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has anyone done this? i'd like to learn german and live abroad but am unsure where to begin - i've looked at universities in berlin but it seems most of the language courses for international students are short/intensive courses.

and yes i'm also looking things up on google, just wondered if anyone could share first hand experience...

I was going to do a TEFAL course a few years back, which is well worth a look.  Not quite learning a foreign language but it's a good route to go down to getting you employed and set-up in a foreign country.  Once you're living there it's the best way to actually learn the old lingo.

Quite a few courses about so do your research carefully as some of them don't leave you fully qualified.

language won't stick.

The Goethe Institute isn't bad, if a bit pricey, and also short term/intensive - so probably not what you're looking for. The worst thing about learning German in Germany (in day-to-day life as opposed to in a classroom) is having to constantly force yourself to speak German and make sure you are spoken back to in German. I wouldn't be suprised if this were true in many other countries but the second most Germans detect you are English they are so keen to impress you with their English skillz that you almost feel rude trying to converse in German. Or at least that's what I have found.

That TEFAL thing sounds the best approach to me, and maybe look at a 'german for foreigners' type of part-time course when you're there to get to grips with the fundamentals.

on a slightly less intense language course i've been pottering about learning estonian from the free download express of byki

http://www.byki.com/

Just speak English in a German accent, replacing W's with V's.

Using special fB hypnotism techniques I can make it easy to learn moon-french.

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Mindfuck2 eh?

What was Mindfuck 1 like?

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I was just playing about.

I love living abroad but I am pretty ashamed to say that in 3 and a half years of living in a predominantly French speaking country I have barely learnt any French.

Perhaps when I get back from India I might do an aggressive French learning course - seems a waste otherwise!

just go and live there, you will be fine unless your a lazy bastard like bobs orange.

I did an aggressive French learning course. The instructors spoke to you in French and, if you didn't understand, they hit you. It's very effective.

True story.

Guilty as charged!!

I spoke Italian already when I moved there, but my boyfriend came with me and did English teaching - he didn't speak a word of Italian at all... There was a handy system whereby you could trade off hours worked against Italian lessons at a discounted rate.
However, living with another English speaker (me) meant he didn't learn as much as he should have.  I possibly could have spoken Italian to him in the evenings at home, but given that I was speaking it all day at work I didn't want to!!  That said, being thrust into situations when I wasn't there to help meant that he was able to learn a fair bit.

I think what I'm saying is go, get a job or teach English (although English teaching means you do end up speaking English a fair bit of the time) or whatever, but if you really want to learn the local language DO NOT live with anyone who speaks English already!

 

Sonic Youth - a closet Kraut. Who'd have though it, eh?

thanks for the advice all.

i think teaching others would make me angry as hell. i lack tolerance... i've found a few language schools and the prices don't seem too extortionate. now i just need a job to pay for it.


p.s. that byki thing was a lifesaver when meeting my gf's non-english speaking family. instantly impressive  :)

wouldnt you rather learn Norweegan? if your marrying a Nroweegan girl?

norweegan? marrying?

spelling seems to have broke

you seem very loved up thats all - I want more TEF weddings

Grammar as well by the looks of it.

i hope you've got a passport then

shut up ming face

Yes Sonique I have a passport are you getting Married in Norway? will Jan Aage Fjortoft be your vicar?

we'll be getting married at Åråsen stadion in Lillestrøm

why is it nice there?

[url width=300 height=199]http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/europe/norway/lillestrom_arasen1.jpg[/url]

Smart little ground.

Jim, I'm liking their home shirt, can you send me one?

I lived in france for a month when I was 12 I picked up fuck all french because all the french knew we were english so spoke english.

If you are going to german they will probably speak better english than you.

My Thai isn't s good as it should be, but then i am mostly surrounded by English speaking people.

The most I learned was up-country. When you are surrounded by nothing but paddy fields and the only person to converse with is yourself then you pick things up pretty fucking quickly.

I have an English friend who can read Thai, which is all well and good but he doesn't know what the words actually mean.

i'll look next time i'm over, i couldn't find one - i don't think they've released this season's kit yet. they're expensive though...

agreed! i've got the basics down but it doesn't really help structure sentences...i'm using a mix of websites to struggle through!

expensive is an understatement, when i was in trondheim last year went looking for a rosenborg shirt, was 60 quid.

 I spent a bit of time travelling in North Africa....and after about 2 months, had the strange situation where my inner dialogue started to be conducted in French.

 I'm guessing you want to learn German SY....I've a mate who's fluent in the foul Teutonic gutterel language...he's always popping across, mainly cos he likes the porn.

 I'll have a word with him...have I got this right, you want to go to Germany for a cheapish way of learning the language?

When I went to Eindhoven for the match against Roda (Finished 2-3) I bought the PSV shirt and it was 70 Euro (about 60 odd quid). I got a 20 euro discount voucher with the matchday package we had to buy (I believe you have to do this because of the hooligan problem in Holland) but was still massively expensive.

The Phillips Stadion however is the only ground I have been to where there were heaters in the roof. I was sweltering in my seat and didn't realise why as it was only just over freezing that night!

Not a problem. Cheers mate.