Leaning a new language - best way?

mjt said:
In that case, private lessons are a good bet, but they're not cheap.

Either way, lessons are the way to go over self study.
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I am sorry, but in this day and age of the internet and freedom of information, you are either out of a job or soon going to be. They say the best way to learn a language is to live it. With the internet, those borders are just a click away.

Step 1: learn a language to a basic functional level.
Step 2: use a language learning social network to hook in with a native speaker

I cannot recommend enough the Michael Thomas method for a kick start primer into the structure if a particular language. It may not be entirely suitable for the OPs purpose, but I think they have more advanced ones for the main European languages.

Once you start to 'get' the structure of a language, everything else is just expanding your vocabulary with more nouns verbs adjectives etc.
 
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I have a friend who studied languages at uni and now speaks 3 or 4 of them. She said the best way is to speak to someone. You pick up the dialect much quicker.

I've begun to learn Arabic. Visiting Egypt 3 times a year has caused me and my gf to pick up bits and pieces so now our friends there are sending us a 'phrase a day' - Jen and I say these to each other instead of English where possible, we're beginning to remember it quite well :)
 
Phate said:
I have a friend who studied languages at uni and now speaks 3 or 4 of them. She said the best way is to speak to someone. You pick up the dialect much quicker.

I've begun to learn Arabic. Visiting Egypt 3 times a year has caused me and my gf to pick up bits and pieces so now our friends there are sending us a 'phrase a day' - Jen and I say these to each other instead of English where possible, we're beginning to remember it quite well :)
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As salaamu alaikum sadiqii! Kayf al-hal?
 
Freefaller said:
As salaamu alaikum sadiqii! Kayf al-hal?
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I don't know that one :p - we only started last week! Care to translate?

We know bits like...

Tisbah ala Kheir - Good night (Male)
Tisbahy ala Kheir - Female
Ana Ga'an - I'm Hungry (Male)
Ana Ga'ana - I'm Hungry (Female)
Momken el Moftah - Can I have the key?
Momken el mafateeh - Can I have the keys?
Nimshi - Go away
NIMSHI!!! - **** off
La - No
Shokran - Thank you
Ana bahebik Freefaller - I love you Freefaller x
Ana bahebak - I love you (when saying to a guy, bahebik when saying to a girl)
Quaes - Good
Aiieewa - Yes
In shallah - In gods hands
Ha Beebee - Friend

:)
 
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Phate said:
I don't know that one :p - we only started last week! Care to translate?

We know bits like...

Tisbah ala Kheir - Good night (Male)
Tisbahy ala Kheir - Female
Ana Ga'an - I'm Hungry (Male)
Ana Ga'ana - I'm Hungry (Female)
Momken el Moftah - Can I have the key?
Momken el mafateeh - Can I have the keys?
Nimshi - Go away
NIMSHI!!! - **** off
La - No
Shokran - Thank you
Ana bahebik Freefaller - I love you Freefaller x
Ana bahebak - I love you (when saying to a guy, bahebik when saying to a girl)
Quaes - Good
Aiieewa - Yes
In shallah - In gods hands
Ha Beebee - Friend

:)
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Means hello my friend. How are you?

I studied Arabic for a few years - super rusty though as it was 16 years ago. There is no verb "to be / is". And it's all based on the endings of nouns IIRC.

Sadiq = friend, but habibi = more of a pet name for friend (you'd say it to a gf to mean "babe or honey", and you'd say it to a bloke to say "my dear old friend)

Cosimo said:
I'm very well thanks, How about you?
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Al hamdu lilah, shukran! :)
 
Freefaller said:
Means hello my friend. How are you?

I studied Arabic for a few years - super rusty though as it was 16 years ago. There is no verb "to be / is". And it's all based on the endings of nouns IIRC.

Sadiq = friend, but habibi = more of a pet name for friend (you'd say it to a gf to mean "babe or honey", and you'd say it to a bloke to say "my dear old friend)
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Oh awesome! Our friend that is teaching us, she tells us in how its pronounced when read, rather than reading and writing it. I notice you wrote 'habibi' where I wrote 'Ha Beebee' - same effect :) - Same with 'shukran' 'shokran'

Btw - Tell Mei I haven't forgotten to message her back, will do later on tonight :)
 
Guy asks for advice on improving his German and thread turns into a discussion about speaking Arabic. This is why I come to GD :p

Here's some German I learned from watching Blackadder:

Schnell ! Schnell ! Kartoffelkopf !
 
The best way they say it to move to the country where they speak the language. What they don't specify is the next step is to have a child there who grows up natively speaking that language with their friends and who can then translate back to you. It is a 15 year process but is quicker than learning by yourself.
 
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