Fancy a little chat in English?

[Lamb]

Maybe, my mis-spelling is due to the fact that - given the pronounciation similarity - I always associated the name to silver jewellery
Whatever. As my teacher used to say: Learn a new word every day (what a clever rhyme )

[Gloriaviktoria]

Wikipedia says: The origin of the name Stirling is uncertain, but folk etymology suggests that it originates in either a Scots or Gaelic term meaning the place of battle, struggle or strife.

[Lamb]

Quite the opposite to my typical female association, obviously.

Where exactly did you spend your time in Scotland?

[Nova_Heart]

I'm going back to Britain in December, but only for a weekend. It's Sheffield this time - fall in love with a music-mad man and you get to see very interesting cities and shops *lol*.

Bilby, when did you visit Oxford? I'm only asking, because the city has changed dramatically. The lovely buildings and parks and history and stories and whatnot are still there but these days the city is more than over-crowded with screeching Japanese kids and so many other tourists that you barely meet "natives" anymore. Even the "Covered Market" which was our last refuge is overcrowded these days. When I stayed with friends last year I thoght next time I'm going to Oxford only very very early in the morning, when the city is still empty...

[Bilby]

Bilby, when did you visit Oxford? I'm only asking, because the city has changed dramatically. The lovely buildings and parks and history and stories and whatnot are still there but these days the city is more than over-crowded with screeching Japanese kids and so many other tourists that you barely meet "natives" anymore. Even the "Covered Market" which was our last refuge is overcrowded these days. When I stayed with friends last year I thoght next time I'm going to Oxford only very very early in the morning, when the city is still empty...

It's been quite a couple of years, I'm afraid :leiderja: Your report doesn't sound good - such a shame ...

Please let uns know what Sheffield is like when you return.

[Nova_Heart]

Sure, there will a report on Sheffield, when we are back. But it's still a long time away. Apparently, that's also a city which has changed very much over the last 20 years or so.

[Gloriaviktoria]

Apparently, that's also a city which has changed very much over the last 20 years or so.

Well, which city hasn't?

[Jane82]

oh that' so cool, another foreign language thread

I had English as written subject in my A-Level, since then I often watch English movies or read English novels, and last year I did a course at my university that had Cambridge Level C1/C2 - so I think English is my best foreign language, my French is not quite that good (though I'm still satisfied), and currently I am learning Czech (Czech husband). I'm just doing an internship in the Czech Republic).

I also post in an American long hair forum (TLHL), and currently I'm reading "Dracula" by Bram Stoker (which you can download for free at the www.gutenberg.org by the way).

[Bilby]

Hi Jane

I just saw your Czech thread and I'm really curious if there are any beauties around here you speak this difficult language!

I like the Czech Republic and I've been to a couple of places there but I know not more than a few words of Czech. Also, many Czechs speak very good English or German. Where exactly are you doing your internship?

[Jane82]

in a paper mill in Steti, that's a small town about 50 kilometres north of Prague. And concerning "speaking Czech" - well, I think I unfortunately still am at the level of a beginner...

[Jools]

Jools!!

We have quite a lot in common, don't you think
I think so, too
I would really recommend some months in England - I had such a good time there. And I think the university can support your plans in this respect a lot.
Is Gordon Collier still working in Giessen?

Yes, Mr. Collier is still here , he's a funny guy. I even think that his wife and his son are working at the university now, too

Thinking of all this, I would like to pack my bags and be off

Finished packing? Come on, let's go!

Yay, a beautyjunkies excursion to Britain, I'm in
I must admid that I've only come across Ireland through the Cecilia Ahern novels (and I really don't understand why they changed the location in the movie ), which i liked a lot - although they are a bit kitschy

[Lamb]

Yes, Mr. Collier is still here , he's a funny guy. I even think that his wife and his son are working at the university now, too

Is it some kind of invasion?

Yay, a beautyjunkies excursion to Britain, I'm in

What a great idea.

[Nova_Heart]

I'm in! When are we going?

[Sui]

Hm, I think every test demands a certain kind of skill and every test contains a certain kind of questions and of course you are well advised to get familiar with the kind of questions wanted beforehand. So you should do some training before you sit the test. It is 12 years ago that I passed the CPE (that is the higher Cambridge Certificate) so I can't really tell you what exactly the questions were. But if I remember correctly you had to fill in vocabulary into a text, answer some questions to see if you understood what you have read and things like that.

Has the CPE been your first certificate (so you didn't need to pass others before)?
I took Englisch LK in school, I don't know if the Cambridge Certificates require an equal knowledge or a higher level... any thoughts?

[Gloriaviktoria]

Yes, it was my first certificate. I had nine years English in school (no LK) and then stayed for one year in Scotland. I think your level should be sufficient (at least it was at the time I took the exam)

[sovielschoenesachen]

Hi ya, just got here today,is anybody using the chatroom?? Bored!

[Bilby]

Hello English fans,

where is everyone? Having a nice weekend?

