I’ve been progressing well, but slowly, in learning Greek. It is a good pace for me, since sitting and memorizing crap nonstop makes me want to poke my eyes out in an Oedipal rage. Now I realize that some things will need to be memorized, but looking at lists of endings and conjugations and pronouns is akin to looking at some kind of weird modern art, I just don’t get it. It is much easier to learn by practice, and when you see something enough you began to memorize it without really thinking about it.
I’ve been feeling pretty cocky lately as I realize I’m finally getting the hang of it. Remembering how to spell everything for my “quizzes” is much easier when you realize what endings are required for nouns and verbs and whatnot. As I prepared my “homework” for today’s lesson I felt good. I was declining nouns (is that what you say, decline nouns? I’m pretty sure you don’t conjugate them) and knew all my endings and was prepared for my lesson. Imagine my horror when reciting proudly to my mother-in-law and she looked at me sadly and said “no, I’m sorry, that’s not correct.” $*(%*!(%$)#$(#! irregular words. Irregular nouns and verbs should die in a fire.
My confidence shaken, I proceeded to recite the rest of the lesson carefully, suddenly unsure of myself again. Picking up on my distress, my mother-in-law looked at me and said “Is ok. Greek grammar…is difficult. Eh. It will come”.
She is right. It will come. But I still have a long road ahead.
5 comments:
Kalo kouragio!!! I'm sure you're doing fine - the secret is to TALK TALK TALK - don't worry about what people think. Also singing along (with the lyrics in front of you) with greek music that you like will help. It makes your tongue practice the sounds and is more fun than studying grammar!!
Just wait until you get to the 5th grade "blue book" of grammar - your husband will remember what I'm talking about! Take care!
irregulars, before dying in a fire, should be dragged around by their irregular little toes face-down on a very regular sandy beach. yea, and then the fire.
honey may be the force be with you. i'm doing ok in Italian, but i cannot imagine learning a language whose alphabet resembled geometric shapes and horseshoes. give yourself break girl!
Good for you Mel that you're sticking with it! You will get the hang of it and don't get hung up on being perfect or you'll never utter a word from your mouth in Greek. I make mistakes left, right and centre but I make myself understood and that's what keeps me talking. My biggest help in learning Greek was movie subtitles. Once I see a word spelled, I remember it. I need to hear something 100 times before I commit it to memory. If you heard me speak my mutated Greek, you'd feel so much better. LOL
I feel for you. I remember going through all this myself. Still, the best thing is, as Katerina says, to talk as much as posssible.
learning a language is closer to learning to play a musical instrument or playing a sport. Theory is all well and good, but is useless without practice.
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
I'm just the type of person who always picks up on things quickly - but apparently that doesn't go for languages too. =p
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