I have listened to this lesson over 30 times. I can read the assignment and understand every single word. But, when hearing it at full speed, only small bits and pieces come in. The words are not resonating through me like my native speech. They’re just unfamiliar sounds firing at me in rapid succession. I can follow the story simply because I’ve read it so many times and know it well. My question is: at what point do I move on? How do you know when you’ve mastered the material well enough to move on to the next lesson? I honestly do not think I can follow 80% of the story when it is spoken so fast.
Yes, it is difficult to hear and understand it all at the same time when people speak fast. Listen first to stories in which people speak more slowly.
Just move on. You’re not trying to master each lesson but rather improve your listening and vocabulary overall incrementally.
No exercise or study technique is useful if it frustrates you to the point of burnout. Try to study material that is challenging, but still fun and rewarding. I’d say 30 times is more than enough for a single lesson. I’ve personally never gone through the same lesson more than three times, I believe.
Agreed! Just move on when you feel like it. You need to vary repetition with novelty.
I have never listened to a slowly speech. At the beginning it was very difficult for me, But the other hand to listen to slowly spech would be not easy too, I think. I used to listen to , listen to. At first I could recognize only simple words, such as and, of course. Step by step I understood more and more. This proсess have continued yet. I started to develop my listening skills around(about)an year ago. I can say I acheive a good resalt for me. But I want to say I felt my obvious progress only in 4-5 months. And I can’t listen to the same podcast many times.2-3 times is enough for me then and now.Now I would like developing my speaking skills.I try to improve it Honestly,It is not easy,but I’m sure I will do it. How much time does it take? I don’t know.Of course, I would not refuse from helping of a goldfish or a magical wand…
Thanks for the comment. I have listened to slower talk and I can follow that better but being that I’m really translating and it’s not natural to me, I know it’s going to take some time. But, the exercise I’m working with is a beginner lesson. I’m guessing that they want us to learn it at full speed or at least make some sense out of it.
Thanks again… I will. I still feel like I’m not accomplishing anything if I really don’t understand it at full speed but, as you say, I guess I’m not expected to at this point.
<re Eric & Steve> - I just don’t see how you can get anything at all out of the lesson only listening to it three times. But, its probably because I don’t get the point of listening to it over and over. I do agree with you both about finding interesting material. But, I do like this lesson material so far, though. Thanks again.
Much thanks. What you said there gives me hope. Maybe “the fog” will start lifting in 6 months time and when I come back to this exercise, I’ll be able to follow it better. I certainly can read it and understand it completely. It’s just hard to follow when it’s being spoken at normal speed.
i find myself listening to my norwegian lessons no more than 15-20x. at that point i can usually pick out 80% of the words in the whole lesson when listening (and not reading). it feels remarkable when just the previous day it sounded like a long mumble to me. haha
frank479, I had the same problem. One day I recognised another problem - I could understand a native speech when I only was reading. I was puzzled. And then I have started listen to without text. At the beginning my brain had gone strike on.In the long struggle I won.I can unerstand native speakers though many words is still unknown for me. Understanding - was my goal. But I set a new goal, and at once my brains have started a new strike. I think it is my personal endless way. One year I developed my reading and writing skills, next year I focused on my listening skills and now I try to improve my speaking skills.I am a beginner again
I know this problem well.
What I do is I move on and focus on enjoying the content. I am okay with not understanding, because when I continue exposing myself to the language, my brain untangles the mess that is the new language and it starts making sense.
It happens slowly, but when you know that it happens, it’s much more relaxing and enjoyable.
I’d say to do your best, move on to another lesson (unless you enjoy repeating the current one), and have fun. Understanding will come with more hours.
Thanks everyone for the support. Wow… everyone is so helpful! I do understand better now and I see the importance of continuing to keep reading and to enjoy this learning experience.
It’s a good thing to sometimes go back to easier material when you’re struggling hard with more advanced stuff. It may give you a boost in confidence to go through a lesson that you found difficult once, but now is very easy.
Learning is also not a continuous process, it seems, sometimes there are spurts and breakthroughs when you suddenly start to understand things that were just a while ago very hard to get.