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@poupou24_@peculiar.florist
Post #2820619
2026-05-24 23:34 UTC
@oldladyplays@wargamers.social I can't thank you enough for your encouragements. It's sweet to read you.
I'll do my best to keep your reminder in my mind!
I don't know if I can spend some weeks or days in an other country than mine, it is kind of difficult, because money and health stuff. (I know you know it can be hard)
12 years ago, I had a bad english level, after my school (level "baccalaureat" the exam at the end of... high school I guess, as an equivalent?)
When I met my "Roommate", she watched a lot of stuff in english. Series, cartoons, YouTube, etc.
And followed lots of english people for her work and stuffs (astronomy, weather/meteorology, etc)
So, at first, she under-leveled her stuff for me. We watched cartoons in english with french subtitles (I need subtitles even in french because I have earing problems)
It was hell hard, like A LOT
But she couldn't move back to watch some of her stuff in french, so I gave up a while (during depression time)
When I was healing very slowly, we tried again, watched little stuff. Not much because my attention was not enough for an entire movie.
We started with Steven Universe. It gave me hope because the cartoon is about love, friendship, acceptance, etc. And we move-on with english subtitles.
And since... 7-8 years, I guess, we are at this point, with all in english
Sometime, I am... veryveryvery surprised because, without watching the video or the movie, I can understand what the actors/people are saying. Not for long but still.
I know for sure I can read very easily English. (Well, with a "normal" english, not the very old english or too much-modifying-english)
I know I can write in english and be clear enough. I need to be confident about my skills, I know.
It is sometimes hard (because brain fog, or adhd issues or tiredness) (I could never write that much in english 2 years ago, I know that)
Thank to my skill, I can skip a forgotten-word (or a unknown one) and make a total new sentence that mean the same (it is so much intellectual sport, it is kind of exhausting ! :ac_laughter: )
I know I can understand mostly speaking-english. But with my earing problem it is not evolving much, I need support to understand. Or slow speaking.
But... you gonna laugh about it, and you are so right to do so :
I am so bad at speaking english... I am never talking in english, It asks me so much ressources. It is like I lost all my grammar, voc and other stuffs.
I don't understand because when I am writing this text right now, I feel my tongue moving, like I am speaking my text !
But when I want to tell someone, for example "oh, I'm so glad you pass your exam, you are so good, congrats !",
I am so lost that I tell
"Oh, er... I am happy to you, er ... for you ! Er-er because you win your exam, uh no, you have réussir you exam ? No. Hum... well done, bye !"
It is so annoying (and funny I know)
Replies (2)
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@poupou24_@peculiar.florist Your written English is quite good. The grammar isn’t quite right but I have no trouble understanding you. The meaning comes through clearly. 💜
Which is a lot more than I can say for my French. I’m learning but I still only know a little. I can read some and I can write a little but it’s exhausting to write more than a sentence or two.
@oldladyplays@wargamers.social
Open ##2820618
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@poupou24_@peculiar.florist
It is funny, in a sharable way. Thanks for the story! I have the very same problem in speaking my languages. FR, DE, RU, ES, I struggle in all to actively recall what I can passively read. So I stumble and move slow, though all four I can watch without translation (sometimes JP too, but not always).
For me, it's bc of being a translator. I'm like an old-timey seamstress, with one huge thigh from pedaling the machine.
My ability to read is pretty good. Across all four Euro languages. Writing slower, but reasonable. Speaking? Useless. It's very annoying.
I've been working on it in an unusual way, though. I read a text in Russian, get my understanding, and then speak it into an interpreter in my phone. I'm doing so well, I'm going to start using it for the others. Instant feedback is great: did it transcribe correctly? What did it get wrong?
Open ##3067055