Benny Lewis's Blog, page 11

June 30, 2023

10 Ways to Say “How Are You?” in French (+ 10 Ways to Respond)

Comment allez-vous ? – “How are you?”

When it comes to greeting your fellow French speakers, there are many ways to ask how they’re doing.

In this article, I’ll teach you how to ask someone how they are in French. That way, the next time you greet your French friends, you’ll be equipped with plenty of options beyond comment ça va?

Plus, I’ll share several fun ways to respond to the question.

Table of contents1. Comment Allez-Vous ? – “How Are You?”2. Comment Ça Va ? – “How’s It Going?”3. Vous Allez Bien ? – “Are You Well?”4. Ça Va ? – “How’s It Going?”5. Comment Vous Sentez-Vous ? – “How Are You Feeling?”6. Quoi de Neuf ? – “What’s New?”7. Ça Gaze ? – “What’s Up?”8. Quoi de Beau ? – “What’s Beautiful?”9. Ça Roule ? – “It’s Rolling?”10. Ça Baigne ? – “It Bathes?”Turn It Around How to Reply to “How are You?” in French 1. Bien, Merci ! – “Good, Thanks!”2. Ça Va – “It Goes”3. Ça Roule – “It Rolls”4. Comme Ci, Comme Ça – “Okay”5. Pas Mal – “Not Bad”6. Comme D’Hab – “Same As Always”7. Tout Va Bien – “All Good”8. Assez Bien – “Well Enough” or “Quite Well”9. Ça Pourrait Être Pire – “It Could Be Worse”10. Je N’Ai Pas à Me Plaindre – “I’ve Got Nothing to Complain About”You Can Start French Conversations On the Right Foot Now!

1. Comment Allez-Vous ? – “How Are You?”

When you first crack open almost any French language learning resource, one of the first expressions you’ll learn is comment allez-vous?, literally “how are you going?” It is, by far, one of the most well-known French phrases for asking someone how they are.

The nice thing about comment allez-vous is that it’s the most safe and most polite of all greetings in French. You can use it in almost any situation. And in addition to it meaning “how are you?” in the formal sense, it can also be used when asking a group of people. It’s handy in more than one situation!

If you’d like to ask the informal version of this question, then you say comment vas-tu ?

2. Comment Ça Va ? – “How’s It Going?”

This is slightly less formal than comment allez-vous, but it’s still a safe bet when you’re not sure about what level of formality you need to use. It literally means “how it goes?” but translates to “how’s it going?” or “how are you?”

3. Vous Allez Bien ? – “Are You Well?”

When you see someone you know and you want to check up on them beyond the standard “how are you?”, you can use vous allez bien ? to ask them if they’re well. Word-for-word, it’s “you go well?” but what you’re really asking is “are you well?”

Again, note the formal vous rather than tu. If you’d like to ask this informally, it would be tu vas bien ?

4. Ça Va ? – “How’s It Going?”

With ça va? we’re beginning to step into more informal territory, but this particular expression can still be used in a fairly wide range of contexts. It’s not so informal that it should be reserved for friends and family, but it’s best to stick with either of the first two questions in explicitly formal situations. This expression still means “how are you?” even though it literally translates as “it goes?”

Note that in French, most of the expressions for asking how someone uses the verb aller (“to go”) and not être (“to be”).

5. Comment Vous Sentez-Vous ? – “How Are You Feeling?”

If you know that someone has been feeling a little under the weather, this is a good way to ask how they’re feeling. This particular expression is used in formal situations or when asking more than one person.

If you’d like to ask just one friend or close acquaintance, then you say comment tu te sens ?

6. Quoi de Neuf ? – “What’s New?”

This expression is one of the more casual ways to ask how someone is doing in French. It literally means “what’s new?”

7. Ça Gaze ? – “What’s Up?”

This expression is very informal and is best used with friends or those that you are close to. It’s a little outdated, but can still be a fun way to get the conversation rolling or to get your friends laughing because they’re amused you’ve picked this one up.

8. Quoi de Beau ? – “What’s Beautiful?”

The French like to use the word “beautiful” in a surprisingly large number of situations. You might hear it in qu’est-ce que tu fais de beau dans la vie ? (literally: “what do you do in life that’s beautiful?”) for “what do you do for a living?” and il fait beau (literally “it’s beautiful”) for “the weather is nice”.

And, of course, it’s in the phrase Quoi de beau ? for asking someone how they’re doing.

9. Ça Roule ? – “It’s Rolling?”

When you want to ask your friend how they are and perhaps, more specifically how a certain situation or task is going, you might ask “ça roule ?” Literally, it means “it’s rolling”, but it’s a fun way to check up on someone in a casual way.

10. Ça Baigne ? – “It Bathes?”

Similar to ça roule ? is ça baigne ? It translates to “it bathes?”, but is another informal way to ask how someone is doing.

Turn It Around

A quick hack for turning the question around in case the person you’re talking to gets to it first is by asking “and you?” In French, this is “et vous ?” for formal situations or when you’re talking to more than one person and “et toi ?” for informal situations and when there is just one other person.

How to Reply to “How are You?” in French

Now that you know how to ask how someone is doing, it’s time to prepare a response for when the question is turned back over to you. Here are 10 ways to reply to “how are you?” in French.

1. Bien, Merci ! – “Good, Thanks!”

The go-to response to “how are you?” in French is bien, merci ! (“good, thanks”). It’s polite and keeps the conversation rolling. You can even give it a little more oompf by adding très to the front to say très bien, merci or “very well, thanks.”

2. Ça Va – “It Goes”

This is another typical reply to “how are you?”, especially when the question was phrased as “comment ça va ?” or “ça va?”. It’s short and to the point, but still polite enough to be appropriate in most situations.

3. Ça Roule – “It Rolls”

Earlier you learned ça roule ? as a question, but if you change your intonation, you can say the same thing as an answer in more informal contexts.

4. Comme Ci, Comme Ça – “Okay”

If you’re neither great nor bad, in French you might be “like this, like that”. Comme ci, comme ça is a fun way to let the person you’re chatting with know that things are going okay.

5. Pas Mal – “Not Bad”

If you’d like to be a little vaguer in your response, or perhaps a little more down to earth, you can reply with pas mal. It literally translates to “not bad”.

6. Comme D’Hab – “Same As Always”

This reply is a shortened version of comme d’habitude or “like usual.” It can be used to mean “same as always.” It’s more on the informal side.

7. Tout Va Bien – “All Good”

This expression literally means “all goes well” and can be used to say “all good” in either formal or informal situations.

8. Assez Bien – “Well Enough” or “Quite Well”

This reply can be used to share that you’re “well enough” or “quite well”. It’s still relatively positive and is a useful alternative to très bien or just bien.

9. Ça Pourrait Être Pire – “It Could Be Worse”

If you’d like to be a bit more realistic or even somewhat humorous in your reply, you could go with ça pourrait être pire (“it could be worse”). To make it even more colloquial, you can add a bof to the beginning to say bof, ça pourrait être pire meaning “meh, it could be worse.”

10. Je N’Ai Pas à Me Plaindre – “I’ve Got Nothing to Complain About”

If you’re feeling pretty good about things, you could say “I’ve got nothing to complain about”. In French, this would be je n’ai pas à me plaindre.

You Can Start French Conversations On the Right Foot Now!

French is easy to tackle when you know how to go about it! Benny wrote his book Why French Is Easy right in that spirit, so you might want to give it a read.

111 Core French Words — The Most Commonly Used Words in French French Uncovered Review — Does “Story Learning” Really Work for French?30+ Free Online French Classes and Resources (Only the Best!)FrenchPod101 Review: 30 Days with FrenchPod101 60+ Essential French Phrases for Beginners to Start Speaking Now

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Published on June 30, 2023 04:00

June 26, 2023

27 Ways to Say “Thank You” in Italian

What is “thank you” in Italian? “Thank you” in Italian is grazie. But there are so many more options to choose from!

Learning how to express your gratitude in a language is important.

Think about it: what would happen if you didn’t know how to say “thank you” in English? Start thinking about how many times you would come across as rude in your daily life…

At Fluent in 3 Months we do our best to help you learn your target language as smoothly as possible, so my mission today is to teach you how to be thankful in Italian.

PS: this article features native tips to help your Italian get as polished as possible. If you’re curious about traditional alternatives to thanking someone in Italy without using the words for it (yes, food’s involved!).

Pronti? Via! (“Ready? Let’s go!”)

The Italian word for “thank you” is grazie. It comes from the Latin word family of the words gratia and gratus that are tied to concepts of thankfulness, easygoingness, and friendship.

Attenzione! (“Be careful!”) Beginner Italian learners often confuse grazie with grazia. I’ll help you sound more like a native by showing you the difference between the two.

So do you say grazie or grazia?

In Italian, grazia means “grace”, and grazie is the plural of grazia, but it doesn’t have much else in common with its homonym grazie, which is used to say “thank you” in Italy. What does that mean? Simply that you cannot use grazia to express your gratitude. Even if you’re being grateful for a single thing.

If you need a trick to remember this, think about “welcome” and “you’re welcome” in English. They look and sound similar, but you would generally not use “welcome” to reply to a “thank you”.

Another word non-Italian speakers sometimes confuse with grazie is gratis. They have a similar spelling and pronunciation, but they are in no means the same. In fact, gratis means “free” in the sense of “costing no money”, just like it does in English.

Obviously, you may say grazie when you get something gratis.

How to Say “Thanks” in Italian

There isn’t a specific way to say “thanks” in Italian, you just use the same word as for “thank you”: grazie.

The noun thanks (as in “I give you my thanks”) in Italian is ringraziamento, which we’ll look at more closely later in the article.

How to Say “Thank You Very Much” in Italian: Grazie Mille

Italians will say grazie mille or mille grazie (literally “thanks a thousand” and “a thousand thanks”) to say “thank you very much”.

The proper English idiom to replace grazie mille or mille grazie would be “thanks a million”.

This is one of the most historic sayings to say “thank you” in Italian. It was used in letters, in formal conversations, and is still popular today.

How to Say “Thanks so Much” in Italian: Grazie Infinite

It’s not easy to directly link Italian ways to say “thank you” with English ones because they tend to have no literal translation.

However, as “thanks so much” is a tad stronger than “thanks very much”, you could use grazie infinite (“infinite thanks”) as an equivalent.

Infinite is more than a thousand, isn’t it?

Related learning: If you’re looking for some motivation in your Italian learning journey, give this episode of the Language Hacking podcast a listen!

How to Say “Thanks a Lot” in Italian

Now we’re slightly decreasing the intensity of the thanks. To say “thanks a lot” in Italian, say grazie tante.

How to Say “Many Thanks” in Italian: Molte Grazie

“Many thanks” in Italian is either tante grazie or molte grazie.

How to Say “Thank Again” in Italian: Grazie Ancora

The word for “again” in Italian is ancora, so to say “thanks again” say grazie ancora. When chatting with Italians you might eventually come across the phrase grazie rinnovate (“renewed thanks”).

How to Say “Thanks For…” in Italian

We often use the “thanks for + verb” construction in everyday life, in sentences such as “thanks for calling”. To do that in Italian, follow this pattern:

grazie per/di/d' auxiliary (essere/avere) participle

Examples:

Grazie per aver chiamato – “Thanks for calling.”Grazie d’essere venuto – “Thanks for coming.”

If you instead want to use the formula “thanks for + noun”, use grazie per il/l’/la or grazie del/dell’/della.

Examples:

Grazie per la chiamata – “Thanks for the call.”Grazie dell’invito – “Thanks for the invitation.”How to Text “Thank U” in Italian

The word for “thank you” in Italian is already short as it is, so the cyber Italians still haven’t deemed it necessary to find a byte-sized version of it.

That means that to text “thank u” in Italian, you’d simply type grazie.

It’s also frequent to receive a ti ringrazio❤️ or some tvb (ti voglio bene, “I love you”) and tvtb (ti voglio tanto bene, “I love you a lot”).

Psst… If you’d like to discover more sweet Italian texts to send your loved ones, check out these romantic Italian phrases.

How to Say “You Shouldn’t Have” in Italian

If you have to say “thank you” after receiving a gift, don’t forget about the extra emotion that Italians sprinkle on everything. Make sure to let your friends know that you’re very flattered that they thought of getting you something.

Italian people often quickly roll past “thank yous” to jump to the “you shouldn’t have” part of being grateful.

Non avresti dovuto (“you shouldn’t have”) or ma non avresti dovuto (“but you shouldn’t have”) are popular Italian expressions to react to receiving a gift. They are a way to say that the gift was unexpected and is gratefully received.

They are short for non avresti dovuto comprare niente (“you shouldn’t have bought anything”) or similar phrases.

The Noun “Thanks” in Italian: Ringraziamento

The noun “thanks” in Italian is ringraziamento, but it is most often used in plural form if you want to express gratitude: ringraziamenti. Using it to express thankfulness will turn the phrase into a formal, more polite one than if you just used grazie. They are generally used in written form or during speeches.

Here are two examples of a phrase using ringraziamenti.

I miei ringraziamenti – “All my gratitude.”Porgo i miei più sinceri ringraziamenti – “I offer you my sincerest thanks.”The Verb “To Thank” in Italian: Ringraziare

The verb “to thank” in Italian is ringraziare.

(io) ringrazio I thank (tu) ringrazi (singular informal) you thank (lui/lei/Lei) ringrazia he/she/(singular formal) you thank (noi) ringraziamo we thank (voi) ringraziate (plural) you thank (loro) ringraziano they thank

Native tip: Use the verb in case you cannot accept an invitation or a favor: Ti ringrazio (ma non posso), sarà per un’altra volta, which means “thank you (but I can’t), perhaps another time.

You can season the phrase with molto or tanto (“a lot”), moltissimo or tantissimo (“very much”), or davvero (“truly”).

Related learning: Busting a myth here… If you want to become conversational in Italian, you don’t have to focus on conjugation like your life depends on it! Try out the method that Benny Lewis, founder of Fluent in 3 Months, has used to get fluent in over 10 languages. Check out his Why Italian Is Easy course!

How to Say “Thank You” in Italian, Formal Version: La Ringrazio

Although grazie and its derived phrases are suitable for both informal and formal situations, there are ways to sound even more polite when saying “thank you” in Italian.

One of them is by using the verb ringraziare and the pronoun lei, the formal singular “you”, which results in la ringrazio.

How to Say “Thank You” in Italian Slang: Ti Ringrazio un Sacco

Literally “thank you a bag”, ti ringrazio un sacco is an Italian slang way to say thank you.

Un sacco in Italian slang means “a lot”.

