How do i relearn Vietnamese?

Question

I never really had a first language, both my parents were Vietnamese, but they wanted me to learn English, so my first languages were just a toss of English and Vietnamese everywhere, and I understood both equally, so when i got in to school, the need to speak Vietnamese becamse less and less, so eventually I stopped speaking Vietnamese, but I still can understand a great deal of it. I would say that I understand about 70-85% of Vietnamese but I can only speak about 5-10%, for those of you that say just use the words you know in sentences, its not that easy. So anyways, I want to relearn Vietnamese, but theres not any programs out there, and if i bought them, they'd probally reteach me words that I already knew, so how should I relearn Vietnamese

Answer 1

Immerse yourself in it! Ever wonder how when some people live in a foreign country for a couple months, they come out fluent in the language? It's because the human brain recognizes the need to communicate is vital to survival and you will automatically pick up gramme, vocabulary and develop your accent. Same thing applies here. Since i doubt you can spend a couple months in Vietnam you can use these alternatives instead.

- Listen to it. SInce your parents are Vietnamese, Im sure they would have some videos you could use and CDs you could listen to. also there are many Vietnamese resources avaiable on the web!
- Practice it. This will help you retain the language easier, and make conversation easier.
- Read it. Im not sure if you can read it. But if you can that is a pluse. With reading you can pick up vocab and grammer.

These are the key aspects in learning any language. It will be hard at first, but will be alot easier as you progress. Good Luck!

I also recommend this series of language software program called 'The Rosetta Stone'. It does have Vietnamese. It's an exceptional program that integrates everything above.

Answer 2

Well, I think you should find a Vietnamese friend, who can both speak English and Vietnamese. I've been in America for only 2 years, so I know how hard it is to learn other languages, but if you find a Vietnamese friend, and maybe she or he could go with you to Vietnamese places, and maybe you will understand more about Vietnamese. It's really sad for me when I first came here and I didn't understand about anything in English, and I didn't even have a friend to help me out, but I think if you're lucky, you'll find a friend who can help you. Oh, and remember one thing that's also very important, find a friend that you think you could share everything with him or her, in the other way I can say that's a best friend, so when you talk about something wrong in Vietnamese , you won't worry much about being embarrassed. OK, that's my advice. Good luck...

Answer 3

There isn't a more effective way other than practicing your speech and communicating with other people. I wouldn't call it relearning because if you can understand it, you only need to improve it. My parents both spoke to me in vietnamese while I was growing up but there were times when my accent just disappeared and I sound completely English-ized when speaking vietnamese. Even though I was horrible, I kept speaking it and eventually my vietnamese had gotten better. You should also watch some vietnamese movies because doing so had helped me form sentences. It's really tough but try not to pay attention to how odd you sound when speaking vietnamese. Good luck! ;)

Answer 4

Oh god this is EXACTLY my story. In preschool, my siblings and I couldn't speak english and it concerned the teacher. So my parents basically gave up speaking vietnamese to us and now we are basically English speakers.

I have taken alot of classes and even some private classes. I can tell you classes teach you alot about basic grammar, spelling, writing, and reading, but in terms of understanding and speaking the language and knowing the inherent nature of the language, that is something you HAVE to learn through immersion.

I bought a program called Rosetta stone too, I have yet to try it. But I think the best way to learn any language is to surround yourself by the language so you are forced to speak and hear it. I heard a story of a American veteran who was stranded in Vietnam, and when he came back, his vietnamese was described as almost perfect, with poetic notes. Since you have already heard vietnamese when you were young, relearning is going to be even easier for you than it is for someone who isn't a native vietnamese.

Answer 5

Vietnamese is not a well-structured language like English, Spanish.... and requires a great deal of immersion. Online learning or software won't get you far because it teaches the language in a "structure" way. You might need it to build a foundation but that's all it can do for you.
Since you already know adults who are fluent in Vietnamese, talk to them and make a point that you are learning. Be ready to stop the conversation and ask for an explanation if necessary. Read local Viet papers, small articles first.

Answer 6

Take a foriegn language class in Vietnamese.

Answer 7

You can take a foreign language in Vietnamese and keep practising VN , ou will improve very soon