|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 07:11 [#01851256]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to redrum: #01851247
|
|
Aengus, tell me, what does "nigga" mean? I always wondered. Actually, there would be a couple of english words I was planning to ask you thier meaning, but at moment I can't remember.
P.s. Don't stop posting english lessons - I love reading your posts now.
|
|
redrum
from the allman brothers band (Ireland) on 2006-03-02 07:17 [#01851260]
Points: 12878 Status: Addict | Followup to tridenti: #01851256
|
|
It doesn't mean anything at all!
It's just what's called a random "interjection". It's like "oh" or "bleh!", but more useful. It can be used at any occasion, to express happyness, sadness, despair, any sort of emotion.
Despite its spelling on the internet, you should always be sure to pronounce it with a strong "er" sound at the end in real life, perhaps accompanied with a vigorous pointing gesture.
|
|
Ezkerraldean
from the lowest common denominator (United Kingdom) on 2006-03-02 07:18 [#01851261]
Points: 5733 Status: Addict | Followup to redrum: #01851247
|
|
wow, are you an english teacher?!
my native [i.e. crap] knowledge of english tells me that the infinitive and the present participle of any verb have the exact same meaning (e.g. "to make" and "making") but they are used in slightly different contexts
|
|
redrum
from the allman brothers band (Ireland) on 2006-03-02 07:18 [#01851262]
Points: 12878 Status: Addict
|
|
wikipedia says exactly the same thing
honest
:S
|
|
Ezkerraldean
from the lowest common denominator (United Kingdom) on 2006-03-02 07:21 [#01851264]
Points: 5733 Status: Addict
|
|
i was sure it came from "negro" though, but wikipedia is always right!
|
|
redrum
from the allman brothers band (Ireland) on 2006-03-02 07:23 [#01851266]
Points: 12878 Status: Addict | Followup to Ezkerraldean: #01851261
|
|
I'm not, no, i'm a linguistics student.. And yeah, they should be used in different contexts (as i said in the first post, "she likes to make cakes" is grammatically fine, but just sounds a little weird.. somehow, for me at least, it'd sound better if it had something after it, ie, "she likes to make cakes even when it's raining")
i'm by no means saying that the present participle and infinitive of any verb are interchangable in any context, eg:
she would like to make a cake. *she would like making a cake.
however, they are in some contexts.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 07:30 [#01851270]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to redrum: #01851260
|
|
Oh thanks!
In fact I saw people pronouncing it as "Nigga what!" or something.
Another thing, I realized my english is improving a lot really, I remember when I used to read threads like a year go, I understood about 20% of yours words. I noticed also I understand better non-native speakers's posts, seems like they use an easier english, for example I comprise fully uzim's posts. Instead inside your sentences there is always (nearly) some words I don't understand.
|
|
redrum
from the allman brothers band (Ireland) on 2006-03-02 07:34 [#01851271]
Points: 12878 Status: Addict | Followup to tridenti: #01851270
|
|
Yeah, I tend to use fairly flowery language.. I can't help it. I do try to dumb things down when I'm speaking to you or someone else on the board with poor english, but I usually switch back into my usual style of writing.
also, you just wrote "i comprise fully" - you meant "i comprehend fully". to comprehend is to understand. to comprise is to contain.. it's usually used in the passive sense, however, to mean "to be composed of" -
the entire structure is comprised of nothing but paper
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 07:40 [#01851282]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to redrum: #01851271
|
|
I do try to dumb things down when I'm speaking to you or
someone else on the board with poor english
Oh please, don't do that anymore, at least with me! :|
About "comprehend", cheers. It was my fault because I translated the word "comprendere" from italian to english with that fucking babelfish, and it gave me "comprise" instead of
"comprehend".
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 07:46 [#01851287]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to redrum: #01851247
|
|
What you say should be true, but it's not really the case.
........... yeah, i tend to realise modern english is more and more different to grammar books. that's what i explain the people i give private lessons to.
|
|
redrum
from the allman brothers band (Ireland) on 2006-03-02 07:48 [#01851289]
Points: 12878 Status: Addict | Followup to obara: #01851287
|
|
yeah, it's the case with any language really, you just gotta live in a country where that language is spoken to learn the "actual" language.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 07:49 [#01851290]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to obara: #01851287
|
|
Are you good to talk english as well? I'm not yet.
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 07:50 [#01851292]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to tridenti: #01851282
|
|
how do you learn english ? i mean where, how often etc.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 07:51 [#01851293]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to redrum: #01851289
|
|
That's what I'm planning to do. Next year I should be able to organize a trip with my friends in London, I think I need to stay there for the whole summer. Can't wait.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 07:55 [#01851294]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to obara: #01851292
|
|
I learnt most of my english on Xltronic, and I'm not joking. Well yes, I take english lessons at school as well, but they aren't useful at all!
