LanguageLearning

101 readers

1 users here now

A community to discuss learning languages, and meet people who might speak the language you're trying to learn.

founded 3 weeks ago

MODERATORS

Fawkes@lemmy.zip

What is the least enjoyed/most frustrating aspect of learning your target language? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Fawkes@lemmy.zip to c/LanguageLearning@lemmy.zip

29 comments fedilink hide all child comments

As an English speaker learning German, I face endless confusion and frustration with many of the short question words that are "False Friends"

Such as:

Wer (where) - Actually means who.

Wo (Who) - Actually means where.

Wie (We) - Actually means how.

Was (was) - Actually means what.

Also (also) - Actually means so.

Will (will) - Actually means to want.

And the completely arbitrary gender assignments!

For example.

The year is: Das Jahr, a neuter word.

The month is: Der Monat, a masculine word.

And the week is: Die Woche, a feminine word.

And then there's directly counter-intuitive examples of words that seem like they Should be a gender other than what they are, such as:

The little girl - Das Mädchen (Neuter, not feminine)

Breasts - Der Busen (Masculine! Boobs is masculine!)

Person - Die Person (Feminine! Why isn't this word neuter?!"

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] FabioTheNewOrder@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

As a polyglot person I've to say that his is the shit which makes me the most mad about the transgenders issue. Our languages evolved independently defining differently the gender of words based on how the different people "felt" about them. If we can accept that these "feelings" are valid and we teach them to students learning a new language why cannot we accept that a person feeling about its gender are valid as well? Unlogical shit, let me tell you

[–] suff@piefed.social 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

IDK if this is true scientifically. But when I learned french articles (la/le) I tried to imagine some sterotypical French guy and I easily could remember what he likes (everything with 'la') and dislikes (everything with 'le') but sometimes it was arbitrary.

Articles aren't gender, or are they?