favorite place on the web right now

My favorite place on the web right now is not Facebook, though I spend quite a bit of time there. No, my favorite place on the web right now is a place called, Live Mocha. It's a social networking site focused on language learning. They provide basic lessons in English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi.

So far I've signed up for the French and Spanish lessons. I've only glanced at the Chinese and Hindi. I don't think I could learn Mandarin on the internet. Those languages still intimidate me into terms of learning them. But it is nice to be able to keep up with the French and strengthen the Spanish.

The nice part is that it also provides written and speaking segments where you record statements that are then "graded" or commented on by a native speaker of that language. So, I've commented on written and oral statements submitted by those studying English. I haven't tried the other forums yet, but look forward to getting practice time with native speakers and such over the internet.

The English side of my brain has no idea what you're talking about

I was talking to my client who has a house in Provence, France. He's the one who had spoken to me in French and I actually replied to him appropriately, but when I switched back to English mode I wasn't exactly sure whether I understood him or not.

So I'm sure that there's a French side of my brain who seems to know what the hell anyone is saying and seems to understand how to reply back in French, but the roadmaps that join the French part of my brain to my English are not quite up to speed, so I still can't tell you what I said.

But, but, but, the important thing is that I replied appropriately in spontaneous unchoreographed conversation!!! whoo-hoo! There is hope for me yet!

Maybe we too shall have a house in the French countryside one day! In the meantime, I replay the Berlitz speaking CD when I go home.

24 days to Europe...

Learning French by speaking English

In talking to people about how to get around France since it's the only stop on our trip where we won't know anyone and will have to get by with my novice French skills, several people have said that if the only words you know are Bon Jour and Merci, those will get you through. The French use these liberally, even saying hello to the store clerk when they're just browsing. They are also quite grateful for every little thing and say thank you for the littlest of things. It's why they think Americans are impolite. Because it seems we only say hello to strangers if we want something from them.

So I've been learning this French custom by saying hello and thank you as often and as frequently as I can. 10% of a language is probably the actual words themselves. I'd say 40% of a language is saying the language at the appropriate time. And the opening words like hello are the most crucial, it's what begins our connection with other people, it's what allows us to acknowledge another person's existence in our lives even if it's only for 5 minutes at the checkout counter. So if I can use Bon Jour and Merci often enough in English that it becomes second nature, then using it in French won't be much of a leap.

Thank you for reading.

Bon jour! C'est bien

Ooh I had my first spontaneous French conversation outside of French class. A client of mine who often vacations in France said hello and then said something else, which as I responded I thought was something about how's everything going, I think. In any regard, I said Bon jour and responded with c'est bien.

I'm kind of afraid to ask him what he actually said. Or if I responded in a correct fashion. But it was nice that my mouth just responded with something even though the English part of my brain hasn't figured out what yet. C'est la vie!

best gifts

I love all the gifts I've gotten including the gift certifcate to spafinder.com. But another interesting gift is a book on all the dirty French phrases. Some of the slang, body parts not in your French 1A book, and how to curse someone out. You know, all the stuff you really want to know about the language.

One of the French cuss words seems like a shortcut of the word, "fornication". yeah and I'm sure you can figure out what that word is all about. They also have words for love and love making, gay and lesbian language, and flirting language so you can go pick someone up at a club.

because I don't know the direction of my accents

I ran the previous post through an online translator. My spelling is still pretty bad and I have difficulty with the direction of my accents. But here is the translation as put through the online translator:

it was finished

My class of French was finished. I learned seven verb tense: present, imperfect, present perfect, near future, simple, conditional future, imperatif, and subjunctive. But I do not know it that this would be very good. They confuse me. I do not think that I will take the next one classify french 3. The french 3 east literature. I like it to know to speak, not any literature. It is possible that I will take the french 2 another time, but not before of our trip has france.

The class was happy for me. I do not speak very well french, but this better one when I do not speak nothing.