How to Say “Thankful” in Italian: Grato/a

The adjective grato (“thankful”) in Italian shares the same root as the verb ringraziare. The feminine version is grata, the masculine plural is grati, and the feminine plural is grate.

“To be grateful” in Italian is essere grato/a, a verb phrase at the origin of a common Italian expression of deep gratitude: Ti sono infinitamente grato/a (literally “I am infinitely grateful to you”). You can also say ti sono grato (“I am grateful to you.”)

Native tip: remember to change the pronoun in the previous phrase according to the person you’re addressing. With lei (formal singular second person), use Le sono grato/a. With voi (plural second person), use Vi sono grato/a.

How to Say “Thankfulness” in Italian: Gratitudine

The word gratitudine (“thankfulness”) in Italian shares the root of the words grazie and grato.

Some “thank you” Italian expressions that contain the word gratitudine are la tua gentilezza merita tutta la mia gratitudine (“your kindness deserves all my gratitude”) and come ti posso dimostrare la mia gratitudine? (“how can I show you my gratitude?”)

Italian Thank You Phrases

Thought that was it? Italians are very serious about being thankful, so here are a few more Italian thank you phrases to enrich your vocabulary.

Choose one for each day of the week. 😜

Sei un angelo/tesoro. – “You’re an angel/treasure.” Use this one with children or people you’re on very familiar terms with, such as a best friend or boyfriend.Grazie di cuore. – “Thanks from the heart.”Grazie dal profondo del mio cuore. – “Thanks from the bottom of my heart.”Grazie davvero. – “Thanks, really.”Grazie di tutto. – “Thanks for everything.”Ti devo un favore. – “I owe you a favor.”Hai fatto davvero tanto per me. – “You really did a lot for me.”Grazie di esserci per me. – “Thank you for being here for me.”Non ho parole per ringraziarti. – “I have no words left to thank you.” Use ringraziarla with lei and ringraziarvi with voi.How to Say “Thank You” in a Letter in Italian

Need an Italian letter closing to say thank you? Use cordialmente grazie (“cordial thanks”), sinceramente grazie (“sincere thanks”), or La ringrazio anticipatamente (“thanks in advance”). Remember to use ti ringrazio anticipatamente with tu.

How to Say “Thank God” in Italian

“Thank God” in Italian is grazie a Dio. However, the main expression used to express relief is meno male (“luckily”, literally “less worse”).

How to Say “Please” in Italian: Per Favore

To say “please” in Italian, you say per favore, which roughly translates to “as a favor”.

“Please” sometimes accompanies the phrase “could you…” as in “could you do me a favor, please?” That would be mi faresti un favore, per favore? in Italian.

You could also say per piacere (roughly “as a pleasure”).

Native tip: Attenzione! If someone asks you if you want a coffee and you want to answer “yes, please”, don’t say sì, per favore! Use sì, grazie instead. The first isn’t incorrect, but Italians don’t use it and you shouldn’t if you want to sound like you’re a local.

How to Say “You’re Welcome” in Italian: Prego

There are several ways to say “you’re welcome” in Italian.

The first and most used one is prego, which literally translates to “I pray”. Prego is short for ti prego di non ringraziarmi (“I beg you not to thank me”).

Next on the list, we have non c’è di che. It’s short for non c’è di che ringraziare (“there’s no reason to say thank you”). It’s formal but only slightly so, so you can use it in any setting.

Have you ever heard of figurati? It’s a way to say “you’re welcome” in Italian that doesn’t have an English equivalent. Its meaning is close to that of “don’t mention it”. Say si figuri with lei and figuratevi with voi.

Next up comes non c’è problema (“no problems”), which you’d rather use with friends or family members. E di che (“and why”) is another informal “you’re welcome” that implies that whatever you did was no big deal.

Some more alternatives include di nulla and di niente (“for nothing”) and ci mancherebbe (“by all means” or “not at all”).

How to Say “Thank You” in Italian: Grazie a Lei or A Lei

Grazie a lei (“thank you”), also shortened to a lei (literally “to you”), is the go-to expression to use when you can’t say “you’re welcome” but still have to answer a “thank you”.

In Italy, people use grazie a lei several times throughout their day. It’s a way of reflecting thankfulness onto your interlocutor after you’ve been thanked.

In some occasions, it simply cannot be omitted or replaced.

Let’s make that clearer with an example. After an Italian has paid for their coffee in a bar, they will thank the barista, and the barista will promptly thank them back. It would go like this:

Grazie mille, arrivederci. – “Thank you very much, goodbye.” (Grazie) a lei, buona giornata. – “Thank you, have a good day.”

Native tip: Grazie a lei is the formal version, but grazie a te is the informal one you might want to use with friends and family. The occasion? When you’re having people over for dinner, for example.

Grazie per l’invito. – “Thanks for the invitation.” Grazie a te per essere venuta. – “Thank you for coming.”

Say “Thank You” in Italian Without Actually Saying Grazie

If you’ve reached the end of the article, you are entitled to your reward: a guide on traditional ways of saying “thank you“ in Italian without actually saying “grazie” – or any of the phrases mentioned above.

As you’ve seen so far in the post, Italians are very fond of saying thank you. But when voicing their gratitude isn’t enough, they turn to showing it. Actions speak louder than words, right?

Depending on who you are thanking, hugs and kisses might work. But if it’s not your family members you need to show thankfulness to, then learn a few other options in this short guide.

Food

Surprised? Yeah, I didn’t think you’d be – and not just because I hinted at food in the introduction of the post. I don’t think it can be stressed enough how important food is in the Italian culture. So, obviously, you can say “thank you” with food in Italy.

The type of food you will use depends on the occasion and the person you are thanking.

If you want to show gratefulness when going to an informal meal held at a friend’s or family member’s house, go for home-cooked food. Fatto in casa è meglio! (“What’s done at home is better!”) This will communicate thoughtfulness and engagement, so there is no need to say how much your gift will be appreciated.

Yes, this also includes home-grown food.

Next up in the list of most welcomed thank-yous for this kind of occasion is the gelato (“ice cream”). Attenzione! It’s only reserved for people in your tight circle.

You could also bring some paste (“pastries”), but only if you are sure they will be of your host’s liking. It’s a good idea to keep things classic: fruits, chocolate, coffee, cream. If you aren’t a hundred and one percent sure those ricotta-and-orange rolls will please your host, then give them a wide berth.

Let’s change the scenario and say you are invited over by your boss’ house or someone you are on formal terms with. Bring a box of cioccolatini (“chocolates”) – stay clear of the brandy-and-mint ones if they’re not your host’s absolute favorite – or a bottle of wine.

However, you might not know enough about the host and their family – and sugar and alcohol are not for everyone. In this case, refer to the third section of this list.

If you’re not being invited over but have to thank your Italian friend(s) for some favor they did you, an invitation to brunch or dinner would be amazing. And of course, andare a prendere un caffè (“to go have a coffee”) – with some paste on the side – always sounds great.

Gift for Children

Italians attribute a huge importance to family, so if you want to make sure your gratitude really shows, aim to reflect it onto the children of the person you’re thanking. Italians will deeply appreciate it if you get their little ones some gifts.

Plus, think of it. Children are usually easier to please than adults, so it also makes things easier for you.

Flowers

Flowers are the most elegant and life-saving thank-you gifts in Italy.

If you don’t know your host’s taste in food and can’t resort to gifts for the children, offer flowers to la padrona di casa (“the landlady”). You can bring them upon arrival if you’re invited for a meal or send them to the person’s house.

If you’re unsure what flowers to get and do not know the hostess’ preferences, consider a bouquet of these:

dahlias to express gratitudehortensias to thank for comprehension in a moment of difficultyyellow roses, tulips, sunflowers, or daisies, which are genuine, simple flowers that symbolize friendshipirises to communicate a strong friendshippeonies to show appreciationReturn the Favor

Is there any way better to show thankfulness than to return a favor?

If you’ve been invited to have a coffee, the next one will be on you. If your coworker carpooled your child home, maybe organize a fun afternoon at the park for both your children.

Italians appreciate genuine gestures.

Write a Thank You Note

Write a bigliettino (“note”) to thank someone for their kindness, or send it to your boss’ house the day after you were invited for dinner.

Even though text messages are taking over, sending a note is still more romantic and shows more effort. Combine it with flowers for maximum effect.

Thank you, Italian!

This is the part of the post where I usually realize how rich a language Italian is. I’m very grata to be able to speak it.

If you also think that Italian is a beautiful language and are determined to learn it, grazie di cuore for sharing this passion with me!

If you’ve read this far, I really like you… and I really want you to enjoy your learning journey and to successfully learn the language!

That’s why I’ll give you some advice: check out Benny Lewis’ top resources for learning Italian. You’ll find some free apps to get started and il meglio (“the best”) of Italian internet courses on this page.

One of them is the impressive Italian Uncovered course, which I’ve reviewed… pizzaiolo-style, with a final note of 4.5/5 stars. Give it a read and see if the course is what you need!

112 Basic Italian Phrases to Learn and Speak NOW!Italian Uncovered Review — What’s the “Secret Ingredient” of this Italian Course?500 Core Italian Words for Everyday Conversations (Top 500 Most Used Italian Words)Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)“Congratulations” in Italian (and 20+ more Italian Celebration Phrases)

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Published on June 26, 2023 04:00

June 23, 2023

Using Codenames and TV series to Boost Your Vocabulary

In our previous post, Emily and I wrote about our struggles with acquiring vocabulary.

Emily hates to get stuck in the middle of a sentence and just could not find the right word. Also, keeping using the same cluster of basic words makes us sound like a 6-year-old.

Then, Chinese TV series and Codenames came to our rescue.

TV series serve as an abundant reservoir of colloquial and trending expressions. At the same time, it is so natural for us to discuss intriguing plots and charismatic characters.

In other words, there is an authentic motivation to acquire specific vocabulary that matters.

Table of contentsMotivation and Goal Bonus Time!Motivation and Goal

Inspired by written by Hacking Chinese, in the past two months, Emily and I watched Meteor Garden and played Codenames, hoping to collect more advanced words, acquiring them in a fun way, as well as applying them to support real audiences.

What Is Codenames？

Codenames is originally a board game that can be played by two or more players. Players can choose to play in either a cooperative mode (duet) or competitive mode (team VS team). Regardless of the mode you choose or the number of players you have, the game always presents you with 25 words. However, the words each team needs to guess right are different.

In the Team VS Team mode, each team has a spymaster, who knows the words for both teams and a taboo word. The spymaster must give hints to their team to help them guess all the target words, while avoiding the taboo, the words of the other team and yellow words. If the team guesses a yellow word, the round ends, and if they guess a black word, the game ends, if they pick the word of their opponent, well, thank you so much.

In the Duet mode, both sides only know their own green, yellow, and black words. Side A must use their descriptions to help side B guess out their green words, vice versa. You win together by finding out all the 15 words within 9 rounds!

Emily and I use the and you can check the rules on their website. If you want more information on the board game, you can check this instruction video for Team VS Team mode. If you are interested, you can check my explanation in Chinese for the duet mode.

Why Do We Use Codenames To Practice New Vocabulary?

First of all, as mentioned earlier, you will be surrounded by 25 words throughout the game. In fact, to support your language learning, you can select words that you are not familiar with or the ones that you want to practice more.

Secondly, describing and connecting the word with related information will deepen your understanding of it. Since you can’t say the word out loud, all you can do is to give out keywords. For example, if the target word is “apple”, you might need to describe its color, shape, taste, and so on to help others make sense of it.

Thirdly, you need to guess 15 words within 9 rounds, which means you can’t describe only one word at a time like in Charades. You need to establish connections among those target words. When you think about how they are related, you may find things in common, you may want to create a story and thread them in. All of this brainwork unconsciously deepens your command of them.

Finally, this is a GAME! You don’t need to review by rote memorization, or looking at flashcards. You are learning by playing, having fun and engaging with others.

How To Collaborate Codenames Duet And TV Series

Emily and I played with the Duet mode because there were only two of us and we wanted it to make the game less intense. It is up to you which mode to play with since the processes are pretty similar.

First, watch an episode that you are interested in. You can use any materials, e.g. an article, a movie, or lyrics. Interest and difficulty are important factors!Next, select a 1-3 minute clip from this episode, or choose a character you want to discuss. You can pick a paragraph from a book, a scene from a movie, a few lines from a song, or a character you’re fond of.Then, select the words that you want to continue practicing from this clip or the words used to describe a character during the discussion.Finally, here comes the game:

Step 1: Once you have prepared at least 25 words, add these 25 words to the game.

Step 2: Read these words out loud together.You might encounter words that you totally left behind, which is an authentic and motivating learning moment.

Step 3: Decide who will start first, then you will know your target words. Our description method for words is different from the official Codenames rules. The official rules suggest that only one or two keywords can be used, but I encourage Emily to tell a story or a long sentence to describe the word. Our goal is not to describe the word concisely, but to explain its meaning as clearly as possible.

Bonus Time!

Emily chose a short summary of her favorite scene from Meteor Garden. If you happen to be a fan of this TV series and your Chinese is at an intermediate level, feel free to try out the game. You can also watch our demo video in Chinese to get a gist.

Read Emily’s summary:

杉菜从道明寺的大家门口走出来。在大雨中，她拉着她唯一的一个行李箱，自己走回家。“杉菜！不要走！” 道明寺喊。不过，杉菜没回头看，继续往前走，她的心已经碎成了百万片。

道明寺在他房间里呆呆地看着墙壁, 一直想着杉菜永远离开他了。如果杉菜是把他凝聚在一起的一块碎片，他怎么能没有她呢？杉菜是道明寺的世界。如果生活没意义，那为什么需要继续活着呢？

杉菜走时，想着道明枫说的话。“你不能继续跟我儿子约会。你们的生活太不同了，你们几乎生活在两个不同的宇宙。你们怎么能约会呢?” 这些话不停地在杉菜的脑海里重播，困扰着她。

道明寺躺着在他的床上，盯着天花板。他不懂他为什么不能跟杉菜约会。他为什么不能看到杉菜。从那天起，道明寺跟杉菜被禁止见面。虽然杉菜继续上学，但道明枫禁止道明寺去上学。因为道明枫怕她的儿子会跟杉菜偷偷地在学校约会。

随着几周的过去，道明寺，慢慢地开始食欲不振；直到有一天，道明寺什么都没吃，连一口水也不喝，但是道明枫却不管他；只要道明寺不跟杉菜见面，其他的她都不管。

Choose 25+ words you want to practice moreFollow the 3 steps introduced above and have fun!

