Thread: How to train listening better?

Originally Posted by Bisquit

Why don't get a shortwave receiver and listen to BBC World service, International Canadian radio, VoA?

Я не спец, поэтому для меня проще инетное

Vadim84, спасибо!

Мне скучно слушать радио. Я предпочитаю фильмы. Они намного интереснее, к тому же, если что-нибудь не понимаешь, можно перематывать и посмотреть субтитры.

К сожалению, мало мест, где можно покупать русские фильмы.

Originally Posted by basurero

Мне скучно слушать радио. Я предпочитаю фильмы. Они намного интереснее, к тому же, если что-нибудь не понимаешь, можно перемотать и посмотреть субтитры.

К сожалению, мало мест, где можно покупать русские фильмы.

Да, и именно поэтому я смотрю английские фильмы!!!

К сожалению, мало мест, где можно покупать русские фильмы. Sad

Выкачивать в P2P-сетях? Неужели в Новой Зеландии нет русских магазинов?

Chuvak's correction is okay but there is an alternative correction where you can leave перематывать in its place and change the following verb:
Мне скучно слушать радио. Я предпочитаю фильмы. Они намного интереснее, к тому же, если что-нибудь не понимаешь, можно перематывать и смотреть субтитры.
Choose what you like basurero. In the given context there's no significant difference between the two versions.
Overall it's excellent Russian
Of course watching movies is more interesting. But I also like to listen to the radio while lying on the sofa with closed eyes (giving them rest from the computer) and doing nothing (except for listening) That way you can kill two birds with one stone.

Originally Posted by Vadim84

Lampada, you think слышаю and лучше метод is good Russian? You must have lived in the US for too long. Shame on you :P
Here's the right correction:
Я слушаю радио, но это не помогает. Лучший метод - это общаться с носителями языка.

Now, I disagree. Listening to the radio has greatly improved my listening skills. Watching Hollywood cr@p might also help

Да ладно тебе цепляться. Наверное, я торопилась, когда отвечала. Исправил - молодец! Заграницей я всего 25 лет.

Да ладно тебе цепляться. Laughing Наверное, я торопилась, когда отвечала. Исправил - молодец! Заграницей я всего 25 лет.

25 years, holy shiт! You must be near fluent in English now, eh? Well maybe fluent isn't the right word. I mean near native English speaker level.



Оказывается, на сайте Голоса Америки есть радиопередачи не только из раздела Special English (для изучающих), но и полноценные материалы, причем на разных языках. Вот список:
http://voanews.com/english/about/ProgramsAtoZ_a.cfm

Вот, например, программы на английском - можно скачать аж в трех разных аудио-форматах:
http://voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis/encounter.cfm
http://voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis ... henews.cfm

Originally Posted by Vadim84

Да ладно тебе цепляться. Laughing Наверное, я торопилась, когда отвечала. Исправил - молодец! Заграницей я всего 25 лет.

25 years, holy shiт! You must be near fluent in English now, eh? Well maybe fluent isn't the right word. I mean near native English speaker level.

Не факт. Насколько мне известно, в Америке есть т.н. русские кварталы, в которых можно жить не зная даже что такое Английский язык. Вспоминается анекдот на эту тему:

К мену приехал друган из америки с визитом, ну и мен решил показать ему фильм на английском. Говорит:
----Слушай, вот фильм на инглише, я тут не все могу понять, уж больно быстро они говорят. Не поможешь.
----Так яж инглиша совсем не знаю
----???... Ты же в АМЕРИКЕ живешь?!
----Живу я на Брайтон Бич, а в Америку мы не ходим!!!
----

Спасибо всем за исправления.

т.н.

Что это за сокращение?

Originally Posted by basurero

Что это за сокращение?

т.н. == так называемый(ые,ая,ое) == so-called

What is the best way to train listening? Watching TV, listening to songs, watching movies, talking to natives?

Cripes, the right answer is provided in the question:
- Watching TV,
- listening to songs,
- watching movies,
- talking to natives

And I's add just reading aloud, acting dialogs, playing scenes

Yet another useful link

http://esl.about.com/od/advancedlistening/

I agree with mishau_ and with everyone whose point he has just underlined. As Lampada said watching TV can be very useful. It was like a gift from Gods when we suddenly caught the BBC World here! It's showing right now behind my back and it fills all the space around with so fresh and English atmosphere!

Since I included the BBC in my daily breakfast menu it makes such a nice mood everytime! You can repeat whole phrases in the proper English with right inflections and even in the English manner.

I start to believe that every non native English speaker is able to understand other non native speakers very well, because while learning English they all led the same way and eventually use the same way of talking and same words.

Of course watching your favourite movies in original language is the way when you combine worth and pleasure. But even watching them in Russian the noice of actors' voices beyond the translation brings a lot of bright descoveries! You catch both Ebglish and Russian phrases in the same time and everything falls in places. The phrases which being spoken without translation could sound like pha-thatha-my(!Ah I recognize that word!)haha-athee-canthee-your(!that one has been recognized too!) ffe-bphree-offa-firfoo-fell-passion-ventionoffa-thankyouverymuch(HA!!again!)-madeer. But when you hear the translation the sense of the said words seem so obvious that you can recognize all words and its meaning becomes clear.

I start to believe that every non native English speaker is able to understand other non native speakers very well, because while learning English they all led the same way and eventually use the same way of talking and same words.

I think this point isn't entirely correct. It depends on concrete people. It's not the case with me. When I listen to BBC reporters with RP I understand most words. But when I listen to some Kenyans or Indians being interviewed by these reporters I only understand about half of the words. I mean their accent is terrible! I can pronounce words much better than that.

But even watching them in Russian the noice of actors' voices beyond the translation brings a lot of bright descoveries! You catch both Ebglish and Russian phrases in the same time and everything falls in places.

I tend to say this method is ineffective and should only be used as a last resort. You can hardly make out the actors' voices because the Russian speech is much louder. Besides, the translation is often horrible.
It's much better to watch movies in the original language preferably without subtitles. At first I watch a movie without subtitles and then I watch it for the second time with subtitles.

Originally Posted by Chuvak

Maybe, when talking to you he tries to speak as clear as he can so that you can understand him. But with his friend he wants to relax and speak more freely, use colloquial words/phrases.

Yes, this is absolutly true. I try to speak more slowly and clearly and avoid complex words when talking to foreigners who aren't great at english.

Originally Posted by Layne

Originally Posted by Chuvak

Maybe, when talking to you he tries to speak as clear as he can so that you can understand him. But with his friend he wants to relax and speak more freely, use colloquial words/phrases.

Yes, this is absolutly true. I try to speak more slowly and clearly and avoid complex words when talking to foreigners who aren't great at english.

Yeah same here. I speak in a completely different way with foreigners than with my native english speaking friends. A lot of the non-natives can hardly understand my normal speech at all - too fast, too much slang, mumbling...

too fast, too much slang, mumbling...

However I understand what people are talking about in interviews, movies, talk shows, speeches etc...

Usually interviews, speeches, talk shows are presented in a fairly formal manner.

Some movies however are hard even for me to understand. I can recall times when I had to rewind several times to catch what people were saying in English.

The most terrible thing for me is conversations over the phone. They're hardest to understand.

Originally Posted by Chuvak

Вспоминается анекдот на эту тему:

Тётя Соня переехала к родственникам в Америку. Жалуется по телефону подруге, оставщейся в Одессе:
-- Представляешь! Я уже три года здесь живу, а продавец в магазине до сих пор не выучил русский!