We are just back from the zoo – it was lovely to walk around and have a look at all the beautiful animals. Some of them had young ones , so cute!

Do you have any pets? I used to have guinea pigs as a child but now I don't have a pet anymore. Dogs are out of the question because they scare me to death ; cats, rabbits and all animals with a lot of fur are impossible, too, because my boyfriend has a bad allergy. Maybe a tortoise would be perfect for us

Have a lovely Sunday and please come back to chat soon

[Daffodil]

Hello

I love the English language. And I really love writing English.
Unfortunately my written English is much better than my spoken English and I always think my teacher wants to kill me because of that She always looks angry when I'm saying something. Well, I don't say much .. if I talk at all I hate to talk when so many people are listening Maybe that's a reason for my bad spoken English
But I try to improve it. Moreover I try to improve my written English, because it's not perfect. But it's good enough to communicate. And it gets better
I always watch my favourite TV show "Charmed" in English - in English it's so much better than in German
Furthermore I try to get used to reading books in English. One of my favourites is "Dead Poets Society"

Yes, Bilby. I have a lovely little dog His name is Sören and he's just about 6 years old. Unfortunately I don't know his real age because me and my family adopted him from the animal shelter. Somebody abandonned the poor little dog tied to a lantern in the street I just can't understand how a human being can be so cruel to leave a pet alone in the street - especially in November. It really was cold outside in November 2004 :leiderja:
A friend of mine worked in the animal shelter and she knew that my dog jsut had died in September and so she told me that there was a totally cute dog just arrived in the animal shelter. The next day my mum and I went to the animal shelter and we both fell in love with the little one So after I had walked the dog a few times together with my parents we finally could take him home on December 24th - the greatest Christmas present of all.
I really love my dog even though he's very cheeky and tries to bite my feet nearly all the time. He also don't seem to like me at all because he very often snarls and bares his teeth when I'm trying to fondle him or to cuddle him. Even though he's so angry sometimes, he seems to love me in a wicked way. Maybe the snarling and the baring of his teeth are ways to show me his love But seriously I think he doesn't really respect me as someone who stands above him.

[Bilby]

Good morning la.petite!

Oh, it's very nice that you got your dog from an animal shelter. I really admire the people who work there. Two years ago, we found a zebra finch on the street and we took him to the animal shelter on the following day. The people there were so friendly and they really knew what they were doing. And "our" little bird found a friend there immediately because they had another zebra finch sitting all alone in a cage.

By the way: Your written English is so good I am sure you can speak very well, too! You just have to get used to it - the easiest way is to go somewhere where you HAVE to speak English

[Daffodil]

Good Morning, Bilby

Yeah, the people in our animal shelter are very nice, too.
Some years ago, as my old dog was still alive my neighboor found a little dog who was abandonned in the street. He gave him to us, because he knew we had a dog and we would care about the little one.
Unfortunately we had to take him to the animal shelter, because our own dog felt neglected and so he didn't eat at all. I guess he felt very bad because the young dog had so much more strength and vitality.
I really wanted to keep the little dog, but I don't wanted my own beloved dog to feel bad and so my mum took the little one to the animal shelter
But I'm sure he found a great new home where he's happy

Yeah, maybe you're right and I just have to get used to speaking English. Regrettably I don't really have the time and the money to go somewhere where I have to speak English. But maybe I can practice my English this autumn in Italy

[Nova_Heart]

No, we don't have any pets. My husband is allergic and would get terribly ill. Besides, we both work fulltime and having pets without the necessary time is not nice for the animals.

[Max und Moritz]

Oh, dear... and I couldn´t live without at least one dog The messy pawprints, the slobbering, the noise, the walks in all weather...

[Bilby]

No, we don't have any pets. My husband is allergic and would get terribly ill. Besides, we both work fulltime and having pets without the necessary time is not nice for the animals.

That's exactly our situation. Also, we live in a flat, and in my opinion there are not too many animals that are really, really happy with living in a flat in the city centre For dogs, cats, even for rabbits, something with a reasonably big garden is much nicer

@Max und Moritz: There have been some dogs in my life - three, maybe four - that I liked, even if it took quite a bit of time! But normally, I 'm just scared of dogs. I don't even know why - it's just the way I am

[Max und Moritz]

And yet you love Bilbys I rather think you´d like Labradors; they´re like oversized, clownish, happy-go-lucky bilbys (or is it "bilbies" in plural...?)

[Bilby]

Oh, not only bilbies (never seen one in the wild, unfortunately)! I like animals in general, I like going to (nice) zoos and I love watching them in the wild

And even if the "wild" is not exactly on your doorstep: At this time of the year you can see a lot of different birds, even in the city, squirrels in the park, heaps of ducks (we live near a river) ... and the first bees, bumble-bees (one of my favourite English words, by the way ) and butterflies! Spring is nice

[Gloriaviktoria]

We have three cats and I cannot imagine being without them

[Nova_Heart]

Ohhh, I just love dogs. Always have, always will. You are never bored when you have pets - better than television. I still have very fond memories of the time I had a friend's dog as a live-in. But at that time I was unemployed and had lots and lots of time...

