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sgreenstreet
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 659
Location: Upstate New York
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Posted:
Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:36 pm |
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Wish me luck, I'm heading back to class to learn Spanish. English is my native tongue and I've also studied Spanish, German and Russian. But I've never studied any one language long enough to get good.
I was beginning to get somewhat functional at German when I lived in Stuttgart, but then I had to return to the US. So now when I try to speak Spanish I often slip in a German wort.
Here in New Mexico where I currently live, Spanish is close to being the majority language and I have many employees that speak it. So I'll have plenty of opportunity to practicar.
Sid |
_________________ Life is worth tried,as all lizard lay postrated unknowing the one that has a stomach itch. -Al hassan salisu
x15 |
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lotta
Baiting Guru
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 13613
Location: 2 Speckled Cct Springfield Lakes QLD 4300
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Posted:
Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:01 pm |
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Good luck Sid |
_________________ <a href="/forum/donate.php">[Click here to donate to 419Eater.com]</a> Lead Support Contact for Missing Posts - (pm me)
bank kills
Alan James Watson (AKA Bi Gal, AKA Big Al, AKA De Master Yoda) -2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 "Doos of the year" award winner
Frederick Fokker:
"I am giving you about a month to get your act together, i am cutting you and the eater a bit of slack"
Dec 11, 2007
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Agi Hammerthief
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 12 Mar 2006
Posts: 671
Location: .de
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Posted:
Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:07 pm |
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viel Erfolg Sid
I found it frustrating to learn Spanish with a German/Spanish dictionary
coudn't remember the German words when I was on holidays so my old dictionary was totally useless when I traveled in Spain
this was a good one I thought:
Collins Easy Learning Spanish Dictionary
ISBN 0-00-472417-8 |
_________________ in gods we trust - all others pay cash
hug the trolls - maybe it will help them to stop being a worthless piece of trash
x3 |
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Dolores
419Eater is my life
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Posts: 356
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Posted:
Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:09 pm |
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Buena suerte.
Some dumbass up here in Oregon tried to get people interested in making a law banning the teaching of non-English languages a while back. Needless to say, it very quickly went nowhere. |
_________________ I was mad with the deceit and conning of the Bello of a man. - Mens4h K0fi |
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Pachanga
Baiting Guru
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 3551
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Posted:
Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:30 pm |
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Sid, you can check out language tapes at libraries rather than buying them. The repetition is very helpful. |
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sgreenstreet
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 659
Location: Upstate New York
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Posted:
Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:20 pm |
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@Hammerthief: You've got to be a glutton for punishment. Thanks for the diccionario tip. I currently use one of those Franklin/Merriam-Webster handheld electronic dictionaries. I like it when I'm traveling because it's a very quick lookup and it contains far more words than a typical pocket dictionary.
@Dolores -- How many Americans know that Dolores means "pains" in Spanish? -- I digress. There was noise about one official language in Michigan as well. Strangely, there was actually a ballot initiative on the matter in Arizona. This is just thinly veiled bigotry.
Old joke worth retelling: If a person who speaks two languages is bilingual and a person who speaks three languages is trilingual, what do you call a person who speaks one language?
Answer: An American. |
_________________ Life is worth tried,as all lizard lay postrated unknowing the one that has a stomach itch. -Al hassan salisu
x15 |
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callum
Director of Press Relations
Joined: 29 May 2004
Posts: 3631
Location: On the run from the asylum and this seems like a good place to hide. Blend right in...
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:25 pm |
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DoloresOnTheDottedLine wrote: |
...non-English languages.... |
This mangled garbage we speak is actually a LANGUAGE???
Boa sorte amigo! Mas lembre-se isso para aprende bem isto, voce ten que falar frequentmente (hey, it's kinda similar to espanol, but not really...) |
_________________ Do you have a concern about ethics? Click here, then here and finally HERE!
Bush goat you will meat like a chicken. It will kill you in your house where you are going to die.
I owe you quite simply one of the definitive experiences of my life.
x 2 teeny part of a large effort x29 x5
Trolling is usually symptomatic of bad character, mental problems or ugliness - RIP Jock_2009 |
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rumbero
Baiting Guru
Joined: 06 Jun 2006
Posts: 3677
Location: All the Salsa Night Clubs
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:10 pm |
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Spanish is the easiet language to learn.
