Lets Get Started!

Hi everyone - This thread is a request from several members that want to get to know other language learners. While we have several things in the pipeline to help with just such interactivity, this thread will get us started! I am Jason the CEO of Rocket Languages and my language fascination is with French in particular. I just love Paris (and the rest of France) and have always found that the reputation for disdain that some Parisians accord foreigners is totally undeserved... if you make an attempt to speak French! I look forward to hearing about your language learning journey!

Hi Jason, We've chatted on several occasions. I just wanted to say i'm reading the book you recommended, "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. Very Interesting! I'm not through it yet, but it seems to me like the concept of "Deep Practice" is embodied very nicely in the "Hear It/Say It" and "Know It" exercises. Since the new release, I've gone back to review and am spending hours each lesson on those sections recording and repeating until I remember the phrase and it sounds right. I think it's working. My wife listening to me practice said I sound like a real German. What's more, I watched a movie last week with a lot of German dialogue and, for the first time, I was understanding much of it. Previously, I had great difficulty understanding speech even though I knew the written words. Now, it's beginning to come to me. Very gratifying! BTW, I am greatly impressed with your many certifications. I've found it to be useful to read what successful people read. I've studied German off and on since my college days (many years ago) without ever getting much beyond the very basics. Now, I feel like I'm making real progress and I'm determined to achieve a functional level of fluency for no other reason than to see if I can do it. regards, Byron

Saludos a todos, Jason is fascinated with French, Byron is determined with German, and I hope for Spanish to be my second language. Rocket Spanish is one of my tools and I enjoy reading and participating in these forums. ¡Bien hecho a Jason!

Hi Patrice, I'm sure you can do it. I'm still reading the book Jason recommended above when I'm not doing Rocket German, The book, for me, is kind of a bad news, good news scenario. The bad news is that it seems to affirm that there is no easy way to get really good at anything. It requires thousands of hours of practice. (Forget the learn a language in 10 days pitches), The good news part is that with proper practice and motivation, ordinary people can do some really remarkable things and that while you can't rule out genetics completely, people learn skills rather than being born with certain innate abilities. Anyway, I like the forums too. Stay in touch. regards, Byron.

Greetings, I am new at rocket language and I'm already fascinated by the greatness of this source for higher learning. And as Byron rightly said, with proper practice and motivation, the limit is sky high! Regards, Sara

Hi Patrice, Sara (and Byron) - Welcome aboard! Byron, I think my big takeaway from The Talent Code was that a small amount of focused practice everyday is the best way to go. Even if, for example, its just using "Hear it Say it" or "Know it" on one lesson per day, in the long run that will be far more beneficial than, say, having a 3hr session once per week. All the best with your language learning!

Hello Hernan G Dude, slow down! You are blowing us away. Seriously, congratulations on your efforts..

Hello, I love Rocket Language Spanish. My mom and her side of the family speak Spanish. I should know it by now but I don't. I am learning so much so fast. I am also having a lot of fun. My mom and her friends are pushing me to learn Spanish. I can't wait till I can actually speak fluently with them.

HELLO ALL Rocket spanish is the best when i first started spanish seemed hard and alien at times but now that i finish the first two program and on to the third .Now i fell every thing is starting to fall into place the points system help me to finish the second program in record time and i did not cut any corners except the( know it )sections not braging but i am one of the top point holder ,now i think i need to slow my roll a bit and tackle the know it sections my main focus is to get to basic fluency not earn point although it ts helping me

I agree with that approach Jamaal. You can get through the lessons much faster and gain points quickly if you skip the Know It, but the Know It, really helps gain fluency in my opinion and that is my, and probably most people's, primary goal.

byron i read alot of your post and you make some good points . "They say you have to go back to go ahead sometimes " well that's just what i am going to do after i finish the platium level

Hi, I am taking German, and I actually lived with my ex-husband in Germany for a year in the mid 1980's. He taught for the University of Maryland European Division on US Air Force & Army bases as a contract civilian. I am horrible at languages, so I let him do most of the talking. My favorite phrase was "Mien Deutsch its nicht so gut." I'd like to go back to Germany one day, and be able to get by on my own. I just took the "What kind of learner are you?" and I'm split between visual and auditory learner. I read everything I can get my hands on, and I'm a singer, so songs are always going around in my head!

Hi Cathy - Guten tag and welcome aboard!

Hello everyone. What an encouraging group you are. I enjoyed reading all your comments. I have a question. Although I am taking the Spanish beginner level right now, I'd like to figure out which French level I should be in. I took the test for level one and got 94% I don't want to pay for the intermediate level only to find I should be in the advanced. any advice?

