https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 22 May 2026 21:38:30 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399594 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 23:03:13 +0000 spaniellove 1399594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went to Korean school on the weekends pretty much from 1st through 8th grade. That mostly taught the reading/writing...the rest I got through the Korean dramas my family watched! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399514 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 22:24:02 +0000 PurplePumps 1399514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I learned Cantonese since that's all my parents spoke at home until I was at least 6 or 7. I'm so happy that I was able to just pick it up as a kid like that. I took Spanish for 6 years in junior high and high school and that didn't stick at all! I really hope that I can somehow at least pass some understanding to our future kids through me speaking and being around my parents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399486 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 22:12:14 +0000 matador84 1399486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Spanish in elementary school and some at home growing up. Spanish all the way through grade school and minor in college. Taught in a bilingual classroom! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399443 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 21:54:48 +0000 jhd 1399443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I began learning French in high school. Then I majored in French, studied abroad &amp; did a masters in French lit. Now I teach it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399338 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 21:08:08 +0000 msmug 1399338@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Korean is also my first language. Learned at some point before kindergarten. I recall the teachers thought I couldn't speak English so they sent me to an esl class. Turns out I was just incredibly quiet.<br /> I studied Spanish for 6 years but lost it since I didn't speak it regularly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399199 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 20:32:59 +0000 yin 1399199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Chinese was my first language, and I learned English when I started Kindergarten. Thank you PBS for teaching me English! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1399005 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:44:49 +0000 Charm54 1399005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was in French immersion in school. My city is bilingual so there are many opportunities to speak French ! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398990 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:36:22 +0000 Boogs 1398990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I only learned how to understand it because it was spoken to me by my grandma. I wish I knew how to speak and wrote and hope to send my LO to classes to learn. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398966 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:19:27 +0000 chopsuey 1398966@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Korean is my first language.<br /> Learned English from my older sisters, parents, Sesame Street and school! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398962 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:15:48 +0000 HabesBabe 1398962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I spoke Vietnamese at home with my parents, but my mom taught me English, too (with the help of Sesame Street). I was fluent in both by the time I started preschool and never had to take ESL... so I guess they are both my first languages.</p> <p>It's hard to teach C Vietnamese because she only hears it about half the day (when my mom is here during my work hours to watch her). But once the hubs is home, we speak English only. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398772 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 16:47:02 +0000 mamimami 1398772@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started Spanish in elementary school. Took on other languages later but Spanish is the one I use every day of my life now :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398766 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 16:43:57 +0000 pui 1398766@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am from Quebec where you need to know at least basic French to get by. I learned it even though my whole family speaks English. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398731 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 16:29:22 +0000 MediaNaranja 1398731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: My story is similar to yours. I started to learn Spanish in middle school, and stuck with it through high school. In high school I participated in an exchange program and went to Central America (Honduras) for 7 months. In college I studied abroad in Chile. Then I moved to Ecuador for several years, and married an Ecuadorian who speaks little English. Spanish just became (and still is) the language of my day-to-day home life. I agree that there is always something to learn, though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398618 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:51:48 +0000 Andrea 1398618@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Chinese was my first language. I learned English when I started preschool around 3-4. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398603 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:46:29 +0000 T-Mom 1398603@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Since I had immigrant parents living in a rural town in the US, I didn't speak much English until I was 4 and started interacting with my neighbors. I haven't done a good job passing on my language either to the kids. But my DD is in Chinese school and I can see a difference already. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398511 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:09:10 +0000 snowjewelz 1398511@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I learned English my whole life growing up in HK, then moved to NY when I was 13 and I was in ESL in middle school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398451 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:52:43 +0000 looch 1398451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>l learned Italian as a small child, my grandfather used to spend summers with us, so I picked it up by listening to the adults.</p> <p>I've studied Spanish for 3 years (middle school), Latin for 4 years (high school), French for 1 year (college), German for 3 years, last 3 years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398444 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:47:52 +0000 lamariniere 1398444@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I started with Spanish in junior high and switched to French in high school. I continued with French as a minor in college, studied abroad in France, lived in France for almost 5 years, worked for French companies, married a Frenchman and now work as a translator! I feel like it is a lifelong process because I'm still learning new things all the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398442 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:47:32 +0000 Beehive 1398442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I learned French starting in high school (took a class or two for fun before then), and studied French and Italian literature in college so got a lot more exposure to French there. I only really became good at French when I studied abroad in Paris for 8 months in college, though. I'd like to get DS started on a language much earlier - DH and I love languages. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-learn-your-second-language#post-1398427 Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:44:12 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1398427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parents mostly spoke Korean to me growing up and it was my first language. I wasn't exposed to English until I was 3 1/2 and moved to the US. </p> <p>My mom has always only spoken Korean, while my dad speaks half English half Korean now.</p> <p>I went to Korean school for about a year when I was in 4th grade -- that's when I learned how to read and write. I vastly improved my reading skills with karaoke starting from 8th grade.</p> <p>Since moving to New York, I rarely speak Korean since I have all English speaking friends (I had Korean speaking friends in California) and I'm far from my parents. I already have done a horrible job of passing it down to Charlie and Olive (aka I've done nothing), but I'd like to change that!</p> <p>How did you learn your second language? </p>