Benny Lewis's Blog, page 22

January 24, 2022

101 Core Russian Words — The Most Commonly Used Words in Russian

Ready to make a major breakthrough in understanding Russian words?

Yes, you read that right. Even with a limited vocabulary in the language, you can understand a significant amount of what you hear and read… as long as you choose the right words!

If you’re looking to reach fluency in another language fast, learning the core Russian words will help you learn more quickly. The core 100 words in a language, based on word frequency, can make up a significant portion of what you hear or read.

This is great news!

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ copy = 'A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Russian 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 Russian 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 contentsYou Can Understand 50% of Russian by Learning 101 Core Russian Words The 8 Core Russian Pronouns The 2 Most Common Russian Numbers The 6 Most Common Russian Possessive, Reflexive, and Other Pronouns The 23 Core Russian Nouns The 13 Core Russian Verbs The 17 Core Russian Adjectives and Adverbs The 30 Core Russian Conjunctions, Connectors, and Prepositions 2 More Important Words to Know in Russian Strengthen Your Russian Core with the Most Common Russian WordsYou Can Understand 50% of Russian by Learning 101 Core Russian Words

Why do these words have such a big impact on your comprehension? The words on this list are used extremely often — you’ll see them pop up all over in your learning.

One thing to note is that the words on this list are all going to be in nominative form. Russian is a bit tricky because it has cases. This means that depending on the context of a word, it’ll look a little bit different because it takes a different case. These aren’t really the “dictionary” form of these words though, so this is something to be aware of. These words are frequent but won’t always look the same. But this is more about grammar, so we won’t worry about this for now.

One more thing you should know about this list of words is that because it’s a word frequency list, some of the words here might be surprising. It isn’t a typical word list you’d find for beginner learners, like one with Russian greetings or Russian travel phrases. But knowing the words on this list will always help you keep ahead of the curve.

The 8 Core Russian Pronouns

Russian pronouns are essential. You’ll hear or read each of these words frequently in Russian.

я – “I”ты – “you”он – “he”она – “she”мы – “we”вы – “you” (formal, plural)они – “they”это/этот – “that, this, it”The 2 Most Common Russian Numbers

Numbers pop up in a lot of different contexts, and there are two that made it into the top 100 most common words in Russian. They are:

один – “one, some, alone”два – “two”The 6 Most Common Russian Possessive, Reflexive, and Other Pronouns

Russian really makes use of pronouns. You’ll see them or hear them everywhere. You already learned the core Russian pronouns, but here are a few more possessive pronouns and personal pronouns in the language.

себя – “myself, himself, herself”мой – “my, mine”наш – “our, ours”свой – “my, our, your”сам – “myself, yourself”что – “what, which, that”The 23 Core Russian Nouns

Which nouns should you learn in Russian? Possibly some of the nouns on this list, but let’s be honest. Your very own personal frequency list of Russian words might look a little different than what’s below.

We definitely recommend taking time to create your own script, listing out and including words you often say, so you can memorize them.

Until then, here are some of the most common Russian nouns that will be useful to you along the way.

весь – “all, everything”человек – “man, person”такой – “such, so, some”год – “year”время – “time, season”рука – “hand, arm”самый – “most, the very, the same”который – “which, who, that”какой – “what, which, how”кто – “who, that, some”другой – “other, another, different”дело – “business, affair, matter”раз – “time, once, since”глаз – “eye”жизнь – “life”день – “day”ничто – “nothing”голова – “head, mind, brains”друг – “friend”дом – “house, home”слово – “word”место – “place; seat”лицо – “face; person”The 13 Core Russian Verbs

You might be surprised to find that only 13 verbs made it into the top 100 for Russian. That’s because you can get by saying quite a bit with just a few verbs — in almost any language.

It’s especially the case in Russian. While the first verb on the list is “to be”, Russian doesn’t actually really use “to be” in the present tense except in rare cases. For example, я студе́нт means “I am a student” but literally translates as “I student”.

That said, it’s still good to know how to say “to be” in Russian as well as these other verbs.

быть – “to be”сказать – “to say, to speak”мочь – “to be able”говорить – “to say, to tell, to speak”знать – “to know, be aware”стать – “to become, begin, come”есть – “to eat, to be”хотеть – “to want, like”видеть – “to see”идти – “to go, come”стоять – “to stand, be, stand up”думать – “to think; believe”спросить – “to ask”The 17 Core Russian Adjectives and Adverbs

Here are the most common Russian adjectives and adverbs. Learn these words to add a little more flair to your Russian.

не – “not”тот – “that”так – “so, thus, then”ещё – “still, yet”только – “only, merely, but”когда – “when, while, as”уже – “already, by now”большой – “big, large, important”где – “where”там – “there, then”первый – “first, front, former”тут – “here, now, then”потом – “afterwards, then”очень – “very”теперь – “now, nowadays”тоже – “also, as well, too”здесь – “here”The 30 Core Russian Conjunctions, Connectors, and Prepositions

This is the longest list of the post. Prepositions, in particular, are very frequently used in Russian, so it’s always helpful to know them and learn how to use them in your sentences.

There are, of course, others that are not included on this list, but these are the most common and will certainly get you started. One to note here is можно which is incredibly useful. It can be used to express that one can do something, to agree to something, and so much more.

и – “and, though”в – “in, at”что – “what, that, why”с – “with, and, from, of”а – “while, and, but”как – “how, what, as, like”к – “to, for, by”за – “behind, over, at, after”же – “and, as for, but, same”от – “from, of, for”о – “of, about, against”для – “for, to”вот – “here, there, this is, that's”до – “to, up to, about, before”или – “or”если – “if”ни – “not a, not, neither… nor”ну – “now, right, well, come on”под – “under, for, towards, to”чтобы – “that, in order that”чем – “than; instead of”во – “in, at; super, exactly”со – “with”ли – “whether, if”при – “attached to, in the presence of, by, about”надо – “over, above, ought to”без – “without”можно – “one can”после – “after, afterward”через – “through, across”2 More Important Words to Know in Russian

There are two more words that are in the top 100 of the most frequently used words in Russian and they’re very important to know. Can you guess what they might be? If you guessed “yes” and “no”, you were right!

Here’s how to say these two words in Russian:

да – “yes, but”нет – “no, not, but”Strengthen Your Russian Core with the Most Common Russian Words

Now that you know the 101 key Russian words to help you get started, you can start applying them with Russian language exchange partners or by diving into lots of great Russian video and podcasts. Or, you could try taking the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge to level up your Russian in 90 days.

You could even add more variety to your speech by learning about Russian slang!

There are many directions you can go from here with your Russian. And now that you know your core words, you’re ready to choose your own adventure and get started. If you’re looking for other resources to check out, we recommend starting with these Russian resources.

Benny’s Top Resources for Learning Russian 30 Essential Russian Phrases for Travelers and Russian Learners How to Use Russian Poetry to Improve Your Russian [With 10 Recommendations!70 Terms of Endearment from Around the World (for Those You Love)How to Learn a Language in 2022 – Ultimate Guide with 35+ Language Hacks

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Published on January 24, 2022 04:00

January 21, 2022

Benny’s TEDx talk: Speak from Day One

If you’re looking into learning a new language, you might want to know what’s the best way to do so.

If you’re a new reader here, you might want a concise version of my best advice to speak from day one.

And if you’re a long-term reader, you might have wondered who/what precisely inspired me to start on this road to become a polyglot some day.

I talk about all of this and more in the TEDx talk I did in San Antonio back in 2013, which you can watch in this post.

Table of contentsThe Best Way to Learn a New Language Is to Speak From Day One My Pro-Tips: Learning a New Language By Speaking, Not Studying The Story Behind My TEDx TalkThe Best Way to Learn a New Language Is to Speak From Day One

At the age of 21, after I finished my degree in electronic engineering, I travelled to Spain. At that time, I spoke nothing but English, and I was convinced that I could never learn any other language. I thought I didn’t have the right “gene”, that I was too old, that I simply didn’t have it in me.

But whilst in Spain, I met a Brazilian guy who gave me, in the space of a few minutes, a multilingual show that would change the course of my life. He effortlessly took on four different conversations in four different languages.

I asked him how he managed to do it, speaking so many languages. He said something along the lines of, “I don’t know. I’m just trying to speak, going up to the person and using the language.”

I couldn’t believe it, it didn’t make much sense to me, a “left-brained” engineering graduate. So I decided to give it a try.

You can see where it has led me

I told the full story in my TEDx Talk in San Antonio, which you can watch here:

Of course there are no sales pitches and not a single mention of my website on the video, since I wanted to focus only on the simple, but life-changing message that speaking a language is what makes a world of difference, not studying it.

My Pro-Tips: Learning a New Language By Speaking, Not Studying

If you’re going to take something from this video, make sure it’s this list of things to do to improve your language learning:

get to speaking from the first day of learning,embrace your mistakes,live your life through your target language,focus on cognates, the words that look similar and have similar meanings in two different languages,use memory techniques to remember vocabulary,learn vocabulary before you tackle grammar,tell everybody that you will speak your target language to use accountability as a motivation,find someone to have conversations in your target language with, such as a language exchange partner or an online tutor,don’t give in to frustration: people are generally happy when you make the effort to speak their language, even if it’s not perfect!

The Story Behind My TEDx Talk

This was only the second time in my entire life that I’d spoken publicly in front of a decent sized audience—the first being at TBEX.

A combination of several camera men, a decent microphone and a cool audience made me look like I didn’t hurriedly prepare the speech the night before. I think I actually managed to convey the speak from day one message pretty well!

Speaking at a TED associated event was something I never even dreamt possible, but I was hoping to do someday. I asked for some help from my site readers (as a birthday present) to vote for me to speak at SxSW (an event in Austin in March 2013).

In the end, they weren’t interested despite the many votes. Which was probably for the best, as that would have made it impossible to have 3 uninterrupted months to devote to Mandarin.

But the real reason I wanted to speak there was to build up my speaking resume to maybe be considered by a TEDx event some day.

Luckily for me, those at San Antonio wanted me to share my simple message in true TED style. It turns out San Antonio has America’s largest Hispanic population that does not speak Spanish, so they were especially motivated to hear my story.

(Since I was so grateful for the opportunity, I’ve forgiven them for misspelling my name ;))

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Published on January 21, 2022 06:00

January 17, 2022

The Catalan Language: How to Learn Catalan Quickly

The Catalan language may have a small global footprint with approximately 10 million speakers. But when you learn it, a whole new world opens up to you.

Table of contentsWhy Learn the Catalan Language Learning the Catalan Language Is (Kind of) Revolutionary Why Catalan is Easy and Fun to Learn How Catalan Pronunciation is Similar to Spanish The Rolled “R”The Sounds of “V” and “B”“Ñ” Becomes “NYA”Unique Letters and Sounds in Catalan Pronunciation Pronouncing “X” as “CH”“G” Can Also Make a “CH” Sound The Cedilla “Ç”“LL” Is a Challenging Sound to Learn “NY” – Another Challenging Sound Catalan Resources: Free Online Courses for Learning the Catalan Language Catalan Language Courses: Low-Cost Classes for Learning the Catalan Language How to Practise Catalan with Native Speakers – Find Online Tutors!Begin Your Catalan AdventureWhy Learn the Catalan Language

First, you’ll be introduced to some beautiful places. The majority of Catalan speakers are found in Catalunya (often referred to as “Catalonia” in English), in the northeastern corner of Spain, a place where you can both laze on idyllic beaches and climb dramatic mountains.

Catalan is also spoken in the Mediterranean paradises of the Balearic Islands and the city of Alghero in Sardinia, Italy. A variant is also spoken in Valencia, Spain, home of the world-famous paella.

There are Catalan speakers in southern France along the border with Catalunya. Catalan is also the national language of Andorra, a tiny country tucked high into the breathtaking Pyrenees mountains.

Winter hiking in the Catalan Pyrenees. Photo credit: Lisa Hoashi.

When you learn the Catalan language, you get greater access to the Pyrenees – full of climbing, trekking, paragliding and skiing routes. You will also be able to navigate magnificent Mediterranean islands and beaches, lovely countryside, and vibrant cities.

You’ll be able to fully appreciate many historic sites leftover from the Greeks, Romans, Moors, and the many other peoples who invaded these historically sought-after lands.

Platja del Port Peregrí in Calella de Palafrugell on the Costa Brava. Photo credit: Andrea Ciambra

You’ll meet some great people, get to know their rich cultural history, and desirable way of life.

Famous Catalans include artists Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró, cellist Pablo Casals, architect Antoni Gaudí, and chef Ferran Adrià.

Game of Thrones, season six, filmed on these steps leading to the Cathedral of Girona,
Spain. Photo credit: Georges Jansoone

The gorgeous, friendly and culturally vibrant seaside city of Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya. It has great architecture, fabulous restaurants and lively festivals, such as La Mercè, a city-wide, multi-day party every September featuring free cultural and music events.

Catalans are known for their delicious Mediterranean cuisine. (Many say that, in Spain, their only rival in regional cuisine are the Basques). The recipes are simple; what makes them so outstanding are the tasty and fresh ingredients, including delectable olive oil, seafood, tomatoes, cheeses and charcuterie.

The wine and cava (Catalan sparkling wine) also excellent – and very affordable. This is a place to savour your food and drink in the sunshine.

Finally, they have an awesome soccer team!

Learning the Catalan Language Is (Kind of) Revolutionary

If you’re going to learn Catalan, there is some important cultural and political background that you should know.

Catalunya is officially considered an “autonomous community” within Spain. It has its own government which includes, for example, its own president, parliament and police force.

This democratic political set-up has been in place since 1978, three years after Spanish dictator Francisco Franco died.

A couple of important notes about this:

First, the Catalan language was banned when Franco was in power. Franco enforced the use of Spanish in its place. During this 36-year period, Catalan went largely underground. School was conducted entirely in Spanish.

Many Catalans continued speaking the language in the privacy and safety of their own homes, but it disappeared from the public arena.

Today, you’ll find that most people speak exclusively Catalan in most parts of Catalunya outside Barcelona. The older generations, those raised during Franco’s dictatorship, can produce a rusty Spanish if needed, but they generally prefer to speak Catalan. Some elderly also don’t know how to write Catalan very well since they never learned it in school.

After democracy and the autonomous Catalan government was restored in 1978, the Catalan language reemerged in the public arena once again, in full force.

It is now seen as a key element of Catalunya’s national patrimony and promoted in full force.

Second, there is a strong independence movement in Catalunya. You might have heard that the Catalan government announced a referendum in November of 2014 to see if the majority of the population wanted to split from Spain.

In that referendum, 81 percent voted for independence, though voter turnout was only 42 percent.

Depending where you visit, you will find some people highly opposed to breaking from Spain and others staunchly in favour. Where I live, a rural town in the centre of Catalunya, it seems like the majority of people are pro-independence.

(Our mayor was recently arrested after she refused to take down the Catalan independence flag on City Hall during elections!).

Speaking purely Catalan and participating in Catalan cultural activities – such as castells (building human towers) – are seen as pro-independence actions in places like these.

Castells is the making of human towers, a purely Catalan phenomenon. Photo credit: Escuraxemeneies.Why Catalan is Easy and Fun to Learn

Catalan is not difficult to learn – especially if you already speak another Romance language.

Many people think Catalan is a dialect of Spanish and that’s not true at all. It’s as different from Spanish as is Portuguese or Italian.

Like these languages, it did come originally from Latin. So there are many similarities. When it comes to vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, Catalan actually has more in common with French than Spanish.

That being said, however, many people – like me – come to Catalan by way of wanting to learn Spanish. I know I am not the first person to land on Barcelona’s sunny shores ignorantly expecting to practise my Spanish – only to learn that the dominant language here is Catalan.

Like many people who visit Catalunya, I fell in love with the culture and lifestyle and ended up staying. (In my case, I literally fell in love with a Catalan farmer, and married him!)

