På norsk? OK!

[yuuago]

My efforts with Norwegian have been going really well lately, and I'm so glad. When I started exchanging messages på norsk back and forth with another learner, I thought that it'd fizzle out after a while, but so far it's going really well. It's kind of a relief, actually.

I think I will have to scale back a little before my messages start getting too long, though... My problem is that I'm just really wordy no matter what languages I'm writing in, and I talk too much and if it isn't in a language that neither me nor my partner are fluent in then it can get pretty tedious and difficult to reply to, haha.

But still, it's really - satisfying, that's what it is, that it's starting to get easier. And that I can more confidently write things in it. I still need to check my dictionary a lot, because there are so many words that I don't know, and I need to study the grammar more (and seriously, rather than flipping through to check something because I need it Right This Minute) but it's getting... easier. I'm remembering more words and growing more confident in it.

Though of course, er, I'm probably also learning lots of mistakes, and we're probably learning mistakes from each other, and I'm probably going to have to un-learn a lot of things. But that's okay, because at this point it's a matter of growing confident enough to use the language, and hopefully eventually (or soon?) I'll be confident enough to talk to my actual Norwegian friends in their own language. That'll be cool. (And embarrassing, because of mistakes and me having to respond slowly. But still cool.)

I think part of the thing is - I'm allowing myself to make mistakes, and allowing myself to do something badly. There's baggage to go with this, and it's always hard. The fact that I can do this is a good sign, not just for me and Norwegian, but also in general. Feels good!

Comments

[still_intrepid]

That's awesome! Well done for keeping the messaging going especially, as you say that can often just slip.

[yuuago]

Yeah! I was kind of worried about it but - well, at the very least, we certainly haven't run out of things to talk about yet. :D And that helps.

[straightforwardly]

That's pretty great! I find conversing with people in another language pretty nerve-wracking and avoid it whenever possible, which is probably one of the reasons why I'm so bad at languages, so I have to admire it when someone can make themselves do just that.

[yuuago]

:D I agree, it's a pretty nervous experience! But it helps that my partner is also a learner... I'm way too shy to write with native speakers yet; I've tried but I get way too embarrassed. But maybe some day!

[(Anonymous)]

That's wonderful! It's great that you're practicing. That will take you far. :) And it seems like your partner is in the same boat, which can help make things more comfortable. And mistakes and un-learning are all part of the process. Simply getting used to using the language more helps. And come to think of it, un-learning something can add to one's perspective...if that makes any sense. And I'm sure your Norwegian friends will love that you're learning their language.

[yuuago]

Yesss so far so good /o/ Just going to have to keep banging my head against it.

The great thing is, I'm having a lot more fun than I was when I was just trying to read in it on my own.

[soseki]

Hey! I'm learning Swedish as well. (although I am also indirectly learning Norwegian and Danish so I am sort of doing three at a time...)

I am not sure if I can help you yet. I hope to practice Swedish with my friends someday. (one of them is a learner too!)

I wonder if it is possible for Norwegian and Swedish speakers to communicate with each other? XD

[yuuago]

Swedish is a good one. Honestly, it's probably the language I should have learned; Norwegian has a lot of things that make it tricky in ways that Swedish probably doesn't have. (Though Swedish probably has idiosyncrasies of its own....)

With people who are fluent, it's possible of course, but I'm not so sure about learners... I've had some luck when coming across Swedish writing in casual contexts, but I always have to doublecheck it because some words mean completely different things.

[(Anonymous)]

Since you're learning Norwegian, I thought you'd get a kick out of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchaBvaik7k

Don't ask how I found this. I was dying of laughter. The timing got way off rofl.