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Bounty chocolates, for example, are flavoured with coconut, and I like the refreshing, mild taste. But then once, when I travelled to Austria, there was a vendor selling Meine kleine Kokosnuss ("my little coconut") with real coconuts with a hole drilled in them and a straw for drinking the juice. There were both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. I bought a non-alcoholic version and started drinking it. It tasted completely horrible, far too bitter and not at all mild like the Bounty chocolates. Why the difference? Are coconuts supposed to taste like Bounty chocolates (discounting the actual chocolate of course) or was I just given a bad one or what? JIP | Talk 00:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
This is a strange question, specially ask at english motherlanguage. But after many tryes, always failing and humiliating myself, I hope in the lateral thinking. My nationality is clear looking my IP: italian.
I don't know english language. In the compulsory school the english is a school subject, but after years in elementary (5 years), middle (3 years) and superior school (5 years), nothing. It's a deadly bore just in grammar, and my teachers weren't that great.
But the grammar don't care for me. The problem is my incapacity to explain what I want to tell. In write and speak form. Now Google translate help me in this question, but I bet I'm making a lot of mistakes, and rightly you are mocking me. And when I listen a dialogue, I don't understand nothing. It is true, you speak very fast and shorten words, especially the britishes, but I am not able to understand anything anyway.
Someone tell me that a good strategy is whatching films and serie TV in english, and I try it but I don't understand nothing. I put the subtitles in english, but for all the time I read the subtitles, and I don't learn nothing and it is very bored. And I don't try to whatch heavy and challenging film, but animations. Kung Fu Panda was difficult but I did it, with Madagascar at some point I got desperate and turned everything off.
I try with seral courses, but they are too expensive and only Italian is spoken. And with the covid pandemy they are all close.
Now I'm in a world (university and job) where english is important. In addition to the fact that I am obliged to have a B2 certification I would like to learn english, to can read and write without Google Translate, to don't speak like a brain-damaged person in the throes of spasms and mainly to can understand a dialogue o talk in english. And in a future prevision to go to work in a foreign country.
I try this way: for you, dear enghlish motherlanguage, what can I do to learn english (minimum for a B2 level)? thank you, have a good day
-- 146.241.182.71 ( talk) 12:07, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
Your written English has some errors but it is understandable, so you are making good progress. I tried to learn a little bit of Italian and as a total beginner, I found three things helped: 1) My first day in Italy, I had to wait in the Florence (Firenze) train station a whole day. The repeated loudspeaker announcements ("Train to Bologna arriving on track 2 in 10 minutes" etc.) helped me get used to hearing words and sounds in the language. 2) Reading children's books also helped. They use simple language and careful grammar. 3) Listening to spoken conversations a lot also helped get used to the words and sounds. I think a lot of grammar emerges from sounds rather than just syntax. So it is important to hear the spoken language a lot.
You are much more advanced in English than I was in Italian, so the next thing for you is probably to read fiction and newspapers in English when you can. Maybe there is a novel you have already read in Italian, so if you read it in English, you can follow it more easily. Again, that will help you get used to the patterns of the grammar. There are linguistic theorists who think that a language's grammar really is part of its lexicon (that is, grammar is associated with the actual words, rather than separate rules of syntax) and that says, if you learn a lot of words and idioms, you will automatically get better at grammar.
