Moomingirl wrote:
Skilpadde wrote:
I wish I had been joking when I said that. Who reads glue bottles when they don’t need to? Other than me, I mean.
Well, me.

Moomingirl wrote:
Urgh about your germy library books. Ours used to be like that, but they seem to have improved a lot in the last year or two. Now once something gets worn, damaged or grubby it is withdrawn and sold in the library foyer for $1. Now all of the books in the library are in very good condition.
Lucky!
Moomingirl wrote:
That clerk in the bookstore was horrid to you. I hate people being like that. You were trying to buy something, and making an effort in a foreign language. He should have been much nicer to you. I have found that some people in France can be like that, if you don't get the pronounciation absolutely correct. Even if they know what you are trying to say (like if you are pointing at something, but trying to say it too). You think they would be pleased you are making an effort. That is why I liked the Italians so much. Even when I was making a terrible attempt, they were so pleased I was even trying.
Ha ha, nice joke too!
Thanks.
I've heard that about the French too. I've never been to France, but people I know who have been there (including my mother and a former classmate whose mother is French) have said the same thing. I've also heard that they can't be bothered to understand English either, making it real 'fun' for tourists. Crappy.
I haven't been to Italy, but the stereotype is that they are nice and friendly and will appreciate your attempt.
Moomingirl wrote:
Harry Potter is not going to be easy. I'm tempted to do a Memrise course like 'Top 3000 French words' first, but I probably already know the top 1500, so maybe I'll just get on with it. I haven't decided yet. It's a lot easier nowadays too, with technology. I can load a French-English dictionary on my Kindle, then I can read a book in French on there, and whenever I come across a word I don't know, I just click on it and it gives me the English translation. It's sooo much faster than having to look words up in a physical dictionary. Anyway, the first couple of books are always the hardest. After that you have a much better feel for the grammar and sentence construction, and you start learning a lot more vocabulary.
Hmm... Might not be a bad idea to take the 3000 top words course?
You use Kindle? I don't have one, nor do I want one. It's so much easier to read paper than a screen.
Either way, I'd like to know if the French version also changes the names of the characters.
Moomingirl wrote:
Prepositions are the worst. It seems to be entirely random how they are used in different languages.
Yep, it's like they just flipped coins (or maybe they rolled a dice) to decide which one to use where.