns rapidly. I'm really proud of her

It doesn't seem like you lack the motivation as much as have a ton of information to process, are becoming overwhelmed by it all, and have few resources to practice it on. Baby step it and I'm sure you'll get there in time

This exactly xD

I am learning Danish, because I will be moving to Denmark and I need to know the language to get a job there. Also I would love to be able to talk more with my SO´s mum, who speaks English just a little. I started with an interactive DVD course, that I got from my SO. Then I bought an educational software, which is great because it covers several very practical areas. When I am in DK, I am trying to call things with Danish words, so my SO can correct me. I occasionally exchange e-mails with SO´s mum. Also I got some children´s books from her and my reading in Danish improved a lot while reading those. Anyhows, so far I can´t get myself to talk Danish (unless I am drunk .... guess my first weeks in Denmark will include lots of drinking, since my SO wants to make me speak )

Wow, learning Danish. I don't envy you. I can't understand Danish. We like to joke that it sounds like they have porrige stuck in their throats. Everything just sounds like it's spoken with a mouth full of food or something. They all understand Swedish though because we really are so close language wise. Norwegian is much easier to understand as a Swede xD But good luck. I'm sure you can do it

I've heard the tips about the children's books before and suggested it to my SO, but we haven't tried it out yet. Maybe we should :P

[JaneEmily]

I've been learning Dutch since April, and with the help of Duolingo (a free language app) it's really helped. They've recently added Danish and Swedish (which will be made public for users to use in a few weeks) to their incubated courses that are made by real users who have contributed - they have to have good enough qualifications to build the course but so far they've BETA'd many courses. Their motto is language learning for free, forever - they have a website and apps for iOS and Android. I'd recommend giving them a try, even with their other languages that are in BETA and out of BETA (normal users can access either past phase 2) until the language you want is available so you get to know how their teaching structure works.

I know my comprehension of Dutch has gone a bit further with being able to practice it through Duolingo whilst having other resources such as textbooks and Pimsleur (you can find these for cheap on eBay compared to their extortionate prices on their official site) for your target language. My other half helps me with my Dutch, we keep an excel vocabulary list of the words I know so we can practise pronunciation together which keeps me motivated knowing he's helping me and being very patient with the things I find difficult. Just make sure you practise a little each day, even if it's a few words. It doesn't have to be full sentences, but maybe instead of referring to milk as milk, say it in your target language. Put sticky notes on household items in the target language so you start thinking in whichever language you're learning (this applies to everyone). Yesterday I even said "vandaag is dinsdag" to my SO, and he was so impressed because I did it without hesitation something I did at the beginning of learning Dutch.

If you do get an account on Duolingo, add me on JaneEmily over there they have leaderboards there to also help motivate people by competing and gamificating the learning process.

[jana89]

I've been learning Dutch since April, and with the help of Duolingo (a free language app) it's really helped. They've recently added Danish and Swedish (which will be made public for users to use in a few weeks) to their incubated courses that are made by real users who have contributed - they have to have good enough qualifications to build the course but so far they've BETA'd many courses. ... If you do get an account on Duolingo, add me on JaneEmily over there they have leaderboards there to also help motivate people by competing and gamificating the learning process.

I love Duolingo I learn Spanish there, just for fun. I might add you And I am very interested in Danish course, thanks for info

[Chillosaurus]

I know there's a few posts on this already, but they seemed to focus more on whether or not you were learning your SO's language, and places to go for learning resources and such. Well I have another question - motivation! Where does it come from and how can you lasso it with some rope and rein it in for good?

Motivation = Relevance for you and your Purpose
How to make it more relevant?
Partner up! Get a tandem and meet up every week to discuss in Swedish about another topic. If you feel insecure about the language you can agree on a topic the week before and you can do your research on that topic, vocabulary etc., beforehand.
You might be able to find one around you especially in university environment, where there are many exchange students. You can just as at international office if they can help you to find someone... There might be meetup- groups in your area... If all this does not work out, then look for a skype partner online.
There was a very good TED-talk on "how to learn any language in 6 month", search online, it covers some good aspects.
And: Make commitments like this...

