# My First Post (Celebrate WR Forums’ 10th anniversary)



## swift

Hi. 

This idea was originally posted a couple of years ago in another sub-forum but, considering we’re celebrating WR Forums' anniversary today, I thought some of you might feel nostalgic about the good old days, or just curious about how your style or even your command of other languages has evolved over the years. So here's my gift to all of you: your very first post to a WR forum. 

Just follow these steps and tell us which is your very first post on WR. 

*> Go to the Advanced Search page.
> Put your username in the appropriate field and make sure you check ‘Exact name’.
> Find posts ‘A year ago’ ‘and Older’
> Sort results by ‘Last Posting Date’ ‘in Ascending Order’
> Show results as ‘Posts’
> Be amazed! 

*And if you wish, you may also answer a few questions... Is it a contribution? A desperate call for help ? A silly question ? Did senior folks welcome you? Did you introduce yourself?

So, here’s mine.

No, it was not a silly question nor a desperate call for help.  It was a contribution to Hiro’s thread—is ‘chancho’ used everywhere, from Ecuador to Argentina? I introduced myself but no one welcomed me , but that’s OK—I have made several good friends and I have even met some of them here in Costa Rica and in France.


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## Sowka

Hello swift 

That's a great idea! Well, my very first post had to be deleted.  Forum rule 2.   But then I received a very friendly and welcoming PM from sokol, a moderator in the German forum then, and I was very careful to phrase my next post appropriately. And this is the result:


Sowka said:


> Hallo Duden,
> 
> ich kaufe auf dem Markt ein



*Very* concise, I'd say.  You can see that it is a reply to a question. I often find the questions asked by others so interesting and inspiring that I rarely ask my own questions.


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## behavebabyyeah

Oh dear! My first post in April 2011 (with a little spelling mistake ) : Français de coeur 


> "Bonjour à tous,
> je cherche à dire que quelqu'un est français 'de cœur'. Je ne pense pas  qu'on puisse utiliser 'heart' ('of heart', 'by heart', etc), je tourne  autour d'attachement, mais je ne trouve pas non plus. Il doit y avoir  une expression, mais je ne la connait pas. Quelqu'un peut-il m'aider ?                 "


The one that has marked me most, though, is this one - 
sprightly puffs of clouds > "une envolée de petits nuages", what a wonderful suggestion by Jasmine tea!


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## DearPrudence

I started participating asking a question about* 9 years ago* (10 Sept 2005) in the Fr-En forum!!  So I was really just a baby at the time! 
I remember that I had discovered the forums through the dictionaries (which looked like this at the time) and read threads before starting participating with a question, which looked like a better way than starting answering while nobody knew who I was. Agnès, a moderator, greeted me and ever since, I've kind of wished I would also greet and help someone who would grow to become a moderator or a prominent figure here (but I don't think it happened unfortunately )
This was just before going to England for a year: I had written so in my location and met a forum member from London like this, who was to be the first in quite a long series of members I met


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## atcheque

Bonjour,

Add:
My very 1st post (thread deleted).


atcheque said:


> "il ne travaille souvent pas"   but "il ne travaille souvent "pas plus" de 2 heures"
> "il n'y a en aujourd'hui pas beaucoup"
> "il n'y en a dedans pas beaucoup"  but "il n'y en a dedans "pas beaucoup" qui travaillent"
> "il ne travaille actuellement pas"


My 2nd post, but 1st still active:


atcheque said:


> Hello
> " au fond du couloir, je vis une porte à gauche s'ouvrir et se refermer rapidement. "



My two 1st threads, in EHL:
Loss of noun declension: Eastern vs. Western Europe
mill, moulin, Mühle, mlýn, common root "mln" ?

And: Glad to be here


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## Pedro y La Torre

Apparently my first post was:



> Yes.
> 
> Pendant would mean during the 60's.



Profound indeed.


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## DearPrudence

atcheque said:


> Bonjour,
> 
> My two 1st threads, in EHL:
> mill, moulin, Mühle, mlýn, common root "mln" ?
> Loss of noun declension: Eastern vs. Western Europe
> 
> And: Glad to be here


I would have thought you had posted in FS first. Well, I didn't even know you had posted in EHL.



Pedro y La Torre said:


> Apparently my first post was:
> 
> 
> 
> Profound indeed.


As if you'd be there for years already!


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## lingpil

I'm too lazy to search my first post right now, but I was exactly what it was about: I explained the difference between "endlich" and "am Ende" in German to a French member, comparing them to "enfin" and "à la fin" in French. Few minutes later I received the first welcome greeting by Sowka.  That's how my presence here started.


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## Pedro y La Torre

DearPrudence said:


> I would have thought you had posted in FS first. Well, I didn't even know you had posted in EHL.
> 
> 
> As if you'd be there for years already!



I think I originally signed up as something else, forgot my password, got fed up of trying to log back, on and re-registered. Otherwise it was indeed a rather 'veteran-like' first post.


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## Vanda

Found it!!!!  In the English forum:
*professional  mourners*


My very 1st thread in a forum ever! Had no idea what a forum was!

