How do you study languages

[zeme]

I'm curious of the methods and types of resources you study with.
 
Do you opt for a course at some school?
Do you practice with a natively speaking friend?
Do you prefer old-style grammar books?
Do you use online courses?
Do you learn through Skype or IM?
Do you do it with podcasts, or by watching TV?

[Taydr]

I mainly use grammar books, dictionaries, book and audio courses and some chatting on Skype. I don't really have any other options for my langs at the moment other than free online courses, and the books are better.

[Riptide]

I wish I could use those books where you can teach yourself languages, but I haven't gotten the chance to go to the bookstore yet. And I don't like downloading things from UZ...

Anyways, in terms of studying languages, it varies by language for me. For Tagalog, I found this nifty site which taught me a lot about the basic grammar, and then I was able to branch off from there. I also have Pimsleur Tagalog, so that helps. For Romanian, someone helped me with the basics, and then I just basically applied my knowledge of Spanish. I like listening to music and watching movies and tv shows in the languages.

[Meera]

i just use textbooks and rosetta stone

[hashi]

Mostly through natives and practice practice practice. Plus I use grammar references to aid me.

[Ilayde]

I use textbooks and grammar references, but mainly as a source of example sentences I put into my SRS program. I never learn single words or grammar rules... The drawback of this approach is that when someone asks me to explain some grammar rule or something - they assume since I e.g. learned Swedish to an advanced level, I must know all the grammar - all I'm able to say is "Wtf, Swedish has no grammar. Just say what sounds correct."

I wouldn't be a good teacher, but who cares about grammar anyway 

[邪悪歌]

I use textbooks and grammar references, but mainly as a source of example sentences I put into my SRS program. I never learn single words or grammar rules... The drawback of this approach is that when someone asks me to explain some grammar rule or something - they assume since I e.g. learned Swedish to an advanced level, I must know all the grammar - all I'm able to say is "Wtf, Swedish has no grammar. Just say what sounds correct."


I wouldn't be a good teacher, but who cares about grammar anyway 

wow... grammar is awesomesauce...
ofc every language has grammar, some languages just have more irregular grammars than others.
I generally don't care how languages are pronounced, so I almost never listen to audio recordings or anything like that until I get music in that language or something.  I can't stand the way lesson-based courses work.  That kind of thing irks me because it scatters things out too much.  I prefer to study one area at a time and then combine them using sample sentences.  Usually, my favorite thing to do is to learn some basic grammar first, then learn some basic vocab and form sentences with them, then expand upon each gradually.  I usually save the spoken portion for when I'm actually in a place that uses it.

[phaed]

I usually start with a coursebook as a first jump into a language. Later on in the language I put myself into a sort of immersion - whenever I practice or think about an L2, I do it in that L2. I create Anki decks with card front-sides having the definition in the L2 and the backsides having the word in the L2. I read and listen to music a TON and try to fit some L2 movies in there as well. Basically, once I'm far enough along to do so, I take out all of the English and try to act as native as I can

[Renaçido]

I use textbooks and grammar references, but mainly as a source of example sentences I put into my SRS program. I never learn single words or grammar rules... The drawback of this approach is that when someone asks me to explain some grammar rule or something - they assume since I e.g. learned Swedish to an advanced level, I must know all the grammar - all I'm able to say is "Wtf, Swedish has no grammar. Just say what sounds correct."

I wouldn't be a good teacher, but who cares about grammar anyway 

The problem with Khatzu's approach is that at times theoretical grammar can be very useful to understand certain patterns more quickly. Yes, with enough input you do get to good conclusions on how this and that is said, as well as learning idiomatic phrasing in the way, but how much input do you need?

I still like having easy explanations at least for those things that it's possible to give explanations for: not usage of prepositions, since it's so random and a lot of input is the only way to learn that, but things such as the patterns of "irregular verbs" (at least in both Spanish and Arabic, irregular verbs tend to have a few characteristic patterns of their own).

His advice of receiving as much exposure as you can and not to concentrate on learning grammar and vocab lists only is very good, but I don't feel it's alright to dismiss them both completely either...

[Veqq]

I prefer the old style grammar books, all of my favourite resources are from the 30's or 40's.  I also use Skype and such a lot, though that is more so because I am addicted to it.

Regarding input, I'm testing out something of a 10k sentences thing, though it will probably end up more so around 1500, using every example sentence and translation exercise in the older style teach yourself that I'm using.

My Weakest spot in all languages is my production, which is normally the case, but my production is just dreadful, mainly as a result of vocabulary, rather than issues with grammar or such. I've still not found a good way to solve this though.

[JackFrost]

I'm curious of the methods and types of resources you study with.
 
Do you opt for a course at some school?
Do you practice with a natively speaking friend?
Do you prefer old-style grammar books?
Do you use online courses?
Do you learn through Skype or IM?
Do you do it with podcasts, or by watching TV?

1) Yes and no. I took German, French, and Spanish courses. Gave up German after two years. Spanish after just one semester (kept confusing it with French too often), yet I can still understand it basically. French... ten years of it now... But it's oftentimes not "language" courses (grammar, phonology, etc.), but courses were always done in French as it's part of my French Studies/Translation program. Even francophones take part of them and we often use both languages (Montreal is quite bilingual) at school amongst each other.
2) Only by writing. My speaking skill is just shit thanks to my hearing impairment.
3) I adore them. <3
4) MSN... part of writing.
5) I only have French and English stations on TV, so I don't care which I use... Though it's a bit funny, weird, and interesting how the Frenchies (from France) talk in words that take me 5 seconds to understand once every while (usually I catch shows done in Quebec French).

I pretty much depend on the Internet to access French and Catalan resources. Those are the languages that I am very truly committed on. And I am very bad at committing to languages really. Mainly because I have visited countries that use those languages... French in Quebec and France and Catalan in Catalonia part of Spain*.

*I have to admit I had to read in Spanish sometimes when I was in Spain... just the free subway newspapers and some handwritten shop signs and menus. I didn't really care as long as I could understand.

[Yeshua.C]

I basically follow the same method as Khatzumoto. 

Sometimes I supplement with a little textbook work, although I'm not a particularly big fan of it. I have a very in depth course which I might start on tonight, and do perhaps 30 minutes per day of.

(Doing Dutch, so ADATT )