Benny Lewis's Blog, page 27

Flirting in Spanish: 15+ Easy Phrases and Basic Vocabulary to Flirt in Spanish

Have you ever tried flirting in Spanish?

Flirting can be as fun as it can be romantic, and you can spice it up by switching your flirting language to Spanish. There are lots of fun pick-up lines to work with!

If you want to try your hand at it, here’s a few points to get you started:

Table of contentsFlirting in Spanish: How to Say “Flirt” in Spanish?The Spanish Verb for “to Flirt”: CoquetearFlirting Phrases in Spanish: The Base15 of the Best Flirting and Pick-up Lines in Spanish10 Spanish Pick-up Lines to Use When You Speak to Someone for the First Time5 Spanish Flirting Lines for When You’ve Already Known Each Other for Some TimeHow to Describe the State of Your RelationshipHow to Respond to Flirting in SpanishThat’s Flirting in Spanish 101 for You!

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ copy = '<i>One thing before we get started: You can chat away in Spanish for at least 15 minutes with the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. All it takes is 90 days. <b><a href="https://fluentin3months.com/challenge... this link to find out more.</b></a></i>'} else { copy = '<i>Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online Spanish course, here’s the course I recommend: <a href="https://www.fluentin3months.com/olly-... Uncovered - Learn Spanish Through the Power of Story</b></a>, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!</i>'}console.log(copy)var copyToChange = document.querySelector("p.copyText").innerHTML = copy;}runSplitTest();

Ready? Let’s go!

Flirting in Spanish: How to Say “Flirt” in Spanish?

First thing’s first… How do you say “flirt” in Spanish?

There are a few ways. For the noun, as in “Oh, he’s such a flirt”, the word you’re looking for is coqueto/a. Sometimes you’ll even just hear flirt. But Spanish doesn’t really have the phrase Es un/a coqueto/a.

You might use coqueto/a as an adjective. Be careful, though! It doesn’t always describe people who flirt, it can also mean pretentious.

If you say Es muy coqueto con su vecina, you’re saying “He’s very flirty with his neighbour.” But if you say Es una mujer coqueta, your tone and the context of the conversation might turn it into “She’s a pretentious woman.”

But you shouldn’t worry. You won’t hear “flirt” as a noun or adjective too much in Spanish. You’re much more likely to come across the Spanish translation of the verb “to flirt”, which is coquetear.

The Spanish Verb for “to Flirt”: Coquetear

There are several verbs to say “to flirt” in Spanish, but the most common one is coquetear. It belongs to the first group of Spanish verbs, those ending in -ar.

(If you need a refresher on different types of Spanish verbs, you can read more in our Spanish verb conjugation guide.)

Coquetear has a synonym: flirtear. It’s borrowed from the English “to flirt”, which makes it pretty easy to remember.

Flirtear and “flirt” are cognates. Olly Richards talks about words like this in his Spanish Uncovered course. It’s one of our favourite resources to learn Spanish at Fluent in 3 Months, so you might want to check it out.

Let’s get back to flirting. You might also come across the verbs ligar and seducir. These words have different meanings depending on which country or Hispanic region you’re in.

Ligar, for example, holds more of a “casual kissing” connotation in some Latin American countries. In other places, ligar is the slang version of coquetear.

Seducir is stronger. You might recognize it because it looks like “to seduce”. As it has a similar strong meaning in Spanish, you wouldn’t use it to describe light flirting.

As always, my advice is to pay attention to how native speakers use these words and ask questions! If you don’t already know native Spanish speakers, you can find a tutor on italki.

Flirting Phrases in Spanish: The Base

Flirting is all about connecting with the other person. I’ve found that the best way to connect with someone new is by having a nice conversation.

First impressions are important, so you might want to find the right greeting. Hola works, but ¿Qué tal? (“How’s it going?”) can help you engage the conversation. If you want to sound a little bit more courteous, you can use buenos días, buenas tardes, or buenas noches, depending on the time of the day.

Need more options? I wrote a post on Spanish greetings that will help you.

But saying hi isn’t always the right way to strike a conversation. Sometimes, you might need more direct phrases. Here are some you might want to use:

Perdona, ¿Cómo te llamas? – “Sorry, what’s your name?”Hola, soy/me llamo… – “Hi, my name is…”¿Está ocupada/libre esta silla? – “Is this seat taken?”¿Quieres bailar? – “Would you like to dance?”¿De dónde eres? – “Where are you from?”

If none of these do the trick for you, don’t worry! There are plenty more in this list of 80+ Spanish conversation starters. It also includes ice-breaker questions like ¿Te gusta viajar? (“Do you like to travel?”) and ¿Dónde creciste? (“Where did you grow up?”) to help you get to know the other person.

What if you hit it off and you would like to see them again? You can use one of these phrases:

¿Te gustaría salir (conmigo) algún día? – “Would you like to go out (with me) someday?”Me gustaría salir contigo. – “I would like to go out with you.”Aquí tienes mi número de teléfono. – “Here’s my phone number.”Quisiera conocerte mejor. – “I would like to get to know you better.”

The best part is that once you’ve learnt all these basic phrases, you can expand your vocabulary. If you’re up for it, Fi3M can help you have a 15-minute conversation in 90 days.

15 of the Best Flirting and Pick-up Lines in Spanish

Alright, that’s enough about vocabulary. Let’s get to the fun part of flirting: corny phrases and funny piropos (“pick-up lines”).

To be fair, they’re not all too bad: Spanish has some good ones.

I’ve listed here 15 of my favourite Spanish flirting phrases and pick-up lines. I’ve divided them into first-time phrases and we-already-know-each other phrases.

Remember: flirting is delicate. It’s only enjoyable if everyone involved feels comfortable. Use these phrases tactfully and you’ll be fine!

Let’s have fun!

10 Spanish Pick-up Lines to Use When You Speak to Someone for the First Time

No creía en el amor a primera vista hasta que te vi entrar – “I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I saw you come in.”

¿Crees en el amor a primera vista, o debo pasar enfrente tuyo otra vez? – “Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk in front of you again?”

¿Hablamos o seguimos jugando a mirarnos? – “Should we talk or shall we keep playing at looking at each other?”

¿Acaso me estabas mirando? Porque eso estaría súper. – “Were you by any chance looking at me? Because that would be amazing.” Super can be replaced by genial, guay, or another local word that means “great”.

¿Podrías prestarme un diccionario? Al verte me he quedado sin palabras. – “Could you lend me a dictionary? Seeing you has left me speechless.” This pick-up line only makes sense when translated literally. In Spanish, the expression for “speechless” is sin palabras (“without words”). Hence the dictionary.

Perdí mi número, ¿puedo tener el tuyo? – “I lost my number, can I get yours?”

Eres tan guapo/a que me has hecho olvidar mi piropo. – “You’re so gorgeous/handsome that you made me forget my pick-up line.” Guapo/a can be replaced with bello/a, lindo/a, hermoso/a depending on what the locals say.

Eres tan bella/o que se me olvidó lo que iba a decir. – “You’re so gorgeous that I forgot what I was going to say.”

¡Vaya! No sabía que las flores andaban. – “Goodness! I didn’t know that flowers walked.”

¿Qué hace una estrella volando tan bajo? – “What does a star like you do flying so low?”

5 Spanish Flirting Lines for When You’ve Already Known Each Other for Some Time

No sé besar, ¿(tú) podrías enseñarme? – “I don’t know how to kiss, could you teach me?”

De las veinticuatro horas que tiene el día, dieciséis pienso en ti y las otras ocho sueño contigo. – “Of the 24 hours in a day, I spend 16 thinking of you and the other 8 dreaming of you.”

Pasas tanto tiempo en mi mente, debería cobrarte alquiler. – “You spend so much time in my mind, I should charge you rent.”

Yo no tengo la culpa de que me gustes. La culpa es tuya, por tener todo lo que a mí me encanta. – “I can’t be blamed for liking you. The blame is yours for having everything I like.”

No sé si lo de la media naranja será verdad, pero yo creo que tú y yo pegamos mucho, ¿no? – “I don’t know if the soulmate thing is true, but you and I seem to fit, don’t we?” Media naranja is a Spanish way to say “soulmate”.

5+ Spanish Flirting Nicknames

If you look close enough at the phrases above, you’ll see that I mentioned a few “nicknames” to use when flirting, like bello/a.

Here are some more Spanish apodos (“nicknames”) and términos de cariño (“terms of endearment”) that you can use for flirting:

amor – “love”. You might have heard mi amor, but the mi makes it more personal. Depending on the region, Hispanics tend to use one more than the other for flirting. As a general rule, use mi amor for serious relationships.cariño – “dear”. It sounds way less formal in Spanish. Use the -o ending for both a man and a woman.cielo – literally “sky”corazón – literally “heart”lindo/a – “cutie”guapo/a – “handsome”/“gorgeous”

Tip: You might come across the phrase Estás muy bueno/a in some Hispanic regions. It means “You’re hot”.

How to Describe the State of Your Relationship

Flirting is not about the big words yet. You need ways to tell the person how you feel without getting too deep into feelings territory.

Yes, you could learn how to use te quiero or te amo (“I love you”). But if you don’t want to get too serious too soon, I have a few phrases to share with you. They’ll help you describe how you feel about the person you’re flirting with.

The first is me caes bien. It’s “I like you”, but in a friendly way. In fact, you can use it when you make a new acquaintance. Be careful, though: it is colloquial. You can’t use it when you meet your new boss, for example.

A little higher on the romance scale is me gustas. This one also means “I like you”, but it communicates attraction. Let’s say it’s more of a ‘third date’ phrase.

Me encantas is stronger than me gustas. It literally translates to “you enchant me”, but it’s more like “I adore you”. Still, it doesn’t carry an emotional weight. In other words, it’s lower than te quiero and deals with attraction rather than emotion.

Spanish doesn’t have an expression for “catching feelings”, but you could say me estoy enamorando (de ti) to say “I am falling in love (with you)”.

Did we get too close to emotional talk? While we’re at it, we can talk about how to label relationships.

If you want to say “we’re dating”, use estamos saliendo. If you want to say “we’re in a relationship”, use estamos en una relación. And if you want to say “I have a date”, use tengo una cita.

If you’re already talking about “boyfriend” and “girlfriend”, the word you need is novio/a. Novio/a also means “fiance”, and in this case the relationship would be un noviazgo (“engagement”).

Sometimes, you might hear Spanish speakers call their partner mi pareja if they’re not married.

How to Respond to Flirting in Spanish

Flirting is a two-way street. Here are a few words and phrases you might want to use to flirt back in Spanish:

Gracias – “Thank you”Tu también – “You too”No eres tan mal tú mismo/a. – “You’re not too bad yourself.”Me halagas. – “You flatter me.”Me gustaría salir contigo también. – “I would like to go out with you too.”

And to close the conversation, you can use nos vemos (“see you”) or chao (“bye”)! If you want more options, you can check out this article on how to say goodbye in Spanish.

That’s Flirting in Spanish 101 for You!

Congratulations, you’re discovered the basics of flirting in Spanish!

This isn’t all that flirting in Spanish has to give, but it’s a great point to get started. Plus, if I told you all the Spanish piropos there are, there wouldn’t be any surprises when someone chats you up. And everyone loves to hear a pick-up line for the first time.

If you want to keep the conversation going smoothly, a refresher of the 101 core Spanish words might boost your confidence!

The post Flirting in Spanish: 15+ Easy Phrases and Basic Vocabulary to Flirt in Spanish appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Sentence Structure: How to Build Sentences and Use the Correct Word Order in Any Language

Sentence structure can be analysed in several ways.

If you’re thinking about sentence structure in English, your first reflex might be to analyse how many independent and dependent clauses a sentence has.

Independent clauses are groups of words (with a verb) that can work as full sentences on their own → “We have to eat.”Dependent clauses are groups of words (with a subject and a verb) that only make sense with independent clauses → “We have to eat before the food gets cold.”

Depending on the number of independent and dependent clauses they contain, sentences can be simple (1 independent), compound (2+ independent), complex (1 independent + 1 dependent), or compound-complex (2+ independent + 1+ dependent).

But language learners tend to focus on another aspect of sentence structure first: the order of elements in the sentence.

"What's the best way to learn difficult sentence structure and word order?"

This is a question me and my team get asked a lot here at Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M). No matter which language you're learning, sentence structure is a common stumbling block.