[...] My SO helps a little, but I think sometimes my energy and "but whhhyy?" questions wear him out a little xD Sorry. Rambling. [...]

Stop correcting each other.
My girl really likes when I speak her language and we want to have it as our secret language, when she is at my place and also the other way around, which is why she wants to learn more about my language too (except from just being culturally interested). This motivates quite a bit.
Also when going to her place I knew that no one there does speak my language or English, which created some relevance because of my urge to be independent of my translator.

[differentcountries]

I am going to attend a language course in my city in fall, I really think that will help me. It is not that expensive either when you think of that we will be a fairly small class.

My SO cant help me with grammar either, I really just rely on him to explain certain words. But I cant always trust him. Like the word I see everywhere, on buses and trash cans in different cities , I asked SO if it meant public life. Well, according to Google translate it means muncipality, which is sort of what I asked SO but not quite. So it is a bits and pieces learning until I can start the Turkish class.

I did lend a audio language class in the public library. It has been sitting on my shelf for three weeks, two of which I have attended a festival. But I am a bit hopeful.

[conejita_hada]

My SO and I started to use English in FB messenger - he doesn't know English much at all so it's forced him to really focus on reading comprehension which has worked magically in just a few weeks. We also started speaking on Skype only in English (with the exception of an explanation, then I repeat in English) - simple lessons and conversations. You have an edge already learning on your own initiative.

I actually didn't know Spanish when I met my SO. In order to communicate with the hot guy I met, we only spoke over messenger for the first month and then our first date was a bunch of "What is your favorite color?" "Do you have siblings?" etc. If you feel confident enough, maybe try re-assigning your relationship's language to Swedish? It's a bit weird having done that with my SO but it's helping him out wonderfully since he can't take classes. I disagree with another poster about not-correcting when learning the language, always correct but in a nice way. Sometimes instead of blunt correction I repeat his grammatically incorrect question within my answer. Example: "You work day?" My answer: "Yes, I will work today." or "Yes, I am working today." He's started correcting himself now, since he's now comprehending the differences in how the sentences are structured. It's more work for me, as well, but it's been something "fun" to do together.

You could also try searching for local Swedish speakers in your area and try doing a coffee meet-up once or twice a week, just paying for the person's coffee instead of an expensive course.

Hope it works out for you!

[lucybelle]

If you have a basis of the language, try reading. It takes a long time but for me it worked really well. Start with books you've already read or know the story so you're not trying to figure out what's happening. Then go from there. Never look up every word, just the important ones that repeat.

[SmileyK]

differentcountries - I found Babbel really helpful too for sentence structure, and it has so much content even in just the free version. I may have to consider a subscription sometime in the future. I'm getting all excited now that I can recognise certain words in FB statuses and can maybe not fully understand what they're saying, but get a gist of it. A least some. Others I still have no clue! I also have a nifty little Facebook Translate button which instantly translates it once I give up trying to get it so it's also becoming a little language tool. Ja, jag har några favorit ord! Kärlek, ursäkta, ekorre och lycka till to name a few! They have such nice sounding rings to them.

merlinkitty - Haha, don't worry, I've had to correct my SO on some Australian English I guess Swenglish is what I was sort of doing in the whiteboard videos, combining the English with words I knew in Swedish, and it is a good idea to try and incorporate it more in our everyday conversations. I certainly hope that next time I return to Sweden I won't be as shy and will be more willing to try speaking in their language. At the very least when I go out, I should now be able to say "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Can you speak English?" in Swedish, so even something as little as that is showing appreciation of their language. And next time I sit next to someone on the plane who asks (in Swedish) if I can speak Swedish, I'll be able to say "lite grann!" meaning a little bit

jana89 - Yep, I've heard of the learning with children's books and is something I'd like to try Just a shame I didn't buy some when I was over there!