How to Learn a Language in 2023 – Ultimate Guide with 40+ Language Hacks Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)How to Relearn a Language from High School You Think You Forgot The Best Way to Learn a Language [Scientifically Proven, Polyglot Tested]The 4 Essential Language Skills – and How to Improve Them

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Published on June 23, 2023 04:00

June 19, 2023

Numbers in Portuguese: Counting in Portuguese from 1-100+

If you want to learn how to count in Portuguese, you’re in the right place. This article will give you everything you need for a complete understanding of Portuguese numbers.

I’ll cover both cardinal and ordinal numbers (that is, both “one, two, three…” and “first, second, third…”), along with all the subtleties and irregularities that you need to know.

The goal? To give you a comprehensive guide to Portuguese numbers so that, by the time you’re done, you won’t have any questions left about numbers and counting in Portuguese!

Portuguese Numbers 1-10

If you’ve just started learning Portuguese, you don’t need to learn how to count to a million just yet.

So let’s leave the huge numbers until later, and start with the basics. The first ten numbers in Portuguese are:

1 – um/uma2 – dois/duas3 – três4 – quatro5 – cinco6 – seis7 – sete8 – oito9 – nove10 – dez

As you can see “one” (um/uma) and “two” (dois/duas) have two versions. These are the masculine and feminine forms of the number, and they need to agree with the gender of the thing that’s being counted:

comprei um limão – “I bought one lemon”tenho dois cachorros – “I have two dogs”você pode me passar uma taça” – “Can you pass me one cup?”te contei duas vezes já – “I already told you two times”

Note that um/uma can mean “a” as well as “one”. Portuguese doesn’t distinguish between these two words like English does. So, for example, the first sentence above could also be translated as simply “I bought a lemon”.

Portuguese Numbers 11-19

Ready for round two? Here’s the next batch of Portuguese numbers you should learn:

11 – onze12 – doze13 – treze14 – catorze15 – quinze16 – dezesseis/dezasseis17 – dezessete/dezassete18 – dezoito19 – dezenove/dezanove

Pro tip: Where I’ve written two words for one number, it’s because the first version is used in Brazil and the second is used in Portugal. So, for example, Brazilians say dezesseis while Portuguese people say dezasseis.

To help you remember these, notice that the numbers 16 to 19 are formed using the same, simple pattern.

For example dezesseis is just the combination of dez (“ten”) and seis (“six”), with an e (“and”) in the middle. The only thing you need to remember is that Portuguese people change the e to an a (don’t ask me why), and that dezoito is a slight exception because it drops the e entirely.

You may be wondering why dezesseis and dezessete have that extra s in the middle. Why isn’t it dezeseis and dezesete?

It’s because of the rules of Portugues spelling and pronunciation.

An s is normally pronounced like the English letter “s”, but when it comes between two vowels it’s pronounced like an English “z”. However, a double s is always pronounced like an English “s”. So if you just wrote dezesete, you’d be changing the s in sete to sound like a z.

By doubling it up to dezessete, you make it clear that the sete still sounds the same as if it were a separate word.

Portuguese numbers 20-100

Once you’ve learned the first nineteen numbers in Portuguese, it’s easy to learn the next eighty. All you need to do is remember the multiples of ten:

20 – vinte30 – trinta40 – quarenta50 – cinquenta60 – sessenta70 – setenta80 – oitenta90 – noventa

These aren’t hard to learn, especially if you notice that all of them from 40 upwards end in -enta, and all of them except vinte have an obvious relationship with their root digit: oito and oitenta.

Now, to say a number like 43, you pick the right multiple of ten (in this case quarenta), translate the number from the units column (in this case três), and join them together with an e – quarenta e três. Unlike with dezessete, you write this as three separate words. And Portuguese people don’t change the e to an a.

This pattern is the same for all numbers between twenty and ninety-nine. So all you need to know now is that cem means “one hundred” – and you know how to count from 1 to 100 in Portuguese.

Check this table if you’re not sure:

1 – um/uma11 – onze21 – vinte e um/uma31 – trinta e um/uma41 – quarenta e um/uma51 – cinquenta e um/uma61 – sessenta e um/uma71 – setenta e um/uma81 – oitenta e um/uma91 – noventa e um/uma2 – dois/duas12 – doze22 – vinte e dois/duas32 – trinta e dois/duas42 – quarenta e dois/duas52 – cinquenta e dois/duas62 – sessenta e dois/duas72 – setenta e dois/duas82 – oitenta e dois/duas92 – noventa e dois/duas3 – três13 – treze23 – vinte e três33 – trinta e três43 – quarenta e três53 – cinquenta e três63 – sessenta e três73 – setenta e três83 – oitenta e três93 – noventa e três4 – quatro14 – catorze24 – vinte e quatro34 – trinta e quatro44 – quarenta e quatro54 – cinquenta e quatro64 – sessenta e quatro74 – setenta e quatro84 – oitenta e quatro94 – noventa e quatro5 – cinco15 – quinze25 – vinte e cinco35 – trinta e cinco45 – quarenta e cinco55 – cinquenta e cinco65 – sessenta e cinco75 – setenta e cinco85 – oitenta e cinco95 – noventa e cinco6 – seis16 – dezesseis/dezasseis26 – vinte e seis36 – trinta e seis46 – quarenta e seis56 – cinquenta e seis66 – sessenta e seis76 – setenta e seis86 – oitenta e seis96 – noventa e seis7 – sete17 – dezassete/dezessete27 – vinte e sete37 – trinta e sete47 – quarenta e sete57 – cinquenta e sete67 – sessenta e sete77 – setenta e sete87 – oitenta e sete97 – noventa e sete8 – oito18 – dezoito28 – vinte e oito38 – trinta e oito48 – quarenta e oito58 – cinquenta e oito68 – sessenta e oito78 – setenta e oito88 – oitenta e oito98 – noventa e oito9 – nove19 – dezanove/dezenove29 – vinte e nove39 – trinta e nove49 – quarenta e nove59 – cinquenta e nove69 – sessenta e nove79 – setenta e nove89 – oitenta e nove99 – noventa e nove10 – dez20 – vinte30 – trinta40 – quarenta50 – cinquenta60 – sessenta70 – setenta80 – oitenta90 – noventa100 – cem

Note that for all numbers which end in one or two, you need to use the correct form of um/uma or dois/duas:

Somos vinte e duas pessoas – “There are twenty-two of us.” (literally: “We’re twenty-two people.”)Li trinta e um livros esse ano já – “I’ve already read thirty-one books this year.”

The number zero, by the way, is zero. That one’s easy to remember!

“Cem” vs “Cento” in Portuguese

I told you that cem means “one-hundred”, but this isn’t the full story. You actually only use cem when you have exactly one-hundred of something. If another number comes after the cem, you should instead use cento:

100 – cem101 – cento e um/uma138 – cento e trinta e oito

Makes sense?

If precision doesn’t matter, and you just want to say that you have “hundreds” of something, use centenas:

Recebemos centenas de ligações – “We received hundreds of phone calls”Numbers up to 1,000 in Portuguese

Earlier, we learned the Portuguese words for the multiples of ten, which allowed us to say any number up to one hundred.

It’s time to level-up. This time, we must learn the Portuguese words for the multiples of 100. Once we’re done, we’ll know how to say any number up to one thousand!

The numbers 200, 300, etc. have masculine and feminine forms, meaning they must agree with the noun they appear next to. Masculine forms end in -os and feminine forms in -as:

200 – duzentos/duzentas300 – trezentos/trezentas400 – quatrocentos/quatrocentas500 – quinhentos/quinhentas600 – seiscentos/seiscentas700 – setecentos/setecentas800 – oitocentos/oitocentas900 – novecentos/novecentas

As you can see, these generally follow the pattern number + centos. E.g. nine-hundred is nove (nine) + centos/centas (hundreds). The only ones that don’t follow this pattern exactly are duzentos, trezentos, and quinhentos, but they’re not too far off.

Separate the hundreds, units, and tens portion of any number with an e:

121 – cento e vinte e um487 – quatrocentos e oitenta e sete701 – setecentos e um811 – oitocentos e onze940 – novecentos e quarentaNumbers Above 1000 in Portuguese

It’s time to bring out the big guns.

Mil means “(one) thousand” and um milhão means “one million”. Milhão becomes milhões in the plural, while mil doesn’t change. So you’d say dois mil (2,000) but dois milhões (2,000,000).

You don’t normally need an e when linked hundreds and thousands, e.g.:

1,234 – mil duzentos e quatro2,058 – dois mil cincuenta e oito

However, you do need to insert an e if the number is an exact multiple of one hundred:

1,200 – mil e duzentos2,400 – dois mil e quatrocentos

Finally, you need an e when linking thousands and units:

2,004 – dois mil e quatro5,009 – cinco mil e nove

Also note that when using milhões, you don’t have “a million things” (um milhão coisas), you have “a million of things”: um milhão de coisas.

What about numbers above one million, like a billion and a trillion?

Things might seem like they start to get complicated, but I’ll help you make sense out of them.

Millions and Billions (Long vs Short Scale Numbers) in Portuguese

You may know that “a billion” used to have a different meaning in British and American English. To Americans, a “billion” meant “one thousand million”, like it does today.

In Britain and most other English-speaking countries, a billion meant “one million million” – which today everyone (in the English-speaking world at least) calls a “trillion”.

Similarly, “a trillion” had its current meaning in the U.S. of “one million million”. Everywhere else it meant “one million million million” – that’s a one with a whopping eighteen zeroes afterward.

At some point in the twentieth century, non-Americans gave up and started using “billion” and “trillion” in the American way. (We’re still waiting for Americans to return the favour and stop measuring temperature in Fahrenheit.) The “old” way is called the long scale numbering system, while the modern/American way is called the short scale.

You may be wondering how any of this is relevant to Portuguese.

Well, in many languages they still use the long scale system, in which a billion and a million (actually their cognates in the local language) have twelve and eighteen zeros, respectively. So, for example, in Spanish a billón means 1,000,000,000,000.

Which one does Portuguese use? Most Portuguese-speaking countries use the long-scale system, with the exception of Brazil.

So um bilhão means “1,000,000,000” in Brazil, but “1,000,000,000,000” in Portugal or Angola.

To add yet another complication, bilhão can alternatively be spelled bilião. The former is more common in Brazil, while the latter is more common in Portugal.

Fun fact: you know how in English we have “a zillion” as a humourous way of saying “a very large number”? In Portuguese you can do the same thing with um zilhão.

Decimal Points and Commas in Portuguese Numbers

In English, we make long numbers more readable by putting a comma in between each group of three digits: e.g. one million is written “1,000,000”.

On the other hand, for fractional numbers, we separate the integer part from the rest using a dot (the “decimal point”): e.g. 3.14159.

In Portuguese, however, as in most European languages, they do things the other way around. Big numbers are split up using dots, and fractional numbers are written using a decimal comma – the vírgula da casa decimal:

A população do Brasil e 208.494.900O valor de pi é 3,1419

You could also use spaces instead of dots to split up a large number, although this is less common:

A população do Brasil e 208 494 900

Vírgula means “comma”, and a number like “2,34” would be read out loud as dois vírgula trinta e quatro.

This is me in July 2022, making the population of Brazil go up by one. It was my first nomadic move after living in the USA!

Names of Years in Portuguese.

In English, there are two ways to say “1999”. If you’re talking about the year, you’d say “nineteen ninety-nine”. In other cases where you’re just referring to the number, you’d say “one thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine”.

In Portuguese, to say the same of the year you just say the regular name of the number. So the year 1999 in Portuguese is mil novecentos, noventa e nove.

Ordinal Numbers in Portuguese

So far we’ve only looked at cardinal numbers – “one, two, three”, etc.

The other thing you need to know about is the ordinal numbers – “first, second, third”, etc… Here they are:

1st – primeiro2nd – segundo3rd – terceiro4th – quarto5th – quinto6th – sexto7th – sétimo8th – oitavo9th – nono10th – décimo

These words function like regular adjectives, meaning they need to agree in gender and number with the word they refer to:

o primeiro homem – “the first man”a segunda pessoa – “the second person”os terceiros países – “the third countries”as quartas maçãs – “the fourth apples”

You also need to know the ordinal numbers for multiples of 10:

20th – vigésimo30th – trigésimo40th – quadragésimo50th – quinquagésimo60th – sexagésimo70th – septuagésimo80th – octogésimo90th – nonagésimo100th – centésimo

Then you can combine these words to get other numbers:

11th – décimo primeiro34th – trigésimo quarto

Simple! However, when it comes to the bigger ordinal numbers, especially ones that are not exact multiples of ten, people tend to avoid them in informal speech, and instead use a cardinal number:

Hoje foi o dia sessenta e sete da minha dieta – “Today was the 67th day (lit: day 67) of my diet”“Meia” in Brazilian Portuguese

One final thing is worth knowing. In Brazil (but not so much in Portugal), you’ll often hear people saying the word meia when reading a list of numbers. This is an alternative way of saying “six”, and it comes from meia dúzia – “half dozen”.

It’s like how in English we often say “oh” instead of “zero”, for example when reading out a phone number. Brazilians do the same, except they replace seis with meia.

Phew, you’ve finally tackled this introduction to counting in Portuguese. You’re on the right track! If you want to learn the Portuguese numbers more quickly, you can take a leaf out of my book and use Anki’s spaced repetition system! It’s a fantastic way to learn vocabulary more efficiently.

Let me know on Instagram (@irishpolyglot), TikTok (@irishpolyglot), or Twitter (@irishpolyglot) what method you will use!

If you’re ready to continue your Portuguese mission, check out one of these articles:

How to Say “Hello” in Portuguese: “Olá!” (plus 15 More Ways!)16 Free Online Portuguese Language Classes Rocket Languages Review: Can It Launch Your Language Skills To the Next Level?“I Love You” in Portuguese — Plus 50 More Romantic Portuguese Phrases Is Babbel Any Good for Language Learners? I Speak 4 Languages Fluently, Here’s What I Think [Babbel Review]

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Published on June 19, 2023 04:00

June 16, 2023

“Hello” in Thai: 9 Ways to Greet Someone in Thai

Do you want to learn how to greet someone in Thai?

Saying “hello” in Thai in a respectful way involves more than just learning the familiar phrase สวัสดี (sa-wat-dii). The greetings we use can often change depending on who we’re speaking with and the situation we find ourselves in. How can we know the right one for every occasion?

This article will help you to understand some of the most common greetings in Thai and the best ways to use them when talking to native speakers.