(Miss some people from that thread)


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## atcheque

Bonjour,

Perhaps not my 1st contribution but the oldest found:


atcheque said:


> Hello
> " au fond du couloir, je vis une porte à gauche s'ouvrir et se refermer rapidement. "





DearPrudence said:


> I would have thought you had posted in FS first. Well, I didn't even know you had posted in EHL.
> As if you'd be there for years already!


It was old existential questions  Thank the answers I decided to stay here 
I came on WRF through Google searches about English grammar problems and after a while I registered to help.


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## Vanda

The 1st thread at the PORTUGUES/ESPANHOL  forum.
ceticismo
Araceli is one of the 1st mods as well!
Lems was the 1st mod from the PT forum!

It looks like Ines was the 1st one to open a thread on the PT forum.
Here.


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## Kelly B

I won't bother to repost it, but it was a question in French. I only knew how to type à é î ô ù the hard way, then, and I apologized for the lack of accents because it was after 22h.  But new posts were still being added to it 5 years later, so I clearly wasn't the only person who wanted to know that particular answer. I find that aspect of the forums very satisfying.


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## Vanda

My very 1st contribution to the PT forum, where dear Outside gives me the welcoming!


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## DearPrudence

And here is a brief timeline of the forums created:
The Rise of a Cyber-Giant: WRF's history


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## Wordsmyth

Good idea, swift. I've just taken a trip down memory lane.

My first post, in Feb 2005, was in the French-English Vocab forum, where I started a thread by asking about the nuances of the word _valoriser_. I was very impressed by the range of helpful responses. The first reply was from a native Spanish speaker, with follow-up from English-, French-, Québécois- and Belgian French-speakers. The thread eventually ran to 28 posts, with several 'revivals' over 3 years.

I obviously felt at ease in the forum very quickly: after only three posts I felt comfortable about slagging off Harrap's (politely, though).

So my WRF baptism was successful, eye-opening and helpful.

My first contribution in English Only (a few days later) was a reply to an Argentinian member, warning about the difference (in BrE) between "pissed off" and "pissed"! But I did move on later to more refined subject matter.

Ws


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## elirlandes

Who would have thought it...? 
It looks like mine was in Fr/En...

Outbound Segment of Journey
Outbound - l'aller
Inbound - le retour


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## ilocas2

Hello, my first post in this forum was this one, I regret that it wasn't also the last one 

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1744264&p=8731132#post8731132


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## fsabroso

DearPrudence said:


> I started participating asking a question about* 9 years ago* (10 Sept 2005) in the Fr-En forum!!  So I was really just a baby at the time!
> This was just before going to England for a year: I had written so in my location and met a forum member from London like this, who was to be the first in quite a long series of members I met


OMG!

In WR-years I am older than you ... just by one month 

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=45991&p=339491#post339491

I used to reply from English to Spanish only 
I was, and still am, learning English 




Vanda said:


> Found it!!!!  In the English forum:
> *professional  mourners*
> 
> 
> My very 1st thread in a forum ever! Had no idea what a forum was!
> 
> (Miss some people from that thread)


and that day was my birthday!


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## DearPrudence

fsabroso said:


> OMG!
> 
> In WR-years I am older than you ... just by one month


Wow, so you lurked in the forums for 8 months before starting posting!   But then, you became unstoppable! 

(and it's easy to remember when I became a moderator: it was on my birthday)


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## fsabroso

DearPrudence said:


> Wow, so you lurked in the forums for 8 months before starting posting!   But then, you became unstoppable!
> 
> (and it's easy to remember when I became a moderator: it was on my birthday)


Jajajajajaja!!!!!


indeed I did! I'm shy by nature


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## swift

Thanks for sharing your memories.  Keep them coming!

Wordsmyth, my own trip down memory lane made me realise that I used to post using huge orange fonts.


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## Wordsmyth

swift said:


> _[...] _Wordsmyth, my own trip down memory lane made me realise that I used to post using huge orange fonts.


 Ah, so you're not a Netherlands supporter any more?! 

Ws


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## joanvillafane

My very first post was in 2007 and I've been a steady and regular user ever since. 

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=353269&p=2097334#post2097334

I needed help deciphering a handwritten letter (in Italian) and I was amazed and deeply grateful for the immediate response and warm welcome.  (from another English speaker!) 

I've used the Spanish/French/German forums from time to time, but Italian/English is where I'm usually found. My second home! 
Thanks to all who make this possible.


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## DearPrudence

swift said:


> Wordsmyth, my own trip down memory lane made me realise that I used to post using huge orange fonts.


As for me, I have remained faithful to my *bold, green font*!  (which no longer exists on gmail!!! How awful!!)


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## swift

Talk about self-affirmation!  And yes, boldface and flashy posts reveal our assertiveness!


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## Kelly B

swift said:


> Talk about self-affirmation!  And yes, boldface and flashy posts reveal our assertiveness!



Boldface and bright colors yes, but I'm afraid the smilies I'm (we're?) guilty of overusing indicate a lack of confidence in my ability to convey tone with words alone.


