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My Urdu Experience Today Hi, today I went to a Pakistani restaurant to buy nan while I was in Manhattan. Standing there, waiting online, I was debating whether to speak in Urdu or English. I consider that if I don't speak in Urdu, then it makes all of the effort I put into learning less meaningful, so despite feeling nervous, I order in Urdu. I can speak very well, and had no problem communicating myself elaborately. After saying what I needed to say in Urdu, the man behind the counter, looking as uninterested and unengaged as possible, avoiding eye contact, simple asks, "to go?"; I answer. And that was it. I felt humiliated as he made me feel like an idiot, not showing any appreciation or admiration for someone who obviously is not Pakistani, trying to assimilate in the culture through language. My wife suggested that he may have thought I was Pakistani, but actually this isn't an isolated incident. Whether I could hardly say anything and trying to speak or nearly fluent and trying to speak, the majority of Pakistanis I have encountered were not the least bit interested in humoring me by showing interest in the effort I have put in. Does anyone want to comment on this? Perhaps someone else has had a similar experience feeling discouraged?
March 18, 2016
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Kevin Reinstein's iTalki Language Challenge New Year 2016 Public Pledge Here is my pledge. Comment with any suggestions. Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5FUQG0l-Zk
February 4, 2016
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Kevin Reinstein's iTalki Language Challenge New Year 2016 Public Pledge Here is my pledge. Comment with any suggestions. Thanks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5FUQG0l-Zk
February 1, 2016
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Forgetting my native language

Hello,

 

I have noticed, in my journey to master Hindi/Urdu and learn Italian and Arabic, a phenomenon in which I have been forgetting words in English, my native language.

 

I have always prided myself on an elaborate vocabulary but recently, I just can't think of certain words that I would have awhile ago. Yesterday I could not think of the word 'paradox', and today I could not think of 'appraisal.'

 

Has anyone else experienced this while learning a new language or since become a second-language learner in general?

 

December 26, 2015
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This content violates our Community Guidelines.December 3, 2015
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Some simple Italian questions Hi, I have been learning Italian for a week strictly using Pimsleur. I am now using 'Teach Yourself' in order to learn how to say the same thing different ways. However, it doesn't explain the difference: What is the difference between Arrivederci and Arrivederla? Also, what is the difference between bambino and ragazzo? If I say the sentence, "Questo e nostro figlio," do I add "il" making it "Questo e il nostro figlio"? Is one correct or does it not make a difference? I look forward to asking more questions. Thanks for any help.
November 2, 2015
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Limiting the time of your language learning?

Hello, 

 

I am going to be in Italy for a few days and am trying to learn as much as possible before I go. Many learning materials, such as Teach Yourself and Pimsleur, suggest to only do one lesson a day so that you don't overwhelm yourself. I have even seen some teachers say that they recommend only 30 minutes sessions because your mind will wander. Perhaps this is only for beginners, but this contradicts the idea that immersion is the best way to learn.

 

Obviously, you will never become a polyglot at this speed. I spend the good part of my day either listening to lessons or speaking with native speakers, and still I am somewhat disappointed with my progress. I take anywhere between 1-3 lessons a day on italki and can't imagine how someone taking only 1 lesson a week can make any real progress.

 

Does anyone have a time limit for their daily studies? Do you exhaust yourself if you spend too much time studying? Do you feel like if you spend too much time studying, it is actually counterproductive? 

 

Please share your thoughts!

October 31, 2015
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New York City MTA Sab log har jagah New York City men rel gari se jate hai. Rel gari bahut tez aur susti hai. Kabhi kabhi, ek faqir ya beghar admi rel gari men soga. Asal men, aksar jab ek beghar admi rel gari men sota hai, vo bahut badboo hai aur koi nahin us bogi men jate hai. jab yeh hui, pulis aege. Is lie keh jab koi rel gari men sota hai, yeh bahut sangeen jerm hai. All people in NYC go everywhere by train (subway). Trains are very fast and inexpensive. Sometimes, a begger or homeless man will sleep on the train. In fact, sometimes, when a homeless man sleeps on a train, he smells very bad and no one will go in that train-car. When this happens, police come. This is because when someone is sleeping on a train, it is a serious crime.
February 26, 2015
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Memorizing the pronunciation of words

Because one difficulty of any language learner is memorizing the correct pronunciation, I thought of an idea to memorize vocabulary by words that rhyme based on a word the learner knows in confidence. 

 

Has anyone else used this method to memorize pronunciation? 

February 7, 2015
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My idea for memorizing pronunciations One of my troubles when learning Urdu is memorizing the proper pronunciation. When I speak to my wife, if I pronounce a word slightly wrong, she doesn't know what I am talking about. It's one thing to make flash cards for vocabulary and memorize words that way, but how can you learn the correct pronunciation by reading something? It came to me the other day that if there is a word I know with great confidence, If I learn words that rhyme with it, I will understand the pronunciation better! Can any Urdu speakers provide me with words that rhyme? I would greatly appreciate it.Nazahat, thank you for your response. I would say I know a very significant amount of Urdu words, far too many to list, but far more 1 or 2-syllable words than 3+ syllable words. To give you a start, we can try interrogative words (kya, kab, kaun, etc.), basic verbs without -na, as all verbs already rhyme (hojana, banana, pakana, etc.), most adjectives (mushkil, khubsurat, bewaquf, etc.) I will take whatever you can offer, since as long as I am able to learn one word's pronunciation, it will help me to remember anything that rhymes with it. Again, thank you very much!
February 7, 2015
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