Benny Lewis's Blog, page 29

“Cute” in Japanese: Understanding “Kawaii” Culture in Japan (With Example Phrases)

Are you interested in Japanese anime, manga, fashion, or culture? Then you’ll be sure to come across かわいい (kawaii) culture, which is anything “cute” in Japanese language and context.

In fact, cuteness is so ingrained in Japanese culture that you see it everywhere in all kinds of forms -- from guro-kawaii (“gross-cute”) to kimo-kawaii (“scary-cute”).

Mascots for most brands are designed to be kawaii. Japanese pop groups dress, talk, and act kawaii. Harajuku has so many sub-fashions of kawaii dress that it’s taken on a life of its own.

So if you’re going to learn Japanese, you have to understand Japanese cute culture -- and master some cute Japanese words.

Table of contents“Cute” in Japanese - KawaiiCute Japanese WordsKirei - “Beautiful” or “Clean”Dokidoki - Heart beatingKurakura - “Dizzy” or “Giddy”Fuwafuwa - “Fluffy”Kirakira - “Sparkling” or “Glittering”Pikapika - “Shiny”Yokatta - “I’m Glad” or “Yay!”Tanoshii - “Enjoyable” or "Cheerful"Ureshii - “Happy”Wanwan and Nya-nya- - “Dog” and “Cat”Ne - “Right?”Jan - “Isn’t it?”Referring to Yourself in Third PersonKawaii: Cute Culture in JapanKawaii FashionKawaii Anime: Magical Girl ArchetypeIt’s Okay, Let Your Kawaii Self Shine

Let’s bring out our inner kawaii!

“Cute” in Japanese - Kawaii

可愛い (kawaii in kanji) means “cute” in Japanese, though its also often written only in hiragana as かわいい (kawaii). But the meaning of “kawaii” can change based on context.

Sometimes it means anything “small” and “loveable”. Other times it means “lovely”, “child-like” or even “shy.” Really, it represents any cute “kawaii” persona.

There are whole genres of anime and manga designed to fit this persona, like CardCaptor Sakura, Madoka Magica, and of course, the legendary Sailor Moon.

And besides shoujo anime kawaii vibes, there are also kawaii characters in most other shows too, especially for kids. Like Doraemon, Pikachu, and Hello Kitty.

Cute Japanese Words

Besides かわいい (kawaii), there are some other cute Japanese words you should know to sound cute in Japanese.

Keep in mind, almost anything can sound cute in Japanese, and a lot of the time it comes down to how you say the word. Drawing out the final vowel sound, saying it in a nasal or high-pitched way, or adding cute “endings” to the words are all ways to make them sound “cuter.”

Kirei - “Beautiful” or “Clean”

きれいな (kirei na) is an adjective meaning something is “beautiful” or “clean.” You can drop the な (na) when using it on its own to exclaim “きれい！”

But if you’re attaching it to a noun, like to say a woman is beautiful, you’d say: きれいな女性 (kirei na josei).

Dokidoki - Heart beating

ドキドキ (dokidoki) is a Japanese onomatopoeia used to describe the sound of a heart beating fast. You’ll often see this in manga written next to a person whose heart is beating fast and blushing from being near their crush.

You can also attach the verb する (suru, “to do”) and say ドキドキする (dokidoki suru) -- “my heart’s beating fast!”

Kurakura - “Dizzy” or “Giddy”

クラクラ (kurakura) is another onomatopoeia meaning “dizzy” or “giddy” with happiness. You can use it to express that you’re so happy and excited or that your head is spinning.

You can also pair it with する (suru) to make it a verb.

Fuwafuwa - “Fluffy”

Another cute Japanese word is フワフワ (fuwafuwa) which describes something as “fluffy”. Use this with things like a fluffy pillow, a soft blanket, or a fluffy cat.

Kirakira - “Sparkling” or “Glittering”

キラキラ (kirakira) means something is “sparkling” or “glittery.” So many cute things are described as キラキラ.

Fun fact: If you type キラキラ with a Japanese keyboard, the emoji ✨ is suggested because it’s ~glittering~.

Pikapika - “Shiny”

Yes, like the Pokemon! ピカピカ (pikapika) means “shiny” like a spark.

A lot of Japanese onomatopoeia are used to sound cute or describe things in a cute way, so you’ll hear them often.

Yokatta - “I’m Glad” or “Yay!”

良かった (yokatta in kanji) is past tense of いい (ii), the irregular adjective that means “good.” So 良かった can mean something “was good.”

But as an exclamation or reply, usually written only in hiragana as よかった (yokatta), it means “That’s great!” or “I’m glad!” It’s also used like “yay” when you exclaim with joy.

Tanoshii - “Enjoyable” or "Cheerful"

楽しい (tanoshii) has many different meanings, from “pleasant” to “happy” to “enjoyable.” It’s often used to say something is or was fun.

You can also use the phrases 楽しみにしてる (tanoshimi ni shiteru) or 楽しんで (tanoshinde) in casual situations. The first means “I’m looking forward to it” and the latter means “Enjoy!”

Ureshii - “Happy”

嬉しい (ureshii) is used to say you’re “happy” or “glad.” Girls will often exclaim this when something good is happening or when they’re happily surprised.

Wanwan and Nya-nya- - “Dog” and “Cat”

So, technically, ワンワン (wanwan) and ニャーニャー (nya-nya-) are the onomatopoeia sounds a dog and cat make respectively.

But kids often call dogs ワンワン (wanwan) instead of 犬 (inu), and sometimes cats ニャーニャー (nya-nya-) instead of 猫 (neko).

Even though this is usually something kids say, sometimes teens and women say it too to sound cute.

Ne - “Right?”

ね (ne) is a sentence-ending particle used to say “right?” But it’s also used to soften a sentence and sound cuter.

For example, かわいいね！ (kawaii ne!) means "Cute, right?" You could leave off the ne but it adds extra cuteness.

Jan - “Isn’t it?”

A contraction of じゃない (ja nai) and only used in informal situations. じゃん is used at the end of sentences much like ne to say “isn’t it?”

For example, とってもかっこいいじゃん (tottemo kakkoii jan) means “It’s SO cool, isn’t it?”

The contraction sounds more casual, and girls often use it to sound cuter.

Referring to Yourself in Third Person

And lastly, if you want to sound めっちゃかわいい (meccha kawaii, “super cute”), refer to yourself in the third person.

Yup, instead of saying “I”, use your name to talk about yourself! This is supposed to sound more “child-like” and cute, and a lot of young adult women do this.

A warning though: some people find this a bit obnoxious.

Kawaii: Cute Culture in Japan

There are four main themes that tend to pop up in Japanese culture: kawaii (“cute”), youkai (“ghosts”), mecha, and apocalyptic themes.

There’s a bunch of reasons these trends pop up a lot. But kawaii culture is definitely one of the most prominent because it even overlaps into the other 3 categories.

For example, there are different levels of kawaii, such as kimo-kawaii, which is “scary-cute.” Think like cute Ghost-type Pokemon:

There’s also busu-kawaii or guro-kawaii which mean “ugly” or “gross” cute. J-Pop idol Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a famous example of using guro-kawaii to set trends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DitM...

An old school manga, Rave Master, often had many busu-kawaii characters:

And there’s ero-kawaii, which is things like maids and catgirls. There are also some more risque J-Pop idols like Koda Kumi who have made their name being ero-kawaii:

You’ll see kawaii culture everywhere in Japan because “cuteness” is thought of as pure, attractive, and happy.

Announcements and sounds are often in cute tones. Chibi mascots are everywhere and social media is filled with kawaii emojis.

You can even see how kawaii culture has permeated into Western society too. One of the mega video game hits of 2020 was Animal Crossing, largely due to its easy-going gameplay and cute, happy designs.

Kawaii also has strong ties to schoolgirls, specifically school uniforms and handwriting. A lot of school uniforms in Japan are seen as “kawaii” and fashion. (This has its own issues, though, as I’m sure you can imagine.)

Some girls also write with a more “rounded” script, called “kitten writing”, to look softer.

Sometimes excessive cuteness is referred to as burikko, which is someone who uses cuteness as a mask and it comes off a bit fake.

Kawaii Fashion

You can’t talk about kawaii culture without talking about kawaii clothes. Cute fashion is a huge part of Japanese culture, especially in the street district of Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WblNc...

If you’re a Gwen Stefani fan, you may remember she took heavy inspiration from her No Doubt days in Japan where she loved exploring the fashion in Harajuku. Same with Nicki Minaj who’s called herself the “Harajuku Barbie” and often wears Japanese street style fashion.

There are tons of sub-culture styles that often tend to take on a whole personality, too. Some of the biggest ones are decora, sweet lolita, gothic lolita, gyaru, mori kei, fairy kei, and visual kei.

Visual kei is the gothic, androgenous style from the 80’s and mid-90’s, probably best known from artists like Dir en grey and L’Arc~En~Ciel.

Lolita fashion is often the Victorian-era inspired kawaii dress. There’s a lot of sub-sets to lolita fashion, but the two main ones are sweet and gothic. It’s usually frilly dresses, blouses, petticoats, and knee socks.

Decora is a huge fashion trend with super bright rainbow-colored outfits and loads of cute accessories and pompoms.

[decora.jpg]

Gyaru fashion is often an exaggeration of Western fashion trends. Lots of over-tanning, big hair (usually blonde), and over-contoured makeup.

Lastly, fairy kei is like a pastel mix of decora and lolita, with tons of pinks, purples, blues, and baby doll-style clothes. Mori kei uses soft, neutral colors, lots of layers, and dresses.

Kawaii Anime: Magical Girl Archetype

Kawaii girls in anime and kawaii drawings have had a huge impact on Japanese society.

Kawaii culture didn’t start from anime. But it definitely became more popularized in the 80’s and 90’s due to mega-hits like Sailor Moon, which started the shoujo (girl’s) manga trend of cute Magical Girl archetypes. (Also called 魔法少女, mahou shoujo, in Japanese.)

Shoujo became full of magical girl characters and themes after that. From CLAMP novels to Tokyo Mew Mew and even Hayao Miyazaki films, like Kiki’s Delivery Service.

These stories base the character around kawaii aspects, with frilly, cute outfits, colorful hair, and huge eyes. Sailor Moon set the trend and many have followed after: most magical girl shows include a transformation scene.

And you can’t forget Hatsune Miku, a hologram K-Pop star who combined kawaii and tech culture with magical girl elements.

Of course, there are other less magical shoujo anime and manga, too. Like Fruits Basket, Lovely Complex, Kare Kano, and K-On!

Even in shonen (“boy’s”) comics, you can’t escape kawaii characters. Shows like One Piece have some guro-kawaii and ero-kawaii characters, too.

But anime and manga became so popular around the world, in part, because of its obsession with all things kawaii which we just don’t have in the West to the same level.

It spread the otaku (“mega-fan”) vibes all over the world.

It’s Okay, Let Your Kawaii Self Shine

Go ahead, enjoy all things cute in Japanese -- we won’t judge! It’s hard to resist so much cuteness when it’s everywhere in Japanese culture!

And if you’re up for your next Japanese language mission, you could learn some Japanese proverbs or learn beautiful Japanese words and expressions next.

The post “Cute” in Japanese: Understanding “Kawaii” Culture in Japan (With Example Phrases) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

How to Use the Dative Case in German – In-Depth Guide [with Charts]

You’ll need to learn the dative case in German to build German sentences. It’s used to indicate the indirect object of a sentence. It’s also used after certain verbs and prepositions. Often, you use the German dative where in English you would use the words “to” or “for”.

The indirect object of a sentence is the recipient or beneficiary of the described action. For example, in the English sentence “I gave the dog the ball”, the ball is the direct object of the verb and the dog is the indirect object.

In English, we indicate the indirect object using word order, or with prepositions like “to” - the above sentence could be rephrased as “I gave the ball to the dog.” In German, you convey the same information using case. Direct objects use the accusative case, and indirect objects use the dative case.

“I gave the dog the ball” translates to Ich gab dem Hund den Ball. (Remember that all nouns in German are always capitalised.) Notice the two different words for “the”: den Ball (accusative) but dem Hund (dative). This extra information means you can swap the nouns around - ich gab den Ball dem Hund - and still get the same meaning, which wouldn’t work in English. In this case, you can think of the dative article dem as meaning “to the”.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:

Table of contentsGerman Dative ArticlesGerman Dative PronounsGerman Dative VerbsGerman Dative AdjectivesGerman Dative PrepositionsGerman Accusative Vs. Dative PrepositionsGerman Dative for Body Parts and ClothingNow You Can Use the Dative Case in GermanGerman Dative Articles

Every German noun has a gender - masculine, feminine or neutral.

Hund in the above example is a masculine noun, which is why we use dem, the masculine form of the dative article. To use the dative correctly, you must use the correct form of “the” or “a” for the given noun’s gender.

(Plurality is also important, but there’s only one form of the plural article for each case, regardless of gender.)

Masculine Neutral Feminine Plural the dem dem der den a einem einem einer einen

Notice how there’s no difference between the masculine and neuter dative articles.

