When it was last time you needed a language

[onkko]

Im finnish so my example is english, i spoke it (heavy use of alcohol) in tallinn 2004, 2005 i told one "sorry i dont speak english, ill redirect you to one who will".
Quite embarassing (and i heard "eh" in phone then, i just cant speak sorry), i get C1 for listening and reading but i cant speak First time i needed english was 1992 when i were in shop as clerk, went well. Tarzan english but she understood and i understood what she wanted and i didnt think just tried to use

Is there any way to learn speaking, i got total "freeze" if i have to. Öö juu enklish siis öfkoors ai spiik put... I know how its should be spoken but my brain just freeze. Rally driver english is good comparing to mine Is it normal that you forgot words when you have to speak?
Is there any gathering of english speakers in tampere, i would like to come listen (talk after few beers )

Irritating thing is that you forget most of your vocabulary, i can read complex text in english but when i have to speak AARGH!
And even you know a word you can pronounce it. @#$%.

Too bad i dont have money to go london or such for forced lessons. Its irritating when i get full score on dialang and i cant speak

So i understand you who try to use finnish and i do switch to "book finnish" when i interact with one. Its bit hard and needs to thinking but doable. i cant switch to english because my english sucks

[Karhunkoski]

I think you just need to find a fluent English speaking forum user in TMP and practice.

Your written English is reasonably good, so you have enough words there, it is just practice in usage that you need, to build confidence in pronunciation (English can be more difficult than Finnish in this respect).

Forgetting vocabulary will be overcome with practice too. (Be happy that you can use the words mostly as they are, without having to think how to bend every second word word, and at the same time keeping conversation speed )

Good Luck!

[rob34]

your english reads nicely, for what it's worth

[Enkka]

The fastest way to learn English is:

Get a boyfriend/girlfriend who speaks only English. Then you are forced to speak it and will improve automatically. He/she is willing to have patience since is the only language she/he speaks.

Bed is the best place to learn languages

[mrshourula]

Is there any gathering of english speakers in tampere, i would like to come listen (talk after few beers )

Check here in the fall http://esn.tamy.fi/node/21 Different language groups form each semester and looks to be open to anyone (not just registered students).

[easily-lost]

The fastest way to learn English is:

Get a boyfriend/girlfriend who speaks only English. Then you are forced to speak it and will improve automatically. He/she is willing to have patience since is the only language she/he speaks.

Bed is the best place to learn languages

Make sure s/he has no interest in learning Finnish, otherwise it will turn out to be a fight...either in two languages or in silence.

[onkko]

your english reads nicely, for what it's worth

Thank you, if i ever get my spoken english in same level ill be happy (just remember my written english is learned from teh internets!)
Goddammit all "its pronounced this way" !"#¤%, finnish is easy because if there is A its pronounced A grrrrr.
I think i just have to find foreigner who can intreper my finglish and not laugh too much (tho i had best time with one who were learning finnish, funny like rob a is learning, he does mistakes but i understand most so i dont really care. I understand finnish is difficult and i like when people are trying to learn it, i will laugh but not in bad way. ) I think its ok to someone with english as their motherlanguage to laugh when i try to speak when i look how i behave
Is there something like mindset to acguire to speak english? I know how words are pronounced but my tongue wont let me do that. Oh well ill learn some day. (ill get ryanair to london and get it whacked in me )

[silk]

ill get ryanair to london and get it whacked in me

I keep reading about Ryanair from London to Tampere on this board and I was going to suggest you take advantage of this flight to London. Who cares if you make mistakes, everybody does. You have to start somewhere. But go for it sober, you will remember more afterwards

[onkko]

ill get ryanair to london and get it whacked in me

I keep reading about Ryanair from London to Tampere on this board and I was going to suggest you take advantage of this flight to London. Who cares if you make mistakes, everybody does. You have to start somewhere. But go for it sober, you will remember more afterwards

Sober! like i can speak when im sober oh horror

[silk]

Sober! like i can speak when im sober oh horror

I know I know... you're a Finnish man But you learned to read and write English sober, didn't you. It's the only way. Practice on the people in London, they are very used to foreigners and accents. They will forget you the moment you're out of sight. The only person worried about your English is you.

[Rob A.]

your english reads nicely, for what it's worth

Thank you, if i ever get my spoken english in same level ill be happy (just remember my written english is learned from teh internets!)
Goddammit all "its pronounced this way" !"#¤%, finnish is easy because if there is A its pronounced A grrrrr.
I think i just have to find foreigner who can intreper my finglish and not laugh too much (tho i had best time with one who were learning finnish, funny like rob a is learning, he does mistakes but i understand most so i dont really care. I understand finnish is difficult and i like when people are trying to learn it, i will laugh but not in bad way. ) I think its ok to someone with english as their motherlanguage to laugh when i try to speak when i look how i behave
Is there something like mindset to acguire to speak english? I know how words are pronounced but my tongue wont let me do that. Oh well ill learn some day. (ill get ryanair to london and get it whacked in me )

...I think that anyone just simply has to keep working with the language in a manner consistent with their overall objective. It helps to be interested, of course....

