If you are stuck in foreign grammar, put it aside for a while and learn more vocabulary words.
Albanian grammar is infuriating, with its clitics, cases, and genders. (I have grown to love the English word “it”—I wish the Albanian grammar engineers had neutered their words too.) When I was learning Albanian, I loved vocabulary words because they didn’t require much comprehension and gave me immediate progress. Albanian grammar, on the other hand, is a horror film. I still have nightmares about Unit 6 of Colloquial Albanian (this book came out before communism ended, and I just know author Isa Zymberi's intent was to make sure foreigners didn't stay in the country longer than six weeks!). But when you beef up on your vocab--those nice, organic, rooty words--you are at least going to stay in the conversations longer, despite the fact that you confused the 54th conjugation with the 38th. So take those flashcards with you!
3 responses:
Your advice about learning vocab and letting grammar come helped me a lot in Turkey. Thanks! -Matt.
Ah, so this is why I feel so relieved when my teacher here at the Sorbonne says "OK, enough grammar for today - let's learn vocab." It does give me quite the feeling of accomplishment to learn a new vocab word; until, that is, I try to think of it in a conversation later and can't remember it. :)
kristi in france
so, i was reading your blog(i found it through google) and as i was reading i thought, "wow! this sounds like it could be david hosaflook!" i kept reading a few more entries and then went back up to the top and saw, david hosaflook, the balkans. ha!! anyway. hope your doing good!! tell your family hi for me!
sara zellmer
www.sarasaga.net
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