« Is that Wasserspeier looking at me? | Main | Headlines half seen - and maybe only a quarter read »
March 21, 2009
Have I mentioned that I hate German syntax?
Hate is too strong - but gosh, German word order is rigid and counter-intuitive for this English speaker.
Yes, my final exam is Monday. Our teacher got a look at the test and told us that the verbs with obligatory prepositions we've been slaving over for the last 2 weeks* get ONE question. As someone who had to make final exams for high school Latin, I can sympathize - but still!
Ask me next month how much I think I've learned.
*you know, sich freut (auf/über), träumen von, sich erinneren an, that sort of thing. And yes, I know that English is just as annoying - we fight with our mothers but against enemies. When I was learning to speak Italian we always knew we were getting near the end of a book when we suddenly started reviewing the prepositions, which are hatefully idiomatic in Italian, too. I've gotten to the point in Italian that I just don't worry about them all that much - and strangely I seem to get them right a good bit of the time. Quantity always pays off in language - read more, speak more, and you'll do better.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at March 21, 2009 9:42 PM