I am teaching English to speakers of Albanian and sometimes have trouble explaining abstract concepts. For example, one gentleman I work with was having a terrible time understanding the function of the word "the". He kept mixing up the and they. For example, he would say They apples are delicious. I began to realize that the problem was very systematic. I did a little research about Albanian grammar and saw that in Albaninan, the definite article is a suffix attached to nouns. This information was very useful. Using that knowledge I was able to clearly explain how definitness works in English. The translations I asked for related to other problem areas.
I have an idea for a multi-media project that would be useful for ESL students. I might need some sentences translated into Albaninan to make the site more accessible to students who speak that language.
thanks,
Susan