Thankfully, there are some general principles that can help you learn sentence structure in any language.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this post:

Table of contentsWhat Is Sentence StructureThe Old-and-Broken Rules for Learning Sentence StructureWhy Learning Sentence Structure Rules Doesn't WorkIn Your Native Language, You Know Sentence Structure by InstinctHow Your Brain Learns GrammarHow to Use Your Brain’s Toolkit to Learn Sentence StructureTest Yourself: Learn Sentence Structure by Creating SentencesWhat Is Sentence Structure

Sentences are made up of a few basic elements. As a simple definition, and in this instance, sentence structure is the order in which these elements are used to compose a grammatically correct sentence.

When dealing with basic sentence structure, you only need to acknowledge three components:

subjectpredicate (verb or verb phrase)direct/indirect object

In English, these elements follow a specific order to form sentences: SVO. This acronym stands for “subject, verb, object”.

Think about it: it’s natural to say “I drink water”. You can’t say “Water I drink” (unless you’re Master Yoda).

In romance languages such as Italian, Spanish, and French, the sentence pattern is the same as in English: subject, verb, object.

In contrast, basic Korean sentence structure and basic Japanese sentence structure place the subject first, followed by the object, and finish with the verb. While in English we say “I drink water”, Korean and Japanese sentence structure would have it, “I water drink”.

Russian sentence structure is much more flexible. Commonly, it uses the subject-verb-object structure, the same one English uses. However, virtually all combinations of subject, verb, and object are valid in Russian.

The Old-and-Broken Rules for Learning Sentence Structure

The textbook approach to sentence structure is "learn a big long list of boring rules."

For example, here are some German sentence structure rules that a teacher might have you memorise:

Basic word order is subject, verb, object, like in English. "I drink water" = Ich trinke Wasser.When there's a modal verb like "want to", "try to", etc., the other verb gets moved to the end. "I want to drink water" = Ich will Wasser trinken.In "subordinate clauses", the verb also gets shunted to end. So "I drink water" is Ich trinke Wasser but "I think that I drink water" is Ich denke, dass ich Wasser trinke. Note how "trinke" gets moved to the end.

That's just a small sample of how this approach might work in German. The list goes on: What if there are two modal verbs? What if a subordinate clause has modal verbs? What if the modal verbs are in a different tense? What if there are multiple subordinate clauses?

With enough patience, you'll remember all the rules for all of these cases... maybe.

And of course there are different rules for Spanish sentence structure, French sentence structure, Italian sentence structure, and so on. Do you really want to study a new rulebook for every language?

Why Learning Sentence Structure Rules Doesn't Work

There are two problems with sentence structure rules.

First, language is infinite. No matter how many sentence structure rules you learn, there will always be a longer, more complicated sentence that leaves you stumped.

Second, learning rules is boring, inefficient, and, most importantly, unnecessary. You've already learned at least one language without consciously studying the rules of its sentence structure. You might not believe this, but you can do it again.

To understand how, let’s take a more detailed look at how you learned sentence structure in your native language.

In Your Native Language, You Know Sentence Structure by Instinct

You probably can't even explain what all the rules of your native language are, but you know when the rules are being broken. Let’s use an example to illustrate that:

Imagine that a German friend says to you "I went yesterday by train to the city" (This is a common mistake that German speakers make in English, for reasons that we'll see.)

If you're a native English speaker, that sentence will have set off alarm bells in your head.

How do you know there's a mistake?

A linguist could tell you that English sentences typically follow the structure place-manner-time. German uses time-manner-place, which is where your friend's mistake came from.

You don't need the technical explanation though. The sentence "I went yesterday by train to the city" just feels wrong, and you know it instantly.

How Your Brain Learns Grammar

The human brain learns grammar through pattern recognition.

Somewhere in your head is a database of "correct" English sentences that you've been building up since infancy. When a new sentence comes in, your brain performs a quick check to see if it "fits" the patterns it's used to. If it does, all good. If not, it triggers an uncomfortable discord.

This is the linguistic equivalent of hearing someone sing out of tune.

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.

How to Use Your Brain’s Toolkit to Learn Sentence Structure

How can you take advantage of your brain’s programming as an adult?

It's simple: stop focussing on the why of sentence structure, and start focussing on the what.

It's not that you should never study the rules. Rules can still be helpful, but I suggest you leave them till later. Start by listening to and reading your target language as much as possible. Your brain will get to work behind the scenes figuring out the patterns.

The content you're taking in should always be a tiny smidgen outside your current level of understanding. If you understand it all perfectly, there's nothing for you to learn. If you don't understand any of it, you won't learn anything either.

With enough of this input, eventually you'll be able to feel the correct grammar, in the same way you just feel that it's wrong when someone says "I went yesterday to school."

After you're comfortable with this, it's time to go back to the grammar books and consult the rules. This will help cement what you've learned, and clean up any lingering mistakes in your understanding.

In other words, rules are a terrible way to learn a language from scratch. But they are useful to polish up what you already know.

Test Yourself: Learn Sentence Structure by Creating Sentences

Reading and listening are good ways to learn sentence structure, but they're passive activities.

You'll learn much faster if you turn it into something active, forcing your brain to create sentences rather than just take them in. A good way to do this is to turn your input into a test.

Whatever grammatical concept you're trying to learn, I recommend you find (or create) a big list of example sentences that illustrate the concept. For example, say you're learning German and you want to remember how the word order works for modal verbs.

Find the page in your grammar book that explains this point. If the book is anyway decent, it will give some examples of sentences that contain modal verbs, such as ich will Wasser trinken.

Assimil, Glossika and LingQ are all useful tools here, as they teach through exposure to full sentences rather than through explaining grammar. They're a great place to find example sentences.

Once you’ve got example sentences, I recommend turning them into flashcards using Anki. For each sentence, break it up into chunks and create a “question” flashcard that asks you how to reconstruct the broken sentence with the correct structure.

Here’s an example card for the sentence ich will Wasser trinken:

Where does the word “trinken” go in this sentence? ich will … Wasser …

Then the other side of the card should simply show the full sentence:

ich will Wasser trinken.

(You could also include a picture of someone drinking water, just to hammer the point home.)

Now, your job is to review the flashcards regularly until you can remember the answers to all of your questions. Look at a card, make a guess, flip it over, and see if you got the answer right. If you did, congratulate yourself. If not, try and remember it next time.

With a few different example sentences, it won't take long for the rule to be burned into your head.

If you find that you keep getting it wrong and you don't understand what the problem is, NOW it's a good time to go back to your grammar book and read the technical explanation.

Or if you feel like you’ve dealt with too much serious grammar today, check out Benny Lewis’ post on learning grammar through games.

The post Sentence Structure: How to Build Sentences and Use the Correct Word Order in Any Language appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

27 Colours in French to Brighten Your Day

Are you learning colours in French? You’ve come to the right place!

Colours are one of the most fun and essential topics to cover when you’re learning a new language.

At Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M) we’ve made it our goal to help learners achieve their goals in their target language, so I want to help you with your colourful mission.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

Table of contentsHow to Modify French ColoursCan Colours in French Be Feminine?Gender Agreement Rule in FrenchFrench Colour VerbsApply French Colour-Related Vocabulary to Everyday LifeFrench Colour-Related ExpressionsFrench Colour-Related QuestionsYou Can Now Talk About a Rainbow of Colours in French!

Grab your crayons and let’s get this multicolore adventure started!

function runSplitTest(){var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 2) + 1console.log(randomNumber)var copy = "";if (randomNumber == 1){ copy = '<i>One thing 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. <b><a href="https://fluentin3months.com/challenge... this link to find out more.</b></a></i>'} else { copy = '<i>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</b></a>, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!</i>'}console.log(copy)var copyToChange = document.querySelector("p.copyText").innerHTML = copy;}runSplitTest();French Colours 101 – Learn the Colour Names in French with this List

“Colour” in French is couleur. It’s a feminine noun, so “the colour” is la couleur and “a colour” is une couleur. “The colours” translates to les couleurs. Oddly enough, the colours themselves are masculine nouns in French. We’ll talk about this more later.

For now, let’s look at a list of the most common colours in French. We’ve included audio for each one to help you work on your pronunciation.

French Colours List:

le rose‎‏‏‎‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “pink”le rouge‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “red”l’orange‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “orange”le jaune‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “yellow”le vert‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “green”le bleu‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “blue”le violet‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “purple”le marron‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “brown”le noir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “black”le gris‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “grey”le blanc‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “white”

Here’s an infographic you can reference to help you with your studies:

[infographic]

These 11 colors are the ones you’re most likely to run into in everyday French. However, there are many other colours to learn if you want to make your days even more colourful.

Here is a list of extra colours in French:

le doré‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “gold”l’argenté‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “silver”le bronze‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “bronze”le lilas‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “lilac”le mauve‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “mauve”le magenta‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ or le fuchsia‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “fuchsia”le bordeaux‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “burgundy”l’écarlate‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “fire brick red”le pêche‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ or la couleur pêche‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “peach” (la pêche is the fruit)le beige‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “tan”le turquoise‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “turquoise”le bleu marine‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “navy blue”le bleu ciel‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “sky blue”le bleu indigo‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “indigo”le vert menthe‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “mint”

Wow! You have enough colours here to make a very bright arc-en-ciel (“rainbow”)! But what if you’re talking about hair colour?

Hair colour in French:

blond‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ (masculine) / blonde‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ (feminine) – “blond/e”brun‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ / brune‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “brown” (dark shade)châtain‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “brown” (chestnut shade)roux‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ / [rousse.mp3″]rousse‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎[/fi3m_short_audio] – “red-headed”How to Modify French Colours

Even if it seems like there are a lot of colours in the lists above, you can learn to describe even more shades with one simple trick.

In French, “shade” is teinte or nuance. To say “a shade of green”, you would say une teinte de vert or une nuance de vert. So what shades of green can you think of? Maybe “olive” or “mint”?

But there are many shades for every basic colour. Learning them all would take a lot of time. Instead, you can describe shades of color with simple adverbs.

Think of how we describe colours in English. We might say “light [green]”, “dark [green]”, “pastel [green]”, “dull [green]”, or “bright [green]”.

You can apply these adverbs to any colour. With only a few words, you’re able to describe several shades! This is useful if you want to learn French faster.

Here are French adverbs you can use to modify colours:

clair‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “light”foncé‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “dark”[pastel.mp3″]pastel‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎[/fi3m_short_audio] – “paster”vif‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “bright”terne‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “dull”fluo‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “fluorescent”

Native tip: Remember the word that describes the shade of the colour comes after the colour itself. So while in English we say “light green”, in French you’d say vert clair.(

There’s another common way to modify colours in French, and it involves the suffix -âtre.

When you add -âtre to a colour, it will often carry a negative connotation. For example, if you say that a book’s pages are jaunâtre, it will come across as if you’re saying the book’s pages are unpleasantly yellow.

Can Colours in French Be Feminine?

As you know, French nouns have a gender: they’re either masculine or feminine.

Examples:

“knife” is masculine → le couteau“table” is feminine → la table

As I told you earlier, all colours in French are masculine when they are nouns: le rouge, le vert, le blanc, le rose.

But you might have seen “green” written as verte instead or vert. Or “white” written as blanche instead of blanc. In this case, aren’t verte and blanche the feminine versions of vert and blanc?

The answer is yes. That’s because the French colours can become feminine when they are adjectives.

Gender Agreement Rule in French

Let’s pause here for a second and talk about the gender agreement rule in French. The gender of nouns in French doesn’t only affect what determiner (e.g. le/la) a noun needs. It also affects the form of the adjectives that describe the noun.

For example, if a noun is feminine, the adjective has to be in feminine form, too. You can’t say la table vert, you have to say la table verte.

Native tip: Don’t forget that adjectives don’t go before the noun in French. While in English you’d say “a white cloud”, in French you’d say *un nuage blanc.*

Colours like rouge, rose, marron, jaune, and orange don’t change in feminine form. However, these colours do:

violet becomes violettebleu becomes bleuevert becomes vertenoir becomes noiregris becomes griseblanc becomes blanchedoré becomes doréeargenté becomes argentée

It’s important to remember that French also has a number agreement rule. This means that you would say la table verte, because table is feminine and singular, and les tables vertes when tables is plural.

There’s an exception with colours and the agreement rules. The colours as adjectives don’t have to adapt to the noun if an adverb describes them. Remember the adverbs like clair and foncé? You can say une table verte but you can’t say une table verte clair. The right way to say it is une table vert clair.

French Colour Verbs

You’ve seen French colours in their noun form and their adjective form. But did you know that there are also colour verbs in French?