Hi Leslie, I'll give you my input. I had a year and a half college German (a long time ago) and I took the first couple levels of Rosetta Stone before taking Rocket German. I was able to get through the first level of Rocket German very quickly and, like you, scored well on the tests without too much practice. However, even though I knew much of material in level 1 (Premium) , I found I was learning more and I went ahead with the next level, Premium Plus, and then Platinum. By the time I was a couple of lessons into Premium Plus, I discovered I was learning a lot of new things and solidifying things that I had pretty much already known. So, I would personally recommend not skipping Level 2. I think you'll get your money's worth and it will position you better for the advanced (Platinum) level. regards, Byron

Hi All. My name is Sandy. I'm just starting on my new adventure of learning German. Back in my high school days, I took French and Portuguese. While I still find French to be the most beautiful of all languages, unfortunately, I don't recall much of what I learned all those years ago. Honestly, I hadn't given much thought to attempting to learn a new language again, but my daughter has fallen in love with Germany. She declared German as her major in college and intends to move there when she graduates. So....I now have decided to learn German also. I look forward to spending many enjoyable times visiting Germany in the future. I definitely know I will LOVE drinking the beer there :)

Hi Sandalyn, Genieß die Kurse. (Wir neigen dazu informelle hier im Forum. Ich hoffe du hast nichts dagegen.) Ja, Deutsche bier ist sehr gut! Gruss. Byron

Hi everyone, I'm John and I started with Rocket Spanish a couple of years ago. I took a break for about 6 months, and about 8 months ago I really started in earnest again. I have all three levels of Rocket Spanish, and am just about to complete the second (Premium Plus) level. I have been going a bit slower now, and writing notes along the way. Just recently I decided to go back thru the first course and do of the Hear It and Know It parts, as I really only did a portion of that the first time through. I'm surprised at how much I missed along the way, as there are lots of little tidbits to be found along the way in my review. My project now is to review everything in the first two courses, so that I will be better prepared for the Platinum course. When I first started the "Know It" section was not available, so the review accounts for all of the points I have now. Anyway, I have really been enjoying the courses, and am sometimes totally shocked when I realized how much I have learned. I'm looking forward to getting into the subjunctive mood, and other advanced learning available in the final course. This has really been a great adventure for me, and I can't imagine that there could possibly be a better set of courses out there (at least I'm not willing to experiment and find out). Now I go to Hulu and watch all the Spanish language movies!

Dankeschön Byron, I had fun translating your post. No prob at all about the informality. I think German will be a perfect fit for me :) Gruss, Sandy

Hi John - Glad to hear that you have gotten back into learning Spanish! Hi Sandy - Best of luck with Rocket German!

Hi John, Your approach sounds a bit like mine. I didn't take a total break, but I didn't hit it very hard either spending only a couple of hours a month. Since the new release I've been averaging at least an hour per day, and like you, I'm reviewing all of my premium and premium plus before I move on to the platinum. The Know It really does show you what you thought you knew but really didn't.

hey everyone, so i'm feeling quite the newbie here. Apart from the fact that I just joined, the language i'm learning also seems rare i,e - japanese. I'm totally in love with the country and its intriguing culture and plan to visit it sometime soon!!! I'm in the habit of using the few stray words that I had picked up from here and there everywhere I go....... and needless to say it pisses my friends as they can't understand a thing. Hence I've decided to learn it quickly & speak like an expert so that I can move to Japan as soon as it is humanly possible!!! I look forward to my lessons and till now I've been having fun :) regards... bidita

Welcome aboard! I've been having a blast with my Spanish lessons, and often manage to surprise myself with how much I have learned. Now that I'm in the Platinum course I find that I am slowing down quite a bit, as they are speaking much faster and there are a ton of new words (which are good, in spite of it being a bit more difficult). Best of luck on your new language!

Hi everybody I'm new to the Rocket French lessons. I've been trying to learn it on my own for awhile but thought it would be helpful to try some real lessons. I find I have been learning the different aspects at different paces. I can read better than I can speak and understand what I hear better than I can write. I have a friend from Quebec that I practice speaking with which is very helpful but because I have not spent much time focusing on writing, I find it a little difficult to take part in the forums. My French spelling sucks!

Welcome aboard Terry! I hope that Rocket French will fill in a few of the gaps for you!

Darf ich mich vorstellen Ich heiße Donald Horne aber meine Freunde nammen mich Don. Ich komme auf Neuseeland, Ich wohne in Nelson. Ich bin siezig Jahre alt. Warun Deutsch lernen? Mein sohn hat eine deutsche Frau so wir haben deutsche Enkelkinder. Mein lessen is OK, mein schreiben ist so so aber mein Sprechen und verstehen sind schlecht. In diesem Programm, warum sprechen die Menschen so schnell?