Spanish is my strongest second language. Japanese is the language of my father’s family, so I also grew up exposed to it. I’ve taken beginner courses in Japanese, French, and Arabic.

I know, especially from trying to learn Arabic, that when picking up a new language it helps to link new vocabulary and grammar rules with what you already know. Arabic was very difficult because I felt like I had nothing to “hook” the words to in my brain.

No similarities or associations to help me remember.

By contrast, thanks to having lots of Spanish and a little French, I had plenty of “hooks” for Catalan. It was very “sticky” – plus I really like the way Catalan sounds. It’s not as musically effusive as Spanish. It’s more emphatic like French.

There are plenty of examples of verbs that are similar or the same in Spanish and Catalan, and in French and Catalan.

Here are a few for Spanish:

Acabar – to end, to finishCantar – to singCaminar – to walkEstar – to bePoder – to be able toSaber – to knowSer – to be

Yet the verb conjugations are quite different. See with example of the verb “acabar”:

And here are some of the similar verbs between French and Catalan:

See how many similarities you’ll find if you speak another Romance language? Easy!

How Catalan Pronunciation is Similar to Spanish

Before we dive into the unique letters and sounds found in Catalan, it’s worth mentioning a few that you’ll already know if you speak Spanish.

The Rolled “R”

Like the Spanish, the Catalans roll their “R”’s.

The Sounds of “V” and “B”

In Catalan, as in Spanish, the sound of the letters “V” and “B” are the same.

“Ñ” Becomes “NYA”

Catalan doesn’t use the letter “Ñ” – instead they spell out the sound phonetically as nya.

For example, Catalans would spell their home, Catalunya – whereas the Spanish would spell it as Cataluña.

Another example: The word “to accompany” in Spanish is acompañar, whereas in Catalan it’s acompanyar.

Unique Letters and Sounds in Catalan Pronunciation

Maybe because I’m a writer and avid reader, I enjoy learning how to spell words in a new language. I love how Catalan introduced me to some totally new combinations of letters and sounds.

Pronouncing “X” as “CH”

My favorite by far is the Catalan “X”, pronounced as “CH”.

For example, the word for “lamb” – xai. Pronounce it just like that spicy Indian tea drink: “chai”.

Bet you can guess what this is: xocolata. That’s right, it’s “chocolate”.

And here are two proper nouns: Xile and Xina. Have you figured them out? You got it: Chile and China.

“G” Can Also Make a “CH” Sound

The “ch” sound is very common in Catalan. The “g” can also make this sound (or something very, very similar).

For example, you may have at some point run across this common Catalan surname: Puig. An English speaker might take a stab at this one as “Poog”. But to pronounce it correctly in Catalan it instead has a real bite: “poot-CH” with the “CH” extremely curt at the end.

Another common “G” word is vaig which means “I go.” The pronunciation is something like, “baa-CH”.

The Cedilla “Ç”

The “C” with the cedilla (the little tail underneath the “C”) is a Latin script letter. In Catalan, it’s a hissing “S” (as in “snake”).

For example, the verb “to begin” is començar, pronounced “comenssar.”

Or, take the word for “effort”, which is esforç, pronounced “esforss.”

This letter doesn’t occur very often in Catalan.

“LL” Is a Challenging Sound to Learn

The unique sound of the “LL” is very challenging to learn – and it’s common in Catalan!

First, do not assume it will make the same sound as in Spanish. It’s quite different.

In Spanish, the “LL” basically makes a “ya” sound.

Me llamo = “may yamo.”

However, in Catalan, the “LL” makes more of a “yeuh” sound. For example, the word for “language” is llengua and is pronounced as “yeuhng-wa.”

To make the correct sound of the “LL”, you must learn a whole new way of using your mouth. You have to flatten the front of your tongue and push it against the back of your top teeth to produce it.

It’s really difficult! And the worst part is that Catalans often don’t understand what word you’re getting at unless you make this sound correctly.

If it makes you feel any better, some of my Catalan friends say that they had to practise making this sound over and over when they were kids. One even suggested sticking the tip of a pencil vertically inside my front teeth to properly train my tongue.

(Hey, that kind of works!)

“NY” – Another Challenging Sound

This is also a very common letter combination and quite difficult, especially maybe for visual learners (like me) who see “NY” at the end of a word and want to pronounce it “nee”.

The “NY” sound essentially is the same as a Spanish “Ñ” – but without a vowel following. If this doesn’t make any sense to you, you’re not alone.

In Spanish, an “Ñ” is always accompanied by a vowel afterward, such as in mañana (man-ya-na) or baño (ban-yo). Now try to say baño but without the “o” at the end. That’s how you say bany in Catalan, which also means “bath.”

Did that totally stump your brain? Yeah, me too. I’m still trying to figure out this sound.

The blank looks that I get when I say any (“year”) or lluny (“far” – which has the added fun of the “LL” too) assure me that I still have some more practising to do.

Catalan Resources: Free Online Courses for Learning the Catalan Language

With the movement afoot to encourage more Catalan usage and speakers, you can benefit from some really great resources in learning the language – especially from the Generalitat de Catalunya (local government).

The best is Parla.Cat, which offers free online Catalan courses developed by the Generalitat de Catalunya.

You can sign up to use this website from anywhere in the world (my mom signed up in Portland, Oregon) and choose to either have a self-guided course or hire a tutor additionally for a nominal fee.

The website’s design and functionality feels a little dated, but the materials and lesson plans are top-notch.

Catalan is also an option on Duolingo, although only if you have the website language set to Spanish. That means that if your native language is English – you get a double workout in the tutorials, translating Spanish to Catalan and vice versa.

Catalan Language Courses: Low-Cost Classes for Learning the Catalan Language

If you are able to actually spend some time in Catalunya, you can also take advantage of highly subsidized in-person classes offered by the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística.

Most medium-sized or larger towns in Catalunya offer these high-quality classes. In my town of approximately 20,000 people for example, I was able to take three levels of beginner courses. A course generally lasts three months, meets twice a week for two and a half hours, and costs under €15 for the entire semester. What a bargain!

These classes are an interesting sociological immersion as well, where you will meet fellow immigrants to Catalunya. In my classes there were people from other parts of Spain, China, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela.

How to Practise Catalan with Native Speakers – Find Online Tutors!

Catalans are accustomed to foreigners speaking Spanish or English, so if you strike up a conversation in Catalan, they will likely be both surprised and pleased.

Many people in Catalunya are also eager to learn English, so you should have no problem finding partners for language exchanges in person.

But don’t lose hope if you aren’t able to travel to Catalunya! You can practise with native speakers through websites such as italki and Preply.

They’re platforms where you can find online tutors to have conversations wherever you are, whenever you can.

Begin Your Catalan Adventure

Are you learning the Catalan language?

Continue your adventures into català, and you’re sure to meet many wonderful new friends along the way.

Original article by Lisa Hoashi, updated by the Fluent in 3 Months team.

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Published on January 17, 2022 06:00

January 14, 2022

Is German Hard to Learn? Why German Is Easier Than You Think

I’m fed up with the myth that German is hard to learn for English speakers.

Learning another language can be infuriating, particularly as you find yourself committing grammar rules, pronunciations, and a never-ending list of words to memory.

And sure, that’s true of German too. Plus, some German learners get flustered by the absurdly long words, and unusual grammar structure.

However, I’ve heard countless times too that Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Korean, , Finnish, and many other languages are too hard to learn. Yet so many polyglots, me included, have disproved this!

I don’t believe that any language is harder to learn than another.

Is German harder than French, for example?

In my opinion, it all comes down to perseverance and passion.

Let’s look at it from another point of view. If you are a native English speaker, there is a strong chance that you took learning the language for granted. You had to learn it, in order to communicate with those around you, so you did. As a result, you are fluent in a really complicated language.

English has many inconsistencies that leave non-native English students scratching their heads in confusion.

German is one example of a language that is in many ways easier to learn than English.

Let me explain why…

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ copy = 'A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in German for at least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. <a href="https://fluentin3months.com/challenge... this link to find out more.</a>'} else { copy = 'Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online German course, here’s the course I recommend: <a href="https://www.fluentin3months.com/olly-... Uncovered - Learn German Through the Power of Story</a>, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!'}console.log(copy)var copyToChange = document.querySelector("p.copyText").innerHTML = copy;}runSplitTest();Table of contents1. There is a Standardised Form of German to Learn 2. The Spelling Rules Are More Structured in German – And Easier to Learn!English Spelling is Harder than German Spelling 3. Germans Are More Likely to Correct You When You’re Wrong 4. German Verbs Aren’t Hard—They Tend to Follow Patterns Let’s Look Closely at Verbs: Why German Is Easier Than English 5. It is More Complicated to Read and Write German than to Speak It So How Hard Is It to Learn German?1. There is a Standardised Form of German to Learn

In 1996, German was officially standardised.

This was done to simplify the language rules. It also made the spelling of words, in particular, more uniform and predictable.

The guidelines were revised once again in 2004 and by late 2005, what had become known as the Neue deutsche Rechtschreibung was in place. From then on, only the new spelling rules were allowed. These rules are now taught in schools across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

How does this affect you as a German learner?

Although dialects will differ across German speaking towns and countries, every German word has one official spelling. No matter where you are in the world, you should be able to understand most German-speakers and they, in return, will understand you.

On the contrary, there is no standardised version of English. These days, American English spelling rules may dominate the language in many places. Anyone who has tried to change their dictionary in Microsoft Word from U.S. to British English and have it stick will be aware of this.

English is also confusing, as many words have different meanings, depending on whether you are learning British or American English.

For example, try talking freely about your pants in Britain and then gauge what kind of reception you get!

It is therefore incredibly handy to be learning a language that has one standardised version, as German does. You don’t need to worry so much about native speakers not understanding you…

Or accidentally mixing up your outerwear with your underwear!

2. The Spelling Rules Are More Structured in German – And Easier to Learn!

Related Learning: The German Alphabet – a Complete Guide

The rules for spelling in the German language are far more rigid than those in English.

The purpose of German spelling is to act as a guideline for how to pronounce words. Once you’ve learned the standard pronunciation rules, you will be able to say any word correctly in German. Likewise, when you hear a word spoken, you’ll be able to write it down.

There are only a few exceptions to this.

Take for example, the word for “time”, which is Zeit. The letter Z is always a ‘ts’ sound. ‘Ei’ is a diphthong, meaning the sound formed is the combination of two vowels into a single syllable. You would therefore pronounce the second sound and forget the first – saying ‘eye’ rather than ‘ah-ee’. In following this specific rule, you would know that ‘Zeit’ would be pronounced ‘Ts-eye-t’.

If the word is spelt with an ‘i’ before an ‘e’, then you pronounce the ‘e’. Liebe (“love”) is therefore pronounced “lee-buh”.

English Spelling is Harder than German Spelling

English on the other hand, does not tend to strictly follow any standard rules with regards to spelling or pronunciation. It’s such a mess that I even point it out in this poem about English.

Even the rules we have are frequently broken. Take for example, the well-known adage of “i before e, except after c”. This can initially be seen as a helpful mnemonic to use when trying to learn the spelling of certain words, such as “thief” and “deceit”.

But what about words such as “forfeit” and “science”? Surely they would have to follow the same rule?

Perhaps you’ve made this point, and been told that this rule only applies to words that are pronounced with an ‘ee’ sound. That’s fine. We can remember that. Yet, you will discover there are still exceptions to that rule, such as the words “caffeine” and “weird”.

You’re now in a circumstance where there is no option other than to commit the spelling of these words to memory, or carry around a dictionary at all times.

Any would-be English speaker could believe that they were making progress in the language, only to have their confidence shattered when a new rule appeared, completely contradicting what they had previously learned.

Achieving fluency in German is a question of learning the rules and sticking to them. However in English, the many exceptions you encounter are just as important as the rules themselves.

3. Germans Are More Likely to Correct You When You’re Wrong

One reason I believe German is an easier language to learn than English has nothing to do with spelling or grammar. Instead, it relates to the characteristics of the people who speak it.

There’s a stereotype that Germans are rude. I don’t believe this is the right term for it, as I find them to be more honest than anything else.

Germans don’t beat about the bush. They are blunt, upfront and get straight to the point. It is a trait that I found refreshing during my time in Berlin, when I was learning the language.

It is safe to assume that at some point you will find yourself having a conversation with a native German speaker. Let’s say that over the course of the discussion, you unintentionally use the word lecken.

What you meant to say was lächeln, which in English means “smile”, but what you have actually said translates to “lick”. Two words you wouldn’t want to get mixed up, no matter what the context!

A German would probably be quick to pull you up on your mistake. You may feel slightly put off at the time. It took me a while to get used to their direct way of addressing people.

But overall, they will be doing you a favour, as I daresay the surprise of being corrected will stop you from making the same mistake again!

Now imagine being in the same situation, but flipped: you’re learning to speak English as a second language and talking to a native.

How do you think they would react?

My guess is they would smile to themselves and let it slide. This would not be done out of malice, but due to cultural differences.

There would be nothing personal about this. On the contrary, it would probably stem from a desire to not hurt your feelings.

Unfortunately, it’s the worst thing they could do for you in regards to your language learning. Having not been made aware of your mix-up, you could find yourself unknowingly making the same error in future conversations.

4. German Verbs Aren’t Hard—They Tend to Follow Patterns

The German language has many more regular verbs than English. This means once you’ve memorised the verbs, it is fairly easy to guess how to conjugate them.

Conjugation is important as it gives the verb a context. The forms vary according to tense, mood, voice, gender, person, aspect, or number.

Verbs in German, both regular and irregular, tend to follow patterns and are therefore easier to conjugate.

An example is kaufen, the verb for “to buy”. The stem of the verb (which stays the same) is kauf and you would conjugate it depending on what action is taking place.

For example, you would say ich kaufe for “I buy” and sie kaufen for “they buy” and so on. This same rule would apply for all regular verbs in the German language.

With irregular verbs, the difference is that the stem of the word changes when conjugated, depending on what tense you are using at the time.

The change in the conjugation of irregular verbs generally applies to the first vowel.

One example is “to drive”, which is fahren in the infinitive (base) form and fuhr for “driven” or “drive!” in the imperative (which is a simple past tense) form.

The präteritum (present perfect tense for an event that has happened) form is Ich bin gefahren for “I have driven”.

Another irregular verb that follows this pattern is lesen (“to read”). This conjugates to las (“read”) and ich habe gelesen for “I have read”.

There are two other patterns irregular verbs tend to follow. Once learned, they can be grouped together in order to remember them more effectively. Some examples include: bleiben which means “to stay/remain” (blieb and ich bin geblieben) and heben – “to lift” (hob and ich habe gehoben) which conjugate in the same manner.

So do finden, “to find” (fand and ich habe gefunden) and stehen “to stand” (stand and ich habe gestanden).

Let’s Look Closely at Verbs: Why German Is Easier Than English

Language learning consists of committing a large number of words to memory, no matter how you look at it. This does become a much less daunting task when you use your imagination.

Although you will initially have to memorise German verbs as you learn them, over time you will start to see a pattern emerge. This is because there are similarities in the way certain verbs are conjugated.

You will be able to group sets of irregular verbs together, which will make them easier to recall.

Unfortunately, conjugating verbs in English is nowhere near as easy. This is because the language tends to favour irregular verbs, which often don’t have a pattern to follow.

In conjugating regular verbs, you need to add an “ed”. “Discover” is a regular verb, so in order to get the past tense, you would say “discovered”.

This seems and is simple… up until you start trying to conjugate those dreaded irregular verbs.

Unlike German, it is not a case of adding a set conjugation on the end of a word. This is because some English irregular verbs, when conjugated, tend to change entirely.

One example of this is the verb “to drink”. The past participle conjugation turns into “drunk”, but the simple past conjugation is “drank”. You wouldn't, for example, say “I am drank”. You would say “I am drunk” – unless perhaps you were!