Finally, as other people have said, it can help to work with an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, or take a class. The teacher can help you with more complicated grammatical topics. But, I think that is "advanced": it is more important to get more comfortable with speaking and reading. There are lots of English speakers everywhere, who you can practice with. I think you are at a level now where you can converse without much trouble, so it's just a matter of doing it more. 2602:24A:DE47:BA60:8FCB:EA4E:7FBD:4814 ( talk) 04:51, 29 June 2021 (UTC)
What is/where can I find the source for this image? The credit line says "Scala/Art Resource, NY", but I haven't been able to find it so far. Is there a public domain image of this statue? Thanks, Tyrone Madera ( talk) 22:29, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
Miscellaneous desk | ||
---|---|---|
< June 27 | << May | June | Jul >> | June 29 > |
Welcome to the Wikipedia Miscellaneous Reference Desk Archives |
---|
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages. |
Bounty chocolates, for example, are flavoured with coconut, and I like the refreshing, mild taste. But then once, when I travelled to Austria, there was a vendor selling Meine kleine Kokosnuss ("my little coconut") with real coconuts with a hole drilled in them and a straw for drinking the juice. There were both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. I bought a non-alcoholic version and started drinking it. It tasted completely horrible, far too bitter and not at all mild like the Bounty chocolates. Why the difference? Are coconuts supposed to taste like Bounty chocolates (discounting the actual chocolate of course) or was I just given a bad one or what? JIP | Talk 00:27, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
This is a strange question, specially ask at english motherlanguage. But after many tryes, always failing and humiliating myself, I hope in the lateral thinking. My nationality is clear looking my IP: italian.
I don't know english language. In the compulsory school the english is a school subject, but after years in elementary (5 years), middle (3 years) and superior school (5 years), nothing. It's a deadly bore just in grammar, and my teachers weren't that great.
But the grammar don't care for me. The problem is my incapacity to explain what I want to tell. In write and speak form. Now Google translate help me in this question, but I bet I'm making a lot of mistakes, and rightly you are mocking me. And when I listen a dialogue, I don't understand nothing. It is true, you speak very fast and shorten words, especially the britishes, but I am not able to understand anything anyway.
Someone tell me that a good strategy is whatching films and serie TV in english, and I try it but I don't understand nothing. I put the subtitles in english, but for all the time I read the subtitles, and I don't learn nothing and it is very bored. And I don't try to whatch heavy and challenging film, but animations. Kung Fu Panda was difficult but I did it, with Madagascar at some point I got desperate and turned everything off.
I try with seral courses, but they are too expensive and only Italian is spoken. And with the covid pandemy they are all close.
Now I'm in a world (university and job) where english is important. In addition to the fact that I am obliged to have a B2 certification I would like to learn english, to can read and write without Google Translate, to don't speak like a brain-damaged person in the throes of spasms and mainly to can understand a dialogue o talk in english. And in a future prevision to go to work in a foreign country.
I try this way: for you, dear enghlish motherlanguage, what can I do to learn english (minimum for a B2 level)? thank you, have a good day
-- 146.241.182.71 ( talk) 12:07, 28 June 2021 (UTC)
Your written English has some errors but it is understandable, so you are making good progress. I tried to learn a little bit of Italian and as a total beginner, I found three things helped: 1) My first day in Italy, I had to wait in the Florence (Firenze) train station a whole day. The repeated loudspeaker announcements ("Train to Bologna arriving on track 2 in 10 minutes" etc.) helped me get used to hearing words and sounds in the language. 2) Reading children's books also helped. They use simple language and careful grammar. 3) Listening to spoken conversations a lot also helped get used to the words and sounds. I think a lot of grammar emerges from sounds rather than just syntax. So it is important to hear the spoken language a lot.
You are much more advanced in English than I was in Italian, so the next thing for you is probably to read fiction and newspapers in English when you can. Maybe there is a novel you have already read in Italian, so if you read it in English, you can follow it more easily. Again, that will help you get used to the patterns of the grammar. There are linguistic theorists who think that a language's grammar really is part of its lexicon (that is, grammar is associated with the actual words, rather than separate rules of syntax) and that says, if you learn a lot of words and idioms, you will automatically get better at grammar.
Finally, as other people have said, it can help to work with an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, or take a class. The teacher can help you with more complicated grammatical topics. But, I think that is "advanced": it is more important to get more comfortable with speaking and reading. There are lots of English speakers everywhere, who you can practice with. I think you are at a level now where you can converse without much trouble, so it's just a matter of doing it more. 2602:24A:DE47:BA60:8FCB:EA4E:7FBD:4814 ( talk) 04:51, 29 June 2021 (UTC)
What is/where can I find the source for this image? The credit line says "Scala/Art Resource, NY", but I haven't been able to find it so far. Is there a public domain image of this statue? Thanks, Tyrone Madera ( talk) 22:29, 28 June 2021 (UTC)