Too many comments,can't read'em all

ahlan wa sahlan! I'm studying Arabic and Chinese at the same time and find that I don't get them mixed up. I guess because they are so different.

Hey,I speak chinese!你好！

My interest in deep practice is whetted and I will likely buy and read the book. But until then, I would like some information on how deep practice is applied to learning a language. I see many references online to physical practice-greatly slowing down and repeating movements perfectly until the movement is ingrained, but not so much about mental practice. thanks, Dan

The book focused more on physical practices, playing an instrument or sport more so than purely mental activity. It seemed to me, in retrospect, the book was about activities that involve muscle memory, i.e. getting the body to do things without the brain really thinking about it. Does that also apply to learning a language? Maybe, I'm not sure. There was also a lot of technical discussion about how the brain works which I glossed over although I'm sure many will find it interesting. For me, it reinforced two things which I suppose I already knew, but needed to be reminded. One is that it takes many hours to learn to do anything very complicated and that certainly includes learning a language. It is the old adage of practice makes perfectly. The "learn to speak like a native in 6 weeks" advertisements are simply false. It won't happen. The encouraging part of the book is that with many hours of practice, a person can do amazing things. Skills are learned versus something people are born with. I like to think I'm building muscles in my brain or something like that. In any case it was an interesting read and in electronic format, not very expensive.

I speak German and Spanish but am working on Arabic and Chinese. I find them fascinating and the only trouble is that I don't find many people who speak Arabic and Chinese. Can you recommend any simple books that use these languages that can help my learning?

Hola todos! Soy de Nigeria y yo hablo ingles bene. Estoy apprendiendo arabiya, deutsche, espanol y francais - pero no me hablo mucho. Me gusta del otras lingos para es como musica por mi. Oh well, that's the best I can manage at the moment. Back to my French lessons now. :-)

I was introduced to Rocket Languages through 'Genki English':- http://genkienglish.net/teaching/why-language-classes-dont-work/ :- https://www.rocketlanguages.com/japanese/images/j6day_box.jpg This weekend I’ve also been looking at Rocket Languages. They’ve got free trials on at the moment for Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish & German which sound interesting. Despite the way too long sales pages I’m thinking of trying the Chinese one. But I’m not sure if it will be worth the time invested as I’ve never tried this system before. Have any of you tried them? Or would you care to try them out and let me know how you get on? This was the URL for the Chinese Hyperlink:- http://genkijpn.rchinese.hop.clickbank.net/?type=nohop I signed up for the Free 6 Day Trail on this webpage:- https://www.rocketlanguages.com/chinese/ I liked the Rocket - Chinese, so I decided to sign up for the Special Promo:- http://order.rocketlanguages.com/chinese-special-promotion Rocket Chinese Premium Online/Download Version + Free Rocket Chinese Survival Kit Amount: $69.95 http://order.rocketlanguages.com/chinese-special-promotion Upgrade Option: ADD JUST $149.95 for Rocket Chinese Premium Plus (Level 2). Check the box to include in your order! Click here for course upgrade details. What you will get in Rocket Chinese Premium Plus (Level 2): An extra 32 Interactive Audio lessons, with more advanced conversations that you can take part in to become a more confident Chinese speaker. Another 7 practical topics to extend your Chinese vocabulary and improve your Chinese fluency. You will cover travel, getting set up in China, when things go wrong, relationships, business, celebrations, and socializing! An extra 31 Language and Culture lessons to help you speak Chinese more naturally. These lessons will strengthen your understanding of how the language works, and give you more insights into a wide variety of situations you're likely to encounter. Even more advanced quizzes and self-tests, so you can see how much your Chinese has improved. Just tick the box to get instant access to this incredible Rocket Chinese course combination! I did NOT tick the Box to Order 'Rocket Chinese Premium Plus (Level 2)' for an extra $149.95. For some Reason ClickBank processed my Order with payment via my HSBC Credit Card but there was an Invoice for 'Rocket Chinese Premium Plus (Level 2)' but only for an extra $69.95! I am not sure I am ready for Level 2 when I only just started with the FREE Trail and subscribed to 'Rocket Chinese Premium Online/Download Version + Free Rocket Chinese Survival Kit'? Still Rocket Language supposedly offer a Money Back Guarantee, so presumably if I don't want/need or consider Level 2 worth just $69.95, I can ask for it to be refunded after taking a look at it (rather than requesting a refund before even looking at it? I am starting my 2nd year as a Native Oral English Teacher in China. Last academic year was in Mianyang, Sichuan. Although there were free Mandarin Lessons offered, one had to travel to Chengdu at the weekend to take advantage of such. This year it is in Zhuzhou, Hunan, and no offer of Free Mandarin Lessons to the best of my knowledge currently? I do however want to make a lot more effort at learning how to understand and speak 'Putonghua' (Mandarin). Hopefully Rocket Chinese will help me achieve this. Not sure if I will be able to get to grips with reading, let alone mastering how to write Chinese? At 58 years old, it may be a case of "Unable to teach an old dog new tricks!"? David, in Zhuzhou

