Thursday, December 16, 2010

Giorgia's One and Only Vent.

Ok I'm getting to that stand-still that I'd like to think everyone comes to when learning a language and let me know if I'm right.

The point where you are tired of asking "What's this word in your language?" and saying "Oh, oops you've told me that heaps of times." The time when you don't seem to be learning anymore, when you forget all the new words and are just stuck at a base of awkward grammar and limited vocabulary.

Admittedly my understanding is better now, but a lot of good that does me! A boy in the year seven was talking to me today and when he heard me reply in my awkward, (still) broken German, he started speaking English and I had to yet again go through that frustrating process of saying "Nein, Du musst Deutsch sprechen weil ich Deutsch lernen muss."

So I'm frustrated and you can stop reading here if you like, I'm really only venting.
I'm tired of never being 100% sure what the person said or what is going on, tired of spending five minutes trying to work out how to reply properly or replying immediately to faces that read "What did she try to say?" and I think I'm most tired of not knowing enough words to get me through even the most basic conversation.

My family are really good about that to give them full credit. I whip out my awkward pigeon Deutsch,
they fill in the blanks or re-word my sentence, I repeat. Move on to more pigeon Deutsch.
I've tried to hurry the learning process, so I wouldn't feel my cheeks going red so often. I translate every word I don't understand on school handouts until I can read them. I keep a diary so Laura can correct my grammar and then I re-write it. I watch German films and TV. Yet I STILL seem stuck with about twelve verbs that are used to no end such as: Haben, sein, möchten, gehen, fahren, kommen, bekommen, nehmen, denken, glauben, wollen, benutzen and lernen.

I'm not complaining, just venting. I know it'll click eventually. I know I'm just grumpy that my plan for german language domination didn't happen in my set time frame and I'm sure everyone goes through this stage where they don't feel they're taking any information in anymore. I think I just had some unrealistic expectation that I'd get here and it'd be good after a month and we're nearly at a month now and at this point, I think I'd need a year for it to be "good."


We'll see I guess...


Hope all is well.

2 comments:

  1. hi g, don´t be too strict with yourselve (and the people answering in english when they get the feeling you didn´t quite catch what they said). you are already at a VERY good state of speaking and understanding - and you are improving every day!
    much love, sonja

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  2. It takes three months, not one. Ok, maybe it'll only take you two coz you're gifted. In any case it'll be "good" just as you're stepping on the plane to come home.
    Relax and don't worry about it.

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