%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
My journal for the Give it 100 challenge. |
 LEARNING DUTCH This is my journal for the "Give It 100!"  challenge. I aim to study the Dutch language for 100 days by earning at least 20 experience points on Duolingo per day. I will use this journal to write updates on my progress and to keep track of what I am learning. I aim to start on January 19th and am permitted to take 14 days off. Depending on how many of my permitted days off I use, my end date will be somewhere between April 28th and May 12th. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Please see "Give It 100!" for more information.Progress chart:
 |
| Today I worked on "formal", so saying "u" instead of "je" or "jij", and saying "meneer en mevrouw" instead of "man en vrouw". I just needed to refresh these words really. Also, there is a formal version of the word "please" in Dutch, which is "alstublieft", rather then the informal "alsjeblieft". So that is another topic I can cross off the list: Topics I need to work on 1. Basic adjectives 2. Formal 3. Verbs: present 4. Indefinite pronouns 5. Object pronouns 6. Prepositions 7. Conjunctions 8. Dates and Times 9. Places 10. Er vs. (T)here 11. Family 12. Present 2 (verbs) |
| So I have worked through Basic adjectives today and am feeling a lot more confident now. I did know them, I just needed a refresher! So now I can say things like: ik ben een korte vrouw  I am a short womanik ben zoet, net zoals suiker I am sweet, like sugar (haha!)Jade is een zachte hond Jade is a soft dog  Mark is een lange man Mark is a tall man (well, taller than me anyway!  But then most people are!)And so on... ! I think I can cross Basic adjectives off the list: Topics I need to work on 1. Basic adjectives 2. Formal 3. Verbs: present 4. Indefinite pronouns 5. Object pronouns 6. Prepositions 7. Conjunctions 8. Dates and Times 9. Places 10. Er vs. (T)here 11. Family 12. Present 2 (verbs) |
| So I have gone through the remaining topics I have covered so far and here is the definitive list of things I need to go back over: Topics I need to work on 1. Basic adjectives 2. Formal 3. Verbs: present 4. Indefinite pronouns 5. Object pronouns 6. Prepositions 7. Conjunctions 8. Dates and Times 9. Places 10. Er vs. (T)here 11. Family 12. Present 2 (verbs) Quite a daunting list!  Though to be fair to myself, some of the things earlier on the list just need refreshing. But I am angry that I still can't seem to get "Er vs. (T)here" after all my hard work on this topic. But never mind. So for the next week or so I will be working through this list and trying to get really confident at all these topics. Wish me luck! |
| Today I have looked at another nine topics and identified a fair few I need to work on, so I can add them to my list: Topics I need to work on 1. Basic adjectives 2. Formal 3. Verbs: present 4. Indefinite pronouns 5. Object pronouns 6. Prepositions 7. Conjunctions Indefinite pronouns and, very surprisingly, conjunctions weren't too bad, but I would still like to go over them as I do still make mistakes. I only have seven more topics to go through and then I can start working through the list. Once I'm feeling confident with all the topics, I will move on to a new one.  |
| I have decided to go back through all of the topics on Duolingo, using the strengthening skills option for each one and making a list of all the topics I need to study again in more depth. Today I have done nine topics and identified that I need to go back over "Basic Adjectives", so that is the first item on the list. Once I have gone through all the topics, I will work my way through the list, redoing all the lessons for each topic I feel I need to work on. So... Topics I need to work on 1. Basic adjectives Oh... and I am now three quarters of the way through the challenge!  |
| Practice makes perfect and I am still just strengthening my skills for the time being because I have covered an awful lot in a short amount of time and I really want to get to grips with what I have already learned and get more confident with things such as word order. I suppose that makes for boring updates but it is the best method for me right now, especially as I am so busy that tackling anything new feels too difficult! I definitely need to go back over older topics and make sure I can still remember things like prepositions and conjunctions. Maybe I'll do that later this evening when I am taking a break from my psychology essay. |
| I am finding it difficult to remember the latest words I have been going over on Duolingo so I have spent some time tonight trying to fix them in my mind. It just isn't happening though! But here are a few I am struggling with: ik bliif = I stay ik bedank = I thank ik volg = I follow ik breng = I bring/I take ik verkoop = I sell ik herken = I recognise ik hoop = I hope ik geloof = I believe ik leer = I learn ik vind .... leuk = I like I hope I can remember them soon! |
| Today I have learned even more verbs. Well, I have gone over them... I'm not sure I've learned them yet! I will need to practise a lot more, and go over previous lessons too as I feel I am forgetting things. Reading still remains quite easy, but translating from English to Dutch is pretty hard for me. I need to get more confident with the word ordering! But I'll get there. Practice makes perfect. Just thirty days to go! |
Still practising the new verbs! With this particular module there are eight lessons and I have worked through four of them. I think I will do the other four tomorrow. I can't believe how far I have come with this challenge and how close I am to the finishing line. And I still haven't taken a day off! I am hoping to complete the challenge with no days off, so fingers crossed I finish on April 28th. I think I can do it!  |
| So I'm still working with the present tense in my Dutch study and am learning new verbs. I've only been through the lessons a couple of times so I am still kind of shaky on them and will need to practise a lot more! But I just reached level 16 on Duolingo. I'm not entirely sure what that means exactly or how many levels there are, but it sounds impressive! |
| I have achieved my 20 experience points today but I am not feeling happy about my Dutch study! I made a lot of mistakes and I'm hoping it's because I'm just tired and stressed and not that I am forgetting everything I have learned! I'm sure I haven't... but it certainly feels like it today. |
| I managed to get my 20 experience points before I went on a training course this morning. Now I'm just relaxing before I head into work for my five hour shift. When I get home I plan to work on my psychology essay a bit. So I'm glad I managed to get the Dutch out the way early and I'm not especially hopeful I'll be able to do anymore today due to being crazy busy! But I least I achieved my goal and if I can do anymore, I will. |
| I've completed my Dutch study early today as my laptop is getting picked up for repairs between 10 and 11. But I should still be able to go on Duolingo and WDC every day while it is away because I can borrow my mum's laptop or use my phone. Anyway, I did two new lessons this morning and have learned some new verbs. Here are a few of them (some in their different forms): Wij redden de dieren – We save the animals.    Ik denk aan haar – I think of her.  Ik bel de politie – I call the police. Hij denkt dat hij iemand is, maar hij is niemand – He thinks that he is someone, but he is nobody. Je denkt te veel – You think too much. Ik studeer Nederlands – I study Dutch.  Hij biedt mij zijn jas aan – He offers me his coat. Ik geef jou een paard – I give you a horse.  Wat gebeurt er? – What is happening? De vis leeft in het water – the fish lives in the water.  Yay for new words! |
| So another week has gone by (9 in total now since I started this challenge!) and I'm still yet to take a day off. I'm well over half way, with just 37 days to go. Today I have just achieved my goal by strengthening my skills but I might tackle something new later, depending on how much work I end up doing on my psychology essay. Studying a bit of Dutch each day has really become part of my routine now. I love it! |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
You are awesome! 
~
). Very quirky and surreal. You'll have to read it to me in the Dutch original sometime 