In English, you can say that something turns red by using the verb “redden”. There’s also a verb for turning grey, black, and white. There’s no verb for turning yellow, however.

But French has it! Let’s go over French colour verbs together.

French Colour Verbs List:

noircir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to blacken”griser‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to grey” (It’s also used figuratively as “to make tipsy”)blanchir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to whiten”rougir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to redden”, also “to blush”jaunir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to become/turn yellow*bleuir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to become/turn blue”verdir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to become/turn green”rosir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to become/turn pink”brunir‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‎ – “to become/turn brown”

There are more French colour verbs, but they’re not very common.

One you might want to learn, however, is grisonner. Its also a way to say “to grey”, but the French use it most often to describe the greying of hair and/or note aging. The verb itself is not as frequently used as the adjective: grisonnant/e.

Examples:

Je grisonne – “I am greying” or “I am going grey.”Il aime ses cheveux grisonnants – “He likes his graying hair.”

I know what you’re thinking now: What if you want to say that something is “turning purple”? There isn’t a verb for that.

Don’t worry, it’s very easy!

The verb “to become” is devenir in French. If you pair devenir with any colour, you will get the same result as if you used the colour verbs!

Examples:

devenir rouge – “to become/turn red”devenir jaune – “to become/turn yellow”devenir violet – “to become/turn purple”

Hack time: If you’re a beginner French learner, use this to your advantage. Instead of cramming all the different colour verbs, learn to use devenir* + colour noun. It has the same meaning and makes learning much quicker!*

It’s this type of shortcut that I encourage the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participants to use. It gives you more room to learn extra vocabulary for the 15-minute conversation you’ll have after only 90 days!

Apply French Colour-Related Vocabulary to Everyday LifeFrench Colour-Related Expressions

As I told you earlier in the post, colours are popular in everyday French conversation. This is due, in big part, to French idioms!

Colours are used in expressions that range from food, like jaune d’œuf (“egg yolk”) and cordon-bleu (“exceptional cook”), to gardening. Avoir la main verte (literally “to have a green hand”) means to be a very good gardener.

Here are some of the most common French idioms that use colours:

vert de rage – “durious”, literally “green with rage” (like the Hulk!)donner le feu vert à quelqu'un – “to give someone the green light”blanc comme un linge – *as white as a sheet”de but en blanc – “point blank”, literally “from goal to white”avoir carte blanche – “to be granted the ability to do what one wants”, literally “to have white card”avoir un bleu – “to have a bruise”, literally “to have a blue”une peur bleue – “a stiff scare”, literally “a blue fear”rouge comme une tomate – “red as a tomato”l'or noir – “oil”, literally “black gold”broyer du noir – “to feel down”, literally “to crush black”voir la vie en rose – “to see everything through rose-colored glasses”, literally “to see life in pink”French Colour-Related Questions

Any questions about colour questions? I’ll give you a few options.

If you simply want to ask “What colour?” in French, say Quelle couleur? Be careful, though! This only works if What colour? is a question on its own. It would not work if you want to ask someone what colour something is.

Instead, to say “What colour are your eyes?” in French, say De quelle couleur sont tes yeux? The answer could be ils sont [verts] or simply [verts]. If you’re writing this down, remember the -s at the end of the colour because of the number agreement rule.

The question “What is your favourite colour?” in French is Quelle est ta couleur préférée? You could answer that question in two ways: either by saying c’est le [bleu] (“it’s blue”), or simply, le [bleu] (“blue”).

Have you noticed how the short answers are different for the last two questions? For De quelle couleur sont tes yeux?, the answer is vert. For Quelle est ta couleur préférée?, the answer is le bleu. This is because verts is used as an adjective for “eyes”, and bleu is used as a noun.

You Can Now Talk About a Rainbow of Colours in French!

The more colours life has, the more beautiful it is! And now you’re able to brighten your days with French colours, how cool is that?

If you want to learn all of these colours successfully, you might want to use flashcards. They’re a great way to memorise vocabulary, most of all if they’re colorful and visually engaging!

If you’re learning French, you should check out my tips on how to learn French faster!

Bonne chance! (“Good luck!”)

The post 27 Colours in French to Brighten Your Day appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

15 Popular French Songs to Help You Learn French Faster

Let’s talk about the power of French songs.

French is a beautiful language, no doubt about it. But wrapping your head around the liaisons or getting stuck in grammar can make learning French seem like an impossible challenge.

Truth is, French is actually not that hard to learn, with the right approach. There are a lot of language hacks to help you pick up French quickly. One of the most important is to develop a passion for French culture and art.

I love listening to music to help me learn French. That’s partly because music is fun. But more important, studying French songs helps me pick up the language faster.

That’s what I want to help you with in this post.

Table of contentsWhy Study French With Songs?Boost Your MemoryGive You an Inside Look at French CultureImprove Your ComprehensionHelp You Sound Like a Native French Speaker15+ French Songs To Help You Learn French Faster1. Dernière Danse by Indila2. Aficionado by BB Brunes3. Papaoutai by Stromae4. La Vie En Rose by Edith Piaf5. Sympathique by Pink Martini6. Je Veux by ZAZ7. Color Gitano by Kendji Girac8. Il Est Temps by Kyo9. A Coup de Rêves by Ben L'Oncle Soul10.Sous le Ciel de Paris by Yves Montand11. La Tribu de Dana by Manau12. Tombé Sous Le Charme by Christophe Mae13. Elle Me Dit by Mika14. Champs Elysées by Joe Dassin15. The Ratatouille Song and Other French Songs for Kids100+ More French Language Songs for Learning FrenchLet’s Listen to French Music

Grab your headphones and a mic, and let’s dive into the French musical world!

Why Study French With Songs?

Here are a few of the biggest reasons why studying French through songs is a big advantage. Songs can:

Boost Your Memory

Probably the biggest benefit to studying with music is that it helps you remember vocabulary.

Mnemonics are one of my favourite tools for committing new vocabulary to memory. But mnemonics aren’t everything.

It turns out that our brains are hardwired to remember things through song. No wonder jingles remain stuck in your head years after watching a commercial.

Music is the ultimate mnemonic device!

Give You an Inside Look at French Culture

French songs give you an inside look into the way French speakers express themselves. You learn cultural nuances and expressions for all kinds of situations.

Improve Your Comprehension

Many French learners find listening to French a challenge. After all, native French speakers talk really fast.

Practising with songs will help bridge that gap and improve your listening comprehension.

Help You Sound Like a Native French Speaker

If you have a hard time getting French speakers to understand what you’re saying, then studying songs can help you master French pronunciation.

In fact, Spanish learner Jonross Swabby found that learning songs in Spanish and Portuguese made it easier for him to talk with native speakers.

Singing forces us to focus on the intonation and pronunciation of words in a way that repeating dialogues just can’t match.

15+ French Songs To Help You Learn French Faster

Not only have I put together a list of 15 songs that are ideal for French learners, but I have also included related recommendations to give you more choice. In total, you can choose from popular tunes.

I guarantee you’ll have at least one song to help you in your French journey by the end of this post!

Note: They’re in no particular order, because Des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas (“Everyone’s tastes are different”).

1. Dernière Danse by Indilahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5KAc...

With her haunting, clear vocals, Indila’s music is perfect for French learners.

This song is sung slowly, so you can pick up all the words (and learn about how Indila’s dancing helps her drown her sorrows.)

Indila is also famous for her songs Tourner Dans le Vide and SOS.

2. Aficionado by BB Bruneshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyRDe...

A French rock song by the band BB Brunes, the lyrics are sung so clearly and slowly that you can’t help but pick up new words.

Plus the chorus is really catchy. You’ll find yourself singing along without even trying.

This is the great thing about catchy songs, like:

3. Papaoutai by Stromaehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKj0...

You have probably heard at least one of Stromae’s songs, whether it was at the club or on TikTok. If Papaoutai doesn’t ring a bell, maybe Alors On Danse or Tous Les Mêmes sound familiar.

Stromae has a peculiar style, and his songs tend to not be the most cheerful. But he articulates words well, uses many idioms, and doesn’t hold back on popular slang terms.

His lyrics often follow a logic thread, which can help you learn how to use French words in context.

And there’s no denying that the beat is catchy. It’s what made Papaoutai a popular French song on TikTok, along with Copines by Aya Nakamura, Indila’s Tourner Dans le Vide and Douce Souffrance, and La Vie En Rose by Edith Piaf.

4. La Vie En Rose by Edith Piafhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0feNV...

One of the most celebrated songs in history, this Chanson (a specific style of lyrical song) is about as French as you can get.

While the lyrics are not too easy, singing this classic song in a room full of French people will get you some definite nods of approval.

5. Sympathique by Pink Martinihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANVQS...

This song seems like it was pulled straight out of a lesson from a French language textbook.

The words are easy to understand and you get a virtual classroom by watching the music video with its vocabulary-boosting graphics.

6. Je Veux by ZAZhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWbdc...

This is an upbeat song with a great message, sung in a clear and easy-to-follow manner. Many of these are phrases and words you would hear spoken in daily conversation, which makes it even more useful for learning French.

ZAZ’s songs tend to be full of life and rhythmic, like On Ira and Qué Vendrá.

Yes, you’ve read that right: the title of the last song is in Spanish. In fact, it isn’t uncommon to hear Spanish, or find Hispanic influence, in French music.

7. Color Gitano by Kendji Girachttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63K5V...

Kendji Girac is a gitan, and his song Color Gitano is full of vocabulary that describes his pride and love for his culture, as well as his everyday life.

Other songs by Kendji with useful vocabulary include Andalouse and Tiago.

8. Il Est Temps by Kyohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngmiw...

On the complete opposite side of the modern French music spectrum is this catchy pop tune by French boy band Kyo. Make sure you understand the lyrics for the full effect of this song about the end of a relationship.

9. A Coup de Rêves by Ben L'Oncle Soulhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zywzv...

Ben L’Oncle Soul (born Benjamin Duterde), has a soulful song reminiscent of a Motown sound. If you like A Coup de Rêves then be sure to also check out Ailleurs, which has a slower feel and even easier-to-follow lyrics, and Soulman, which describes famous people in a verse!

10.Sous le Ciel de Paris by Yves Montandhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LACZU...

Yves Montand, a well-known Italian-born French actor and singer, was actually discovered by Edith Piaf while working as a music hall singer. This song in the classic French crooner tradition is really easy to understand.

11. La Tribu de Dana by Manauhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80hME...

Of course, this wouldn’t be a complete list of songs without a bit of hip hop. One of the best selling French songs of all time, La Tribu de Dana (“The Tribe of Dana”) is an elegantly written song that tells the story of a battle between celtic warriors and the Dana Tribe.

12. Tombé Sous Le Charme by Christophe Maehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRGiY...

Christophe Mae writes heartfelt lyrics about life, everyday experiences, and feelings. He often uses idioms and even some commonly used French (bleeping) words. His unique voice and the catchy rhythm will make you want to learn his songs.

You can also try C’Est Ma Terre and Il Est Où le Bonheur by him.

13. Elle Me Dit by Mikahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiHWw...

What post about French songs would not mention Elle Me Dit by Mika?

You might know Mika for his song Grace Kelly, but in France he is famous for another single. In Elle Me Dit, Mika describes what his judgy ‘mother’ thinks of him, and what he thinks of her in return.

14. Champs Elysées by Joe Dassinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFTM...

(ZAZ also sang her own version!)

Let’s talk about Joe Dassin’s Champs Elysées, one of the vintage French songs you absolutely need to know. It might seem like a very cliché tune to learn, but it’s still popular in modern French culture.

Its catchy rhythm, slow pace, and simple vocabulary are perfect for beginner/ intermediate French learners.

If vintage French music is your (new) passion, you also have to listen to Charles Aznainvour’s La Bohème.

15. The Ratatouille Song and Other French Songs for Kidshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca5ae...

Le Festin (“the feast”), also known as the Ratatouille song, is another popular French sound on TikTok. (If you’re on TikTok, come see what I do!) It’s from the 2007 Pixar-Disney movie Ratatouille that tells the story of Remy, a rat who loves to cook.

Other French songs for children include the French birthday song or some comptines (“nursery rhymes”) such as Alouette and A la Claire Fontaine.

100+ More French Language Songs for Learning French

Of course, these are just a few of my team’s favourites, but you can find a wide range of amazing French songs online.

There are also many fantastic resources to help you make the most of your French studies and find more songs in French.