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## Sowka

Kelly B said:


> I'm afraid the smilies I'm (we're?) guilty of overusing indicate a lack of confidence in my ability to convey tone with words alone.


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## swift

I use them because they're cute. Do you remember the awful new smileys we had for a while after one of the forum's software big updates? 

My favourite smileys are   and


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## DearPrudence

Not assertiveness: I'm just anal-retentive: I need to colour-code everything


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## Wordsmyth

Sowka said:


>


,  but nonetheless .

A picture paints a thousand words. Smilies paint a thousand feelings.

I wouldn't say we overuse them, Kelly. After all, Mike (or vBulletin) keeps us in check with the max limit of 8 per post, so I can't add any more here!

I once added two smiley smilies after my abbreviated sign-off name, and another member immediately came back, calling me 'Mr Two-Smiles'. So I adopted them as a permanent thing: it became W+two smilies. Then someone called me Dubya (aarghh!), and also, shortly afterwards, an upgrade made the smilies bigger, so I changed to what I use now. 

Long live smilies, I say.

Ws


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## Lone_Wolf

Mine is Arabic Sesame Street 4 years ago.


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## Peterdg

This was my first post. It was an answer to a question (in the Spanish-English grammar forum).


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## danielfranco

My first post was a thread I started, because of my job:


> Field and topic:
> "Dieta pobre en..." y "dieta baja en..." son igualmente aceptables pero, ¿cuál es preferible en Lationamérica, y por qué?
> ---------------------
> 
> Sample sentence:
> "A low-residue diet must be started the day prior to the colonoscopy"
> "Se debe comenzar una dieta baja (pobre) en residuos el día antes de la colonoscopia"


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## wildan1

I joined the Forum in February 2007 when a Google search on an arcane French term brought me here. 

I registered immediately and participated actively from the outset by responding or adding to others' threads, but it was only 17 months later that I finally launched my own question, reflecting the hard economic times of 2008:





			
				wildan1 said:
			
		

> The newest neologism in AE I have heard this week is _staycation--describing the phenomenon of people choosing to spend their summer vacations at home and visit their own region because of the high cost of gasoline and precarious economy.
> 
> Comment rendre cela en français ?
> 
> vacances sur place ? congés figés ?_


I got lots of help from others right away, including some of the real luminaries of the FR-EN Forums--archijacq, Nicomon, Gil--who still are regular contributors to this day. (Thanks!  )

And I'm happy to say that the last couple of years I have made up for the staycations I had in 2008-10!


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## merquiades

My first post on wordfreference was on July 30, 2007 to ask a question in the Catalan forum about the verb "aprendre", and to answer some other posts in the same forum.  Chics and Tige both welcomed me!


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## ACQM

My first un Spanish-English vocabulary, novembre 15th 2004. I'm feeling so old. 

I said: 

La expresión sería "rebobinar la película". También lo usamos en sentido figurado, cuando alguien te explica una cosa muy rápido o no lo entiendes, se le dice "rebobina, vuelve a empezar, por favor".


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## Agró

My first post, in the Catalan forum, almost six years ago. Time flies, really.


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## cacarulo

Here's my first post, seven years ago!


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## Santana2002

Well first and foremost, happy 10th birthday to the WR Forum, what a wonderful site has developped here over the decade!

My first post was an attempt to help "nunzilla", 21 August 2008 :


Santana2002 said:


> _La crypte du martyre de Saint Denis et du souvenir de saint Ignace n’est ouverte que le vendredi, de 14h30 à 18 h._
> 
> I would translate this as follows:
> 
> The Crypt of the martyr Saint Denis, and the Saint Ignatius Memorial are only open on Fridays between 14h30 and 18h.



I don't believe anybody welcomed me, but that didn't stop me coming back over the years, often just to browse and improve my understanding of both my native English-from-Ireland (& all the cultural varieties to be found worldwide), and to improve my understanding of my adopted language, French.


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## ACQM

Agró said:


> My first post, in the Catalan forum, almost six years ago. Time flies, really.



¿Empezaste preguntando? Fíjate tú, con lo mucho que has contestado después.


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## KaRiNe_Fr

Salut Bill,


wildan1 said:


> [...]I got lots of help from others right away, including some of the real luminaries of the FR-EN Forums--archijacq, Nicomon, Gil--who still are regular contributors to this day. (Thanks!  )
> [...]


I'm quite disappointed you even didn't mention the damn clowns (page #2)!    (see, love the smilies too!)

As for my first post, I don't have to search for it: it was on March 2006 (at night) after a Glouglou search about my motto. My English teacher was trying to understand it! So I could do nothing but jump in the conversation to clarify its meaning. 
Since then I've met some wonderful people from all around the world (and some not only on the internet), especially those for whom learning with a smile is learning twice. 

Bisettes.


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## Agró

ACQM said:


> ¿Empezaste preguntando? Fíjate tú, con lo mucho que has contestado después.



Ya ves tú.
Bueno, solo había dos opciones, o preguntar o responder.
Pero ahora veo que ni siquiera saludé con propiedad, ni me presenté. Bueno..., leyendo entre líneas, sí me presenté.


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