You've probably heard about challenges of learning a language over a certain period of time. This time it is no different, and, just like many others, I might burn out and abandon it. At least I will try.
I've almost no German language knowledge, although I can count to seven pretty damn fast (way faster than in French, even though I've been learning it for several months now lol). Seven? Well, I've no idea how to pronounce the successive numbers.
Anyway. Why am I making a post? For one, I need to make it a no-backup. Secondly, I might find essential people along my German path. Now, I don't want to be dependant on other people, and I don't need to be, because I know what to do to learn a language, but it is encouraging and more rewarding to have supportive people at your side.
'tis time yet?
I've been learning for 5 months now (self studying), I'm going to the exam next month hoping to pass A1 level.
Anyway I guess that the most important thing in learning new language is to enjoy it, not only for the sake of learning new language. Personally I like German language, the pronunciation of letters and the tone of the words.
When you learn a certain language you will also gain somehow the culture of its speakers! so listening to the German music for instance, watching German movies (I love Werner Herzog!), or listening to German radio will help you get into the language more.
Mythbusters: German
The genders are not important, as recently discussed here.
The subjunctive, auf Deutsch: Konjunktiv, is something that got your German-learning colleage Mr. Mark Twain from America angry. But luckily we've dumbed it down in the meantime. Maybe the "proper" subjunctive was essential in his time, but today we mostly use the dummie version with the auxiliary verb "wäre/n" (a form of "sein").
German's not ugly, only some Germans' German is. I'm for the method of selective dubbing: I get to decide who may get heard in the original in foreign TV, and who will be synchronised in, say, Latvian.
I guess a good advice would be "don`t panic". It always takes a lot of time to achieve everything what you personally want to achieve and it is always a big effort not to forget that you are progressing at something. I and other people tend to wonder whether we have advanced in something, and it is always the case that you progress!. Even if you have learnt just one simple phrase, it is a certain progress. :P Of course, if you have some time pressure because you "have to" learn a language, it is another case. But even in this case, you should not panic because learning a language should not be a burdon. Thinking of it as a burdon will not help you at all.
If I were you I would not worry about depending on someone. In a language exchange you usually can give something back and even if you do not do a language exchange, there is always a way to get help in a "decent" way.
Like for instance, I guess anyone would correct a text that you have written before. If you give the person enough time to correct it and if you do not make that person write the text instead of you, I think barely someone will have a problem.
This also goes for other "types" of help. It is not about the fact that you need help but how you deal with it.
Toodles
