Benny Lewis's Blog, page 40
May 15, 2020
Spanish Uncovered Review — An Honest, Detailed Review on Learning Spanish with Story
I went from zero Spanish to a 15-minute conversation after just 90 days. It was a blast!
Since then, lots of people have asked me what resources I used.
I’ve found when language learning, it’s a good idea to have one main resource to guide you. For Spanish, I used Olly Richards’ Spanish Uncovered .
Have you heard of Olly? He’s a language learning expert who speaks nine languages. Here’s his long list - English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, Cantonese, and German. Impressive, right?
I was curious. Does his expertise translate to a successful online course for the rest of us?
In this article, I’ll give you a sneak peek at Spanish Uncovered with sparkly screenshots. You’ll get the down-low on what worked well in the course and what I didn’t like. And oh yeah, I’ll include my Day 0 and Day 90 videos. More on that in a moment. Time to dive into the review!
About My Learning Style: I’m the Han Solo of Language Learning
“Look, your worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me.” - Han Solo
Before I get into the review, I want to tell you a bit about my learning style.
One of my friends calls me the “Han Solo of Language Learning.” Why? Because I don’t prepare for lessons. Because I’ve decided I will never take a CEFR exam. Because I refuse to use flashcards.
That’s right. I’m a rebel. I take orders from just one person: me. If only I had a tall, dark and hairy sidekick, I’d be flying around the galaxy reluctantly helping the good guys.
I’ve never followed an online course as a beginner. And I have been known to sneak out of grad school lectures that I found boring. Life is short. I’m not going to waste my precious time staring at some dreary professor for two hours.
So when Fluent in 3 Months asked me to review Spanish Uncovered, I was not delighted, to say the least. I was snarky. I was cynical. That was my starting point.
That said, I’d previously had one good experience with Olly’s language teaching. I read one of Olly’s beginner French books and found it helpful in learning how to read a new language for the first time. But keeping my interest with an online course was a different matter.
Olly had his work cut out for him. And I wanted to keep it a little bit professional.
How did Spanish Uncovered do? I’ll start by sharing how it works:
Spanish Uncovered Review: What Is Spanish Uncovered?
Spanish Uncovered in a multi-layered approach to learning your target language. This online course guides you from an absolute beginner to intermediate in 20 sections.
Olly calls the sections “chapters” because the course is built around a short story he wrote in Spanish. But the word chapter doesn’t do each section justice.
Here’s What Each Section of Spanish Uncovered Includes:
Chapter of his book written completely in Spanish with an English translation
Audio recording of the chapter being read by a native speaker
Video lesson on cognates and how to spot them
Video lesson focusing on the vocabulary in that chapter
Workbook with vocabulary exercises and additional course material
Video lesson about grammar
Workbook with grammar exercises and additional grammar explanations
Practice sheet to share with your tutor or language exchange partner
Video lesson on pronunciation with a native speaker
Chapter quiz
How I Tested Spanish Uncovered Before Writing This Review
For this review, I committed to 15 hours of using Spanish Uncovered. During that time I tried out all the available features.
I leaned heavily on the course material during the first three months of learning Spanish. I continued to use the course for ten months. At the time of this writing, I’m finishing up Chapter 16 of 20. I tend to lose steam with long courses but Spanish Uncovered is keeping me engaged. I look forward to working with it each week.
I do one online lecture per week. My baseline commitment is 15 minutes per week of study with Spanish Uncovered. That’s usually my gateway into one to two hours of language fun with the course material.
Spanish Uncovered focuses on six areas of learning:
Making grammar easy to understand
Growing your vocabulary
Learning how to recognize and remember cognates
Building a strong foundation in your target language
Creating a learning routine that works for you
Improving your pronunciation
You can work through the course by yourself or with the support of a tutor. Olly recommends getting a tutor sooner than later. I do, too.
There are currently five languages available: Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Italian.
I also took a peek at German Uncovered. It is taught by my favorite polyglot podcaster, Kerstin Cable. Her presence alone makes me want to try out the German version. There are even a few bonus videos in the German course. Very cool!
Spanish Uncovered: My Starting Point
I used Spanish Uncovered to learn Spanish.
My level of Spanish was that of an absolute newbie when I started. Here’s a video of me showing off how little I knew.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFpqRdCzn2M
I have spent two years successfully learning French after failing to learn a language 10 times. This means I know that works and doesn’t work for my personality. Thankfully, Olly did not insist I use flashcards. If he had, this entire review would have been about how much I abhor flashcards.
So what did I think of Spanish Uncovered?
Spanish Uncovered Gets a Big Thumbs Up
My opinion before jumping into the course was nothing more than a shoulder shrug. Can I really get much out of lectures, grammar exercises and a few workbooks? The answer came back, “Heck yea!”
I was elated by the intricate puzzles that Olly created. I had no idea this polyglot knew so much about how to teach in an interesting way. Every 15 minutes or so, I was doing something different in the course. He organized the course in a way that keeps the student interested.
First, I downloaded all the audio of each chapter onto my phone. I listened while washing the dishes, taking a walk and driving to the dentist. Then, I read through the first chapter.
Next, I sat down with paper and pen to follow along with his cognate lecture. Let me just say: it was surprisingly enjoyable. I wasn’t a huge fan of language lectures before watching Olly’s videos. He made me a convert.
I’d seen Olly speak via YouTube many times. He’s articulate and organized. Yet, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be an interesting teacher. Well, I was delightfully surprised. His teaching skills far exceeded my expectations.
What’s more, the lectures became my favorite part of the course. Han Solo approved!
Each chapter was overflowing with useful information. I walked away with more information than a month of my college language courses. I enjoyed my university class in Russian and my grad school class in Mandarin, but the pace was slow. The substance was low.
Spanish Uncovered lectures weren’t whizzing by. The pace was steady. Before I knew it, my 15-minute lecture was over and I had a head full of essential information.
Spanish Uncovered Review: What I Liked
There are three things I particularly liked about Spanish Uncovered:
1. Spanish Uncovered Sets You Up for Success
The structure of this course is phenomenal. Everything is spelled out. Follow Olly’s plan and you will be speaking Spanish. It happened for me. Here’s a video showing my progress after 90 days:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5_g-382tO8&a...)
His lectures are fascinating. Olly does not only share what to study. He also shares how to study. In this course, you explore the mind of a multilingual brain. He teaches you how to become fluent. He also gives helpful tips on how to avoid common pitfalls.
One of my favorite tips was in the introduction lesson for Chapter 12. He shares about how he learns languages with concentration and a touch of romance. His specific explanations stick with you long after the lecture is over.
Who wouldn’t want to romance a new vocabulary word?
