hey, i’m new,and i feel this forum is very good.
i am a chinese,and live in china from born to now.i have never talk to a foreigner for
a moment . i use only Chinese(spoken&write language) in THE reality LIFE.
all my english is learn from internet ,by my self,no teacher.
now i can read all your post and understanding explicitly what is it mean in
chinese .i can read any english book ,your news on google,with dictionary help.but when i’m see a movie or watching a tv like fox news,i don’t get
it,i can’t understand and translate it.it is too fast ,and so many strange word. i’m already 27years old.
is that possible to follow the speaker or speak english in my remaining life ?
what is the way to learn?
It is never too late to learn another language. Do you speak English, or only write and listen?
The best way to learn is to speak with other people speaking English. Do you know anybody in China who speaks fluent English?
The way that English in books and news can be different from the way it is spoken in everyday use. My friend from Colombia told me she learned English in school growing up but when she moved to the United States she had to learn all over again because the way she learned it in school was not the way people really talk.
Congratulations on your efforts and good luck.
I think TV and movies would be a good way to learn, as CookingWithGas mentioned the style of English you read in books or in newspaper articles on the internet differs from the way it is spoken. I would think watching TV and movies in English with English subtitles would be a big help.
Yes you can learn English. But I would highly recommend watching something other than Fox News: there’s no learning going on there.
I’m a native English speaker and I don’t get anything on FOX News either.
Just do a Google search for “English as a second language for Chinese speakers” and you will find resources to help you learn faster, some free and some paid.
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Keep the political potshots out of GQ, please.
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Children’s TV shows (and live kids in person, for all that) are much easier for me to follow in German than adult programming. Die Schnumpfen (Smurfs) were the easiest of all.
Also news programs where they show pictures as they describe what is happening.
Yes, you can. You can watch free videos like this that teach English with subtitles:
Learning English - Lesson One (Introduction)
This will be easier to understand than TV news.
Let me say that for someone who has never had a formal lesson, your English is pretty good - don’t let anyone say that you are a beginner.
Now, learning to read and write a language is different from listening and speaking it, but both are important skills.
I’d like to second the children’s program suggestion (especially look for programs from English speaking countries that come with the original language track). Can you easily get those in China?
by the way: “up level” seems awkward to me. It’s understandable, but I’d strongly recommend using the word “improve” instead, and “speak” should be “speech” (the noun and the verb are distinct).
Watching children’s shows might be useful, as long as they don’t speak too fast. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood is one old show where he spoke very slowly.
Edited to add: Like **kevbo **said.
‘Can I improve to follow your speech?’ sounds a little awkward; but I understood the title as posted, and your suggestions are the correct substitutions.
Just for fun, I tried Babelfish:
Input:
How can I learn to speak English better?
Translation:
我怎麼可以學會講英國更好？
Translation back to English:
How can I learn to speak Britain to be better?
Don’t get hung up about grammar in the start, it’ll only confuse you.
Yes, videos with subtitles, but try to find videos showing people interacting in typical, real-life, clearly-contextualized and comprehensible situations.
See if you can get a catalog, and maybe even suggestions, from the Hong Kong Pearson-Longman Rep.
A man talking at you and lecturing you in one-directional discourse about why you should learn English might not be the best way to begin.
You can try to find a tandem partner, if you have a webcam and headphones with microfone. Tandem learning means that for half an hour, you both talk Chinese with each other, and then for half an hour you talk English with each other. This way, you both improve your language skills by talking with a real person.
The software to connect the webcam and headset should be available for free, if you search a bit.
Where are you in China? I recently returned from two years of teaching English in Sichuan province.
While the internet and TV can be good, learning language really is a social thing, and it is difficult to teach yourself a language on your own. Luckily, learning English is very popular in China. Do you live in a city with a university? Almost every university has an English corner where anyone can come to speak English with each other. It may be possible to meet foreign teachers at these universities. They may be busy with their own students, but it’s also possible that they would enjoy meeting someone a little bit older.