Messaggi: 14
Lingua: English
Smartyy (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 04:02:17
I've been a member here for four years, and started to learn Esperanto four years ago but shelved it. I'm back again (and I guess all my posts were deleted since it says this is my second one) and this time I'm going to learn it all the way through!
But I have a question: how should I practice!? I've thought of the obvious things, like blogging, journaling, etc., but I never really know what to write about, except for how my day was or something trivial, but that isn't really as practical as an actual conversation with someone. I have multiple friends interested in learning esperanto, but.. unfortunately, none of them are motivated/not busy enough to take the time to learn it (I'm a foreign language major, and languages are a big passion of mine, so I love to learn them, the others like the idea of esperanto, but not necessarily the "chore" of learning it)
What would you all suggest?
Thanks so much!
darkweasel (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 08:57:50
Smartyy (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 14:26:14
Though, it just occurred to me that there's nothing saying I can post in the *english* part in esperanto and have more experienced speakers correct me ^^
hebda999 (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 14:42:09
Smartyy:haha, well, I recall trying to use the chat room four years ago after I knew some basics and they all told me that the chat room was more for fluent speakers to talk and not for beginners to make a fool of themselves in, and same with the esperanto part of the chat room.Give it a second chance. I don't think there are that many high-end esperantists on the chat room. Also try to read esperanto literature - that is a great source of language skills.
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Smartyy (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 15:02:49
hebda999:I have a few "easy" books that I'm starting to make my way through, but I'd like to practice speaking/writing, because I can recognize words when I read them, but am always at a loss when I want to say something.
Also try to read esperanto literature - that is a great source of language skills.
But thanks! I will try the chat room again
dombola (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 15:10:38
Smartyy:Hey everyone!You can find a lot of pen-pals here: all level esperantists from all around the world.
What would you all suggest?
Thanks so much!
creedelambard (Mostra il profilo) 19 agosto 2012 15:50:51
Smartyy:haha, well, I recall trying to use the chat room four years ago after I knew some basics and they all told me that the chat room was more for fluent speakers to talk and not for beginners to make a fool of themselves in, and same with the esperanto part of the chat room.Anyone who goes onto a site where the object is for people to *learn Esperanto* and then chews out beginners for trying to *learn Esperanto* has some pretty misguided ideas about how you *learn Esperanto.* There's an old Esperanto proverb that I just made up a few days ago: "Eĉ Zamenhof estis unutempe komencanto." We need to remember that at one time we were all beginners, and presumably someone helped us to get to whatever level we are at now.
Though, it just occurred to me that there's nothing saying I can post in the *english* part in esperanto and have more experienced speakers correct me ^^
Anyway, back to the question of practicing. You might take a look at some of the word games in the Esperanto forums. I sometimes particpate in "La ulo sub mi." It's pretty easy to figure out how to play just by reading the thread. Another thing I've been doing when I get the chance is to listen to some of the podcasts and radio broadcast archives. One of my big problems (even more so than trying to nail down using participles and accusative endings) is that I don't get together with Esperanto speakers so I have trouble following conversations at more than a fairly slow rate. So, I've been listening to the podcasts from Pola Retradio, not so much to get complete comprehension of what's being discussed as to become accustomed to the sound of the language. I figure that as I listen more, my comprehension will go up.
erinja (Mostra il profilo) 20 agosto 2012 01:30:05
Smartyy:haha, well, I recall trying to use the chat room four years ago after I knew some basics and they all told me that the chat room was more for fluent speakers to talk and not for beginners to make a fool of themselves in, and same with the esperanto part of the chat room.You were told at the lernu! chat that it's more for fluent speakers??? I find it very beginner-heavy. (it's the "tujmesaĝilo" in the lower right hand corner of your lernu screen)
Though, it just occurred to me that there's nothing saying I can post in the *english* part in esperanto and have more experienced speakers correct me ^^
creedelambard (Mostra il profilo) 20 agosto 2012 04:30:34
Tempodivalse (Mostra il profilo) 20 agosto 2012 04:43:56
darkweasel:i would recommend forums and chatrooms in esperanto. lernu itself offers both.There's also a sizable Esperanto channel on the Freenode IRC network (you can connect by joining the channel ##esperanto in your chat client or via http://webchat.freenode.net/). It's probably the largest channel of its kind, and there is usually someone around who will be willing to chat/help you out. I've found it to have an accepting atmosphere for everyone, regardless of experience.
(A word of warning though - it's not always moderated well, and thus gets trolled from time to time, so be careful.)