2. Spanish Uncovered Keeps You Coming Back for More
The exercises are challenging enough to keep your interest. However, they are easy enough for you to get most of them right. That leaves you with the feeling of accomplishment and you end up looking forward to the next session.
The course guides you to think like a polyglot. You are trained to become good at guessing your way to fluency. Exercises focus on one grammar aspect at a time while sprinkling in new vocabulary.
Sometimes you’ll pick up the word simply by context. Other times you’ll realize you don’t need the word to understand the gist of the sentence. Every now and then, you’ll get an itch to look up a new word.
Your brain becomes more comfortable with not knowing everything. This will take the pain out of conversations with native speakers. It’s all about training the brain.
3. Useful Handouts for Your Tutor or Language Exchange Partner
Each chapter offers a PDF file that you can share with your teacher or language exchange partner. This was a game-changer when I was looking for new teachers. Many tutors will ask you what you want to work on.
There’s no preparation involved. I shared the PDF with my tutor and our lesson was neatly organized to review what I learned that week. It was absolute magic as now my teacher knows exactly what words and grammar points I’ve been studying.
Spanish Uncovered: One Bummer
This isn’t a huge deal but it’s worth mentioning. Not all words are translated in the workbook exercises. There are lists of essential words throughout the course. Still, you will need to look up a handful of words with an online dictionary.
I enjoyed answering the questions outside in the sun. I wanted a break from my electronic barnacles. So, I circled the words I wanted to review and looked at them up after my study session. Or not. Sometimes, I let them slide. Captain Solo Cadet 124-239 would have been so proud.
How Do I Rate Spanish Uncovered?
I give Spanish Uncovered five gold stars which is worth about 15,000 Imperial credits. The course is well organized and entertaining. It kept this reluctant rebel willing to battle with the dark side.
Spanish Uncovered: Final Thoughts
I completed my 15-hour commitment of Spanish Uncovered weeks ago. I’m still using it as my Millennium Falcon. After all, I’ve outrun Imperial starships with this course. Why stop now?
This course is filling all the language learning holes I missed when I learned French. It’s nice to play by the rules every once and awhile.
My active vocabulary has exploded. Because we touch the vocabulary repeatedly in different lectures, it gets super sticky.
I find myself nodding along to grammar explanations my tutors throw at me during lessons. Most of the important stuff has already been covered by Spanish Uncovered. I use my lessons in Spanish as a nice review of the material.
My tutor was impressed recently when he gave me a listening comprehension quiz. He couldn’t believe I understood everything the first time. Listening to the Spanish Uncovered audiobook 20 times helped me hone my listening skills.
There you have it, my Stars Wars sprinkled review of Spanish Uncovered. What are you waiting for, you big furry oaf? Try it out for yourself.
Oops, I shouldn’t have been so harsh. It’s not wise to upset a Wookie.
May 14, 2020
112 Basic Italian Phrases to Learn and Speak NOW!
It isn’t too hard to quickly learn basic Italian. In fact, you could learn Italian phrases for your trip with just a week or two of preparation. It’s even easier if you have experience in Spanish or French!
Even if you have no language learning experience, you can start learning to speak Italian now. All you need are some simple Italian phrases and words for everyday situations.
Learning phrases is a great place to start when learning any language and is one of my language hacking techniques.
Simple Italian phrases help you begin to grasp the vocab and grammar patterns of the language while allowing you to start speaking right away. And, if you’re travelling to Italy, it’s a great way to get the most out of your trip.
Let’s dive right in.
Basic Italian Phrases and Italian Greetings to Get Started
Let’s start with the main phrases in Italian you should know.
First, learn how to greet others with some polite phrases to get started so you can say “hello”!
“Hello” in Italian
You’ve most likely heard this one before. “Hello” in Italian is ciao. But, this is the informal way to greet someone. If you’re in a situation where you need to speak in a formal way, try saying salve.
If you meet someone for the first time, use salve over ciao.
That said, the most common greeting for “hello” is buongiorno. This is usually followed by a kiss on both cheeks.
“How Are You?” in Italian
To ask how someone is doing, you say Come va? It’s common for someone you know to come up to you, grab you by the arms or face, kiss both cheeks, all while saying Buongiorno, amore mio! Come va?
Sometimes, you’ll hear Come stai? instead.
“I’m Good” / “I’m Not Good” in Italian
When replying to come va, you can say bene for “good”. If you aren’t doing well, you say non bene for “not good” or così così for “so-so”.
“Please” in Italian
“Please” in Italian is per favore. It goes at the end of a sentence, usually when requesting something.
“Thank You” in Italian
Grazie is “thank you” in Italian. You could also use molte grazie for “many thanks” or grazie mille for “thanks a lot”.
“You’re Welcome” in Italian
Prego means “you’re welcome”. But you could also use di niente, which means both “you’re welcome” and “it’s nothing”.
“Good Morning” in Italian
Buongiorno means both “good morning” and “hello”, so it’s used often throughout the day. If it’s later in the day, though, you could instead say buon pomeriggio for “good afternoon”. And buonasera is “good evening”.
“Good night” in Italian
When you’re off to bed, say “good night” with buonanotte.
“Goodbye” in Italian
Ciao is both “goodbye” and “hi” in Italian for informal situations. But you could also use arrivederci.
Some other ways to say goodbye:
“See you later”: A più tardi
“See you next time”: Alla prossima
“See ya later then”: Allora a dopo
“Yes” and “No” in Italian
These are straightforward. “Yes” is sì and “no” is no. Simple.
“Excuse me” in Italian
If you need to get someone’s attention or ask to get by them, you can say mi scusi. If you’re talking to friends or family, though, you can use scusa, which is informal.
“Sorry” in Italian
You can use scusa for “sorry” in Italian as well. But a more polite way to apologize, especially if you made a mistake, is to use mi dispiace.
Useful Sentences in Italian to Speak Italian Now
Use these common Italian phrases to get by in your first conversation. From asking more about the other person, to figuring out what something means, these Italian sentences will help you get by.
“Do You Speak…” in Italian
“Do you speak English?” would be Parli inglese? And “Do you speak Italian?” Parli italiano?
You can take parli (“do you speak”) and add any language you want to it. Here are some other phrases you’ll find useful as a beginner Italian speaker:
“I only speak a little Italian”: Parlo solo un po’ di italiano
“Yes, I speak a little bit”: Parlo solo un pochino
“No, I don’t speak it”: No, non lo parlo
“How do you say….”: Come si dice...
“Could you repeat that?”: Potrebbe ripetere?
”Can you say it slowly?”: Puoi dirlo lentamente?