Table of contentsQuick List: 4 Common Greetings in Thai How to Say “Hello” in Thai The Importance of Ending Particles How to Say a Polite “Hello” in Thai – สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (Sa-wat-dii krap/ka)How to Say a Casual “Hello” in Thai – หวัดดีครับ/ค่ะ (Wat-dii krap/ka)How to Say a Formal “Good Morning” in Thai -อรุณสวัสดิ์ (Arun-sa-wat)How to Say a Polite “How Are You?” in Thai – สบายดีไหม (Sabai Dii Mai)How to Say a Casual “How Are You?” in Thai – เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง (Bpen Yaang Rai Baang)How to Say a Polite “What’s Going On?” ไปไหน (Bpai Nai)How to Say a Polite “Nice to Meet You” in Thai – ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก (Yin Dee Tii Dai Ruu Jak)How to Properly Use the ไหว้ (Wai) Gesture in Greeting SomeoneQuick List: 4 Common Greetings in Thai

Here is a quick list of 4 of the more common greetings used in Thai:

สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii krap/ka) – polite “hello” (male speakers use ครับ (krap) female speakers use ค่ะ (ka))หวัดดีครับ/ค่ะ (wat-dii krap/ka) – casual “hello”สบายดีไหม (sabai dii mai) – polite “How are you?”เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง (bpen yaang rai baang) – casual “how are you?”

How to Say “Hello” in Thai

It is important to understand the importance of showing respect for others when speaking Thai. The words you choose to use can have a big impact on your listener and taking the time to learn proper greetings will endear you to the people you speak with.

As with many languages, Thai has differing levels of formality. While there are many grey areas, we can simplify these into 3 basic levels: casual, polite, and royal language.

Casual language is used amongst close friends, family members, and when speaking to those of a lower status. A person of lower status would include an employee relative to their boss or a student in relation to their teacher.

Polite language is used amongst people that do not know each other well and especially when speaking to someone of a higher status, like a boss or your in-laws.

Royal language is used when discussing or talking to members of the Thai Royal family who are revered in the country and treated with the utmost respect.

As learners, we will be most concerned with mastering the casual and polite ways of greeting native speakers as these situations will come up most often.

When you are first starting out on your Thai language journey, it is always a good idea to use polite versions of greetings with people you don’t know as this will be seen as respectful and because you do not already have an established relationship.

As you develop friendships, you can begin to take a few more liberties and use more casual greetings as a sign of closeness.

The Importance of Ending Particles

It is also vital to understand the role of ending particles in the Thai language. Simply put, these words are added at the end of statements as a way to show politeness and respect to the person you are talking with. These are discussed in detail in this article teaching you how to say “thank you” in Thai.

The two most common ending particles are ครับ (krap) used by male speakers and ค่ะ (ka) for female speakers. These words do not have any meaning by themselves but can be thought of as a polite period that ends the statement softly, similar in feel to saying “please” in English.

These words will often be added at the end of polite greetings or questions and are a way to show respect to others. While close friends may still use them, it is common for these particles to be dropped in casual conversations.

Now that we understand the importance of choosing the right greetings, let’s get into the proper way to say “hello” in Thai.

How to Say a Polite “Hello” in Thai – สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (Sa-wat-dii krap/ka)

สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii krap/ka) is the most common way to say “hello” in Thailand. It is a phrase that works well in almost all situations and is used at all times of the day.

It can be used as a greeting the first time you meet someone and is considered polite. It can also be used with people of a higher status and while slightly formal between friends, can still be used amongst closer associates.

As mentioned in our last section, the addition of ครับ (krap) or ค่ะ (ka) is essential as leaving them out would result in a phrase that sounds incomplete and a bit harsh to Thai ears.

สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii krap/ka) can also be used as a way to say goodbye and would be considered a polite way to bid someone farewell.

If you are not sure which greeting to use with someone it is always a safe bet to use this phrase as it strikes a nice balance between sounding respectful but not overly formal.

How to Say a Casual “Hello” in Thai – หวัดดีครับ/ค่ะ (Wat-dii krap/ka)

By simply dropping the ส (sa) in สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii krap/ka) you are saying “hello” in a slightly more casual way. This is not considered rude as you are still using ครับ/ค่ะ (krap/ka) but would not be the best phrase to use when meeting someone for the first time and especially not if they are of a higher status.

หวัดดีครับ/ค่ะ (wat-dii krap/ka) can be used in more casual settings and with friends or acquaintances you are getting to know better.

How to Say a Formal “Good Morning” in Thai -อรุณสวัสดิ์ (Arun-sa-wat)

อรุณสวัสดิ์ (arun-sa-wat) is the way to say “good morning” but it is rarely used except in more formal situations. It might be heard on television or radio programs but generally, Thai people will not use it in everyday conversation.

In the morning Thais will often greet each other with simply a สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii krap/ka) or add the word for “morning” ตอนเช้า (dton chao) giving you the phrase สวัสดีตอนเช้าครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii dton chao krap/ka).

How to Say a Polite “How Are You?” in Thai – สบายดีไหม (Sabai Dii Mai)

After you’ve greeted someone, you will likely want to know how they are doing. The more polite way to ask this is สบายดีไหม (sabai dii mai) literally translating to “are you comfortable?”

This is most often not a question regarding someone’s literal comfort levels at that moment but more of the Thai equivalent of, “how are things going?” As it is considered polite, this phrase can be used without fear of being overly casual or rude, even with ones you have just met.

You will often get a response of สบายดี (sabai dii) meaning, “I am comfortable,” or ไม่สบาย (mai sabai) which translates to, “I am not comfortable.” Similar to asking someone, “how’s it going?” you might get a completely different response as the person you’re speaking with could see it as an invitation to discuss what they have going on in their lives.

How to Say a Casual “How Are You?” in Thai – เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง (Bpen Yaang Rai Baang)

If you are more familiar with the person you are speaking with, you can use the more casual เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง (bpen yaang rai baang) to ask them how they are.

Literally translating to “things are how?” this phrase could be considered the equivalent of “what’s up?” You can use this greeting amongst friends and while not considered rude, you would not want to use this with people you don’t know too well.

##How to Say Another Polite “How Are You?” in Thai – กินข้าวหรือยัง (gin kaao ruu yang)

A phrase that can leave students of Thai puzzled is กินข้าวหรือยัง (gin kaao ruu yang), which translates to “have you eaten rice yet?” The first time you are asked this question you might be caught off guard and not sure how to respond but this phrase is really more of a polite way to ask, “how are you?”

Most of the time, the person asking this question is not actually wanting to know if you’ve eaten rice recently. It is a way to show their concern for you and check if you are well-fed and taken care of.

To answer this question you can reply with the simple phrase กินแล้ว (gin leeo) meaning “eaten already,” or ยัง (yang) meaning “not yet.” It is not usually an invitation to describe your last meal so you can keep your response simple and return the question in kind.

How to Say a Polite “What’s Going On?” ไปไหน (Bpai Nai)

If you are on the move you might be greeted with the simple phrase ไปไหน (bpai nai) which literally translates to, “go where?” Similar to the last greeting we discussed, this might seem like an unusual way to greet someone, but in Thai, it is extremely common.

While it may sound like the person asking is being nosy, the question could be likened to someone asking “what’s up?” or “whats going on?” Often times the person asking is just wondering what you’re up to, whether it be going to the market or going to the mall.

A short answer will suffice such as กลับบ้าน (glap baan) meaning “going home,” or a ไปตลาด (bpai dta-laat) meaning “going to the market.” The intent of the question is not to get into a detailed explanation of what you’re doing, but rather to show a general level of concern to the person you’re speaking with and wondering what they have going on.

How to Say a Polite “Nice to Meet You” in Thai – ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก (Yin Dee Tii Dai Ruu Jak)

If you would like to express your pleasure at meeting someone for the first time, you can use the phrase ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก (yin dee tii dai ruu jak). This is a more polite statement that translates to “it’s a pleasure to be able to know you.”

If you would like to express your joy at seeing someone again that you have already met in the past you can use the slightly different ยินดีที่ได้เจอกันอีก (yin dee tii dai jer gan iik).

How to Say “My Name Is ” in Thai – ชื่อ (Chuu ___)

Often after a greeting, it is customary to go straight into introducing yourself by stating your name. You do this by using the word ชื่อ (chuu) followed by your name. This is simply the Thai verb for “called.”

In Thai, it is very common to drop the pronoun when it is implied who you are talking about. If you would like to ask someone their name you can use the question ชื่ออะไร (chuu a-rai).

How to Properly Use the ไหว้ (Wai) Gesture in Greeting Someone

The ไหว้ (wai) gesture plays a large role in Thai greetings and is an important part of showing respect to one another within the culture. The gesture is done by placing your hands together, palms touching, in front of your face.

The ไหว้ (wai) will often accompany a greeting of สวัสดีครับ/ค่ะ (sa-wat-dii krap/kha). As a rule of thumb, you will always ไหว้ (wai) to someone of a higher status or a person that is older than you. It is usually the responsibility of the younger person to ไหว้ (wai) first. The gesture is not often used between close friends

Generally, when someone does the ไหว้ (wai) to you, it is considered respectful to return the gesture. However, employees of businesses will often ไหว้ (wai) to customers, and in this situation, it is not expected to ไหว้ (wai) in return.

As someone learning the language, you will not always get it right but that’s okay, Thai people are very patient with those who try to show genuine respect for their language and culture. Your sincere efforts will be appreciated and even if you find yourself using the ไหว้ (wai) too often, it is better than not using it at all.

Interestingly, there are three levels of the ไหว้ (wai) which is determined by the placement of the hands on the face. The higher the hands are on the face, the more respectful. Generally placing the tips of your fingers at your nose is a good baseline to use.

You now have everything you need to make new friends in Thai!

How to Order Your Favorite Thai Dishes IN Thai Reading Thai and its tones isn’t as hard as you think Getting along with other learners & conclusions of Thai mission “Thank You” in Thai: 11 Ways to Express Appreciation in Thai LingQ Review: An Honest, In-Depth Review of the LingQ Language Learning Tool

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Published on June 16, 2023 04:00

67 Practical Korean Phrases to Ace Your First Korean Conversation

Are you learning how to speak Korean and ready to have your first conversation? Then this is the perfect list of practical Korean phrases.

No fluff here! All the Korean words and phrases listed below are helpful phrases you’ll actually use when speaking Korean.

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 3){ copy = 'A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Korean for at least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. <a href="https://www.fluentin3months.com/ch?sr... this link to find out more.</a>'} else { copy = 'A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Korean for at least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. <a href="https://www.fluentin3months.com/ch?sr... this link to find out more.</a>'}console.log(copy)var copyToChange = document.querySelector("p.copyText").innerHTML = copy;}runSplitTest();Table of contents15 Basic Korean Words and Phrases 10 Korean Greetings 13 Common Korean Phrases for Everyday Life 19 Survival Korean Phrases for Getting Around 12 Basic Korean Phrases for Conversation Practical Steps to Having Your First Conversation in Korean Learn the Core 111 Korean Words Create a Korean Script Start Speaking Korean from Day One Master Your Korean Pronunciation Learn How to Read Korean Hangul Ace Your First Conversation with These Korean Phrases15 Basic Korean Words and Phrases

Here are basic Korean words to get you ready for your first conversation:

Hello: 안녕하세요 (annyeong haseyo)Yes: 네 (ne) or 예 (ye)No: 아니요 (aniyo)Maybe: 아마도 (amado)Please: 주세요 (juseyo)Thank you: 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) or 고마워요 (gomawoyo)You’re welcome: 천만에요 (cheonmaneyo)Okay: 예 (ye) or 괜찮다 (gwaenchanhda)I’m sorry: 미안해요 (mianhaeyo)I don’t know: 몰라요 (mollayo)Excuse me (for apologies): 실례합니다 (sillyehamnida)Excuse me (for someone’s attention): 저기요 (jeogiyo)Good: 좋아요 (johayo) or 좋은 (joheun)Bad: 안좋아요 (anjohayo) or 나쁜 (nappeun)And: 과 (gwa) or 와 (wa) *See note below

Pro tip about “and” in Korean: There are many ways to say “and”, but these two are the most standard. The two listed here are particles and change depending on the last sound of the word that comes before it.

You use 과 (gwa) if the word before it ends in a consonant. You use 와 (wa) if the word ends in a vowel.

This is common with many Korean particles.

10 Korean Greetings

Here are some of the most common greetings in Korean. You’ll notice that there are a few ways to say “goodbye”. That’s because depending on how you’re leaving, it changes slightly!

But if you ever forget, you can say annyeong. It’s more casual, but it will get the job done.

Hi: 안녕 (annyeong)Hello on the phone: 여보세요 (yeoboseyo)Good morning: 좋은아침이에요 (joeun achimieyo)How are you: 어떻게 지내세요? (eotteohge jinaeseyo) or 잘 지내요? (jal jinaeyo)Long time no see: 오랜만이에요 (oraenmanieyo)Bye: 안녕 (annyeong)Goodbye (to the person leaving when you’re staying): 안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo)Goodbye (when you’re leaving and the other person is staying): 안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo)Take care: 잘가요 (jalgayo)Welcome (to a store or place): 환영합니다 (hwanyeonghamnida)

If you want to learn more ways to start a conversation in Korean? Check out this article about Korean greetings.

13 Common Korean Phrases for Everyday Life

You’ll run into these phrases all the time in Korean. Some even every time you eat!

Good luck: 화이팅 (hwaiting, literally: “fighting”) or 행운을 빕니다 (haengun-eul bimnida)Cheers: 건배 (geonbae)Amazing: 대박 (daebak)Have you eaten?: 밥 먹었어요? (bab meogeosseoyo?)Bon appetit: 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgetseumnida)Thank you for this meal: 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseuminda)Congratulations: 축하해요 (chukahaeyo)No problem: 문제 없어요 (munje eopseoyo)Of course: 당연하죠 (dangyeonhajyo)Just one moment, please: 잠시만 기다려 주세요 (jamsiman gidaryeo juseyo)Sleep well: 잘 자요 (jal jayo)Get home safely: 안전하게 집에 가다 (anjeonhage jib-e gada)Don’t worry: 걱정 하지마 (geokjeong hajimaseyo)

We wrote even more Korean phrases for beginners and those preparing to travel to Korea, so check that out, too!

19 Survival Korean Phrases for Getting Around

These are the most helpful phrases for when you’re trying to get by in Korean!

