tell us about your esperanto learning, how it was, how long did it take, stuff like that.

I first looked into Esperanto my second year of college. I studied an Esperanto correspondence course and learned much of the basic grammar in a month or so, but my vocabulary was quite small. I gave a presentation in one of my classes about Esperanto, which required me to learn more about the movement as well as the language itself (teaching is a great way to learn). I was a very isolated Esperantist, though, and I never got involved on forums or corresponded with any other Esperantists. Eventually I stopped studying and Esperanto fell out of my life.

About two years later (also two years ago) I rekindled my interest when I received a random postcard from a user here on Lernu. I had a difficult time writing back and forth with him, but I learned quite a bit. I started reading (and occasionally participating in) the forums, and I started studying from "The Esperanto Teacher", which is free on Google Play Books. I focused on learning all of the prepositions and "strange" adverbs, as well as all of the official affixes. After I got these down my reading/writing got noticeably better and faster.

In the last year or so I've been consistently active on these forums, and I've been listening to Esperanto music and audio lessons to work on my speaking/listening skills. I'm also reading "La Hobito: Tien kaj Reen", but the vocab level is quite high and I have little time so I'm only on the 2nd chapter. I was planning on attending the Somera Esperanto Studado in Russia this year, but due to recent circumstances I have decided against it. I plan to attend the SES in Slovakia next year, and possibly the JES for new years. I might try to do the Universala Kongreso as well if it doesn't overlap with the SES.

So all-in-all I have reached an intermediate level of Esperanto in about four or five years, but I really only got serious about it in this last year and a half or so. I would say the most valuable part of my method was getting involved on the forums here, closely followed by listening to speech/music and reading.

Why was this thread placed in da Inglish forum?

Fenris_kcf:Why was this thread placed in da Inglish forum?

maybe the OP wanted the info specifically from English speakers?

Leandrolernu:tell us about your esperanto learning, how it was, how long did it take, stuff like that.

I first encountered Esperanto while looking up something in the encyclopedia and came across the article on the language in 1976. The simplicity of the morphological system fascinated me (I had just started on irregular verbs in Spanish class, haha). It wasn't until a couple of years later that I was able to procure a textbook ("Esperanto in 50 Lessons" by Edmond Privat) from which I internalized the entirety of the noun/adjective morphology and the basic (non-participle using tenses) of the verb morphology in about a half hour. I was also fascinated by the use of the -e ending on nominal and verbal roots to replace entire phrases needed in English or Spanish. I had all 16 "basic rules" down pat in a couple hours but vocabulary was my personal hurdle. It's taken years but I think I've finally internalized the 900-some Fundamenta roots (at least the first couple glosses) and am now working on fluency.

kaŝperanto:

In the last year or so I've been consistently active on these forums, and I've been listening to Esperanto music and audio lessons to work on my speaking/listening skills. I'm also reading "La Hobito: Tien kaj Reen", but the vocab level is quite high and I have little time so I'm only on the 2nd chapter. I was planning on attending the Somera Esperanto Studado in Russia this year, but due to recent circumstances I have decided against it. I plan to attend the SES in Slovakia next year, and possibly the JES for new years. I might try to do the Universala Kongreso as well if it doesn't overlap with the SES.

Have you thought about NASK? I've been wanting to attend for years; however, either not enough vacation time (it used to 3 whole weeks) or (more usually) not enough money.

orthohawk:

kaŝperanto:

In the last year or so I've been consistently active on these forums, and I've been listening to Esperanto music and audio lessons to work on my speaking/listening skills. I'm also reading "La Hobito: Tien kaj Reen", but the vocab level is quite high and I have little time so I'm only on the 2nd chapter. I was planning on attending the Somera Esperanto Studado in Russia this year, but due to recent circumstances I have decided against it. I plan to attend the SES in Slovakia next year, and possibly the JES for new years. I might try to do the Universala Kongreso as well if it doesn't overlap with the SES.

Have you thought about NASK? I've been wanting to attend for years; however, either not enough vacation time (it used to 3 whole weeks) or (more usually) not enough money.

Go to NASK!!! I went this year for the first time and it was amazing! I learned so much, everyone was lovely and now I can almost speak Esperanto fluently.

I had been studying Esperanto, off and on, for 4 years on my own, but the 8 days of NASK helped more than another year or two online.

Last I heard, the proposal is for next year in Detroit and the year after in Florida. They also have scholarships, so just ask if money's going to be the issue.

Merkuro:

orthohawk:

kaŝperanto:

In the last year or so I've been consistently active on these forums, and I've been listening to Esperanto music and audio lessons to work on my speaking/listening skills. I'm also reading "La Hobito: Tien kaj Reen", but the vocab level is quite high and I have little time so I'm only on the 2nd chapter. I was planning on attending the Somera Esperanto Studado in Russia this year, but due to recent circumstances I have decided against it. I plan to attend the SES in Slovakia next year, and possibly the JES for new years. I might try to do the Universala Kongreso as well if it doesn't overlap with the SES.

Have you thought about NASK? I've been wanting to attend for years; however, either not enough vacation time (it used to 3 whole weeks) or (more usually) not enough money.

Go to NASK!!! I went this year for the first time and it was amazing! I learned so much, everyone was lovely and now I can almost speak Esperanto fluently.

I had been studying Esperanto, off and on, for 4 years on my own, but the 8 days of NASK helped more than another year or two online.

Last I heard, the proposal is for next year in Detroit and the year after in Florida. They also have scholarships, so just ask if money's going to be the issue.

Detroit?? Cool! that's within driving distance, for both me and some others here.

orthohawk:

Merkuro:

orthohawk:

kaŝperanto:

In the last year or so I've been consistently active on these forums, and I've been listening to Esperanto music and audio lessons to work on my speaking/listening skills. I'm also reading "La Hobito: Tien kaj Reen", but the vocab level is quite high and I have little time so I'm only on the 2nd chapter. I was planning on attending the Somera Esperanto Studado in Russia this year, but due to recent circumstances I have decided against it. I plan to attend the SES in Slovakia next year, and possibly the JES for new years. I might try to do the Universala Kongreso as well if it doesn't overlap with the SES.

Have you thought about NASK? I've been wanting to attend for years; however, either not enough vacation time (it used to 3 whole weeks) or (more usually) not enough money.

Go to NASK!!! I went this year for the first time and it was amazing! I learned so much, everyone was lovely and now I can almost speak Esperanto fluently.

I had been studying Esperanto, off and on, for 4 years on my own, but the 8 days of NASK helped more than another year or two online.

Last I heard, the proposal is for next year in Detroit and the year after in Florida. They also have scholarships, so just ask if money's going to be the issue.

Detroit?? Cool! that's within driving distance, for both me and some others here.

You should totally go! And I believe that la E-USA landa kongreso will also be happening there!

Merkuro:You should totally go! And I believe that la E-USA landa kongreso will also be happening there!

Yeah I think the plan (since the change to the 8-day format) has been to have it in the same city. If I remember correctly, it's pretty much always been in conjunction with (within a day or so) of the LK.