I felt lost. I’d finished school, where I’d fallen in love with languages. And I wanted to keep learning. But I had no teacher to tell me how to learn. I tried a few different things, but nothing seemed to be working. So I turned to my trusty friend, Google. “How to learn a language”, […]MORE
Are you familiar with some Swahili words or phrases like Jambo and Hakuna Matata? Now, learn how Kenyans ACTUALLY speak! While living in Kenya for the past year and a half, I’ve been studying the Swahili language (known as “Kiswahili” to its speakers) and have found it to be an excellent language for me to […]MORE
A few years ago, when I was in the sixth grade, I was met with an interesting elective choice at my middle school. Every other day, I could forfeit a study hall, and attend a Chinese enrichment class instead. The teachers were directly from the Chinese mainland, and they taught the language at a local […]MORE
Have you ever thought about being a pen pal? Finding a pen pal is a great way to connect with people from other parts of the world, to learn a foreign language, and to open yourself up to a new culture. Of course, these days we have Skype and email, which make connecting with others […]MORE
In 1066, William (or Guillaume in French), the Duke of Normandy, invaded England and took possession of the crown of England. As a result of the Norman invasion, the French language began its own invasion of the English language (called Anglo-Saxon or Old English). That’s one of the reasons why English and French have so […]MORE
Learning how to speak Spanish? It can be tricky to find high quality online Spanish lessons that don’t cost a fortune. You want to learn Spanish, and you’re willing to put in the time, but where can you go to learn? With this question in mind, I’ve put together a list of online Spanish classes and lessons that won’t cost you a single cent. While some...MORE
This is a very detailed and frank review of the latest version of Rosetta Stone: version 4 TOTALe Rosetta Stone is one of the biggest brands in language learning in the English speaking world (not to be confused with the Rosetta Stone that helped us decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics, which it is named after). The problem is that it is out of the budget o...MORE
The rolled r comes up in so many languages. I've heard it in various forms in Czech, Thai, Hungarian, Tagalog and of course in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. And yet it seems to be something that evades native English speakers. The laziest of them will just give up entirely and use the bullshit excuse of "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". [Desp...MORE
Want to learn Korean? Good call! Korean is hot property. Interest in the language has soared over the past few years. “Gangnam Style” by Korean pop icon Psy was the first YouTube video to reach one billion views (and the first to hit two billion views). K-Dramas - Korean television dramas - are a rising trend that’s set to take the world by storm...MORE
Have you ever wanted to woo a lover with your prowess in languages? What better way than by giving them a very special name from another part of the world. Around the world and across languages, people express their love in different, imaginative and sometimes - to our English speaking minds - strange ways. You may be surprised to learn that some term...MORE
Napoleon Hill wrote in his bestselling book Think and Grow Rich, "There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge." Do you say to yourself, "I am too old/young/fat/skinny/rich/poor/educated/uneducated/white/black/gay/straight/hairy/hairless/sheep/goat to be learning a new language [or insert any formidable-sounding thing]." Realize this...MORE
Today's guest post is from Zack, (@zackjsimon) who is a long-term reader of the blog and has sent me this guest post idea for a concept that you all know I like to write about for as many languages as I can! Considering French is considered by some to be among the world's "hardest languages" (yes, seriously, Parisians will insist on this; luckily, you...MORE
