this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
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I'm looking for an app or website to help my so improve her English.

We looked at Duolingo earlier (as I've used it before for learning a bit of Greek) but it does not support English to English courses. This is a problem as our native language is as obscure as it gets.

Do you have any recommendations? It would be awesome if the service was as gamelike as Duolingo.

This is my first post on Lemmy, I hope I'm not in the wrong community.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I fully agree with you about having real conversations with real people. The thing is, you need some confidence before being able to speak the language, especially to native speakers. And for some people that comes with a bit of practice by themselves. Thats what I find apps like Duolingo help with.

[–] reality_boy 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I fully understand how scary it is to try to talk to someone in a language your just learning. I’m shy and hate talking period! But it is one of those things where you have to allow yourself to make a fool of yourself.

Trust me, most people are very happy you are trying to learn there language and will be exited by anything you can produce. If you do find someone who is rude or offended by it, give them up as a bad job and shake it off. And never be embarrassed to say “I don’t understand”. We assume the people who know the answers are the smart ones, but the people who admit they still need to learn are in fact the geniuses.

Besides, unless your using Google translate, then your English comprehension is plenty good enough. It is time to face your fears and make a fool of yourself. The rewards are worth it!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Thank you for the kind wodrs. Sadly I'm not looking for an app for myself but for my girlfriend.

I got my BA in the UK years ago, and I've made a fool of myself plenty of times, both culturally and linguistically. And you're absolutely right, it really is the only way to properly learn a language.