Here are a few helpful links to get you started:

21 French Songs for French Learners : FrenchLearner.com have put together a helpful list of songs specifically for students of the French language. These include songs to learn the French Alphabet, days of the week, colours, and much more. 40+ Fun and Easy French Songs : This YouTube playlist includes over 40 songs perfect for beginner French learners. Learn French Fast Through Story and Song : Another YouTube Playlist with 24 songs to help you learn French quickly. Lyric Translations : Find your favourite song lyrics translated into other languages at LyricsTranslate. These are done by community members so keep in mind that the translations might not be perfect.Let’s Listen to French Music

There you have it. Some great songs to help boost your French and additional links to keep your studies moving forward.

If you’re looking for more resources to help you learn French, take a look at my list of favourite tools and programs right here.

The post 15 Popular French Songs to Help You Learn French Faster appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

30 Must-Know Korean Honorifics to Show Respect in Korea

People who recently started learning Korean often wonder: “What are Korean honorifics? What are these short suffixes attached to people’s names? Why do Koreans use honorifics?”

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions (especially after watching popular K-dramas which use them all the time!) then this is the article for you.

Honorifics are a critical part of the Korean culture and language. It’s how you show respect to your family, your boss and co-workers, and even your friends.

I’m sure you’ve heard them before. You can’t watch a Korean romcom or variety show without hearing honorific titles like “Oppa!”

So, let’s learn what they mean, how to use them, and the Korean vocabulary you need to know.

Korean Honorifics: An Overview

Honorifics are titles that show respect. We have these in English, too -- titles like Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., or even Sir and Ma’am.

All these are honorific titles in English to show politeness and respect.

While they’ve become less common in English, they’re still essential to everyday conversation in Korean.

A lot of this comes down to the influence of Confucianism and the social hierarchy of Korean society. It’s critical for individuals to represent their families and company well by maintaining proper etiquette.

Honorifics can also be speech patterns. You’ll see honorific verb endings and different pronouns used to sound more humble and show respect.

Korean Honorifics and Age

When it comes to when to use Korean honorifics, you need to know who you’re talking to and their age. Asking someone’s age is one of the most common questions you’ll be asked in Korean.

That’s because age determines a lot of the formality of a relationship.

It determines which honorifics you’ll use and what speech level, for sure. But it’ll also determine who pours the soju during a night out (the youngest person), who has to pay the bill (the oldest person), who can begin eating first and set the tone during a meal (also the oldest), and other social customs.

It’s funny though because there are a few ways to ask someone’s age… And it actually their age determines which one you should use.

Yeah, it’s a trap for sure!

If you’re speaking to someone obviously older, or in most formal situations, you’ll use (or hear) this phrase:

연세가 어떻게 되십니까? yeonsega eotteoke doesimnikka?

연세 (yeonse) is the word meaning “age” here.

In more casual situations or for someone who is obviously close in age to you, then you can say:

나이가 어떻게 되세요? naiga eotteoke doeseyo?

나이 (nai) and 연세 (yeonse) both mean “age”, but 나이 (nai) is the regular Korean noun for “age” while 연세 (yeonse) is the honorific form of the noun.

There’s also 몇 살이에요? (myeot sarieyo?) which is also “How old are you?” and in polite speech. But it’s considered to be a bit more casual than using naiga eotteoke doeseyo?

Every now and then, you might hear 몇 살이야? (myeot sariya?) which the casual form of 몇 살이에요? (myeot sarieyo).

For instance, I heard it while watching The Inheritors where the two characters were clearly the same age and more or less knew as much. (Not to mention they were being a bit cheeky by intentionally using casual speech.)

But since you shouldn’t use casual speech with those you don’t know, it’s best to use one of the more formal ways to ask someone’s age.

The last thing you should know is that Koreans use the Native Korean number system when talking about age. So make sure you brush up on those if you’re more used to the Sino-Korean system.

Korean Speech Levels

In Korean, there are a few different levels of speech to show politeness. The most common are informal speech, polite speech, and formal/honorific speech.

The most common way to distinguish the tone or politeness of speech is by the verb endings.

Verbs that end in -mnida are formal. If they end in -yo, then they’re formal speech. If they end in without the -yo, then it’s casual speech.

Besides that, there are specific words you use to sound more humble or more respectful. The top words (besides “age” that we already discussed) you’d want to memorize are:

Name: 이름 (ireum) → 성함 (seongham)Person: 사람 (saram) → 분 (bun)Home: 집 (jip) → 댁 (daek)Rice: 밥 (bap) → 식사 (siksa)Birthday: 생일 (saeng-il) → 생신 (sangsin)Illness: 병 (byeong) → 병환 (byeonghwan)Words: 말 (mal) → 말씀 (malsseum)Child: 아이 (ai) → 자제분 (jajebun)

There’s also specific verbs you’ll use to be polite:

To eat: 먹다 (meokda) → 드시다 (deusida)To drink: 마시다 (masida) → 드시다 (deusida)To be/to exist: 있다 (itda) → 계시다 (gyesida)To sleep: 자다 (jada) → 주무시다 (jumusida)To see/meet: 보다 (boda) → 뵙다 (boepda)To die: 죽다 (jukda) → 돌아가시다 (dor-agasida)To ask: 묻다 (mudda) → 여쭈다 (yeojjuda)Korean Honorifics: Pronouns

There are a few honorific pronouns you need to know that are commonly used when talking to someone older or of higher status. They are:

I: 나 (na) → 저 (jeo)We: 우리 (uri) → 저희 (jeohi)You: 너 (neo) → 당신 (dangsin)

Because the family is considered a unit and each member represents the family, it’s common to use “we” in formal situations when talking about family things. Instead of “my dad” it’d be “our father”, or “my home” would be “our home”.

Also, the “you” pronouns aren’t used often at all. Instead, you’d be more likely to use their title or name, plus one of the honorifics below.

Korean Honorifics: Titles

Let’s first start with general Korean honorific titles. These are the titles you’ll hear most often.

님 (nim)

님 (nim) means either “sir” or “ma’am”. You’ll use this one with someone who is of higher status than you or offering you a service.

You’ll also be called your name plus 님 (nim) when addressed by someone providing you a service, as the customer/client/patient. (For example, a doctor’s office.)

So, you can use 님 (nim) with someone’s name. But it’s most common to use this with someone’s job title. Here are some examples:

대표님 (daepyonim) - “CEO”사장님 (sajangnim) - “Boss” or “president”선생님 (seonsaengnim) - “Teacher”

It’s also common to add this to some family titles to make them more formal or polite, such as “grandfather” is 할아버지님 (harabeojinim).

씨 (ssi)

This suffix is more like “Mr.” or “Mrs.” in English, and it’s the most generic and common to use. If you’re not sure which honorific to use, this one is your safest bet.

Keep in mind, this one should be used for someone around the same social status and age as you.

If you’re familiar with Japanese, you may know that Japanese honorifics follow someone’s last name. But in Korean, that’s not the case.

You either need to use their full name + 씨 (ssi), with 씨 (ssi) attaching to the first name, or use their first name + 씨 (ssi). For example:

김탄씨 (Kim Tan-ssi) - Mr. Kim Tan탄씨 (Tan-ssi) - Mr. Tan

Although adding “Mr.” sounds a bit formal here, it’s not too formal, like 님 (nim). You would use this with your classmates, for example.

선배님 (seonbaenim)

선배 (seonbae or sometimes romanized as sunbae in Korean) means “upperclassman” or “senior”. You’ll often attach 님 (nim) to the title when talking to or about your upperclassmen.

The opposite would be 후배님 (hubaenim), where 후배 (hubae) means “junior” and someone younger or in a lower grade than you.

Honorific Titles for Family (and Others)

There are certain family honorifc titles that are so common to hear in everyday life. The most common are oppa in Korean, hyung/hyeong (depending on romanization), nuna/noona, and eonni/unnie.

Let’s first start with the meaning of oppa. What does oppa mean? You hear it all. the. time.

Well, 오빠 (oppa) means “older brother” when addressed by a woman. But it’s also used for any close guy friend who is older than her. A woman may even call a boyfriend or husband 오빠 (oppa) to show affection.

The same is true for 언니 (eonni/unnie) in Korean. It’s what a woman would call her older sister, but also an older female friend.

As for hyeong/hyung’s meaning, it’s “older brother” when addressed by a guy. So 형 (hyeong) is what men would call their older brothers and guy friends who are older than them.

The same goes for nuna/noona’s meaning in Korean. 누나 (nuna) is “older sister” if you’re a man, and you’d use this term for any women you’re close with who are older than you.

You may also hear the word 동생 (dongsaeng), which means “younger sibling” as well.

Casual Honorific Titles

This may seem like an oxymoron, but there’s such a thing as casual honorifics. These are titles and suffixes used for friends, your children, or those close to you. They’re more to show affection rather than respect.

아 / 야 (a / ya) are often used as a suffix to first names. For example, 탄아 (Tan-a) is “Tan” but in an affectionate way.

If someone’s name ends in a vowel, you’d use 야 (ya) instead. Like 세리야 (Se-ri-ya).

(Don’t you love how all my examples are K-Drama names?)

Be Polite with Korean Honorifics

Phew! Feeling worried about all these Korean honorifics? Well, don’t worry about it too much.

While it takes some getting used to, the most common honorific terms are used so often you’ll quickly get the hang of them.

And in case you didn’t notice, one of my favorite ways to pick them up is with Korean TV shows and Korean movies. I’ll listen for the honorifics they use, which help me understand how to use them between ages and social status.

But no matter how you practice your honorifics, as long as you use them, you’re doing great! And remember: when in doubt, you can always use 씨 (ssi).

Now, if you’re ready for more politeness, master your manners by learning thank you in Korean. Or why not move onto something more fun and try learning a rainbow of colors in Korean?

The post 30 Must-Know Korean Honorifics to Show Respect in Korea appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

How Joining a Book Club Will Help You Learn Italian Fast

Are you stuck in your Italian learning? Perhaps you’re at a plateau and cannot get past it? You have tried everything and are starting to lose your motivation.

Well, reading is one way to get unstuck, learn quicker, and discover more than the language. Joining a book club might be just what you need.

If you want to know:

How reading can help you recharge your motivation to learn your target languageWhy reading is important for language learningWhat techniques to use to read in a foreign languageWhy you should join a book club and how to choose one

Then this is the right post for you.

Why I Believe in the Power of Book Clubs for Learning a Language

I am a teacher and teacher trainer of Italian as a second language, and I have over fifteen years of experience in teaching this beautiful language. Two of my interests are language acquisition and reading.

During my career, I have been teaching adults, mostly in group settings, and training teachers. I founded my own Italian school, which operates entirely online and offers a book club.

I believe that reading in a foreign language, and especially from native authors, greatly increases your chance of truly learning.

I learned English as an adult and reading has been a key to genuinely appreciate and grasp all the intricacies of the language and its beauty. So let’s see how reading can help you.

Why Reading for a Book Club Can Help You Get Your Motivation Back

If you have lost your motivation for learning your target language, is it because you no longer see any improvements in your language learning? Or you might feel like you are forgetting words rather than acquiring new ones?

What you need is a motivation boost, which you can get by reading in a book club setting.

It goes without saying that reading something that you like gives you pleasure. You might also like the idea and satisfaction of reading texts that are meant for native speakers.

If, for example, you like a thriller, you might carry on with the task, even if it becomes difficult because you wish to know how the story ends.

Being part of a book club gives you further motivation as all members wish to contribute insightfully to the discussion, and will work harder to be able to do so.

But there is more to reading than boosting your motivation.

Context and Storytelling Help You Learn Vocabulary With a More Lasting Effect

If you have been trying to learn Italian by memorising random lists of words, you might know by now that this does not work well.

Our brain and our memory function through connections and pathways. A list of words without connection to each other will soon be forgotten.

If you wish to store a new word in your memory, it is more beneficial to ‘anchor’ it to something already there. This is because our brain has evolved to retain only information that is meaningful.

Context and stories do not only make vocabulary memorable, but they also have the power of contributing meaning to a word, even a new word that you have never come across before.

Storytelling is the natural human way to pass on information and experiences. This is why it is so powerful as a means for learning a language.

Why Is Reading in Italian so Difficult?

If reading in a foreign language is a natural way to learn it, why does it seem so difficult?

If you have already tried reading in Italian, but have found it really hard, there are a few ways to explain it. Perhaps you have chosen a book that is still too difficult for your current level of Italian. Or it might just be that you don’t yet know the correct techniques for reading.

Let me help you with that.

Authentic Material vs Graded Texts

You can read in a foreign language at any level. However, if you are a beginner or lower intermediate student, you might want to start with graded texts.

