I want to learn English

[chowsimon]

I want to learn English

can anyone give me advice on where to start from, since i am a beginner.

And where can i know more about america? bbs?

I will check here frequently . thanks a lot

 

[TS | Crazyace]

Learn about English and America are two different tasks. I suggest you pickup an American history book at the library to learn about America. America does not have a very long history, so it's not a daunting task to learn about our government, and the Jeffersonian type of system we still have in place.

English on the other hand is the most difficult language to learn, espcially with the slang used on the streets. I must say I feel extremly previliaged to have somebody from another country who wants to learn about mine. It's a great country, and thanks for your intrest. Where are you from?
Paul

 

[TS | Crazyace]

You can also try this link:

http://www.historynet.com/

To me, it's a very inspiring story. It's to bad most Americans have taken it for granted.

 

[Mikael]

What were you wanting to know about America? History, geography, culture, etc. The best way to learn about a place is to go and visit/live there. If that isn't a possibility, just google links about different cities in the United States. Learning the American culture is rather rough and takes time and patience.

Something that I recommend to people that want to learn English is that they don't get discouraged by all the slang that Americans use. It takes some getting used to, but once you figure out what we are saying, things usually get better.

Good luck!

 

[Didou]

Wikipedia.com & Dictionary.com can get you very far.

 

[chowsimon]

I am from china .

you know ,English is a required course in our country.It is even more important than mathematics , physics . I think USA is a great country,and the people live in there is humor and hospitable .I just want to know the Americans' habit and the way they thinking things.
my question is :what would you usually say when you plan to say hello to a stranger? My textbook taught us "How do you do".
Is it right?

 

[young&wild]

I m very sure google will return you favourable results if you key in the right keywords.

 

[LNCPapa]

When I meet someone I don't know I usually say, "Hey" or "What's up?" if I am being very casual and informal. That means I wouldn't say it to someone in a suit that I meet through work. A more formal greeting would be, "Hello" or "Hi, how are you?"

 

[agissi]

To say thx we say, "Thanks". Thats T, H, A, N, K, S. Think "The" but minus the -e and plus "ANKS".

 

[Mikael]

It does depend on who you are talking to. If I were going for a job interview and was about to speak to the interviewer, I would just say "Hello, my name is _____" and wait for him to say "how are you" or whatever he may ask.

For someone in a store or a shopping mall that is my age or somewhat young, it is usually, "Hey, what's up?"

 

[TS | Crazyace]

"How do you do" - Americans really dont say that, but many folks who are not familiar with out culture speak like that. Our english is half slang, so it's difficult to learn. You should first learn the proper way, then try learning slang. With that said, it is the correct greeting to use.

this is how I say hello to a stranger : "Hey man, how's it going" .

But if you use slang, people will laugh at you. You need to speak like it says in the textbook, and not try and come off like you already know the slang. Learn the proper way, then come visit america, and pick up the slang.

 

[smtkr]

Appropriate greetings:
Good morning.
Good afternoon.
Good evening.
Hello.

What I say:
Yo.
What's up.
Hey.

If you learn the proper way, you will be fine (although you may end up speaking like Teal'c from Stargate SG-1).

 

[Mikael]

Remember, just try and learn the proper version of English! Slang is usually best saved until you have a common understanding of the different cultures that thrive in the United States.

Feel free to ask more questions!