Do you speak English?: 영어하세요? (yeongeo haseyo?)Do you speak Korean?: 한국어하세요? (hangugeo haseyo?)I understand: 이해해요 (ihae haeyo)I don’t understand: 이해 못 해요 (ihae mos haeyo)What did you say?: 뭐라고 했어? (mworago haesseo?)Can you speak slowly please?: 천천히 말 해주세요 cheoncheonhi mal hae juseyo?)Please repeat: 반복하세요 (banbog haseyo)Please write it down: 적어주세요 (jeogeo juseyo)I speak a little Korean: 한국어를 조금한다 (hangugeo-leul jogeumhanda)What does this mean?: 이것은 무엇을 의미 하는가? (igeoseun mueos-eul uimi haneunga?)What is _ in Korean?: _ 한국말로 뭐예요? (hangugmallo mwoyeyo?)How much is it?: 얼마에요? (eolmayeyo?)Where is _?: _ 어디에 있어요? (eodie isseyo?)Where is the bathroom?: 화장실은 어디에 있어요? (hwajangsireun eodie isseyo?)Over there: 저기 (jeogi)Straight: 직진 (jigjin)Right: 오른쪽 (oleunjjok)Left: 왼쪽 (oenjjok)Can you help me please?: 도와 줄수있으세요? (dowa julsu isseuseyo?)

Related learning: Hear about another learner’s experience with Korean in this episode of the Language Hacking:

12 Basic Korean Phrases for Conversation

You’ll need to know how to ask some simple questions for your first conversation. These are a great place to start:

What’s your name?: 이름이 뭐예요? (ireum-i mwoyeyo?)My name is…: 제 이름은… (je ileum-eun)Nice to meet you: 반갑습니다 (bangapseubnida)Where are you from? 어디에서 왔어요? (eodieseo wasseoyo?)I’m from…: …에서 왔어요 (eseo wasseoyo)How old are you?: 몇 살이에요? (myeot sarieyo)I’m _ years old: ****살이에요 (sarieyo)What’s your job?: 직업이 뭐에요? (jigeobi mweoeyo?)Where do you work?: 어디에서 일합니까? (eodieseo ilhamnikka?)What are your hobbies?: 취미가 뭐니? (chwimiga mwoni?)And you?: 그리고 너? (geuligo neo?)Have a nice day: 좋은 하루 보내세요 (joheun haru bonaeseyo)Practical Steps to Having Your First Conversation in Korean

Now that you’ve seen the best Korean phrases and words to learn for your first conversation, it’s time to prepare!

Having your first Korean conversation can be super nerve-wracking. But the whole point of learning the language is to speak and have conversations with new people, right?

So we have to work past our nerves and do the thing!

That said, the best way to get over your nerves?

Come prepared.

I’ve listed some of my favorite tips for getting through your first Korean language exchange. If you do these things, you’ll feel way more confident!

I’ve also included extra resources for each tip, so you can continue to learn Korean and grow your skills.

Learn the Core 111 Korean Words

In every language, there are about 100 words that make up around 50% of all spoken speech.

Crazy, isn’t it?

A lot of these words are small, connecting words like “the” and “in” in English. But there are many common nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs we use all the time. Korean is no different.

So check out this article to learn the 111 core Korean words you need to know.

Keep in mind though, that it’s also important to learn words relevant to you, specifically. That’s where our next tip comes in.

Create a Korean Script

Take a look at the phrases above we already covered. Let’s say you asked someone what their hobbies are. Then they asked, “What about you?”

Well, do you know how to say your hobbies in Korean?

If not, then it’s time to make a script!

Write out how you think your conversation may go. Script your answers, so when you’re asked questions, you know how to respond. Like this:

“What are your hobbies?” 취미가 뭐니? (chwimiga mwoni?)

“I like to play guitar and watch Star Wars.” 기타를 연주하고 스타 워즈를 보는 것을 좋아해요. (gita-leul yeonjuhago seuta wojeu-leul boneun geoseul johahaeyo)

If you think the conversation may dig deeper into that topic, take it even further:

“Cool! I love Star Wars, too. Which Episode is your favorite?” 대박! 나도 스타 워즈를 좋아해요. 가장 좋아하는 에피소드는 뭐니? (Daebak! Nado seuta wojeu-leul johahaeyo. Gajang johaha-neun episode-neun mwoni?)

“I really love Episode 5: Empire Strikes Back. I didn’t like the latest movie, The Rise of Skywalker.” Empire Strikes Back을 정말 좋아합니다. 최신 영화 The Rise of Skywalker가 마음에 좋아하지 않아요. (Empire Strikes Back-eul jeongmal johahaeyo. Choesin yeonghwa The Rise of Skywalker-ga maeume johahaji anhayo.)

(I’m not speaking from personal preference or anything…)

Boom.

You know how to talk about things you care about during your conversation!

Here are some more tips for creating a language exchange script and how to find a partner.

Start Speaking Korean from Day One

Next step? Start speaking. Today. Right now.

You’ve got this list of phrases. You’re working on your Korean script. Now start saying them out loud and often. Repeat them every day.

Get used to how Korean sounds are formed with your mouth and how they sound rolling off your tongue.

Depending on your native language, that can be quite a change. So to prevent stumbling in-person, get used to saying the things you want to say.

Speaking from day one is the whole basis of our language learning method here at Fluent in 3 Months, and that’s because it works.

Check out more tips for how to speak in your target language.

Master Your Korean Pronunciation

Now that you’re speaking, you’ll need to work on your pronunciation.

Korean pronunciation is a bit different from English and other European languages. It takes some getting used to. It takes even more practice to listen and understand.

The best way to master your Korean pronunciation is to listen often and repeat always.

My favorite way to do that is with KoreanClass101. It’s the best Korean podcast out there, with all kinds of lessons to help you learn Korean fast. They even have lessons on pronunciation.

You can pop in your headphones, and practice repeating while cleaning the house. Or play it in the car during your commute.

The key is getting used to how Korean sounds, learning to understand what is spoken and getting comfortable saying it yourself.

Check out KoreanClass101 here to work on your pronunciation.

Learn How to Read Korean Hangul

Wait… why learn how to read Korean if your goal is to speak?

Well, it’s because the romanization of Korean words is not consistent. If you base the sound on how it’s romanized, you’ll most likely mispronounce the word.

That’s where hangul comes in. If you know how to read hangul, you’ll be able to pronounce Korean better.

You aren’t trying to make Korean fit the limited sounds in English. Instead, you’re learning it as it’s designed to sound.

Besides, when you can read hangul, you can get into all kinds of amazing Korean resources with ease. That’s where the fun really starts!

This is a handy guide to learn Hangul fast. You can also check out these tips to make learning Korean easy.

Ace Your First Conversation with These Korean Phrases

Now you’re ready to have conversations in Korean. Way to go!

To further improve your level, check out these articles:

111 Must-Know Korean Verbs Easy Korean Numbers: Counting in Korean from 1 – 100+Korean Slang: 80+ Everyday Words and Phrases to Sound Like a Native Korean Greetings: 10+ Ways to Say “Hello” in Korean Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)

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Published on June 16, 2023 04:00

June 12, 2023

10+ Ways To Say Thank You in Swahili

Asante or asante sana are the most common ways to say “thank you” in Swahili.

Yet while these are enough to get by 90% of all situations, you will need to know a little bit more to fully integrate yourself with the Swahili community and the good people of East Africa.

I live in Kenya and speak Swahili all the time, and so I am going to give you some deep insights into our language in a way that you won’t find in language courses.

This is because the language changes based on context, and you will be surprised that you could use a word that means completely different from thank you, but when used in a certain context it actually ends up meaning the same as thank you.

If that sounds confusing, don’t worry as I will break it down beginning with formal ways to say thank you and then dive into how to say it in slang, and this is where the context really matters.

Let’s get started.

Table of contentsThe 6 Common Ways Of Saying Thank You In Swahili 1. Asante – “Thank You”2. Asante Sana – “Thank You Very Much”3.asante, Nashukuru – “Thank You, I’m Glad”4. Umefanya Vizuri – “That’s Nice Of You.”5. hivyo Ni Vizuri Sana Kwako – “That’s Very Nice Of You!”6. shukran – “Thank You”How To Use Asante In A Sentence 7 Examples Explaining How To Use “Thank You For” In Swahili 1. Asante Kwa Kuja – “Thanks For Coming”2. Asante Kwa Kunifikiria – “Thank You For Thinking About Me”3. Asante Kwa Kunikumbuka – “Thank You For Remembering Me”4. Asante Kwa Zawadi – “Thank You For The Gift”5. Asante Kwa Chakula – “Thanks For Food”6. Asante Kwa Muda Wako – “Thank You For Your Time”7. Asante Kwa Maneno Mazuri – “Thank You For The Kind Words”2 Ways To Respond To Thank You In Swahili 1. Karibu – “Welcome”2. Karibu Sana – “You’re Very Welcome”A Final Word On Saying “Thank You” in SwahiliThe 6 Common Ways Of Saying Thank You In Swahili1. Asante – “Thank You”

This is the most basic way and you can use it regardless of whether the situation is formal or informal.

For example, if you are at a hotel, shop, market, etc, it would be very courteous to say asante when you get served.

You can also use this word when you are on the phone with someone and they agree to help you with something or provide you with the information you need. Just say, sawa, asante. This means “ok, thank you”.

Example:

Person 1: ulipitisha ujumbe wangu? – “Did you pass my message?”
Person 2: ndio – “yes.”
Person 1: sawa, asante – “okay, thank you.”

2. Asante Sana – “Thank You Very Much”

Like the previous word, asante sana can be used in formal and informal situations to show gratitude.

It is almost the same as the plain asante, only that this shows much more emphasis, since sana means very.

You can use it when someone does something that requires a lot of appreciation and you want to say thank you very much.

Example:

Person 1: asante sana kwa kunipokea – “thank you so much for hosting me”
Person 2: karibu. – “thank you.”

3.asante, Nashukuru – “Thank You, I’m Glad”

This literally means “I thank you”.

It’s just like saying asante sana, only that it sounds a bit formal or highly respectful.

You can use it if you want to please a friend or to someone in authority.

An example would be if you asked directions and someone showed you the way, then you can say nashukuru to show a deep sense of gratitude.

Example:

Person 1: unaweza nikopesha shilingi milioni moja? – “Would you please lend me a million shillings?”
Person 2: sawa. Hakuna shida – “okay, no problem”
Person 1: asante, nashukuru. – “thank you, I’m glad.”

4. Umefanya Vizuri – “That’s Nice Of You.”

Sometimes you may want to use a word which doesn’t directly mean thank you, but in regards to the context then it will amount to saying thank you in Swahili.

Such a word is umefanya vizuri, which means “well done” or “that’s nice of you”, and you can use it to show appreciation for a good job or service rendered.

This word can be used alone or you could add some spice to it by combining it with asante, which then becomes* asante, umefanya vizuri*.

A point to note though is that this should not be used to your seniors but typically to kids and people who are in your service.

Example:

Person 1: ulikumbuka kununua mkate? – “did you remember to buy bread?”
Person 2: ndio, na nikauweka pia. – “yes, and I packed it too”
Person 1: umefanya vizuri – “you have done well” (thank you)

5. hivyo Ni Vizuri Sana Kwako – “That’s Very Nice Of You!”

There are countless instances in which this word can be used, and while it may not be the easiest, it will elicit the most puzzled response from the person you are speaking to, and they will regard you very highly from that point onwards.

This is very similar to umefanya vizuri and they can be used interchangeably.

Person 1: ulikumbuka kununua mkate? – “did you remember to buy bread?”
Person 2: ndio, na nikauweka pia – “yes, and i packed it too.”
Person 1: hivyo ni vizuri sana kwako – “that’s very nice of you!”

6. shukran – “Thank You”

This is just an addition which I have reserved for last because it’s the least common way of saying thank you in Swahili and you will hardly come across it.

People will however use it to create an impression or to sound formal and you can also use it in very formal situations or when you deliberately want to impress someone.

Example:

Person 1: Nimepika kuku vile unavyopenda – “I’ve cooked chicken the way you like it”
Person 2: shukran – “Thank you”

Now go ahead and impress your friends!

How To Use Asante In A Sentence

I am now going to introduce you to one word, and this will greatly improve how you say thank you in Swahili.

This word is kwa, and it’s the English equivalent of “for,”.

For instance, if someone serves you tea, you normally say “thank you for the tea”, and in Swahili you’d also say it the same way, except that Swahili words don’t use the definite article “the”, but only the word itself, and so “the tea” would be just “tea”.

If you were to say “thank you for the food in Swahili”, you would therefore say asante kwa chakula, whose translation is “thank you for food”.

Obviously if you were to think about it that way in English, you’d find that it doesn’t sound quite right, but Swahili words don’t have articles and so they are pronounced just the way they are.

I will now give you a few words that you could use regularly, and if you know any other words and you want to express gratitude for that item then say asante followed by kwa and then mention the item you are thankful for.

If this sounds confusing, remember kwa means “for” and it’s just like saying “thank you for _____” in English.

7 Examples Explaining How To Use “Thank You For” In Swahili1. Asante Kwa Kuja – “Thanks For Coming”

One of the easiest things about Swahili is that it relates very closely to English, and many words can be directly translated.

Asante kwa kuja therefore means “thanks for coming”, and you can use it to appreciate someone who shows up for an event or comes to visit you.

2. Asante Kwa Kunifikiria – “Thank You For Thinking About Me”

If someone goes out of their way to do something for you, it would not be enough to say the usual asante.

It would be better if you expressed gratitude in a deeper way, and the way to do this is by saying the Swahili equivalent of “thank you for your consideration”, or “thank you for thinking about me”.

For example, let’s assume you went out for a hike and you didn’t carry enough snacks because you didn’t expect to be out for long. Your friend then carries extra snacks, which he offers you because yours have run out. In this case you would say, asante kwa kunifikiria.

3. Asante Kwa Kunikumbuka – “Thank You For Remembering Me”

If you travel to East Africa as a tourist, you will definitely make many friends who will stay in touch with you long after you have gone back to your country.

Such people will sometimes write to check up on you, and when you receive a message from someone you had almost forgotten about, it would be highly courteous to acknowledge their effort by saying asante kwa kunikumbuka.

4. Asante Kwa Zawadi – “Thank You For The Gift”

Many times you are going to receive gifts from people in East Africa.

When this happens, the way to show gratitude is by saying, asante kwa zawadi, which means thank you for the gift.

If you are far from that person, you could also send a personalised note with the closing remarks of asante kwa zawadi and your friend will be very pleased to hear that.

5. Asante Kwa Chakula – “Thanks For Food”

A common practice in East Africa is to offer food or tea to a visitor.

The people are generally honoured to have visitors, whether they are close acquaintances, relatives or even random guests, and they show their appreciation by offering them tea or food.

If you are a traveller in East Africa, be prepared to be pampered with food and drink, and your host will generally not expect you to refuse it, so try to accept just a little even if you are full.

The way to say “thank you for food” in Swahili is asante kwa chakula and if you are offered tea, then respond by saying asante kwa chai, which means “thank you for the tea”, and your host will be elated.