“I Don’t Know” in Italian
If you’re asked a question and don’t know the answer, you can say non lo so for “I don’t know”.
To make sure you’re understood in Italian, ask Capisci? To answer that question, you could say capisco for “I understand”, “capito” for “understood”, or non capisco for “I don’t understand” in Italian.
If someone starts talking to you at a rapid pace in Italian, you can say Scusa, non parlo italiano for “Sorry, I don’t speak Italian.”
“What does _ mean?”: Cosa significa __?
“I know”: Lo so
“What did you say?”: Cosa hai detto?
“What do you mean?”: Cosa intendi?
“What’s Your Name?” in Italian
To say “My name is…” in Italian, say Mi chiamo... or just Sono… for “I’m __”.
Some other questions you can ask:
“Where are you from?”: Di dove sei?
“I’m from...”: Sono di…
“How old are you?”: Quanti anni hai?
“I’m 35 years old.”: Ho trentacinque anni.
“What do you do for work?”: Che lavoro fai?
“I’m a…”: Sono un/uno/una…
“Nice to meet you”: Piacere
Key Phrases to Know in Italian -- Conversation Fillers
Conversation fillers help your conversations to sound more natural. Plus, they help fill in gaps where you need to think of what to say next.
“Well…”: Be’...
“To be honest”: A dire la verità
“By the way”: A proposito
“So”: Allora
“Anyway”: Comunque
Learn Simple Italian Phrases for Going Out
These phrases are good to know when going out to eat or exploring the city while travelling in Italy. I’d also recommend learning how to haggle when you go shopping!
“I’d like the menu, please”: Vorrei il menu, per favore
“I’d like…”: Mi piacerebbe…
“Delicious!”: Buono!
“The bill, please”: Il conto per favore
“I’ll take this one”: Mi piacerebbe questo
“That one, please”: Quello, per favore
“What do you recommend?”: Che cosa mi consiglia?
“Another one, please”: *Un altro, per favore.”
“How much is it?”: Quanto costa?
“Where is….”: Dov'è…
“Could you help me?”: Potresti aiutarmi?
“What’s this?”: Che cos'è questo?
“Let’s go!”: Andiamo!
Italian Words to Expand Your Vocab
Now use these words below to plug and play in some of the phrases above. This way, you can customize this list to your own needs.
Talking about time in Italian:
Today: oggi
Yesterday: ieri
Tomorrow: domani
o’Clock: in punto
Italian numbers:
One: uno
Two: due
Three: tre
Four: quattro
Five: cinque
Six: sei
Seven: sette
Eight: otto
Nine: nove
Ten: dieci
Food and drink:
Water: l’acqua
Coffee: il caffè
Tea: il tè
Beer: la birra
Wine: il vino
Chicken: il pollo
Fish: il pesce
Vegetables: le verdure
Chocolate: il cioccolato
Places:
Supermarket: il supermercato
Bank: la banca
Post office: il ufficio postale
Police station: la stazione di polizia
Hospital: l'ospedale
Restaurant: il ristorante
Jobs:
Teacher: insegnante
Cook: cuoco
Employee: dipendente
Writer: scrittore
Doctor: medico
Nurse: infermiera
Italian Slang and Sayings to Spice Up Your Conversation
Your studies wouldn’t be complete without throwing in a few fun expressions and slang phrases to really make you sound like a local. Impress your Italian friends with these Italian slang words. I’ve included the literal meaning of the phrases, too.
“To the T” | Lit.: “to the bean”: A fagiolo
“That’s it, I’ve had it!” | Lit.: “enough”: Basta
“No worries” | Lit.: “to appear”: Figurati
“Thank God” | Lit.: “less bad”: Meno male
“Hotshot” | Lit.: “to do the big”: Fare il grande
“Take a drink” | Lit. “to raise an elbow”: Alzare il gomito
Speak Italian NOW with These Basic Italian Phrases
Now that you’ve learned how to speak some basic Italian, it’s time to go out and test your knowledge! Find a language exchange partner to practice with, or even use the phrases on a . Start speaking NOW. It’s the only way to grow!
If you want to learn more, check out my favourite Italian resources. You could move on to mastering the Italian imperfect tense or how to make use of Google Image Search to improve your Italian.
What other basic Italian phrases did I miss? Is there a saying you love in Italian? Share it with me in the comments.
May 10, 2020
Japanese Learning Apps: The 16 Best Apps to Learn Japanese on Your Smartphone
In fact, there are so many… how do you even know where to begin? Because they aren’t all made equal.
In my experience, I’ve tried a lot of Japanese language learning apps, and some were just a flat out bust. They wasted my time and taught inaccurate info. Others didn’t progress much farther than basic phrases, and I wanted to learn much more than that.
So I’ve rounded up the very best apps to learn Japanese fast. They’re easy to use, make the most of your study time, and help you to cram in Japanese whenever you can.
Learn to Speak Japanese -- Pro Tips
Before we get to the apps, let’s go over some pro tips on how to learn to speak Japanese.
If you’re an English speaker (and I’m assuming you at least speak it well, since you’re reading this), then you’ve probably heard how hard Japanese is. But I don’t believe Japanese is any harder than any other language. In fact, I think it all comes down to your interest in the language. If you’re passionate about Japanese, then it will come more naturally to you.
So when you’re learning Japanese, use these tips to improve your study strategy:
Skip past what you already know. A lot of apps repeat the same information. If you’re not an absolute beginner, don’t keep repeating what you know in every app you start. If you already know hiragana and katakana, move on to kanji… don’t keep reviewing it. That said, reviewing is good, but not if you never progress.
Stick with only one or two apps at a time. If you want to test out the apps below, that’s fine. Test them out and find what works for you. But then stick to one or two, and hold off on the rest. Dive deep into them and get through them, instead of jumping around when it gets hard.
Make sure you’re well-rounded. Don’t pick two apps that only focus on writing, for example. You’ll be neglecting your other language learning skills. Focus on improving your speaking, reading, listening, and writing.
Don’t only use apps. Apps are great, but they’re supplementary. Don’t use them as your exclusive practice! Find other resources, too.
For other resources, check out our Japanese language learning resources page. I also highly recommend finding a Japanese language exchange partner, and the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge to push your skills to the next level. (You can read my experience learning Japanese in the Fi3M Challenge here.)
The Best Apps to Learn Japanese
If you’re serious about learning Japanese, these are the places to start. These are the best apps to learn Japanese with extensive learning materials that cover all four language skills.
Innovative Language: JapanesePod101
Innovative Language is one of the best resources for learning any language, but especially Japanese.
These Japanese lessons are effective, accurate, and cover a wide variety of topics and skill levels.