(This is another reason why I don’t think drinking helps anyone when learning a language.)

As a native speaker, this is probably not something you need to think twice about. On the other hand, if you were learning the language, these sorts of inconsistencies can cause a lot of confusion.

There is no pattern to follow. Once again you would find yourself having to commit a long list of irregular verbs to memory.

It is therefore much harder to make progress in English than in German, as these exceptions are difficult to apply to what you already know.

5. It is More Complicated to Read and Write German than to Speak It

It took me six months of living abroad in Spain to realise that I was never going to achieve fluency, unless I stopped speaking English.

As such, I encourage would-be language learners to start speaking their chosen language from day one.

German in the written form is generally phrased using the simple past tense. On the contrary, when you speak, you generally only use present perfect tense, such as “I have bought, I have eaten”.

So if you are looking to communicate, you only need to learn one set of verbs.

If the tables were turned and you were learning to speak English, you would have to memorise multiple sets of verbs before you could even think of beginning to communicate.

This puts beginners at an advantage, as once you have learned the present perfect tense for verbs, you can begin conversing in German.

You will be well on the way to achieving fluency in this particular language!

So How Hard Is It to Learn German?

There are many explanations for why German is a much easier language to learn than English. There is no reason why anyone wanting to learn this language couldn’t achieve fluency.

All you need is a little persistence!

Now, you might be wondering… How long does it take to learn German, then?

You can become conversationally fluent in German in 3 months. All it takes is the right method and the resources that suit your learning style the most.

If you’re interested in reading in further details about the methods I used to learn how to speak German in only a few months, check out my language learning guide Why German is Easy.

I can also help you find the best resources on the web for your German mission. I made a list of my favourite German learning tools to get you started. There are more resource posts on the Fi3M blog as well, such as these 44 free online german language lessons and resources.

The post Is German Hard to Learn? Why German Is Easier Than You Think appeared first on Fluent in 3 Months.

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Published on January 14, 2022 06:00

January 10, 2022

A Guide to the Italian Alphabet and Italian Pronunciation (With Audio!)

The Italian alphabet makes Italian easy to learn. And I’m not just saying that because I’m Italian myself!

Italian is a phonetic language. This means that you pronounce words as you read them and write words as you hear them.

This makes Italian easier to learn than languages like French, in which patient is pronounced “passien” and est is pronounced “eh”. Or even English, where sounds like “-ou” aren’t the same in “though”, “thought”, and “sound”.

If you learn the Italian alphabet and a few rules that come with its letters, you will be able to improve your Italian very quickly in very little time.

Let’s take an in-depth look at it all. Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ copy = 'A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Italian for at least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. <a href="https://fluentin3months.com/challenge... this link to find out more.</a>'} else { copy = 'Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online Italian course, here’s the course I recommend: <a href="https://www.fluentin3months.com/olly-... Uncovered - Learn Italian Through the Power of Story</a>, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!'}console.log(copy)var copyToChange = document.querySelector("p.copyText").innerHTML = copy;}runSplitTest();Table of contentsItalian Alphabet 101: A Pronunciation Guide What Letters Are Not in the Italian Alphabet?Italian ABC: The Italian Alphabet Song Italian Alphabet Pronunciation: Let’s Make Sense of the Italian Alphabet Sounds Vowel Sounds in Italian Consonant Sounds in Italian The Consonants that Sound Different in Italian and English: C, G, H, Q, R, and Z The Consonant C The Consonant G The Consonant H The Consonant Q The Consonant R**The Consonant Z Italian’s Crazy Love for Double Consonants Pronunciation of the ‘Extra Five’ Letters in Italian A to Z in Italian: How Italians Spell Out Words with a Phone Alphabet I’ve Learnt The Italian Alphabet – What’s Next?

To keep things consistent, I’ll use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to help you make sense of the sounds. And if you’re not familiar with it, don’t worry! I’ve included a lot of audio to make sure you can get the pronunciation right.

Andiamo! (“Let’s go!”)

Italian Alphabet 101: A Pronunciation Guide

How many letters are there in the Italian alphabet?

Officially, the Italian alphabet is made up of 21 letters. That’s five less than English, whose alphabet contains 26 letters.

Wait, what?

Before we dive into a search for the missing letters, let me introduce you to the ones that turned up to create the Italian alphabet.

These are the 21 letters of the Italian alphabet:

Now that you’ve taken a good look at them, you might be wondering: what happened to J, K, W, X, and Y? Long story short: they’re not official letters of the Italian alphabet.

What Letters Are Not in the Italian Alphabet?

The official Italian alphabet does not contain a J‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎‎‏‎‏‎ , K‎‏‎, W, X‎‎‏‎, or Y‎‏‏‎‎‏‎. While this might seem strange, it has a very simple explanation: these letters were, until recently, not needed in the Italian language.

Need an example to wrap your head around this?

If you’re interested in etymology (the study of word origins), you might know that some of the words we use in everyday English come from Ancient Greek. One of them is the prefix “kilo-”, that we find in words like “kilogram” and “kilometer”.

In Italian, the “k” in “kilo” was replaced with the two-letter combination ch because when ch is followed by e or i, it makes a /k/ sound: chilogrammo‎‏‎.

However, like any other ‘modern’ language, Italian has evolved and continues to do so. It gets influenced by other languages, takes loan words, and adapts its vocabulary.

That’s why nowadays, Italian uses words borrowed from other languages, such as “yacht” and “karate”, which haven’t changed to adapt to the Italian spelling. For this reason, the ‘extra’ five letters are sometimes included in the Italian alphabet.

Italian ABC: The Italian Alphabet Song

What’s the Italian alphabet song? I had to think hard about this one because I couldn’t remember an easy Italian alphabet song.

When I asked my Nonna (“grandmother”) for one, she sent me a filastrocca (“nursery rhyme”):

It’s quite long, and probably overwhelming for you if you’re a beginner Italian learner. In fact, I can almost hear you asking: “Doesn’t Italian have an easy ABC song?”

Well… Originally, no, we don’t have a simple alphabet song. However, there is a way to fit the Italian alphabet in the melody of the English ABC song.

Like I mentioned earlier, this version includes the five ‘extra’ letters that don’t officially belong to the Italian alphabet. But it’s a great way to learn how to pronounce all of the letters, and no one will hold it against you.

Italian Alphabet Pronunciation: Let’s Make Sense of the Italian Alphabet Sounds

Now that you’ve learnt the name of the letters, let’s go over the sounds they make.

As I’ve already told you in the introduction, Italian is a phonetic language. This means that, if you know what Italian letters and letter-combinations sound like, you’ll be able to pronounce any new words you see while reading in Italian.

See what I meant when I said learning the alphabet would speed up your progress?

Let’s start by looking at the vowels.

Vowel Sounds in Italian

The sounds of the Italian vocali (“vowels”) are pretty straightforward: they’re mostly identical to the vowels’ names.

A → /a/E‏‎ and E‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ → /ɛ/ and /e/I → /i/O and O‎‏‎ → /ɔ/ and /o/U → /u/

As you can see, the letter e and the letter o have two pronunciations: one more open and the other more closed.

Here’s a couple of examples to emphasize the difference:

posso‎‏‎ (“I can”) → /ˈpɔsso/ bene‎‏‎ (“good”) → /ˈbɛne/

Note: In Italian dictionaries, the different sounds are indicated like this:

/è/ for the open E‎/é/ for the closed E‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎/ò/ for the open O‎‏‏‎/ó/ for the closed O‎‏‎

But it is not necessary to stress out over the difference just yet. It can become more marked depending on the Italian region, and as a Northern Italian myself, I don’t always strongly mark it.

Instead, let’s focus on how Italian vowels make your life easier by staying true to their sound(s).

In English, “o” and “u” become a single phonetic sound in “thought”, but this doesn’t happen in Italian. Even when you combine several of them, you pronounce each vowel as you know it: they don’t blend into a new sound!

Examples:

dai‎‏‎ scegliere coincidere Fausto‎‏‎ Consonant Sounds in Italian

Many of the Italian consonants make the same sound they do in English. I will bold them in the list:

B – bianco‎‏‎ (“white”)CD – dado‎‏‎ (“dice”)F – fiore‎‏‎ (“flower”)GHL – luce (“light”)M – mano‎‏‎ (“hand”)N – nove‎‏‎ (“nine”)P – porta‎‏‎ (“door”)QRS – sole (“sun”) and casa‎‏‎ (“house”)T – tanto‎‏‎ (“a lot”)V – voce‎‏‎ (“voice)Z

This leaves us with C, G, H, Q, R, and Z, which sound different in Italian.

The Consonants that Sound Different in Italian and English: C, G, H, Q, R, and ZThe Consonant C

In Italian, the letter C on its own can make two sounds: a hard /k/ or a soft /tʃ/. This depends on the letter that follows.

When C comes before:

A, O, or U, it is pronounced /k/: ca ne‎‏‎ (“dog”), co me (“how”), and cu ore‎‏‎ (“heart”)another consonant, it’s pronounced /k/: classe‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ (“class”) and cactus‎‏‎ (“cactus”)E or I, it’s pronounced /tʃ/: cento‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ (“a hundred”) and ciclo (“cycle”)

To make the C sound like a /k/ before E or I, just add an H after it:

anche‎‏‎ (“too”) chicco‎‏‎ (“grain”)

Before we move on to the next letter, let’s talk about one last sound that C can make in Italian.

We saw that when C comes before another consonant, it makes the sound /k/. But when C follows the letter S, it can make two sounds: /k/ or /ʃ/.

When SC comes before:

A, O, U, H, or another consonant, it’s pronounced /sk/: scale‎‏‎ (“stairs”) and scrivere‎‏‏‎ (“to write”)E or I, it’s pronounced /ʃ/: scendere‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“to go down”) and scimmia‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“monkey”)The Consonant G

G works in a similar way to C in Italian.

When G comes before:

A, O, or U, it’s pronounced /ɡ/: gatto‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“cat”), gomma‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“tire”), and guidare (“to drive”)E or I, it’s pronounced /dʒ/: gelato‎‏‎ (“ice cream”) and gioco (“game”)

G is paired with H to form the sound /g/ in front of E and I:

alghe‎‏‎ (“algae”) ghigno‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“sneer”)

Just as S and C can form a new sound together, G can create a new sound when paired with other consonants:

G followed by L and I makes the sound /ʎ/: aglio‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“garlic”) and foglia‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“leaf”)G followed by N makes the sound /ɲ/: gnocchi‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ and fogna‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“sewer”)The Consonant H

In Italian, the letter H doesn’t really have a sound.

It can either be:

silent at the beginning of a word: hai‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“you have”) and hotel‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ or used to modify the pronunciation of C and G, like we just saw.The Consonant Q

In Italian, the letter Q makes a /k/ sound. As a general rule, unless the word is borrowed from another language, Q is followed by U.

Examples:

questo‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“this”) quasi‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“almost”) quindi (“so”)The Consonant R**

It was quite easy to explain the Italian sounds so far because they’re similar to English sounds, or easy enough to reproduce by English speakers. But the R is different.

If you can’t pronounce the R in raro (“rare”) or ridere‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“to laugh”), I’ve got the perfect guide for you.

Benny Lewis, founder of Fluent in 3 Months, put together a list of six techniques to help you roll your R.

This is also the perfect post if you’re learning Spanish, Hungarian, or any other language with a rolled R.

The Consonant Z

You can pronounce the Italian Z in two ways:

a hard /dz/: zaino‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“backpack”) and zebra‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ a soft /ts/: canzone‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“song”) and marzo‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“March”)

The soft /ts/ sound resembles the sound of the double consonant ZZ.

Speaking of double consonants…

Italian’s Crazy Love for Double Consonants

Italian consonants sound different when duplicated. Some people say they sound longer, some say they sound more harsh. I’ve always paid more attention to the short pause I make that marks the beginning of the double consonant.

I’ll let you decide what they sound like to you:

BB: abbiamo‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“we have”),CC: broccoli‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ , caccia‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“hunt”)DD: addio‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“goodbye”)FF: caffè‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ (“coffee”)GG: viaggio‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“trip”)LL: gallo‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“rooster”)MM: mamma‏‎‎‏‎ (“mom”)NN: nonna‎‏‎ (“grandma”)PP: doppio‎‏‏‎‎‏‎ (“double”)RR: torre‎‏‎ (“tower”)SS: rosso (“red”)TT: gatto (“cat”)VV: ovvio‎‏‎ (“obvious”)ZZ: pizza‎‏‎

There are double consonant sounds in English, too. They’re not usually within a single word, but you can hear it clearly when one word ends with the same letter that the next word begins with.

For example, the S sound in “I miss Sally” is a lot longer than it is in “I miss Ali”. So is the N sound in the phrase “one note” compared with “one oat”.

Fun fact: In the South of Italy, people tend to double the consonant at the beginning of a word when they talk, like this:

la gente‎‏‎ (“people”) becomes la (g)gente‎‏‎ può darsi‎‏‎ (“maybe”) becomes può (d)darsi‎‏‏‎

It’s only an oral habit, it doesn’t apply to writing.

Pronunciation of the ‘Extra Five’ Letters in Italian

Here we are again with the five extra letters: J, K, W, X, and Y. But with good news!

Since they only appear in borrowed words, pronounce them as they are pronounced in those words!

A to Z in Italian: How Italians Spell Out Words with a Phone Alphabet

If you’re going to travel to Italy, there’s something you need to know about how Italians spell out words. We’re going to talk about l’alfabeto telefonico (“the phone alphabet”).

Phone alphabets are not uncommon in other languages and countries. In fact, you might be familiar with military-style phone alphabets. In the NATO one, Alpha stands for A, Bravo for B, Charlie for C, etc.

The Italian phone alphabet is still frequently used in Italy to avoid confusing letters like m and n or b and p‎‏‎ over the phone.

If you’re going to spell out your name to make restaurant reservations or you’re giving someone the name of the street where you’re staying, you might want to learn which words Italians associate to each letter of the alphabet.

Here’s a table to help you with that:

Letter Phone alphabet A Ancona B Bari Bologna C Cagliari Como D Domodossola E Empoli F Firenze G Genova H hotel I Imola L Livorno M Milano N Napoli O Otranto Oristano P Padova Palermo Q Quebec Quarto R Roma S Salerno Sassari Savona T Taranto Torino U Udine V Venezia Z Zara

The phone alphabet has also extended to include the five ‘unofficial’ letters of the Italian alphabet. You’ll notice that, unlike almost all the letters from the official alphabet, not all of the 5 extras go with a city:

Letter Phone alphabet J simply i lunga Juventus Jesolo K simply kappa Kenya kursaal W Washington X xilofono Y yogurt

Wow, this all looks like a lot. Don’t worry, you don’t have to learn all of them now!

Here’s an infographic that you can print out and keep with you when you travel:

I’ve Learnt The Italian Alphabet – What’s Next?

Now that you’ve learnt all about the Italian alphabet, you’ll be much more confident in your Italian reading, writing, and speaking.

Just think about it! Pronouncing the 500 core Italian words? Easy peasy. And because you’ll find it easier to pronounce them, you’ll remember them better.

And if you’re working with a language tutor, you’ll be able to understand what they say quicker because you’ll recognise the sounds they use to form words.

So, well done for deciding to learn the Italian alphabet!

If you want more amazing Italian content, the Fi3M blog is your gold mine. Head over here for more grammar, vocabulary, and culture.

To complement your learning, you could use one of Benny Lewis’s favourite resources to learn Italian. As the founder of Fluent in 3 Months, he’ll only give you il meglio del meglio (“the best of the best”).

Alright, I’ll leave you to it.

Ciao!

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Published on January 10, 2022 06:00

January 7, 2022

All About Korean Animals: 117 Animal Names in Korean You Need to Know

How do we talk about Korean animals? What animals are native to Korea? And what about Korean onomatopoeia for animal sounds?