Also, make sure you don’t get confused by the fact that some of these articles can have other meanings. Den, for example, is the dative plural form of “the” but also the accusative masculine form. For a full explanation, see the Fluent in 3 Months guide to German articles.

See how the dative article is used in these examples:

Ich schickte dem Mann einen Brief. - “I sent the man a letter.” (Mann is masculine.)Ich werde der Frau eine Nachricht geben. - “I will give the woman a message.” (Frau is feminine.)Ich überreiche dem Kind eine Blume. - “I hand the child a flower.” (Kind is neuter.)

Traditionally, monosyllabic masculine or neuter nouns like Mann or Kind should be written with an extra “e” on the end when they’re dative: dem Manne and dem Kinde.

Nowadays this sounds quite formal or poetic and isn’t really used, except in some set phrases like zu Hause (“at home”), im Zuge (“during”, “in the course of”), and am Tage (“during the day”). Another place it appears is in Dem deutschen Volke, “for the German people”, the iconic words on the front of the Reichstag.

The dative article dem takes an abbreviated form when used with certain prepositions:

in + dem = iman + dem = amzu + dem = zumvon + dem = vombei + dem = beim

Additionally, zu combined with der becomes zur.

German Dative Pronouns

Personal pronouns like “I” and “you” also have dative forms that must be learned:

Nominative Dative I ich mir You (singular) du dir He er ihm She sie ihr It es ihm We wir uns You (plural) ihr euch They sie ihnen You (formal) Sie Ihnen

See how a dative pronoun is used in these example sentences:

Ich werde dir den Katalog senden. - “I’ll send you the catalogue.”Du hast mir gesagt, dass du weißt. - “You told me that you know.”Geb uns den Namen. - “Give us the name.”German Dative Verbs

Some German verbs always take a dative noun (or pronoun) as their object, even if the English sentence suggests a direct object.

For example, helfen (“to help”) and danken (“to thank”) are two such verbs:

Er kann dir nicht helfen. - “He can’t help you.”Ich danke dir. - “I thank you.”

In both of these cases, we use the dative dir, not the accusative dich.

The most common of the German verbs that take the dative case are:

antworten - “to answer”danken - “to thank”fehlen - “to be missing”folgen - “to follow”gefallen - “to be liked by, pleasing to” (see also missfallen, “to be disliked by”)gehören - “to belong to”glauben - “to believe”helfen - “to help”passieren - “to happen (to)”verzeihen - “to pardon, forgive”wehtun - “to hurt”

Here are some more example sentences:

Der Rock gehört dem Mädchen. - “The skirt belongs to the girl.”Die Polizei folgt mir. - “The police are following me.”Dein Kleid gefällt mir. - “I like your dress.” (literally: “Your dress pleases me.”)Was fehlt dir? - “What’s wrong?” or “What’s the matter with you?” (literally: “What’s missing to you?”)

Watch out as well for Leid tun, which roughly means “to do pain to”. It appears in the common German expression es tut mir Leid! (“I’m sorry!”)

The following German dative verbs are less common than the above, but should still be learned:

ähneln - “to resemble”befehlen - “to command, order”begegnen - “to encounter, meet”bleiben - “to remain”dienen - “to serve”drohen - “to threaten”einfallen - “to occur to, think of”erlauben - “to allow”gehorchen - “to obey”gelingen - “to succeed”genügen - “to be enough”geraten - “to turn out well”geschehen - “to happen”gleichen - “to be like”glücken - “to be lucky”gratulieren - “to congratulate”lauschen - “to overhear”misslingen - “to fail”munden - “to taste”nützen - “to be of use”passen - “to fit, suit”raten - “to advise”schaden - “to harm”schmecken - “to taste”schmeicheln - “to flatter”trauen or vertrauen - “to trust”widersprechen - “to contradict”winken - “to wave at/to”zürnen - “to be angry with”German Dative Adjectives

A common German expression that uses the dative is ist mir egal, which means “I don’t mind”. A more literal translation would be “it’s equal/indifferent to me”.

Did you notice the dative mir in that sentence? Egal is an example of a German adjective that goes paired with a dative, and there are many more:

Das war ihm verständlich. - “He understood that.”Das war ihr schon bewusst. - “She already knew that.”Ist das dir unerwünscht? - “Do you not want that?"

It might be easier to understand why a dative is used if you translate these sentences word-for-word. For example, das war ihm verständlich literally means “that was understandable to him.” Often, these dative adjectives require a phrasing that’s quite different to how you’d naturally say it in English.

Some of the more common dative adjectives are:

angenehm - “pleasant”bekannt - “well-known”bequem - “comfortable”bewusst - “aware”böse - “angry”dankbar - “grateful”egal - “indifferent”fremd - “strange”gleich - “equal”heiß - “hot”kalt - “cold”klar - “clear”lieb - “kind”möglich - “possible”nahe - “near”peinlich - “embarrassing”recht - “right”schlecht - “bad”schuldig - “guilty”schwindelig - “dizzy”süß - “sweet”teuer - “expensive”unerwünscht - “unwanted”unwohl - “unwell”verständlich - “understandable”warm - “warm”wert - “valued”wichtig - “important”ähnlich - “similar”übel - “ill”German Dative Prepositions

There are nine German prepositions that must always be followed by the dative case:

aus - “out of, from” → geh mir aus dem Weg! - “Get out of the way!”bei - “at, among, with” → Ich wohne bei meinem Freund. - “I live with my boyfriend.”mit - “with” → Sie können mit ihm diskutieren. - “You can discuss it with him.”nach - “after” → Nach dem Unterricht treffen wir. - “We’re meeting after class.”seit - “since” → ich bin hier seit einem Jahr - “I’ve been here for a year” (literally: “I am here since one year.”)von - “from, of” → Ich habe es von meinem Bruder gehört. - “I heard it from my brother.”zu - “to, at” → Wir gehen zum Festival. - “We’re going to the festival.”gegenüber (von) - “opposite” → Er wohnt der Schule gegenüber. - “He lives opposite the school.” (See note below.)außer - “except, apart from” → Alle außer ihm gab mir ein Geschenk. - “Everyone but him gave me a gift.”

Note: Gegenüber is an unusual case because it traditionally goes after the noun. You can see it in the above example: er wohnt der Schule gegenüber. However, in modern German it’s common to place it before the noun, optionally followed by von. So you can also say er wohnt gegenüber (von) der Schule.

There are another four prepositions which, strictly speaking, should be followed by the genitive case:

[an]statt - “in place of”,trotz - “in spite of”während - “during”wegen - “because of”

However, these days the genitive isn’t used much in everyday spoken German. It’s very common to use the dative case with these four prepositions too. So for example, “during the day” is often said as während dem Tag instead of the more formal während des Tages.

German Accusative Vs. Dative Prepositions

Some German prepositions take either a dative or accusative, where the case you use affects the meaning. These are the “two-way prepositions”, and there are ten of them:

an - “on (a vertical surface)”auf - “on top of (horizontal surface)”hinter - “behind”in - “in, into”neben - “next to”entlang - “along”über - “above”unter - “under”vor - “in front of”zwischen - “between”

(Note: The given translations for all these prepositions should only be taken as rough guides. In fact, there isn’t a one-to-one correspondence between English and German prepositions.

To give just one example, in English we say “in English”. But in German, you say something auf a given language. So “say it in German!” translates to “sag es auf Deutsch!”)

So what’s the difference between the accusative in die Stadt and the dative in der Stadt? (Stadt means “city”.)

Use the dative to describe a static position.Use the accusative to describe a change in position.

For example:

Ich setze den Stift auf den Tisch. - “I put the pen on the table.”Der Stift steht auf dem Tisch. - “The pen is on the table.”

In the first example, the pen has changed position, so we use the accusative. In the second example, the pen is static, so we use the dative.

It’s important to understand that the accusative is not simply used to denote “movement”. What matters is not whether the described object moves at all, but whether its position changes relative to the other object.

Compare the following two sentences:

Die Kinder sind im Garten gelaufen. - “The children ran in the garden.”Die Kinder sind in den Garten gelaufen. - “The children ran into the garden”.

In the first sentence, the Kinder are moving, but their position doesn’t change relative to the Garten: they start and finish inside the garden. So we use the dative im (which, remember, is a contraction of in and dem.)

In the second sentence, there’s a change of position. The children weren’t in the garden before, but they are now. So we use the accusative in den.

German Dative for Body Parts and Clothing

When describing an action performed upon your whole body, use the accusative:

Ich wasche mich - “I wash myself” (mich is accusative)

However, if you want to specify a particular part of the body or an item of clothing, the formulation is somewhat different to English. Rather than saying “my hands”, say “the hands”. Refer to yourself in the dative:

Ich wasche mir die Hände. - “I wash my hands.” (literally: “I wash to myself the hands.”)Er hat ihm ins Bein geschnitten. - “He has cut his leg.” (literally: “He has cut to himself the leg.”)Du ziehst dir die Schuhe aus. - “You take your shoes off.” (literally: “You take to yourself the shoes off.”)Sie wird sich die Brille aufsetzen. - "She will put her glasses on.” (literally: “She will to herself the glasses put on.”)Now You Can Use the Dative Case in German

The above should be everything you need to start using the dative case in German.

German cases can be challenging. If you feel like you would take them on more easily as part of a team, check out the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge!

However, if you would like a break from grammar rules, you could turn to vocabulary. What if you started by checking if you know all of these 12+ ways to say “please” and “thank you” in German?

Viel Glück! (“Good luck!”)

The post How to Use the Dative Case in German – In-Depth Guide [with Charts] appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

How To Learn Mandarin Chinese Faster – It’s Easier Than You Think

Is Mandarin Chinese hard to learn?

The popular belief is that the Mandarin language is one of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers. But it’s not as hard as you think. Here are the steps that will make it easier to learn:

Table of contentsYou Don’t Need a Practical Reason to Learn Mandarin1. Mandarin Tones Are Not Limiting2. Use Your Favourite Medium to Learn Mandarin3. Practise to Learn Mandarin More EasilyAsk Your Chinese Friends to Speak Mandarin Chinese With YouGo to Chinatown and Eat at the Local RestaurantsWatch Chinese Movies or TV ShowsListen to Chinese Songs in MandarinTeach English While Living in China or Taiwan4. Always Learn Everything You Can5. Empty Your Head. I Am Ready to Pour.Congratulations! You Now Know How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Effectively*Lee este articulo en espanol aqui! (Read this article in Spanish here!)

If you want to learn Mandarin, don’t hold back. You just need to find the right study method to go about it. Take in from a guy who did learn Mandarin Chinese.

Before we dive into the tips I have for you, I want to remind you of something.

You Don’t Need a Practical Reason to Learn Mandarin

Spoken languages are meant to be an active dialogue between two or more people. People don't speak to each other because it's the hot language of the month, because it's advantageous for business, or because it’s the only way to stand out amongst the piles of university applications.

If you feel like learning Mandarin, let your heart feel it, embrace it, and do it.

Now let's break down learning Mandarin, shall we?

Here are the 5 ways to get started saying, "Ni hao ma?" instead of the alternative, "Sup dawg? I'm feelin' some baozi and bubble tea right now, wanna hit up Chinatown?" Though that, of course, is also useful.

1. Mandarin Tones Are Not Limiting

Mandarin Chinese is a stress-timed language. It has four tones, and their application can change the meaning of words.

The 4 tones in Mandarin are:

Tone 1: Level Tone (ping) --> --Tone 2: Rising Tone (shang) --> /Tone 3: Departing Tone (qu) --> VTone 4: Entering/Stop-Final Tone (ru) --> \

Technically, there’s also a fifth tone, the neutral tone. But because it is “neutral”, there are debates about whether or not it’s actually considered a tone.

Let me show you how this works by writing a sentence in pinyin, the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet.

“Hi, my name is Benny. I like learning languages.” → Ni3 hao3, wo3 jiao4 Benling. Wo3 xi3 huan1 xue2 xi2 yu3 yan2.

Don't you just love how that worked out?

If you’re still unsure, I understand. Tones might look new and scary. But Cantonese Chinese, a syllable-timed language, has six tones. Vietnamese has six tones in the North, and depending on other regions, it might have just five. The Jul-hoan language of Africa has some 30 click consonants.

There are many, many more tonal languages in the world. So in all honesty, tones are not the real problem here.

Have some faith in yourself! Even if you completely mess up, the locals will probably be able to understand bits and pieces of your jumbled Mandarin. Have a good sense of humour and take it easy on yourself when you do make mistakes.

If you’ve decided to work on this, check out this article on Mandarin Chinese tones.

2. Use Your Favourite Medium to Learn Mandarin

My favourite way to learn a language is by doing full immersion in the place where the language is spoken by natives. For example, Mandarin Chinese is one of the official languages in mainland China as well as Taiwan (R.O.C.) and Singapore.

But travelling to a foreign country isn’t always an option. And it’s not necessary!

If your city has a Chinatown, pay attention to the conversations between the owners and workers there. They will usually speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

If you need more options, ask yourself how you like to learn a language best.

Are you a classroom-textbook-teacher-student learner? Perhaps you’ll want to sign up for Mandarin language classes at your local community college.

