Cultivating your English #14: Bananas, bouncing and win-win-wins
❤️"You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.”❤️ Geoffrey Willans
Hi there cultivators!
George sent me a great example of how he is finding his "English way":
Maybe some of you use similar strategies… Let me know what you do, I'd love to hear about them!
Great quote by the way George! "People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used." (I wonder where he heard that Dalai Lama quote?! 🤔😅🙄)
Thanks too to Angel for some words of wisdom:
"I learned Portuguese as a grown up. I had a powerful incentive (girlfriend's - now wife's- mother is Brazilian, and I wanted to impress her! Admittedly, being a native Spanish speaker gives you a bit of a head-start in Portuguese, or Portuñol). One of the things I learned is that you have to be prepared to try out your fledgling language skills, fall flat on your face sometimes, bounce back up, grin and try again"
This powerful incentive Angel mentioned and “trying again” is so valuable. Together with perseverance and imagination (and maybe an internet connection!), they are the perfect ingredients for learning and progress to happen.
Trial and error (prueba y error) really is key. Don't be afraid to try out new strategies like George’s post-it-notes.
Remember that the principle is pretty simple… more contact with English = more progress.
When the contact is enjoyable you retain more and stay more motivated.
Have you found someone you can help yet?
If you haven't found anybody or you want to dedicate even more time to your English, then you could try one of these free apps:
https://www.hellotalk.com/?lang=en or https://www.tandem.net/
They allow you to find a language partner anywhere in the world. You can offer them help and support in one language and they do the same for you.
The language you help them with doesn't have to be your first/second language, it can also be English of course.
Also, if you help someone with their Spanish and their level is low, you will very probably be using English to help them understand and improve their Spanish. Which is great for your English of course!
Daniel has helped a few people over the years with both Spanish and English which he always says was a great experience. Patience and empathy are really vital when doing this.
If you feel you could be more patient or empathetic (I think that includes every human being!) then what fantastic news….. You can grow your empathy and patience, help someone, and improve your English- all at the same time!! It’s a win-win-win! 🤯🥳🕺💃😻💪👏
See you in #15, thanks for reading and for your feedback!🙏😊
PS- did anyone guess the answer to my homemade joke?
Well, here it is- I hope you are sitting down for this one………..
Which metal can you eat? 🤔🤔
🥈🍌 Plata, no? 🥈🍌
Apologies to anyone who doesn’t speak Spanish. Maybe you can ask a friend who does and they can explain it to you. (I accept no responsibility if they unfriend you afterwards though 😬)