If you’ve asked yourself these questions, don’t worry — I’ve got you! We’re going to cover all that and more.

When we’re kids, one of the first things we learn about is animals. Animals are so cool, after all!

But as adults learning a language, we often overlook Korean animals as one of our first areas of study.

Sure, we might learn the basics like “cat,” “dog,” and “bird,” but that’s usually where it ends. And until it comes up in conversation… We don’t think about it. And sometimes that leads to a big gap between our Korean speaking level and that of children much younger than us!

Besides, if you’re an animal lover, this is a must-know topic.

So channel your inner Steve (or Bindi!) Irwin and let’s learn all about Korean animals!

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ 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 contentsAnimals in Korean: Fur Babies and Other Household Pets Wild Animals in Korean Forest, Swamp, Tundra, and Arctic Animals:Desert, Savanna, and Rainforest Animals:Birds in Korean Farm Animals in Korean Sea Animals in Korean Insects in Korean Animal Sounds in Korean Related Animal Words and Phrases How to Count Korean Animals South Korea Animals: What Kind of Animals Live in Korea?Crikey! You Know All About Korean Animals Now!Animals in Korean: Fur Babies and Other Household Pets

Let’s start off with everyone’s favorite category: talking about our beloved fur babies!

First, what is “animal” in Korean?

Animal: 동물, dongmul

But when we’re talking specifically about our “pets,” there are two ways to say it:

Pet: 애완동물, aewandongmulCompanion animal: 반려동물, banryeodongmul

They both mean “pet,” but Koreans tend to prefer 반려동물. It has a nicer meaning of an animal you’re attached to and live cohesively with.

애완동물 tends to mean “toy,” an animal for playing with and entertainment, rather than an emotional bond.

If you want to use it as a verb, “to pet,” you use the verb 쓰다듬다, sseudadeumda, which means “to stroke.”

Or you could use the verb 만지다, manjida, for “to touch.”

For example: 네 강아지를 쓰다듬어도 되나요?
ne gang-ajileul sseudadeum-eodo doenayo?
“Can I pet your dog/puppy?”

In this example, we use 강아지, gang-aji, which means “puppy.” But like in English, it’s often used as “doggie” or “pup” and used for any Good Boy.

Here are some other pet names in Korean:

Dog: 개, gaePuppy: 강아지, gang-ajiCat: 고양이, goyang-iKitten: 주방, jubangFish: 물고기, mulgogi (This means an “alive” fish. “Fish” that you eat is 생선, saengseon)Goldfish: 금붕어, geumbung-eoBird: 새, saeParrot: 앵무새, aengmusaeRabbit: 토끼, tokkiMouse: 쥐, jwiFerret: 흰족제비, huinjogjebiSnake: 뱀, baemLizard: 도마뱀, domabaemIguana: 이구아나, iguanaTurtle: 거북이, geobug-iFrog: 개구리, gaeguliHamster: 햄스터, haemseuteoGuinea pig: 기니피그, ginipigeuTarantula: 타란툴라 거미, talantulla geomi

In South Korea, dogs are the most popular pet, followed by cats and goldfish.

The Korean Mastiff is the most popular dog breed, but they also love Korean Jindo, Sapsali, Pungsan, Nureongi, and Guejae Gae.

Seriously, look them up if you want a daily dose of cuteness. Jindo puppies will melt your heart!

Wild Animals in Korean

South Korea is home to some beautiful and fascinating animals. And I’ll talk more about native wild animals in South Korea in a bit. This list includes common wild animals you’ll talk about from around the world, not just Korea.

I’ve divided them into two general groups below.

The one that doesn’t quite fit because they no longer exist, but that you may want to know, is:

Dinosaur: 공룡, gongryong

Of course, there are many kinds of dinosaurs like stegosaurus (스테고사우르스, seutegosauleuseu), but most of them (like stegosaurus), are derived from their English names making them easy to learn. So I won’t list them all here!

Forest, Swamp, Tundra, and Arctic Animals:Wolf: 늑대, neukdaeBear: 곰, gomDeer: 사슴, saseumFox: 여우, yeouBat: 박쥐, bakjwiAlligator: 악어, ageoPlatypus: 오리너구리, orineoguliBeaver: 비버, bibeoKoala: 코알라, koallaBuffalo: 물소, mulsoOx: 황소, hwangsoRaccoon: 너구리, neoguliSquirrel: 다람쥐 , daramjwiPanda: 판다, pandaPolar bear: 북극곰, bukgeukgomReindeer: 순록, sunlokDesert, Savanna, and Rainforest Animals:Lion: 사자, sajaTiger: 호랑이, horangiGiraffe: 기린, girinCamel: 낙타, naktaElephant: 코끼리, kokkiriMonkey: 원숭이, wonsungiGorilla: 고릴라, gorillaKangaroo: 캥거루, kaengeoruLeopard: 표범, pyobeomCheetah: 치타, chitaZebra: 얼룩말, eollukmalRhino: 코뿔소, koppulsoHyena: 하이에나, haienaAntelope: 영양, yeongyangHippo: 하마, hamaSloth: 나무늘보, namuneulboBirds in Korean

“Bird” in Korean is 새, sae. You can bird watch for them by looking into 나무, namu, or “trees!”

Hummingbird: 벌새, beolsaeEagle: 독수리, doksuriCrow: 까마귀, kkamagwiHawk: 매, maeOwl: 부엉이, bueongi or 올빼미, olppaemiFlamingo: 홍학, honghakSeagull: 갈매기, galmaegiPelican: 펠리컨, pellikeonPenguin: 펭귄, penggwinPigeon: 비둘기, bidulgiSwallow: 제비, jebiPeacock: 공작, gongjakOstrich: 타조, tajoSwan: 백조, baekjoDuck: 오리, oriGoose: 거위, geowiCrane: 두루미, durumiFarm Animals in Korean

You’ll find these animals on the farm, or 농장 (nonjang). If you want to say “on the farm” add 에서 (eseo), the particle for “at”, like 농장에서, nonjang-eseo.

Horse: 말, malPony: 조랑말, jorangmalDonkey: 당나귀, dangnagwiSheep: 양, yangGoat: 염소, yeomsoCow: 소, soPig: 돼지, dawejiChicken: 닭, dakRooster: 수탉, sutakHen: 암탉, amtakTurkey: 칠면조, chilmyeonjoSea Animals in Korean

At the 바다, bada, or “sea,” you’ll find these sea creatures!

Dolphin: 돌고래, dolgoraeShark: 상어, sangeoWhale: 고래, goraeCrab: 게, geLobster: 바닷가재, badatgajaeShrimp: 새우, saeoJellyfish: 해파리, haepariOctopus: 문어, muneoSquid: 오징어, ojingeoSeahorse: 해마, haemaStingray: 가오리, gaoriStarfish: 불가사리, bulgasariSeal: 물개, mulgae (fun fact: it’s literally “water dog”)Sea turtle: 바다거북, badageobukWalrus: 바다 코끼리, bada kokkiriOtter: 수달, sudalEel: 장어, jangeoInsects in Korean

Insects can be real 해충, haechung, or “pests!” But it’s still good to learn their names, especially if you get stung (쏘였다, ssoyeossda) by one.

Ant: 개미, gaemiCaterpillar: 애벌레, aebeolleButterfly: 나비, nabiDragonfly: 잠자리, jamjariGrasshopper: 메뚜기, mettugiCockroach: 바퀴벌레, bakwibeolleSpider: 거미, geomiBeetle:딱정벌레, ttakjeongbeolleBee: 벌, beolBeehive: 벌집, beoljibLadybug: 무당벌레, mudangbeolleWorm: 벌레, beollePraying Mantis: 사마귀, samagwiMosquito: 모기, mogiTick: 진드기, jindeugiFly: 파리, pariScorpion: 전갈, jeongalAnimal Sounds in Korean

If you’re going to learn how to talk about animals, then you should also learn their animal sounds in Korean.

These onomatopoeia (called 의성, uiseong, in Korean) are common to hear, especially in children’s stories. But other onomatopoeia, like 빵빵 (ppangppang) for “honk honk” of a car horn, are commonly used every day.

Bark: 멍멍, meongmeongMeow: 야옹, yaongPurr: 가르랑가르랑, galeurang galeurangMoo: 음메, eummaeNeigh: 히힝, hihingBuzz: 윙윙, wingwingRoar: 으르렁, eureureongChirp: 짹짹, jjaekjjaekBaa: 매, maeHoot: 부엉부엉, bueongbueongOink: 꿀꿀, kkulkkulHiss: 쉬익, swiikCroak: 개굴개굴, gaegulgaegulCoo: 구구, guguSqueak: 찍찍, jjikjjikCaw: 까악까악, kkaakkkaakRelated Animal Words and Phrases

Where does that animal live? Do they fly? Do they swim? This bonus list of related vocab will help you answer that!

Plus, if you need someone to come feed your dog while you’re away, you’ll definitely want to remember 먹이를 주다 (meok-ileul juda)!

Zoo: 동물원, dongmulwonAquarium: 수족관, sujokgwanForest: 숲, supSwamp: 늪, neupTundra: 동토대, dongtodaeArctic: 북극, bukgeukDesert: 사막, samakSavanna: 대초원, daechowonRainforest: 열대 우림, yeoldae urimMermaid: 인어, ineoSeashell: 조개, jogaeCoral: 산호, sanhoOcean: 대양, daeyangBeach: 해변, haebyeonFeather: 깃털, gitteolFur: 털, teolGills: 아가미, agamiBird house: 새집, saejibBird cage: 새장, saejangDog house: 개집, gaejibDog bed: 개 침대, gae chimdaeCat bed: 고양이 침대, goyangi chimdaeTo scratch: 긁다, geukdaTo swim: 수영하다, suyeong hadaTo lick: 핥다, hatdaTo fly: 날다, naldaTo feed: 먹이를 주다, meok-ileul judaHow to Count Korean Animals

In Korean, you use the counter 마리 (mari) to count the number of animals. You attach it to the Korean number.

For example:

개가 두 마리 있어요.
gae ga du-mari isseoyo.
“I have two dogs.”

그리고 새가 한 마리 있어요.
geurigo sae ga han-mari isseoyo.
“I also have one bird.”

South Korea Animals: What Kind of Animals Live in Korea?

Last up… What animals are unique to Korea?

After all, your studies aren’t complete if you don’t even know about native animals in South Korea!

South Korea has a lot of diverse wildlife thanks to being surrounded by ocean, mountains, valleys and coastal plains.

But a lot of South Korea has modernized and urbanized, which has led to many animals becoming endangered. The Korean government’s been working to build conservations to protect the native animals of Korea from continued harm.

So… What animal is Korea famous for? Well, the Siberian tiger is still the national animal of South Korea, even though tigers no longer live there.

But you probably know of the Korean “vampire” deers — or more formally known as water deers. They have huge canine teeth that hang out of their mouth like tusks, which is where it gets the nickname.

There’s also Siberian musk deer, similar to water deer. They’re much smaller and have a completely different shape from the tall, lanky deer you find in America.

The amur leopard is also native to Korea, and they’re the rarest species of the big cats. Only about 70 remain in the wild, and they live around the forests of the DMZ (Demilitarization Zone, between South and North Korea).

The beautiful white-naped crane is also native to Korea and lives in the area around the DMZ.

Crikey! You Know All About Korean Animals Now!

You might as well be on Animal Planet with all this knowledge. Now you know all about animals in Korean, so it’s best to start using what you learned so you don’t forget!

One way I practice animal names is with my kids. They love animals just like I do (what kid doesn’t?!), so when we read books, watch a show, or go to the zoo? I tell them all the animal names in Korean!

What will you learn next in Korean? Why not choose your next adventure:

How to Learn Korean Through Music 101 Must-Know Korean Verbs Learn a Rainbow of Colors in Korean Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)35 Free Online Korean Language Classes and Resources

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Published on January 07, 2022 06:00

January 3, 2022

How To Do an Irish Accent and Speak English Like the Irish

I’ve met many people during my travels who were curious about my Irish accent. When they weren’t doubtful about me being a native English speaker, they asked questions like “How can I do an Irish accent?” and “How can I speak like the Irish?”

I can’t deny it, we Irish speak in a special way.

In Ireland, we are lucky enough to be exposed to quite a lot of different versions of English thanks to television/cinema/literature. As well as our own TV channels, we have BBC, lots of American series, Australian soap operas and loads more.

However, the opposite just doesn't seem to be as true (although Irish literature has indeed had a huge impact on the English speaking world).

Other than poorly imitated Irish accents in films, the Irish dialect of English seems to elude a lot of people. So today, I'm going to break it down for you!

Maybe then you'll understand us better. At least, you will just not do such a terrible job when you try to mimic us.

Benny holding an Irish road sign with both English and Irish spelling of a cityTable of contentsWhy Do the Irish Speak Like That? (Accent and All)How to Do the Irish Accent Irish Has a Different Grammar How Do Irish People Talk? Some Strange Irish Turns of Phrase Now You Can Start Speaking Like the Irish! (Or Try To…)Why Do the Irish Speak Like That? (Accent and All)

Firstly, there's no such thing as an Irish accent.

Ireland may be a small island with a modest population, but the differences between regions and even within parts of cities like Dublin are vast and easy to pick up on.

Of course, other countries also have the same phenomenon. For example, there are dozens of English dialects within London alone, and there is no such thing as a “British accent”.

But I'll just focus on Ireland in this wee article.

Despite there not being a ‘single' accent, there are commonalities that stem from a combination of factors.

Firstly, Irish (Gaeilge) was the dominant language of the country just a few generations ago. Even though fewer people use it now, the influence of the language on their English is huge.

For example, it is more common in Ireland to say that you have a language rather than you speak it. This is originally due to Irish's phrasing of Tá Gaeilge/Fraincis agam (“I have Irish/French.”)

There are also some traits of old English (due to earlier English colonisation attempts) that only the Irish have maintained.

Shakespeare himself used the word mitch, which is still common in Ireland. The rest of the English-speaking world would be confused to hear it; mitch means to skip classes or “play hooky”.

However, the main differences stem from influences from our own language. They are what make Irish (or Hiberno) English so much more colourful!

How to Do the Irish Accent

I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed in the rest of the Anglosphere. Frankly, the way you form words just doesn't sound nice!

Non-Irish English has actually driven me to avoid the language entirely for much of the last few years!!

South Africans are pretty much the only ones that could keep me in my chair without constantly glancing at the exit.

Let’s start by looking at a particular sound. Other English speakers have this strange thing they do where they put their tongue between their teeth and blow a buff of air over the tongue. They call it the th sound.

Why?? We do away with that hideous noise in Ireland! (Although it’s less likely in the north.) To us, the th sound is simply replaced with a t (unvoiced) or a d (voiced). So do ya see te tirty tree and a tird trees over dere? Dat's right!

Sounds way better, doesn't it!

Another example: other English-speakers seem to love putting consonants together that never belonged next to one another in the first place.

L & M for example… How can you say these so quickly at the end of a word? It's totally unnecessary! To us Irish, a film is pronounced fill-um. The Irish name Colm has two syllables.

This is because Irish, like Latin languages, gives vowels the glorious importance they deserve. Germanic and Slavic languages seem to have a thing for squeezing as many consonants together as possible…

And continuing from this… words in hard consonants! It's like an abrupt and unexpected car crash! Let's take things easy shall we? The ‘t' at the end of right is softened almost to a sh sound in the Emerald Isle. (Or even done away with altogether in North Dublin, and pronounced roy).

We also “ch” up our T and “j” up our D. The second day of the week is Chooseday, a ‘tube’ is a choob, and ‘due' and ‘jew' are pronounced the same.