Are you a one-on-one private learner? Perhaps you can find a tutor to speak Mandarin on italki.

Are you a drop-me-on-the-Great-Wall-from-a-helicopter-and-see-if-I-survive type of person? Aka a deep and immediate immersion type? Then perhaps you’ll improve your language skills by living in China (or Taiwan).

If you don't know yet how you learn best, try all the various learning methods out there. See what works. It's never too late to start learning a new language in whatever medium you prefer.

I’ve put together a list of the best resources to learn Mandarin Chinese so you don't have to roam the Internet for resources. Use this advantage to start practising now!

3. Practise to Learn Mandarin More Easily

Like with any challenge in life, it takes time and consistent practise to embark on an immersion challenge and succeed.

The practise of speaking Mandarin does not need to feel like pulling teeth.

Here are some of the best ways to practise your Mandarin.

Ask Your Chinese Friends to Speak Mandarin Chinese With You

Even a 5-minute conversation with simple greetings is better than nothing.

A good friend who doesn't mind speaking with you is all you really need. Treat them to a simple meal or bubble tea and chat it up for a while.

If you do that enough times, you may start to realize you can speak more than you thought you could.

If you don’t know anyone who speaks Mandarin Chinese, you should try HelloTalk! HelloTalk is one of the best apps to learn Mandarin Chinese. It allows you to have full-text conversations with native Mandarin speakers. And it’s free!

Go to Chinatown and Eat at the Local Restaurants

Go to the places that have menus all in Chinese and nothing in English.

Most of the patrons are Chinese speakers, too. These places are usually good options and have tastier, more authentic foods. Go there.

Watch Chinese Movies or TV Shows

This is one of the best ways to continually practise Mandarin. Just reading about the language won't make you start speaking it like a native. You need to hear it, too.

By watching a movie or TV show in Mandarin, you will:

hear the proper tones,pick up vocabulary and idioms in context,understand the human connections being made,and more!

Here’s a list of 15 Chinese cartoons to get you started.

Listen to Chinese Songs in Mandarin

You can learn a lot by listening to popular Chinese songs. I listen to some of my favourite Chinese/Taiwanese artists because I think Mandarin Chinese is really beautiful.

On top of that, try karaoke! Don't let the embarrassment of messing up or your frog-like voice keep you from having a great time.

Music is a fun and effective way to learn the language.

Teach English While Living in China or Taiwan

This is a great way to get full immersion in the country and while still supporting yourself.

Many foreigners enjoy teaching English in these places. They are supported by the organizaion or school they are teaching for and also take Chinese classes.

If that sounds like something you want to do, google 'teach English in China' or 'teach English in Taiwan' and start your research from there.

Keep this list of options with you! You never know when you might need it.

4. Always Learn Everything You Can

The moment you stop learning is the moment you start dying.

Learning is a daily process, a daily activity, a daily habit, a daily exploration and a daily discovery. Learning has the potential POWER it has to transform your life, your world.

Learning Mandarin is no exception. There is always room for improvement, sure. But is that all we aim for? To have absolute perfect tone, pitch, accent?

Or is it to feel at one with the language? To feel comfortable speaking it, conversing with the locals?

Learn by doing. Learn by trying. Learn by making mistakes but not letting those mistakes stop you from continuing on.

5. Empty Your Head. I Am Ready to Pour.

I want to share a beautiful Zen tale with you here. You can learn a lot from it about facing Mandarin Chinese.

Once upon a time, there lived a Zen master named Nansen.

A professor of philosophy walking wearily in his travels came across Nansen's cottage. Nansen invited the professor into his home. The professor looked to be in a hurry, but Nansen said, "I will prepare tea for you. You look tired. Wait a little, rest a little and have a cup of tea. And then we can discuss."

Nansen started boiling the water and at the same time looked over to the professor. The professor was boiling within, too. The teakettle was making sounds and so was the professor, chattering and continuously talking.

The professor was preparing himself -- what to ask, how to ask and where to begin. Nansen smiled to himself and thought, "This man is too full, so much so that nothing can enter him. The answer cannot be given because there is no one to receive it. The guest cannot enter the house -- there is no room."

The professor became uneasy as Nansen slowly poured the tea into the cup: it was overflowing. Soon, it would be spilling onto the floor.

The professor finally shouted, "Stop! What are you doing? The cup cannot hold any more tea. Are you mad? What are you doing?"

Nansen smiled at the professor and replied, "The same is the case with you. You are so alert to observe that the cup is full and cannot hold any more. Why are you not so aware of your own self?

“You are overflowing with opinions, philosophies, doctrines, scriptures. You know too much already; I cannot give you anything. You have travelled in vain. Before coming to me you should have emptied your cup, then I could pour something into it."

What Nansen was saying to the professor was, "Empty your head. I am ready to pour knowledge into it."

When you try to learn Mandarin Chinese, don’t assume you know everything. Empty your head of what you think learning Mandarin is like. Easy, hard? It doesn’t matter.

Leave all judgments at the door.

This is how you learn. This is how Mandarin is actually easy, rather than difficult.

Congratulations! You Now Know How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Effectively

Obviously, this doesn’t have to be the only method you use to learn Mandarin. Like I said earlier in the post, use what works for you.

But don’t worry about how hard or easy Mandarin is. Give it your best effort and be ready to learn. You can do it.

I believe in you!

If you’re looking for more discussion about learning Chinese, head over to episode eight of the Language Hacking podcast. Shannon and I talk to Louisa about how she learnt conversational Chinese in 90 days thanks to the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

*Lee este articulo en espanol aqui! (Read this article in Spanish here!)

The post How To Learn Mandarin Chinese Faster – It’s Easier Than You Think appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

How to Speak German: The Faster Way to Learn German

One of the most common questions I’m asked is: “What’s the best way to learn German?” Or, another variation: “What language hacks will teach me how to speak German with ease?”

Well, I’m going to teach you just that.

In my travels around the world and my conversations with language learners I've noticed that the German language is often seen as difficult.

Yes, German vocabulary is gendered. Yes, there are some really long words to learn. And yes, the grammar isn't always intuitive.

But there's plenty about German that is easy too.

I'd like to share six steps to help you learn how to speak German.

This is the language hacker's approach to learning German, so give these steps a try and you'll be speaking German faster than you ever thought possible.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

Table of contentsStep 1: Find Your “Big Why” for Learning German - Reason and PassionStep 2: Create a Mini-Germany in Your Home - Immersion without TravelStep 3: Use Language Hacks to Learn German Fast - Work SmarterStep 4: Use “Conversational Connectors” - How Beginners Can Get their FlowStep 5: Find Native Speakers and Speak from Day OneStep 6: Focus on the Easy Parts of GermanLearn German and Become a Confident Speaker, FastStep 1: Find Your “Big Why” for Learning German - Reason and Passion

Lesson: Ask “Why” First - NOT “How/What”

Even before you think about which materials to study, or your method for learning German, you need to take a step back and understand your underlying reason for wanting to speak German.

This is your Big Why.

My "Big Why" is an unquantifiable passion for languages. It isn't something measurable like "So I can speak to X number of people in the world", but it has to do with enriching my life with friendships and experiences, which you can't really measure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30G8Ts...

Here are some reasons for learning German that could be your “Big Why”:

To have conversations with German speaking family members, or to teach your kids GermanTo find a job in a German company (Germany is one of the biggest economies in the world)To speak with natives as you travel in the heart of EuropeTo read the classics of German literature (think Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Hesse and Franz Kafka)To enjoy German TV showsTo get an inside view of German culture

Find your “Big Why” and you'll discover that learning German becomes a challenge you'll love.

Related resources: German for kids, How I learned fluent german in 10 months and lived in germany for free, 10 must-watch German TV shows

Step 2: Create a Mini-Germany in Your Home - Immersion without Travel

Lesson: Creating an Immersion Environment for Home, Work, or Play (Helpful for all languages!)

You don't need to live in Germany to immerse yourself in the German language. There are many ways to plunge yourself headfirst into German wherever you live.

Here are a few of my top ways to bring Germany to your hometown:

Make your computer multilingual. Why not turn your computer into a German-only system?Find the German speakers in your city. Believe it or not, there are many communities of German speakers around the world. You may be near one and not even realize it!(If you can’t find speakers near you, you can turn to online tutors on platforms like Preply. I’ll talk more about it later in the post!)Watch German television and movies. Force yourself to focus by watching without subtitles.Read articles and books in German. LingQ is a helpful tool for doing this.Listen to German music and podcasts. One of my favourites is GermanPod101 .

Not sure whether this approach is for you? Read more about how I learned Japanese while living in Spain and Egyptian Arabic while living in Brazil.

If I did it with Japanese and Arabic, I’m sure you can learn German this way!

Related resources: German games to practice your German skills, Free online German language lessons and resources

Step 3: Use Language Hacks to Learn German Fast - Work Smarter

Lesson: Language Hacking German: 10 Hacks to Learn German Faster

Language hacks are shortcuts that help you learn a language faster.

Here are a few of my favourite language hacks that can help you learn German fast:

Use Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS). SRS is a great method for memorizing vocabulary and phrases. It’s probably the most effective hack you can use to pick up new vocabulary.Use mnemonics. Mnemonics help you create associations to easily recall German words. The key to mnemonics? Use your imagination.Focus your study with the Pomodoro Technique. This technique allows you to break up your study sessions into smaller chunks of time resulting in better focus and a more effective learning experience.

Related resources: A step-by-step guide to your first month learning German, motivational German quotes

Step 4: Use “Conversational Connectors” - How Beginners Can Get their Flow

Lesson: Conversational Connectors: How to Fake Having a Conversation Just After Starting to Learn a Language

Like most languages, German uses a set of call and response phrases that I call conversational connectors. These are crucial to everyday conversations, but they aren't usually found in phrasebooks.

When my friend Anthony Lauder introduced me to conversational connectors a few years ago, they blew my mind.

They're a great technique for sounding more like a native speaker, for removing the awkwardness from conversations, and for giving yourself time to recall vocabulary.

Here's an example of how they work.

When someone asks you "How is your hotel room?" instead of answering with "um … good", which pretty much ends things right on the spot, you might add in phrases and expressions to create a more organic feel to what you are saying.

You could say: "To tell the truth, that is a good question. The hotel room is good. Thanks for asking. How is your hotel room?"

This is exactly the same answer with conversational connectors added in.

Conversational connectors are extremely helpful because you can use them in a variety of situations such as agreeing with someone, sharing your opinion, or changing the subject.

Here are a few examples in German:

Um ehrlich zu sein - “To tell the truth”Meiner Meinung nach - “In my opinion”Leider - “Unfortunately”Zum Beispiel - “For example”Übrigens - “By the way”

Related resources: 25 fun German interjections, German slang

Step 5: Find Native Speakers and Speak from Day One

Lesson: Speak from Day One

To improve your German quickly, you must speak from the very first day you start learning German.

This Speak from Day One approach is the fastest and most efficient way to learn German - especially if you speak with native German speakers.

No matter where you live you can still find people, either online or offline, to speak with in German. I connect with German speakers by:

Browsing Preply. Preply is my go-to place to find native German speakers. The prices are reasonable (especially compared to private, face-to-face lessons) and you can meet in the comfort of your own home. Plus, Preply has a nice selection of tutors that can help you learn German.Meeting up with German learners. On MeetUp.com you can find weekly German meetups in many major cities around the world. I've also been successful using CouchSurfing to connect with German learners and native speakers.Installing the HelloTalk app on my smartphone. This handy language-learning app helps you connect with other language learners around the world and is a great place to practise speaking German.

You may also like to join my Speak in a Week crash course to give yourself a huge boost in confidence at speaking German after just seven days. It's free!

The best way to begin speaking from day one is simply learning how to say “hi”! A few German greetings you can use:

“Hello” - Hallo“Good day” - Guten tag“How are you?” - Wie geht es dir?

Related resources: German greetings, 30 ways to start a German conversation

Step 6: Focus on the Easy Parts of German

Lesson: Why Learn German? 10 Good Reasons to Learn German

When learning German, the trick is to focus on those parts of German that are easy to pick up.

German is an easy language to learn because it has:

No tones, as there are in Chinese or ThaiNo liaisons between words, as there are in FrenchMany of the same letters as English, unlike Japanese or KoreanNo postposition or preposition suffixes, like in Hungarian or TurkishNo strings of difficult-to-pronounce consonants like in Czech.

Plus, German is a phonetic language. This means that (with very few exceptions) you know exactly how to pronounce a word when you see it spelled. Likewise, when you hear a word you can almost always write it out.

On top of that, many parts of German grammar are the same as English since they are both part of the Germanic family of languages. Older Anglo-Saxon texts are particularly close to the German language. Even more recent classics, such as Shakespeare, are closer to the German roots of English.

Another way of looking at this is to ask yourself, "How would Shakespeare have said it?" For example, "thou" is not far from German's "du".

Likewise, "thine", is very similar to "dein" in German.

There are many more ways that German is actually really easy, so be sure to check out my guide “Why German is Easy” where I explore this in a lot more detail.

