Difficulties in German

My successes – and failures – at studying German abroad
德語何其難 - 我在海外研習德語的成功與失敗經驗.

I will be the first to admit that my German skills are quite poor. As a university student I decided to minor in German. For some reason, I really liked the language, but I was not particularly good at learning it. 

The grammar and word order confused me. Prepositions made no sense. All the nouns had genders and I rarely remembered which noun was which. My only talent was spelling - I got an A+ on every vocabulary test I took.

After two years of studies, I resigned myself to communication in broken German, and signed up to study in Germany to complete my degree. It was the hardest semester I would ever have. Once in Germany, I felt like I was starting from scratch. 

The German I'd learned in university wasn't practical for everyday conversation. My book knowledge fell by the wayside as I figured out the basics of getting around reading menus and chatting with my classmates.

I was constantly on edge at school, worried about whether the professors would call on me in class and whether I'd understand their questions. I only relaxed a little around my eight roommates, who were willing to speak German slowly to me and didn't seem to mind my mistakes.

I had enrolled in four classes - literature, grammar, reading and writing, and history. All were in German and difficult, but the history lecture was the worst. The professor spoke fast almost everything he said flew right over my head. I sat in the front, took notes and even recorded the lectures, but nothing helped.  I had no idea what the class was about.

At the end of the semester, I summoned all of my courage and ask my history professor for a form saying I'd attended the class. He said yes and told all the foreign students who wanted this form to meet at his office at a certain time.

I'd like to say I got the form and took it back to my university for class credit... but I didn't. I was too afraid to be in his office and reveal how little I could really understand I was sure I was the only one in the class at such a low level. So I flaked and skipped the meeting. 

Years have passed, but I still remember how it felt to struggle so hard at learning another language. I think my failures that semester taught me just as much as my successes.

Grammar Gym:
"I will be the first to admit that my German skills are quite poor."
 to be the first to + verb. 
"to be the first to admit." -describe about something that you are not good at it.
Although Tom comes from a family of accountants he'll be the first to admit his math is very poor.
Dr. Nelson is a long-time expert in this field, but he'll be the first to admit he has no idea how we should handle this case.

Vocabulary Tip:
gender -male or female.男，女性别，言语中致词中的阴阳性。
* In French the word for "moon" takes a feminine gender.阴性。
* The book talks a bout the differences between genders。 。。。 .俩性的不同。
resign -give up a bit.  辞职，此为“屈从”，勉强接受，“只能如此的”。
resign oneself to something -只能如何如何。（to+介系词+名词）
*Because I have to work during the championship game. I resigned myself to watching the rerun.只能勉强自己。。
start from scratch -从零开始，从头开始，白手起家。very beginning, make something from scratch.
scratch -起跑点，归零状态。nothing, nothing is prepared.
*After the model for our science project was ruined, we had to start from scratch.
*After closing his restaurant, Dan decided to start from scratch and open a clothing store.
edge -边缘，
on edge -nervous, nerve breaking. imaging a feeling that you stand on the thin ice. or thin edge.很紧张，焦虑，
*Martha was on edge while waiting for the results of her interview.
*Sandra was feeling tense and on edge before the audition.
over one's head -fly over your head, not stay and don't get it.超过自己的头，意即：超过自己能理解的范围能力。
*What the science teacher taught today went over our heads.
*The philosophy lecture this morning was too hard it went right over my head.太难了，非我能理解的。
summon - an authority call you. gather up.唤起，鼓起。召唤。
*After hiking, I could't even summon up the strength to take a shower. I fell asleep on the couch.唤起
*George summed up all his courage and proposed to his girlfriend.鼓起
flake -（很口语的用法）临阵爽约，临阵脱逃。
*Wesley promised to host the banquet, but he flaked and didn't even show up.
flake (n)-碎片，箔片。
*corn flake -玉米箔片。
*flakes of paint-旧油漆脱落下来的碎片。
flake out - 黄牛。
flaky person -靠不住。。
skip -跳过，超过，越过，略过，没有做的事。
skipped/skipping -
*Charlie skipped school and went to a move today.
*Molly skipped breakfast because she got up too late.。。。没吃早餐。。。
book knowledge - knowledge received from book.  not "street smart".
enroll - sign up for something.
wayside - not important. Don't be wayside - take care the important thing. fall by the wayside.
get around - physically know the city and streets, not get lost or confuse, easy to get to all places.
*They get around a lot - they are able to go to many places.
I'd like to say..... -something you did not do which you should do, you regret it.
major -主修
minor -副修。
make sense - understand that.
make no sense - would not understand that.

Language Tips:
talent /gift -天分。
He has a gift for music.-音乐的天分。
He has a gift for languages.-语言的天分。
knack -技巧，窍门。
Steven has a knack for teaching English.
genius -天才。天资更好的，特别的天分。
He has a genius for music.音乐天才。
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If you want to study English well, you need to practice, practice and practice.
reading English text or magazine or something 15 minute a day. Do it regularly and daily.

学英语，不止是勤于练习，还要懂得活用每一个字。 会应用你所学的字，那字才真正成为你的，不是只死记单子。
学英语，勤于练习是不可缺少的。


Taking notes of study "Studio Classroom".