Do many people want to learn English?

I have started studying English for a long time; it does not mean I have considered it for all those years since I have begun it.

Since then, I have been hearing and reading people say they want or need to learn it. Preferably, they want it in a fast and easy way; they want it for yesterday. Some people, mainly millennials and Z generations, think that everything is similar to junk food they are used to eating in their everyday routine.

I know that as much young is a generation as much it is, and people suppose the world is waiting to be conquered by them. Who will tell them the truth? No worries; life is going to answer that question and many others else.

If someone is smart enough to reach the intermediate level in English or any other language in three years, it's a great achievement; it would be a quick process because I would say that I have been on that level for a time longer than that.

I assume that pressing need is not valid. I have taken part in many applications (apps) for learning languages, and I have been taking part in some social media groups for languages as well. Many people ask other participants to teach them to say the meaning of some words that a rapid looking at on a dictionary would clarify the questions.

I offered some pdf material to them; some even did not answer me; a few accepted them, but when I asked them if they were studying, they said they did not or had not had time to study. For a few of them, I have even said I could try to explain some points they have not understood, although I told them I am not an English or French teacher, but I was able to help a little at the beginning of their studies. Almost none has asked me some questions, and they have not persisted at least to show me any more questions.

Many others ask for language partners, but when their wishes meet interested learners, these do not have answers back, and when they begin it, they do not continue on the interchange. Some people who know a little of a foreign language commented the same story with me, the ones who have asked for help do not respond or disappear quickly after having accepted it.

Despite 898.4 million English speakers as a second language globally (1), I believe that most people who say to want to learn English are not saying their real intention.

I suppose most of them want it only on their words; they wish it as magic, a miracle. They are not willing to spend thousands of hours studying it to able to speak it at least in the intermediate stage, as an independent user, levels B1 and B2 (2); and much less to make efforts to be an advanced English speaker, as a proficient user, levels C1 and C2 (2).

It is not only language learning that demands efforts and time in life to be successful.   Jun 28th, 2020.

References

1. List of languages by total number of speakers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_total_number_of_speakers. [Date accessed 06/28/20].

2.  International language standards.   https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/cefr/#:~:text=About%20the%20Common%20European%20Framework%20of%20Reference%20for,C2%20for%20those%20who%20have%20mastered%20a%20language. [Date accessed 06/28/20].

A FLOR

             Num intervalo de aula passava próximo a uma árvore, vi uma flor e peguei-a, tinha a razoável forma de um copo, de bordas curvas e margeadas de amarelo, seu fundo, ou melhor a sua base era arredondada de um lado, tinha o pedúnculo oco no centro, por onde passavam uns filetes. 

            Tive vontade de oferecê-la a uma mulher que a merecesse — você — mas não pude fazê-lo no momento. 

            Entrei na capela e agradeci várias coisas, dentre elas a de poder estar com aquela flor sob o meu poder (prefiro: companhia) e a inspiração de admirá-la. 

            Subi para o andar que deveria, e lá do alto do edifício pensei em soltá-la, poderia pensar: que crueldade iria fazer; mas não o fiz, não por causa do ato, porque ela era tão leve que não sofreria uma escoriação sequer, mas por haver alguns seres retirando as folhagens do solo, que poderiam ficar perplexos diante de tal beldade, pensando até que fosse uma flor extra-terrena.

Como não intencionava interromper-lhes a tarefa, resolvi descrever o evento a alguém que tivesse sensibilidade o suficiente para querer ter vivido os instantes em que nos defrontamos, ou melhor, passamos unidos...                                                                                                    24/02/83  

How to improve your English reading and other skills

Reading is only the action of seeing graphical signals or emmit their correspondent sounds; on this occasion, it can be hard for someones to understand what they read in a loud voice. I assume that the appropriate expression for that would be “written comprehension”, which means to see graphical signals, which it’s commonly done in silence. In essence, it’s more effective to achieve a well-written comprehension, or in other words:  to understand what they mean.

Although to read in a loud voice is a great practice to exercise your speaking muscles and to improve your pronunciation, mainly while you use the Shadowing technic.

In a nutshell, reading is not the same as written comprehension, but it can happen simultaneously.

I think that all skills related to a language – no matter if it’s one’s mother tongue or a foreign language –  are essential, including grammar that is the base to speak good English.

I assume that the most crucial skill is the listening; my piece of advice is to practice it for 40% of the study time, 30%  for speaking, 20% for reading, 10% for writing, and always look up a grammar when necessary or once in a while to enhance your theoretical knowledge. Of course, that division is not something scientifically proved, and it's only a personal opinion, supported by my experience as a French and an English learner.

To improve your level in all skills, you should practice all of them. How do I practice those skills? The answer is in the question: practice them.

The best ways to begin to listen to a foreign language are songs, podcasts/áudio-books with transcripts. There are a lot of TED Talks (www.ted.com/talks) with transcripts.