Related resources: Beginners’ German reading practice, 5 common mistakes learning German, and how to fix them

Learn German and Become a Confident Speaker, Fast

There are many ways to study German that accelerate your learning.

Just remember these important steps:

Find your “Big Why” for learning GermanImmerse yourself in the German language by creating a Mini-Germany in your homeMake smart use of language hacksUse conversational connectors to sound fluent and buy yourself timeSpeak from day one - especially with native speakersRealise that German is much easier than you think

And if you're looking for a fun, structured German course I recommend you check out GermanPod101. It's one of my favourite ways to learn German!

Conversational fluency in German is just around the corner! And now you have the tools to help you make the most of your German studies.

The post How to Speak German: The Faster Way to Learn German appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

“Family” in Korean: Talking About Your Family in Korean

When you meet someone new for the first time, the topic of your family is bound to come up. So it’s best to learn how to talk about your family in Korean!

This might be even more important to learn in Korean than in English because Korean has a lot of formalities when it comes to talking about family.

For instance, in English, both older and younger siblings are “brother” and “sister.” But in Korean, there are different words depending on if they’re older or younger, married or unmarried.

Not only that, there are different terms for your dad’s side of the family and your mom’s -- even if they’re the same role, like “grandmother” or “uncle”.

But don’t worry. It’s not bad once you get the hang of it, and we’re going to break it all down in this lesson on Korean family terms.

To get started, here’s a quick list of the most important words for family members in Korean:

Family: 가족 (gajok)Dad: 아빠 (appa)Father: 아버지 (abeoji)Mom: 엄마 (eomma)Mother: 어머니 (eomeoni)Parents: 부모님 (bumonim)Older brother (for females): 오빠 (oppa)Older sister (for females): 언니 (eonni)Older brother (for males): 형 (hyeong)Older sister (for males): 누나 (nuna)Younger brother: 남동생 (namdongsaeng)Younger sister: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)Grandmother: 할머님 (halmeonim)Grandfather: 할아버님 (harabeonim)“Family” in Korean

The word for “family” in Korean is 가족 (gajok).

You may often be asked something like 가족이 몇 명입니까? (gajok-i myeot myeong-imnikka), which means “How many people are in your family?” in formal speech. Although be aware the formality and sentence-ending may change!

This is a good time to practice your Korean numbers and answer with: 우리 가족은 네 명입니다 (uri gajok-eun ne myeong-imnida) which is the formal way to say “We’re a family of four.”

Korea is influenced by Confucianism, just like Chinese and Japanese culture. What that means is, the family is often seen as a unit, and each person’s individual actions reflect on the whole family unit.

Because of this, great emphasis is placed on following a certain path. Family members are expected to maintain respect and represent the family well at all times. It’s also extremely important to show older family members respect and reverence.

This means that Korean people call most family members by their honorific titles rather than their names.

So, like how you would use Korean surnames with honorifics to show respect, you would also use honorifics to show respect to your family.

For instance, in English, you’d probably call your older brother by his first name. But in Korean, you would call him 형 (hyeong or hyung depending on romanization) if you’re a guy or 오빠 (oppa) if you’re a girl. That’s his title -- “older brother” -- not his name.

Parents in Korean

In English, there are formal and informal ways to refer to your parents. You can say “father” to be formal, or “dad” to be casual. The same is true in Korean:

“Dad” in Korean: 아빠 (appa)“Father” in Korean: 아버지 (abeoji)“Mom” in Korean: 엄마 (eomma)“Mother” in Korean: 어머니 (eomeoni)“Parents” in Korean: 부모님 (bumonim)

If you’ve ever watched Korean dramas, I’m sure you’ve heard these words quite often. One thing you’ll notice though is it’s much more common to call your dad 아버지 (abeoji) (showing more respect) but to call your mom 엄마 (eomma).

This goes back to the hierarchical nature of Korean society, and the father being the head of the household.

It’s okay to be a bit more casual and close with your mom, but keep things a bit formal with your dad. This also, of course, depends on the dad’s personality and household standards, though.

Siblings in Korean

Now here’s where you have to start thinking about age and gender a bit more. If you’re a woman, you’ll call your siblings by different terms than your brother would. And it also depends on if your sibling is older or younger than you.

So, let’s first look at what women would call their older siblings in Korean:

Older brother in Korean: 오빠 (oppa)Older sister in Korean: 언니 (eonni)

And now what guys would call their siblings in Korean:

Older brother: 형 (hyeong)Older sister: 누나 (nuna)

For younger siblings, the word is the same regardless of your gender:

Younger brother: 남동생 (namdongsaeng)Younger sister: 여동생 (yeodongsaeng)

You could also use 동생 (dongsaeng), which means “younger sibling”.

And a few more important Korean words you should know:

Siblings: 형제 자매 (hyeongje jamae)Brothers: 형제 (hyeongje)Sisters: 자매 (jamae)

So, you can see “siblings” directly translates as “brothers and sisters” in English!

One last note here: It’s common to hear some of these terms used with friends or even a boyfriend or girlfriend nowadays. It’s especially common to call your boyfriend (or the guy you like) 오빠 (oppa) to be cute and flirty.

If Your Sibling is Married…

If your sibling is married, there are a few more words you might need to know.

If you’re close with your sibling and sibling-in-law, you can simply call them by the same terms you would as if they’re your immediate family. In fact, siblings-in-law now count as your immediate family.

But if you’re not close with them and want to be more formal, you can use these terms:

Women would use:

Older brother’s wife: 새언니 (sae-eon-ni)Younger brother’s wife: 올케 (olke)Older sister’s husband: 형부 (hyeong-bu)Younger sister’s husband: 제부 (je-bu)

Men would use:

Older brother’s wife: 형수 (hyeong-su)Younger brother’s wife: 제수씨 (je-su-ssi)Older sister’s husband: 매형 (mae-hyeong)Younger sister’s husband: 매제 (mae-je)Grandparents in Korean

To talk to or about your grandparents in Korean, you would say:

Grandparents: 조부모님 (jobumonim)Grandmother: 할머님 (halmeonim)Grandma: 할머니 (halmeoni)Grandfather: 할아버님 (harabeonim)Grandpa: 할아버지 (harabeoji)

Adding 님 (nim) to the end makes it a bit more formal, but both versions are acceptable to call your grandparents.

Also, while grandparents are often not considered part of the nuclear family unit in the West, they are considered immediate family in Korea.

Spouses and Kids in Korean

When you’re talking to your spouses, you’ll normally call them by a . Something like:

Honey: 여보 (yeobo)Sweetheart: 애인 (aein)Cutie: 귀요미 (kiyomi)

...And also 오빠 (oppa) as we already mentioned, which is most common for men.

But if you’re talking to someone else about your spouse, it’s best to call them by their title:

Husband: 남편 (napyeon)Wife: 아내 (anae)

If you’re not married yet, here’s how you talk about the person you’re dating:

Boyfriend: 남자친구 (namjachingu)Girlfriend: 여자친구 (yeojachingu)Fiancé (male): 약혼자 (yakhonja)Fiancée (female): 약혼녀 (yakhonnyeo)The In-Laws

If you’re married (or going to be) to someone who’s Korean, then you’ll need to know how to refer to your in-laws.

They would be…

Father-in-law (husband’s dad): 시아버지 (siabeoji)Father-in-law (wife’s dad): 장인 (jang-in)Mother-in-law (husband’s mom): 시어머니 (shieomeoni)Mother-in-law (wife’s mom): 장모님 (jangmonim)In-laws: 사돈 (sadon)

These are more common though when talking about your in-laws to others. When talking to them, you can call them “dad” and “mom” -- 아버지 (abeoji) and 어머니 (eomeoni), respectively.

As for your other in-laws, it gets quite complicated depending on who’s married and who’s not, who’s older and who’s younger. Even whether they’re on the husband or wife’s side.

You could learn all of those words, too, but chances are you’d only use them on very rare occasions. Instead, you could get by calling them the normal terms for “brother” or “sister”, as you would with mom and dad. When in doubt, you can ask what they’d prefer to be called.

Extended Family in Korean

In Korean, you can refer to your extended family as 대가족 (daegajok) or “large family”.

What you call someone in this category depends on if they’re related to your mom or your dad. So we’ll divide this up into two groups: maternal extended family, and paternal extended family.

A few that are the same regardless of which side of the family:

Nephew: 조카 (joka)Niece: 조카딸 (jokattal)Cousin: 사촌 (sachon)Grandson/grandchild: 손자 (sonja)Granddaughter: 손녀 (sonnyeo)Maternal Extended Family

If talking about your mom’s side of the family, use these terms:

Aunt in Korean: 이모 (imo)Uncle in Korean: 외숙부 (oesukbu)Aunt’s husband: 이모부 (imobu)Uncle’s wife: 외숙모 (oesukmo)Mom’s side of the family: 외가 (oega)Paternal Extended Family

Next, your dad’s side. Things get more complicated here as well, especially for the men on your dad’s side of the family. This is because of the social hierarchy in society, but also within a family.

Uncle (younger, unmarried): 삼촌 (samchon)Uncle (younger, married): 작은아빠 (jageunappa)Uncle (older, unmarried or married): 큰아빠 (keunappa)Aunt: 고모 (gomo)Younger uncle’s wife: 작은엄마 (jageuneomma)Older uncle’s wife: 큰엄마 (keuneomma)Aunt’s husband: 고모부 (gomobu)Dad’s side of the family: 친가 (chinga)All in the Family in Korean

And there you have it! Yes, it’s a lot of family names to show respect. But unless you marry into a Korean family, you won’t use these often except for immediate family names.

Really, you’ll probably hear the rest in Korean TV shows more than anything else.

So focus on the 80/20 rule of vocabulary and learn the ones most relevant to you!

Now that you’ve mastered family in Korean, learn how to talk about love in Korean or work on practical Korean phrases for your first conversations.

The post “Family” in Korean: Talking About Your Family in Korean appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

The 10+ Best Spanish Movies on Netflix for Spanish Learners

Watching Spanish movies on Netflix will help you learn Spanish faster.

This is a list of the best movies in Spanish to watch on Netflix, put together especially for Spanish learners.

I’ve learned to speak four languages fluently (including Spanish), and I find watching movies is a great (and fun!) way to improve my language skills.

Here’s what we’re going to look at in the post:

Table of contents7 of the Best Spanish Movies on Netflix to Work on Your Knowledge of Spanish Language and CultureIn Family I Trust - Gente que viene y bahPalm Trees in the Snow - Palmeras en la nieveYucatan - YucatánUncertain Glory - Incerta glòriaLive Twice, Love Once - Vivir dos vecesThe Invisible Guest - ContratiempoSpanish Affair 2 - Ocho apellidos catalanes6 Mexican and Other Hispanic Movies on NetflixDad Wanted - Se busca papáI Am No Longer Here - Ya no estoy aquíDistinguished Citizen - El ciudadano ilustreThe Simplest Thing Is To Complicate Everything - Lo mejor es complicarlo todoElvira I Will Give You My Life But I'm Using It - Elvira, te daría mi vida pero la estoy usandoHow to Get Over a Breakup - Soltera CodiciadaWhy Watch Spanish Movies on Netflix?How to Watch Spanish Netflix Movies so You Actually Learn SpanishTime to Go Watch Some Spanish Films on Netflix

I’ve watched all the movies I’m about to recommend, so I’ll be able to tell you what Spanish skills they will help you with.

You can check out our tips on learning a language by watching movies here.

Grab your remote control and let’s get this started!

7 of the Best Spanish Movies on Netflix to Work on Your Knowledge of Spanish Language and Culture

You came here to find good Spanish movies on Netflix, but I’m going to do better and give you the best ones to work on your Spanish skills.

In Family I Trust - Gente que viene y bah

Released: 2019 Director: Patricia Font Genre: Romantic Comedy

“In Family I Trust” follows Bea, an architect. She comes back to her family home in a small Spanish town after being cheated on by her boyfriend and fired from her job. It’s a light movie centered on family love and full of the little twists and turns that make romantic comedies.

The Spanish title is a wordplay. Aloud, it sounds like gente que viene y va (“people who come and go”). But va was replaced with bah because they sound alike. Bah is an interjection that means scorn or disdain.

It’s the perfect Netflix choice if you want something light to work on your:

Knowledge of modern, everyday Spanish cultureUnderstanding of spoken Castilian SpanishVocabulary, including idioms (and some swear words)

Side note: Gente que viene y bah is based on the Spanish novel with the same name by Laura Norton.

Palm Trees in the Snow - Palmeras en la nieve

Released: 2015 Directors: Fernando González Molina Genre: Drama, Romance, Historical

“Palm Trees in the Snow” tells two stories: one in the present, and one in the past. After her father’s death, a young woman finds a letter that sends her to investigate her family’s story. The letter takes her to Equatorial Guinea, where her father and uncle lived over 40 years prior.

Palmeras en la nieve is a good Netflix choice if you want to:

Learn about a part of the history of Equatorial Guinea. Many tend to forget that Spanish is one of the official languages in Equatorial Guinea and that the country was colonized by Spain.Pick up some dialogue in Aragonese, a dialect from the Aragon and Huesca regions of Spain.Work on your comprehension of regular Castillian.