Still, if you know you don't have enough time, it's better not to have pets as you shouldn't get a pet so you feel good. A pet is a living, breathing person with four paws (in case of cats and dogs) and not some fashion accessory you can put away somewhere if you are busy or can't be bothered.

[Bilby]

Where are all the English-speaking beauties?
Interested in continuing our "fan thread"?
Just write whatever you like! Don't be shy!
But I have to go now – hungry boyfriend is coming home soon, dinner has to be prepared
I might come back later!

Have a lovely evening!

[cinnamoncone]

Hi, this thread is a really good idea. I think that my english is not so bad and i love to speak it- but in Vienna there is nobody with whom i can speak in this language. This year we stayed for 2 weeks in California and now i`m sitting here in Vienna and i`m missing the states.

[Bilby]

Hi cinnamoncone

did you have a good time in California? Where did you stay?

I traveled a bit of California seven years ago –*San Diego, Venice Beach, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Carmel and San Francisco I'd love to go there again!

Oh, I'd love to speak English more often, too. But here the courses at the Volkshochschule are not so much for conversation but more for passing TOEFL and Cambrigde certificates. So I don't know where to go to

[cinnamoncone]

Well, we stayed the first week in L.A. . We visited two times Disneyland, one day we visited Disneys California adventure. One day we went to San Diego and visited Seaworld. One day we were shopping and in the evening we went to an icehockey game At the staplecenter in L.A. (L.A. Kings- San Jose Sharks) and one day we stayed at the universal studios hollywood. There we saw John Stamos(the actor). Then we went by car to San Francisco where we stayed the second week.One day we went to Monterey and visited the aquarium, one day we went by car to napavalley and sonoma valley. Everyday we had sunshine and temperatures about 20 -25 degrees. I think California is one of the most beautiful places on earth

[kupa]

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[cinnamoncone]

Hi kupa! Yes, i know both disneyland. I stayed two times in florida and there we stayed in disneyworld. I think that disneyland in california ist the most romantic and beautiful disneyland. i like it more than the one in florida. -and of course we have seen the fantastic firework.

[Sowka]

Oh, I'd love to speak English more often, too. But here the courses at the Volkshochschule are not so much for conversation but more for passing TOEFL and Cambrigde certificates. So I don't know where to go to

Hi Bilby

(does : wink : work in English, too, or would I have to write :wave: ?? )

Wow, a thread in English I have to read the postings so far, but I have one suggestion: Don't you have an Amerikahaus in your beautiful city?

I'm not quite sure.. Many , many ages ago I was introduced to our Amerikahaus, but I think I remember that they said there were discussions in English, too.

Anyway, you might meet some natives there Just an idea..

Regardsilein
Sowka

[Bilby]

Hello Sowka,

nice to read you here! It is a great honour to have a future Master of the English language universe in our modest little thread!

Thank you for your suggestion about the Amerikahaus. You are right, I should have a look around their website again. When I did so last year there were no conversation classes or discussions but perhaps I will find something now.

Have a lovely evening and see you again here or in the Eulenflucht (now, what does THAT mean in English? )

[Sowka]

Heya

Hmm Owl flight? Hopefully not owl escape (Errol, stay here )

I once saw an advertisement in our local Szeneblättchen "Skull Splitter" ( Well, its name actually is "Schädelspalter"), written by an English person who was looking for people wanting to meet in pubs etc in order to simply speak English.

Here I was just googling for "English Stammtisch München" .. look Englishweb and English Stammtisch.

Well, I don't know.. Was just looking around. Now the "Amber Spyglass" is calling again

Greetzele
Sowka

[Trivia]

Oh, I'd love to speak English more often, too. But here the courses at the Volkshochschule are not so much for conversation but more for passing TOEFL and Cambrigde certificates. So I don't know where to go to

Hi Bilby,

have you ever heard of Toytown?

If you are really interested in communicating in English you should give it a try.

The English-speaking community in Munich is huge ... you'd be surprised!

[Lashqueen]

Hi there!

Trivia nice link But my "Bundesland" is not mentioned

I like the English language. I lived in London for 9 months. I came back last June and my English is getting more worse every day

[kupa]

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[Sowka]

Heya

today I had a terrible headache, and when I came home, I had to hit the hay at once

"Hit the hay" is a new expression that I learnt on OWAD today, and I love it dearly..

Since I've been dealing with "dry" (but this only refers to the linguistic aspect of these texts; their contents are amazing ) technical texts in the past many years, I'm now eager to learn those idioms and phrasal verbs that make the language colourful.

My UK colleague, knowing this, sometimes includes nice expressions in his e-mails. One of my favourites is "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed", which means something like "fully awake and eager to work"

Whenever this expression comes to my mind, I always imagine a little furry animal, like a squirrel

Do you also have favourite idioms?

Have a great weekend
Sowka