So I've been taking German classes once a week for over a year now and I still can't speak it. I feel shitty admitting it but it's true.
One day, our ever patient professor was trying to teach us accusative reflexive verbs and dative reflexive verbs and the darum, darauf, worüber stuff (absofuckinglutely no equivalent in any language that I know) when I finally couldn't take it.
I slam my pen down, lean back in my chair and heave a great big sigh.
Me: Ugh this is so hard!
Dramatic pause. I wait for everyone to shut up and pay attention to me. They do.
Me: I'm sorry I'm having trouble keeping all of this straight. I've been studying this language for a year and I still can't express myself properly. I'm beginning to feel very discouraged.
Professor Greg: It just takes some getting used to. This is the stage where, in my experience, most students give up because it gets too hard. I think you guys are making a lot of progress, and if you think about it, I hardly ever have to speak in English anymore and you understand most of what I teach in German now. Besides you only come in once a week and learning German really takes time. It's something that you need to keep doing. Once you get past all the main rules and exceptions and actually remember them, it's all pretty much the same.
I went on to say that I couldn't remember having this much trouble when I was learning French but then again I studied that nearly everyday while I was at university. I also have a terrible memory so chances are I am unable to recall just how much I really suffered. I'm really shit at French too anyway.
Some of my classmates also expressed feelings of disheartenment. Greg let us grumble like the long suffering amazing person that he is and eventually managed to lift our spirits up. If I keep at it long enough, I'm bound to get better, right?
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2 comments:
Yeah you'll get better with more practice. Languages are hard, especially when you're not like, living in another country and forced to speak it all the time.
Hi, I'm teaching reflexives to my high school class right now...here's a tip: if you still don't get the concept of direct and indirect objects, get some help...
accusative reflexive: i wash (who or what?) myself. direct object. i hit (who or what?) the ball. direct object...accusative.
I wash my hands. I wash (who or what?) the hands = direct object to whom or for whom? for myself = indirect ob or dative. ich wasche mir die Haende.
Er bringt mir den Kaffee. he brings what? coffee for whom? me...indirect object.
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