I had a final oral presentation. I have talks about the wine taste. It is happy! I bought four bottles of wine: two of white wine and two of red wine. I asked them which they like.

The wine that we tasted:

1. Bordeaux 2003 Charles Mioeux (?) - Two of class comrade said that they like it. A man said that it tasted bays. Me? I think that it was well. The odor was well with bays. The first taste would have the pepper taste, but the end was weak.

2. 3 Blind Mice Merlot 2005 - We all suited that this wine was very delicious. A man said that it will buy a bottle for its friends.

3. Red Bicycle 2004 France Chardonnays - THIS IS very good! It had heaviness for a white wine. The drink today! It fills your mouth with pleasure.

4. Blackstone Chardonnay 2005, Monterey - This wine was well, but this did not be better. The fruit taste. It is easy in general. The odor was fruit, of apple.

And my comrades of the class brought two bottles:

5. Cabernet sauvignon of the Argentina - The woman that brought it said that was as "2 buck chuck". One can drink it. As çì, as that. There is better wine than this bottle. Why drink it you if it there has the better ones?

6. Barefoot Merlot 2005 - For a moderate cost, the wine of Barefoot is not poorly. This is well wine for the cost. Often, this is five dollars a bottle.

This all of bottles cost less than ten dollars. I bought them Safeway. There is a discount for six bottles. The others are Trader Joe's. I think that I buy again a bottle of Red Bicycle, of 3 Blind Mice, and of Barefoot.

C'était fini

Mon class de français étais fini. J'ai appris sept tense de verbe: present, imparfait, passé composé, futur proche, futur simple, conditionnel, imperatif, et subjonctif. Mais je ne le sais pas que ce serait très bon. Ils me confondent. Je ne pense pas que je prendrai le prochaine class de french 3. Le french 3 est literature. Je l'aime savoir pour parler, pas de literature. C'est possible que je prendrai le french 2 un autre temps, mais pas avant de nos voyage a la france.

Le class était heureux pour moi. Je ne parle pas très bien francais, mais ce plus meilleur quand je ne parle rien.

J'ai eu un final presentation oral. J'ai parle de le goût de vin. C'est heureuse! J'ai acheté quatre bouteilles de vin: deux de vin blanc et deux de vin rouge. Je les ai demandé quel ils aiment.

Le vin que nous avons goûté:

1. Bordeaux 2003 Charles Mioeux(?) - Deux de comrade de class a dit que ils l'aiment. Un homme a dit que il goûtait des baies. Moi? Je pense que c'était bien. L'odor était bien avec des baies. La premiere goût aurait le goût de poivre, mais la fin était faible.

2. 3 Blind Mice Merlot 2005 - Nous avons tout convenu que ce vin était très délicieux. Un homme a dit que il achetera un bouteille pour ses amis.

3. Red Bicyclette 2004 Chardonnay de France - C'est très bon! Il a eu lourdeur pour un vin blanc. Le buvez aujourd'hui! Il remplit votre bouche avec plaisir.

4. Blackstone Chardonnay 2005, Monterey - Ce vin était bien, mais ce n'était pas meilleur. Le goût de fruit. C'est facile en general. L'odor était de fruit, de pomme.

Et mes comrades du class ont apporté deux bouteille:

5. Cabernet sauvignon de l'Argentine - Le femme qui l'a apporté a dit cela était comme "2 buck chuck". On le peut boire. Comme çì, comme ça. Il y a plus meilleur de vin que cette bouteille. Pourquoi le buvez vous s'il y a les meilleurs?

6. Barefoot Merlot 2005 - Pour un coût modéré, le vin de Barefoot n'est pas mal. C'est bien vin pour le coût. Souvent, c'est cinq dollars par bouteille.

Ce tout de bouteilles coûtait moins de dix dollars. Je les ai acheté de la Safeway. Il y a un esompte pour six bouteilles. Les autres sont de la Trader Joe's. Je pense que je achtèrai encore une bouteille de Red Bicyclette, de 3 Blind Mice, et de Barefoot.