# You won't learn anything by translating all the time.



## FireRaptor

Hello everyone,

I started learning dutch a few months ago, and even though I think i have learned many useful things in such a short time, there are many occasions in which I still struggle to think how to express my ideas. 

For example, this sentence:

"You won't learn anything by translating all the time."

What i want to express here, is that someone will not learn a new foreign languages properly is he continues translating sentences all the time "but i know that's how I start "

I would probably say:

Je zal niets leren tijdens je altijd vertalen

Or

Je zal niets leren als je altijd vertalen

Which should be: You won't learn anything if you translate all the time.

I would appreciate your help.


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## ThomasK

Je zal niets leren als je altijd vertaalt, But more literally: ... *door altijd te verta*l*en.* The meaning is slightly different from the former, but in practice it hardly matters. However, the "niet" obscures this meaning whereas :_* je leert veel door te vertalen i*_s perfect - and perfectly logical. ._.. als je vertaalt _is somewhat different stricly speaking but the meaning must be about the same...


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## eno2

FireRaptor said:


> "You won't learn anything by translating all the time."


Je zal niets leren door de hele tijd te vertalen. 

Literal...But of course I find that better than what I read already  

Success FireRaptor. 

I studied Greek for years and can partly and badly formulate some of my more simple ideas.


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## Alisson Pereira

Bom dia!
Ik heb een vraag.
If that were a kind of test I'd translate or say: ''Je gaat niets leren als je de hele tijd gewoon zit te vertalen''.
Does that make sense to you?


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## ThomasK

Ja, het is oké, maar het is geen perfect letterlijke vertaling...


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## eno2

Alisson Pereira said:


> ...or say: ''Je gaat niets leren als je de hele tijd gewoon zit te vertalen''.


 
Omgangstaal!


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## bamia

Alisson Pereira said:


> Bom dia!
> Ik heb een vraag.
> If that were a kind of test I'd translate or say: ''Je gaat niets leren als je de hele tijd gewoon zit te vertalen''.
> Does that make sense to you?



Yes, informal but makes perfect sense.  _Je leert niets als je voortdurend zit te vertalen_ is also possible.


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