These are not texts meant for Italians. They have been prepared for students and are simplified according to different language levels.

These texts are usually based on a number of words. If you are a beginner, you might choose 500 words. If you are an intermediate, go up to 1,500.

Authentic material such as novels and short stories written for native speakers are more appropriate for upper intermediate and advanced students.

Even if you can read at a more advanced level, it’s still important to use the right strategy. Here is my tried and true technique:

5 Steps for Reading Any Texts in a Foreign Language

After using your graded texts for a while, you might want to graduate to the real thing, i.e. books that are meant for natives.

Here are 5 steps that might help you build up your confidence when reading texts in a foreign language.

1. Use the Context to Get Some Idea of What You Are Reading

Before you read, try to understand what you can from the title, images, and genre of the book.

These elements will tell you a lot about what to expect from the text. They will give you vital clues for understanding more when you begin to read.

2. Read the Entire Text Once to Get the General Meaning

A big mistake that all my students make when reading a book is to want to know every single word on their first read.

However, this is an exhausting expectative which ends in frustration and ultimately in abandoning the task altogether.

When you read, choose the length of your text wisely to not get discouraged.

For example, if you are reading a novel, your goal can be to read one chapter. If you are reading the first chapter, which is 30 pages long, work on half of it. Then read the entirety of the chosen text from beginning to the end.

Do not worry about missing out on meaning, just read. Read as if you are soaking in the words, as if you wish to get the ‘feeling’ of them rather than the whole meaning.

3. Think About the Text You Have Read and Ask Yourself “What Do I Understand?”

Don’t worry if the ideas are still sketchy. Your mind is already at work even if you don’t feel this way.

Try to put the meaning of the text together, thinking of some key words you have found in the text.

Also, try to think logically: if something happens, what usually follows this type of action?

4. Read Once More and Underline Words You Don’t Understand

Be very economical with the number of words you feel you don’t understand. Not all words have the same importance.

For example, in a chapter, you might only need to underline 5-8 words, but you would still be able to get a lot of the meaning.

Underline the words but do not look them up yet, read the text again till the end.

5. Use the Dictionary

Now, it is time to use the dictionary to look up the underlined words. After this, you might wish to read the entire passage again.

By looking up only a few important and memorable words, these will become an inevitable part of your new vocabulary arsenal.

Why to Join an Italian Book Club

As we discussed earlier, joining a book club can be extremely helpful to your motivation.

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.

As you are accountable to the club, you are less likely to abandon the task.

Additionally, a book club allows for discovering new authors you didn’t know before, as a book club in Italian will feature books by Italian authors.

Reading short stories and novels by Italian authors will be more meaningful for learning the language. Language is deeply entwined with the culture and learning about the culture will deepen your understanding of the language itself in return.

What to Expect From a Book Club and What Questions to Ask

A good book club should welcome you and make you feel comfortable.

If you can choose one moderated by a native teacher, they can deepen your cultural understanding as well as the understanding of the meaning of the text itself.

During the session, you and your fellow readers will discuss the story as a whole, the characters, and also specific elements that each has picked up in their reading.

These elements might be about items of language, such as new words or phrases, or even about entire passages that are considered particularly evocative or beautifully written.

If you have never joined a book club before, it might be daunting to join one in a foreign language. To get the best outcome, ask these questions before you join:

What level is expected from the participants?How long do you have to read the set text?Will the text be broken down into chapters, or do you need to read the entire book?How to Prepare Before a Book Club Session to Make the Most Out of It

Before you start reading, do a bit of research about the author and the book. Get some clues from the book itself, its genre, the pictures on the cover or inside.

Start reading by applying the techniques mentioned above. Use your dictionary sparingly and always for words you feel are truly important.

If you own the book, underline passages that help with understanding the characters. Other important passages are related to the explanation of main events. Others might be beautiful and poetic passages that you wish to remember.

Take notes about items that you wish to bring up in discussions and even questions about which you wish to understand more of.

A Few Tips to Find a Book Club in a Foreign Language

There are various ways to find a book club in Italian. Here are some examples:

Visit a book shop specialising in Italian language books and ask.Use Meetup. Register on the platform and then just search. As this is a large platform and groups will be plentiful, there is no guarantee that you will find a serious group straight away. However, try a few and see if you find what you are looking for.Use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Search for pages and accounts specialising in Italian as a foreign language by searching ‘learn Italian’. Ask them, too.Of course, you can join Parla Italiano’s book club, my book club!

We read the usual authors, such as Ferrante and Calvino, but we also offer less known and equally interesting authors such as Lorenzo Marone, Alessandro Baricco and Claudio Magris.

We don’t read the entire book but the sessions each focus on a specific chapter. We find that this is less daunting for students, it gives them a taste of the author and if they do not like it, they are not stuck with it.

On the other hand, if they fall in love with the author, they can then read the full book by themselves or request more chapters be added to the club programme.

To Sum It Up

Reading is a natural way of learning Italian.

There are certain techniques that can be helpful to get the most out of the experience. In summary, remember:

Reading does not mean understanding every word the first time around (nor the second).Use your dictionary sparingly only to look up the most meaningful words.Every time you read the text again you will add to your understanding. After every read, summarise what you understand.Join a supportive and welcoming book club.Read Italian authors in Italian. This will add the cultural dimension to your experience, which is essential to understanding the language at a deeper level.

The post How Joining a Book Club Will Help You Learn Italian Fast appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

The 10 Best Ways to Learn Spanish (Be Fluent Faster!)

"What’s the best way to learn Spanish?"

Spanish was the first language I learned to a conversational level, so I get this question a lot. People often want a magic bullet: what's the one best method or technique to get the Spanish language into their heads?

Here's a secret: there is no one best way to study Spanish. There are almost as many effective ways to learn Spanish as there are people who have learned it.

With that being said, for every effective way to learn Spanish, there are even more ineffective ways. Take it from me - I tried and failed repeatedly for years to gain a passable level of Spanish, and kept falling flat on my face.

Even six months of living in Valencia didn't help.

Eventually, I managed to learn Spanish to a high level of fluency, and even have a C2 diploma (the highest level) in the language.

In this post I'll outline some of the most common and effective methods for studying Spanish. I can't tell you what the "best" program is for your specific needs - only you can figure that out. Experiment with different approaches until you discover what works best for you.

Table of contents1. My Favourite Way to Learn Spanish: Speaking From Day One2. Stop Speaking English! Study Spanish Through Immersion3. Study Spanish by Listening to Podcasts and Audio Courses4. Study Spanish by Taking a University Course5. Take a Spanish Summer School Course6. Learn Spanish With a Tutor (Online or In-Person)7. Free Option: Learn Spanish with a Language Partner8. Go to Spanish Language Meetups9. Join a Language Learning Challenge10. Make Spanish Words Stick in Your Brain Using MnemonicsExtra Resources to Learn Spanish

I can assure you: just because you've failed in the past doesn't mean you're doomed.

If you're struggling with Spanish, it's not because you "don't have the language gene". You probably just don't have the right study method.

My mission today is to help you figure it out.

1. My Favourite Way to Learn Spanish: Speaking From Day One

Related Learning: Benny’s TEDx Talk: Speak From Day One

In my first six months in Spain, I hardly learned anything in the language. It wasn't for lack of trying. I'd put the effort in (or so I thought) but I just wasn’t able to make it work.

Then, I hit upon the most important realisation I've ever made in my journey to language-learning success. Once I made this discovery, everything changed. And before long, I was having confident conversations in Spanish.

What was the secret?

I needed to speak Spanish.

That might sound obvious, but it's advice that many would-be Spanish speakers (like my 21-year-old self!) struggle to follow.

Instead, they attempt to learn Spanish by burying their nose in books, occasionally watching a Spanish movie (with English subtitles), then speaking English all day with their friends, family and coworkers.

No wonder I learned so slowly!

At Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M) I've always advocated that you speak from day one. Speaking Spanish is a skill, and to learn any skill you must practise it! Just open your mouth, and don't be afraid to make a few mistakes.

If you speak from day one, you'll find it's possible to have real (albeit imperfect) conversations with native speakers far sooner than you think.

If you’re not sure how to get started, don’t worry, I’ve got your back! In my Conversation Countdown course, I'll take you from a total beginner in Spanish (or any language) to the point where you can have your first conversation with a native speaker in as little as a week.

2. Stop Speaking English! Study Spanish Through Immersion

Related Learning: 16 Ways to Immerse Yourself at Home

When I broke through my barriers in Valencia and finally started making progress with Spanish, there were two reasons why I succeeded.

It wasn't just that I started speaking Spanish as much as possible. It was that I completely stopped speaking English. For one month, I committed to speaking no English whatsoever, and succeeded. Not a single word of English escaped my mouth during these 30 days.

I've since used the same approach for many other languages: living in the country and having a strict policy of speaking only the language I'm learning.

This is the immersion approach, and it's extremely effective.

The reason is simple. Forty hours of intensive Spanish immersion in a single week will be far more valuable than forty hours spread out haphazardly over a few weeks. The more often you immerse yourself, the less time you waste trying to remember what you learned last time you spoke Spanish.

My friend Scott Young took this approach to its extreme when he learned four languages in a year. The cardinal rule that helped him succeed? No English.

“But Benny,” you’re probably thinking, “you got to live in Spain! It must have been easy to immerse yourself there. What about people who can’t do that?”

Don’t worry, you don't have to travel to a Spanish-speaking country to immerse yourself. I’ve learned several languages while living nowhere near the countries where they’re spoken.

Also, immersion doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing thing. Depending on your job and your lifestyle, it's probably impractical to avoid English 100% of the time. Just try to minimise the amount of English you do speak, even if you can't eliminate it completely.

3. Study Spanish by Listening to Podcasts and Audio Courses

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

Travelling to the country is no guarantee that you'll be immersed. It's easy to get trapped in the expat bubble (like I initially did in Valencia). It’s definitely possible to achieve immersion in your home country.

Spanish podcasts and audio courses are no substitute for speaking practice. However, they make a great supplement, and can give structure to your learning.

My favourite Spanish podcast for Spanish learners of all levels is SpanishPod101. The creator, Innovative Language, offers courses in more than 30 languages.

I'm also a big fan of Mimic Method Spanish that will help you master the 39 Elemental Sounds of Spanish, so you can ace your Spanish pronunciation.

Finally, you might like to check out LingQ, which has thousands of hours of Spanish listening resources for all levels. LingQ is especially good if you like to read along while you listen.

4. Study Spanish by Taking a University Course

Related Learning: How to Learn a Language While Studying Abroad

I have a degree in Electronic Engineering, and didn't have any success with language learning until after I'd already graduated.

But many universities offer degrees in Spanish, and if you're serious about getting your Spanish to a high level, this is a legitimate option.

The advantages of a degree are:

You'll learn to speak, read and write Spanish at a very high level.You'll learn to understand the language and all its inner workings, going deep in your study of Spanish grammar and the subtleties of the language.You'll study more than just the language itself! You'll learn about Spanish literature, the language's history, and the culture and history of countries where it's spoken.You'll typically spend part of your degree, maybe a semester or an entire year, living and studying in a Spanish-speaking country. A perfect opportunity for the immersion that I mentioned above!

At some universities you may be able to study Spanish alongside something else - e.g. as a "minor" in the American system. Sometimes it's possible to get a degree in two languages simultaneously. Often, you study one language that you've already started learning (e.g. in secondary school), and another ab initio (“from scratch”).

The obvious disadvantages of a bachelor's degree are that it takes three or four years to earn one and, depending on the country, can be very expensive. There are faster, cheaper ways to get your Spanish to an impressive level.

A bachelor's degree in Spanish is definitely not for everyone. But it’s the right choice for some people.

5. Take a Spanish Summer School Course

Related Learning: You Can Reach Proficiency in a New Language in Just 24-Weeks with Classroom Learning

If you don't have the time or desire to get a full degree in Spanish, consider a shorter course in a language school.

Many schools offer intensive programs, which can be a great way to gain the kind of immersion I described above.

What's even better is a "total immersion program", in which you and your fellow learners live on the school's premises and pledge to speak only Spanish for the duration of the course.

Middlebury College in the U.S., for example, is well-known for its intensive immersion programs. Remember I said that you don't need to travel to a Spanish-speaking country to gain immersion!

I can't give advice on specific schools, because it obviously depends on where you are. Read online reviews and try to talk to former students to see if you can learn a bit about the programme and decide whether it suits your learning style before you sign up.