6. Asante Kwa Muda Wako – “Thank You For Your Time”

If you are in East Africa as a traveller, you will often seek the services of a guide or maybe you could have a friend showing you around.

It is good to appreciate them for the time they have spared to help you out, and the way to show this kind of gratitude is by saying asante kwa muda wako, which means “thank you for your time”.

This can be particularly helpful when you are parting or in the evening after you have spent a significant time of the day together.

Another instance where this can be applicable would be if you were on the phone or chatting with someone for an extended period of time, and you feel the need to thank them for their time.

Now you know what to tell your next travel advisor.

7. Asante Kwa Maneno Mazuri – “Thank You For The Kind Words”

While you may not find many instances where you have to use these words, asante kwa maneno mazuri translates to “thank you for your kind words”.

This would come in handy if someone has said something nice to you, like for instance appreciating your visit and wishing you a safe journey back home.

2 Ways To Respond To Thank You In Swahili1. Karibu – “Welcome”

Just like asante, the most basic and common way of saying “welcome” in Swahili is karibu.

You will hear this being used everywhere, and it will work 100% of the time, regardless whether the situation is formal or informal.

Take note however, because there is another translation of karibu, which means “close by” or “near”.

Do not worry, however, because if the word karibu is used in the context of describing how far or close something is, it will always be used in conjunction with another word, and never by itself.

Here’s an example to explain this:

Person 1: Ako wapi dereva? – “ Where is the driver?”
Person 2: Ako karibu kufika. – “He’s almost here.”

In the above sentence you can see that the word karibu has not been used alone, but if it were to be used to mean “welcome”, it would have been used alone.

Here’s an example:

Driver: nimefika na mzigo wako – “I have arrived with your package.”
Person 1: asante – “thank you”Driver: karibu – “welcome”2. Karibu Sana – “You’re Very Welcome”

If you want to put emphasis on saying welcome, you can then add the word sana at the end.

This means “very much” or “a lot”, and you can use it to express a heartfelt welcome.

In most cases, this happens when someone has been kind to you and you feel the need to reciprocate for that kindness, and when you do something for them and they say asante, then you can say karibu sana.

Example:

Person 1: hii ni zawadi niliyokununulia – “Here’s a gift I bought for you.”
Person 2: asante – “thank you”
Person 1: karibu sana – “welcome”

A Final Word On Saying “Thank You” in Swahili

The people of East Africa are generally very welcoming and like to appreciate visitors, and they’ll go out of their way to make you feel at home.

While you can get by just by speaking English, you will be very well received if you can speak some Swahili beyond the usual jambo.

By the way, don’t say jambo, no one says that.

That aside, you will surprise a lot of people if you can use some of the words I have explained above, and you’ll find that even if you are travelling as a group of visitors you will receive special attention and the locals will want to associate with you more.

Hello in Swahili – “Habari?” and 14 More Swahili Greetings (and Their Response!)The Best Podcasts to Learn Swahili at Any Level Is the Swahili Language Hard to Learn? 6 Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them How to Learn Swahili: An In-Depth Guide (With Resources!)120 Core Swahili Words — Basic Swahili To Get Along in East Africa

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Published on June 12, 2023 04:00

June 9, 2023

The Bengali Calendar: How to Talk About Days, Weeks, Months, and More!

If you are learning Bengali, you’ll definitely want to know about how to talk about time and dates! Learning about the unique Bengali calendar is a must.

Some aspects may be familiar to you. For example, there are seven days in a Bengali week, just like in English. But did you know there are not four, but six seasons in the Bengali calendar?

Bengalis use both the Western calendar and their own twelve-month calendar, but they don’t match each other. Keep reading to learn all about them!

Table of contentsDays of the Month in Bengali Numbers 1-31 in Bengali Ordinal Numbers for Days of the Month in Bengali: 1st-31st Days of the Week in Bengali Months in Bengali Years in Bengali Bengali Seasons Other Useful Words Phrases to Talk about Bengali Dates and the Calendar How to Add the Bengali Calendar to Your Phone Now You Know All about the Bengali Calendar!Days of the Month in Bengali

Numbers can be complicated in Bengali. This is because each number from 0 to 100 is a completely unique word. But don’t worry about that too much right now. For talking about days, we only need to learn 1-31. I’ll show you how!

Numbers 1-31 in Bengali

Let’s first learn how to count 1-31 in Bengali. This will be our foundation to saying days of the month, such as the tenth of March.

Note that words ending in an “o” ( ো) sound may be written with or without the vowel in Bengali. Therefore, “eleven” (ægaro) may be written as এগারো or এগার. For a comprehensive guide to how to pronounce Bengali words, check out our article on the Bengali alphabet.

1:এক (æk)2: দুই (dui)3: তিন (tin)4: চার (char)5: পাঁচ (pãch)6: ছয় (cchoy)7: সাত (shat)8: আট (aʈ)9: নয় (noy)10: দশ (dosh)11: এগারো (ægaro)12: বারো (baro)13: তেরো (tero)14: চৌদ্দ (chouddo)15: পনেরো (ponero)16: ষোলো (sholo)17: সতেরো (shotero)18: আঠারো (aʈharo)19: উনিশ (unish)20: বিশ (bish) or কুড়ি (kuɽi) *Note 121: একুশ (ækush)22: বাইশ (baish)23: তেইশ (teish)24: চব্বিশ (chobbish)25: পঁচিশ (pãchish)26: ছাব্বিশ (chhabbish)27: সাতাশ (shatash)28: আটাশ (aʈash)29: ঊনত্রিশ (unotrish)30: তিরিশ (tirish) or ত্রিশ (trish) *Note 231: একত্রিশ (æktrish)

*Note 1: কুড়ি (kuɽi) is usually used in West Bengal, while it is considered formal in Bangladesh. Bangladeshis colloquially use বিশ (bish) more often, but will still use the former in formal writing, such as literature or government documents.

*Note 2: Similar as with 20, West Bengalis will say তিরিশ (tirish), and Bangladeshis will use this in formal writing. However, in normal speech, Bangladeshis prefer ত্রিশ (trish).

Ordinal Numbers for Days of the Month in Bengali: 1st-31st

Now that we have our foundation of cardinal numbers 1-31, we can use almost all of these to count the days of the month. The first four are irregular, but after that, there are easy patterns, so don’t worry!

1st: পয়লা (pɔela) (a colloquial form of the more official পহেলা pɔhela)2nd: দোসরা (doshora)3rd: তেসরা (teshora)4th: চৌঠা (chouʈha)

Alternatively, you could use the simple number 1-4 and add the word for “date,” or তারিখ (tarikh) after. Therefore, you could also say: এক তারিখ (æk tharik, the 1st), দুই তারিখ (dui tarikh, the 2nd), তিন তারিখ (tin tarikh, the 3rd), and চার তারিখ (char tarikh, the 4th).

Now, for the 5th to 18th, just add ই (i) to the end of the number. It goes like this:

5th: পাঁচই (pãchi)6th: ছয়ই (chhoyi)7th: সাতই (shati)8th: আটই (aʈi)9th: নয়ই (noyi)10th: দশই (doshi)11th: এগারোই (ægaroi)12th: বারোই (baroi)13th: তেরোই (teroi)14th: চৌদ্দই (chouddoi)15th: পনেরোই (poneroi)16th: ষোলোই (sholoi)17th: সতেরোই (shoteroi)18th: আঠারোই (aʈharoi)

For the 19th to 31st, just add ে (e) to the end!

19th: উনিশে (unishe)20th: বিশে (bishe) *Note 121st: একুশে (ækushe)22nd: বাইশে (baishe)23rd: তেইশে (teishe)24th: চব্বিশে (chobbishe)25th: পঁচিশে (pãchishe)26th: ছাব্বিশে (chhabbishe)27th: সাতাশে (shatashe)28th: আটাশে (aʈashe)29th: ঊনত্রিশে (unotrishe)30th: তিরিশে (tirishe) or ত্রিশে (trishe) *Note 231st: একত্রিশে (æktrishe)

*Note 1: Both West Bengalis and Bangladeshis use বিশে (bishe).

*Note 2: Bangladeshis will colloquially say ত্রিশে (trishe).

And there you have it! Now you know how to talk about any day of the month. But discussing dates would not be complete without talking about days of the week, so let’s learn that next.

Days of the Week in Bengali

Until the 17th century, the Bengali calendar may have had a different name for each day of the year.

Luckily, this changed, and now the Bengali calendar uses the 7-day Gregorian calendar (which is the standard calendar used in the West).

The week starts on Sunday, but Bengalis consider the start of the day to begin and end at sunrise, rather than midnight!

The names of the week for the Bengali calendar are based on Navagraha, or Hindu astrology. This is very similar many other languages, such as German, Spanish, and Japanese!

Sunday রবিবার (robibar) or রব্বার (robbar) – literally “sun day” *Note 1Monday সোমবার (shombar) – literally “moon day”Tuesday মঙ্গলবার (mong’golbar) – literally “Mars day”Wednesday বুধবার (budhbar) – literally “Mercury day”Thursday বৃহস্পতিবার (brihoshpotibar) – literally “Jupiter day”Friday শুক্রবার (shukrobar) – literally “Venus day”Saturday শনিবার (shonibar) – literally “Saturn day”

*Note 1: In both West Bengal and Bangladesh, রবিবার (robibar) is often shortened to রব্বার (robbar) in colloquial speech.

Now, if you know astrology terms in Bengali, this is easy to remember. However, you probably will learn those much later! I personally used mnemonics to remember most of the days of the week.

For example, I imagined Tuesday is the day the Mongols invade, and Wednesday is Buddha’s day.

Months in Bengali

There are two ways of counting months in Bengali. You will often hear the English months pronounced in a Bengali way. These will be the easiest for you to remember first! They go like this:

“January”: জানুয়ারি (Januari)“February”: ফেব্রুয়ারি (Februari)“March”: মার্চ (March)“April”: এপ্রিল (Epril)“May”: মে (Me)“June”: জুন (Jun)“July”: জুলাই (Julai)“August”: আগস্ট (Agosʈ)“September”: সেপ্টেম্বার (Sepʈembar)“October”: অক্টোবার (Okʈobar)“November”: নভেম্বার (Nobhembar)“December”: ডিসেম্বার (Ɖisembar)

You will also sometimes hear Bengalis talk about their 12 months using the traditional words. However, these don’t match the 12 months in the English calendar. Instead, they match the six Bengali seasons (more on that later!). In the Bengali calendar, the year starts in বৈশাখ (Boishak), or mid-April.

These months are:

বৈশাখ (Boishak): mid-April to mid-Mayজ্যৈষ্ঠ (Joishʈho): mid-May to mid-Juneআষাঢ় (Ashaɽh): mid-June to mid-Julyশ্রাবণ (Shrabon): mid-July to mid-Augustভাদ্র (Bhadro): mid-August to mid-Septemberআশ্বিন (Ashhin): mid-September to mid-Octoberকার্তিক (Kartik): mid-October to mid-Novemberঅগ্রহায়ণ (Ɔgrohayon): mid-November to mid-Decemberপৌষ (Poush): mid-December to mid-Januaryমাঘ (Magh): mid-January to mid-Februaryফাল্গুন (Falgun): mid-February to mid-Marchচৈত্র (Choitro): mid-March to mid-April

Like Western Gregorian months, traditional Bengali months all have 30-31 days in Bangladesh. This is except for Falgun, which since 2019 has 29 days, but 30 on leap years. Luckily, it overlaps with February, so it’s easy to remember!

However, things can get more complicated in India, with each month being between 29-32 days. This is because it is more connected with the traditional Hindu calendar system.

Years in Bengali

The Bengali calendar is 594 years behind the Gregorian calendar–although no one knows for sure how the Bengali calendar started! Therefore, as of mid-April 2023, it will be the year 1430 according to the traditional calendar. However, like months, the Gregorian year is commonly used.

For dates from the year 2000 and up, you will need to know the word for “thousand”: হাজার (hajar). So for example, to say the current year 2023, you would say “two thousand twenty-three,” or দুই হাজার তেইশ (dui hajar teish).

However, before the 2000’s, things were a little different. You break up the year into two parts, similar to how you would in English. For example, my birth year of 1993 would also be literally “nineteen ninety-three,” just adding শ (shɔ) after the first part. 1993 in Bengali is উনিশ-শ তিরানব্বই (unish-sho tiranobboi).

Unfortunately this means that for years before 2000, you need to learn the rest of the numbers from 32-99. But luckily you don’t need to do this to give the current date until 2032!

Finally, you should add সাল (shal) after the year if it is not clear by context.

Bengali Seasons

Let’s talk about seasons!

Even though to me, Bangladesh felt like it had only two seasons (“hot” and “cool”), Bangladeshis will tell you this is not true! The Bengali people are very sensitive to the changing seasons.

The six seasons to them in the Bengal region are:

বসন্ত (bɔshonto): “spring”, which is February to Aprilগ্রীষ্ম (grishho [formal] or grishmo [colloquial]): “summer”, which is April to Juneবর্ষা (bɔrsha): “rainy/Monsoon season”, which is June to Augustশরৎ (shɔrɔt): “fall/autumn”, which is August to Octoberহেমন্ত (hemɔnto): “dry/harvesting season”, which is October to Decemberশীত (shit): “winter”, which is December to February

For an American in Bangladesh, summer, the rainy season, and winter were very distinguishable. But I wasn’t very aware of the other three seasons coming and going. I often wondered how many seasons Bengalis would consider my hometown to have, since the temperature changed much more there!

Due to the location of the Bengal region, sometimes it feels like the seasons happen in different months as well. For example, in most of the US, July is the hottest month, but in Bangladesh, April usually is! However, January is often the coldest month in both countries.

Many Bangladeshis don’t dream about a spring or summer wedding like Americans do because it is so hot and humid. But instead, the winter months are a popular time to get married due to the dry, cooler weather.

Hardly a day went by in the winter months when I didn’t see a wedding party in Bangladesh!

Other Useful Words

Here are some other useful words to talk about dates and the calendar in Bengali.