Palmeras en la Nieve is based on the novel with the same name.

Yucatan - Yucatán

Released: 2018 Director: Daniel Monzón Genre: Adventure, Comedy

A baker who’s just won the lottery, his family, two rival white-collar thieves, and a cast of more funny characters share the same sail on a luxury boat. You wouldn’t believe how crazy this cruise gets. That is, unless you watch the movie.

Watch Yucatán for:

The accent mix, both from Spain and Latin America, including the Argentinian, Peruvian, and Mexican accents.To get a sense of Hispanic comedy and humor.Uncertain Glory - Incerta glòria

Released: 2018 Director: Agustí Villaronga Genre: Drama, Historical

It’s 1937 and Spain is torn by a civil war. Lluís, a young Republican officer, is stationed at a dormant post of the front. He falls for a mysterious local lady who uses him for her best interests. Lluís has to face the consequences.

‘Uncertain Glory’ is a good starting point if you want to learn:

Some Catalan language.Some Spanish history.

The movie is based on the novel Incerta glòria by the Catalan author Joan Sales.

Live Twice, Love Once - Vivir dos veces

Released: 2019 Director: Maria Ripoll Genre: Comedy, Drama

In “Live Twice, Love Once”, a retired university professor gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He goes on a search to find the love of his youth and is joined by his granddaughter, his daughter and her husband in an adventure that will shake the family’s broken relationships.

Vivir dos veces is a moving Netflix choice that will help you improve:

Your Castilian Spanish, both informal and formalYour knowledge of Spanish family vocabulary.The Invisible Guest - Contratiempo

Released: 2016 Director: Oriol Paulo Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Successful entrepreneur Adrián Doria is accused of murdering his lover, which he claims he hasn’t committed. Ana Wagener, a witness preparation expert, has three hours to work with Doria on his defense to prevent him from going to jail. Doria is forced to retell the dark events of the past three months.

Contratiempo is a good Netflix alternative to work on:

Your understanding of the Spanish accent.Spanish thriller vocabulary, including the law and tribunal cases.Spanish Affair 2 - Ocho apellidos catalanes

Released: 2015 Director: Emilio Martínez-Lázaro Genre: Comedy

“Spanish Affair 1” isn’t available on Netflix, but you can still watch “Spanish Affair 2” without problem. It follows the efforts of Koldo (the Basque father) and Rafa (the Sevillian ex-boyfriend) as they try to stop Amaia from marrying a Catalan man.

Ocho apellidos catalanes is a great Netflix choice if you want to focus on:

Spanish humour, including the stereotypes associated with certain regions.Some Catalan and Basque.Learning about the cultural differences in Spain, even if the movie exaggerates them.6 Mexican and Other Hispanic Movies on Netflix

Spain isn’t the only country to produce movies you could watch to improve your Spanish.

In fact, if you want to learn the dialect of a Hispanic region that is not Spain, it’s more helpful to check out what movies were produced in that region.

Obviously, I wouldn’t tell you all this and then run away without helping you get started.

You might have already watched some Latin American [telenovelas]( https://www.fluentin3months.com/telen... they’re a popular feature of Latin American television. But it would be unfair to ignore Latin American movies because they can be quite a surprise. And not all of them are as famous as Roma by Alfonso Cuaron.

These 7 Netflix movies come from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.

Dad Wanted - Se busca papá

Country: Mexico Released: 2020 Director: Javier Colinas Genre: Comedy

Blanca is a young girl whose passion is riding BMX. She wants to participate in a competition and could win a big prize… If only her mother hadn’t forbidden her to ride. But Blanca won’t give up. Because she needs to have a parent’s signature to participate in the competition, she decides to cast an actor to play her father.

Se busca papá is a sweet Netflix comedy that you should watch to:

Get used to the Mexican accent.Learn informal but not impolite Mexican Spanish.See the bright colours of modern Mexico, especially the city of Aguascalientes as this is where the movie was filmed.I Am No Longer Here - Ya no estoy aquí

Country: Mexico Released: 2019 Director: Fernando Frías de la Parra Genre: Drama

This Mexican movie focuses on the life of Ulises, a 17-year-old teen living in Monterrey in the 2010’s. Ulises is at the head of a group of youth whose lifestyle relies on Cholo culture and slowed Colombian cumbia. After Ulises accidentally crosses a local cartel, he is forced to flee to the United States.

Ya no estoy aquí focuses more on visuals than dialogue, but it’s a great Netflix pick if you’re interested in:

Mexican culture from the 2000s-2010s.A closeup on some aspects of the life of Mexican immigrants.Listening to a very strong Mexican accent.Distinguished Citizen - El ciudadano ilustre

Country: Argentina, Spain Released: 2016 Directors: Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn Genre: Comedy, Drama

Prize Nobel author Daniel Mantovani has come to a block in his career. He keeps refusing to attend prestigious events in his honour from all over the world. But one day he’s invited to go back to his natal town in Argentina, where he hasn’t been back for over 30 years. He accepts… Which means he will have to face the people he wrote about in his novels.

“Distinguished Citizen” is a great Netflix choice for many reasons, but most of all if you want to get used to:

The Argentinian accent.A very correct Spanish.The contrast between the Spanish and Argentinian cultures.

El Ciudadano Ilustre has a companion novel of the same name.

The Simplest Thing Is To Complicate Everything - Lo mejor es complicarlo todo

Country: Mexico Released: 2018 Directors: Rene Bueno Genre: Teen Comedy

In this Mexican teen comedy, we follow the end-of-school-year trip of Renata and her high school senior class. Renata has a crush on a popular television presenter, Leonardo. Leonardo also happens to be best friends with Renata’s brother, and he is also part of the trip. The catch? He’s coming with his fiancée.

A little warning before you add this one to your list: it’s not exactly a story with a lot of depth or a good example. It has been criticised a lot for its plot and the behaviour of its characters.

But if you have watched ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Clueless’ without fast-forwarding to the end, you can definitely watch Lo mejor es complicarlo todo.

Even though it’s not a cinematic masterpiece, it is a good Netflix choice if you want to:

Get used to the Mexican accent.Learn modern Mexican informal language.Elvira I Will Give You My Life But I'm Using It - Elvira, te daría mi vida pero la estoy usando

Country: Mexico Released: 2014 Directors: Manolo Caro Genre: Comedy, Drama

Elvira is a forty-year-old mother of two children. One night, her husband leaves the house to go to the drugstore but never returns. Elvira sets out to find him, but in the process, she discovers parts of her husband’s life that she had never known of before.

Elvira, te daría mi vida pero la estoy usando is a moving choice if you want to learn more about:

Mexican culture, mostly that of a modest family in a large city.Mexican humour.The Mexican accent.How to Get Over a Breakup - Soltera Codiciada

Country: Peru Released: 2018 Directors: Bruno Ascenzo, Joanna Lombardi Genre: Comedy

María Fé is an ad copywriter who lives in Lima, Peru. Her world crumbles when her boyfriend of six years ends their long-distance relationship. Following the advice of her friends, María Fé starts writing a blog to channel her post-breakup feelings. The project ends up being more successful than she would have thought.

“How to Get Over a Breakup” is a great Netflix choice for many reasons, but most of all if you want to work on your:

Peruana accent.Modern informal Peruana language.

Solteras codiciadas is based on a book which is itself inspired by a blog!

Why Watch Spanish Movies on Netflix?

As you’re reading this article, I assume you already have a reason for why you want to watch Spanish movies on Netflix. But in case you don’t yet, let me tell you why watching Spanish movies is an excellent thing to do if you’re learning Spanish.

You might want to watch the original versions in Spanish to improve your comprehension. Hearing dialogues will help you get used to the accent.

You can watch the movies with English subtitles to learn new vocabulary. You can also watch them in English with Spanish subtitles.

Or if you need a break from intensive language learning, you can watch them in your mother tongue and learn about the culture or history.

Plus, watching foreign movies shows you the world from another perspective. Movie-making techniques aren’t the same in the United States as in Spain. The focus, character arcs, type of humour changes from country to country, sometimes even region to region.

In any case, you never lose.

How to Watch Spanish Netflix Movies so You Actually Learn Spanish

Here’s a bit of advice to get you started. Now that you’ve had a look at all the movies in this post, select the ones that look the best fit for what you want to learn in Spanish.

Now separate them into categories and:

Watch the ones that seem most interesting in Spanish. It will be easier to make the effort to understand if the story interests you.Watch the ones that focus heavily on culture in your native tongue or with subtitles.

Of course, this is based on my personal experience. You might prefer to watch all movies first in your native tongue and then re-watch them in Spanish. Or you’d rather use subtitles for all of them.

For an in-depth guide, check out our tips on learning a language by watching movies here.

You do you!

A side note before I let you go: As you’ve noticed throughout the article, I’ve let you know when a movie is based on a book.

I’ve recently written about how reading in Spanish can help you achieve fluency. If you want to make the most of the movie in terms of learning, you should think about reading the book as well.

First of all, you would get more insight into Spanish culture. There is simply more space in a book to talk about the setting of a story and the habits of characters.

But more importantly, you would have the chance to read the vocabulary from the movie. It’s a very valuable aspect if you rely on written text to learn. You could take notes easily or make flashcards, for example.

This is one of the techniques I use to maintain fluency in the four languages I know, so I can say with confidence that it’s worth the effort!

Time to Go Watch Some Spanish Films on Netflix

¡Lo tienes todo listo para ver Netflix en Español! (“You’re ready to watch Netflix in Spanish!”)

After all this reading, I bet you can’t wait to jump on the couch and turn the TV on. And that’s an excellent idea! In fact, I’m on my way to catch up with this list of Korean Movies.

¡Nos vemos!

The post The 10+ Best Spanish Movies on Netflix for Spanish Learners appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

30+ Free Online French Classes and Resources (Only the Best!)

If you’re learning French, you’re probably looking for online French classes and free resources.

Look no more, because we’ve got you covered.

There are so many French courses and resources out there it can be tricky to know where to start. How do you know which French courses are good quality, without wasting hours testing them all out?

The good news is that there are tons of affordable and even free ways to learn French. I’ve put this article together so you’ll know where to start with learning French.

I’ve explored and tested countless free French learning tools to find the best ones out there. That way, you don’t have to. Let’s take a look at these free online French language resources and classes.

Table of contentsFree Online French Classes, Courses, and Systems1. Coursera2. EdX3. Learn with Oliver4. BBC Languages5. TV5 Monde6. Class CentralFree Online Audio & Podcasts to Help You Learn French1. FrenchPod1012. Journal en Français Facile3. TuneIn4. ForvoFree Video French Lessons on YouTube1. FrenchPod1012. Super Easy French3. Learn French with Alexa4. Comme Une Française5. Français Authentique6. Natoo7. Cyprien8. Andy Raconte9. Norman Fait des Vidéos10. Je Ne Suis Pas Jolie11. Fast Good Cuisine12. Joueur du GrenierFree French Language Apps1. Memrise and Anki2. MosaLingua3. Duolingo4. Drops5. ClozemasterFree French Language Reading Materials1. Wikipedia2. LingQ3. The French Experiment4. Lingua.com5. LanguageGuide.org6. eBooks Gratuits7. Paralleltext.ioYou’re All Set to Learn French for FreeFree Online French Classes, Courses, and Systems

If you’re interested in guided lessons, there is an exceptional selection of free online French classes, courses, and systems available online.

Here are just a few websites that offer online French lessons at no cost:

1. Coursera

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) not only offer French language courses, but they also offer courses on other subjects in French.

Coursera has some great free courses in French, like this course on Paris by the prestigious Sciences Po university.

If you’re not ready yet for full French material yet, don’t worry! Interested in learning more about negotiation or how to develop a startup? Or maybe quantum mechanics or even Java or C++ are more your thing?

Whatever your interest is, there’s a good chance you can find a course about it taught on Coursera with French subtitles!

2. EdX

Much like Coursera, is an online learning portal that has a selection of courses where French is the language of instruction.

With 40+ options, you can learn about Human Rights, Marketing, Algebra, Astrophysics or even Philosophy.

If you’re a beginner learner, you should check out the language course from WestonHS called On-Ramp to AP® French Language and Culture. It has several free video lessons taught by a native French-speaking instructor.

3. Learn with Oliver

Learn with Oliver is an online flashcard tool that lets you learn and test yourself on French words and phrases.

There are flashcards for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. The website even has a text analyser that breaks down external texts. You might want to pair that with one of the reading resources from later in the post!

I personally love Learn with Oliver’s email newsletters and look forward to seeing them in my inbox every day. Each email comes with some fun exercises to make sure you keep practicing.

4. BBC Languages

Looking for a fantastic introduction to the French language with video and tons of accompanying material? The BBC’s French course is a good place to start.

The content can be very simple or more advanced, and you can choose what fits your level the best!

5. TV5 Monde

TV5 Monde offers French learners a variety of news articles organized by CEFR level. There is video and audio comprehension, multiple choice questions, and interactive exercises.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an advanced learner, they have articles with exercises to help you boost your French reading comprehension.

