How Are You All So Good At English?! (1 Viewer)

gray · Oct 9, 2003

I've always been wondering this, but I've never bothered asking. Most of the people in this community are from traditionally non English-speaking countries, so I'm just wondering where you guys learned to speak English, when you started, and what kind of English education there is in your country. Even though I'm Korean, I was born and raised in Australia, so it doesn't really count. I'm pretty curious guys!

vitoria_Ally · Oct 9, 2003

Oh well, I didnt have English in school so much: we've been learning Russian, German and French and English was improper in those times :rolleyes:

Then we didnt have so many teachers of English, cause of the same reason.
I had good classes of English at school, maybe for one year.
Then I decided to attend to some course of English, and I was there for two years. The teacher was very good, so all good things and good bases I have, I took from there.
I had then 3 years of classes of English, 2-3 hours per week only.
And it was rather long ago.

So actually, apart from those bases, I had to learn English myself, and all I can say, understand, write - I learned myself.
And I prefer not to juge it

Now our schools are different: people have many regular lessons at schools, and many hours of it per week. Good thing.

mikhail · Oct 9, 2003

I imagine it's mostly down to practice, Gray. English is the language of international business, so lots of people learn it. Then, if you're reading it and writing it as much as someone like Vit here, you're bound to become fairly fluent.

gray · Oct 9, 2003

++ [ originally posted by vitoria_Ally ] ++
Oh well, I didnt have English in school so much: we've been learning Russian, German and French and English was improper in those times :rolleyes:

Then we didnt have so many teachers of English, cause of the same reason.
I had good classes of English at school, maybe for one year.
Then I decided to attend to some course of English, and I was there for two years. The teacher was very good, so all good things and good bases I have, I took from there.
I had then 3 years of classes of English, 2-3 hours per week only.
And it was rather long ago.

So actually, apart from those bases, I had to learn English myself, and all I can say, understand, write - I learned myself.
And I prefer not to juge it

Now our schools are different: people have many regular lessons at schools, and many hours of it per week. Good thing.

That's pretty impressive then! I think many of the people here learned English by themselves, and that's pretty amazing

. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? Were you at school at the time the education system started teaching it regularly?

gray · Oct 9, 2003

What about you mikhail? How did you learn English after living in Ireland for so long?

j/k mate

mikhail · Oct 9, 2003

Níl fhís agam. B'feidir liom caniúnt in Gaeilge, abar níl an teanga sin ag daoine éile ar an ídirlion. Ar aon nós, tá mo Bearla go maith.

vitoria_Ally · Oct 9, 2003

That's the truth.
Writng and reading here helps me alot, but beginnings were so scaring.
I couldnt compose one simple sentence

vitoria_Ally · Oct 9, 2003

OMG, I see it first time in my life. Is it Irish?
It looks like elves' language

mikhail · Oct 9, 2003

Yeah, it's Irish.

vitoria_Ally · Oct 9, 2003

I was at school, when the new education system started, but it was the beginning of it. So that's why I had this one year of good English.
It's maybe a bit impressive, but it would be more, if I spoke English better

gigi's twin · Oct 9, 2003

I started to learn English in 1992, in my secondary school. Then I went to a laguage school in my town, and there I managed to learn it in a very high level. In 2000 I made my Upper Intermediate Pitman exam, which is equal with the Hungarian State advanced exam. And now I'm working for an international organisation, so I need my English every day, which become better and better.

gray · Oct 9, 2003

Hehe, i just said that cos i've always though of most Irish ppl to speak English... what percentage of the Irish population speak Irish? I always thought it was only about 25% or something... but then again, I don't know that much..

Martin · Oct 9, 2003

I didn't know jack English till I started attending an English school in Trondheim, run by some Australians as a matter of fact. In two years I learnt the basics and got a feel of the languange through using it everyday. And that's really how one should undertake a learning process, it's the most efficient route, course it's spooky when you're not getting anything at first.

After two years I was well ahead of my Norwegian classmates once I started lower secondary school. Later I applied to enroll into an international high school diploma program and got a much needed polish.

Most importantly, though, is how you use the language on your own and how often. You'll often notice computer interested people who may not have scored all that high in school have a decent understanding (at least) of English through their interest. I liked English from day one, from tv, from computer games, from comedy, from internet not least, I've been using it everyday for years. All that's worth ten times what you learn at school.

mikhail · Oct 9, 2003

We all speak Irish - it's part of our education system, but English is the first language for probably 95% of Irish people.

gray · Oct 9, 2003

With phrases like that, it appears you still don't know 'jack English'

So why don't u show some damn respect! :rolleyes:

*drumroll* I thought u already knew Polish! *cue awkward silence*

So true, it was like that with me and piano. I was made to play the damn thing from a young age, and played until I was in 7th grade, but I only managed to practise just enough to pass my exams, but I really dreaded it. After I quit though, I started playing casually, and got some scores of songs that I liked, and from then on I drastically improved...

Martin · Oct 9, 2003

++ [ originally posted by gray ] ++
With phrases like that, it appears you still don't know 'jack English'

So why don't u show some damn respect! :rolleyes:

*drumroll* I thought u already knew Polish! *cue awkward silence*

We are not amused

Zlatan · Oct 9, 2003

Good point mate, damn right :thumb:

@gray: I learned English all by myself. When I was 6 me an my mom fled from the war to Croatia, and I watched a lot of TV with US movies, series etc. I listened to what they said on the TV and read the subtitles, so after a while you start to put two and two together. At that time I DID NOT learn English in school. AFter that, when I was 8, me and my mom moved to Sweden. I remember a time at the airport in Copanhagen when our luggage was sent to Germany, I ahd to speak to the flight attendant in English. I was just 8 and was completely self educated! Then when in Sweden, I started a regular schol right away, and I didnt know Swedesh, of course. I had my own Swedish teacher, and I used to communicate with her in English, and she found it extraordinary that a samll child like that knew English that well. That was in the 2nd and 3rd grade, and I didnt start learning English in school untill the 4th. I managed to learn Swedish good enough to be able to understand classes in just 3 months. Even when I returned to Bosnia, I was always waaaay ahead of my classmates vis a vis English, I even won an English competition on state level, for whole Bosnia and Herzegovina, when i primary school. All that with almost no education in English. I mean, I watch and listen to thousands of hours of English TV shows, something has to stick.

[/genious]

Wings · Oct 9, 2003

My country has 42 ethnic tribes so the powers that be decided to make English & Swahili the national languages and since we were colonised by Britain English became mainstream. I've had 11 years of formal education in English. And all the other subjects are taught in English so we had to learn it.

Congratulations Vit :thumb: I needed a very long time to be comfortable with English.

gray · Oct 9, 2003

actually Zlatan, that's the first time I've ever respected anything you said. Cheers to you, I'd love to be able to learn languages quickly...

my only achievement English-wise (since i live in an english-speaking country) was scoring 94/100 for my university entrance exam :stuckup:

Wings · Oct 9, 2003

Zlatan that's

dude :thumb:

How Are You All So Good At English?! (1 Viewer)

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