For some reason, which I can't fully explain even to myself, I find Finnish to be a very intriguing language... I don't HAVE to learn it...unlike some of those afflicted with HBS who are now "stuck" in Finland... In fact, from a practical point-of-view considering where I live, it would make more sense to learn Mandarin or Japanese...but I'm just not interested in doing that......and even if I had a Japanese or Chinese GF I don't think that would change...

But I think your written English is understandable for the most part...and, personally, I think it helps to keep a "light" attitude about the learning process... Making mistakes is all part of the process...I think learning languages is a process where you take three steps forward and one step back...and so you just keep going, gradually making fewer and fewer "mistakes"...

But I can understand your frustration...I have that when it comes to speaking French....I learned French years ago, yet I'm constantly reminded just how crappy my French is....I've been watching the Tour de France...part of the time on a French channel (this is first year I've watched it in French) ...by now I'm not having too much trouble, but at the beginning of the Tour I could hardly understand what they were saying... ....probably a combination of accents and words I hadn't heard before...

So I guess what I think is that you should just keep doing what you are doing and keep it all fun and gradually it will improve....The resources that are available for free on the internet really are astounding...even fifteen years ago, it just wasn't like this...all the "big" languages now have scads of resources as do some of the "smaller" languages...Finnish, of course, being one of them...

And I think language learning with our own mother tongue is a life-long process....I'm always adding to my knowledge of English ....and now I've added Finnish to the process...

[onkko]

Sober! like i can speak when im sober oh horror

I know I know... you're a Finnish man But you learned to read and write English sober, didn't you. It's the only way. Practice on the people in London, they are very used to foreigners and accents. They will forget you the moment you're out of sight. The only person worried about your English is you.

Thats true and something i need to fight, school teached me that i have to be perfect, @#$% them. But still i have this "have to be perfect" inside
Now we can talk about finnish education, education what says i have to be perfect to open my mouth. Goddammit i hate this but cant help it, i feel inferior and feel that i cant speak.
I do speak when needed and most understand but still this is something i need to fight.
when i speak english i somehow do "tarzan" way, i can elaborate and use more complex ways to say so why! i dont know.
Somehow there is "short circuit" in my brains so i will lose 90% of vocabilatiry, thats because im not sure how to pronounce something.
Frustrating when you get full points on reading/listening but you just cant talk. What good it is if i understand but cannot interact?
I will learn in some day

[Rob A.]

...Thats true and something i need to fight, school teached me that i have to be perfect, @#$% them. But still i have this "have to be perfect" inside
Now we can talk about finnish education, education what says i have to be perfect to open my mouth. Goddammit i hate this but cant help it, i feel inferior and feel that i cant speak...

I've heard this before about the Finnish education system ...To an adult, I guess this seems a bit amusing...though I, too, know that it is frustrating... When I was younger I tended to be perfectionistic, but I gradually came to realize the truth of this old saying:

Errare humanum est....Erehtyminen on inhimillistä...


There simply are no perfect people....in fact, no "perfect" anything.... well, except for this. of course:

Paavin erehtymättömyys...

[onkko]

...Thats true and something i need to fight, school teached me that i have to be perfect, @#$% them. But still i have this "have to be perfect" inside
Now we can talk about finnish education, education what says i have to be perfect to open my mouth. Goddammit i hate this but cant help it, i feel inferior and feel that i cant speak...

I've heard this before about the Finnish education system ...To an adult, I guess this seems a bit amusing...though I, too, know that it is frustrating... When I was younger I tended to be perfectionistic, but I gradually came to realize the truth of this old saying:

Errare humanum est....Erehtyminen on inhimillistä...


There simply are no perfect people....in fact, no "perfect" anything.... well, except for this. of course:

Paavin erehtymättömyys...

Im almost adult myself, only 31 tho
I found out that in english boards they found that finnish write best english. Thats a part "no excuses, you have to know" teaching. Goddammit i were so humiliated when i couldnt write correct english in test.. No one knew but i knew. I think this is has something to do with finnish mentality, be best or shut up.
I slowly ignore all that, i think my written english is readable and i can communicate with it (there is errors but i activly ignore that). I cant write even in finnish (should i put dot in there? AAAAARGH @#$% THIS TEXT! its not perfect)
Somehow i grew up with idea that if i want to speak/use english i should be in same level of someone born in there. Even now i have problems with pressing send button because im not sure if all is totally correct.
Venting is nice

[mrshourula]

Well, I enjoy your posts. I don't agree with everything you say and sometimes I wonder if you really mean what you are writing or if it is translation issue (I just disagreed with your comment about the KKK in another thread). But I enjoy your honesty and and you have a very "authentic" voice (in the literary sense) that is interesting to read. I think some of it is that you remind me of many of the old Finns I know here in Berkeley so I'm comfortable with your point of view even when I don't agree with it .