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 08:01 [#01851295]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to tridenti: #01851290
|
|
some native speakers i talk to on internet tell me they understand me/my english is alright - so maybe i am, quite good, but i can't tell it myself. it's different, talking on msn and talking in real-life situations. you can say "i'm improved" but others could judge your progress only in 3D - at Xltronicon perhaps ;]
|
|
Ezkerraldean
from the lowest common denominator (United Kingdom) on 2006-03-02 08:01 [#01851296]
Points: 5733 Status: Addict | Followup to tridenti: #01851294
|
|
ha, its wierd that english has pretty much become the language of the internet.
its a bit of a shame really, if it wasnt it might be an incentive to learn more languages (in england barely anyone speaks any other languages)
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 08:04 [#01851297]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to tridenti: #01851294
|
|
try talking english to someone in your neighbourhood - or to your girlfriend. it helps a lot.
|
|
Matvey
from Kiev (Ukraine) on 2006-03-02 08:04 [#01851298]
Points: 6851 Status: Regular
|
|
i'm losing my english language skills, especially spoken english
|
|
Ezkerraldean
from the lowest common denominator (United Kingdom) on 2006-03-02 08:09 [#01851305]
Points: 5733 Status: Addict
|
|
toutes les personnes ici - parlez en francais !!
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 08:14 [#01851307]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to Matvey: #01851298
|
|
i sometimes feel the same when talking to my "private students" in english.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 08:14 [#01851308]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to obara: #01851295
|
|
Totally true, I had a chat with Aengus on GoogleTalk and I the first thing I thought was that he spoke too fast - So I couldn't comprehend everything he was saying to me. Writing english and talking english is completely different as well, I need time to make posts without doing too many mistakes.
About the "I'm improved" thing, I didn't mean I'm a perfect english speaker, but at least I can communicate with people without too many problems, like you might have noticed :) Well, I couldn't do that just joined here, and that's why I'm saying I'm improved.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 08:15 [#01851310]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to Ezkerraldean: #01851296
|
|
I'm glad it is man, because I really like the language.
|
|
Ezkerraldean
from the lowest common denominator (United Kingdom) on 2006-03-02 08:17 [#01851311]
Points: 5733 Status: Addict | Followup to tridenti: #01851310
|
|
really? i got the impression that loads of people hated it , because its got so many irregular verbs and wierd dodgy spelling patterns etc. Not even native speakers get the spelling and grammar right even when they try!
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 08:23 [#01851312]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to Ezkerraldean: #01851311
|
|
To be honest I haven't tried to learn other languages yet, so I can't make conclusions. Though, I second the fact the english has got many irregular verbs to learn.
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 08:23 [#01851313]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to tridenti: #01851308
|
|
yeah...and also try to watch a documentary in english, that is not meant for international audience - they speak faster...well, anyway if you watch any uk film you get what i mean. you can't get through e.g. "trainspotting" without subtitles. i suppose many natives can't either ;]
|
|
somejerk
from south florida, US (United States) on 2006-03-02 08:25 [#01851315]
Points: 1441 Status: Lurker
|
|
whats up man! shit is going good! weekends almost here, new job on monday, nice buds at home.
hope everyone is having a good life.
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 08:27 [#01851316]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to somejerk: #01851315
|
|
wazzup, man ! yo, cool.
feeling good again after last night, might have a drink tonight again, why not.
|
|
Matvey
from Kiev (Ukraine) on 2006-03-02 08:29 [#01851320]
Points: 6851 Status: Regular | Followup to obara: #01851307
|
|
i have too little practice - only when foreign guests visit us, they stay at my flat in most of cases, but usually they are not native speakers. Yesterday they were from Sweden, they didn't speak very well, but this even helped understaning, while a week ago two folks from Wales spoke so fucking fast and fluent and fuzzy that I could understand about 40% of the whole.
|
|
tridenti
from Milano (Italy) on 2006-03-02 08:29 [#01851321]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker | Followup to obara: #01851313
|
|
I will try and do that. For now I could start to watch all the Aphex interviews on mtv I've got in my hard drive :>
|
|
obara
from Utrecht on 2006-03-02 08:34 [#01851323]
Points: 19377 Status: Regular | Followup to Matvey: #01851320
|
|
hahah, that's what i'm talking about - those natives.....
from Sweden ?? Phobs visited you ?? :O
tridenti: good luck
|
|
Matvey
from Kiev (Ukraine) on 2006-03-02 08:36 [#01851324]
Points: 6851 Status: Regular | Followup to obara: #01851323
|
|
nah.. Phobs didn't pass by yet.
|
|
Messageboard index
|