6. Class Central

Class Central is an online portal that indexes free online courses from a variety of sites (including Coursera and EdX).

Currently, they have more than 900 courses taught in French listed on their site.

Free Online Audio & Podcasts to Help You Learn French

Podcasts are a great way to learn French.

You can take them with you wherever you go -- on your commute, when you’re out walking the dog, or to listen to during your lunch break. Anytime you have a spare moment, you can fit in some language learning.

There are a lot of French language podcasts out there, but not many that provide a complete French course. I prefer podcasts that provide a step-by-step French class, or that teach French as it’s spoken in the real world. Here’s where to start with French language audio:

1. FrenchPod101

FrenchPod101 is free to sign up. It has an impressive amount of French content available at every level from complete beginner to advanced.

You get a one-week free trial to test out lessons at all skill levels. After that, you do have to pay for the more advanced lessons and premium material, although it’s very much worth it.

The Innovative Language podcasts are a favorite of the Fluent in 3 Months team. Benny Lewis, the founder of Fluent in 3 Months, considers them one of the best language learning resources available.

2. Journal en Français Facile

Journal en Français Facile is a free news podcast in simple French from the French language broadcast rfi.

The news is one of the hardest things to understand in your target language. It’s usually read so quickly and contains quite a lot of information and formal language.

Luckily, with Journal en Français Facile you can keep up with the events of the world and work on your French.

3. TuneIn

On TuneIn, you can find radio channels from France or Quebec.

Test out a few stations based on the dialect you’d like to learn, see what catches your attention and enjoy. Download the app to enjoy radio on your mobile device.

4. Forvo

If you come across a new word, especially with French that has a lot of silent letter combinations, Forvo is a great place to listen to words spoken by a native speaker.

It has a large database and is a good reference for pronunciation.

Free Video French Lessons on YouTube

YouTube is an excellent place to find free French classes and resources.

Videos give you hours of French lessons in an engaging medium. They also have the added benefits of letting you see facial expressions, body language and other non-verbal aspects of the French language.

Not only that, but if you’re looking for native and relevant material for your French language learning, YouTubers are a great source.

French vloggers cover everything from comedy to beauty to food, so you’re sure to find a YouTube personality who covers a topic that you’re interested in.

Here are a few of my favorites YouTube French resources and channels:

1. FrenchPod101

In addition to their free podcast lessons, FrenchPod101 also has an excellent YouTube channel with hours of free content.

2. Super Easy French

I love the Easy Languages channel because it offers you a lot of local culture and context.

In their series Super Easy French, the hosts go out into the streets of France and interview the people they meet there.

It’s a great way to hear the way people really speak the language, pick up useful conversational language, and practice your listening comprehension.

3. Learn French with Alexa

Learn French with Alexa teaches French with fun, short videos that cover everything from grammar to themed vocabulary lists.

Alexa also features interviews in French as well as recipes!

4. Comme Une Française

Learn about the French language and culture with Comme Une Française.

Géraldine, the host, is an upbeat and enthusiastic tutor who shares her experience as a French native as well as tips for learning the French language.

5. Français Authentique

Looking for content about French language and culture in French (instead of English)? Français Authentique offers learners just that in slow and clear French.

6. Natoo

Natoo is a comedy vlogger with a variety of videos and skits on her channel.

The videos are in French, but you can watch them with English subtitles.

7. Cyprien

Cyprien is also a comedy vlogger.

In addition to his comedy skits, he also covers aspects of French culture, so it’s a great source of info about the language and other facets of life in France.

8. Andy Raconte

Andy Raconte is another comedy vlogger with short, entertaining skits on her channel that cover a variety of social topics like jealousy, what it’s like to be socially awkward, and more.

9. Norman Fait des Vidéos

Norman is one of the most popular French comedians on YouTube. His channel features several skits as well as short “rants” where he discusses different topics such as dads, family dinners, and raclette.

10. Je Ne Suis Pas Jolie

If you’re a parent, Je Ne Suis Pas Jolie is a great channel to use as a resource.

Léa, the vlogger, is a parent. She shares her experience, discussing everything from night routines to household products. It’s a great place to pick up family-related vocabulary.

She speaks in a very calm tone and with a clear French accent. Her content is excellent to work on your comprehension!

11. Fast Good Cuisine

Fast Good Cuisine: Do you love food? What about French food? If your inner foodie is screaming “yes!”, then Fast Good Cuisine is the channel for you to not only satisfy your cravings, but to work on your food-related vocabulary in French.

12. Joueur du Grenier

Into video games? Joueur du Grenier is a French vlog specialized in retro video games.

The vlogger is a dynamic presenter, but his channel may be best suited to intermediate or advanced learners because he speaks fairly quickly.

Free French Language Apps

Apps are a handy way to learn a new language, especially for those who like to study on the go.

Now no matter the learning style you prefer, you can learn French right on your smartphone. Here are some of my favourite apps that cover French.

1. Memrise and Anki

Memrise and Anki are flashcard systems that you can use to create your own French vocabulary decks. You can also download some already created by other users.

The desktop version of Anki is free, as is the basic version of Memrise.

2. MosaLingua

MosaLingua is another flashcard app, but this one comes with premade French flashcards. That means you don’t have to make your own (though you can if you want).

There is both a free and paid version of this app.

3. Duolingo

Duolingo is a popular language learning app that introduces you to both French vocabulary and grammar.

It’s a gamified platform, so it’s fun to learn and easy to maintain your daily streaks.

Duolingo is bright and engaging, and it offers you the possibility to learn through different types of content: texts, audio, fill-in-the-blank, and more!

4. Drops

Pressed for time? Drops is the perfect solution.

With the free version of the app, you just get five minutes of study time per day. But you can get a lot done in those five minutes.

The system is built to keep you engaged and moving so that you get a significant chunk of vocabulary exposure in a short time via beautiful graphics and intuitive swiping.

5. Clozemaster

Clozemaster is a language learning app that uses cloze (fill in the blank) to help you master new vocabulary in French.

Clozemaster is a gamified system, albeit less than Duolingo. You can “play” both as a registered user and as a guest.

Like I said, the point is to fill in the blank of some sentences. You can choose to do so with multiple choices or by inputting a text. Once you’ve found out the right answer, an audio automatically recites the sentence for you. You can slow down the recording to improve your oral and auditory skills!

Free French Language Reading Materials

Finding reading material appropriate for your level in the language can be a challenge. Thankfully, there’s a decent selection of French reading resources available to you as a learner online for free.

I’ve listed 7 here, but you can find some more in this post. Benny wrote it especially to help you find French reading resources adapted to your level.

1. Wikipedia

Use Wikipedia to read short articles in French.

You can find pieces on many topics, which means that you can read according to your interests.

Even though articles vary from language to language, the key points always remain the same. This means that you can switch back to your native language to check your comprehension.

2. LingQ

LingQ is a popular online learning system that helps you acquire new vocabulary through its reading interface.

Lessons contain texts that you can read but also hear. In fact, when you click on words in a text, you will hear the words pronounced. Any repetition of these words will also be highlighted throughout the text so you can have an idea of how frequently they are used.

It’s free to sign up, though if you want to use it long-term you’ll need to opt for a paid plan.

3. The French Experiment

Looking for short stories to read in French? The French Experiment is a website that offers not only short reading excerpts in French, but useful grammar guides as well.

The short stories include famous tales like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood. They all come with an audio read of the story. Plus, you have the option to show the paragraphs’s translation for easier comprehension!

4. Lingua.com

If you’re a beginning French learner, Lingua.com has a variety of easy reading material on day-to-day topics that might interest you. They’re packed with useful vocabulary and are free to download.

Online, the readings come with comprehension questions that you can take up as a challenge.

You need a premium account to access the audios, but the readings themselves are the best part of the website!

5. LanguageGuide.org

LanguageGuide.org is a well-curated collection of reading materials with audio accompaniment.

You can choose between beginner and advanced readings as well as read a selection of jokes!

Who doesn’t want to have a joke or two to crack when they’re learning a new language? Humor is the best way to make up for any small mistakes you could make with grammar!

6. eBooks Gratuits

Many classics are available to legally download free online.

If you’re at the level where you’d be comfortable reading Alexandre Dumas or other open domain material, eBooks Gratuits has a lot of material you can dive into.

7. Paralleltext.io

Unassuming on the surface, Paralleltext.io lets you read classics like Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland with the French and English text side-by-side on the screen!

Here are a few tips to make the most of the website:

Click a sentence to hear it pronounced by a computer voice.Tap the circle next to a sentence to change it from French to English and back.Switch from a side-by-side English/French view to French-only if your reading skills are more advanced.You’re All Set to Learn French for Free

It’s incredible how many excellent resources are available to learn French at no cost online. Though I’ve featured 34 places you can learn French for free, there are many more.

One of our favorite courses at Fi3M is French Uncovered. It’s based on storytelling, and takes learners from beginner level to intermediate in 20 chapters. It has a 7-day free trial period that gives you a chance to try out the method!

If you’d like to have more options, you can check out Benny’s list of the best resources to learn French.

And last but not least, browse through Fi3M’s French content. We regularly post articles that cover all aspects of language and language learning.

À bientôt! (“See you soon!”)

The post 30+ Free Online French Classes and Resources (Only the Best!) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

How to Say “Family” in Spanish – and How to Talk About Your Family Members

Family in Spanish culture is a really important concept, and the word for family in Spanish is similar to English, familia. Read on for everything you need to know to talk about your family in Spanish.

Here’s what we’ll talk about:

Table of contentsHow to Say “Family” in Spanish: FamiliaHow to Say “My Family” in Spanish: Mi FamiliaHow to Say “Family Member” in Spanish: Miembro de la FamiliaRules of Gender and Number Agreement and the Spanish Family Members CollectivesHow to Say “I Love My Family” in SpanishMore Spanish Sentences and Phrases About FamilyNow You Can Talk About Family in Spanish!

I grew up torn by my dual nationality, never knowing where I belonged. The number of countries I’ve lived in is greater than the number of years I spent living in my birthplace. For these reasons, I’ve grown up knowing that home isn’t a place. Home is the people you love. And the people I love the most are my family!

You can bet your target language I’ll teach you all you need to know about family vocabulary in Spanish.

Grab a pen and a notepad, and let’s get started!

How to Say “Family” in Spanish: Familia

As I mentioned, Spanish, “family” is familia.

If you want to go a little more in-depth, you can learn the different types of family categorization in Spanish:

la familia inmediata - “immediate family”la familia extendida - “extended family”la familia ensamblada or la familia reconstituida - “stepfamily” or “reconstituted family”la familia política - “in-laws”la familia adoptiva - “adoptive family” or “foster family”

Let’s pause a second and come back to familia and “family”. Notice how similar the two words look. This is a huge advantage for you!

Familia and “family” are cognates, words from different languages that share the same root and meaning and are pronounced similarly.

Cognates are an amazing way to learn hundreds of words in your target language with almost no effort. You shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity! When it comes to language learning, hacking your way to your goal is allowed. 😉

And I’m not the only one to say so! Benny Lewis encourages you to take advantage of cognates in his guide Why Spanish is Easy.

So yes, remember how similar familia and “family” are.

And while we’re looking at cognates with the “famil-” root, it’s worth learning that “familiar” in Spanish is familiar! The words are spelled exactly the same, only the pronunciation changes.

How to Say “My Family” in Spanish: Mi Familia

You’ve learned how to say “family” in Spanish. Great!

But if you want talk about family in Spanish, chances are you will talk about your family. So how do you say “my family” in Spanish? The answer is mi familia.

In Spanish, the possessive pronoun mi is the equivalent of the English “my”.

Now you might be curious about how to say “your family” in Spanish. Or how to say “family” with any other possessive pronoun.

Here are the answers:

mi familia - “my family”tu familia - “your family” (with tú and vos)su familia - “his/her/their/your family” (with usted and ustedes)nuestra familia - “our family”vuestra familia - “your family” (with vosotros and vosotras)

If you want to learn more about possessive adjectives in Spanish, check out this guide!

How to Say “Family Member” in Spanish: Miembro de la Familia

“Family member” in Spanish is miembro de la familia, which literally translates to “member of the family”.

But we don’t always say “family member” in English. Sometimes, we also use the word “relative”. In Spanish, “relative” is pariente.

Now that you know how to say “family member”, I can imagine you wondering: what are the family members in Spanish?

How coincidental, I was just about to give you a list!

Actually, to make learning easier, I’ll give you four lists! They’re based on the different categorizations of family you learned earlier.