You can learn Japanese slang, onomatopoeia, or prepare for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. And they have lessons if you’re learning for travel, all the way to advanced lessons.
JapanesePod101 also has amazing culture lessons. Culture is a huge part of the Japanese language, and they offer several seasons of podcasts on all kinds of cultural insights.
JapanesePod101 is a podcast but also has video lessons, PDF notes, a word bank, and tutors. You’ll also select your Japanese level, and they’ll give you a “lesson plan” to progress through. The app is free to download but worth getting the premium package.
You can get JapanesePod101 here.
Mimic Method Japanese
Mimic Method is technically not an app, but I wanted to include it because it’s great for listening to on the go. It focuses on listening comprehension and speaking like a native.
By learning all the elemental sounds of Japanese, you start understanding faster because it won’t sound “foreign” anymore. It’s all about learning to mimic what you hear and focusing on the sounds so you can speak like a native. You’re learning “by ear”, the same way one might learn how to play an instrument.
You can learn the 31 elemental sounds of Japanese and master the pronunciation.
Read our review of the Mimic Method here.
LingQ
LingQ is a vast library of audio, video, and written content to help you improve your Japanese language skills. It can be difficult and time-consuming to find native Japanese content at your skill level that you’re actually interested in... but LingQ does that for you. The premise is you learn best when you’re interested, so immerse yourself in interesting Japanese content.
It’s also a language learner community, where you can find a language exchange partner, as well.
Read our review of LingQ here.
Mondly
Mondly is one of the best-known language learning apps out there, with a ton of different types of content. There’s mondlyVR for a virtual reality immersion experience. There’s mondlyKIDS to help your kids learn through play. Mondly for businesses, and so much more.
One of the coolest things about Mondly, though, is that you can learn Japanese… from any language. Meaning, if you’ve already learned Spanish, you can learn Japanese from Spanish. It doesn’t have to be English to Japanese! This is a handy feature for people who have learned more than one language. So, you keep up their other languages while learning Japanese.
This one is best if you’re a beginner to the language but it can work up to an intermediate level.
Drops
Drops is a free app with a paid upgrade option, and it’s absolutely worth the premium price. Drops helps you learn vocabulary fast on a wide range of topics. I’ve learned so many words I had never even thought of learning, but are helpful to know.
The free version allows you to study for five minutes per day, but the premium version gives you access to the Dojo for reviewing and unlimited study time. Plus, you can use your account to switch between languages. So if you decide to learn another (or Japanese is your newest language you’re picking up), it’s great for multilingual study.
They also have another app, Scripts, that’s specific for learning to write in another language, like Japanese.
Free Japanese Learning Apps
LingoDeer
A fantastic app for absolute beginners to intermediate learners. LingoDeer has several courses of study based on the JLPT N5 - N3 levels. The format is like Rosetta Stone. You learn by trial-and-error and image association. Meaning, you see a picture with the Japanese word, instead of seeing the English and Japanese words side-by-side. The design of this app is super cute and easy to navigate.
There are a lot of free lessons to get you to an upper-beginner level. But the premium version would be needed for the intermediate lessons.
Beelingual
Beelingual is a reading app. It’s full of short stories, novels, children’s stories, and news in your target language. It ranks the stories by the level of difficulty and includes audio and the translation to guide you along.
While it does have quite a few pop-ups, it’s still a helpful app. And the unlimited version is only a couple of dollars a month, if you want more to read.
Anki
A classic. The app itself is simple with no fluff, but it’s efficient. You load in your flashcard decks (or make your own) and Anki uses spaced repetition to help you memorize it. This one is a must-have.
Read our guide on how to use Anki here.
NHK News Easy
From top Japanese news source NHK, this app helps beginners and intermediate Japanese learners improve reading comprehension. It takes real NHK news articles and simplifies them to shorter, easier to digest articles. The kanji and vocab are often more simple, and the articles will highlight new words. It links to a dictionary as well and often includes audio or video.
Bunpo
Bunpo, which means “grammar” in Japanese, helps you master Japanese grammar based on your level. It has 6 categories: the 5 JLPT levels and an absolute beginner category to learn kana and basic words.
The app has a clean design and explains all the important grammar to know in a clear and easy way. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this app. Grammar I had struggled with before was explained in a better way, with clear examples.
After it teaches you the grammar, it quizzes you on what you learned. As you progress, you can move up levels until you’ve mastered them all.
Takoboto Japanese Dictionary
It’s always a good idea to have a dictionary app, and Takoboto is one of the best. Search for the words in kana, kanji, romaji, or English, and it’ll pop up with all the answers you need. You can also see the kanji breakdown and stroke order, and example sentences.
Poro
Poro has three different Japanese apps. One for vocab, one for phrases, and one for kanji.
While the pop-up ads can get a bit annoying, it’s a good app. The kanji one, especially, can help you memorize it faster. It includes helpful mnemonics and a radical breakdown of the kanji. Poro is available for Android and Apple.
Japanese Learning Games
Why not make a game out of learning? These apps will help you learn Japanese while playing around. It won’t even feel like studying!
Learn Japanese with Bucha
Similar in style to Super Mario, you have to answer Japanese vocabulary questions fast to jump over goomba-like creatures, and collect sushi.
Get it on Android and Apple.
Learn Japanese with Yami
An RPG-style adventure game. You earn coins and materials for your character by correctly answering questions in Japanese. You can customize your character and their weapon, and fight creatures.
Get it on Android and Apple.
Japanese Dungeon
Like a Game Boy style quest (think like Dragon Quest). You travel through a dungeon defeating different bosses to earn coins so you can “travel to Japan.” Because the main dashing hero is broke. Relatable, right?
Find it for Android or Apple.
PokemonGo, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, and any Nintendo game
If you change your language settings on your phone to Japanese, almost any game or app will change its language to Japanese. But the best, most fun way to use this?
With Nintendo gaming apps, for Android or Apple.
Download your favorite, switch your language, and play away in Japanese! I especially like Animal Crossing for this.
Learn Japanese with Apps, Anytime, Any Place
Now no matter your learning style, you can master Japanese right on your smartphone. There are tons of great Japanese apps, making it easier than ever to learn Japanese.
These are some of my favorites, but I’d love to hear from you, too. Which Japanese learning apps do you love? Leave a comment below and let me know!
May 7, 2020
Hero in Spanish: All the Superhero Phrases in Spanish You Need to Know
(In case you were wondering, the word “hero” in Spanish is héroe. But that’s not the full story, more on that in a moment).
Here’s the thing. I’m known to be a bit nerdy. You may have seen some of my cosplays on Instagram or followed my Twitter musings about the latest in superhero cinema. I’ve also taken time to learn Klingon for the Star Trek convention I went to.