Somehow it just came naturally to me
If you need help just PM me. |
_________________ Lagos to Tamale. Rev. Frank Lagos to Abuja
Lagos to Abuja Pr1nc3 F@w@z
Ghana to Benin's Simba Camp Joe C@rlton
Lagos to Ghana Opus Dei Templar
Nukuru to Mombasa 1,500 kms van donation
Co bait with SlowFreddy Sao Tome island to Gabon Lagos to Abuja Co, donation
YOUR WIFE WILL GIVE BIRTH TO A MONKEY, YOU ARE GOING TO SUFFER FROM EPILEPTIC,
LET YOUR MOTHER FUCK YOUR BEST FRIEND. LET YOUR FATHER FUCK A MAD STREET WOMAN, USELESS INTERNET FRAUDSTER. (barrister Dan )
I bet u , soon , u will be laying in a close casket ,
will make u understand that i'm a spiritual man (Makinwa the retarded mugu)
in juses name u will dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
( Makinwa) |
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sgreenstreet
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 659
Location: Upstate New York
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:45 pm |
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rumbero wrote: |
If you need help just PM me. |
Yes, I need help right now. What the hell is Callum talking about?
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_________________ Life is worth tried,as all lizard lay postrated unknowing the one that has a stomach itch. -Al hassan salisu
x15 |
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Splooshy
** SUSPENDED **
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 135
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:53 pm |
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I feel for ya, SGreen. I live next door, in Arizona, and I'm learning Spanish as well. Good luck. |
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callum
Director of Press Relations
Joined: 29 May 2004
Posts: 3631
Location: On the run from the asylum and this seems like a good place to hide. Blend right in...
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:02 pm |
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sgreenstreet wrote: |
Yes, I need help right now. What the hell is Callum talking about? |
Practicing my Brasillian portuguese, which I am finding far easier to read than to write or speak. I expect it'll just start to click then we'll be back off home again.
"Good luck! But remember that to learn it well, you need to speak it often."
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_________________ Do you have a concern about ethics? Click here, then here and finally HERE!
Bush goat you will meat like a chicken. It will kill you in your house where you are going to die.
I owe you quite simply one of the definitive experiences of my life.
x 2 teeny part of a large effort x29 x5
Trolling is usually symptomatic of bad character, mental problems or ugliness - RIP Jock_2009 |
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Don
Baiting Guru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Posts: 3045
Location: Italy, 87.2.222.132
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:16 pm |
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callum wrote: |
Boa sorte amigo! Mas lembre-se isso para aprende bem isto, voce ten que falar frequentmente |
Ma dai, dire che questo casino di una lingua assomiglia lo spagnolo e come dire che l'olandese fosse un dialetto tedesco...beh...aspetta...magari... |
_________________ x12
No sugar plum fairies have been hurt during the process of creating this message.
**"Freedom? There ain't no fuckin' Freedom!"** |
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Joaquin
419Eater is my life
Joined: 14 Mar 2005
Posts: 456
Location: Guatemala (GMT-6)
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:16 pm |
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@sgreenstreet: For learning a new language there is nothing better than going to a place where everybody speaks that language EXCLUSIVELY. It is called "a full immersion crash course".
For Spanish I recommend Miami or Los Angeles ... After you get back home you will have to take refresher courses in English, which you will not have used at all in those places ... |
_________________
x 46
dear sir
after waiting at the airport for 3 hours i did not see you, i was there till the last pilot came out, what is the position , are you in belgium or still in usa pls write me back , am confused - Patrick Williams
you must be a mad man why can,t you understand simple language it your
stupid mother that have head like that of sadam hussien that was hang
may your mouth bend to your back idiot i am helping you and you are talking trash.
francis mensah |
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Splooshy
** SUSPENDED **
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 135
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:45 pm |
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Or go down to Mexico. |
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sgreenstreet
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 659
Location: Upstate New York
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Posted:
Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:33 pm |
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@Joaquin - I know exactly what you're talking about. I haven't been to LA or Miami, but I've been to Brownsville, Texas and it's the same way. Here in Albuquerque, it is possible to live your entire life without getting functional in English -- and some people do. Unfortunately, the Spanish spoken here is a spanglish dialect that reeks of the lower class. So as a businessman I think it's important that I learn correct Spanish that will work anywheres in the Spanish speaking world.
