Have you ever met someone who speaks another language, and been amazed at what you hear when their mouth opens… You have no clue what they’re saying, but they’re having a real conversation – using sounds that make absolutely no sense to you. It’s like a small miracle, right in front of your eyes. It’s […]
MOREIntroverts’ Revenge: The Language Learning Perks of Being a Wallflower
There is a common myth, that introverts are seen as less talented at languages because they prefer reading to speaking. As a language teacher and learner myself, I must say I disagree with that. I think that introverts are the samurais of foreign languages, and I’m going to tell you why. (Before you continue reading, […]
MORESpanish Immersion: 16 Ways to Make it Possible for Home, Work or Play
Is it your dream to speak Spanish with ease? You can speak confidently in Spanish – all it takes is lots of practice actually speaking in Spanish and immersing yourself in the language. You may think the only way to do that is travel the world, and immerse yourself in the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. […]
MOREPassion Power! How I Learned English (and Spanish) by Sharing My Art With the World
During my first year at my Italian university, I dropped my language degree course in English and Spanish after just three months. Back then, in addition to studying English and Spanish at university, I was also studying at an art academy in Rome to become a professional cartoonist (cool, right?). As you may imagine, doing […]
MOREHow I Met Japanese Language Partners in a Small Town (and So Can You!)
When I was 4 years old, I discovered Sailor Moon. To say I had an obsession was an understatement. Ever since, I’ve loved Japanese culture. The delicious food, the rich and crazy unique culture, the wacky shows, the cherry blossoms. But more than anything, I fell head over heels in love with this beautiful language. […]
MORE86 French Slang Words and Phrases so You’ll Fit Right in With the Locals
Let’s take a look at French slang. First, a quick caveat: Slang is hard to teach in any language. It varies a lot by region and age group. Consider the following English slang words. Depending where you live and how old you are, you may have never heard many of these before: hella (“extremely”) gobshite […]
MOREAzerbaijani: The Language You Never Thought of Learning (and Why You Should)
So you’d like to speak Azerbaijani? Good call! Never thought about studying Azerbaijani? Keep reading, because there are plenty of reasons why it’s a wonderful language to learn. In a moment, I’ll show you how to get started learning Azerbaijani. But first… Grab Your Suitcase — Azerbaijani Is Your Ticket into Another World Azerbaijan is […]
MORELearn Spanish by Watching TV: Here’s How to Learn Spanish with Telenovelas
If you have been learning Spanish for a while you have probably tried a few things by now: language classes, apps, podcasts, websites, using social media in Spanish, listening to music and reading books. They all have their place in learning Spanish. But there is one thing that will fast track your language studies, particularly […]
MOREWhy Learn a Language? Here’s What 8 World Class Polyglots Said
Why learn a language? It’s a good question! In the last couple of years I have had the honour to interview some of the most popular polyglots in the world, and I had the opportunity to ask them about why they learn languages. I am a polyglot myself. I speak six languages fluently and I […]
MORESpanish Adjectives: 50 Descriptive Spanish Words to Make Your Spanish Sentences Sparkle
Spanish adjectives don’t have to be difficult. Below, I’ll list 50 of the most common and useful Spanish adjectives – like the words for common and useful. But first, a brief overview of how adjectives work with Spanish sentence structure. What is an Adjective Anyway? An adjective is a word that describes a noun. Examples […]
MOREThe Transcription Technique: A Simple Way to Improve Your Listening Comprehension
I’d like to share a simple technique that has drastically improved my listening skills (many language learners say that listening the most difficult skill to master). What’s more, this technique also helps me with speaking, reading and writing. I know of no other technique that’s so effective at improving all of these skills. I’ve never […]
MOREFrench YouTube Channels: 10 Youtube Channels to Take Your French to the Next Level
Watching French YouTube Channels is a fantastic way to learn French, and to immerse yourself in the French language. French YouTubers with English subtitles are especially good for beginner and intermediate French learners. Here’s how I think of it: The key to create a successful immersion environment at home is to use native content. That […]
MOREBeautiful Spanish: 15 Romantic Words for “Beautiful” in Spanish
Spanish is a beautiful language. It’s certainly spoken by some beautiful people. Yet if you want to tell your Spanish-speaking valentine how attractive they are, you may be unsure exactly how to say it it. There are many ways in Spanish to say “beautiful”, just like there are many ways to say it in English: […]
MOREFrench Accent Marks: The Ultimate Guide
The words café and résumé are originally French, and in English we often write those words without the accents. In French, however, the accent marks are not optional. French has several different accent marks, also known as “diacritics”. They serve several different purposes in the language. Sometimes they affect pronunciation, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they […]
MOREWhy You Should Attend a Language Conference
It is either by good fortune or pure luck that my interest in languages coincided with the rise of language conferences across the world. About a year and a half before I began taking French in school, the first Polyglot Conference had already been held in Budapest. Soon after, there were talks of a new […]
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