Summer’s gone, way too fast. We are preparing for autumn (and maybe making some new language learning goals for the rest of the year).
But before we look ahead, let’s take a look back and see what the summer was like as far as my language learning goals are concerned.
What didn’t go well: the blog in my TL’s. I don’t know why I keep making these goals, even though I know I will not write a blog. It just isn’t my thing really. I did write 3 blogs though, but then stopped. I guess I don’t really know what to write about … So let’s not do that anymore next time!
The language that got a bit neglected is definitely Danish. I didn’t do anything, except for an italki class in July and one in August and I watched an episode of Rain, but I won’t continue. I liked the first season, watched the second one but it was a bit mèh and now the third one, I won’t watch it anymore. But … I think I finally found a teacher that I would love to work with, Tatiana. Let’s see how that develops in the future. I have already booked another hour with her in September.
Is there anything that did go well? Of course!
I am very happy with my immersion week in Spanish. I really feel it improved my level, so definitely going to do that again. I read 4 French books, which is also great. Ordered another 3 and I will read those the coming months. Read a lot of Italian and watched Netflix. Also 2 books in Afrikaans, which I loved. I was so happy to find a website that ships to Belgium, that I ordered 2 books instead of just 1! I almost finished the review of my Luxembourgish course (so really happy with that) and I ordered a book in Luxembourgish (d’Pippi, curious to see how well that will go). I read a fairytale in Bulgarian. Quite a challenge, I must say, but I enjoyed translating it and trying to analyse what means what in Bulgarian.
A breakdown of the goals I had set myself is below.
French
I had a few Italki classes and read a book (Parce que je t’aime de Guillaume Musso); I also watched an episode of Secrets d’histoire (sujet: Voltaire).
Bonus points for the videos on YouTube (streetfrench.org, les astuces de margaux) and extra books (Ce crétin de prince charmant, les tribulations d’une jeune divorcée, Rupture tarot et confiture).
The only thing I didn’t do, was write a blog post.
English
I wanted to take Italki classes and I did. I also wrote a blog and watched stuff in English. So all goals check!
I also read this book: 6 Tudor queens, book 5, Katheryn Howard (I am obsessed with English history and especially the Tudors and the war of the roses).
German
Also for German, I had an Italki class; I also watched Weissensee on Netflix in the week of my shoulder operation, just as I planned to.
Bonus points for the YouTube videos I watched. I ordered a German book, if that arrives this month, I might start to read it as well.
Blog, uhm … No.
Danish
The only thing I did for Danish was take a few italki classes.
Blogs, Danish tutor, Danish grammar and a novel to read, I didn’t do any of that, unfortunately.
Bonus points however for the 1 episode of Rain that I watched.
My overall goal was to feel comfortable speaking and I think I managed to do that in my 2 italki classes. I have to make a priority of Danish one of the coming months.
Spanish
All goals check!! Blog post, an immersion week (see separate blog here, #40h7dLC), B2.1 textbook, finish the novel I was reading (Valeria, I also made vocabulary lists with translations).
Bonus points here too for the YouTube videos (mainly Maria Español), gramática del uso B1-2, which I completely reviewed, and for the last seasons of Las chicas del cable.
I also used the YouTube videos to build vocabulary. I mainly watched videos on colloquial Spanish, made lists of the expressions and tried to memorise them and use them when speaking with my tutor.
Italian
Although I didn’t reach all my goals, I did do a lot for Italian.
I planned to review Nuovo Espresso 3 and start Nuovo Espresso 4, but I didn’t do that. I didn’t even open the book.
I managed to get some bonus points here though: I watched a few YouTube videos, mainly Learn Italian with Lucrezia, Podcast Italiano and cooking channels; I read Conflitto di interessi and made vocabulary lists with translations and I also had a very lazy day (but I do have an excuse, the weather was very bad) and binge watched Il processo on Netflix.
So all in all, not too bad for Italian.
Afrikaans
Oh, I love Afrikaans and I have such a nice italki teacher. We had a few classes, as planned. I also wrote a blog post and finished the novel I was reading (Diamante in die stof).
I read another book (one of the 2 I bought online, Troukoek maak nie vet nie).
I also planned on reaching unit 15 in Teach Yourself, but I didn’t. I did reach unit 12 though.
Bulgarian
No surprise that I didn’t write a blog post in Bulgarian. I also did not review my A1 and A2 course (which should make me lose all my bonus points, because really, I have studied all of this before, more than once, so reviewing should not even take me long). I am so weak sometimes …
But hey, it’s not all bad. I did have my italki classes (new teacher, very happy with her) and I read 1 fairytale, that I translated.
Luxembourgish
Quite good, I must say! I finished the A2 course early this summer, which made me really happy! I had a few italki classes and we start speaking a lot more in Luxembourgish, not yet 15 minutes I think, but if you add up all the minutes over all the italki classes, I might just reach that.
I reviewed the A1 course (yay) and am now working on the A2 course of Luxembourgish with Anne.
I also reviewed Assimil A grande Vitesse (everything I had studied until the end of June and I added a few units).
I even wrote a blog post in Luxembourgish!
Bonus: I watched a few YouTube videos of learnluxembourgish.com and other channels that I recently discovered, which is nice to get some listening practice, because there is not a lot to find online.
Icelandic
A blog post … Hm, what was that?
As always, I have no problem in taking italki classes, so also for Icelandic, all check.
I didn’t really have any other goals for this language, apart from enjoying it. And I did! I really did. I studied yet another course, Beginner’s Icelandic (5 units), but I don’t care anymore that I am jumping from course to course. I add vocabulary with every unit that I study. The grammar clicks and I just love everything I do, which was my main goal after all.
I also watched YouTube videos (in English) on Icelandic grammar and especially Villtu læra íslensku for listening practice.
