TAC 2015: Hebrew

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Lemanensis
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TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-06-13, 8:52

Hello! Only just found you guys (thank you, Meera! :) )

I've been doing my Hebrew challenge for a couple of months now, basically to boost my knowledge. I'd previously done a few years of Hebrew, and been to Israel a couple of times, but remained frustrated by my level. Then I took a break (various inconvenient reasons) and now have decided to try to improve enough so that if I manage to take an intensive month-long ulpan early next year (thinking of Haifa at the moment) I'll be at a high-enough level to make some serious progress and get into a higher level than I would have done otherwise.
I've already done all of Pimsleur several times, plus Mansoor's Contemporary Hebrew, some of the Assimil course, some Colloquial Hebrew (the latter two weren't so suitable for beginners in many ways), plus used other grammar books and Yanshuf newspaper+CD.
Now I'm working through Routledge Introductory Course (with internet resources). So far I'm up to lesson 55/90 (end of Unit 4/8). Today I plan to revise some of what I've done up to the end of Unit 4.
At the same time I'm still using Yanshuf in the car.

(Once I've finished Routledge, I go back to the beginning and do Living Language Hebrew - 3 levels)

Happy with my progress so far. :D
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew

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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Meera » 2015-06-14, 17:53

Hello Lemanensis! Welcome to the TAC. Can't wait to read your updates. :mrgreen:
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-06-16, 22:08

I spent some of today doing the revision tests available on line for each of the four Routledge units completed so far. Some of the exercises were a little difficult without a teacher (there was more than one possible answer and sometimes a whole range of possibilities that couldn't be covered by the answer key.

Still, I was pleased with the result. I think constantly doing exercises is the answer for me, as it reinforces what I learn. It would be great to have some spoken practice, but that won't be for now. If I can listen to the recordings (which are at a natural speed and really quite fast) and understand the whole thing, I'm delighted. Mustn't forget to go back over all the spoken material on line too.

Still listening to Yanshuf in the car. There are a few different scenarios, either I understand nothing at all, or else I understand a few words here and there but not the overall theme of the article, or I understand the topic but not what they're getting at (the actual aim of the article), or else I understand the theme and quite a bit of what's going on (sometimes on the second or third hearing). Very rarely I'll get a lot first time through. My issue is mainly vocabulary, and even when I know the root I'm not sure to understand the form actually used, and that's what comes with repeated listening.
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew

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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-06-21, 21:05

So, the weekend enabled me to complete lesson 57/90 in Routledge, plus do some revision of a few verbs.

I also did some more intensive listening to Yanshuf articles and read a few too.

I'm trying to think of sentences or dialogues with myself - more or less talking to myself in Hebrew and seeing how far I get before I run out of words. :D

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has experience of doing a one-month ulpan in Israel. I'm looking closely at various options and Haifa university has two one-month ulpans - one in Jan-Feb (brrr) and the other in the summer (phew). I've been thinking that having a specific goal in mind in a few months will give my motivation a boost. I'm determined to plough on with Routledge and then follow up with Living Language but sometimes it's too easy to get sidetracked, still doing Hebrew but not sticking to schedule with Routledge. :ohwell:
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew

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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-07-06, 20:56

I'm now ready to start lesson 60/90 as I've been stalling over the past two weeks, partly because of a trip to see family and partly because of the heatwave. Though I have still been working on verbs and listening to a lot of Yanshuf in the car.

I picked up Routledge again this evening and managed to make some good progress. I have 45 days before I leave for a 17-day holiday with my sons. It sounds feasible to get through the rest of this book (30 lessons/122 pages) by the time I leave.
I'm determined to see this through and this deadline should motivate me. If I manage, I can start the next course when I get back.
I feel like I'm stepping up to a new level though. Partly it's because there's more new vocabulary now, whereas a lot of what I've done up to now was revision from previous study.
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew

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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Meera » 2015-07-22, 21:08

Lemanensis wrote:I'm now ready to start lesson 60/90 as I've been stalling over the past two weeks, partly because of a trip to see family and partly because of the heatwave. Though I have still been working on verbs and listening to a lot of Yanshuf in the car.


Wow 60/90 is amazing! You don't have much far to go.
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-07-23, 15:54

Meera wrote:
Wow 60/90 is amazing! You don't have much far to go.


The slope appears to be getting steeper and steeper... :)
Martin
http://www.hebrew.ecott.ch <= catalogue of resources for learning Modern Hebrew

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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-08-03, 16:45

Now up to 68/90.
The exercises do me the most good and help the vocab to go in. Pity there aren't more of them. A book with only exercises would be great as follow-up.
Anyway, I'm pleased to be just making progress, though I feel like I'm cheating a bit when I'm not making sure I know the vocabulary by heart before moving on the next lesson or even unit...
:roll:
Martin
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-08-09, 9:24

Only managed to get to the end of 79/90 Routledge this week. Various reasons and a few excuses... :)
But lesson 70 is all the numbers from 100 up so I'm going to have to go through it again.
I hope to get 71 and perhaps even 72 done today - if so I will have completed unit 6/9!
I should also schedule a revision week too, so that I can go through all the vocabulary lists for the previous units and perhaps also the recap tests that each unit has.

Anyhow, I also worked my way through retyping the Hebrew vocabulary listed in the specifications for the British GCSE (officially recognized exam taken at 16) in Hebrew. Now I need to go through it and check all the words I don't recognize.
Vocabulary is my main issue for me in general.

Have also been watching a few Israeli films, the most recent of which were Hunting Elephants (2013) and Big Bad Wolves (2013). Obviously with subtitles. The spoken word is too fast for me to follow a detailed storyline, and without subtitles I probably wouldn't understand more than words and expressions. However, thanks to the subtitles (i.e. with hindsight) I can get what they say a lot more :D (by which I mean, it's not all gobbledygook, which is a relief). Once again, vocabulary is an issue (with the addition of informal language on top of the general vocabulary).
Last edited by Lemanensis on 2015-08-09, 9:33, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby dEhiN » 2015-08-10, 2:32

Sounds like you're doing quite well in your progress! I never thought of checking official government tests in other languages for the vocabulary needed. What is the British GCSE? Is it like the American SATs?
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-08-10, 6:22

dEhiN wrote:Sounds like you're doing quite well in your progress! I never thought of checking official government tests in other languages for the vocabulary needed. What is the British GCSE? Is it like the American SATs?


I don't think the GCSE is comparable to the SATs. It's a set of exams taken in each of the subjects studied to the end of compulsory schooling at 16.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_C ... _Education

The French example of the specifications is here: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/language ... rench-4655
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby dEhiN » 2015-08-10, 14:49

Do you know then if the GCSEs are the modern-day equivalent of the O and/or A levels?
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Re: TAC 2015: Hebrew

Postby Lemanensis » 2015-08-10, 15:58

dEhiN wrote:Do you know then if the GCSEs are the modern-day equivalent of the O and/or A levels?


Yes, they're the old O-levels. A-levels are, I believe, called A-levels or A/S-levels.
Martin
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