tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post3114138839830457250..comments2023-06-23T18:54:27.520-04:00Comments on The Thrifty Gypsy's Travels : Das Ist Mir Wurst; Or My Love/Hate Relationship with GermanKatrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-53065223668759725722015-03-04T08:41:30.853-05:002015-03-04T08:41:30.853-05:00I have the exact same thought about children, too!...I have the exact same thought about children, too! Danny is fluent, but I'm nowhere near capable yet, so I have a lot to learn before the little ones arrive one day. :) I finally finished Level 1 of Rosetta Stone; it took me 18 months to do what should probably take only 3 months if one were doing it consistently! :PKatrina Elisabethttp://www.thriftygypsytravels.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-50288954979276412422015-03-02T17:27:01.094-05:002015-03-02T17:27:01.094-05:00I totally understand the shame of being monolingua...I totally understand the shame of being monolingual! haha. My parents are multi-lingual and my sister even knows French alongside English. I'm the only one stuck at one language :( Tyler and I have decided we are going to be bilingual before we have kids so that we can raise our children that way. So how is the German coming along now? I know this post is a little old :)Lindahttp://themurphmans.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-42521503986200749562014-09-22T08:35:26.801-04:002014-09-22T08:35:26.801-04:00Dzień dobry! My aunt and uncle lived in Poland for...Dzień dobry! My aunt and uncle lived in Poland for many years, and they've told me how difficult it is to learn Polish! :) I'm impressed with the number of languages you have started learning. I love languages, but do not have enough time to study a lot of them. Thanks for stopping by! I've added your blog to my follow list so I can read about your travels, too!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-5643198566045705352014-09-22T06:47:00.955-04:002014-09-22T06:47:00.955-04:00I have just found your blog. English is my second ...I have just found your blog. English is my second language. I started learning it when I was... 6, was it? Long time ago. In high school I started learning German, though I never liked the language. I can communicate mmore or less, which came in handy two years ago when we were roadtripping Germany. And I also started learning Russian and Finnish a few years ago, but only for a few months. Yes, I love languages. They say so much about culture as well. I'm planning to learn Spanish one day (hopefully sooner than later). And if anybody complains on the difficulty of German, try speaking Polish, Hungarian or Finnish ;) Could be fun ;)<br />Joanna from http://me-and-my-itchy-feet.blogspot.comJoannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16323867394687276426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-48174225802814043552014-08-27T16:36:49.086-04:002014-08-27T16:36:49.086-04:00Funny you should ask! I'd been putting off fig...Funny you should ask! I'd been putting off figuring out the G+ stuff, but finally got around to looking at it today. I just added a follow button on the right sidebar near the top (literally did this 5 minutes ago, so you didn't miss it). I already follow you through Blogger's feed, but will follow you on G+ also! Thanks for stopping by!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-32358575692211239772014-08-27T14:06:05.292-04:002014-08-27T14:06:05.292-04:00Katrina!! Thank you so much for directing me to th...Katrina!! Thank you so much for directing me to this post in your comment on my blog. This post, and your blog in general, will be so helpful to me. But I can't find a GFC follow button on your blog so that I may follow it. Am I overlooking it? Optimistic Existentialisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11507986337866049924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-17239876487708582062014-06-12T09:57:45.889-04:002014-06-12T09:57:45.889-04:00Thanks! My books and Rosetta Stone have been aband...Thanks! My books and Rosetta Stone have been abandoned for a week now, thanks to my brother's wedding and a dear friend visiting from Texas, but I'm hoping to pick back up tonight. The World Cup fervor should serve as a good motivation so I can try to read some of the commentary articles!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-51559124719592595552014-06-11T13:34:20.728-04:002014-06-11T13:34:20.728-04:00AHHH! I relate to everything in this post! I'v...AHHH! I relate to everything in this post! I've been procrastinating improving my German skills for... oh, about a DECADE, but I can retain some knowledge from when I lived in Austria and it's easier for me to understand than speak. But anyway, what you said about what is frustrating and what you like about German are the same things I feel with the language. It's almost deceiving as an English speaker -- it seems closer than French or Spanish, but then it's crazy when it comes to grammar! Well, I hope learning is going well and you're able to better communicate with your husband's Oma on your trip!<br /><br />-- <a href="http://www.erikafromamerica.com" rel="nofollow">Erika from America</a>Erika from Americahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01079473916722620673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-79131155799863564482014-06-09T14:05:53.467-04:002014-06-09T14:05:53.467-04:00Thanks! And absolutely! Most of us North Americans...Thanks! And absolutely! Most of us North Americans are the results of immigration, whether personally or through our ancestors. Part of my fascination (besides my husband being half German) is due to my own heritage, too. And as a logophile and glossophile, I just love seeing the links between languages and exploring the nuances of them. Sadly, that passion hasn't seemed to translate into an ability to learn new languages very easily! Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-74820506516423416092014-06-05T15:20:55.619-04:002014-06-05T15:20:55.619-04:00Hi, Katrina. Good luck with your German! Me, I lov...Hi, Katrina. Good luck with your German! Me, I love it, and I'm now a complete Germanophile/Teutonophile. Something about the language, the country, and her people appeal a great deal to me, though it might say a lot more that some of my best friends are Turkish-German; I think there's that *something* about the immigrant experience. :)Henry | @fotoeinshttp://fotoeins.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-56288927511105786062014-05-29T12:25:29.339-04:002014-05-29T12:25:29.339-04:00Sounds like me in high school. :) I started (and s...Sounds like me in high school. :) I started (and stopped) a lot of language courses and textbooks that I purchased independently. Swedish, Italian, Spanish, French... I'd get anywhere from 10-40 pages into the textbook and give up. Usually because I "didn't have time" but also partly just because I lost motivation!