language lessons

[sivad 0]

marina wants to be more afluent in english before she comes here,does immigration help with this once she arrives,or are we on our own with english as a second language classes?stupid question i know,but i was just curious

[Chuckles 0]

No help with the english.

There are lots of options though. Check the local community college. Depending on your area, you may also have someplace willing to teach english as a second language without a fee. In Portland there is a place called the 'international school' that instructs students to teach abroad, and they do it for free. Maybe something like that where you live?

Good Luck.

[slim 1,525]

There are several "America-related" publications available through USCIS but nothing really English-learning specific. There's some history, how America works, studying for citizenship, etc., but they don't offer classes or anything like that.

As said above, check community colleges, church and civic groups, schools, etc. The United Way may also offer some free or low-cost ESL classes.

[Jasman0717 9]

You are on you own. We have adult continuing education classes here in California that teach people English as a second language. My ex learned English from taking the classes. Check what might be available in your area

[mox 298]

Have a look at this thread also. Best of luck to you both, feel free to hang out and share yours and Marina's story.

[sivad 0]

Have a look at this thread also. Best of luck to you both, feel free to hang out and share yours and Marina's story.

still learning to navigate the forum controls ,and just started paperwork for k1,i will post our picture and story once we get ball rolling,and k1 initially sent off,and we will start a visa timeline.

[mox 298]

Ahh, you're just filing, very cool!

You've definitely come to the right place. Lot of good people here who have been through what you're about to go through. Honestly, don't even waste your time posting in the K1 forum, you'll get a lot more helpful and experienced answers here. What you're likely to get in the K1 forum is a mish-mash of opinions, some of which may be accurate, but many will just worry you.

How well does Marina speak English right now?

[sivad 0]

Ahh, you're just filing, very cool!

You've definitely come to the right place. Lot of good people here who have been through what you're about to go through. Honestly, don't even waste your time posting in the K1 forum, you'll get a lot more helpful and experienced answers here. What you're likely to get in the K1 forum is a mish-mash of opinions, some of which may be accurate, but many will just worry you.

How well does Marina speak English right now?

better than she thinks,but she is worried she does not know it very well,when we met up in moscow,she said she understood me 75%percent of the time,problems with american slang.and we have been chatting online and texting for 8 months before my trip to see her.so she reads it very well,but sometimes she has to google some words on her phone(lol)

[mox 298]

Slang is the hardest part, but she'll learn most of the common slang phrases and words pretty quickly, and it'll be absolutely adorable when she starts to use them herself. And it's very typical that she thinks her English is worse than it really is. When she gets here, get her into an ESL class where she'll become the star pupil. It'll be a big boost to her confidence.

[GiGii 4]

When she gets here, watching our American TV will be helpful to pick up the slang. However, my husband has been quick to pick up the less than appropriate slang and use it everywhere. "#######" is his favorite word, I didn't even know how often he used it until we had the AOS interview a while ago. He said it so often, that the IO said that watching children's tv is a better way to learn English, lol.

Community colleges have lots of state sponsored classes so they are free. The conversation classes are very good. You get people from all over the world and they share their stories, how they got here, what they think of the US. Its also a good idea to do before she has EAD, she won't sit bored at home.

[sivad 0]

When she gets here, watching our American TV will be helpful to pick up the slang. However, my husband has been quick to pick up the less than appropriate slang and use it everywhere. "#######" is his favorite word, I didn't even know how often he used it until we had the AOS interview a while ago. He said it so often, that the IO said that watching children's tv is a better way to learn English, lol.

Community colleges have lots of state sponsored classes so they are free. The conversation classes are very good. You get people from all over the world and they share their stories, how they got here, what they think of the US. Its also a good idea to do before she has EAD, she won't sit bored at home.

thank you,i will remember to monitor what words she is picking up(lolololol)

[Rob_Lesya 4]

Welcome!

As mox said, thinking that her English is worse than it really is is a typical reaction. Getting her into an ESL class as soon as she arrives will help keep her busy during those first few months, greatly boost her confidence and help her make friends.

There are many books that you can find that can help her with slang, idioms, etc. One that I personally recommend is "McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs". They also have a dictionary of American slang. Both of these books are geared towards ESL learners. They're both very thick books but easy to navigate. You can find them on Amazon or Barnes & Noble website and have them shipped to Russia. They'd make an excellent present (along with perhaps a nice book about Atlanta-- one with lots of pictures)!

Good luck ..... and enjoy the Journey!