Answers
Jun 08, 2012 - 11:50 PM
I skip all of the microphone workouts too, as I don't have a microphone.
I think with German, it's probably ok to do this, so long as you're paying close attention to the pronunciation in the rest of the program.
I can't comment on them directly though, as I haven't tried the microphone workouts.
I find it really helps to speak out loud when using Fluenz, to get used to physically speaking German. I think it's worth doing this throughout each session.
Another tip, not related to pronunciation, but to learning in general, is to deconstruct every German sentence in the workouts.
Look for the nouns in each sentence, and say them aloud with their default definite article. (so if it says "meine Bank", say "die Bank") It's really useful for making sure you know the genders of every noun. (Make sure you're doing it from memory, "der" infront of a noun doesn't always mean that it's a male noun. Make sure you understand how the articles change depending on cases, gender, etc. before deducing the gender of a noun from the sentence alone.)
Then look at the words used, like "sein", "zur", etc. and make sure you understand why that word, and why that ending ("en", "e", "es", etc.) is being used there.
It'll take longer to get through each session doing this, but in the long run, I think it's really worth doing to help retain these rules that seem so alien at first.
Back on the subject of pronunciation, there are some fairly subtle aspects to German pronunciation, a few letters are pronounced very slightly differently to in English. "L" for example. Although it's hardly noticeable really, and you won't run into any problems if you pronounce these letters like you would in English.
My advice would really just be to pay as close attention as possible to the way each word sounds, and to how they sound when used more casually in a sentence. (For example, I believe "heute" is often pronounced "heut" in everyday speech) Overall German pronunciation is pretty straight forward once you know the basics.
Still though, I'd be interested in hearing what somebody who has used the microphone workouts thinks on the subject.
I think with German, it's probably ok to do this, so long as you're paying close attention to the pronunciation in the rest of the program.
I can't comment on them directly though, as I haven't tried the microphone workouts.
I find it really helps to speak out loud when using Fluenz, to get used to physically speaking German. I think it's worth doing this throughout each session.
Another tip, not related to pronunciation, but to learning in general, is to deconstruct every German sentence in the workouts.
Look for the nouns in each sentence, and say them aloud with their default definite article. (so if it says "meine Bank", say "die Bank") It's really useful for making sure you know the genders of every noun. (Make sure you're doing it from memory, "der" infront of a noun doesn't always mean that it's a male noun. Make sure you understand how the articles change depending on cases, gender, etc. before deducing the gender of a noun from the sentence alone.)
Then look at the words used, like "sein", "zur", etc. and make sure you understand why that word, and why that ending ("en", "e", "es", etc.) is being used there.
It'll take longer to get through each session doing this, but in the long run, I think it's really worth doing to help retain these rules that seem so alien at first.
Back on the subject of pronunciation, there are some fairly subtle aspects to German pronunciation, a few letters are pronounced very slightly differently to in English. "L" for example. Although it's hardly noticeable really, and you won't run into any problems if you pronounce these letters like you would in English.
My advice would really just be to pay as close attention as possible to the way each word sounds, and to how they sound when used more casually in a sentence. (For example, I believe "heute" is often pronounced "heut" in everyday speech) Overall German pronunciation is pretty straight forward once you know the basics.
Still though, I'd be interested in hearing what somebody who has used the microphone workouts thinks on the subject.
Jun 09, 2012 - 12:47 PM
It really helps me to compare my pronunciation with that of a native speaker of Italian, and hearing yourself from a recording is very different from just hearing yourself talk. I also find the microphone exercises quite fun!
Jun 20, 2012 - 10:01 AM
I do a little of both. I don't necessarily record my voice, but I do practice trying to match the flow of the sentences. Sometimes it's like trying to master a tongue twister! Mimicking the speed and diction of the speaker is sometimes trickier than I thought from just speaking the individual words or phrases from the workouts.
Jun 20, 2012 - 02:20 PM
I agree with them. Sometimes, I'm confident I can speak the Spanish words correcly since I practiced them throughout the rest of the sessions. When using the microphone, hearing myself allowed me to hear that it sounds like I'm trying to rush and speak as fast as the professionals and that causes me not to fully pronounce each word correctly. That taught me that I need to slow down and concentrate on taking my time and pronouncing the words correcly rather then trying to get ahead of myself. I know the speed will come later. I would recommend doing them.
Jun 20, 2012 - 10:56 PM
I think it's entirely dependent on your level. If you are reviewing words and sentences you are already familiar with than
I don't see any harm in skipping them.
I don't see any harm in skipping them.
Jul 05, 2012 - 02:07 AM
I think it's a good idea to use the microphone feature. It gets you speaking and to practice more care in pronunciation, and a sense experience of conversing.
Aug 31, 2012 - 07:16 AM
Don't skip the recording sessions. The practice is very important to developing your own ear for the language. Speak it as much as you can and try to do the language recording session without the words...This forces you to think of the response even if you know what you're suppose to say. You can even make up different responses... but a key to learning any language is speaking it, NOT just learning how to read/write it. It makes a huge difference in your results.
This is my first experience with Fluenz, which I find excellent, but not with a second language. (Japanese & Spanish if it matters). The Fluenz people emphasize speaking the language as much as possible, but they really should emphasize these tiny drills as being very important.
Good luck.
This is my first experience with Fluenz, which I find excellent, but not with a second language. (Japanese & Spanish if it matters). The Fluenz people emphasize speaking the language as much as possible, but they really should emphasize these tiny drills as being very important.
Good luck.