So I was thinking: “why not turn my nerdy side into a source for Spanish learning?”
After all, finding native resources you enjoy is key to sticking with a language. You could explore the world of Hispanic heroes. Try to learn comic book sounds with Spanish onomatopoeia. Or learn to talk about your favourite superhero movies in Spanish.
In fact, it’s a good idea to find some cool movies to watch in your target language. It will help you improve your listening comprehension and expose you to the different regional dialects of Spanish. And, resources like movies, novels, and comic books teach you common Spanish slang.
If your goal is Spanish immersion, and you love superheroes as much as I do, then you’re in the right place.
And who knows… once you’ve read this article, maybe you’ll discover your own Spanish superpowers!
How to say “Hero” in Spanish
Let’s start with how to say “hero” in Spanish. “Hero” is héroe, but could also be protagonista. The “protagonist” or main character. The female version of “hero” in Spanish, or “heroine”, is heroína.
Sometimes heroes are called other things, right? Like…
Superhero: superhéroe
Warrior: el guerrero / la guerrera
Knight in shining armor: caballero de brillante armadura
A god or goddess: un dios / una diosa
Demigod: el semidiós / la semidiosa
Soldier: el soldado
Peacekeeper: pacificadora
Champion: el campeón / la campeona
Captain: el capitán / la capitana
Professor: el prefesor / la profesora
Mutants: los mutantes
Avenger: el vengador / la vengadora
So if you want to talk about Thor, God of Thunder, he’s Thor, dios del trueno. Professor X from the X-Men would be Profesor X. The Winter Sollder? El Soldado de Invierno.
Some superhero vocab is the same in English and Spanish. For instance, if you’re talking about Star Wars, it’s still “jedi” and “padawan”, but a “jedi master” would be maestro jedi.
But you could use a phrase like this in everyday life, too. If someone’s saved your day, you could call them “mi héroe”, or “my hero” in Spanish.
Spanish Superhero Vocabulary
It’s a good idea to have some basic Spanish vocabulary for everyday things before attempting to watch a movie or read a comic book in Spanish. But there is also some superhero-specific vocabulary you need to learn to help you along the way.
Before you delve into the fictional universe of your choice, try this tip. Read through a story summary in Spanish.
The back cover of a Spanish novel, the Wikipedia summary in Spanish for a comic book, or whatever it is you’re learning.
So, if you wanted to watch The Avengers in Spanish, you could look it up on Spanish Wikipedia, and see that they’re called Los Vengadores. Some of the personajes principales, or “main characters”: Capitán América, Ojo de Halcón (Hawkeye), Viuda Negra (Black Widow), Máquina de Guerra (War Machine), Pantera Negra (Black Panther), La Avispa (The Wasp), and Valquiria (Valkyrie). You’d learn about the miembros del equipo, or “team members”.
By learning their Spanish names, and some of the universe-specific vocab, you will understand faster. Often, the names will be the same or cognates to English, meaning they’re easy to recognize because they’re similar. But others may be a bit different, like La Avispa, or “The Wasp”.
Here are common superhero vocab to learn:
Secret identity: Identidad secreta
Mask: La máscara
Cape: Capa
Enemy: Enemigo / Enemiga
Nemesis: Némesis
Justice: Justicia
Origin: Origen
Command center: El centro de comando
Sidekick: El compañero / La compañera
Universe: El universo
Galaxy: La galaxia
Spaceship: La astronave
Battle: La batalla
War: La guerra
Immortals: Los inmortales
Power: El poder
Responsibility: La responsabilidad
Duty: El deber
Evil Villain: El villano malvado / La villana malvada
Rescue: Rescatar
Save: *Salvar
Protect: Proteger
Guard: Guardar
Fight: Luchar
Plus, you’ll want to know that “movie” is cine or película and “comic book” is el libro cómico. That way, you can say “I love superhero movies” in Spanish, or Me encantan las películas de superhéroes.
Superhero Sound FX in Spanish
If you’ve ever read a comic book, you know they’re full of sound effects like “bam!” and “pow!” And reading comics in Spanish will open up that whole world of SFX called Spanish onomatopoeia.
Spanish onomatopoeia are words that are supposed to mimic a sound. An explosion would be “BOOM!” in English, mimicking the sound. It may surprise you, but this isn’t universal. In fact, many languages have different interpretations of how a sound… sounds. Like a dog sound in English is “woof”, but in Spanish, it’s guau.
Learning onomatopoeia isn’t just helpful for reading comics, but can also help you grasp context more easily.
Following the dog bark example, what if you don’t know that the Spanish word “to bark” is ladrar? The onomatopoeia guau may help you understand that the sentence is talking about a dog barking.
The same is true when speaking. If someone said, El perro seguía ladrando, como guau guau guau … You would get the idea that “The dog kept barking.” Sometimes they’re used in sentences too, to describe what happened with a sound or when telling a story.
Hubo una fuerte explosión, como ¡PATAPLUM!
“There was a loud explosion, like ‘BOOM!’”
Nos vasos se chocan “chin-chin” con un brindis por salud.
“Our glasses clink with a toast to good health.”
Some common comic book Spanish onomatopoeia are:
Boom: Pataplum
Squeak: Ñeec
Bang: Zasca
Zap: Zas
Splash: Plaf
Pow: Pum
Om nom nom: Ñam, ñam
Hahaha: Jajaja
Ding: Rin
Achoo: Achí
Clink: Chinchín
Hiss: Siseo
Clank, clank: Tan, tan
Knock knock: Toc toc
Crack: Crag
While not superhero comics, you can practice these Spanish sounds with classic newspaper comic strips. There’s also native Spanish comics, like Supercholo, a superhero comic from Peru. Or try the humorous Pafman.
Famous Fictional Hispanic Superheroes
There are lots of Hispanic superheroes to read about! Your mind may already be racing to Marvel or DC, but let me remind you of the most infamous superhero…
Zorro
Zorro, the masked, sword-wielding vigilante, was actually the inspiration for Batman. His secret identity, Don Diego de la Vega, is from a wealthy family in California. He’s always got a bounty on his head! But his swordsmanship always allows him to escape… But not before leaving behind his trademark “Z” slashed into his foes.
The hero has been made into many books, movies, and TV shows, including The Legend of Zorro featuring Antonio Banderas. You could try your hand at the Spanish-language novel, Zorro.
Diablo
Diablo is one of the few Hispanic antiheroes featured in the DC universe, most recently in Suicide Squad. Diablo’s superhero powers give him the ability to control and expel flames from his body. But he loses control when he gets angry and hurts those around him.