Familia Inmediata - “Immediate Family”

la esposa or la mujer - “the wife”el esposo or el marido - “the husband”la madre - “the mother”el padre - “the father”la hija - “the daughter”el hijo - “the son”la hermana - “the sister”el hermano - “the brother”

Familia Extendida - “Extended Family”

la tía - “the aunt”el tío - “the uncle”la sobrina - “the niece”el sobrino - “the nephew”el primo (hermano)/la prima (hermana) - “the (first) cousin”el primo segundo/la prima segunda - “the second cousin”la nieta - “the grand-daughter”el nieto - “the grandson”la abuela - “the grandmother”el abuelo - “the grandfather”la bisnieta - “the great-granddaughter”el bisnieto - “the great-grandson”la bisabuela - “the great-grandmother”el bisabuelo - “the great-grandfather”

Familia Reconstituida - “Stepfamily”

la madrastra - “the stepmother”el padrastro - “the stepfather”la hermanastra - “the stepsister”el hermanastro - “the stepbrother”medio hermano or hermano de padre/madre - “half-brother”media hermana or hermana de padre/madre - “half-sister”la hijastra - “the stepdaughter”el hijastro - “the stepson”

Familia Política “In-Laws”

la suegra - “the mother-in-law”el suegro - “the father-in-law”la consuegra - “the mother-in-law of one’s son/daughter”el consuegro - “the father-in-law of one’s son/daughter”la cuñada - “the sister-in-law”el cuñado - “the brother-in-law”la nuera - “the daughter-in-law”el yerno - “the son-in-law”

Here’s a chart you can download to keep these lists at hand!

We shouldn’t forget to mention the “godparent family”:

la madrina - “the godmother”el padrino - “the godfather”la ahijada - “the goddaughter”el ahijado - “the godson”Rules of Gender and Number Agreement and the Spanish Family Members Collectives

Nouns in Spanish have a gender: they’re either feminine or masculine.

As you could see in the lists, most of the nouns go in pairs and share the same root (hermano and hermana, suegro and suegra).

It’s the endings that make the difference: most of the feminine nouns end in -a (hermana and suegra) and most of the masculine ones end in -o (hermano and suegro).

Nouns in Spanish also change in function of the number (hermano and hermanos, nieta and nietas). This isn’t too hard to learn, because nouns can be singular or plural in English, too (“brother” and “brothers”, “niece” and “nieces”).

There could be some confusion when it comes to the use of collective versus plural, though. But that’s what we’re about to clarify.

The collective terms are those that group people, like “parents” and “siblings”.

Fun fact: English lacks a collective term for “uncle(s) and aunt(s)”, but Spanish has los tíos.

For family members in Spanish, the collective terms are the plural of the masculine nouns. It’s very simple: “the parents” are los padres and “the siblings” are los hermanos. However, using the plural of masculine nouns only works when the nouns you’re referring to are either all masculine or mixed masculine and feminine.

In other words, use los hermanos if you’re talking about several brothers or a mix of brothers and sisters. If you’re only talking about sisters, use the feminine plural: las hermanas.

If you think about it, the same happens in English: you would say “the siblings” if there is a brother and a sister, but “the sisters” if you’re only talking about female siblings.

Spanish Nicknames for Family Members

When you love someone, you rarely call them by their name or their formal title. In Spanish, there are plenty of ways to nickname your family members!

Let’s start with the parents. Madre y padre are rarely used outside of formal context or adult conversation. With your family and friends, or if you’re addressing a child, you would tend to use:

la mamá - “the mom”el papá - “the dad”los papás - “the parents”

The more affectionate terms are mami and papi.

In some Latin American countries, since mami stands for “mom”, grandmothers are often dubbed mamá. It confused me the first time I heard it, but it’s sweet when you get used to it.

Speaking of grandparents… Many families get creative when nicknaming their grandparents, and Spanish gives you plenty of opportunities for that. Here are some of the most common terms for grandparents:

abu or abue (for both grandparents)yaya and yayonana and nono

We could go on and on with this because Spanish is a language with a lot of room for love.

Instead, I’ll show you a trick. There is a simple way to create nicknames in Spanish, and that is by adding the diminutive suffix -ito/a at the end of words.

Here are some examples:

abuelita and abuelitohermanita and hermanitoprimita and primito

This trick doesn’t work with mamá and papá or mami and papi, but it does with most of the Spanish names for family members!

How to Say “I Love My Family” in Spanish

Having a loving family is a beautiful thing, and it’s nice to acknowledge it.

If you ever want to talk about your family in Spanish and say “I love my family”, you have two options:

Quiero a mi familia.Amo a mi familia.

Yes, Spanish has several ways to say “I love…”.

Usually, the verb querer (“to love” or “to want”) is used to express sweet, mild love. On a scale from “friendship” to “passion”, it’s closer to friendship. Amar (“to love”) defines a much stronger love.

There are other phrases that you can use to recognize your love for your family. You could say “family is everything”, for example. In Spanish, “family is everything” is translated to la familia lo es todo. Todo means “everything”.

If you’d rather say “family forever”, in Spanish you should say la familia es para siempre. Or maybe you’re more of a “family first” kind of person? “Family first” is la familia primero in Spanish.

More Spanish Sentences and Phrases About Family

Ready for some more family-related vocabulary? Let’s talk about other family-related phrases you might hear in Spanish.

First, let’s work on learning the Spanish version of “How is your family?” After all, asking about someone’s family is a nice way to show you care about them. One of the ways to ask that in Spanish is by saying ¿Cómo está tu familia?

There are more phrasings to ask how someone is doing in Spanish, and you can learn them from this post on Spanish greetings.

When you think of family, you might think of your family tree. In Spanish, a family tree is un árbol genealógico. This literally translates to “a genealogical tree”. So to say “my family tree”, you would say mi árbol genealógico.

If you’ve ever watched a telenovela, you might be familiar with the dramatized Hispanic family feuds on TV. In Spanish, a “family feud” is una disputa familiar.

But not all families are torn by conflict. In fact, Hispanic families are known to be large and loving. If you want to tell your friend they’ve got a “beautiful family” in Spanish, you would call it una hermosa familia. In a sentence, that would be Tienes una hermosa familia. (“You have a beautiful family.”)

Spanish has a few sayings related to family. One of them goes Cuando seas padre, comerás huevo. It’s the equivalent of “You’ll understand when you’ll be older”, but it literally translates to “You will eat eggs when you’ll be a father.”

Benny Lewis, the founder of Fluent in 3 Months, tells you all about this quote in this post about Spanish sayings. He also mentions other quotes that revolve around family!

Now You Can Talk About Family in Spanish!

You’re ready to include family vocabulary in your Spanish conversations!

Maybe you could tell your italki tutor about it and ask them if you can practice talking about family.

Or maybe you’d like to join the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge family and prove yourself that you can have a 15-minute conversation in your target language in 90 days!

If you’re looking for more vocabulary to learn, you could start by checking out the 101 core Spanish words.

If you’re ready for something a little stronger, try working on conjugation! Reflexive verbs are a good starting point.

In any case, you’re doing great! Learning a new language is a challenge, and you’re on the right path.

I have to go video call my family now. ¡Hasta luego! (“See you soon!”)

The post How to Say “Family” in Spanish – and How to Talk About Your Family Members appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Everything You Need to Know About Definite Articles in Spanish

In English, we only have one definite article: “the”. But there are five definite articles in Spanish: el, la, los, las, and lo.

I’ve got good news for you: it’s really not complicated, and I’ll show you everything you need to master definite articles in Spanish. I’ve included a lot of examples to make learning easier.

Here’s what we'll cover:

Table of contentsWhat Is a Definite Article in Spanish?How Many Definite Articles Are There in Spanish?Gender for Definite Articles in SpanishHow Do You Use Definite Articles in Spanish? An Explanation With ExamplesRule 1: Use Spanish Definite Articles to Talk about Something GeneralRule 2: Use Spanish Definite Articles to Refer to Something That Is Unique, Has Already Been Mentioned or Is Already Defined for the Reader/ListenerRule 3: Use Spanish Definite Articles to Mention a Person’s Title, Unless You’re Addressing Them Directly.Rule 4: Use Spanish Definite Articles in Front of Possessive PronounsRule 5: Other Ways to Use Spanish Definite ArticlesRule for the Contraction of the Masculine Singular Definite Article in SpanishWhen to Use the Definite Article El With Feminine Nouns in SpanishWhat Are Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish? Rule and ExamplesThat’s Spanish Definite Articles in a Nutshell For You!

¿Listos? ¡Vamos! (“Ready? Let’s go!”)

What Is a Definite Article in Spanish?

What does artículo definido (“definite article”) mean in Spanish? Let’s break the term down.

In grammar, an article is a small word that goes in front of a noun. The article gives some indication about the identity of the noun. In English, the main articles we use are “a”, “an” and “the”.

A definite article is used to describe something specific. This can be something that has already been mentioned in the text or conversation, something unique, or something that is being identified. In English, there is only one definite article: “the''.

The Spanish definite articles are:

Masculine Feminine Neutral Singular *lo* *la* *lo* Plural *los* *las* --

Note: Don’t confuse the article el with the subject pronoun él (“he”). The article doesn’t wear a tilde (“accent”). Here is a refresher on Spanish pronouns in case you need it.

When I was learning Spanish, I used a trick to remember the purpose of definite articles. I like to think that definite articles are the word form of a pointing finger:

el amigo - “the friend” la casa - “the house” los estudiantes - “the students” las hermanas - “the sisters”

Definite articles show that you’re talking about the thing, not only a thing.

Here’s a downloadable infographic you can keep to remember the Spanish definite articles:

How Many Definite Articles Are There in Spanish?

As you’ve seen in the chart above, there are five definite articles in Spanish:

the masculine singular elthe feminine singular lathe masculine plural losthe feminine plural lasand the neutral lo

There are two interesting facts to notice at this point.

First, lo is often left out when you learn Spanish as a foreign language. That’s why you might have read that there are only four definite articles in Spanish.

And second, definite articles in Spanish (almost) always agree in number and gender with the noun they describe. (I’ll explain what I mean by “almost” later on.)

Gender for Definite Articles in Spanish

You might be wondering why there are so many ways to say “the” in Spanish. Let me explain.

Nouns in Spanish have a gender: they’re either feminine or masculine. Think of words like la casa (“the house”, feminine) and el árbol (“the tree”, masculine).

Mini identification hack: Feminine nouns usually end in -a, -ción, -sión, -zión, -dad, -tad, -ez, and -triz. E.g.: la pasión (“passion”), la bondad (“goodness”), la cicatriz (“scar”).

Now, Spanish is quite fussy about this gender thing: it wants all the words that describe a noun to share the noun’s gender. This means that a casa is roja (“red”, feminine), not rojo (“red, masculine). This rule also applies to definite articles: la casa, *el árbol.

The rule of agreement also works for number. If a Spanish noun is plural, all the words that describe this noun have to be plural: las casas, los árboles.

Mini memory hack: Number agreement sometimes happens in English too! Think of how you say “this house” but “these houses”.

Now that we’re on the same page about gender and number agreement, let’s jump into the rules for the use of definite articles in Spanish.

How Do You Use Definite Articles in Spanish? An Explanation With Examples

First, let’s talk about lo. Lo is not common in sentences at beginner or intermediate level because it’s used with abstract concepts. It has no plural form and often doesn’t translate to “the” in English.

Examples:

Lo abstracto no se puede tocar (“You can’t touch what is abstract.”) Lo mejor de mi viaje fue viajar contigo - “The best of my trip was travelling with you.” Lo único que puedo hacer es irme - “All I can do is leave.”

Now that you’re more familiar with lo, let’s go over the most important rules for using el, la, los, las.

As you will see in the examples, the Spanish definite article does not always translate to “the” in English. A phrase such as la hermana de mi madre (literally “the sister of my mother”) becomes “my mother’s sister”, without the definite article.

But keep in mind that nouns in Spanish almost always need an article. This article can either be definite or indefinite.

I’ll talk more about indefinite articles later in the post. For now, let’s explore the rules for the use of definite articles.

Rule 1: Use Spanish Definite Articles to Talk about Something General

In English, you don’t use the definite article if you want to talk about dogs in general. You just say “Dogs are my favourite animals.”

In Spanish, however, the sentence wouldn’t make sense without the definite article. The right way to translate it is Los perros son mis animales favoritos.

Examples:

Las escuelas cierran en verano - “Schools close in the summer.”Me gustan los perros - “I like dogs.”Rule 2: Use Spanish Definite Articles to Refer to Something That Is Unique, Has Already Been Mentioned or Is Already Defined for the Reader/Listener

When the noun you’re referring to is evident, use the definite article.

Examples:

La reina de Inglaterra se llama Elizabeth* - “The Queen of England is called Elizabeth.”Mi padre me mandó una carta. La carta llegó hoy - “My father sent me a card. The card arrived today.”El libro de mi hermana es azul* - “My sister’s book is blue.”Rule 3: Use Spanish Definite Articles to Mention a Person’s Title, Unless You’re Addressing Them Directly.

Examples:

El Sr. Martínez es mi vecino - “Mr Martinez is my neighbour.” La Dra. García se fue - “Dr. Garcia has left.”Profesor Morales, ¿cómo está? - “Professor Morales, how are you?”Rule 4: Use Spanish Definite Articles in Front of Possessive Pronouns

The Spanish possessive pronouns are:

mío/a/as/os - “mine”tuyo/a/os/as “yours” with tú or vossuyo/a/os/as - “his”, “hers”, or “yours” with ustednuestro/a/os/as - “ours”vuestro/a/os/as “yours” with vosotros and vosotrassuyo/a/os/as - “theirs”, or “yours” with ustedes

Examples:

¿Cuál bicicleta usarás? La mía - “What bicycle will you use? Mine.”Usa tu teléfono, nosotros usaremos el nuestro - “Use your phone, we will use ours.”Rule 5: Other Ways to Use Spanish Definite Articles

Here are a few more examples of times when you have to use definite articles in Spanish.