6. Learn Spanish With a Tutor (Online or In-Person)

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

With classroom learning, you generally move at the pace of the slowest learner. That's why small class sizes are better. Best of all is a class size of one.

One-on-one tutoring is often surprisingly close in cost to group lessons in a classroom. This is especially true for online tutoring, since your tutor doesn’t have to spend time travelling to meet you. If you can afford it, I highly recommend seeking a one-on-one tutor.

Preply is a popular platform where you can find one-on-one Spanish tutors who can give you lessons over video chat.

The cost of lessons is very reasonable, with a great choice of tutors available from just a few dollars per hour

Different Spanish teachers have different styles; don't be afraid to shop around and try a few different teachers before settling on one that you like.

In-person Spanish lessons aren't necessarily better than online lessons. It's very convenient to be able to have lessons from your own home.

In fact, while learning Mandarin in Taiwan, I ended up switching from in-person to Skype lessons with the same tutor. Even though we lived in the same city, it wasn't worth the effort and travel time to meet in person.

7. Free Option: Learn Spanish with a Language Partner

Related Learning: Language Exchange Partners: The Ultimate Guide

"But Benny, I can't afford Spanish lessons with a tutor or at a language school! And no one in my area speaks Spanish! How can I practise?"

Death to your excuses, I say! There's still a way: find a language exchange partner (sometimes called a language tandem partner or a conversation partner).

If you're reading this, you speak English. That means there's a lot of Spanish speakers who'd like to practise their English with you. In return, many of them would be happy to let you practise Spanish with them.

If you can find a Spanish-speaking language partner in your city and can meet up in person, that’s great. If you can’t, there are apps that can help you! I’ve used HelloTalk and liked it a lot.

A language exchange can be structured any way you want. You might just want to casually converse with your partner about whatever comes to mind, switching languages at a predefined interval (e.g. every 5 or 10 minutes). Or you could work through a series of structured exercises or language games together.

It's up to you.

Many people end up becoming good friends with their language exchange partners, even visiting each other in their home countries!

8. Go to Spanish Language Meetups

Related Learning: 11 Steps to Learn a New Language with Meetups… Even if You Feel Terrified!

A language exchange doesn't have to be one-on-one.

In many cities you can find "language exchange" events, where people from all over the world get together to speak and practise many languages together.

Meetup.com is a good place to find events like this.

The popularity of Spanish as a second language means that most major cities have meetup groups that are just for Spanish speakers who want to learn English and visa versa. Some meetup groups are more open-ended, open to speakers of all languages.

The danger of events like these is that you can end up having the same conversations over and over with the people you meet: "where are you from?", "what do you do?", etc.

The best language exchanges avoid this problem by adding some structure. For example, you may play some language games together or be given specific conversation starters or topics to talk about.

If there are no Spanish language groups in your area, go ahead and create your own. Anyone can create a group on Meetup.com, and you’re bound to get several members joining up who have been hoping for a group like this for ages.

9. Join a Language Learning Challenge

Related Learning: Why Language Learnings Quit -- and How to Beat the “Motivational Killers”

Learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint, and learners sometimes struggle with motivation.

One great way to solve this problem is to join a language learning community.

If you surround yourself with other people who are on the same journey as you, no matter the language, you'll all be able to support and encourage each other in pursuit of your shared goal.

Learning communities can be offline or online. If you're having classroom lessons, then I hope your class feels like a learning community! You're all in it together, so why not help each other out and support each other?

Online communities can be powerful too. At Fi3M, we run a regular event called the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge. People from all around the world commit to having a 15-minute conversation with a native speaker of their new language after just 90 days of study.

Our participants have seen great results.

10. Make Spanish Words Stick in Your Brain Using Mnemonics

Related Learning: How to Remember Spanish Words: The “Word Bridge” Technique and Other Memory Hacks for Spanish Learners

Mnemonics isn't an entire study method in itself, but it's still a powerful tool that every language learner should be familiar with.

Languages require a great deal of memorization: vocabulary, grammar rules, phrases, idioms, etc. There are better and worse ways to get all this information into your head, and the best way is to become skilled at mnemonics.

A "mnemonic" is a memory technique that uses imagery or other mental cues to help you quickly recall information.

There are many different kinds of mnemonics, but they all use the same underlying principle: when something is hard to remember, find a way to associate it with something that is easy to remember.

The topic of mnemonics goes deep. One advanced technique is the memory palace. You construct a mental image of a building (or buildings) you know well, and then imagine placing items at different locations in the building to remind you of certain words or concepts.

Mnemonic techniques like the memory palace take practice to get good at. Once you're good at them, they easily repay the initial time investment. They're an extremely effective way to memorize large amounts of vocabulary.

Extra Resources to Learn Spanish

Whew, this is a lot of options to choose from! But this is exactly what I wanted to give you: choice. Learning a language is easier when you find the method that works best for you.

You might have found that one of these techniques is the best way to learn Spanish for you. Or you might have understood that you want to mix two or three of them and go from there. That’s amazing!

And if you want to consider some more resources to include in your language learning process, here are a few posts that might help you:

Read in Spanish: 30+ Resources for Spanish Reading PracticeListen to Spanish: 50+ Amazing Spanish Listening ResourcesSpanish for Kids: Where to Start and Online ResourcesBenny’s Top Resources for Learning Spanish

The post The 10 Best Ways to Learn Spanish (Be Fluent Faster!) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Korean Slang: 80+ Everyday Words and Phrases to Sound Like a Native

Here’s something the Korean textbooks won’t teach you: Korean slang.

Learning Korean slang is essential to understanding everyday speech and casual conversations in Korean, but it’s hard to learn and master. Especially since it’s not traditionally taught in a classroom.

And if you’re learning Korean to understand KPop and Korean TV shows, you’ll hear these phrases all the time.

Plus when you start making Korean friends, you’ll speak more casually and use more slang with each other. So you need to learn them!

Once you start sprinkling these Korean slang terms into your daily speech, you’ll sound more like a Korean pro.

Now, here’s today’s lesson plan:

Table of contentsBasic Korean Slang Words to Get You Started대박 (daebak) – “Amazing” or “Awesome”헐 (heol) – “OMG” or “WTF”짱 (jjang) – “Amazing”, “Best” or “Cool”애교 (aegyo) – “Cute”꿀잼 (kkuljaem) – “Fun” or “Interesting”노잼 (nojaem) – “Not Funny” or “Boring”화이팅! (hwaiting!) – “Fighting!”극혐 (geukyeom) – “Extreme disgust”심쿵 (simkung) – “Fangirling”솔까말 (solkkamal) – “TBH”Korean Slang Phrases to Add More Spice to Your ConversationsModern Korean Slang TermsKorean Face Mask: 마스크 (maseukeu)Lonely: 쓸쓸 (sseulsseul)“Insperiences”: 인스피리언스족 (inseupirieonseujok)Mental Breakdown: 멘붕 (menbung)Impulse Shopping: 홧김비용 (hwatgimbiyong)Cute Korean Slang WordsCool Korean WordsKorean Text and Internet SlangSound Like a Native with Korean Slang

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Let’s dive into it!

Basic Korean Slang Words to Get You Started

To get started, let’s look at some common Korean slang words you should know. These are simple and easy to start using, even as a beginner Korean speaker.

Keep in mind though, Korean is a hierarchical language (and society). So you should only use slang with your friends, peers, and those around the same age as you.

대박 (daebak) – “Amazing” or “Awesome”

대박 (daebak) is one of the most common Korean slang terms you’ll hear. It’s like “cool” or “awesome” in English. But it’s also used to mean “wow,” “great,” or “that’s crazy!”

It’s used as an exclamation and can be used for anything amazing or surprising.

헐 (heol) – “OMG” or “WTF”

헐 (heol) means the same as “OMG” or “WTF” in English, and it’s used in the same way. Like 대박 (daebak), it’s an exclamation used whenever something is super shocking.

짱 (jjang) – “Amazing”, “Best” or “Cool”

Another common slang phrase is 짱 (jjang) which is used to describe anything as incredible or cool.

Sometimes it’s paired with other words to make slang phrases like 몸짱 (momjjang), which means someone has a great physique.

애교 (aegyo) – “Cute”

애교 (aegyo) is more a way of dressing and speaking than a slang term itself. But it means “lovely” or “cute.”

Cuteness in Korean has its own culture, where you speak in aegyo with long drawn out syllables and exaggeratedly cute mannerisms.

This is popular among Korean idols especially.

꿀잼 (kkuljaem) – “Fun” or “Interesting”

꿀 (kkul) means “honey” and 잼 (jaem) means “jam”. So, the literal translation is “honey jam.” But the full term means something is fun or interesting.

노잼 (nojaem) – “Not Funny” or “Boring”

The opposite of 꿀잼 (kkuljaem) is 노잼 (nojaem), which means it’s “not the jam” — it’s not fun or funny.

There’s also 썰렁해 (sseolleonghae), which means both “not funny” and “sloppy.”

화이팅! (hwaiting!) – “Fighting!”

Also written 파이팅 (paiting), this phrase is Konglish (a blend of Korean and English).

It means everything from “Give it a good fight!”, “Give it your all!”, “Do your best!”, “Good luck!”, “You can do it!” or “C’mon!”

It’s often used to cheer on friends or your favorite team at sporting events.

극혐 (geukyeom) – “Extreme disgust”

You’ll find so much Korean slang is just the shortening, smushing, and mashing of words together. (Often even a mix of Korean and English words!) This is another example of a phrase getting smushed together.

극혐 (geukyeom) is short for 극한의 혐오 (geukan-ui hyeom-o) which means “extreme hatred.”

So, say this one with close friends or family when you’ve seen something nasty or something that fills you with loathing.

심쿵 (simkung) – “Fangirling”

If you’re a KPop or Hallyu stan — part of the 팬덤 (paendeom, “fandom”) — you know. We all have our 최애 (choeae), our “love” or our “bias.”

For example, I love RM from BTS and Hyun Bin from Crashing Landing on You. And when I see them, I definitely feel 심쿵 (simkung)!

Basically, 심쿵 (simkung) means your heart skips a beat when you see someone cute, or you’re fangirling over an idol crush. It’s a combo of 심장 (simjang, “heart”) and Korean onomatopoeia 쿵 (kung, “thud”).

솔까말 (solkkamal) – “TBH”

솔까말 (solkkamal) means “TBH” or “to be honest” in Korean. It’s short for 솔직히 까놓고 말해서 (soljiki kkanogo malhaeseo) which means “To be honest with you.”

But, 솔까말 (“tbh”), you could just say 솔직히 (soljiki), which means “honestly”.

Korean Slang Phrases to Add More Spice to Your Conversations

Now, time to learn some more slangy phrases you can use to sound cool like the kids these days.

오졌다 (ojyeotda) – “It’s lit”쩔어 (jjeoreo) – “Daaaaaaamn” (Yes, drawn out like that. You know what I mean.)실화야 (silhwaya) – “For real?” or “True story”안물안궁 (anmul-angung) – “Didn’t ask, don’t care”포스 있다 (poseu itda) – “to have the Force” or “one with the Force”어떻게 (eotteoke) – “How?”세상에 (sesangae) – “What in the world?!” or “Oh my God!”셀카 (selka) – “Selfie”눈팅 (nunting) – “Lurking” or to read a text or stalk social media without replying or commenting짐 (jim) – “Now” (short for 지금, jigeum)불금 (bulgeum) – “TGIF”, or literally “Burning Friday” or “Golden Friday”맛점 (matjeom) – “Delicious lunch”Modern Korean Slang Terms

(Here’s looking at you, insperiences!)

There have been quite a lot of new slang terms thanks to the pandemic and life changes as a result. So here are some new ones you may come across:

Korean Face Mask: 마스크 (maseukeu)

Okay, this isn’t slang, but it’s good to know! So there are two types of face masks in Korean. There’s the type you wear to prevent the spread of diseases and sickness. And then there are the sheet face masks you wear for skincare.

If you’re referring to the former, it’s 마스크 (maseukeu), just like in English. But if you’re talking about the skincare mask, it’s 마스크시트 (maseukeu siteu).

Lonely: 쓸쓸 (sseulsseul)

A few new slang terms became more popular recently due to isolation and loneliness. The first is 쓸쓸비용 (sseulsseul biyong) which means “loneliness expense” or to do an activity alone.

