rjg
14 Dec 2008
Language / Rosetta Stone program - couple of clarifications requested [15]
Hi,
So, I'm midway through lvl 1 - as a brief sidetrack, I've found the program very well designed, they introduce new vocabulary and then revisit it in later modules so that it sticks in your mind, and the whole system of learning through pictures seems pretty effective - and while I'm getting along reasonably well with nouns and verbs individually, given that it doesnt actually offer an English translation, I'm confused as to the exact meaning of some of the sentences I'm learning. For example, "dziewczynka nie prowadzi samochod" - obviously, the photo is a little girl in the passenger seat of a car. But does it translate in terms of a label to the photo, "a young girl, not driving a car", or is it more of a statement "young girls dont drive cars". If the former, what would the latter translate as?
Also, the one thing I've found difficult so far is when you're given two seeming identical pictures, with different forms of the same verb. The three examples are Oni płyną and Oni płwają, both above photos of people swimming; Dzieci biegają and Kobiety biegną, both above photos of young children and women running; and Oni chodzą and Dziewczynki idą, both above photos of people and young girls walking. What are the differences between the two verb forms in these examples?
I think this is at once the biggest advantage and the biggest disadvantage to the RS program. The Immersion method undoubtedly accelerates the pace at which you learn the vocabulary, but I have caught myself fondly remembering my Collins beginners program, where there was always a friendly translator on hand to tell you exactly what you were trying to say.
Hi,
So, I'm midway through lvl 1 - as a brief sidetrack, I've found the program very well designed, they introduce new vocabulary and then revisit it in later modules so that it sticks in your mind, and the whole system of learning through pictures seems pretty effective - and while I'm getting along reasonably well with nouns and verbs individually, given that it doesnt actually offer an English translation, I'm confused as to the exact meaning of some of the sentences I'm learning. For example, "dziewczynka nie prowadzi samochod" - obviously, the photo is a little girl in the passenger seat of a car. But does it translate in terms of a label to the photo, "a young girl, not driving a car", or is it more of a statement "young girls dont drive cars". If the former, what would the latter translate as?
Also, the one thing I've found difficult so far is when you're given two seeming identical pictures, with different forms of the same verb. The three examples are Oni płyną and Oni płwają, both above photos of people swimming; Dzieci biegają and Kobiety biegną, both above photos of young children and women running; and Oni chodzą and Dziewczynki idą, both above photos of people and young girls walking. What are the differences between the two verb forms in these examples?
I think this is at once the biggest advantage and the biggest disadvantage to the RS program. The Immersion method undoubtedly accelerates the pace at which you learn the vocabulary, but I have caught myself fondly remembering my Collins beginners program, where there was always a friendly translator on hand to tell you exactly what you were trying to say.