And if you are spelling words for us, instead of imitating a pirate when you get to the R (aaaarrrrgh!!), just say it like ‘or' please

Irish Has a Different Grammar

English grammar is pretty consistent, but the standard spoken form in Ireland takes on a life of its own.

For example, rather than rely on “to have just done” for a recently completed action, we would say “to be after doing”.

Examples: I'm after finding a euro on the road! You're after stepping in dog sh*t! (This is due to tá mé tar éis / i ndiaidh… in Irish)

Another interesting influence from Irish is its absolute lack of the words yes or no. When our ancestors were speaking English as a second language, they would translate affirmative or negative sentences from how they would say them in Irish.

Although international English influences mean young people do this way less nowadays, a lot of us Irish still simply don't use yes or no.

In the Irish language, this issue is resolved by simply repeating the verb of the question. Can you swim? I can! Do you like tomato juice? I don't. Are you coming? I amn't.

Yes you read that right: amn't. This is one I'm surprised other English speakers don't use! You say isn't, don't, aren't… It's logical if you ask me!

(This also happens in other languages, like Thai for example.)

Also, come on rest-of-the-English-speaking-world. A single word for both singular and plural “you”?? What were yee thinking??

We can say yee, yez, or even yous (depending on the part of the country).

Of course, Irish has tú and sibh… like pretty much every other language in the world! I'm pointing the finger at vi too, Esperanto!!

How Do Irish People Talk? Some Strange Irish Turns of Phrase

Speaking like the Irish isn’t just about how to do an “Irish accent” (or one of them). You also have to learn our conversation “quirks”.

Story? Don't give out about your man! Where's the yoke?

These are very common things you would hear from an Irish person. Sadly I've had to water down my English over the years to be understood when abroad and avoid such interesting words.

Story? or What's the story? is a translation of the Irish Aon scéal? / Cad é an scéal?. “Story” means “news”, or “What's going on? / What's up?” It’s usually used as a greeting.

The more rural of us prefer “How's she cuttin?” (In Ireland, we use “she” a lot for inanimate objects).

Another example; To give out has nothing to do with distributing leaflets. This is from the Irish tabhairt amach and means “to complain”. Irish people are always surprised to hear that the expression isn't international!

Your man is a nice avoidance technique for not using someone's name. It is usually clear from the context who you're talking about, and the “your” definitely can't be taken literally. He may have no connection whatsoever to you and even be a complete stranger (although close friend is just as likely). Your one is for when we talk about women.

Yoke is a synonym for “thing”. It usually refers to something we may not be too familiar with and not know the actual name of. Think of thingamajig/watchamacallit, although we use yoke way more often.

This is just a small sampling! There are a host of other words like deadly, desperate, fair play, gas, press, shift that you may think you know the meaning of, but we would use them for things that are completely different, unrelated and unexpected. You can see loads of them (and a lot of things in this article) explained pretty well in the Wikipedia article on Hiberno English.

Let's see if I can give a few examples just to really confuse you…

Fair play to ya! You shifted your one, that was deadly! – The turnout was desperate last night. – I went to the press and found the yoke I had been looking for! … That's gas!

Then, of course, there are originally Irish words that we use even when speaking English. The most famous of these is craic (this is an Irish word, but is actually borrowed from English), “fun” or enjoyment, but also used to ask how things are How's the craic? Any craic?

Now You Can Start Speaking Like the Irish! (Or Try To…)

This post is only a small summary of the many differences, but hopefully it explains why us Irish sound so charming when we speak. So, soften up your consonants, “trow” away your ‘th's, and stop giving out that you don't understand us

Cheers! (That means thank you or bye by the way; no drinks necessary! Although, that's not just in Ireland! )

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Published on January 03, 2022 06:00

December 30, 2021

42 Great Japanese Books (to Learn Japanese Faster)

Are you looking for a great Japanese book? Are you trying to learn Japanese by reading? This is the list for you!

I’ve compiled tons of amazing Japanese books to read for all levels. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced reader, you’ll find something great here.

Some books even have a great どんでん返し (dondengaeshi) — “plot twist!”

Reading is one of the best ways to learn Japanese. Not only will you learn helpful phrases and expand your vocabulary, but you’ll also gain a deeper knowledge of Japanese culture.

How do you say “book” in Japanese, anyway? It’s 本 (hon). To read is 読む (yomu) and the noun “reading” is 読書 (dokusho).

In fact, there’s even a practice of Japanese schoolkids called 朝の読書運動 (asa no dokusho undou), which means “morning reading exercise.” Japanese kids spend some time in the mornings reading before class.

So after reading this article, maybe you’ll be inspired to do the same! You’ll level up your Japanese for sure.

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ copy = 'A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Japanese for at least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. <a href="https://fluentin3months.com/challenge... this link to find out more.</a>'} else { copy = 'Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online Japanese course, here’s the course I recommend: <a href="https://www.fluentin3months.com/olly-... Uncovered - Learn Japanese Through the Power of Story</a>, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!'}console.log(copy)var copyToChange = document.querySelector("p.copyText").innerHTML = copy;}runSplitTest();Table of contentsBest Books To Learn Japanese for Beginners Best Japanese Books in English Best Japanese Literature for More Experienced Learners Best Japanese Children’s Books to Learn Japanese How to Read Japanese Books Apps to Help You Start Reading Japanese Tips for Reading in Japanese 1. Read — Don’t Stop 2. Add the New Words to a Flashcard App 3. Reread!Where to Find Japanese Books Japanese Bookworm Status: UnlockedBest Books To Learn Japanese for Beginners

If you’re still at a beginner level of Japanese, these books will be a great place to start.

Keep in mind, they’ll still need patience to get through. But if you remember how hard it was to read your first books in your native language as a kid, you’ll understand reading is a skill you have to work for!

While reading is great for anyone, learners at a JLPT N4 level will have the easiest time getting started. If you’re an absolute beginner, you can still try these books — but check out the apps listed at the end of the article for guided reading!

Kimi no Na wa (“Your Name”) by Makoto Shinkai

If you’ve seen the movie, then you know what this one’s about! And that will help you read it a lot easier.

Kimi no Na wa is an adaptation of the movie Your Name. It follows a high school boy in Tokyo and a girl in rural Japan who swap bodies.

Yotsuba! by Kiyohiko Azuma

Manga is often a great option for learning to read Japanese. And slice-of-life manga Yotsuba!, in particular, is a fun place to start.

Yotsuba is an adopted 5-year-old girl who moves to a new town with her dad. It follows her daily life, so there are a lot of useful expressions and words to learn.

Plus, since Yotsuba is so young, there are often more basic speech patterns. But keep in mind Yotsuba doesn’t really talk politely and sometimes makes mistakes being a child (and also adopted from another country!)

Majo no Takkyuubin (Kiki’s Delivery Service) by Eiko Kadano

Yep, you know the movie! In fact, this book is what Studio Ghibli based the movie on.

Kiki is a young witch. When she turns 13, she moves to a town on her own and uses her magic to earn a living.

What’s great about this book is — there are 5 novels! The movie only followed the first one, so you’ll get to enjoy plenty of Kiki’s adventures.

Go-bu-go ni Waraeru Dondengaeshi (You Can Laugh in 5 Minutes) by Everystar

This is part of the 5-Minute Series, which has different 5-minute story compilations. This is the one full of funny stories!

Each story is different, but they’re all designed to be easy and quick to read. They’re perfect for a beginner.

They’re a bit hard to find outside of Japan, so try searching for them by the full Japanese title: 5分後に笑えるどんでん返し (５分シリーズ)

Some others to check out:

Flying Witch by Chihiro IshizukaWanwan Tanteidan / Nyannyan Tanteidan (Dog Detectives / Cat Detectives) by Akira SugiyamaShirokuma Cafe by Aloha HigaBest Japanese Books in English

If you’re just looking for Japanese books to read in English, here’s your list. These are translations from popular Japanese novels.

But, they’d also make great books to read in their native language down the road. If you read it in English first, you may find it easier to understand the context in Japanese later.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Critically acclaimed in Japan and abroad, this book is about a 36-year-old woman in Tokyo. She doesn’t feel like she’s ever fit in… Until she starts working at a convenience store.

She works there for years and loves her job. But it isn’t seen as “a real career” by her family, who pressure her to find a more suitable place to work.

The book highlights the Japanese work culture, family dynamics, and pressures to fit into a mold.

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Written by critically acclaimed author Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen is her most well-known work.

Kitchen is about Mikage, who’s an orphan raised by her grandmother. When her grandmother passes away, she’s invited to live with her friend Yuichi’s family. The story showcases a lot about modern Japan, and focuses on the power of the kitchen and home in healing hearts and creating bonds.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

If you’ve never read one of Haruki Murakami’s many beloved books, this is a great place to start. He’s widely considered one of Japan’s best authors and has been a contender for the Nobel Prize many times (although he hasn’t won… yet).

This novel is also one of his easiest to read in English or Japanese. It’s more straightforward and inspired by his life.

Norwegian Wood tells the story of Toru and Naoko. Toru is a college student who has been devoted to Naoko for many years. But the death of their mutual best friend has haunted them both, and Naoko struggles with depression.

The novel follows their journey as Naoko withdraws more and more and Toru starts to fall for someone else.

Out by Natsuo Kirino

A story of anger, grief, and murder. This thriller follows a young mother working at a factory who’s tired of the pressures and gender issues she faces. One day, she snaps and murders her husband.

Her coworkers help her cover up the murder and it ends up leading to a string of violence and suspense.

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

This book is a semi-autobiographical novel by legendary writer Osamu Dazai. It was also his final completed work.

The book follows a young man, Oba Yozo, as he narrates his everyday life from the viewpoint that he’s a failure. He struggles to connect with society and the people around him, and the book follows his story as he tries to navigate these feelings through life.

Some others to check out:

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi KawakamiThe Silent City by Kenzaburo OeThe Narrow Road to the Deep North by Matsuo BashoThe Makioka Sisters by Junichiro TanizakiThe Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko OgawaTokyo Ueno Station by Yu MiriAutomatic Eve by Rokuro InuiBest Japanese Literature for More Experienced Learners

What is the most read book in Japan? Well, it’d probably be A Tale of Genji, the classic Japanese literature piece.

But the most beloved? It’s hard to say for sure, but I Am a Cat and Norwegian Wood would probably be high up there.

When it comes to Japanese literature, there are tons of amazing books I could list. (And I’ve already listed some of them for those reading in English!)

But if you’re a more advanced Japanese learner looking to expand your reading, check out these books:

The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

This book has such a fascinating history and it’s a must-read for any Japanese language learner.

The Tale of Genji is considered to be the first novel ever written in the world. Not only that, but it was written by a woman, Lady Murasaki Shikibu.

She helped advance the Japanese writing system of kana, which was new to Japan at the time. (They had been using Chinese characters before this, and pretty much only men learned them.)

The story follows Genji, the son of an emperor, who’s been removed from the line of succession. It’s his journey of navigating friends and enemies, romances with women, and the ever-moving politics of medieval Kyoto.

I Am a Cat by Soseki Natsume

A must-read comedy classic, this book takes place during the Meiji era. The story is told from the perspective of a nameless stray cat who meanders around and comments on the lives of the upper-middle-class around him.

The story is a satire about the ridiculousness of the elite at the time and is considered one of Japan’s masterpieces.

The Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe

I’ll put a trigger warning here: this one features quite a lot of difficult topics.

Written by Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, the book follows two brothers who are reunited after a long while. One brother is dealing with many crises at once: his wife is struggling with alcohol, his newborn son was born with a disability, and his friend has died by suicide.

The other brother is waging war on a huge Korean businessman. There are family secrets, politics, and lots of drama as the boys struggle to keep their lives and relationships under control.

I won’t lie to you — some of the topics in this book are hard to read about and not necessarily how we’d handle it in the Western world. (Especially about his infant son.)

But one thing to be aware of is that many Japanese books discuss death and suicide as a recurring theme. Because, unfortunately, it’s so prevalent in Japanese history and culture.

Black Box by Shiori Ito

This one is really interesting because it’s Shiori Ito’s memoir and the reason #MeToo became a topic in Japan.

In 2015, Shiori was sexually assaulted by a fellow (and famous) journalist. When she came forward about it, she received a lot of backlash, because people do not talk about this openly in Japan.

As a result of her own advocacy, she’s helped spark a movement in Japan. The memoir details her journey and ways Japan can move forward.

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

On an island, things are slowly disappearing. Roses, ribbons, birds — and everyone forgets they exist.

Except for a small minority of people living there… and the Memory Police. The Memory Police take anyone found to not forget what’s missing.

The story follows an author who’s trying to protect her editor who’s in danger, and use her writing as a way to preserve what’s lost.

Some others to check out:

A Japanese Boy by Shiukichi ShigemiKafka on the Shore by Haruki MurakamiAt the End of the Matinee by Keiichiro HiranoThe Makioka Sisters by Junichiro TanizakiThe Decagon House Murders by Yukito AyatsujiThe Factory by Hiroko OyamadaThe Narrow Road to the Deep North by Matsuo BashoBest Japanese Children’s Books to Learn Japanese

What about kids’ books, you might ask? And what books are read in Japanese schools?

If you’re looking for Japanese kids books, here are a few classics to check out:

Guri and Gura by Rieko NakagawaShirokuma-chan’s Pancakes by Ken WakayamaDoraemon by Fujiko F. FujioLittle Daruma and Little Tengu by Satoshi KakoYou Look Yummy! by Tatsuya MiyanishiWhat’s Your Snack? by Ari Idee

As for books Japanese kids read in school… Well, they actually don’t often get assigned books to read for school like in Western countries!

But that doesn’t mean they don’t read. Here are some books Japanese students often read:

The Dancing Girl by Mori OgaiKokoro by Natsume SosekiNatsu no Hana by Hara TamikiThe Legend of Tono by Yanagida KunioFires on the Plain by Shohei Ooka

…as well as some of the others listed above!

How to Read Japanese Books

You may be wondering, what are most Japanese books written in? Do you have to know all 3 Japanese writing systems to be able to read? And why do Japanese books open backwards?

So let’s talk about how to read Japanese books.

First, yes, Japanese books are written with a combination of kanji, hiragana, and katakana.

For books that are aimed at older kids or young adults (such as manga), they will often have furigana. These are small hiragana characters next to kanji to tell you how to read them. Young children’s books may be written only in hiragana.

Now about Japanese books being “backwards.”

They’re not really backwards — the Japanese just write differently!

In Japanese, there are two ways to write:

In columns, from top to bottom, right to leftIn rows, like English, from left to right, top to bottom

Most books, manga, magazines, and newspapers write in the traditional style of columns right-to-left.

But this is also more formal, and Western influence and computerization have changed this a lot. Now, left-to-right is most common, especially for texting, emails, things on the computer, street and business signs, and more.

So when it comes to reading Japanese books, keep these things in mind! It can be difficult to get used to reading in columns, but it becomes easier with practice.

Apps to Help You Start Reading Japanese

If you’re new to reading Japanese, sometimes a whole book can be overwhelming. But there are actually some great apps to help with that now!

LingQ is an app for learning to read in any language. They have a large library of guided reading materials, and words you don’t know are added to your word bank for spaced-repetition study. You can also import articles and things to read!

Satori Reader is another one, from the creators of Human Japanese. This one helps you find curated content at just the right level for your Japanese knowledge. You can check out the translation for each word you don’t know, and hear the audio. Even the kanji is adjusted for your level!

White Rabbit Japanese Graded Readers App is another great option. White Rabbit Graded Readers are among the most popular leveled reading books for Japanese learners. Now, you can read them in the app with audio narration and furigana.

These apps are SO helpful for bridging the gap between learning and reading in Japanese.

Tips for Reading in Japanese

When it comes to reading in Japanese, there are several ways to approach it.

But to keep from getting overwhelmed, here’s what I recommended:

1. Read — Don’t Stop

When you first start a book, keep reading as much as you can without stopping. If you can understand the general idea of the sentence (the who, what, where), then you’re probably reading at the correct level.

