Most of us know the opinion of the founder of this site.
I would like to hear yours.
I would like to hear yours.
Do you find language classes useful or useless?
They are very useful if you do the homework and study a lot.
Besides, you should study the culture, the films, the music, etc of the countries where the language is spoken.
Besides, you should study the culture, the films, the music, etc of the countries where the language is spoken.
Language classes are a natural progression from studying the basics at home and allow you to meet other learners and work with a tutor who will either be a native speaker or someone of with a high level of ability in the language.
But I think a lot of people make the fatal mistake of assuming that all they need to do is attend a class and the language learning will take care of itself. You need to be doing the homework and reading in the background otherwise there will be no consolidation of the material.
Also, many folk, particularly in English-speaking countries, seem totally unaware of the amount of time and effort that is required to reach even a rudimentary level in a foreign language. I did a basic French course last year and the tutor told me that a lot of people drop out because they are frustrated that they can't speak French after a few weeks instruction and assume the classic cop-out "I can't do languages"
I even heard of a business who sent an employee on a 12-week intensive Italian course, fully expecting him to be able to barter deals with Italian companies afterwards. How unrealistic is that?
So yes, classes can be very useful but they are only one aspect of learning.
But I think a lot of people make the fatal mistake of assuming that all they need to do is attend a class and the language learning will take care of itself. You need to be doing the homework and reading in the background otherwise there will be no consolidation of the material.
Also, many folk, particularly in English-speaking countries, seem totally unaware of the amount of time and effort that is required to reach even a rudimentary level in a foreign language. I did a basic French course last year and the tutor told me that a lot of people drop out because they are frustrated that they can't speak French after a few weeks instruction and assume the classic cop-out "I can't do languages"
I even heard of a business who sent an employee on a 12-week intensive Italian course, fully expecting him to be able to barter deals with Italian companies afterwards. How unrealistic is that?
So yes, classes can be very useful but they are only one aspect of learning.