“Day”: দিন (din)“Week”: সপ্তাহ (shɔpta)“Month”: মাস (mash)“Year”: বছর (bɔchhor)“Morning”: সকাল (shɔkal)“Afternoon/Midday”: দুপুর (dupur)“Evening”: বিকাল (bikal)“Night”: রাত (rat)“From/Since”: থেকে (theke)“Until”: পর্যন্ত (porjonto)“Yesterday”: গতকাল (gɔtokal)“Today”: আজকে (ajke)“Tomorrow”: আগামীকাল (agamikal)“Yesterday…” / “Last…”: গত (gɔto) – Ex. গত দুপুর (gɔto dupur, “yesterday noon”), গত মাস (gɔto mash, “last month”)“This…”: আজ (aj) or এই (ei) – You use আজ (aj) if something takes place within the day (ex. আজ দুপুর – aj dupur or “this afternoon”), but এই (ei) if something takes place beyond the day (ex. এই সপ্তাহ – ei shɔpta, “this week”).“Tomorrow…” / “Next…”: আগামী (agami) – Ex. আগামী বিকাল (agami bikal, “tomorrow evening”), আগামী বছর (agami bochhor, “next year”)Phrases to Talk about Bengali Dates and the Calendar

Now, let’s try putting it all together! Here are some common phrases in Bengali using your new knowledge about days and the calendar.

“What date is today?”: আজ কত তারিখ? (Aj kɔto tarikh?)
“It’s January 30.”: আজ জানুয়ারি ত্রিশে। (Aj Januari trishe.)

“The Bengali new year is the first day of Boishakh.”: বাংলা নববর্ষ পহেলা বৈশাখ। (*Bangla nɔboborsho pɔhela Boishakh.”)

[image error]Celebrating the Bengali New Year (1426) in Bangladesh

“When is your birthday?” (honorific): আপনার জন্মদিন কবে? (Apnar jɔnmodin kɔbe?)
“When is your birthday?” (casual): তোমার জন্মদিন কবে? (Tomar jɔnmodin kɔbe?)
“I was born on June 1, 1993.”: আমার জন্ম হয়েছিল উনিশ-শ তিরানব্বই সালে। (Amar jɔnmo hɔechhilo unish-shɔ tiranobboi shale.)

“What is your favorite season?” (honorific): আপনার প্রিয় ঋতু কি? (Apnar priyo ritu ki?)
“What is your favorite season?” (casual): তোমার প্রিয় ঋতু কি? (Tomar priyo ritu ki?)
“My favorite season is winter.”: আমার প্রিয় ঋতু শীতকাল। (Amar priyo ritu shitkal.)

“I work from Monday to Friday.”: আমি সোমবার থেকে শুক্রবার কাজ করি। (Ami shombar theke shukroba kaj kori.)
“I will study until September.”: সেপ্টেম্বার পর্যন্ত পড়াশোনা করব। (Sepʈembar porjonto pɔrashona korbo.)
“I am in Bangladesh until April.”: আমি এপ্রিল পর্যন্ত বাংলাদেশে আছি।(Ami Epril porjonto Bangladeshe achhi.)
“I have lived in Kolkata since July.”: আমি জুলাই মাস থেকে কলকাতায় থাকি। (Ami Julai theke Kolkatae thaki.)

How to Add the Bengali Calendar to Your Phone

There are third-party apps that let you view the Bengali calendar on your phone. You can find these by searching “Bengali calendar” or “Bangla calendar” in your app store of choice.

Google Calendar also has many options for adding Bengali holidays to your existing calendar. You find them this way:

Click on the three lines, and choose “Settings.” Under “Holidays,” you can add public and other holidays for certain countries, including Bangladesh and India. You might also wish to click on “Add religious holidays,” as many Bangladeshis follow Muslim holidays, and many West Bengalis follow Hindu holidays.

For iOS, your options are more limited in the Calendar app. Within the app, click “Calendars,” and choose “Add Calendar.” Under “Add Holiday Calendar,” you can add a holiday calendar for India.

These are of course not specific to the Bengali calendar, but the good news is, there is some overlap!

Now You Know All about the Bengali Calendar!

There’s a lot to learn about the Bengali calendar, but it’s not that hard. Most Bengalis are familiar with the Gregorian calendar, so you can learn theirs to dive into their culture more. You will for sure experience time and a sense of holidays in a whole new way.

Maybe your favorite season will even change!

Bengali People: Culture, Dialects, and More Preply Review – a Detailed and Honest Review of the Preply Language Tutor Platform The Beginner’s Guide to the Bengali Language [With Basic Words and Phrases!]The Bengali Alphabet: Your In-Depth Guide Nissa on learning Bengali in 3 Months

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Published on June 09, 2023 04:00

June 5, 2023

28 Synonyms for Love from Around the World (+ Literal Translations into English)

There are so many different ways to say “I love you” and to share the love around the world!

At Fluent in 3 Months, we’re quite fond of this aspect of languages. In fact, this is not the first article we write on the topic. Looking for terms of endearment or ? Or maybe you’re wondering how to say “my love” in different languages. Try looking up “I love you” in our search bar!

The world needs more love anyway, so we might as well spread it. Should we jump into it?

Let’s get this mission started!

Table of contents1. Spanish Words for Love Querer Amar Encantar 2. Japanese Words for Love 愛 (Ai)恋 (Koi)3. Arabic Words for Love حب (Habb)عشق (‘Ishq)شغف (Shaghaf)حنان (Hanaan)4. Greek Words for Love Έρωτας (Erotas) (Known as Έρως (Eros) in Ancient Greek)Aγάπη (Agape)Φιλία (Philia)Στοργή (Storgé)5. Love in American Sign Language 6. Tamil Words for Love அன்பு (Anpu)காதல் (Katl)ஆசை (Achai)பாசம் (Pachm)கைக்கிளை (Kaikkilai)7. Irish Words for Love Grá Cion Searc Cumann 8. Sanskrit Words for Love स्नेह (Sneha)काम (Kama)अनुरक्ति (Anurakti)रति (Rati)प्रिय (Priya)9. Love in the Klingon Language Bonus: Fun Fact About Love Worldwide Time to Spread the Love

Here’s the companion videos to this article:

1. Spanish Words for Love

While Spanish really only has one noun for love (amor), when it comes to the verb “to love”, there are three different Spanish words to choose from. These depend on context, of course.

Querer

The word querer is the general term to use when you love a person, including friends, family or romantic partners. It also translates into English as “to want”, but don’t let that confuse you. “Te quiero” is not the equivalent of the decidedly un-romantic English sentence “I want you”.

It makes more sense to look at the word querer as a homonym having two distinct meanings in Spanish: “love” and “want”. Just like the word “love” in English can also refer to a score of zero in tennis, which has nothing to do with the feeling of love.

Amar

Amar is a much stronger version of querer, and is only used in a romantic way.

Encantar

You might recognize the origin of the English word “enchant” in the Spanish verb encantar. This word is most similar to the English word “love” when referring to activities. It indicates a strong like.

If you’d say “I love studying Spanish” in English, then use encantar for the Spanish translation: “Me encanta estudiar el español.”

2. Japanese Words for Love

Japanese is a highly nuanced language. This goes for a concept like “love” as well. Though luckily there aren’t as many words for love as there are for “you”!

There are two main words for the concept of love, but the usages of each are highly dependent on a variety of cultural factors.

愛 (Ai)

Depending on the context, 愛 can be used to refer to several types of love, including friendships, family, and love of things or activities.

It’s used as the base for constructing many different love-related words, such as 愛犬家 (aikenka; “a dog lover”), 母性愛 (boseiai; “maternal love”) or 博愛 (hakuai; “philanthropy”).

恋 (Koi)

This word usually implies physical or romantic love, though in certain contexts, it can imply a more “selfish” type of love. It’s used in the construction of such romance-related words as 恋人 (koibito; “a boyfriend/girlfriend”), 恋敵 (koigataki; “a rival in love”) or 初恋 (hatsukoi; “first love”).

3. Arabic Words for Love

Another profoundly rich and varied language, Arabic has at least eleven different words for love.

These range from general terms similar to English, to very specific terms for certain phases of love that you might go through while falling deeply in love with someone.

Here are a few key words from that spectrum:

حب (Habb)

This is the general word for “love”. It can describe romantic love, or love for family, activities or objects. You might recognize it as the root of the Arabic terms of endearment habib (for men) and habibi (for women).

عشق (‘Ishq)

When you’re in the “honeymoon phase” of love and are feeling a passionate love for your partner, ’ishq is the word to use. It’s the feeling you have when the initial love you felt for someone has now taken root.

In fact, the origin of this word comes from the Arabic word for “vine”. This conveys the impression of the love having been planted in your heart so it can grow into passion.

شغف (Shaghaf)

This word is reserved for an intensely burning love or lust. You can use it to describe being madly in love with someone.

حنان (Hanaan)

Hanaan has several meanings, including compassion, tenderness, and loving care. It’s a common Arabic first name for girls.

4. Greek Words for Love

Greek famously has four main words for love:

Έρωτας (Erotas) (Known as Έρως (Eros) in Ancient Greek)

This refers only to romantic love or courtship. You’ll recognize it as the root of the English word erotic.

Aγάπη (Agape)

In Ancient Greek, this word described a spiritual or charitable love, such as the love that God has for man. This word is used often in the Greek translation of the Bible.

In modern Greek, its definition is more broad, and can be used to express love for family or a romantic partner.

Φιλία (Philia)

The general word for non-romantic love between equals, such as between friends and family, or love for activities.

You’ll recognize this word as a suffix of several English words, such as “cinephile” (film lover) or “francophile” (French language lover). This word isn’t used as often today as it was in Ancient Greek.

Στοργή (Storgé)

This is the word used to describe the natural affection that exists between parents and children. This word is also more rare today than it was in ancient times

5. Love in American Sign Language

ASL is a language unto itself. It doesn’t just translate words directly from English into signs, as many people think. ASL grammar is also very different from English grammar.

ASL has two ways to say the English word “love” (video credits: Signing Savvy: ASL videos and learning resources):

1. Love for actions or objects (e.g. “I love learning languages”). This word is signed by kissing the back of your fist:

2. Love for living beings (e.g. “I love my mother/spouse/dog”). This word is signed by crossing your arms over your chest and “hugging” yourself:

6. Tamil Words for Love

Tamil is the language of Sri Lanka and two states in India. It’s also one of the four official languages of Singapore. Its roots go back thousands of years, giving it a rich history in literature and poetry.

According to some sources, there are dozens of different words in Tamil to express the concept of love. Here are a few words:

அன்பு (Anpu)

This is the general term for love. It can describe romantic love, affection, friendship or devotion.

காதல் (Katl)

Katl is reserved for expressing romantic love.

ஆசை (Achai)

This is the love you feel when you long for someone.

பாசம் (Pachm)

The feeling of deeply connected love. You can use this word to describe parental love, for example.

கைக்கிளை (Kaikkilai)

This word probably doesn’t have an equivalent in very many languages. It’s used to express a romantic love that isn’t reciprocated by the other person. It’s a great example of what a rich, nuanced language Tamil is.

7. Irish Words for Love

Irish is the first official language of my home country. People are often surprised to learn that it’s quite different from English, being a Celtic language rather than Germanic.

Here are a few of the numerous Irish words to express love:

Grá

This is the all-purpose word for love, which can be used in generally the same way as the English word “love” (for loving people, places, romantic partners, etc.).

Cion

Cion roughly translates as “affection”, such as the love you might have for a child.

Searc

This is used for describing romantic love or “true love”.

Cumann

Use cumann when you want to express the love and companionship that exists between friends.

8. Sanskrit Words for Love

Sanskrit is a classical language that has influenced modern South and Southeast Asian languages at least as much as Greek and Latin have influenced modern European languages. This language has an astounding 96 words for love.

Here is just a small sampling of the vast spectrum of Sanskrit words for love.

स्नेह (Sneha)

Maternal love or affection.

काम (Kama)

Erotic or amorous love. You might recognize this word from the title of the famous ancient text, the Kama Sutra.

अनुरक्ति (Anurakti)

Passionate love or attachment.

रति (Rati)

This word originally meant to enjoy or delight in something or someone. The meaning has evolved to imply a physical desire or love.

प्रिय (Priya)

Meaning “darling” or “beloved”, Priya is a common given name for girls in India and Nepal.

9. Love in the Klingon Language

There’s not much to be said here. The fictional Klingon language, from the Star Trek universe, reportedly has no words for love. Close translations include “unhate” and “honour”. What do you suppose this says about that culture?

Bonus: Fun Fact About Love Worldwide

There are more words for “love” than there are languages in the world. Let me explain with an example:

The Japanese language has dozens of ways to say “you”. There are polite forms, very polite forms, impolite forms and downright rude forms.

Do all these different words for “you” exist just to annoy foreigners learning Japanese? Of course not. They’re integral to Japanese culture, and they give foreigners valuable insight into an intangible aspect of that culture, namely that status and relationships are very important in Japan.

Likewise, there are many languages that have several different ways to express the concept of love. What do you suppose this says about those cultures?

English has a few different words for different kinds of love, including “fondness”, “affection”, and “infatuation”. But when it comes to the word “love” itself, this one word can express all of these concepts and more.

Consider the following English sentences:

I love my husband/wifeI love my motherI love my best friendI love learning languagesI love Mondays

No matter what kind of love we’re talking about in English, we can use one single word for it: “love”. This is as baffling to some students of English as all the different forms of “you” are to people learning Japanese.

Why should the concept of romantic love (“I love my husband/wife”) use the same word as parental love (“I love my mother”), or love of an object?

In English, the word “love” has become diluted so that it can be used in place of “like”. In some languages, the difference is very important. Is the English language limited by not putting much value on this difference? Monolingual English speakers would probably say no, but that’s because they don’t have anything to compare it to.

The truth is, the more languages you learn, the more you see the benefit of having various ways to refer to “love”.

Let’s take a look at how some languages express the idea of love. Some languages have just one or two words, like English. Others have many more, and they’re as integral to the culture as all the different Japanese words for “you” are to Japanese culture.

Time to Spread the Love

This is just a tiny sampling of all the different ways there are in the world to express the complex emotions associated with love.

If you know of other languages that have multiple ways to describe different kinds of love, or languages whose nuances for love can’t be directly translated into English, I’d love to hear about them 😉

Let me know on Instagram (@irishpolyglot), TikTok (@irishpolyglot), or Twitter (@irishpolyglot) what words you will use!

How to Learn a Language in 2023 – Ultimate Guide with 40+ Language Hacks Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)Preply Review – a Detailed and Honest Review of the Preply Language Tutor Platform 70 Terms of Endearment from Around the World (for Those You Love)

The post 28 Synonyms for Love from Around the World (+ Literal Translations into English) appeared first on Fluent in 3 Months.

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Published on June 05, 2023 04:00

June 2, 2023

Japanese N5 Kanji List: All 100 Kanji You Need to Know to Pass the JLPT N5

読。書。聞。話。。。Do you know those kanji yet? They’re some of the JLPT N5 kanji. If you’re going to take the test, it’s time to memorize them!

If you don’t know, “JLPT” stands for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. It’s one of the most well-known and acknowledged tests for Japanese proficiency around the world, with five levels of proficiency. N1 is the hardest level, considered near-fluent. N5 is the easiest level, covering the basic level of Japanese.

