Language learning progress

[regshoe]

I have recently completed the Swedish language tree (det svenska trädet, as one of the final exercises reminds me) on Duolingo! This is an accomplishment, and I feel quite pleased with myself. I can do the pluperfect and sometimes even the subjunctive and I know lots of bird names and other words.

As for what I'm doing next, Duolingo has various additional bits—practice exercises of the vocabulary and grammar already introduced—which I'm still working through, and then I'm reading and watching/listening to things and trying to improve my vocabulary, a slow process. I am still a very long way from actual fluency, but I am definitely improving—reading a not-too-complicated story, I can usually get the basic sense of a paragraph on the first try, and find myself looking words up more to check their precise meaning than to figure out the basics of what's going on at all. Listening is harder—currently my comprehension of simple sentences with familiar words is at the level of English when my auditory processing is playing up, and I still get lost with anything much more complicated, but again my ability to follow the general sense of things is improving.

(I'm also starting to be able to recognise the features of different Swedish accents, which is kind of fun—although I still have very little idea which is which!).

At the moment I'm watching a documentary series on SVT about Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden, and the people who live and work around it—a lot of beautiful scenery and fascinating stories, and I'm really enjoying it. I recently came across a seasonal rec for a Swedish version of Jesus Christ Superstar and have been listening to a few of the songs today—this looks like great fun, and I think I'll watch the whole thing sometime.

At some point I will try to acquire an actual book (a children's book with fairly simple language, I think, possibly something by Astrid Lindgren) and start reading and just see how it goes. I probably can read quite a lot faster than I actually am reading at the moment, since I don't need to look words up and make notes as much as I do to make sure of things, so it's difficult to know exactly how far from being able to do that I am. Perhaps I shall just plunge in at some point.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Go, you!

[regshoe]

Thank you :D

[friendofthejabberwock]

Congratulations!

[regshoe]

Thank you!

[edwardianspinsteraunt]

Wooooo!! Congrats on finishing the Duolingo tree :D I can definitely relate to being nitpicky while reading in a foreign language-- it's so tempting to just look everything up! I know several language learners who are much better at the whole spontaneous immersion thing, and I have no idea how they do it, honestly :P

[regshoe]

Thank you :D I mean, I want to make sure I'm getting the right sense—my 'hmm, that sounds like it means __' guesses are not always right! I might try more reading in one go then looking things up afterwards, and see if that's a bit smoother.

[starshipfox]

That's impressive! I don't know anyone else who's got to the end of Duolingo. I hope you find some more resources to help you develop your Swedish.

[regshoe]

Thank you :) I think the Swedish course is fairly basic compared to some of the others—it's not the most popular second language for English speakers!—but it feels like a good achievement, and will hopefully be a reasonable base for further development.

[luzula]

Oh, that's cool! Congratulations. Well, you can get a Swedish children's book and I can answer questions about it during train rides? Quicker than looking things up, perhaps... : )

The bird names will be useful, too, since I'm not at all good at bird names in English (I have to look up everything except simple ones like raven, gull, eagle, etc).

[regshoe]

Thank you! And thanks for the offer—I'm sure it will be :)

I don't suppose you know of any good Swedish online bookshops that ship to the UK, do you? I've been having a look around today and struggling to find anything. Or I suppose ebooks will be easier to get hold of.

And I shall make sure to learn the names of all the interesting birds in the Highlands... :D

[luzula]

Re: online bookshops, I asked antisoppist who is a Swedish-English translator living in England, here is her answer:

With difficulty :-(

I used to use Bokus but since Brexit they have stopped delivering to the UK.
https://help.bokus.com/guide/bokus-delivers-to-the-following-countries?category=frakt-and-leverans

I don't know if any other online retailers might manage it.

I tend to go there and buy them myself but that hasn't been possible for a while due to Brexit. Can you post her some? Sorry this is a depressing answer!

I can totally post you something, if you tell me what you want. How about Ronja Rövardotter? : ) If you want to tackle some Selma Lagerlöf, you can find her stuff online here, but that might be harder.

[regshoe]

Oh dear—curse Brexit >:( I'll keep an eye on Bokus—it does say they're 'constantly reviewing the possibility of resuming exports to the UK', so fingers crossed they manage to sort it out.

However—that's a very kind offer! Would you? I remember you recommending Ronja Rövardotter a while ago, and was in fact just thinking of getting that one :) Yes, I think Selma Lagerlöf will be one to try when I'm a bit more fluent...

[luzula]

I'll send you my copy, then! : ) I don't feel like I need to own it. And I already have your address.

[regshoe]

Thank you very much :) And yes, it's still the same address.

[scintilla10]

Oooh, congrats! Love that you're starting to understand accents - that's so cool. Good luck with the children's book reading. :D

[regshoe]

Thank you! :D