Miles Morales
Thanks to the popularity of Into the Spiderverse, Miles Morales is possibly one of the most famous Latin superheroes. In the movie, he gets bit by a radioactive spider and also gains the powers of Spiderman. Although, there are many more like him, that come together to defeat an evil villain and get back to their own stories.
You can watch clips of the movie in Spanish to improve your skills.
Araña -- Spidergirl
Araña literally means “spider” in Spanish. And this Spidergirl has all the same abilities as Spiderman… But she’s bilingual.
Her secret identity is Anya Corazón, and she has her own comic series called Araña, The Heart of the Spider.
White Tiger
Hector Ayala, also known as the White Tiger, was the first Hispanic superhero in the Marvel comic universe. His superhuman strength, agility, and martial arts skills made him a classic favourite. Later, his sister Ava assumes the role of White Tiger.
Miss America
One of the newer superheroes, Miss America can travel through dimensions through the power to create portals. She’s one of the members of the Young Avengers and is supposed to be getting her own series.
Practicing Your Spanish with Superhero Movies and Comics
Movies and comics give you a glimpse at more conversational Spanish and help teach you about the culture. But you’ll need some strategies to get the most from your study time with them. Here are some pointers:
Focus on what you know first. Watch a clip, or read a page of the comic, once through. Focus on identifying cognates or words you already know, and try to make sense of what you can first. Then, listen or read again. On the third try, add subtitles or look up the translation to fill in the blanks.
Take notes. Write down key phrases that pop up often, like “fighting crime”, for example. Add them to your Anki deck or flashcards to memorize so when you hear them next, you’ll grasp them fast.
Try reiterating the scene. Practice telling a friend what happened in the movie, or rewrite the dialogue as a summary. This will give you practice talking about your interests and improve your grasp on what you heard or read.
Use social media as a guide. There are lots of social media channels and accounts that post about comics and movies in Spanish. Follow them so you get exposure to how natives discuss them. Try leaving comments in Spanish for them, too!
Switch to Spanish subtitles and audio whenever you can. Sometimes a show or movie you already watch will have the option to switch to Spanish audio or add Spanish subtitles. That can help you switch up a routine you already have to a Spanish learning resource.
Go Practice Your Superhero Spanish Powers
Now go dive deep into a universe in your target language! Try finding your favourite comic in Spanish (eBay can be a great resource), or change the audio on Netflix. It’s an amazing feeling to switch one of your nerdy interests to Spanish and enjoy it in a whole new way.
What other Latin superheroes do you love? Do you have a Spanish comic book or movie resource to share? Leave a comment below and let me know!
May 3, 2020
What is Kanji? A Beginner’s Guide to the Most Complex of Japanese Characters
If you’ve stumbled upon kanji, you may have a million questions, such as…
“Are kanji Chinese or Japanese? I thought they were Chinese?”
“Why are kanji so complex? Why do I have to learn stroke order?”
“Why do the Japanese use so many writing systems? Why do they even need kanji??”
“How do I pronounce kanji? How will I ever read this?”
...Phew! Breathe. It’s okay. You can and will survive kanji. I’ve got all this and more covered below. And by the time we’re done, you’re going to be on your way to reading and writing in Japanese like a pro.
A note before we begin: If you haven’t learned the kana yet, click here and read this article first. You need to know kana before learning kanji.
What is Kanji?
Kanji are Japanese characters, and one of three writing systems in Japanese. The other two are hiragana and katakana, collectively called kana.
Kana are basically the print and cursive alphabet of Japanese, a phonetic syllabary system.
Kanji are Japanese symbols that represent whole words.
Kanji symbols can stand alone, or combine with other kanji or kana to create more words, ideas, or turn a kanji into a verb. Their pronunciation and readings vary based on what other kanji or kana they’re connected with -- that’s the difficult part. The easy part is that they make reading easier.
Even if you don’t know how to pronounce the kanji, if you recognize it’s word meaning, you can get the idea of the sentence.
For example, the kanji 水. This kanji’s English meaning is “water.” Its Japanese pronunciation is most often みず (mizu) orすい (sui). When 水 combines with 着 (the kanji for “to wear” or “clothing”), it becomes 水着 (mizugi) which means “swimsuit.” Basically, “water clothes.” But in the word 水曜日 (which means “Wednesday”), we use its other reading, sui and it becomes suiyoubi.
Don’t worry, I’ll explain that more later. For now, just know kanji can combine with other kanji to create new meanings, and sometimes they change sounds.
Now, what is kanji in Japanese? What does kanji -- written 漢字 -- even mean? It literally means “Chinese characters,” which should clue you in on this next part...
About Japanese Kanji -- Where Did They Come From?
Kanji originate from China but were imported into Japanese sometime around the 5th century.
According to Japanese history, Wani, a scholar from Korea, introduced Japan to both Confucianism and kanji. Before that, Japan had no writing system of their own. So they adopted kanji.
However, kanji didn’t match up with the already established Japanese grammar. A new system of writing was developed to adapt kanji to the Japanese language, and this eventually turned into hiragana.
Interestingly, even though women were traditionally not educated, much of the Japanese writing system is due to women. Murasaki Shikibu, a Heian-era poet who wrote “The Tale of Genji”, helped to develop the system into what it is today.
Are Kanji Pictographs?
It’s often a misconception that kanji are pictographs, meaning they look like the word they represent. While that’s true of some kanji, it’s not true for the writing system as a whole.
Why Do We Need Kanji, Anyway?
It may seem strange and overly complex to have three systems of writing. Someday the Japanese might simplify their language and drop kanji like Koreans and other Asian languages have. But for now, that’s not the case, and Japanese needs them.
Kanji help break up a sentence. Without them, it’s near impossible to understand the meaning of a sentence. There are no spaces in Japanese to separate where a word begins and ends. This means kana get jumbled together in one long string of symbols. Unless you’re very familiar with Japanese or reading a Japanese kids’ book, it’s difficult.
Take a look at this example:
来週の土曜日には友達に会うつもりです。
らいしゅうのどようびにはともだちにあうつもりです。
Both of those sentences mean exactly the same thing and are pronounced exactly the same way. But one has kanji and one is only written in kana. They both say “I will meet my friend next Saturday.” But it’s a lot easier to read when you know this:
来週 (next week) の 土曜日 (Saturday) には 友達 (friend) に 会う (meet) つもりです。
The kana are extra pieces of information, part of basic grammar. But without the kanji, it would be a jumble and hard to tell what it meant. If you only knew the English word meaning of those kanji, you could still read and understand that sentence.
