UKC

Hey all, I will be spending an increasing amount if time in the car soon and I want to try and learn stuff rather than just kill my brains with Jeremy Vine - perhaps I could learn a language.

has anyone tried the Pimsleur courses? Are they any good?

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Get Michel Thomas instead. What language do you want to learn?

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

Im not sure yet.

I would say, probably French, but I wold like to be ambitious and try something which might help me out professionally too.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Don't go for french. Try spanish instead. Not as difficult in my opinion, and it travels better.

In reply to Removed User:


Yep and yep. I learnt as much in one year of Spanish than 8 years of French.

In reply to crayefish:

You have to learn a language that motivates you, otherwise you will fail.

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

Certainly. I enjoyed Spanish (well as much as I could enjoy a language).

I have to learn some German this month as I am being posted to a German drilling rig in April... NOT motivated by German one bit unfortunately.

In reply to crayefish:

Unt zey all speak zee Inglish!

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

Unfortunately I still have to learn some for safety reasons (and I guess to be a bit more sociable!)

In reply to crayefish:

Then you haven't met enough German women. They'll change your mind!

In reply to BnB:

Iz goot ya?

In reply to Submit to Gravity:


Yes, that should be enough German to get you what you want

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:
+1 for Michel T.
He makes learning a language fun....not an easy task!

In reply to BnB:

Haha... sure there are LOADS on a drilling rig Oh the joys of being in a sausage-fest industry.

In reply to crayefish:

Try the My Language Exchange site. Talk to some hot German strudel on Skype and you'll soon learn all your drilling terms.

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

Bahahaha

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I used a good course for spanish - it was a learn spanish in your car:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spanish-Level-Learn-Your-Car/dp/1591252040

It was very good - you don't have to stop and look at anything. The only trouble is that after a while, you wonder if you have learnt the language or just learned the order of everything. But it was very good for developing a decent accent and a good basis for further learning later on.

In reply to Submit to Gravity:


Another agree. The Pimsleur ones are okay and seem to hammer things home, but (at least with the ones I've tried) seem to be aimed at business types, especially ones who might want to pick people up in bars.
Thomas seems more engaging and more effective. Less choice of languages, though

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

My earlier post mentioned that it would be good to do spanish instead of french, that is still my opinion; it travels well and is fairly easy. However, you say you want to be challenged, so go for Mandarin. I'm okay with spanish, some french, Greek good, Russian passable, and Cantonese as a translator. But, I still think (know), that the better option would have been Mandarin. I like Mandarin, and if you don't go for spanish then defo go for Mandarin. I often reflect on how I should have gone for Mandarin instead of Cantonese. It is another language that travels well, and it sounds uber-cool...

In reply to Removed User:


Ive purchased french, mandarin and spanish so i will have a listen and see what i think

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:


You didnt go for German then, the universal Language of Romance

In reply to Choss:

The field is still clear then...

In reply to crayefish:

"Das machinen ist not fer de fingerpoken" might help

In reply to Marcus:


As will...

'Ich liebe dich mein Schatz'

To your rigMates.

In reply to Choss:




The standard greeting is surely - 'I heisse Fred, wie heiss bist du?'.

In reply to Marcus:


Reminds me of a phase we were told by the senior HSE manager the other day...

'Don't stick your fingers where you wouldn't stick your cock.' Very sound advice though not so helpful for climbing

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Why not learn to concentrate on the driving?

In reply to crayefish:

Very!!!