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How did you learn your English? (for non-native speakers only)

Raiden

Raiden

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I can see that there are hundreds of non-native speakers here whose English is at least good. So I'm wondering how you learnt it. I learnt my English by watching all Monty Python sketches and movies, by watching cartoon network (when still a kid) and in general watching movies on Polish tv, 'cause a guy translates everything, but in the background you hear the original English.
 
I've learned to understand and speak English because of Michaels lyrics. I used to translate it with a dictionary but I've learned the most at school. I've had 6 years English and still counting. Also TV series, other English music and English books have their share.
 
In school :D (or is it 'at'? I still don't know the prepositions, lol)

This is my 9th year I'm learning English but of course also watching English movies/tv series/listening to English music has helped a lot I guess.
 
well, watching movies with a friend, reading about Michael (since NOTHING about him was in my language) and a bit in school... Basically my english classes stunk...
Then I moved to the US for a year to work as a nanny, where a 3-year-old would correct everything I said and did. I still can't buy anything without checking the ingredients, and I can hear her in the background when I mess up in English LOL
But basically it really 'happened' when I moved to the US... that's where I got my accent, that's where most of my vocabulary was built, and that's where I learnt... how to speak English, I guess.
 
Honestly....TV, can't say anything else really helped me, we had english lessons in school but they were worthless LOL
By the time I took serious english lessons in the US, I was 15 y/o and quickly moved up to the advanced stage, stopped taking them after about two months cuz they weren't needed anymore according to my teacher :D
 
At school and from tv series (in finland nothing is dubbed), movies, music. Michael helped a lot. I had to find out what his songs were all about ;) :lol:
Speaking english with my friends, getting pen pals from abroad.
 
I learnt most of it from Michael..i mean watching his interviews, reading articles, posting on boards. And also from my penpals...i wrote them in German (to non German ones) and they replied me in English...so that was pretty funny:)
Later i have taken also some real English lessons when i prepared for some exam
 
besides learnng it in school, I watched a lot of soaps and reality programs as a child.

Baywatch, Ricki Lake, Days of Our Lives (it was exiting back then!), Superman, 90210 and more tv-shows like that :)
 
I started to learned English when i was 10 years old,in school,more exactly in the 5th grade,and i studied all the way till the last year of colledge.

Also i see a lot of tv series,documentaries,and even news on cnn to be more specific.

Last but not least,Michael lyrics and other sigers or groups i love.
 
From school, i wasn't born in the UK and i came here when i was four (or five) and when i came to school i didn't speak a word of English. However, i picked it up here and there..from pupils, teachers and just living in an English speaking country.
 
i would say school but we didnt leared so mutch there.. i teached it by my self and becuase im a MJ fan i watched so many interviews and watch so mani thing in english and i just suck it all up haha and the more you hear something the more you learn it just like the tabloid^^(you start to believe it)
 
At school, we were forced to speak in English at all times, except for when it was a language lesson when you had to speak that language..
But I learnt most of it by reading books, I think. Harry Potter, especially (probably read all the books over 75 times combined). Also, I used to read a lot of Enid Blyton. (The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, anyone know those? :p )
Ah, good times.
 
At school Im learning English 5 years(from 2nd grade) and every time I only write or read in this forum and if I dont know some word I translate it in the dictionary and then I remember it. :D :D :D and now i know many words but at the same time I dont know many words :D
 
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first of all, watching movies with subtitles :yes:.
Since we (my sister and I) could read, our mum didn't buy any overdubbed movies anymore.
I remember watching 'home alone' and Mac said 'is this a joke?' and That's how I learned the word 'joke' :D I was so proud!!!
And our mum and dad watched the bbc every now and then and we could ask them if we didn't understand something.
Writing is something else offcourse!!
But when I could sorta understand english, I started reading all kinds of articles on the internet...

I always think speaking is hard :D
When I try british english, I totally sound like Hyacinth from 'Keeping up appearances' :lol: (I wanna bet I'd get some great grades for speaking like that in school but it sound so stupid :D)
I sound like someone from texas when I try american...
So I usually speak english with a heavy dutch accent because I think the other 2 accent sound even more ridiculous :toofunny:
 
I started to learn English by Rolling Stones's and Michael's lyrics... in school they didn't and don't learn me so much, so most of that I can I learnt by myself, in home.. But it's still not perfect, I think I make many mistakes, but the most important thing is just communicating, right? :D
I'm still learning, well I wanna know this language perfect, English's amazing..conecting all world ... ;)
(I hope you guys will understand me just a little hauha)
 
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nadia_j said:
I started to learn English by Rolling Stones's and Michael's lyrics... in school they didn't and don't learn me so much, so most of that I can I learnt by myself, in home.. But it's still not perfect, I think I make many mistakes, but the most important thing is just communicating, right? :D
I'm still learning, well I wanna know this language perfect, English's amazing..conecting all world ... ;)
(I hope you guys will understand me just a little hauha)
Click to expand...

Pewnie ze Cie rozumiemy;)
Yeah, we do understand you;P
 
I'd just like to say, well done to you guys for learning a different language, and doing it so well. :)
 
because of school.... we are required to speak english but we don obey it most of the time... i learn through watching films (mixed american and european english), reading books, through TV, reading in discussion boards, yet im still confused with some of the rules and dont know some words if you translate it in english.. hehe
 
Although we learn english in school from an early age on, I've learned most of it by listening to music and watching tv. In my country most movies, series and gameshows are broadcasted with subtitles so you can pick it up quite easely. As for the writing, I learned most it from chatting and emailing with people from all over the world on MJ forums and chatrooms and all that. :cheeky:
 
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