Besides that, many words are pronounced the same but have different kanji. The word “kanji” itself could mean “Chinese characters” or “feeling/emotion.” It all depends on which Japanese characters you use: 漢字 or 感じ.
How Many Japanese Kanji are There?
There are tens of thousands of kanji because kanji has morphed so much over the past couple millennia.
There are 2,136 kanji that the Japanese Ministry of Education says are “essential.” These kanji are called jouyou kanji.
While there are more in regular use, especially in scholarly or news articles, this is the baseline for education and literacy in Japan. Don’t let that freak you out though! There are ways to get by, and it’s easier than you think.
Kanji Translation: How to Translate and Read Kanji
So we talked about how these Japanese symbols and meanings have different readings. And how combining kanji with kana or other kanji to create new words. But how do we know how to translate kanji, or read kanji, or pronounce kanji?
That’s where a kanji dictionary comes in! The best Japanese dictionary is Jisho.org. Anytime you need help with kanji, Jisho (which means “dictionary,” by the way) has got you covered. You can search by English word, input the kanji to learn its reading, look up words based on grade or JLPT level, and more. They also have a kanji chart where you can search by Japanese radical.
But what are radicals? I’m glad you asked.
What are Kanji Radicals?
If you’re looking for a “kanji alphabet,” kanji radicals are the closest thing you’re going to get.
Radicals are basic kanji symbols. They help to form larger, more complex kanji. They’re helpful in learning how to break down kanji for writing, as well as memorizing how to pronounce kanji and figure out their meaning. Many kanji with the same radicals have the same or similar pronunciation.
Japanese characters and meanings depend on these radicals.
For instance, some of the most common Japanese kanji are also radicals in larger kanji. Take the kanji 土 (tsuchi or do). Its English translation is “soil” or “earth.” So, any time we see this as part of another kanji, we know the meaning probably has something to do with dirt, land, or nature. In the word 地域 (chiiki), it appears in both kanji, and means “area” or “territory.” Another (unfortunately) common one is 地震 (jishin) or “earthquake.”
How to Best Learn Kanji
A good practice for learning kanji is to start by looking at a Japanese kanji list of the most important kanji and radicals.
An easy place to start is with the 100 most common kanji, which are also on the JLPT N5 exam. These are the best Japanese kanji to begin with. Many are pictographs, and they’re so commonly used you’ll learn them fast.
The only downside to learning the most common kanji characters is that they often have the most readings.
When starting with kanji, first focus on the kanji meaning rather than the reading. So, memorize that 水 means “water” rather than “water, mizu, sui.” If you try to remember the English meaning and all the various readings, you’ll confuse yourself and get overwhelmed.
You want to learn the English meaning with the kanji first because you can learn the most common readings quickly once you start learning vocab. You’ll see the kanji with words you’re already learning, in context. So it’s faster to memorize the kanji reading with a vocab word together. Knowing what the kanji means will help you remember the whole word.
Anki is a great place to start with memorizing kanji. You can download a jouyou kanji deck, and practice daily. You can come up with mnemonics for your kanji, and input them as notes or hints on your Anki deck.
I would suggest getting in practice on paper as well to solidify your skills. You’ll want to learn proper stroke order. That means you learn the correct direction and order of the strokes that make up the kanji. Japanese is written top to bottom, left to right. Some kanji are almost identical except for their stroke order, so it does make a difference how you write them.
With consistent effort, you could memorize the jouyou kanji in a few months to a year. Japanese isn’t as hard as you think once you get going!
Don’t Cringe at Kanji Anymore!
Now you know the answer to the question “what is kanji?”, and how to get started learning it. So you can really start reading and writing in Japanese!
If you’re ready for your next Japanese mission, try your hand at the 101 core Japanese words. You can also get started with basic Japanese grammar.
But most of all… 頑張ってね！ Give it your best!
April 26, 2020
Is Language Learning Positive for Mental Health?
After the Tower of Babel was destroyed, humans who spoke different languages could not understand each other, creating barriers and leaving people feeling anxious and alone.
While this biblical tale may have only been meant as an allegory, a global pandemic has caused people all over the world to feel isolated at home, looking for something to keep them hopeful for the future. Whenever I have experienced periods of fear and hopelessness, I always turned to an everlasting fountain of motivation, engagement, and joy: language learning.
Learning German as a college student who was facing an uncertain future, picking up Spanish while teaching abroad, and studying French in between completing assignments in graduate school always served to lift my spirits and allow me access to the culture of other countries through their languages.
Where I live in California, we have been sheltering in place for four weeks. In that time, I’ve found myself pulling out old French textbooks and re-reading my Spanish-language copy of Harry Potter out loud, one of my favorite ways to learn new Spanish vocabulary.
I’ve noticed that this daily exercise of practicing my language skills has several mental health benefits:
Language learning keeps me from reading anxiety-inducing news reports.
Language learning helps direct my energy into something positive.
Language learning reminds me of the many connections I have made both abroad and at home as a result of being a passionate language-learner.
During a global pandemic, language learning might be the secret to maintaining a healthy outlook, a sense of purpose, and a feeling of being connected to a global community.
Language Learning Provides a Healthy Escape
Human beings feel happiest when they are working toward a goal.
Research into positive psychological wellbeing has found that the pursuit of meaningful goals has a direct relationship with overall happiness.
Industrialist and goal-setter extraordinaire Andrew Carnegie once said:
“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.”
A goal can be as simple as wanting to hold a 15-minute conversation in another language. The key is that language learning has actionable steps and concrete milestones.
Whether you start from scratch and learn a handful of phrases in Italian, or you are polishing up your refined vocabulary to hold a conversation about environmental protection in Japanese, anyone can set aside some time in their day to engage with another culture through its words and perhaps less enticing for some, its grammar. I’m an English professor who finds grammar and linguistics utterly fascinating, but there is no accounting for taste.
How I Learned French By Escaping to French Podcasts
For a period of time in graduate school when daily stressors and winter weather were getting the best of me, I spent my mornings listening to language podcasts in French.
I had never formally studied French, but that was sort of the point. My day was filled with reading and assignments that were required and everything I did seemed to hold sway over my future. My mornings of French were a time for me to feel enthusiastic about learning again, just for fun.
Since I was learning French from scratch, I made massive progress in a short period of time, which gave me a sense of agency when many parts of my life felt out of my control.
During that winter, I filled a small notebook with new vocabulary and even some colloquial French phrases that helped me sound more like a native.
I went from not knowing more than a handful of words to having a conversation (albeit brief) with a friendly French transplant that I met at my college’s tutoring center. My words were halting, my pronunciation was lackluster, but the burst of pride I got from speaking in French for a couple of minutes buoyed my spirits until spring was in bloom.
