How long have you been learning English?

Post » Fri May 31, 2013 11:00 am

Just curious, how long have been learning English? Or have you been speaking it your whole life?

I'm coming up on four years and yet it's a bit depressing knowing I'm a ways off from fully mastering English. But I have had some native English speakers tell me that it isn't possible to master. Someday I'll learn when to use too and to...

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Philip Lyon
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 2:38 pm

My whole life.

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ONLY ME!!!!
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 4:28 am

Don't master the English Language, you'll just make the rest of us look bad. Just become proficient in it.

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Kerri Lee
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 11:14 am

I've been in an english course since 2008 and I'm getting my diploma this year. Although I also learned english in school before that, but obviously it wasn't (and still isn't) as good. I still see the same things I saw in 5th grade. :shakehead:

So for 9 years approximately.

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anna ley
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 8:54 am

All my life.

But it's hard to learn the English language when...

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
-R. Lederer
My mom's favorite phrase was: "the door is a jar (ajar)"
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Lillian Cawfield
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 8:19 am

They started teaching us English in second grade, so for 14 years maybe?

Well, I haven't been taught English for 14 years, but it's sort of inevitable that I become decent at it when I spend so much time speaking to all of you.

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Jason Rice
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 5:38 am

Not sure I've been ever learning english. I sure as hell didn't pay any attention in english courses (3 years of high school, a long long time ago). Mostly I've been reading it since Pratchett ; I've been writing it since these forums ; I've been understanding spoken english since I did a massive Stargate series binge. Speaking it properly ? I'm french. Possibly when hell freezes over. :tongue:

*shrug* English is fun, in that native speakers have a pretty relaxed attitude. Comes from being so many varieties of english over the world I guess.

or maybe i think its because theirs no real effort on teh internet anyways so any1 what make the effort stick out :mellow:

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patricia kris
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 12:41 pm

Use "too" when you want to mean "also" (that is hot too) or "excessively" (that is too hot). Use "to" for everything else.

Your English is very good, by the way. I really mean that. Simple mistakes like mixing up "to" and "too" are not a big deal and shouldn't upset you too much. The fact that you can perfectly construct complex sentences like the ones there shows that you're well and above the point where you can use the language in any practical scenario. You should be proud to have come so far. :smile:

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Ross Thomas
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 5:42 pm

Since I was 4 years old.I'm 16 now.Now studying.Just video games,movies,cartoons, by the time I was 7 I spoke English really well, and when I was 11 I had mastered it.14 years of age, and nothing left to learn.So I'm kind of stuck.Tried German, learned that too.Maybe I should try Italian.Not French, cause my tongue hurts when I speak French.

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Luis Longoria
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 9:01 am

I WUS been wit da engrish. ;) :)

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rae.x
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 4:59 am

I've spoken English my whole life. I actually intentionally mispronounce some words like calling a pretzel a prentzel. I don't like how pretzel sounds, that's all. I don't really pay much attention to how this stuff is structured outside my own writing, but you seem like you are doing fine with English. I've spoken it my whole life and probably didn't make sentences that well until I was in 7th or 8th grade.

Too is used to specify amount or add additional information. Not sure what else it does, but I'm assuming those are the basic uses. To is used for direction related stuff and when mentioning stuff involving actions. Here's a few examples of both since those descriptions probably are not that learner friendly(hopefully that isn't offensive...).

Burger went to mouth after school.

That's way too much yarn for Kirby to eat!

The Moon sure knows how to make people insane.

Jim Pickles went with me, too.

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Sweets Sweets
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 1:32 pm

I studied english in school for 9 years.
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Miranda Taylor
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 4:30 pm

About eight years..and some of my university professors in America tell me I have better grammar than native speakers :tops:

Makes me feel better

There are still things I don't understand..but I just do them because I'm supposed to.

P.S.- I write much clearer than I speak. In a few rare instances I still throw native words into sentences when I forget the English equivalent
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pinar
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 8:03 am

Since the age of 10-11 I think. I have followed 2 extra english writing/speaking courses in college last year, other than that I'm not actively studying it right now. But that doesn't mean I don't learn new things anymore. :wink:

I believe I picked it up pretty quickly, mostly due to the internet, videogames and english TV shows with subs. My pronunciation is probably the weakest point, but even that is reasonable.

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Tai Scott
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 2:41 pm

The Norwegian word for potato chip is potetgull, which translates to potato gold. I have a friend who thought it was called potetkull, which translates to potato coal. So until he was 18 he had been walking around calling it potato coal, until I corrected him. I thought that was a little hilarious.

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Brooks Hardison
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 11:22 am

Toda mi vida.

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CArla HOlbert
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 7:38 pm

I've been speaking English my whole life so far, but I'd like to learn another language eventually and I suppose I've made my choice on Russian.. not only have I already recognized a few words in it but they're pronounced about the same as in English. In what I've looked up, it will also be simpler than English.. the only thing I'll need to work on is pronunciation like Povuholo.

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Lavender Brown
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 3:30 pm

Too true. :rofl:

Also as for the OP? All my life. However i technically grew up speaking a creole that uses a mixture of different word from languages and even different grammar structure lol. HCE. Hawaiian Creole English.
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Brandon Wilson
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 12:38 pm

One expansion for The Sims 3 is called Full Fart in Norway. It's called Fast Lane in English.

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Stacyia
 
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Post » Fri May 31, 2013 12:50 pm

Yup. There are words out there, and combinations, that native english speakers will mess up at times. Know that I myself have been wrong in my usage of than vs then and they're, there, and their, though with the latter of that it's less common once you get the hang of it.

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Love iz not
 
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