Today we worked on those verbs that have être as an auxilary and the concordences. I know that doesn't mean much to anybody, but it's hard.
The thing is that I'm sitting there, making hundreds, maybe thousands of mistakes an hour. Really only hundreds? Okay. Hundreds. HUNDREDS. Of mistakes in an hour.
There were times today when I wanted to yell at my teacher. When I wanted to get up and walk out. When I wanted to put my head down on the table and cry.
I fucking hate making mistakes.
I don't even try anymore. Sad sack that I am ... no language profile & on the bottom wrung on the government ladder. And there is NO WAY in hell they will ever get me on a french course .. (not that our director ever lets anybody below management level go on any courses anyway).
ReplyDeleteBut hey that's life in the NCR isn't it? (and I swear there are more "english essential" government positions on the other side of the river than here ... true story!)
But keep plugging away & maybe book that flight to Paris .. at least they speak real french & not frenglish there.
Goog luck!
Yes, It's definitely life in the NCR, and look, we have a secret code which only the insiders understand. I have Bs, but would do much better with Cs.
DeleteAnd I'm really thinking about Paris. Or Nice.
Thanks for the comments!
-sin
OMG, I feel your pain, and everybody in my house thinks I'm nuts! I hate hate hate hate making mistakes. Sigh. Sometimes, i think that hatred makes learning a painful process...
ReplyDeleteI hope that it all clicks soon!
Making mistakes is incredibly stressful. I know I have to make mistakes to learn, but it would be way easier not to do either.
Delete-sin
Maybe you need a french dominatrix with clover clamps and a riding crop to get your attention....
ReplyDeleteMick
Maybe I do - you aren't offering yours are you?
Delete-sin
For what it's worth, I find French to be miserably hard -- I just can't file it right in my head, so I am constantly screwing it up. I actually found Greek to be much easier than French, which I think says something...
ReplyDeleteSo, to my mind, those aren't "dumb mistakes" but genuine struggles with something that is quite difficult.
(and I'm with lil on the effects of hatred...)
Thanks Jz, it IS hard. And I'm not taking Spanish or Greek next btw.
Delete-sin
I took it in college for some g-d unknown reason after 4 years of Spanish in HS.
ReplyDeleteI struggled so much with it and still have nightmares. My brain could not turn off the Spanish to understand the French which is so complicated. Sorry for your pain!!
Maybe you should write this blog in French? :)
PS- My son is in Honor Chinese- go figure. Not sure how he does it.. .Kids!
~faithful
Funny, my kid took Russian...
Deletelanguage is a strange thing
ReplyDeletethere's a period of time when you're just memorizing words - and you start to get better
and then
there's this point
where you stop translating
and you start to think -- at least a little bit
in the language
and you sudden really start to suck and make mistakes -- your brain looks in the file cabinet filled with verbs and participles and indirect objects and comes out with a banana.
it's part of the process
your brain will adapt
and it will get better.
i can't think of anything more horrific than trying to learn a new language. Everyone's brain works differently, though...I have a handful of spanish words in my head, from when I used to work in an office...but they are mostly faded now...you have my complete sympathy...and admiration. Okay, you're making mistakes...but you are brave enough to do the learning in the first place, and are learning (even when it feels you aren't.)...maybe an "intensive" class was like jumping into the deep end and learning to swim by desperation? You're a smart woman...I'm sure there will be an "ah-HA" moment when you suddenly grasp the rosetta stone and get it. Besides, you're tenacious as hell.
ReplyDeletenilla