how to study two or more languages at the same time

guest2   Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:18 am GMT
I know this question has been batted around a few times, but I'd still like everyone's opinion.

Although I assume that it's probably better to concentrate on only one language at a time, the real world doesn't always work that way. So I'd like your experience on studying two (or more) languages at a time.

A few questions:

Were you able to do it successfully?
Was it easier (or harder) if the languages were similar?
Did the level of knowledge of one vs. the other(s) make a difference?
Did you get the two (or more) confused?
Were you able to practice speaking/writing, or have to stick to input?

Thanks for your thoughts!
guest3   Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:06 pm GMT
If you don't mean ''simultanously'', then, in school, we learnt English and French ''at the same time''. It's quite normal. Don't ask these questions, begin to learn.
K. T.   Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:21 am GMT
http://www.antimoon.com/forum/t10146-15.htm

The link is to a discussion earlier this year.
ASCM   Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:27 am GMT
Work hard at it.
12345   Fri Nov 07, 2008 5:12 am GMT
In high school I learned German, French and English at the same time. Besides these I also had my Dutch lessons.
guest2   Fri Nov 07, 2008 12:11 pm GMT
12345,

Were you able to learn German, French, and English equally well at the time? (Your English is obviously okay.) Did they interfere at all, especially when trying to speak?
12345   Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:27 am GMT
At that moment I didn't have trouble. I dropped French after 3 years, because I could choose to drop German or French. At that moment I could write, read and speak French quite well, actually it was my best language, however I didn't like the teacher so I dropped it.

Until that moment I've never had problems with interfering troubles between these three languages.

I had difficulties with English, because it had an other sentence order than Dutch, but it looked like it quite much. In French the order was different, but logical, and it fitted to me quite well. So between these three languages wasn't a problem, but between my mothertongue (Dutch), German and English there was a problem ;).

When trying to speak I didn't have big trouble at all, it was just the order of a sentence in English. But how to say words or that kind I have never had any trouble. I never used German words in English lessons, or French words in German lessons.
Like:
In Dutch:
Ik ging gisteren naar de bioscoop.
Direct translation to English:
I went yesterday to the cinema.
Proper translation:
I went to the cinema yesterday.

But well I dropped French in my 4th year.. Since then I've never used any French anymore and I can only read it now :(. Writing or speaking is very difficult now.

English has developed more and more because of the internet. And German is still on the same level I think because I go to Germany once in a while. And Dutch is my mothertongue but I feel I have difficulties sometimes to find the proper Dutch word, cause I read and write a lot in English.. A while back I spoke with deaf Dutch woman. I spoke about a 'review' but she didn't understand me, because review is English, which means lip syncing is very difficult. I just couldn't find the word 'recensie' in my brains.



What I know about people whose mothertongue is English:
When they have to learn a language which has genders, they sometimes have difficulties.

French has feminine and masculine.
Dutch and German have Feminine, masculine and neuter. And although these two language are quite equal there are some differences.

'The car' is neuter in German (Das Auto), but it's masculine in Dutch (De auto).
Fred   Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:47 am GMT
By working really hard at it.