One thing I noticed is frustrating in language learning. I am curious if you experience that too.
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Katya
Seva
Capitan Slap A Hoe
Seva: You mentioned reading "A Portrait Of Dorian Gray". That book was published in 1891, so although it will enrich your vocabulary and familiarize you with older idioms, keep in mind that those expressions or turns of phrase are not likely to be in common usage. Even books written by Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald were written about 100 years ago. Check out books that were written within the last 50 years or so.
Seva
Capitan Slap A Hoe
Tracey D makes a good point: listening to audio books from different genres will help you to understand a lot of idioms and expressions. many English sayings and expressions come from literature, pop culture, or are just regional, or even specific to one city or neighborhood. Some of them are just older expressions that aren't even in common use anymore, but some people still use them. Language is always evolving, especially English, since so many different ethnic groups speak it and are constantly adding to the language.
Shareff
I agree wholeheartedly with jasmine. I learned another language, and I know because I am not living there there are lots of things idiomatic expressions and slang that I don't understand. But I think if you can speak standard English or the standardized version of that language you will be okay. There are people here in America that speak like a fortune cookie. They use a lot of idioms and slang and I don't understand them. So I think if you just speak clear English like you're doing now you are speaking better than any native in america. Clear communication is key slang and street lingo and idioms that's for showing off
Tracey D
Jasmin
Shareff
Even if your English was very good to the point that you could understand all the dialects all the accents all the regional nuances. You will still be a non-native because you were not born in america. For example if I line your native language I will still be a non-native. So there is no point in trying to be native or trying to make people think you are native. Just learn what you can learn what you want to learn focus on things that are important to you and don't worry about all the regional variations. Here's what else you can do you can focus on one part of america. For example you notice people from the South. Try to learn from expressions that Southerners would say. This is just an example. Because I'm telling you it is like that for us. We don't understand everything people say and we are native Americans. What I mean by native Americans I mean people who are born and raised in america. We speak English everyday and there are still times where people surprise us with new words and new expressions. And urban forget it I do not understand Irvin slang. And a lot of people on here use urban slang. Or internet slang I don't know the correct terminology but it's slang. Do you think we understand everything our fellow Americans are saying. No we don't. So stop being hard on yourself and continue learning.
Shareff
Listen, I think you're very very hard on yourself. I am a native English speaker I am from the us. And there are times where I don't understand 100% of a conversation. You mean to tell me in your native language you understand everything people say? Everything people say with their regional dialects and different accents and expressions? Are you telling me you understand 100% of what everyone says in your native language? No way, that's impossible. In English I speak English and I don't understand everything everyone says. And I'm a language learner I have lent one language and I figured something out. Stop trying to be native. It is very hard and you'll never make it unless you live in that country. It is better to just learn the language for conversation. If you have a problem with joining a crowd of people, just focus on one person. Maybe two people. But don't join the whole crowd of people because they will use their native dialects and they will mix their languages and it will be hard to understand.
Capitan Slap A Hoe