Intermediate / Advanced Learners of Polish. How do you improve your language?

Hello.

How do those of you who are intermediate/advanced learners of Polish continue to improve your language? Obviously once you have got past the basic/intermediate books that are available I find there is less material to keep you interested.

Annoyingly, I am not in a position to have private lessons at the moment so how are those of you who are self studying keeping yourself going? I try to watch Polish TV/films when I can, speak with Poles who live here (England-luckily there are loads around) and read polish news websites everyday, but I cannot measure my progress as I'm not doing any course and therefore don't feel I am getting anywhere.

I just tend to end up doing vocabulary lists (but this gets boring and ineffective) and only when I'm in Polska for holiday or so do I really start learning again.

Any ideas or inspiration would be great. Thanks.

What level are you at, using the European way of measuring your level, A1, A2 etc.?

Can you do all of the things in the descriptions for A1 to B1?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

Is it materials in English or Polish that are not availeable?

I suggest using skype for a language exchange/tandem lessons.

linguatrek.com - it's a Polish language related blog by an American who learned quite a great deal of Polish while in Poland - in a couple of entries he explains his method(s) - which includes books simultanously in Polish and English accompanied by an audiobook

thanks, ill have a look at that website. I think I'm about B1 level. There's not many decent books in English other than basic ones, I have Hurrah books, but these aren't much use unless you are with a teacher.

How do you work a language exchange lesson in terms? Do you speak in one language for the first half, then the other? What do you practice during the lesson?

livemocha.com
polish-grammar-bigos.com

I wonder if these would be any use for you?

I think that you have to chat with a lot of people until you find someone who suits you and that you can learn with. I used to do half and half, although it is hard work being the teacher after being the student or vica versa, it is 50% more work and 50% more time which isn't easy, languages are hard enough to learn, I found it hard to be interested in someone else's work also, I am sure that they found it hard listening to me also. It depends on the people really, it could work great or not at all.

Hello

I suggest to learn with a native teacher.
Online lessons, learn Polish from the comfort of your home.

VISIT: learnpolish-online

Merged:

Polishing my Polish

Hi,

I've just joined this forum and this is my first post.

I'm from England but born from Polish parents and was brought up speaking Polish and manage to get by (to some extent) speaking Polish in Poland, but I would like to improve.

How do I find out how good my Polish is and what is the best way to improve it?

Watching Polish movies with POLISH-language subtitles is for me the very best way!

Since your Polish basically sucks (A LOT!) after many years I don't think it's a good advertisement to your way of language learning... I actually think you should refrain from advertaising it as a good way of learning the language...

@Lyzko

Not very scientific way of assessing you own capabilities is it?

Bolek, you might see how you do on these

kurspolskiego.pl/pl/Testy_on-line

Many thanks for the suggestion.

Nevertheless, learning a language as an adult by seeing, rather than merely hearing, what is being said, is an acknowledged invaluable aid in language acquisition!

I learned Polish primarily IN Polish (not to mention German, as my teacher was bilingual Pole of Austrian birth with scant English knowledge), aided in large part by watching classic Polish movies with Polish subtitles. This is rather like a child learning to ride a bicycle (or even a unicycle) by at first using a tricycle until they feel more confident.

Of course, as with learning any language, the quality or standard of the films being used for language training, that is, for instructional purposes, must be vetted carefully first, before the student be permitted to watch:-)