Hello Everyone, I am new and joined because my wife is from China and she wants me to speak Chinese as well as I speak French and English. So far I really like Rocket Chinese. It is great being among others that love to learn languages. To see more about me go to me website at www.renbrewster.com

Hello Ren, Welcome to Rocket Languages. I've finished the Chinese and Arabic courses and have now started the Japanese course. I already speak German and Spanish fluently. Studying languages is obviously my love.

Hi all... and to Byron... I do think that learning languages in a disciplined (but fun) way such as RL is indeed exercise for the brain. As I wrote in another post on a different topic, I studied German for four years in college... but since that time I thought I had forgotten more than I ever learned. However, those words and phrases and meanings must still have been there, because I am picking it up (again) much more quickly than in college (and I have a relatively "old" brain!). The muscle memory has to get worked as well, as forming of sounds unique to foreign languages means you need to get used to new ways of making those sounds... I know that my pronunciation has improved vastly by using the record/playback feature here, so I get fairly quick results with that instantaneous feedback. I'm planning on a trip in 2014 to Germany so I want to be as good at the language as possible. I'm still rusty as can be, but I started RL about a month and a half ago, and although I haven't been completely consistent, I've been studying an average of about 4 days a week. I just "discovered" the vocabulary feature, which is handy as there are a few words that just escape me... when they're highlighted and I can easily look at the definition and my learning tips... it's great! Another thing that I think has helped me is that I've been doing the Lumosity exercises for a while now. I truly believe that THOSE "brain exercises" are helping me with my mental acuity... they work on memory, speed, attention, problem-solving, and flexibility... and I've felt a distinct improvement in most of those areas. Apparently doing new things (like learning a new language) is a challenge to the mind that we need as humans to keep sharp. The word and phrase games here are somewhat similar to what Lumosity does. (if a little more carpal-tunnel-inducing!) I design e-Learning for a living (training adult learners in soft and technical skills mostly) so I really enjoy seeing how this site and the lessons are put together... and how they work. So far, they seem to work quite well. Anyway... glad to be here and finally hit the forum!

Hi kathleen, Enjoy your trip! I'm sure you will and I'm sure you will discover RG to be very helpful. regards, Byron

Hi Kathleen, Pimseleur course may be a big additional help to learning German quickly. I use it in addition to my Mandarin Rocket course and feel it is quite good. It uses only spoken language and it repeats and drives in the language. Have a good trip!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I really like this Rocket program and I agree with Kathleen because I'm a Pimseleur Patriot (French, Italian German and Russian) and I just bought Chinese 2 to compliment Rocket. I was so happy to find Rocket Languages because it is the only program I have found that can play in the same league as Pimsleur. The 2 great programs together is the way to go.

Ren, You're right! The Pimseleur course is a great supplement to Rocket Languages.

I am curious as to what the Pimseleur program adds to learning a language beyond what Rocket offers?

The Pimseleur course is done daily for one half hour. It is entirely spoken and utilizes repeating a word or a sentence. There is no written part to it. It is intensive, and as I said, repeats the phrase and goes back to it until it is easily remembered. I find that if I go over a lesson 2-3 times it is drilled into my memory.

Thanks Byron. My own observations: The Pimsleur course also seems to be from a different perspective (which makes sense given its adoption for foreign service language learning) and so it's perhaps a bit more formal? (I've got a version of Pimsleur German and noticed that as well.) I wonder though if the language used in the "gold" version of the course is somewhat dated...?

I found that you need a good foundation program or two like Rocket and Pimsleur and really dedicate yourself and work them hard. Then constantly search for movies, music, TV, radio programs in the language you are learning and ALWAYS practice when you find people that speak that language. Never be afraid to practice with people. Also...because when you travel you will be tired and disoriented at times be sure to practice your language programs when you are tired at the end of the day or practice when you don't feel like it. The sacrifice will pay off and pay off big. It is just like excercise, most people quit after the first few times but the ones that stick to it gain huge rewards.

Kodos, Ren B1, Couldn't say it better. It takes discipline and constant practice!

BTW, read a German language newspaper on line. There are many but a good one is Die Welt.

I am wishing there was a written component to my Italian lessons. When I started the Rocket Spanish courses in 2007, the programme included many worksheet activities that helped reinforce what I was learning aurally and orally. I would really like a reference guide to all the verb conjugations, too.

For verb conjugations try the book 501 Italian Verbs. I don't know any written components.