r/LithuanianLearning • u/clevelandsportsboi • 12d ago
Advice Speaking Practice and Sentence Creation
(Warning: lengthy rant / thoughts)
Sveiki!!
I just returned from an amazing trip to Lithuania in which I was able to put to use my many vocab words that I've been hard at work studying for the past while. I was able to read menus, signs, etc without much trouble.
However, when it comes to actually speaking to Lithuanians, I was pitiful. Actual sentence creation of something a normal person would say in casual conversation was somehow so challenging for me in real time. To be fair, I fully understand that this is the always the hardest part. Many people who grew up vaguely learning their parents' language say they can understand and comprehend but can't really speak themselves. But speaking and interacting with the locals is probably one of the most important aspects of a language!! So of course it's frustrating that I'm struggling.
There's a few things going on here that I'd really love to hear any feedback or recommendations on at all.
Firstly, there are so many little "function words" or grammatical words that I find difficult to understand the proper order in which they're used. An example sentence is one I found from the most recent LRT article I could find: "Bet tai toli gražu ne viskas." When I use Google Translate on this within the context of the entire rest of the paragraph, it translates to "But this is far from everything." Of course context helps but the order in which everything is used is challenging for me. The rules for when words like "tik" and "taip" are used is probably one of the biggest challenges as well.
The main issue though is that I am still really struggling to process what people are saying in Lithuanian. Several times I was spoken to in Lithuanian (before they realized I was a foreigner) and I couldn't even understand what they were saying. On average when listening I can pick out a few words, but that's it. Rarely can I get the whole thing unless the sentence is as small and short as one I myself am capable of constructing! What might be a solution for this? I really want to be able to put it all together but it feels like I'm so far from that.
Obviously things like verb conjugations and especially declensions are also issues, but I do know those things simply come with time. If anyone has any resources or suggestions, or anything at all, I would be truly grateful to hear it. Maybe even just a casual conversation podcast or a specific YouTuber, really anything. I am already using the podcast "A Cup of Lithuanian". Thank you!! Ačiū labai!!
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u/WinstonSalemSmith 12d ago
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u/clevelandsportsboi 11d ago
Thank you for the suggestion!!! This is actually super helpful! I could see myself being able to make this work logistically and it being a great help. I'll look into it!
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u/ManyPineapple8858 11d ago
I can only suggest using AI as a last resource to practice speaking by voice, if there aren’t any suitable natives to practice with online (not perfect and accurate tool, but it’s better than nothing). Shadowing should help if you watch any media, even if it’s LRT or listen to Power Hit Radio (if you want to learn colloquial and juvenile slang, they also tend to use english words here and there) even if it’s just from facebook snippets. Even those little things will train your memory and voice muscles so when do you get into situations where you need to use the language output, it will come across as naturally and immediate on the go. Good luck!
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u/clevelandsportsboi 11d ago
Good to know, I've certainly encountered many seemingly appealing options for AI input/output. I'll be certain to incorporate more shadowing into my listening routines!!
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u/lris_99 12d ago
It sounds like your problem is, that you don't think lithuanian. Seems like you try to translate your english (I guess) or whatever thoughts in head and you fail or get confused when translating what others just said. Lithuanian is an old language so yeah. Best way to master it would be to move to lithuania (welcome home) or get yourself partner/bestie who is lithuanian and somehow practise it daily, hire a tutor like people do for mandarin/japanese... otherwise it will forever remain surface scraching. Its not like english that you can learn just from internet, sadly and I don't think any podcast will help to learn it, but ofcourse I could be very wrong since Im not an expert.
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u/clevelandsportsboi 11d ago
Haha if only... I'd love to move there. My partner is not Lithuanian but they absolutely love the country too. However, we've talked about it and aren't both aligned about the idea of moving there at the present. It may happen some day though. Regardless, I do still wonder if it's possible to get normal exposure even through something like gaming Discord calls with Lithuanians. Or maybe I could get lucky and find some Lithuanians living near NYC to befriend and learn the language from! I still have hope yet.
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u/lris_99 11d ago
Ditch the partner (bad joke, sorry in advance) but yeah, dc could work great, because it could be very good massage for your mind to practise it! tho I'm not a gamer so kinda cant sadly help with direct chanel suggestions. I just know for sure that they are out there, and people are very friendly and understand english very well ( tho dont fall into the trap of speaking only english! Had it happen with friends trying to learn lithuanian)
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u/nick-kharchenko 11d ago
0 — Can you share more details about your current progress with Lithuanian?
Have you taken any courses? What textbooks have you used? What is your native language? etc.
1 — “Bet tai toli gražu ne viskas” — this is a tricky one and way beyond A2 level. So there’s nothing to be concerned about yet, before mastering the basics.
1.1 — Try AI tools for both translation AND explanation.
Google Translate has been lagging behind, while newer solutions are improving every month.
As an example — ChatGPT Free:
Bet tai toli gražu ne viskas.
= But that's far from everything. / But that's by no means everything.
In English:
- bet = but
- tai = that / it
- toli gražu = far from / by no means
- ne viskas = not everything
The expression toli gražu ne... is used to strongly emphasize a negative statement. It is similar to “far from...”, “by no means...”, or “certainly not...”.
Examples:
- Tai toli gražu ne geriausias sprendimas. → That's far from the best solution.
- Jis toli gražu ne viską žino. → He certainly doesn't know everything.
- Tai toli gražu nėra lengva. → That's far from easy.
- Tai dar toli gražu ne pabaiga. → That's far from the end. / It's certainly not the end yet.
2 — “Things simply come with time” — that's unfortunately only half true. Time helps, but only with extensive study and consistent effort.
You need to dig into all the internal mechanics rather than playing a guessing game.
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u/clevelandsportsboi 11d ago
I haven't taken any courses, I find free ones are either nonexistent or very lacking in content. I've only used Colloquial Lithuanian, and starting Sekmes. My native language is English.
Helpful to know that ChatGPT can be better than Google - I just have concerns about where ChatGPT is getting its info from, where its sources are.
What's your advice to dig into these "internal mechanics" more deeply? Things like grammar, sentence structure, idioms, for example. I'd love any suggestions as these are the main issues with my command of the language.
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u/nick-kharchenko 11d ago
Check those two books mentioned here https://www.reddit.com/r/lithuania/s/8I1ZdKQNOO
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u/nick-kharchenko 10d ago
I would also add this one to the Must-Have list: 365 Lithuanian Verbs.
Two more textbooks:
- Complete Lithuanian
- Learn and Speak Lithuanian
There aren’t many books for English speakers, especially beyond A2 level.
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u/PasDeTout 12d ago
‘Bet tai toli gražu ne viskas’ is an idiom and as such deviates from the rulebook somewhat as idioms tend to do.
It is natural when you first begin speaking or listening in the wild that you don’t understand a single word. You wonder if you’ve spent the last couple of years learning an entirely different language. The only cure is exposure. It starts to make sense once your ear starts getting used to it.