Skip words you don’t know, and come back to them later to review. You can do this a page or two at a time, or a whole chapter.

But keep reading, so you feel like you’re making progress. Stopping and starting is really frustrating and removes the enjoyment of getting into the book.

The one exception to this may be the first page or two of the book. This is usually where you’ll find all the important details you need to know throughout the story, like the character’s name. So the first pages can be translated word-by-word if it helps.

2. Add the New Words to a Flashcard App

Make sure you review the new words you learned so that as you read, your vocabulary grows!

Apps like LingQ will help you do this as you read, but from books, write them down as you go and add them to your app later. I like to use Anki.

3. Reread!

Rereading books is one of the best ways to make sure you’re comprehending what you read. Because after you read it once through and look up the words you don’t know (or even grammar patterns), you’ll understand so much more on your second pass through.

Where to Find Japanese Books

If you’re wondering where you can find Japanese books at a reasonable price (because it gets pricey to import them!), here are some places I use:

CDJapan YesAsia Amazon Japan Kinokuniya

Regular Amazon is starting to carry some books and manga in Japanese at a more affordable price. But they’re still almost double what they normally cost. Kinokuniya is my favorite!

(By the way: Kinokuniya has locations in New York, California, Texas, Washington, Oregon, and Illinois.)

Japanese Bookworm Status: Unlocked

Which books in Japanese will you read first? Leave a comment and let me know!

Ready for your next steps in Japanese? Check out these other Japanese articles:

How to say “I Love You” in Japanese (and 50+ More Ways to Share the Love in Japanese)Japanese Uncovered Review: Is the Force Strong with This One?Japanese Proverbs about Life, Love, and Wisdom Japanese Pod101 Review – The Best Japanese Podcast Out There Master Movement Verbs in Japanese

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Published on December 30, 2021 21:01

December 27, 2021

Learn the French Pronouns Once and For All [With Charts!]

Pronouns in French are a bit different to English. If you’re a new French learner, pronouns might seem confusing or intimidating at first, but I promise there’s a logic to them that makes them pretty easy to learn.

This article is a comprehensive guide to every type of pronoun in French. We’ll cover everything you need to know for mastery of les pronoms français.

Table of contentsFrench Pronouns: The Basics French Personal Pronouns French Subject Pronouns Tu vs. Vous in French How to Use the Pronoun On in French French Direct Object Pronouns French Indirect Object Pronouns The French Adverbial Pronouns Y and En Y En French Reflexive Pronouns French Pronoun Order French Pronoun Order With Multiple Verbs French Stressed Pronouns When to Use Stressed Pronouns in French?French Possessive Pronouns French Relative Pronouns The Relative Pronouns Qui and Que in French The Relative Pronoun Dont in French The Relative Pronouns Lequel, Laquelle, Lesquels and Lesquelles in French The Relative Pronoun Où in French French Demonstrative Pronouns and Determiners Indefinite French Demonstrative Pronouns French Interrogative Pronouns The Interrogative Pronoun Qui The Interrogative Pronouns Que and Quoi Lequel As an Interrogative Pronoun Resources to Learn French

You don’t need to learn all of these rules at once. Start with the basics, and treat this guide as a reference to come back to when you need it.

The word pronoun means “in place of a noun”. Without pronouns, our sentences would be repetitive and boring. We’d have to say things like, “Sarah wasn’t watching what Sarah was doing and Sarah spilled wine over Sarah’s shirt.”

You can make that sentence a lot more natural by replacing “Sarah” with pronouns: “Sarah wasn’t watching what she was doing and she spilled wine over her shirt.”

Adding the right pronouns to your French sentences will make them sound a lot more natural and fluent, too!

To keep things organised, let’s look at French pronouns one type at a time.

French Personal Pronouns

The French pronouns you’ll use the most often are the personal pronouns. They work just like English pronouns like “I”, “she”, and “them”. They come in a few different flavours.

If you just want the full French personal pronoun chart, here it is:

French Subject Pronouns

The most basic French personal pronouns are the French subject pronouns. They’re used for the subject of the sentence; that is, the person or thing who’s doing the action in the sentence.

je I tu you (singular) il/elle he/she on (see below) nous we vous you (plural or formal) ils/elles they

Here’s what the subject pronouns look like in action:

je parle – “I speak”tu parles – “you speak”il/elle/on parle – “he/she/one/we speak(s)” (a bit more on this one later)nous parlons – “we speak”vous parlez – “you (plural or formal) speak”ils/elles parlent – “they speak”

Je abbreviates to j’ before a vowel sound:

J’ai mangé – “I’ve eaten.”

Use il for men and elle for women. When referring to a group of people, use elles for an all-female group, and ils for an all-male or mixed group.

French doesn’t have a direct equivalent of the gender-neutral pronoun “it”. Instead, when talking about objects, use il for masculine nouns, and elle for feminine.

La voiture est rouge / Elle est rouge. – “The car is red” / “It is red.”

You can also use il in impersonal expressions, or to mean “it” in an abstract sense.

Il pleut – “It’s raining.”Il est possible que… – “It’s possible that…”Tu vs. Vous in French

English is weird in that we have one pronoun for both the singular and plural “you”.

“You” can be said to a single person or a group. Depending on your dialect, you might also address a group as “you guys”, “you lot”, “yous”, or “y’all”.

French, on the other hand, has two words for “you”. Tu is used to informally address an individual. Vous is used to respectfully address an individual, or to address a group of people at any level of formality.

Tu is considered colloquial and informal. Use tu when talking to friends, or to someone who’s equal to or lower than you in status or seniority, for example as a teacher speaking to a student.

When talking to adults in formal and professional situations, and especially when speaking to someone senior or higher status than you, it’s generally expected that you use vous.

Calling someone tu when they expect vous can be considered impolite. It’s best to err on the side of politeness and stick with vous, at least at first. French speakers are very familiar with the social game of figuring out the right formality level to use, and most will simply come out and tell you if they prefer tu over vous.

And don’t forget: all of this only applies when speaking to an individual. When addressing a group, you always use vous.

How to Use the Pronoun On in French

On is an unusual pronoun that has two main meanings.

First, it can be used as an indefinite pronoun, referring to an unspecified, general person. You could translate this into English as “you”, “they”, “someone”, or, if you’re feeling posh, “one”.

Réponds si on t'appelle! – “Answer if someone calls you!”On me l'a donné – “Someone gave it to me.”On ne sait jamais – “You never know.” or “One never knows.”

You can also use on in this sense to avoid the passive voice.

On lui a demandé de partir – “He was asked to leave” (literally: “they/someone asked him/her to leave.”

The other main meaning is not found in English.

In informal or everyday speech it’s very common to use on instead of nous to mean “we”. So the sentence “we are learning French” can be translated as on apprend le français instead of nous parlons français.

Note that on always takes the same verb endings as il/elle, even when it means “we”. This means that it’s on parle, never on parlons.

But when on is being used to mean “we”, adjectives should have plural endings:

On est canadiens – “We’re Canadian.”

(Etymological trivia: on is a distant cousin of the French word homme, which means “man”.)

Sometimes, when on comes after a word that ends in a vowel sound – in particular after et, ou, où, qui, quoi, and si – on is replaced by l’on.

The extra l doesn’t mean anything. It’s just there to make things sound better, by stopping the vowel sounds from running into each other:

Et l'on pourrait dire que… – “And one could say that…”On n’est jamais content là où l’on est – “We (general ‘we’) are never happy where we are” (a well-known line from Le Petit Prince)

You don’t have to replace on with l’on. It’s rather old-fashioned, and is more common in writing than speech.

French Direct Object Pronouns

The direct object of a sentence is the thing which the verb is being done to. The French direct object pronouns are really straightforward:

me me te you (singular informal) le him, it la her, it nous us vous you (plural, or singular formal) les them

Me, te and le abbreviate to m’, t’ and l’ before a vowel sound.

Unlike in English, French direct object pronouns go before the verb (but after the subject pronoun):

Elle le connaît depuis cinq ans. – “She’s known him for five years.”Je t’aime – “I love you.”Nous vous voyons.* – “We see you.”French Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect objects are best explained by example.

Consider the English sentence “I kicked the ball to David.” It’s pretty clear that “the ball” is the direct object of the verb “to kick”; it’s the ball that my foot made contact with.

But my kicking also does something “to” David, indirectly: it makes him receive a ball. David is the indirect object of the verb.

Indirect objects are often indicated in English with the word “to” or “for”.

The French indirect object pronouns look like this:

singular 1st person (je) me 2nd person (tu) te 3rd person (il/elle) lui plural 1st person (nous) nous 2nd person (vous) vous 3rd person (ils/elles) leur

Notice that these are mostly the same as the direct object pronouns. The only differences are the third person singular (lui instead of le and la) and plural (leur instead of les.)

Indirect object pronouns go before the verb, and before the direct object pronoun if there is one:

Il te donne un paquet – “He gives you a package” (or: “He gives a package to you”)Je leur explique – “I explain to them”Nous lui avons acheté un repas – “We bought him/her a meal” (or: “We bought a meal for him/her”)Tu me l’as donné hier – “You gave it to me yesterday” (notice how the indirect object pronoun me comes before the direct object pronoun le)

Watch out! Sometimes, the French verb takes an indirect object where it would be a direct object in English:

Elle lui téléphone une fois par semaine. – “She phones him once a week.”

We say lui in this example instead of le because in French you don’t “phone someone”, you “phone to someone”: Je téléphone à Pierre.

On the other hand, sometimes French uses a direct object where you might not expect it:

Où est ma veste? Je la cherche. – “Where’s my jacket? I’m looking for it.”

Since the English expression is “look for it”, not “look it”, you might expect to need an indirect object pronoun in French. But chercher takes a direct object, so we use la in this case, not lui.

The French Adverbial Pronouns Y and En

The French adverbial pronouns are y and en.

Usually, y replaces a noun that comes after the word à, while en replaces a noun that comes after de.

(To help remember this rule, just keep in mind that y and à both have one letter, while en and de both have two.)

Y is most commonly translated as “there”. Use it to replace à plus a location:

Allez-vous à la gare? Oui, j’y vais. – “Are you going to the train station? Yes, I’m going there.”Ils vont au musée (“They go to the museum”) → Ils y vont (“They go there”)

Or to replace à plus a noun that doesn’t refer to a person:

Je pensais à mon livre. (“I was thinking about my book.”) → J’y pensais. (“I was thinking about it.”)

While y usually replaces à, it can be used for any preposition of location, such as chez (“at the house/business of”), dans (“in, inside”), en (“in”), sous (“under”), or sur (“on”):

Je serai chez toi. (“I’ll be at your house.”) → J’y serai (“I’ll be there.”)

Y also shows up in some common expressions:

Il y a – “There is”On y va! – “Let’s go!”Allons-y! – “Let’s go!” (same as on y va)

As I hinted earlier, y can’t be used to refer to a person. It also can’t replace a construction with à + a verb.

Je réponds à Amélie. – “I’m responding to Amélie.” (correct)J’y réponds. (Not allowed to replace the above sentence!)J’ai hésité à donner mon opinion. – “I hesitate to give my opinion.” (correct)J’y ai hésité (wrong!!!)En

En replaces de + noun:

Je ne bois pas de bière (“I don’t drink beer.) → Je n’en bois pas. (“I don’t drink any of it.”)Elle ne veut pas parler de son travail (“She doesn’t want to talk about her job.”) → Elle ne veut pas en parler (“She doesn’t want to talk about it.”)Il est sorti du restaurant (“He left the restaurant.”) → Il en est sorti (“He left it.”)French Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun in French is an object pronoun that refers to the same thing as the subject of the sentence. They correspond to the English pronouns that end in “self”: “myself”, “yourself”, “himself” etc.

If you know how to say “my name is” in French, you’ve already seen a French reflexive pronoun. It’s the m’ in je m’appelle – literally, “I call myself”!

The French reflexive pronouns are:

singular 1st person (je) me 2nd person (tu) te 3rd person (il/elle) se plural 1st person (nous) nous 2nd person (vous) vous 3rd person (ils/elles) se

Note that the reflexive pronouns look identical to the direct object pronouns, except in the third person, where it’s se in both the singular and plural. Se abbreviates to s’ before a vowel sound.

Je me regarde dans le miroir. – “I look at myself in the mirror.*On se connait? – “Do we know each other?”Il s’est lavé. – “He washed himself.”*Ils se sont lavés – “They washed themselves.”Nous nous amuserons. – “We’ll amuse ourselves.” Note the difference between reflexive and direct/indirect object pronouns:Ils se voient. – “They see each other.”Ils les voient. – “They see them” (i.e. they see someone other than themselves.)Elles se parlent. – “They’re talking to each other.”Elles leur parlent. – “They’re talking to them” (i.e. someone else.)French Pronoun Order

When a phrase contains multiple personal pronouns, they follow a strict order:

Number Person Slot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Singular 1st je ne me 2nd tu te 3rd il se le lui y en elle la on le/la Plural 1st nous nous 2nd vous vous 3rd ils se les leur y en elles

What this means is that, when constructing a verbal phrase, you can pick at most one pronoun from each column, and they must appear in your sentence in the same left-to-right order as the columns.

Additionally, columns 3 and 5 can’t coexist. So for example, se and lui can’t appear in the same phrase.

If your verb phrase would need multiple pronouns from the same column, or a pronoun from both columns 3 and 5, rephrase it with à or pour for the indirect object: Je me donne à toi (“I give myself to you.”)

If this all looks complicated, don’t worry. You don’t need to memorise this table from scratch. Just get a sense of the pronoun order from example sentences, and use the table as a reference if you need to double-check.

It won’t be long before you get a feel for the correct way, and anything that doesn’t follow the rules will sound wrong to you.

French Pronoun Order With Multiple Verbs

There are two situations in French where you use two verbs in a row.

Firstly, there are the compound tenses. These are verb tenses like the passé composé (past perfect) which use an auxiliary verb (avoir or être). In compound tenses, object pronouns go before the auxiliary verb:

Elle l’a vu – “She saw it.”Ils lui auront donné le cadeau – “They’ll have given him the gift.”Je me suis levé tard – “I got up late.”

Then there are dual-verb constructions with verbs like aller (“go” or “will”), pouvoir (“can”), devoir (“must”), vouloir (“want”) and falloir (“must”).

In these constructions, object pronouns go between the two verbs:

Il devrait le lire. – “He should read it.”Je voudrais en parler. – “I’d like to talk about it.”Il ne veut pas te voir. – “He doesn’t want to see you.”Je vais leur demander. – “I will ask them” or “I am going to ask them.”French Stressed Pronouns

Stressed pronouns in French, otherwise known as disjunctive pronouns or emphatic pronouns, are strong forms of pronoun that can be used for emphasis, or when you need a pronoun to stand alone without being linked to a verb.

Think about these two English exchanges. Which one sounds correct?

“Who won the race?” “Him!”“Who won the race?” “He!”

The answer (unless you are a strict, old-school grammarian) is that the first one sounds more correct.

How about these two phrases?

“I, I’m just happy everything worked out.”“Me, I’m just happy everything worked out.”

The second one should definitely sound like the right one (even to the strict grammarians out there).

These examples are pretty close to how French stressed pronouns work as well.

The stressed pronouns are as follows:

moi me toi you lui him elle her nous us vous you eux them – masculine or mixed elles them – feminine When to Use Stressed Pronouns in French?

Use a stressed pronoun in the following circumstances:

In so-called “cleft sentences”. These are redundant, emphatic sentences where you use multiple clauses to say something that could have been expressed by one clause. For example: c'est toi que j’aime – “it’s you that I like.”When you need to use more than one pronoun for the subject: Lui et moi sommes frères – “He and I are brothers”. (Equivalently, you could say Lui et moi, nous sommes frères.)When repeating a pronoun for emphasis: moi, je l’ai fait – “Me, I did it.*After que in comparisons: Il est plus riche que moi – “He’s richer than me.”