JaneEmily - I found out about Duolingo just yesterday actually, but as I couldn't see anything about Swedish on their homepage I discarded it. But it's great to know that they will be introducing Swedish - yay! - will have to keep an eye open as it sounds like a very useful website. I imagine the leaderboards would help with motivation too. I always used to hesitate in the beginning, still do sometimes, but that's usually with the harder to pronounce words and phrases. I had my first dream the other night with Swedish words in it, so that was exciting too!

Chillosaurus & conejita_hada - Not quite sure what you're trying to say, but the corrections certainly help to see where I'm going wrong and understand more about why something is the way it is. My motivation comes from wanting to communicate more with his family - not only his younger sisters (who will learn English in school anyway), but with his parents and step-parents, and grandparents. His Mum speaks very good English, but the others not so much! My SO has incredibly fluent in English, so that's not a problem. If we are to also have kids one day, we want them to know both languages as well, and I want to be able to help them with the Swedish, too. And just living in the country and being able to fit in with the locals, of course. Soo the basis for my motivation is all there! The problem with the universities is that they are all 2 hours into the city on public transport, but if ever I return to my studies this is something I certainly might do, however I think Swedish is very much a minority language here as we get a lot of Japanese students, etc. instead. They hosted a Scandinavian Festival last year that I went to, so that might have better options for me to find people if they do it again this year (I think it's annual but I wouldn't know because I hadn't met my SO before that so my interest wasn't there!) I fear that my shyness would get in the way though!

lucybelle - Another great idea I have the first Harry Potter book in Swedish, but I'm still struggling through the first sentence. Perhaps I should try with a smaller book? But it's certainly a book I know inside out and back to front which I think would be great for learning, just perhaps not yet until I have a bit more of a solid footing on grammar, sentence structure and common words. I do hope to be able to read through it one day with my SO, even if it's just a page a day to begin with. I wonder if you find it easier to read through the book once more in your native language before you start on the other language so it is very fresh in your mind? Or even try reading both at the same time to compare (like a page in English and a page in Swedish)? Or do you think that then becomes too much?

I guess the major thing for me is just turning it into a daily habit

[Ahava]

Wow, learning Danish. I don't envy you. I can't understand Danish. We like to joke that it sounds like they have porrige stuck in their throats. Everything just sounds like it's spoken with a mouth full of food or something.

Here the joke goes that Danish sounds like a Norwegian speaking with a hot potato in their mouth

[Alsfia]

My SO recently started picking up Finnish words here and there. I'm a Fennoswede, so my native language is Swedish and I live in a largely Swedish speaking area, but his motivation actually came from wanting to follow the Finnish ice hockey team Leijonat on Twitter and not being able to understand their tweets He's since learnt the name of some ice hockey nations (such as Sweden, USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland of course ) and is quite motivated to learn more, even though it's not "my" language per se. So maybe find a topic in Swedish you enjoy (I'm sure there's HP groups largely in Swedish on fb for example) and start from there?

My SO is also learning Swedish, largely without any tools, but what really helped him was talking to my youngest brother who doesn't speak any English at all (at least it's helping him largely with my dialect). Children are the best teachers I find when it comes to language, especially the ones that are 6-9 years old, since their grammar usually is fairly correct while they don't judge/feel judging if you make mistakes as well as keeping the topics easy. So maybe you could Skype with your SO's younger sisters every week or once a fortnight and try and have a discussion with them?

This probably doesn't really belong here but it's too funny not to mention One example of the what my SO learnt while talking to my brother was to improvise and make up words he didn't know out of words he did know, so once I was nagging him about something (I confess, I tend to nag sometimes...) and he just said "Stäng mat-döre!" which in my dialect means "close the food-door". He ment to say "mun", mouth, but didn't know the word so he made one up. He got the meaning across and very efficiently got me to stop nagging

[ittybittypilot]

I'm trying to learn Afrikaans. I already speak (poor) German. Afrikaans (for those unaware) is mix of High Dutch, English, a bit of German, and local tribal words (KhoiKhio, Zulu, etc). My problem is my existing knowledge of German is a detriment, because the meaning is a bit different and the pronunciation is COMPLETELY different. So I basically need to forget German and start over. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Good thread. Love the ideas.