My german teacher...?

Question

took 7 years of german classes total throughout HS and college, and she said when she stayed in Berlin, Germany for 2 weeks, she learned more german than she did in those 7 years of schooling. Do you think this could be similar with other languages? If so, why is this?

Answer 1

It's hard to develop a proper fluency in any language without LOTS of exposure to native speakers. When you study a foreign language in America, you spend about an hour a day in class practicing, plus 1 to 3 hours a day at home studying (depending on how devoted your are and/or how much your full time job doesn't distract you). The rest of the time you're bombarded with nothing but straight English (peppered with Spanish). If ever you're not sure how to say something, you can usually ask somebody in your own language.

In your own country, you struggle between trying to train yourself to think in another language and habitually thinking in your mother tongue.

When you live in a foreign speaking country, it's the other way around: You're constantly bombarded by the foreign language, and you RARELY hear your mother tongue. If you don't know how to say something, you've got to think harder and figure out how to explain it in the other tongue. (I knew an American in Germany who didn't know the German word for suppository, so he had to explain to the farmacist what he needed the medicine for and how it's supposed to be applied.)

All that ACTIVE thinking and listening...you can't help but learn things faster.

Answer 2

I think that she overdid a little.
Without her previous 7 years of German in HS and College she would not have gained much knowledge of German from a two weeks stay in Berlin. After seven years of school German she should have had a fairly good knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and so it was quite easy for her to improve her speaking abilities. Speaking everyday German will become natural to you that way and you will learn new phrases so that you have the impression that you learned more in two weeks than in seven years before while you really learned to use what you already knew and a little bit extra.
If you don't have a base to build up from going to a different country for two weeks will not be helpful to learn a language.

Answer 3

My German teacher this past semester/year did not know the German language before she went to Switzerland. She learned tons over in Switzerland, came home after her semester or year abroad and got a teaching degree.
So it is quite possible to learn a lot of a language over seas (or in a foriegn country)

Answer 4

For sure! One thing is to just take classes and answer the questions your teacher gives you, getting everything translated to you. Once you are at the country that you´re studying the language from it is quite different. You´re constantly surrounded by people that speak it and are constantly listening to that language. Furthermore you´re forced to try to talk to people that might not understand your language and you need them to understand you. It´s survival, you will learn it much faster than in any classroom.

Answer 5

I think she might be exaggerating slightly - but there is a lot of truth in it. The best way to learn a language is to be surrounded by people speaking it.

Answer 6

Sweetie, that is so abusive. You men quite have to file what this trainer stated in your major. If that does not paintings, get your dad and mom to take it to the Board of Education. This is obvious unsuitable. I instruct institution, and I am finding out such a lot from you more youthful folks approximately the harm I have got to undo whilst scholars come to my lecture room. Maybe this woman simply does not have her center in her instructing and demands to do anything else for a dwelling.

Answer 7

she might be just talkin a bit but it is a fact that when you are around people who speak one language only especially more then 1 person you are proned to learn more of that language