When using on to mean “we”, the stressed version is nous: Nous, on ne parle pas l’anglais.

Soi is a stressed pronoun that refers back to the existing subject of the sentence:

Un voyageur sait se sentir chez soi n'importe où – “A traveller knows how to feel at home anywhere.”

Soi can also refer to a generic, unspecified person: Chacun pour soi! – “Every man for himself”.

French Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are for stating that something belongs to someone. In English, these would be words like “mine”, “yours”, “hers”, etc.

French possessive pronouns work the same way, with a couple of differences:

The pronoun must match the gender and number (singular or plural) of the noun it replaces.A definite article – le, la or les – comes before the pronoun.

Here is a summary of all the possessive pronouns in French:

Singular Plural Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine mine le mien la mienne les miens les miennes yours (tu) le tien la tienne les tiens les tiennes his, hers, its le sien la sienne les siens les siennes ours le nôtre la nôtre les nôtres les nôtres yours (vous) le vôtre la vôtre les vôtres les vôtres theirs le leur la leur les leurs les leurs

And a couple of example sentences:

Est-ce que ce portefeuille est le tien ? Oui, c’est le mien. (“Is this wallet yours?” “Yes, it’s mine.”)A qui sont ces assiettes ? Ce sont les nôtres. (“Whose plates are these?” “They are ours.”)French Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns in French are pronouns which introduce a relative clause. A relative clause is a clause which gives additional information about a noun.

Relative clauses are introduced in English by words like “who”, “that”, and “which”:

“Have you seen the book that I was reading?”“You’re the one who told me that!”

The French relative pronouns are qui, que, dont, où, and lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles. Let’s examine them in turn.

The Relative Pronouns Qui and Que in French

Qui and que are the most basic relative pronouns in French. They link two clauses in the same way as the English words “that” or “which”.

The difference is that qui is used for the subject of the sentence, while que is used for the direct object:

Le chien qui m’a mordu est noir. – “The dog that bit me is black”Le chien que j’ai adopté est un bouledogue. – “The dog that I adopted is a bulldog.”

In the first sentence, the dog is the subject of the verb mordre (“to bite”). That is, the dog is biting, not being bitten. Therefore, we use qui.

In the second sentence, the dog was adopted, it wasn’t adopting. So the dog is the object, and we use que.

Both of these words can be used for people as well as things. That is, there’s no reason they can’t be translated as “who” or “whom”:

La personne qui l’a cassé n'est pas ici. – “The person who broke it is not here.”La dame que j’ai rencontrée hier était gentille – “The woman whom I met yesterday was nice.”

When que comes before a vowel sound, it’s abbreviated to qu’. Qui is never abbreviated.

La maison qu’il a achetée est énorme – “The house that he bought is huge”Voici le livre qui était sur la table – “Here’s the book that was on the table.”

In English, it’s often possible to drop the relative pronoun altogether. For example, instead of saying “the dog that I adopted”, we can simply say “The dog I adopted”.

This is not possible in French – you can never leave the relative pronoun out.

The Relative Pronoun Dont in French

The relative pronoun dont sometimes seems more complicated to new French learners than it is. I promise it’s really straightforward. Simply put, you can nearly always translate this word into English as “of which (or whom)” or “about which (or whom)”.

The reason it can seem complicated is because in English, we don’t often use the terms “about which” or “of which” in everyday speech anymore. For example, the phrase “The dog about which I am speaking is white” sounds stuffy and formal. You’d probably rather say, “The dog that I am speaking about is white.”

So even though dont translates as “about which/whom” or “of which/whom”, those translated phrases themselves can be rephrased in English in a few ways. But don’t worry about that part, just remember that if it’s possible to say your English phrase using “of which/whom” or “about which/whom” – even if it would sound stuffy or formal – then the word you want to use in French is dont.

Here are some examples that cover most of the usages of dont:

Il a un frère dont il est jaloux. – “He has a brother that he is jealous of.” (or: “He has a brother, of whom he is jealous.”)Elle a vu une araignée dont elle a eu peur. – “She saw a spider which she was afraid of.” (or: “She saw a spider, of which she was afraid.”)C’est le père de Pauline dont ils parlent. – “It’s Pauline’s father (that) they’re talking about.” (or: “It’s Pauline’s father about whom they are talking.”)J’ai acheté le crayon dont j’ai besoin. – “I bought the pencil that I need.” (or: “I bought the pencil of which I have need.”)Claude, dont la sœur est journaliste… – “Claude, whose sister is a journalist…” (or: “Claude, the sister of whom is a journalist…”)Je cherche une maison dont la porte est rouge. – “I’m looking for a house whose door is red (or: “I’m looking for a house, the door of which is red.”)Ceci est le sujet dont je vais écrire. – “This is the subject I’m going to write about.” (or: “This is the subject about which I’m going to write.”)

Two quick exceptions:

La façon dont j’écris est spéciale. – “The way in which I write is special.” (In French, you do things of a certain way, not in a certain way, so you use dont here even though it translates as “in which”.)The phrase “The man about whom I’m writing an article…” would NOT translate into French as L’homme dont j’écris un article… In French, you write books/articles on a topic, not about it. So instead of dont here, you would use the relative pronoun in the next section:The Relative Pronouns Lequel, Laquelle, Lesquels and Lesquelles in French

The relative pronoun lequel (and the feminine and plural versions laquelle, lesquels and lesquelles) work a lot like dont.

Basically, while dont translates as “of which/whom” or “about which/whom”, lequel can be used with all the other possible prepositions, such as “from which/whom”, “to which/whom”, “on which/whom”, “in which/whom”, “around which/whom”, “beside which/whom”… well, you get the idea.

(You’re less likely to use lequel when talking about a time or a physical location – more on that in the next section.)

This pronoun has four forms, to match the gender and number of the noun it replaces:

Masc. Fem. Singular lequel laquelle Plural lesquels lesquelles

These examples should cover most of the usages of lequel and its other forms:

Voici le livre dans lequel je l’ai lu. – “Here’s the book in which I read it.”C'est la raison pour laquelle ce n’est pas possible. – “That’s the reason why it isn’t possible.” (or: “That’s the reason for which it isn’t possible.”)Voici la lettre à laquelle j’ai répondu. – “Here is the letter to which I replied.”L’homme à côté duquel je m’assis est mon mari. – “The man I’m sitting beside is my husband” (or: “The man beside whom I’m sitting is my husband.”)Les aliments auxquels je suis allergique sont les arachides et le lait. – “The foods I’m allergic to are peanuts and milk.” (or: “The foods to which I’m allergic are peanuts and milk.”) Note that auxquels is just the contraction of à lesquels – just like à + les has to be written aux in French, à + lesquels has to be written auxquels.

When the object is a person, you can (but don’t have to) use qui instead of lequel:

Je suis l’homme sur lequel / sur qui le journaliste a écrit l’article. – “I’m the man whom the journalist wrote the article about.” (or: “I’m the man about whom the journalist wrote the article.”) Remember that in French, you don’t write an article about a topic, you write an article on a topic.The Relative Pronoun Où in French

Finally, the relative pronoun où means “where” or “when”.

Où is used to replace nouns that refer to time…

Je ne me souviens pas le jour où nous avons fait connaissance. – “I don’t remember the day when we met.”L’époque où il vivait était dangereuse – “The era he lived in was dangerous.” (literally: “The era where he lived was dangerous.”)

…or to replace nouns that refer to space or location:

J’ai visité la maison où j'ai grandi – “I visited the house where I grew up.”

Où can be preceded by the prepositions de, jusque, or par, for example:

Je me demande jusqu'où cela va aller. – “I’m wondering how far this will go.” (literally: “I’m wondering until where this will go.”)La direction d'où provient le signal – “The direction the signal comes from.” (literally: “The direction from where the signal comes.”)On ne sait pas par où il est allé – “We don’t know which way he went.”French Demonstrative Pronouns and Determiners

The demonstrative pronouns in French are used to highlight, emphasise, or draw attention to something, or to distinguish one thing from another. They’re related to the demonstrative determiners (sometimes also called demonstrative adjectives.)

Determiners Pronouns masculine singular ce (cet before a vowel sound) celui plural ces celle feminine singular cette ceux plural ces celles

Use ce, cet, cette and ces to modify a noun. While English distinguishes between “this” and “that” for objects that are closer or farther away, French doesn’t make that distinction:

Ces vêtements sont trop chers. – “These/those clothes are too expensive.”Cet acteur m’agace! – “This/that actor irritates me!”

Use celui, celle, ceux and celles to say “the one” or ”the ones”. You can use French demonstrative pronouns in three situations:

With the suffixes -ci and -la. When paired with -ci, they mean “the one here” or “the ones here” – or, more naturally, “this one” or “these ones”. With -la, they mean “that one” or “those ones”. If using -ci and -la in the same sentence, then -ci comes first:Quel garçon l'a fait, celui-ci ou celui-là? – “Which boy did it, this one or that one?”Tu veux celles-ci? Non, je préfère celles-là – “Do you want these ones? No, I prefer these ones.”To introduce a clause with a relative pronoun. (Remember the relative pronouns?)Voici celle dont j’ai rêvé. – “Here is the one that I dreamt of.”Ce vin est celui que tu n’aimes pas – “This wine is the one you don’t like.” Ceux qui sont polis recevront un cadeau. – “Those who are polite will receive a gift.”With a prepositional phrase (usually one with de):C’est ta voiture? Non, c’est celle de mes parents.* – “Is this your car? No, it’s my parents’.”Indefinite French Demonstrative Pronouns

The indefinite French demonstrative pronouns are ce (c’ before a vowel), ça, ceci and cela.

They refer to something abstract or unspecified, and, as such, they don’t need to agree with anything. This means they don’t have a number or gender.

Ce, when used as an indefinite demonstrative, means “this” or “it”. It’s usually used with être (“to be”):

C’est important – “It’s important.”C’est la vie! – “That’s life!”Ce sont de bonnes nouvelles. – “It’s good news.”

Ce also works with devoir or pouvoir, but only when those verbs are followed by être.

Ce doit être une mauvaise idée – “This must be a bad idea.”Ce peut être difficile de ne pas se fâcher – “It can be difficult not to get angry.”

Ce can also work without a verb, but it sounds pretty formal and isn’t very common:

Elle a travaillé en Allemagne, et ce en tant que bénévole. – “She worked in Germany, and this as a volunteer.”

Use ça with all other verbs. This includes pouvoir and devoir when they’re not followed by être:

Ça va? – “How are you?” (literally: “Does that go?”)Ça peut nous aider. – “It can help us”

Ça can also be used as the direct or indirect object of a verb:

Je trouve ça très ennuyeux – “I find that very annoying.”Tu es d’accord avec ça? – “Do you agree with that?”

Ceci and cela mean “this” and “that” respectively. They can be used as drop-in replacements for ça, although they’re more formal, and less common in everyday speech:

Je trouve ceci très ennuyeux – “I find this very boring.”Tu es d’accord avec cela? – “Do you agree with that?”French Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns in French are pronouns which are used to ask a question. There are four interrogative pronouns: qui, que, quoi, and lequel.

You may have noticed that qui and que are also relative pronouns, as we saw above. In that case, qui and que are used for the subject and object respectively of the relative clause.

But when they’re interrogative pronouns, the distinction is different.

The rule now that qui is used for people, while que is used for things. And both of them can be either the object or the subject of the sentence.

The Interrogative Pronoun Qui

Qui means “who” or “whom”, and is used to ask a question about people.

Qui conduit? (“Who’s driving?”)Qui l’a fait? (“Who did it?”)

When qui is the object, you must invert the word order:

Qui aimes-tu? – “Whom do you love?”Qui a-t-il vu? – “Whom did he see?”

Alternatively, you can use qui est-ce que:

Qui est-ce que tu aimes? – “Who is it that you love?”Qui est-ce qu’il a vu? – “Who is it that he saw?”

Qui can be used with a preposition:

À qui est-ce qu’elle parlait? – “Who was she talking to?”De qui est-ce qu’elle parlait? – “Who was she talking about?”The Interrogative Pronouns Que and Quoi

The interrogative pronoun que means “what”. It’s used to ask a question about things, not people.

When que is the subject, use qu’est-ce qui:

Qu'est-ce qui se passe? – “What’s happening?”

You can also use que with inverted word order and the addition of il, but this is uncommon:

Que se passe-t-il? – “What’s happening?”

When que is the object, you can either invert the word order, or use qu’est-ce que:

Qu’est-ce que tu manges? – “What are you eating?”Que manges-tu? – “What are you eating?”

Que after a preposition becomes quoi:

De quoi est-ce que vous parlez? – “What are you talking about?” (Or: De quoi parlez-vous?)Lequel As an Interrogative Pronoun

We already saw the four variants of lequel and how they can be used as relative pronouns. They also function as interrogative pronouns, in which case they mean “which one?” or “which ones”?

Je vais acheter les chaussures. – “I’m going to buy the shoes.”Lesquelles? – “Which ones?”Resources to Learn French

Whew! We’ve covered an enormous amount of ground.

Remember, this article is not meant to be binge-read and learned on the spot. You should just use it as a reference, something you can come back to when you need a reminder about a certain pronoun.

If you’re looking for tools and courses to make your French learning journey easier, you can try out some of the resources that I recommend here.

And the Fi3M has your back, of course! The French category covers all aspects of French from vocabulary to grammar to culture.

Bonne chance! (“Good luck!”)

French Idioms Crash Course: How to Sound Like a Native French Speaker 25 Perfect French Idioms that Sound Weird in English

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Published on December 27, 2021 06:00

December 24, 2021

How to Learn a Language in 2022 – Ultimate Guide with 35+ Language Hacks

Have you decided it’s time to get serious about learning a new language in 2022?

That’s amazing! Learning a language is a journey of improvement and growth that opens you many doors.

However, it’s also a commitment that requires dedication and a plan, (and I know something about it)…

I’m truly excited for you and your adventure, and I want to help you out. In this post, I've gathered the best advice you can find on the Fluent in 3 Months on how to learn a new language.

Whether you’re just starting out or you want to change up your learning strategy, this guide will be your best friend, featuring the best ways to learn a language from across the Fluent in 3 Months website.

Table of contentsMindset Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Welcome Mistakes, Don’t Be Scared of Them Ignore the Fear of Being Rejected or Getting Embarrassed Embrace a Child’s Mindset When It Comes to Learning Don’t Focus on Excuses That Would Kill Your Motivation Let Go of Shyness Add a Countdown Timer to Your Learning Plan Learning Strategies and Techniques Speak From Day One Immerse Yourself at Home Change Up Your Learning Routine When You Plateau Squeeze the Time from Your Schedule (Even if You Don’t Have Time)Prepare Before 1-1 Lessons Speaking and Pronunciation Find An Online Language Tutor Get Connected with Tutors on Preply Search for Tutors on italki Seek Out a Language Exchange Partner Get Speaking on Your Own Terms – From Day One Work on Your Pronunciation From the Start Start Conversations without it Feeling Awkward Listening Beware of Passive Listening Make the Most Out of Podcasts Listen to Podcasts in Spanish (or French, German, Chinese, Japanese – Whatever Language You’re Learning!)Dive Deep into Language Content on LingQ The “Transcription Technique” Might Be What You Need Reading and Writing Build Your Subconscious Base in Your Target Language Join a Book Club When You Need to Write in Your Target Language, “Write Like You Speak”Vocabulary Get Organised About Vocabulary Learning Boost Your Memory With Memory Palaces and Other Mnemonics Learn the Best Mnemonics With the Magnetic Memory Method Remember the Stressed Syllable and You’ll Remember the Word Maximise Your Vocab Memory With SRS Use Anki’s Great Flashcard System for Long-Lasting Vocabulary Memory Get Your Vocabulary From Frequency Lists Grammar Only Focus on the Grammar That You Need Make Grammar Fun to Learn by Using Games Don’t Fuss Over Sentence Structure More Tips to Get You Learning Faster Go On a Treasure Hunt You Can Relearn a Language Travelling Abroad and Learning a Language Is Possible The Right Time to Start Learning a New Language Is Now!