Along the same lines, there’s:

혼족 (honjok): A person who likes to do things alone혼밥 (honbab): To eat alone혼코노 (honkono) or 혼놀 (honnol): To sing karaoke (noraebang in Korean) alone혼영 (honyeong): Watching a movie alone (usually at the theater)혼행 (honhaeng): Solo travel혼술 (honsool or honsul): To drink alone

The last one you may recognize. “Honsool” was a song by BTS member Suga that came out during the pandemic.

By the way, all those words start with the stem 혼 (hon) which is short for 혼자 (honja), “alone.”

“Insperiences”: 인스피리언스족 (inseupirieonseujok)

Here’s another Konglish term inspired by getting creative at home during our year in quarantine.

인스피리언스 (inseupirieonseu) combines “inside”, “inspired” and “experience” to create a new word: “insperiences”. 족 (jok) means “tribe”, so it means things you do at home with those you’re quarantined with.

Mental Breakdown: 멘붕 (menbung)

The pandemic inspired enough mental breakdowns for many people, so this slang has really taken off. It’s a smush of 멘탈 (mental) for “mental (health)” and 붕괴 (bung-goe) which means “collapse.”

There’s also a similar phrase 이생망 (eesaengmang) which means “I’m done with this life.” You’ll find Koreans use a lot of intense phrases and slang in very dramatic ways, and this is one of them. It basically means you did something super embarrassing or messed up bad.

A lot of phrases like these took off after the mental health drama 사이코지만 괜찮아 (saiko jiman gwaenchanha took off, which literally means “Psycho But It’s Okay.” In English on Netflix, the show is called “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.”

Impulse Shopping: 홧김비용 (hwatgimbiyong)

Did life at home cause you to make a lot of impulse purchases? You and a whole lot of others! And so 홧김비용 (hwatgimbiyong) saw a big uptick recently.

홧김 (hwatgim) means “to get hot” as in “angry”, or “in the heat of the moment.” And 비용 (biyong) means “cost” or “damage.” So, it’s the damage done in the heat of the moment… an impulse buy.

There are a couple other related terms to this, too. Like 나심비 (nashimbi) which means “my mental health cost”, or, in other words, a purchase you make to improve your mood. The bi here is short for the same biyong in impulse shopping.

We see it again in 멍청비용 (meongcheong biyong) which means “stupid cost,” where you made a mistake that cost you money.

Cute Korean Slang Words

So I mentioned aegyo already, which is “cute.” These are some aegyo words and cute Korean expressions you can use.

배고팡 (baegopang) – “I’m hungry”오빵 (oppang) – An affectionate expression to an older guy you like (it literally means “brother” though)행쇼 (haengsyo) – “Be happy”사줘 (sajwo) – “Buy this for me” (Say it whiny!)약속애요 (yaksokaeyo) – “I promise”내가 귀엽지? (naega gwiyeobji) – “Aren’t I cute?”사랑해요 (saranghaeyo) – “I love you”보고 싶어 (bogo sipeo) – “I miss you”

To sound cute, you’ll want to add the m or ng sound to the end of the word, like you see in oppang.

Side note: 행쇼 (haengsyo) was made popular by idol G-Dragon which he used like “peace out.” You can use this to say goodbye, though.

Cool Korean Words

Want to sound extra cool? Try these Korean words:

사차원 (sachawon) – “4D”, “wacky” or “eccentric” (in a good way)치맥 (chimaek) – “Chicken and beer,” the perfect pairing뻥치지마 (ppeongchijima) – “Don’t lie!”존맛 (jonmat) – “F-ing delicious”만렙 (manleb) – “Level 10,000” (or I like to think of it as “It’s over 9,000!”)쪼렙 (jjolep) – “Beginner level” or “noob” (the opposite of 만렙, manleb)간지 (ganji) – “Swag”존맛탱 (jonmattaeng) – “Delicious”Korean Text and Internet Slang

Text slang can get super confusing in other languages, especially when you start combing English letters and abbreviations with Korean ones. This could honestly be a whole article on its own.

So here’s a starter list of some common ones you may run into:

세젤예 (sejelye) – “Prettiest in the world” (usually said in text)누물보 (numulbo) or just ㄴㅁㅂ (n m b) – “Did anyone ask?”JMT – Abbreviation for 존맛탱, jonmattaeng, meaning “delicious”~~ – Adds cuteness or lighthearted feeling to a text. It’s considered aegyo or “cute”ㅋㅋㅋ (kkk) or ㅎㅎㅎ– “haha” or “lol”091012 – “Study hard”ㅇㅋ (o k) – “okay”ㄱㅅ (g s) – “ty” or “thanks” (short for 감사합니다, gamsahamnida)ㅈㅅ (j s) – “sorry” (short for 죄송합니다, joesonghamnida)ㅇㅇ (ng ng) – “yes”ㄴㄴ (n n) – “no”ㅁㄹ (m l) – “idk” (short for 몰라, molla)ㄷㄷ (d d) – “scary”, onomatopoeia for shivering. (short for 덜덜, deoldeol)ㅇㄷ (ng d) – “Where r u” or “Where are you?” (short for 어디야, eodiya)ㅊㅋㅊㅋ (ch k ch k) – “Congrats!” (short for 축하축하, chukachuka)ㅃㅃ (bb bb) – “Bye bye!” (short for 빠이빠이, ppaippai)Sound Like a Native with Korean Slang

Now that you’ve learned some Korean slang, you’ve got to go out and use it! Try it out with your friends, or practice making sentences by yourself.

Ready to learn more Korean? Learn how to say “I love you” in Korean (a K-drama staple!). Or master your colors in Korean.

The post Korean Slang: 80+ Everyday Words and Phrases to Sound Like a Native appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Spaced Repetition System: Learn Vocabulary and Never Forget It!

The Space Repetition System (SRS) is a great method to make sure you remember vocabulary so it sticks in your mind!

But what is it?

I'm sure you know the feeling when you have learned a word, and you’re sure of it, but you just can't say it. This may simply be because it's been too long since you reviewed that word.

Using SRS a few minutes a day will solve this problem. If you use it right, SRS makes sure that none of the material you’re learning will ever be neglected.

Since language hacking is my thing, I’ve been using SRS for years now. It’s made my vocabulary much more solid, and I want to help you achieve that too.

In this post, we’ll talk about:

Table of contentsWhat Is Spaced RepetitionHow to Use the SRS: Find the Time to StudyImproving on the old-school methodUse Anki for Spaced RepetitionHow to Use Anki as Your Spaced Repetition ProgramCombine SRS and Other Learning Strategies¡Lee este artículo en español aquí! (Read this article in Spanish here!)What Is Spaced Repetition

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.

Here’s a short explanation of how it works: when learning a new word, you’ll first see it very frequently as you go through your review – every few minutes to start. After that, you’ll only see it every few days, then every few weeks, etc. You always check the word at the time you need to see it most. That way, you make sure it is constantly fresh in your mind.

It's a more streamlined version of the flashcard system, where you have a word on one side of a card and its translation on the other. With flashcards, you look at the word and test yourself to see if you know it. To check, you turn over the card to see the translation.

You couldn't get more low-tech than that even if you tried, but SRS uses 21st century technology to make this possible while considering the time dimension.

So how would a guy like me be interested in software for improving recall of vocabulary? I dislike studying indoors and I’m not usually a fan of flashcards. Plus, I already have a pretty good learning strategy.

That’s what we’ll explore in this post.

Image

How to Use the SRS: Find the Time to Study

Like many people, I'm a busy guy!

I'm trying to work, write books, continue improving my language skills, and have a social life. Plus, life makes me busy in many little ways. I have to grocery shop, clean, sleep, eat, write blog posts and emails, exercise, etc.

All of that, every day.

But there are ways to make time. By that, I mean getting it back from the time spent waiting.

Let’s talk about that.

Here are examples of wasted waiting time:

waiting for the bus/metro/train,in the bus/metro/train,in the supermarket line,in a traffic jam,when ordering coffee in the morning,waiting for friends to arrive,at the doctor's/dentist's,in lifts, elevators, at traffic lights,when something loads on your computer,etc.

In most of these situations you may be alone. So if there’s no one to talk to, what do you do? Stare into space? Read advertisements around you? Twiddle your thumbs?

These little segments of our day fly by unutilised and actually add up to a huge amount of time wasted. And the worst is that you can't avoid these situations: they are natural parts of your day.

For most people, these little segments are annoyances. Why is the other person so late? Why does there have to be so many people ahead of me in the supermarket? Why did my computer have to crash now of all times?

Waiting in frustration is simply what we end up doing. Considering how much time per day we spend doing this, it’s an unneeded source of stress!

But I actually don't mind these occasions!

Seriously. When someone is a little late, or if I just missed the bus and the next one won't come for 15 minutes, I make the most of the time.

Rather than cursing at my “bad luck”, and adding stress to my life by being angry during this time, I think to myself: Great! Another chance to study some vocabulary!!

Improving on the old-school method

For several years, I would take out my phrasebook in these situations. Or I would open up vocabulary books to a random page and learn whatever I saw.

Sometimes I'd see a word I never had before and sometimes I'd see something I needed to review. Other times, it was words I’d long forgotten and needed to relearn rather than just remind myself.

It did the job. But to be honest, in retrospect, this was an inefficient and sloppy method.

(Although, if you learn by listening, these moments are good times to take out your MP3 player and press play on your favourite podcast!)

Systematically going through vocabulary in order like this means that you might not review the hardest words when you need to. It can also make you see the easy words too often or forget words you haven’t reviewed for a while.

SRS answers all of these issues by letting you decide when you should see a word again. This is based on certain criteria, usually how hard you felt it was.

This way, the easy words are pushed way off into the future and the hard ones keep constantly reappearing until you are finally happy with them. Those that you don’t find easy, but don’t find hard either, will reappear just when you’re on the verge of forgetting them, to refresh your memory.

Deciding when to study a word again when you see it in a printed list is too hard. That's where technology comes in!

Use Anki for Spaced Repetition

Anki is an application developed by Damien Elmes for reviewing things you need to learn, using SRS.

It’s not just for vocabulary, but also cities, country capitals, medical terminology, a script for a play, etc.

Anything you need to apply to memory really!

It's a completely free download (or, alternatively, a low-bandwidth website) and works on Windows, Mac and Linux! There are also apps available for smartphones.

How to Use Anki as Your Spaced Repetition Program

Everyone can use Anki for free on their computer, and you can simply decide to give it 30 minutes a day. Make sure to set aside that time every day.

Based on the time-wasting description above, you can guess where I do my studying! On the go! You can see in the picture at the top of the post that I even swiped it out for 2 minute before crossing the road!

Anki’s use is pretty self-explanatory, but here are some videos showing how it works.

The set-up takes a few minutes but then you just have to open the program and use it whenever you want! All the little minutes add up very quickly.

On the surface, the program does more or less what you would expect from a flashcard software. It shows you a word with no translation (either in your native language or in the target language) and you can decide if you know what it means. You then press "Answer" and it will show it to you.

But here’s where it gets a little different.

Here’s what it looks like on a computer screen:

Here’s how it works on the app:

If you had absolutely no idea what the word meant, press the red button. This sets the word to reappear very soon.If you thought the word was super easy, press the blue or green button. These buttons include a distant time factor, depending on how you reacted to the word in previous attempts.Otherwise, press the grey button.

I like having 4 levels to decide how "easy" I thought the word was, and I use each one accordingly.

If this all sounds drastically simple, that's because it is!

The most important part of the interface is actually pretty much just that: the algorithm working in the background to decide precisely when to show you the words. You don't really have to think about that though, since the system covers it for you. All you have to do is think about the word and then grade it on difficulty.

Combine SRS and Other Learning Strategies

Despite how obviously enthusiastically I'm sharing this system with you, you must know that it is only one way to acquire new vocabulary.

The best way by far is to hear and apply it in context with native speakers.

Even if you "knew" all the vocabulary in the world, you still wouldn't be able to apply it in actual conversations unless you worked on other important skills related to language learning.

Since you’re usually hearing words in isolation, you have no context. This is quite an artificial way to learn words. You learn simple translations of something from your mother tongue, rather than understanding how to use the word itself.

And you can't learn any language just by learning translations.

Someone using too much SRS would not necessarily be any further along compared to someone using other strategies.

On top of this, just looking at the word is not enough. If you don't think harder while using it, SRS can turn into nothing more than a fancy version of rote learning by repetition.

If you are exposed enough times, you will be forced to remember a word. But what I prefer is to try to make an image association of the word. I also think of an example sentence to use the word in and say that to myself, so that I use it in its right context.

This way I'm much more likely to remember the word next time.

