Father Sex

I'm struggling.

Every day I work on expanding my German vocab.
Every day, except for when I'm on holiday, am too ill (which rarely happens due to growing up in a household where to merit a call to the docs you had to be at death's door - you think I'm kidding? Ask my brother, he'll verify it) or am too busy with guests (which does happen due to living so far away from family that when they come to visit they come with at least one suitcase each and settle in for the duration*)
Anyway I have this great computer programme called "Phase 6", and every day I log in and it tests me on the words for that day, usually just 20 words, any less, then I input some new words that I've picked up and need to know**, anymore then I scowl, sigh mightily and knuckle down to it.

Phase 6 works on the principle of repetition.
Day 1 I put in a new word, 3 days later it asks me to remember the word, if I remember it then the word moves up a stage and will next be asked for it in 10 days, if I get it right that time then the word goes into the next stage, 30 days later the word is asked for again and after that 90 days. If I get the word right that time I'm never asked it again as it is deemed to be in my long term memory and the word sits in phase 6 for evermore...by the way, every time you get a word wrong it goes straight back to phase 1 ready to start again, I must have masochistic tendencies.

I do this every day because if I don't and I've forgotten to tell the programme that I'm bunking off then it stacks up the words, and while 20 words a go is OK, 40+ is too many, especially seeing as my success rate tends to be about 50% - had a good day yesterday and steamed straight through, all ladders and no snakes, I think that's the first time in 4 years though!

There are some words that I just have a complete and utter mental block over, one of a trio popped up today, leading me to write them down in an attempt to remember which one is which, here they are;

apparently - anscheinend
actually - eigentlich
possibly/perhaps - eventuell

I keep getting the buggers mixed up, although one of them has made it to phase 3, goodness only knows how, it's only a matter of time before it's sent back to phases 1!


* not complaining, just commenting.
** whenever I read something in German I make a note of words that are new, this week so far I've jotted down the German for 'sneaky' (heimtückisch), 'to creep' (schleichen) and 'to walk the dog' (Gassi gehen) - I can't believe it's taken 4 years for me to hear this phrase, seeing as I geh Gassi every flippin day.