BTW, I'll be taking classes at Instituto Cervantes. It's cultural organization that is operated by the Government of Spain. I think I'm lucky to have a resource this close to my home. Speaking of complete immersion, I'm thinking of taking a week of immersion in Mexico at Instituto Baden Powell. That will probably have to wait until the summer of 2008. |
_________________ Life is worth tried,as all lizard lay postrated unknowing the one that has a stomach itch. -Al hassan salisu
x15 |
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Joaquin
419Eater is my life
Joined: 14 Mar 2005
Posts: 456
Location: Guatemala (GMT-6)
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:39 am |
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@sgreenstreet : Those 2 are very good choices for good Spanish. And then again, the way the World economic powers are developing, if anybody wants to be fluent in the business language of the future, Chinese 101 looks like the course to get enrolled into right now. |
_________________
x 46
dear sir
after waiting at the airport for 3 hours i did not see you, i was there till the last pilot came out, what is the position , are you in belgium or still in usa pls write me back , am confused - Patrick Williams
you must be a mad man why can,t you understand simple language it your
stupid mother that have head like that of sadam hussien that was hang
may your mouth bend to your back idiot i am helping you and you are talking trash.
francis mensah |
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sgreenstreet
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 659
Location: Upstate New York
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 1:32 am |
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^^^^^^^^^^
I've been to China on business and I can tell you that I'm simply not good enough to learn Chinese. |
_________________ Life is worth tried,as all lizard lay postrated unknowing the one that has a stomach itch. -Al hassan salisu
x15 |
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battery
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 930
Location: a wonderful yet shit place to live
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:18 am |
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Chinese is the easiest language in the world by an arm and a leg!
Think about it:
Russian - Six denclenations for nouns with three cases; masculine, feminine and neuter - Different sets of each for singular/plural with various overlapping areas and numerous (I should say infinite) exceptions depending on goodness only knows what. There's enough grammar in that language to blow a hole in your brain. The spelling is awkward, the pronunciation requires oral surgery and reading it for the first time is like walking a minefield of letters you think you recognise, but actually don't.
Then we have Chinese.
A noun is a noun, a verb is a verb. Neither conjugate/denclenate/morph for any reason in any case - ever. There are no plural nouns in Chinese, with the exception of pronouns which require only the addition of a single syllable.
The verb to be:
I am / Wo Shi
you are / Ni Shi
he she it is / Ta Shi....etc
It's the same for all of them. Once you learn a word - that's it - you've got it. It's the only language I know, where all you have to do is learn a big pile of words and just start saying them. You could learn Chinese grammar in a day and be speaking it conversationally within six months tops. |
_________________ x14
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Luther Blissett
Elite Baiter
Joined: 06 Sep 2005
Posts: 1029
Location: Watford, Middle East
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:10 am |
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sgreenstreet
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 23 Dec 2003
Posts: 659
Location: Upstate New York
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:45 pm |
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The european languages all share many words. So an English speaking person can usually pick up on Spanish or German quickly. French and Polish are a bit harder and Russian adds the additional challenge of cyrillic.
There is a theory that all european languages derive from an ancient sanskrit root. When I traveled in India I would occasionally pick up on some of these similarities. I discovered that the Hindi word for bread is "nan", which sounds suspiciously similar to "pan" in Spanish.
But when I got to China the words were ALL different. There were no hooks to help with memorization. I suspect that written Chinese may actually be easier for a westerner to learn than the spoken language, as some of the characters look something like the thing they represent.
Learning any language (after our mother tongues) is hard work. If it were easy, more people would do it.
Sid |
_________________ Life is worth tried,as all lizard lay postrated unknowing the one that has a stomach itch. -Al hassan salisu
x15 |
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callum
Director of Press Relations
Joined: 29 May 2004
Posts: 3631
Location: On the run from the asylum and this seems like a good place to hide. Blend right in...
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:06 pm |
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sgreenstreet wrote: |
....as some of the characters look something like the thing they represent. |
This one doesn't, or am I looking at it from the wrong angle? |
_________________ Do you have a concern about ethics? Click here, then here and finally HERE!
Bush goat you will meat like a chicken. It will kill you in your house where you are going to die.
I owe you quite simply one of the definitive experiences of my life.
x 2 teeny part of a large effort x29 x5
Trolling is usually symptomatic of bad character, mental problems or ugliness - RIP Jock_2009 |
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battery
Master of Master Baiters
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 930
Location: a wonderful yet shit place to live
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Posted:
Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:05 pm |
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Xing (fourth - falling tone)
It variously means:
1)nature or charactaristic
2)property (quality)
3)sex (gender)
4)sex (intercourse)
And is a part of many dy/polysyllabic words related to each of the four meanings such as jiu xing (alcoholic - the property), nan xing (male), bian tai xing (perverted) etc etc.
It doesn't look like a fuck, but it's made of two pieces; the "heart" radical on the left and the charater meaning "life" or "production" on the right. I'm totally guessing here, but it could originally have had something to do with production or natural properties. In any case it is a word which embodies an important concept rather than a thing so it is likely to be more ideomatic than figurative.
This is a figurative character, meaning turtle
if you turn it over on it's side you can see its head on the left, it's shell on the top, the tail on the right and it's two little feet underneath.
cute huh? |
_________________ x14
DONATE
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I don't deserve a pony
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