SRS by itself is far from perfect. However, if you use it while thinking independently too, it has a much greater potential.

Another thing to take into account for learning words and avoiding forgetting them is to avoid learning the vocabulary only one way. By one way, I mean foreign language to native language. When people focus on recognition rather than production, they can understand languages, but they are at a loss when the time comes to speak them.

In this case, it's important that you see words appear in SRS for translation to the foreign language too. This is a setting you can choose in your Anki preferences.

When using Anki on a computer, you can acquire single-word vocabulary very quickly if you set aside 30 minutes a day to review words.

And by using Anki in its mobile form, you can take advantage of time that you would otherwise waste!

People also use it for learning scripts such as Kanji, and you can add audio and pictures if you feel that would help!

¡Lee este artículo en español aquí!
(Read this article in Spanish here!)

The post Spaced Repetition System: Learn Vocabulary and Never Forget It! appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

“Food” in Korean: The Ultimate Guide to Korean Cuisine

Korean BBQ, street food, and wild dishes… South Korean food has it all! So if you’re a foodie, it’s time to learn all about food in Korean.

When it comes to Korean food, there’s so much to love. But also a lot to learn, and a lot of different tastes to take in!

As with most countries, food plays a big role in Korean relationships, social situations, and culture. So learning to talk about food and the customs around meals is a big step in your Korean language learning journey.

So that’s what we’ll be diving into today. This is your guide to learning all about food in Korean!

Here’s what we’ll be learning:

Tons of words for food in Korean, as well as for cooking, in the kitchen, and at a restaurantKorean cuisine and unique Korean dishes you MUST know about and try (plus a few Korean recipes you can try yourself at home)How to order food in Korean

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in!

Food in Korean: Common Food Words

First, let’s start with how to say “food” in Korean. 음식 (eumsik) means “food”, but sometimes 밥 (bab) is used to say “meal” or “food” even though it means “rice”.

I’m sure you can guess why -- almost all Korean dishes include rice! In fact, rice is such a staple that you’ll often be asked this phrase:

밥을 먹었어? bab-il meokeosseo?

It means “Did you eat rice?” but it’s often said as “Did you eat?” Parents will often greet their kids with this phrase in a loving way to show affection, and even friends will say this.

Let’s learn some other food words.

Vegetables in KoreanVegetable: 야채 (yachae)Onions: 양파 (yangpa)Potatoes: 감자 (gamja)Sweet potatoes: 고구마 (goguma)Avocado: 아보카도 (abokado)Pepper: 후추 (huchu)Cucumber: 오이 (oi)Broccoli: 브로콜리 (beulokolli)Cabbage: 양배추 (yangbaechu)Carrot: 당근 (dang-geun)Eggplant: 가지 (gaji)Cauliflower: 콜리플라워 (kollipeullawo)Corn: 옥수수 (oksusu)Ginger: 생강 (saeng-gang)Lettuce: 상추 (sangchu)Salad: 샐러드 (saelleodeu)Beans: 콩 (kong)Garlic: 마늘 (maneul)Fruit in KoreanFruit: 과일 (gwa-il)Apple: 사과 (sagwa)Pear: 배 (bae)Peach: 복숭아 (bogsung-a)Raspberry: 산딸기 (santtalgi)Strawberry: 딸기 (ttalgi)Kiwi: 키위 (kiwi)Watermelon: 수박 (subak)Blueberry: 블루베리 (beulluberi)Banana: 바나나 (banana)Grapes: 포도 (podo)Pineapple: 파인애플 (painaepeul)Cherry: 체리 (cheri)Lemon: 레몬 (lemon)Meat and Fish in KoreanMeat: 고기 (gogi)Fish: 생선 (saengseon)Salmon: 연어 (yeon-eo)Pork: 돼지 고기 (dwaeji gogi)Beef: 소고기 (sogogi)Chicken: 닭고기 (dalg-gogi)Egg: 계란 (gyeran)Pantry and Refridgerator Staples in KoreanBread: 빵: (ppang)Flour: 밀가루 (milgaru)Yogurt: 요거트 (yogeoteu)Dairy: 유제품 (yujepum)Cheese: 치즈 (chijeu)Butter: 버터 (beoteo)Sugar: 설탕 (seoltang)Salt: 소금 (sogeum)Chocolate: 초콜릿 (chokollit)Cinnamon: 시나몬 (sinamon)Honey: 꿀 (kkul)Vanilla: 바닐라 (banilla)Pizza: 피자 (pija)Candy: 캔디 (kaendi)Olive oil: 올리브유 (ollibeuyu)Vinegar: 식초 (sikcho)Soy sauce: 간장 (ganjang)Ingredients: 성분 (seongbun)Drinks in KoreanDrink/Beverage: 음료 (eumryo)Water: 물 (mul)Coffee: 커피 (keopi)Tea: 차 (cha)Milk: 우유 (uyu)Juice: 주스 (juseu)Wine: 와인 (wain)Beer: 맥주 (maekju)Soda: 탄산음료 (tansaneumryo)Korean Cooking and Korean Kitchen VocabPlate/Bowl: 그릇 (geuleut)Cup: 컵 (keop)Spoon: 숟가락 (sudgarak)Fork: 포크 (pokeu)Knife: 칼 (kal)Pot: 냄비 (naembi)Pan: 팬 (paen)Cookbook: 요리책 (yorichaek)Blender: 블렌더 (beullendeo)Microwave: 전자레인지 (jeonja reinji)Toaster: 토스터 (toseuteo)Spatula: 주걱 (jugeok)Cutting board: 도마 (doma)Stove: 스토브 (seutobeu)Oven: 오븐 (obeun)Refrigerator: 냉장고 (naengjanggo)Freezer: 냉동고 (naengdonggo)Trashcan: 통 (tong)Sink: 싱크 (singkeu)Kitchen: 부엌 (bueok)Coffee pot: 커피 포트 (keopi poteu)

And some verbs:

To cook: 요리하다 (yorihada)To stir: 휘젓다 (hwijeosda)To chop: 썰다 (sseolda)To mix: 섞다 (seokkda)To eat: 먹다 (meokda)To drink: 마시다 (masida)To make: 만들다 (mandeulda)To taste: 맛보다 (masboda)To pour: 붓다 (busda)

Don’t worry if your head is spinning with new food vocab. Learn what’s relevant to you and skip the rest!

It’s a good idea to add these to a flashcard app like Anki to help you remember them.

Korean Cuisine: Korean Dishes

Authentic Korean food is some of the best food out there, and it’s actually quite healthy for you too. Most Korean meals are well-balanced with protein, veggies, and rice or noodles.

More often than not, your plate will have at least 2 - 3 different types of veggies in all different colors of the rainbow. Plus, many foods have a lot of spice to them, thanks to chili, ginger, and garlic.

And I’m sure you know the Korean staple, 김치 (kimchi), which is one of the healthiest foods thanks to its probiotic goodness and high amount of vitamins and minerals.

Besides that, Koreans tend to take the approach that food is medicine, so many dishes are made with that approach (and you’ll see one listed below).

So, you can use this as an excuse to be a foodie… for your health. ;)

Here are some must-try Korean dishes.

Bibimbap

Similar to a buddha bowl, 비빔밥 (bibimbap) serves several different kinds of veggies with rice, and meat or a fried egg (or sometimes both).

The nice thing about bibimbap is it’s super customizable. You can adjust the spice level, use leftovers to throw together a quick lunch, and change out the veggies.

Plus, they make beautiful, colorful bowls that are Instagram worthy!

Bulgogi

This is definitely one of the most popular Korean dishes. 불고기 (bulgogi) is thinly sliced meat that you can grill up, usually with a slightly sweet flavor. It’s a simple dish that’s usually wrapped in lettuce and eaten with rice.

Japchae

잡채 (japchae) is a stir-fry sweet potato noodle dish, with veggies in sesame oil. It’s often eaten as a side dish, both hot or cold.

You can try making japchae at home with this Korean recipe from Maangchi.

Mandu

만두 (mandu) are Korean dumplings, stuffed with beef, pork or veggies. If you’ve ever had Japanese gyoza, these are similar!

They’re a traditional food that’s eaten around the Korean Lunar New Year for good luck. They can be steamed or pan-fried. The steamed mandu are called 찐만두 (jjinmandu).

Galbi

갈비 (galbi), which means “rib”, is super popular at Korean BBQ restaurants.

Galbi can be any type of meat (usually pork or beef, though), steeped in a sugary-soy sauce and garlic marinade and then flame-cooked to perfection. It’s so tender and flavorful -- just a bit sweet -- and oh so good.

Bossam

This is a super simple dish, but quite tasty. 보쌈 (bossam) is bite-sized steamed pork cuts served on a platter with lettuce and dipping sauces.

All you do is snag a piece of meat, wrap the lettuce around it, and dip it in the sauce.

It’s so simple but really yummy!

Haejangguk

Do you remember that music video Psy did with Snoop Dog, Hangover? No? Well, it was one big parody of drinking culture in Korea.

Because drinking in Korea can be intense. So much so, they’ve come up with 해장국 (haejangguk) -- “hangover soup”.

But be prepared: one type of haejangguk, called seonjiguk, is made with chunks of congealed ox blood. Another type, sundaeguk, is made with intestines stuffed with pig’s blood.

But standard ol’ haejangguk is normally made with cabbage, beef chuck, veggies, fish sauce, and more. It’s high in sodium, and supposed to help cure a hangover.

Just make sure you ask which kind of haejangguk you’re getting if you want to steer clear of ox blood and pig intestines.

Hotteok

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ll love this one! 호떡 (hotteok) is a fried pancake stuffed with goodness. It’s usually stuffed with things like honey, cinnamon, nuts, or brown sugar syrup.

Hotteok is a popular choice for Korean street food, but you could even make it at home with recipes like this one from My Korean Kitchen.

Gimbap

김밥 (gimbap) is similar to sushi, but it’s normally filled with a variety of things instead of fish. Also, the rice is prepared differently, so gimbap is a bit sweeter.

It’s common to find gimbap filled with ham or beef, such as thin slices of bulgogi.

This is another popular grab-and-go snack and street food.

Budae Jjigae

I can’t talk about Korean cuisine without mentioning 부대찌개 (budae jjigae), “Army Stew”. It was made popular after the Korean War, when Koreans became exposed to American staples like canned beans, Spam, and American cheese.

So they got creative with it and made a stew.

It often has sausage or hot dogs, bacon, spam, kimchi, ramyeon noodles, and more. It’s a spicy, savory dish that sounds a bit strange but it’s a must-try!

Korean Bapsang has an Army Stew recipe you can try cooking up, as well as many more traditional Korean food recipes on her site.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg with Korean food. There are way more varieties, many of which are on the wild, exotic side like dakbal, chicken feet, sannakji, live octopus, or gaebul, raw sea worms.

90 Day Korean has a great article listing even more foods, especially some of these wilder ones.

How to Order Food in Korean

If you’re traveling to South Korea, you absolutely need to know how to order lots of food. So here are some handy phrases to get you started:

“Hey!” or “Over here!” (To get a waiter’s attention) - 여기요 (yeogiyo)“Can I have a menu please?” - 메뉴 좀주세요 (menyu jom juseyo)“What do you recommend (on the menu)?” - 추천 메뉴가 무엇인가요? (chucheon menyuga mueosingayo)“What is this?” - 이게 뭐예요? (ige mwoyeyo)“This, please.” - 이거주세요 (igeo juseyo)“I’m allergic to…” - 저(은/는) 알레르기 있어요. (*jeo[eun/neun] __ allereugi isseoyo*)“I’m vegetarian.” - 채식주의자에요 (chaesikjuuijaeyo)“Can I have __ please?” - ___좀주세요. (__ jom juseyo)“More water, please.” - 물 좀 더주세요 (mul jom deojuseyo)“Not spicy, please.” - 안 맵게 해주세요 (an maebge haejuseyo)“Without __, please.” - ___없이 제발주세요 (__ eobsi jebal juseyo)“Please give me more of this.” - 이거 좀 더 주세요 (igeo jom deo juseyo)“Can I have the bill, please?” - 계산서 좀 주실 래요? (gyesanseo jom jusillaeyo)“Would you like to order?” - 주문하시겠어요? (jumunhasigesseoyo)Bonafide Korean Foodie!

You’re ready to go explore all the culinary delights of South Korea now! Place your order and eat up.

Next, you can learn even more about Korean culture or learn how to master your manners with please and thank you.

The post “Food” in Korean: The Ultimate Guide to Korean Cuisine appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.