To speak is to have an English partner. It’s hard to get one for free, in the main if you would like a native one.

I believe that language groups on social media don’t work; you lose a lot of your time because the majority of members chat by writing. If you invite someone to talk in private, they rarely accept, and when he agrees, it won't last for a long time. There are some sites where you can take language classes or even only talk, such as Italki (www.italki.com), Lingoda (www.lingoda.com), Cambly (www.cambly.com), Verbling (www.verbling.com), and some others.

I have experience only on Italki. I have been taking classes with tutors, on account of prices, I pay around US$ 10 for an hour class. Some are good, some are bad, including some are very bad. I can't understand why they're teaching, apparently because of money. In general, I recommend using Italki; you'll find some excellent tutors.

To read is the graded or child books. Then, when you consider you are on a reasonable level, you can read newspapers and magazines ( there are many of them online, and some parts of them are for free). For this item, you can decide if you want to read or to comprehend, it’s up to you.

 In the beginning, you won’t understand anything; almost of words will be unknown to you. No problem, don’t translate them, don’t look up all of them in a dictionary, establish a number of words per page to look up their meanings in an English/English dictionary.

Try as much as possible not to use your mother tongue. If you use an online dictionary, write the pronunciation of the word; and try to learn the IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which is a kind of weird symbols you’ll find between slashes. When you learn them, they will help you to know a new word pronunciation, and they should be beneficial.

To write, you should start writing short sentences of all types (affirmatives, interrogatives, and negatives). As time goes by, write longer phrases until you get to long texts, and after that, try to learn different genres of documents (letters, essays, and others).                                                                                               April 15th, 2020.

An uncommon day!

Today, February 16th, 2020 has been a different day.

I have wakened up early for Sunday standard, it happened at 7 in the morning, I have had my breakfast, and I went to the municipal market to have their typical cappuccino. When we arrived there, my mom said she didn’t feel like drinking a cappuccino because she still had the breakfast taste in her mouth, I have told her that she has agreed to have a cappuccino after our breakfast. As we got too early there, and the café was still closed we have strolled around for some time to look at shop windows before she has had a small cup I have had a big one.

If we reflect deeply, we can notice how coffee taste is not much better than its smelling, and it is unhealthy for many people, such as me: I can not have a cappuccino or a simple coffee everyday. Although I am aware it energizes many people during their everyday routines, maninly to not feel asleep in the periods of work or studies. Another point, how many employees a café should hire to serve its customer! In the small café, where we had been, I estimated they have have more than six employees. 

      Taking advantage of being in the market, I decided to buy some kinds of nuts that I love, for instance, cashew nut, Brazilian, walnut, baru nuts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipteryx_alata), dried plum, and granola. I know they provide us many calories, that is why I do not eat so much, their are delicious. I eat them in some different manners, including only them, with or without milk or yogurt, the only inconvenience is that I have to chew them more than if I eat them without anything else. I figure out how they are expensive, even the ones which are produced in Brazil.

Also, we went to a central handcrafted fair, but in fact, they sell many other things, for example, pastel (a kind of fried dough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastel_(food), coxinha (another sort of fried dough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coxinha), sugar cane juice. Some Brazilian people adore having pastel or coxinha with sugar cane juice.

About sugar cane, Brazil is the most significant world producer of it. Nevertheless, there are many others, for instance, India, China, Thailand, Pakistan, Mexico, and so on. I do not know if other people like sugar cane juice; it is delicious but not healthy to drink it so frequently, mainly for those who have diabetes due to its so high sugar content.

The weather was amazing to walk on the streets, it was cloudy; however, around 11 am the sun appeared too much strong, of course, I have used sun blocking, and I was wearing my Panama hat (I like hats and caps much). Unfortunately, I have not had my cellphone to take a picture and show how outstanding the day was.

I think my mom has decided to spend some money today; our cappuccinos were paid by her – she has lost a bet for me, the prize was to pay one cappuccino for the other). She has bought a kind of cap for her walking in the parks, two games for her grand-daughters, an overall for herself, and of course, she paid for our sugar cane juices. We bet on the lottery, but I paid our bets, the prize should be around USD 40 million for next Wednesday. Do you imagine that?

Then, it was unfair to prepare lunch at home or leave her to pay for our lunches after having spent a reasonable amount of money. We have been to a self-service buffet (it is a type of restaurant that we pay per weight, probably many of not Brazilian people do not know it). I have seen some only in some American cities, although they were not so common as in Brazil.

I am not sure why I was not hungry after midday, I have eaten about 300 grams; I usually eat a little more. Probably, it was because of a medium glass of sugar cane juice I had.

After this atypical day, I got tired at home, and I had many intellectual things to work on; however, I took a shower and slept almost all afternoon long.

I suppose it was fair to relax a little. I had been much busier in the last two years than the others, and I wanted to conclude my French language and literature course at the university in the previous December.