If you’re looking to test your skills and see where you’re at in Japanese, the JLPT is a great way to try it out. So here’s your guide to learning the necessary JLPT N5 kanji.

Table of contentsWhat to Expect on the JLPT N5 Test Why You Need to Know Kanji for the JLPT N5 Test Japanese N5 Kanji List – The 100 Kanji You Need to Know for the JLPT N5 Japanese Kanji for Numbers Japanese Kanji for Time Japanese Kanji for People & Things Japanese Kanji for Places & Directions Japanese Kanji for Verbs Japanese Kanji for Adjectives Japanese Kanji Practice: The Best Ways to Memorize Kanji A Final Word on Learning Japanese Kanji

The article below goes in-depth on the topic, if you want a quick overview here’s a video I made:

Even though the JLPT N5 test is the most basic formal Japanese test, passing the test is still a big achievement.

To pass the JLPT N5 test, you have to be able to read Japanese at a basic level and understand simple conversations from daily life and school. You should know around 800 vocabulary words.

I recommend starting with the Core 101 Japanese words, and about 50 basic grammar patterns.

My two favorite resources for studying grammar at this level are Genki I and JTest4U. Plus, you’ll need to be totally comfortable reading all the hiragana and katakana characters.

Why You Need to Know Kanji for the JLPT N5 Test

One of the most daunting tasks when starting to learn Japanese? Kanji.

At the N5 level, the JLPT expects you to know about 100 kanji to pass. These kanji can change slightly between tests, but you can generally expect to see the 100 most common kanji for verbs, numbers, time, places, people, basic adjectives, and directions.

The good news? These kanji are used so often that you’ll see them over and over again in the vocab you learn and the texts you read. The bad news is that you’ll need to independently memorize most of these kanji because they’re radicals, or roots. Radicals in Japanese are simple kanji—they’re the building blocks that make up complex kanji.

So, the more radicals you learn in kanji, the easier it becomes to understand more complex kanji. Learning the radicals first, then advancing on to complex kanji, is the most popular method for memorizing kanji (more on that later). For the first 100, because they’re radicals, you’ve just got to memorize them.

That being said, you can still come up with mnemonics to help you remember the kanji and their readings—and I highly recommend that you do, because it will help you immensely down the road.

Japanese N5 Kanji List – The 100 Kanji You Need to Know for the JLPT N5

Alright, so let’s start learning these kanji! I’ve broken them up into categories such as numbers, time, people and places. Kanji are easiest to learn when I associate them with related words.

In the lists below, you’ll see the kanji and the English meaning, followed by the onyomi and kunyomi readings.

Why these different readings? Kanji originated with Chinese hànzì characters which the Japanese adapted and gave Japanese readings. Thus, onyomi (Chinese readings) and kunyomi (Japanese readings) were born. Almost all kanji have two readings (and most, unfortunately, have many more than two). A rare few gems will only have one reading.

For the most part, these different readings are less important for the JLPT N5. If you learn these kanji with a vocab word that might also be on the test, then you should be able to remember the most common reading. This won’t always be true, but it usually will be. It’ll help you get the most out of your study time.

For that reason, I also include an N5 vocabulary word that uses that kanji.

Japanese Kanji for Numbers

First, let’s look at numbers. The first three are very straightforward to remember: a single line (one), two lines (two), three lines (three). Easy.

The rest can be more difficult. The drawback is that most of the time in Japan, they use 1 – 10 romanized numbers instead of kanji. But you still have to learn them.

KanjiEnglish MeaningOnyomiKunyomiJLPT N5 Vocab with Kanji一Oneichi, itsuhito(tsu), hito一人 (one person, alone)二Twonifuta(tsu), futa二人 (two people, pair)三Threesanmit(tsu), mi三日 (3rd day of the month)四Fourshiyo(tsu), yo, yon四日 (4th day of the month)五Fivegoitsu(tsu), itsu五日 (5th day of the month)六Sixrokumut(tsu), mu六日 (6th day of the month)七Sevenshichinana(tsu), nana七日 (7th day of the month)八Eighthachiyat(tsu), ya八日 (8th day of the month)九Ninekyuu, kukokono(tsu), kokono九日 (9th day of the month)十Tenjuu, jitou, to十日 (10th day of the month)百Hundredhyaku—百万円 (1 million Yen)千Thousandsenchi千万円 (10 million Yen)万Ten thousandman, ban—万年筆 (fountain pen)円Yen, circle, and roundenmaru(i)円い (round)

Pro tip: Be careful with 千: it looks almost identical to チ (katakana chi) and one of the readings is the same.

Also, you may think 万年筆 (“fountain pen”) will never show up in the JLPT N5, and yet, it somehow always does. It translates as “ten thousand year writing brush” aka a pen that outlasts all others.

Japanese Kanji for Time

These kanji are often used together with numbers, so I’ve included them next. You’ll pair numbers up with kanji like 月 to create the months of the year, like 一月 (“January”).

Some of the kanji on this list have more uses than just time, such as 来る which is an irregular verb. But, 来 also reads as らい, meaning “future”. Combined with other time kanji you get: 来週 (“next week”), 来月 (“next month”), and 来年 (“next year”).

KanjiEnglish MeaningOnyomiKunyomiJLPT N5 Vocab with Kanji日Day, sunnichi, jitsuhi, ka明日 (tomorrow)週Weekshuu—毎週 (every week)月Month, moongetsu, gatsutsuki月曜日 (Monday)年Yearnentoshi今年 (this year), 去年 (last year)時Time, hourjitoki時計 (clock, watch)間Time frame, span of timekan, kenaida時間 (time, hours)分Minute, part, to understand, to dividebun, bu, funwa(karu)三十分 (thirty minutes), 自分 (oneself)午Noongo—午前 (morning, A.M.)前Beforezenmae名前 (name)後After, later, behindgo, kouato午後 (afternoon, P.M.)今Nowkon, kinima今晩 (this evening), 今朝 (this morning)先Before, ahead, futuresensaki先週 (last week), 先生 (teacher, master)来To comeraiku(ru)来月 (next month), 来る (to come)半Half, middlehannaka(ba)半分 (half)毎Every, eachmai—毎日(every day)何What, which, how manykanan, nani何曜日 (what day of the week)Japanese Kanji for People & Things

This category includes many of the basic natural elements (very important in Japanese culture, so they pop up a lot), people, and body parts. Because these kanji are used in so many words, they’ve evolved the most over time and have a lot of readings.

I’ve included most of the top ones to know, but you’ll often find these have irregular readings, too.

Consider, for example, 母 and 父. When talking about your own mom and dad to others, you would read/say them as haha and chichi. But when talking to your parents, they would be kaa as in okaasan (お母さん) and tou as in otousan (お父さん). These kanji also change when used for grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

Just be on the lookout. You’ll have to memorize them on a word-by-word basis.

KanjiEnglish MeaningOnyomiKunyomiJLPT N5 Vocab with Kanji人Personjin, ninhito人々 (people)男Man, boy, maledan, nanotoko男の子 (boy)女Woman, girl, femalejo, nyoonna, me女の子 (girl)子Childshi, suko子供 (child)母Motherbohaha母 (mother)父Fatherfuchichi父 (father)友Friendyuutomo友達 (friend)火Firekahi火曜日 (Tuesday)水Watersuimizu水曜日 (Wednesday)木Tree, woodmoku, bokuki, ko木曜日 (Thursday)土Earth, grounddo, totsuchi土曜日 (Saturday)金Money, goldkin, konkane金曜日 (Friday)本Book, sourcehonmoto日本語 (Japanese)川Riversenkawa川 (river)花Flowerkahana花火 (fireworks)気Spiritki, ke—元気 (healthy, spirit, fine)生Life, to live, to be born, to growsei, shoui(kiru), u(mareru), ha(yasu)生徒 (pupil)魚Fishgyosakana魚 (fish)天Heaventename, ama天気 (weather)空Sky, emptykuusora, a(keru)空 (sky)山Mountainsanyama山 (mountain)雨Rainuame雨 (rain)電Electricityden—電気 (electricity)車Car, vehicleshakuruma電車 (electric train)語Language, word, to chatgokata(ru)英語 (English)耳Earjimimi耳 (ear)手Handshute手紙 (letter)足Foot, to addsokuashi, ta(su)足 (foot)目Eyemokume目 (eye)口Mouthkou, kukuchi出口 (exit)名Namemei, myouna名前 (name)Japanese Kanji for Places & Directions

It’s a good idea to memorize each reading really well for these common kanji.

店 is read as ten almost as often as mise. 外 is just as often read as gai as it is soto. But, they have patterns. 店 reads as ten when combined with other kanji, like 喫茶店. On its own, it’s mise. It’s the same with 外: gai describes something foreign or outside the norm of one’s own country or group. Soto is used to just say “outside.”

KanjiEnglish MeaningOnyomiKunyomiJLPT N5 Vocab with Kanji店Shoptenmise喫茶店 (coffee shop)駅Stationeki—駅前 (in front of the station)道Street, path, waydoumichi道具 (tool)社Shrine, societyshayashiro社長 (president of a company)国Countrykokukuni外国人 (foreigner)外Outsidegai, gesoto, hazu(reru), hoka外国 (foreign country)学School, learninggakumana(bu)大学 (university)校Schoolkou—学校 (school)上Up, aboveshou, jouue, u, a(geru)上着 (jacket)下Down, belowka, geku(daru), shita靴下 (socks)中Middle, center, inner, betweenchuunaka日中 (during the day, midday)北Northhokukita北 (north)西Westsai, seinishi西 (west)東Easttouhigashi東京 (Tokyo)南Southnanminami南 (south)右Rightyuumigi右 (right)左Leftsahidari左 (left)Japanese Kanji for Verbs

These are among the most common verbs, besides する (suru, “to do”) which doesn’t use kanji. When used as verbs, you’ll almost always be using the kunyomi readings.

For this test, those are the readings you’ll most likely be quizzed on, and the onyomi reading will be less important.

The most important onyomi readings that may pop up would be for 聞, 読, 書, 食, and 会. The first three – hear, read, and write – appear in their onyomi readings in the test descriptions themselves that state the test section you’re on. You most likely won’t be quizzed on them, but you’ll want to know them to understand what you’re looking at on the test.

The last two—eat and meet—have common onyomi readings like 食品 (“food,” or “food goods”) and 会社 (company).

KanjiEnglish MeaningOnyomiKunyomiJLPT N5 Vocab with Kanji見To see, to be visible, to showkenmi(ru)見せる (to show)聞To hear, to listen, to askmon, bunki(ku)聞く (to listen, to hear)書To writeshoka(ku)辞書 (dictionary)読To readdokuyo(mu)読む (to read)話To talk, conversationwahanashi, hana(su)電話 (telephone)買To buybaika(u)買い物 (shopping)行To go, to carry outkoui(ku), okona(u)銀行 (bank)出To go out, to leaveshutsude(ru), da(su)出かける (to go out)入To enter, to put innyuuhai(ru), i(reru)入口 (entrance)休To rest, break, holiday, vacationkyuuyasu(mu), yasu(mi)休む (to take a day off)食To eat, foodshokuta(beru)食堂 (dining room)飲To drink, a drinkinno(mu)飲み物 (beverage)言To talk, wordgen, goni(u)言う (to say)立To standritsuta(tsu)立つ (to stand)会To meet, societykai, ea(u)会社 (company)Japanese Kanji for Adjectives

Lastly, we have the most basic and common adjectives to describe things. You will most likely be quizzed on the kunyomi readings, as those are more commonly used as adjectives, while the onyomi readings combine with other kanji to give a more descriptive noun.

For example, 小 (little) + 学校 (school) means “elementary school.” You’ll definitely need to know them for later tests and vocab, but for N5 purposes your time would be better focused on reviewing the kunyomi readings.

KanjiEnglish MeaningOnyomiKunyomiJLPT N5 Vocab with Kanji多A lot, manytaoo(i)多い (many), 多分 (probably)少A little, fewshousuko(shi), suku(nai)少ない (few)古Oldkofuru(i)古い (old)新Newshinatara(shii)新しい (new), 新聞 (newspaper)大Big, a lotdai, taioo(kii)大きい (big), 大変 (dreadful, immense)小Little, smallshouchii(sai), ko小さい (little)安Cheap, safety, peaceanyasu(i)安い (cheap)高Expensive, highkoutaka(i)高い (expensive)長Long, leaderchounaga(i)長い (long), 部長 (manager)白Whitehaku, byakushiro, shiro(i)白い (white), 面白い (interesting)Japanese Kanji Practice: The Best Ways to Memorize Kanji

Now that you’ve seen the JLPT N5 kanji lists and know what you should study, what’s the best way to memorize kanji?

The best way to practice kanji is to use a combination of James Heisig’s Remembering the Kanji method, the Anki app, and your own mnemonics. You can definitely do it in as few as four days if you followed this schedule to learn all the essential kanji in three months.

Heisig’s method is one of the best methods to memorize kanji. He introduces the kanji based on radical elements so you can learn each one by “stacking” your mnemonic stories together. It’s really ingenious. It still takes effort, time, and patience. But it’s worth it!

Alongside that, l use the NihongoShark kanji deck in the Anki app, or create your own Anki deck specifically for N5 kanji only. Enter in your mnemonic phrases and how to read them.

(Bonus points if you can tie how to read the kanji (or a word that uses it) into your mnemonic phrase.)

I also suggest using Genki I and JTest4U, the most popular textbook for beginner Japanese that I mentioned earlier.

It has a section in the back dedicated to learning kanji and reading practice that uses those kanji. It helps reinforce what you’re learning, at your level, without being incredibly tiresome.

And honestly, the sooner you knock out kanji, the better. Kanji helps you memorize vocab better, read with ease (making learning through native resources much easier), and have a deeper understanding of how the language works. And if you knock out these 100 kanji quickly, you can move on to focusing on the truly difficult parts of the test – like listening comprehension.

Of course, there are other methods or apps you can use to learn kanji. But this is how I learned, and how many others have learned with success.

A Final Word on Learning Japanese Kanji

Don’t let the JLPT N5 test intimidate you – you’ve got this! The best advice I have? Try to relax and keep calm. If you go in stressed and nervous, you may struggle to focus, especially with listening.

It may seem impossible to memorize the kanji quickly, but you will get there. Drill. Everyday. Rinse and repeat until the test!

And most importantly, 頑張って、皆さん (Good luck, Everyone!)！

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The post Japanese N5 Kanji List: All 100 Kanji You Need to Know to Pass the JLPT N5 appeared first on Fluent in 3 Months.

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Published on June 02, 2023 04:00

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