→ In Spanish, definite articles come before the days of the week.

Examples:

el lunes - “Monday”¡Te veo el jueves! - “See you on Thursday!”

→ Sometimes, the Spanish definite article is needed in front of language nouns: El español es mi idioma favorito (“Spanish is my favourite language”). It isn’t needed when the name of the language follows a verb: Estoy aprendiendo español (“I am learning Spanish”).

→ Use definite articles when you’re talking about the hour: La clase empieza a las dos (“The class starts at two”) and Se fue a la una (“He/She left at one”).

Rule for the Contraction of the Masculine Singular Definite Article in Spanish

The singular definite articles in Spanish are the masculine el, the feminine la, and the neutral lo.

While la and lo always stay the same, el is sometimes joined with other words to make the combination sound less awkward to pronounce.

Don’t worry, this only happens in two cases: with the preposition a (“to”, “at”, “into”, “by”) and de (“of”, “from”).

In these cases, it would sound awkward to try to say a el or de el as separate words, so they get joined up into one word. A el becomes al, and de el becomes del.

Here’s a chart to help you:

Definite article Preposition Contraction el + de = del a al

Examples:

Sandra ha de saludar al medico - “Sandra has to greet the doctor.”Este es el auto del primo de mi esposa - “This is the car of my wife’s cousin.”

These are known in Spanish as artículos contractos (“contracted articles”).

There is no contraction when the masculine definite article is plural. Here are the same examples in plural form:

*Sandra ha de saludar a los medicos - “Sandra has to greet the doctors.”Este es el auto de los primos de mi esposa - “This is the car of my wife’s cousins.”When to Use the Definite Article El With Feminine Nouns in Spanish

Earlier in the post, you learned that el is the definite article that goes with masculine nouns and la goes with feminine nouns. But I also gave you a hint that there is an exception to this rule.

Sometimes, el is used with feminine nouns.

Don’t run away! I promise it’s not complicated, you just need to learn one basic rule.

The definite article el goes before a feminine noun when:

the noun is singular, ANDthe noun starts with a stressed a, á, or ha

When the noun is plural, the definite article goes back to being feminine.

Here are some examples:

Spanish English Singular Plural el agua las aguas the water(s) el águila las águilas the eagle(s) el alma las almas the soul(s) el arma las armas the weapon(s) el habla las hablas the speech(es) el hacha las hachas the axe(s) el hambre las hambres the hunger(s)

There are a few more rules about the exception:

The rule only works with nouns, not adjectives. If there’s an adjective between the article and the noun, even if it starts with a stressed a, the article will be la. Examples: la gran hacha (“the big axe”) and la alta torre (“the high tower”)If the noun is a name, the article stays la. Example: la ÁngelaIf the noun is feminine because it indicates feminine gender, use the article la. Example: la árabe (“the Arab”)What Are Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish? Rule and Examples

If you’re looking into definite articles in Spanish, you’ve probably heard of indefinite articles as well. And chances are, you’re wondering what the difference is.

Here’s the rule: while definite articles “point out” something specific, indefinite articles describe something general or unspecified.

In English, the indefinite articles are “a” and “an”.

These are the Spanish indefinite articles:

Masculine Feminine Singular un una Plural unos unas

Watch how using an indefinite article instead of a definite article changes the meaning of a sentence:

Marcos tiene un libro azul - “Marcos has a blue book” → You wouldn’t think that Marcos’s book is special. It’s just a blue book.Marcos tiene el libro azul - “Marcos has the blue book” → Now Marcos has the blue book. The speaker and listener know which blue book they’re talking about, it’s a specific one.That’s Spanish Definite Articles in a Nutshell For You!

I’m happy to see that you’ve read this post until the end. Grammar might not be the most exciting topic when you study a foreign language, but at the end of the day, you can’t truly master the language without it.

Often, the smallest words in a language are the most important. Missing out on learning them can set you back in your plans to become fluent.

If you’re looking for more posts on essential Spanish, try our guide to Spanish reflexive verbs or this list of the 101 core Spanish words.

But maybe you already feel ready to interact with a native speaker. That’s one of the best ways to practice your Spanish, so go for it! If you’re looking for a conversation buddy, let me recommend italki. It’s one of my favourite language learning resources.

Before saying goodbye, I want to encourage you to leave any questions you have about Spanish definite articles in the comments. I want to make sure you’ve got all the answers you need to improve your Spanish!

¡Nos vemos! (“See you!”)

The post Everything You Need to Know About Definite Articles in Spanish appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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

One of the most frequent questions I get when I talk about my intensive language projects is How do I find a good online language tutor?

Today, I want to cover this question in as much detail as possible. Here’s what we’ll talk about:

Table of contentsWhy an Online Language Tutor?Start With Preply to Find Online Language Tutors to Choose FromSelecting Your New Online Language Tutor From Many OptionsBooking Your First Online Language LessonHow to Know if an Online Language Tutor Is "Good"You’re All Set to Start Working With an Online Language Tutor

This article is part of my online language lesson series of posts. The previous post was How to Prepare for Skype Language Lessons.

Why an Online Language Tutor?

There are numerous reasons why I opt for video-call lessons over in-person lessons, but the major ones are:

It doesn't require living in the countryIt is dramatically cheaper than in-person private lessons. You can leverage currency differences if your target language country has a currency that's weaker than your home country's. It is also amazingly cheaper than in-person group lessons in many cases!It requires zero travel time for both the teacher and the student. For instance, when I got private lessons in person in Taipei (in Mandarin), it wasn’t only expensive, it was time consuming since the most affordable teacher I could find was 45 minutes away by public transport.You can have audio only or video based calls, as you prefer (connection permitting). This is a little easier for people who feel intimidated by having someone see them stumble through as a beginner learner.You can utilise all the tools available to you online, such as quick dictionaries or translators in another window while you chat. More on this in another post, but I use these kinds of tricks to help me get speaking from day one more easily than I would with a teacher sitting in front of me.

Sometimes I have in-person lessons, but 99% of my spoken practice nowadays in all my foreign languages is via video call.

With that being said, let's see how to find those teachers!

Start With Preply to Find Online Language Tutors to Choose From

Where can you find a language tutor online?

Preply is the website I use to find my language partners and teachers. You can check out our review of Preply here.

There are many great places to find just the right teacher for you. I've used a bunch of different resources, but always come back to Preply.

Compared to the competition, I find that Preply:

Has way more teachers who are active, so you are more likely to get responses. Some other sites tend to have unresponsive teachers.Has a wide range of languages. There are some OK alternative websites for specific languages out there, but if you aren't learning Spanish or Chinese, you run out of options quickly. Preply has these and many more.Has a time-zone automatically adjusted calendar of availability. You don't need to do any calculations to account for time zones - Preply does that for you. Almost every other site I've used has a huge pain-in-the-ass process of figuring out what time it is for who.Includes reviews for teachers. Like eBay or Amazon, you can see what your teacher is like before spending money on them. We'll be using that feature below to help us decide who to go with!Has social forums and places to write questions and answers built it. Tutors answer your quick questions on language learning and language-related topics.Offers discounts on lessons when you buy a 12 or 20 lesson package.Lets you filter tutors based on specific topics. For example, you can browse for tutors who teach your target language specifically to children, or focus on business vocabulary. You can also search for tutors who speak another language in addition to your target language.

Plus, using the site is easy. You just log in and create an account.

Once you’ve got an account, browse the website, search for tutors in your language, maybe try to message some of them to get an idea of what kind of teacher they are. Or use the question and answers feature to ask quick things about your target language.

If you're ready for a class, follow these instructions:

Selecting Your New Online Language Tutor From Many Options

Here's how to narrow down the list of tutors to choose from.

Select your target language. As for the Also Speaks category, I generally ignore it, because I only want to speak my target language with this person - no English! This is great because you have to speak the target language with them.

The Tutor Is From field is useful if you want to focus on particular dialects. For instance, when I wanted to learn Egyptian Arabic (which technically isn't a dialect), I would look for an Arabic tutor and in Tutor Is From, I would select Egypt.

To brush up on my Quebec French, I select French and Canada. Spanish from Spain or from Argentina, Portuguese from Portugal or Brazil. It's great to be able to choose your dialect!

When you search, it's important to note that you can filter the list of tutors based on relevance, popularity, price, best rating, and number of reviews.

Once you’ve selected the filter type you prefer, I'd open the first 5-10 teachers in new tabs and see who has the most interesting profiles.

What you’re looking for is...

Is their rating 5.0 or very close?Have they completed more than just a few sessions?How many reviews do they have?What wording do people use in the feedback?

The tone of the feedback doesn't concern me as much as the actual content.

For instance, if someone complains "My teacher refused to say anything to me in English, and wasn't interested in talking about grammar", then this is a good point for me.

If a teacher doesn't let a single mistake go by, this is a plus for me if I'm intermediate, but a big problem if I'm a beginner.

As a beginner, the biggest drawing point for me is the word "patient" in a teacher's profile. That's what I need when I'm just starting out and butchering the language. I need a teacher who will sit patiently while I force out every last syllable.

Once I've found a few promising profiles, I actually choose several teachers (not just one!) and see if I can book a session with them.

Booking Your First Online Language Lesson

I like to book my "first" session with several teachers so I can get a feel for which works best for my approach.

In addition to patience, I like a teacher who actively seeks out new conversation topics, so I don't have to. If I'm a beginner in a language, my mind is processing so many things, and I don't want the extra work of having to think of what to say next.

For me, good teachers keep the conversation flowing, while still making sure that I'm doing lots of talking.

Teachers tend to have several different styles of lessons they offer. Sometimes they follow a particular programme that may involve correcting homework, and charge a little more for this due to the extra demand on their time. Sometimes they segment the classes based on levels or topics, and even on the amount of time per session.

Personally, I prefer 30 minute lessons, but some teachers only offer 1 hour lessons. If it's my first class with a teacher, I'll just select a single session, but if the class goes well, I'll book a package since that ends up being cheaper in the long run.

One of the final criteria that has unfortunately eliminated otherwise perfectly good teachers is do their availabilities work for me? Because you are dealing with different countries, that teacher may only be available while you sleep, or while you work.

As I mentioned before, the site adjusts automatically to your local timezone, which is a huge load off your mind with international time issues. You just need to make sure that you've input your own timezone accurately into the settings.

Then you simply pick a time slot that is convenient for you (always has to be at least 24 hours from now).

Write a personal message to the teacher, stating what you hope to learn with them.

The personal message is important. Tell the teacher what level you're at and what you want to do during the lesson. This will give him or her that final chance to make sure they're the right teacher for you.

Submit the request and see if they reply!

If they do, then get ready for that class (message them if necessary to see if there is something you can study in advance to prepare for your class), and you'll be speaking before you know it :)

How to Know if an Online Language Tutor Is "Good"

Once you've had your first conversation, you should be feeling pretty great. After you've had a few sessions, you'll start to get the feel for the different styles of different teachers, and you'll notice that some tactics worked well for you, and others didn't.

What makes a teacher "good" is subjective, but here's my personal opinion.

When I'm a beginner:

I like a teacher who will patiently wait for me to finish my sentences, no matter how long it takes me! I like a teacher who keeps up the conversation. For instance, if I say "I'm in India," they might ask "How is the weather in India?" I don't want to feel like I'm struggling to move the conversation forward.

If a teacher pauses for a while and then says something like "So... what do you want to talk about?" That's an almost instant indication that this person isn't for me. Engaging teachers are good at taking every little thing you say and expanding on it to bring the conversation forward.

And I like my teachers to have a good gauge for my level and to adjust accordingly. If a teacher sees I'm a struggling beginner and still talks very fast, uses complicated vocabulary, or corrects my grammar constantly, then I will usually make a mental note that they'd be good to revisit later, when I'm more advanced.

When I'm more advanced:

This is when I like my teachers to be a little stricter.

At this stage, a good teacher to me is one who doesn't let my mistakes slide by.

At this stage, I like the teachers to speak at a more native speed. And I especially look for teachers who implement good conversational or grammar exercises that push me out of my comfort zone.

At the mastery stage, I like to debate complicated or controversial topics with my teacher - malnutrition, deforestation, gay marriage.

The best teachers come up with these exercises for us to complete together, and rollplay.

You’re All Set to Start Working With an Online Language Tutor

There you have it - my guide to finding the best online language tutor for you. You’re all set to start learning your target language by speaking from day one.

Speaking of which, if you feel like you need a community to share the journey with, take a look at the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge. You’ll meet fellow language learners who work on having a 15-minute conversation in their target language after 90 days.

And if you need some material to complement your online tutoring sessions, I’ve got you covered! Here are my lists of recommended language-learning resources.

They’re tried and tested, like Preply!

The post How to Find the Right Online Language Tutor for Your Language Classes appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.