Let’s get started!

Mindset

The most common reason people drop language learning is a mental block.

That’s why the first thing you need to do, as a language learner, is work on your mindset.

Here’s how to do just that.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

“By getting comfortable, I stopped trying new things. I stopped looking at the material from different angles. And when I get comfortable, I can only get so far.

“Only by stepping outside your comfort zone can you have a breakthrough and see the results you’re anticipating.” — Shannon Kennedy

From: Language Learners! Why Your Comfort Zone = the Danger Zone

Welcome Mistakes, Don’t Be Scared of Them

“The more mistakes you make the faster you will improve and the less they will bother you. The best cure to feeling uncomfortable about making mistakes is to make more mistakes.” — Benny Lewis

From: Mistakes are the ONLY Way to Learn a Language

Ignore the Fear of Being Rejected or Getting Embarrassed

“The thing is, that embarrassed feeling is you focusing on the negative of the experience.

“Instead, focus on the positive. How did you move forward after that particular rejection?” — Shannon Kennedy

From: How to Get Over the Fear of Rejection

Embrace a Child’s Mindset When It Comes to Learning

“I’d like to share the exact techniques that children learn languages — and as you’ll see adults can use these techniques too, though sometimes in a different way to children. After reading this article, I think you’ll be ready to agree that the idea that ‘children are better language learners’ is just an excuse adult learners make to avoid language learning.” — Georgia Boote

From: How Children Learn Languages – and What You Can Learn from Them

Don’t Focus on Excuses That Would Kill Your Motivation

“Coming face-to-face with a roadblock will destroy your motivation unless you know how to get around it. That’s why I call these roadblocks ‘motivation killers’.” — Shannon Kennedy

From: Why Language Learners Quit – The 7 Key “Motivation Killers” (Plus, How to Beat Them)

Let Go of Shyness

“Unless you suffer from a social anxiety disorder or experience severe, constant shyness, YOU ARE NOT SHY. Stop describing yourself as such.” — Benny Lewis

From: The Shy “Delusion”: Stop Being Shy and Just Start Speaking!

Add a Countdown Timer to Your Learning Plan

“A long-sighted learner is only interested in one thing: they want to be equivalent to a native. Three months or any other short period where you set yourself an ambitious goal is clearly not enough to reach native level, so they have this idea that anything else is not good enough.

“Well this attitude is not good enough. It's wasteful and impractical.” — Benny Lewis

From: Why impatience is a virtue and taking your time is wasting your time

Learning Strategies and Techniques

If you want to succeed at learning a new language, you need a great study plan. You also have to find learning methods that work for you.

Speak From Day One

“I just decided ‘I'm going to start speaking the language. I'm going to get all of these excuses and ignore them. That I'm not ready and I need to work more or I'm not intelligent enough to learn a language.’

“I just started speaking it and everything changed.” — Benny Lewis

From: “Benny’s TEDx talk: Speak from Day One

Immerse Yourself at Home

“It’s possible to create an immersive environment at home. For example, you can use social media to find native communities to chat with. Switching your phone’s language or watching shows in your target language will help you achieve an immersive experience, too.” — Katie Harris

From: The Best Way to Learn a Language [Scientifically Proven, Polyglot Tested]

Change Up Your Learning Routine When You Plateau

“This may seem obvious, but if what you are doing now isn't working to bring you forward then what you are doing now is not good enough.

“I've lost count of the number of times someone has emailed me to say something along the lines of “no matter how much I study, I'm not progressing!” Well, then clearly just more of the same thing is not going to help.” — Benny Lewis

From: How to get over a plateau stopping you from making progress: how I’m doing it with my Chinese

Squeeze the Time from Your Schedule (Even if You Don’t Have Time)

“For busy language learners, it can feel like your constant thought is ‘I don’t have enough time!’

“I’d like to share some simple shifts you can make in your life so you can manage your time – and have more time available for language learning.” — Shannon Kennedy

From: 24 Time Hacking Tips from Language Hacker Benny Lewis

Prepare Before 1-1 Lessons

“During each lesson, I go through the script with my tutor. He or she asks questions about what I’ve shared, and I aim to reply in my target language.

“I look out for when I want to say something, but can’t quite say it. I ask myself “What words do I need to know so that I could say this thing?” These are the words I need to learn, so I note them down.” — Shannon Kennedy

From: New Language in 90 Days: My 7-Step Formula

Speaking and Pronunciation

At Fi3M we’re big about speaking from the first day of your language mission. This is what our Challengers do in order to have a 15-minute conversation in their target language after 90 days!

Find An Online Language Tutor

“[Having an online tutor] doesn't require living in the country, is dramatically cheaper than in-person private lessons, requires zero travel time for both the teacher and the student, and more!” — Benny Lewis

From: How to Find the Right Online Language Tutor for Your Language Classes

Get Connected with Tutors on Preply

“Preply connects language students with private tutors for 1-1 lessons. Language lessons take place online in a virtual classroom. All you need is a computer, WiFi and a sense of adventure.” — Elizabeth Bruckner

From: Preply Review – a Detailed and Honest Review of the Preply Language Tutor Platform

Search for Tutors on italki

“italki is a website that connects language students with private tutors for 1-1 lessons. Language lessons take place online on platforms like Skype or Zoom. All you need is a device with WiFi connection.” — Benny Lewis

From: Review of italki: Find native teachers and free language exchanges to learn a language via Skype

Seek Out a Language Exchange Partner

“With a language exchange, you find someone who speaks the language you’re learning. You spend some time chatting with them in English. In return, they spend some time chatting with you in your target language.

“When language exchanges go right, they’re one of the best things you can do to improve your language skills and boost your confidence.” — Shannon Kennedy

From: Language Exchange Partners: The Ultimate Guide

Get Speaking on Your Own Terms – From Day One

“The truth was, I was afraid of speaking. But I also felt drawn to speaking. I decided to find a way that I could start speaking on my terms. I was determined to find ways to speak that would feel right, work with my personality and make me a little more comfortable.” — Shannon Kennedy

From: How to Practise Speaking a New Language… Without the Anxiety Rush!

Work on Your Pronunciation From the Start

“The more you speak and hear the language, the more you will adapt and pronounce words properly. But that’s assuming you’re actually speaking and listening all the time. Many beginners don’t do enough speaking or listening in their target language.” — Benny Lewis

From: Learn to Sound like a Native and Pronounce Words in Any Language

Start Conversations without it Feeling Awkward

“Speaking conversationally is usually just about knowing the right thing to say in any given situation. That's rarely taught in classrooms.

“This article answers the questions ‘How to start a conversation in another language?’ and ‘What’s the best conversation starter to have things to talk about, without the awkwardness?’” — Benny Lewis

From: 150+ Conversation Starters So You Can Confidently Talk to Anyone, in Any Language

Listening

At Fi3M, we focus a lot on the speaking part of learning a language. But to keep on speaking, you have to listen too…

Beware of Passive Listening

“With passive listening, you simply listen to a recording of your target language or watch a movie. The idea is that even though you don’t understand it now, over time you will start to understand more and more through a natural process of absorption.

“The problem is… it doesn’t really work.” — Andrew Barr

From: How to Improve Your Listening Skills as a Language Learner – an In-Depth Guide

Make the Most Out of Podcasts

“Podcasts are one of the first places I turn to when I'm starting in a new language. Why? Because I've found that speaking from day one is the best way to learn a language. Podcasts give the opportunity to listen to your new language being spoken. As you listen, you'll learn correct pronunciation.” — Benny Lewis

From: Language Learning Podcasts: Can You Learn a Language by Listening to Podcasts?

Listen to Podcasts in Spanish (or French, German, Chinese, Japanese – Whatever Language You’re Learning!)

“Podcasts are a great way to learn a language, but don’t just rely on those aimed for language learners. Find a podcast in your target language, preferably hosted by a native speaker, about a topic that interests you!” — Benny Lewis

Find how here: How to Download Free Native-Spoken Podcasts & MP3s in Almost Any Language

Dive Deep into Language Content on LingQ

“LingQ is a language learning app with thousands of hours of “real world” audio and written content, plus tools to help users learn vocab and grammar.” — David Masters

From: LingQ Review: An Honest, In-Depth Review of the LingQ Language Learning Tool

The “Transcription Technique” Might Be What You Need

“With the Transcription Technique you’ll simultaneously practice listening and writing, then reading and speaking. Every minute I’ve spent on this technique, I’ve noticed my language skills improving.” — Guest Author

From: How Using Transcriptions Can Improve Your Listening Skills

Reading and Writing

If you’re a fan of reading, you should use that in your language learning journey!

Build Your Subconscious Base in Your Target Language

“Reading in your target language improves your ability to intuitively understand grammar structures and vocabulary. This gives your brain a large base of subconscious passive knowledge to work from, giving you an advantage in the active language domains and therefore boosting you to fluency.” — Matt Anderson

From: Reading in Your Target Language Can Boost You to Fluency – Here’s How!

Join a Book Club

“Sharing the experience with other readers increases your enthusiasm and gives you more learning options! You can learn from your peers, as well as from the teacher, if one is running the club.” — Laura Scaramella

From: How Joining a Book Club Will Help You Learn Italian Fast

When You Need to Write in Your Target Language, “Write Like You Speak”

“‘Write like you speak’ was the best piece of advice I ever received from a writing mentor, who was helping me with my English writing skills. And, today, I’m going to urge you to do the same in your target language.” — James Johnson

From: How to Improve Your Basic Writing Skills: Hacks for Language Learners

Vocabulary

I don’t know about you, but when I was a student, I would cram to pass some exams. A week later, everything was gone.

Us language learners have to learn a lot of new vocabulary all the time. In this situation, cramming doesn’t work. So how not to forget all the vocabulary you learn after a few days?

Get Organised About Vocabulary Learning

“I love me some good notes, and every time I observe what my most successful learners do, it’s that they really organise themselves extremely well. Buy a large notebook or a project pad, work with vocabulary sections, exercise sections and grammar sections.” — Kerstin Cable

From: How To Be Organised About Learning New Vocabulary

Boost Your Memory With Memory Palaces and Other Mnemonics

“A mnemonic is a learning device that helps you recall difficult information. One of the most powerful types of mnemonics is the Memory Palace. You can use a Memory Palace to memorize hundreds of words and phrases from your language of choice at will.” — Anthony Metivier

From: How to Use a Memory Palace to Boost Your Vocabulary

Learn the Best Mnemonics With the Magnetic Memory Method

“The Magnetic Memory Method is a set of video courses that teaches the fundamentals of memory palaces and mnemonic devices for memorizing different types of information.” — Holly Keenan

From: Magnetic Memory Method: An In-Depth Review from a Language Learner

Remember the Stressed Syllable and You’ll Remember the Word

“Research has found that if you focus only on the stressed syllable of a word when trying to memorize it, your brain is able to remember the unstressed syllables without much effort” . — Yitzhak Magoon

From: How to Use Visual Memory Techniques to Build a Conversational Vocabulary

Maximise Your Vocab Memory With SRS

“Spaced Repetition System (SRS) is a presentation method that gives you information before you would forget it. It makes sure that the information stays constantly fresh in your mind.” — Benny Lewis

From: Spaced Repetition System: Learn Vocabulary and Never Forget It!

Use Anki’s Great Flashcard System for Long-Lasting Vocabulary Memory

“I’ve been learning languages on and off for more years than I’d like to count. Different books and websites and ways to figure out languages come and go, but only one always remains: Anki.

“Anki cards are basically digital flashcards that you can use on both your computer and your mobile device, but they’re so, so much more than that.” — Jamie Graffman

From: How to use Anki Cards to Learn a Language

Get Your Vocabulary From Frequency Lists

“To put it simply, frequency lists are a collection of words most frequently used in a language. These lists can help you identify which words are most important in a language depending on their usage, and how often they appear during speech.” — Elie Fossi

From: How to Learn a Language in Record Time With Frequency Lists

Grammar

Don’t run away! Yes, I know, grammar is boring… Or is it? It all depends on how you decide to learn it.

Only Focus on the Grammar That You Need

“If learners want to learn grammar because they want to speak clearly and naturally and understand the language more deeply, these are the areas that grammar resources should address.” — Carl Eldridge

From: Hacking Grammar: How to Learn Grammar with No Exceptions

Make Grammar Fun to Learn by Using Games

“A ‘grammar game’ is essentially any technique for memorising or practising a particular aspect of grammar — be it verb conjugations, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation, or any other intimidating feature of your target language — that's at least slightly more fun than rote memorisation or ‘look, cover, write, check’.” — Benny Lewis

From: 8+ Fun Grammar Games to Help You Learn a Language

Don’t Fuss Over Sentence Structure

“If you're a native English speaker, this is how you learned English sentence structure as a child. No one ever explained the “place-manner-time” thing to you. You might have never even thought about it until you read this article. Your brain just figured it out by listening to lots and lots of English.

“This isn't like learning to do long division. It's programmed deeply into our brains by over 100,000 years of evolution. Humans learn grammar like bats “learn” to navigate by echolocation. It's part of our natural toolkit.” — George Julian

From: Sentence Structure: How to Build Sentences and Use the Correct Word Order in Any Language

More Tips to Get You Learning Faster

Do you need help re-learning a language you think you’ve forgotten? Or are you learning a minority language? Maybe you’re interested in learning a language in a foreign country.

If any of these sound like what you’re aiming for, this section is where you’ll find what you need to know.

Go On a Treasure Hunt

“If you’ve always wanted to learn a rare language because of a family connection or some other burning passion, I hope I’ve convinced you that it is possible. You just need to get creative: treat it as a treasure hunt, have the courage to speak, and always, always remind yourself of the reasons why you’re doing this.” — Sarah Gillespie

From: How to Learn a Rare Language like Hiligaynon (with Minimum Frustration)

You Can Relearn a Language

“No matter how old you are or how long it’s been since you last picked up a vocabulary flashcard, it’s possible to relearn a language you studied before.

“You probably won’t start at the same level you were before you stopped taking classes, but you might be surprised at how much you remember.” — India Amos

From: How to Relearn a Language from High School You Think You Forgot

Travelling Abroad and Learning a Language Is Possible

“I know this sounds counterintuitive but bear with me!

“Immediately after our three Workaways in Italy, we visited Greece and then went on to Turkey, where we spent a little over two months.

“In those two months in Turkey, I learned more Italian than in the whole two months living in Italy. This may not be a revelation to you, but it definitely was to me.” — Dayna Brockbank

From: You Can Learn a Language Living Abroad – Here’s What Worked for Me (And What Didn’t)

The Right Time to Start Learning a New Language Is Now!

If you feel like you can’t do it, don’t worry! It’s okay to feel intimidated by a new adventure, what matters is that you be brave enough to take the first steps. All language learners face blocks and insecurities sooner or later; those who succeed are the ones who find solutions to get past the obstacles.

As I have shown you in this post, there are many solutions and strategies to prepare you well for your language mission.

If you think you could benefit from the guidance of experienced coaches and the support of a community of learners, check out the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge. With the support of a like-minded group, challengers learn their target language aiming to have a 15-minute conversation after 90 days. Give it a thought!

And keep me updated! I want to know how you progress with your language learning, and how we can help you here at Fi3M. You can find me on Instagram here and here, Twitter, and TikTok.

See you soon, and good luck!

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The post How to Learn a Language in 2022 – Ultimate Guide with 35+ Language Hacks appeared first on Fluent in 3 Months.

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Published on December 24, 2021 06:00

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