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-75123021048172040412014-05-29T12:22:58.414-04:002014-05-29T12:22:58.414-04:00Being excited about a language helps in the motiva...Being excited about a language helps in the motivation department! Thanks for finding me! Just checked out your blog and see that you're currently living in Germany. I'm more than a little jealous!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-2598531799467902472014-05-28T22:54:07.544-04:002014-05-28T22:54:07.544-04:00Ugh I know! Come on America...let's all learn ...Ugh I know! Come on America...let's all learn some more languages!! While there is the ability to sort of learn them in school, my wandering mind had me take Latin, French, German and Spanish in all of my education years...so I know a few phrases in all these languages, but not enough to really have a conversation. Good luck learning German! I've heard Rosetta Stone is really helpful :) Amy @ Amy and the Great Worldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14004997239641649557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-53540232325382875662014-05-28T15:48:08.295-04:002014-05-28T15:48:08.295-04:00Just found your blog through Travel Tuesday... I a...Just found your blog through Travel Tuesday... I am currently learning German as well, it is oh so difficult, but I want to learn it so that helps a lot! but I am still unable to hold a long conversation & like you sometimes end up with one sided conversations because I can't fully participate, I just nod and smile.<br /><br />Viel Glueck!<br /><a href="http://dianadegzz.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Diana</a>Diana L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14966865954942838440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-44594748845904753242014-05-28T09:48:48.931-04:002014-05-28T09:48:48.931-04:00Really? For some reason I've always had this t...Really? For some reason I've always had this thought that the British have a better reputation for knowing at least one other language! In a way it stinks to have your native tongue be the lingua franca because then we get lazy and just make everyone else learn our language! :PKatrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-20229037336590952152014-05-28T09:18:44.927-04:002014-05-28T09:18:44.927-04:00Australia and the U.S. are unique in that we'r...Australia and the U.S. are unique in that we're huge countries, and fairly isolated from other countries. We only have two neighbors, which are both far away from my state, and of course Canada also speaks English so there's no motive to learn any other language. Whereas in mainland Europe, there are many countries with many different languages, so it's more practical to learn multiple languages!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-215677584810851542014-05-28T09:17:19.702-04:002014-05-28T09:17:19.702-04:00Be assured that there's at least one more pers...Be assured that there's at least one more person sweating blood and tears to learn this crazy language! Misery likes company, eh? ;)Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-44444458304170177342014-05-28T08:57:28.470-04:002014-05-28T08:57:28.470-04:00Always a good phrase to learn in any language! Tha...Always a good phrase to learn in any language! That and how to ask for a beer. ;)Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-11095034552234223512014-05-28T08:56:26.992-04:002014-05-28T08:56:26.992-04:00It's exciting to learn a new language. Since w...It's exciting to learn a new language. Since we only get to travel part-time, doing my German lessons helps me extend my "travels" so to speak. I'll learn a new word, and it'll remind me of something said or done while over there. Have you found learning Portuguese to be difficult?Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-18469910676274989182014-05-28T08:54:22.346-04:002014-05-28T08:54:22.346-04:00Portuguese is so cool! My uncle just married into ...Portuguese is so cool! My uncle just married into a Portuguese family (they're actually from the Azores), and their language and music is so lively! Is Brazilian Portuguese similar to continental Portuguese or has it drifted apart like South American Spanish and European Spanish? I don't know much about Portuguese at all other than it being a Romantic language.Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-69741347485258312712014-05-28T08:52:34.736-04:002014-05-28T08:52:34.736-04:00Very true. It must be so overwhelming to visit or ...Very true. It must be so overwhelming to visit or move here if you don't know any English (or Spanish since that's becoming prevalent, too). I'm the same way about languages! I'm visually oriented so reading comes quickly to me, while hearing/speaking progresses at a much slower pace.Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-82244355689733451822014-05-28T08:50:55.719-04:002014-05-28T08:50:55.719-04:00I agree - learning a language should start in elem...I agree - learning a language should start in elementary school. Wow, Arabic? That's quite an undertaking! Learning a new alphabet on top of a new language is a lot of work!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-8411187643316690432014-05-28T08:48:52.663-04:002014-05-28T08:48:52.663-04:00I can imagine that must be frustrating on a daily ...I can imagine that must be frustrating on a daily basis! We see my husband's family so rarely that I don't really mind it as much because it's at least one or two years before I'll see them again. That's a good point about fluency versus fluidity. Do you think your daughter is confused by having two languages being spoken around her? Hopefully something will click, and she'll be able to become bilingual as she grows up!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-68493921326750424702014-05-28T08:35:50.190-04:002014-05-28T08:35:50.190-04:00English is such a hodge-podge language, but it cer...English is such a hodge-podge language, but it certainly is more Germanic than a romantic language like French. The pronunciation for French looks SO difficult. I don't know that I could shape my mouth to be able to speak it properly! But it's a beautiful language to listen to. Good luck!!!Katrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-19918094117328645672014-05-28T08:34:21.360-04:002014-05-28T08:34:21.360-04:00It feels like there is a thin, gauzy curtain hangi...It feels like there is a thin, gauzy curtain hanging in between me and the German conversation around me. I can all but grasp it, but if I could just learn a little bit more, maybe that "curtain" would go away and I could understand better! English is a language of so many exceptions, both grammatically and for pronunciation, that it's strange learning a language that has set grammar rules (like, conjugating verbs, etc). If Icelandic is anything like German, then good luck to you! :PKatrina Elisabethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com