Language Learning Cultivates a Growth Mindset
Language learning requires a growth mindset.
Dr. Carol Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford describes in the book Mindset her research on developing a growth mindset, which finds that working towards a specific goal during a moment of difficulty can provide people with previously undiscovered wellsprings of self-esteem.
Dr. Dweck explains:
“The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”
Allowing yourself to make mistakes and continue learning builds persistence and resilience, two qualities that are being demanded by the logistical, economic, and social consequences of a global pandemic.
Many people, myself included, suffer from daily anxiety over matters like work, home, and relationships. My belief is that this stems from an overwhelming emphasis on the appearance of perfection.
How Language Learning Helps Me as a Recovering Perfectionist
Learning a language can be a useful tool for a recovering perfectionist and anxious over-thinkers alike.
Not only does daily practice of a language provide a bit of armchair cultural exchange, but speaking the language from day one means confronting the inevitable mistakes and miscommunications that result from trying to learn a foreign tongue.
Just as no one would judge a child who misuses their native language incorrectly as they are learning to speak, I have found that other speakers of Spanish, German, and French to be endlessly supportive and encouraging as I muddle my way through their verb conjugations.
Additionally, over the years of adopting a “speak from day one” approach, I have become accustomed to the wonderful learning opportunity inherent in making mistakes while speaking a new language.
Over the years, I’ve started to embrace making mistakes since I’ve learned that there are often areas where I can grow. This helps me to be more compassionate towards myself, not just in language learning, but in all areas of my life. Not knowing the right word or confusing verb tenses reminds me that I still have work to do, and that’s a good thing. Making mistakes in language learning and then trying again builds my resilience as if it were a muscle, and I am also able to recognize how frequently other people that I admire are resilient in the face of mistakes, large or small.
One of the best strategies to learn a language that I discovered was to imagine how I feel whenever I hear someone trying to speak English.
This is a common occurrence as I teach introductory writing courses at a community college, where many of my students are originally from other countries. When they are brave enough to raise their hands and speak English in front of the whole class, I never focus on their mistakes. My heart swells with pride.
When I was first learning French, I thought of those students and imagined my fellow Francophones were just feeling proud of me for trying to speak la belle langue.
Language Learning Helps Me Channel My Anxiety
This is a moment in history where many people are experiencing major instances of anxiety and overwhelm. In my opinion, some of that anxiety can be positively-redirected. In my experience, I would much rather feel anxious about testing out my newfound language skills on someone virtually through a language exchange than sit in my home anxiously refreshing the news headlines.
Moreover, I’ve found that there is no need to be anxious because that nervous energy quickly transforms into a lively conversation with my language tutor, even when I have to rely on basic vocabulary or even my language dictionaries. Language learning is an opportunity to see how anxiety can be transformed into resilience and connection.
A Sense of Connection - More Important Than Ever
Learning to speak a new language provides a deeply-rooted sense of connection to a new culture.
As I read short stories in French or watch a German friend’s travel series for Deutschewelle, I am practicing my language skills and also diving deeper into the culture of those people.
Perhaps more significant than the pronunciation practice I received, that conversation with the French tutor introduced me to an entire world that already existed in my community: the local Francophone group who met on Wednesday nights to have wine, eat cheese, and speak the language of la République.
Not only was I learning colloquial expressions and dynamic French vocabulary, I came home from those evenings feeling like I had uncovered a new community of friends.
My normal pattern of winter isolation and loneliness were playfully whisked away by these delightful French speakers.
In our overwhelmingly technologically-connected world, many people still feel a lingering sense of loneliness. Rates of loneliness have gone up so high that some researchers have referred to a “loneliness epidemic.” Language learning can provide a sense of connection with others, even those who live on the other side of the planet.
While many of us many not be able to leave our homes for the foreseeable future, that technologically-globalized world can serve to bring us together. Language learners are all over the world, often available through various platforms to have a chat with those learning their language in exchange for a bit of practice in their target language.
Not only are resources for any language available online, but there is a robust community of language learners looking for someone to practice with, like a virtual version of my French circle, waiting to share a moment of human connection. We have been reminded that we live in a globalized world by the looming threat of illness and death.
Let us also remember that our globalized world is full of other people, reaching out to connect, and perhaps have a chat, if you are willing to be brave.
A global pandemic is certainly cause for great anxiety and sadness, but as many people are staying home and finding new activities to keep themselves occupied, I suggest the wonderful adventure of learning a new language.
Language learning is a mental health hack not only because it can serve as a healthy alternative to endlessly refreshing the news, but it also build your resilience, connect you with other people and cultures around the world, and inspire a bit of fun. Eventually, when we can all go out to restaurants and travel again, you just might have the chance to roadtest your newly-acquired language skills.
The post Is Language Learning Positive for Mental Health? appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
April 23, 2020
How to Learn a Rare Language like Hiligaynon (with Minimum Frustration)
The truth is, rare languages aren’t the easiest to learn. As soon as I started learning a rare language, Hiligaynon, I was confronted with questions I’d never even thought of before:
How do you translate a word when your language isn’t supported by Google Translate?
How do you learn on the move with no Duolingo?
How do you get listening practice with no podcasts?
I’ve been wrestling with these – and many other questions – for several weeks now. For the past 90 days I’ve been learning Hiligaynon – a minority language of the Philippines – in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge .
I made this video of me speaking Hiligaynon at the end of the 90 days:
httpvh://youtu.be/r7avMtfTpxo
As you can see, the conversation went on for 25 minutes!
Why Learn a Rare Language?
I wanted to learn Hiligaynon because it’s my mother’s language, and that of my many aunts, uncles and cousins who still live in Iloilo City, Philippines.
Learning Hiligaynon helps me to understand my heritage and connect with my Filipino family.
The problem? Like other regional Filipino dialects, Hiligaynon (colloquially known as Ilonggo) is not recognised as an official language of the Philippines.
As Benny has explained, the “Filipino” language is a standardised version of Tagalog – the language spoken in the capital, Manila. When the Philippines became independent, it was adopted as the country’s official language and is the only Filipino language taught in schools or used in TV shows.
This means that many language resources that we take for granted – films, apps or even books – just don’t exist for Hiligaynon. It’s an endless source of frustration, though it has also yielded unexpected rewards.
Based on my experience of learning Hiligaynon, these are my tips for learning rare languages.
I’ve also recruited two other rare language learners: Anne Szustek Talbot, who’s learning Uzbek, and Jonty Yamisha, executive director of the Nassip Foundation, who learned conversational Circassian.
Jonty has this advice for those taking on the challenge of learning a rare language: “Remember that it can be done, and that it’s no different from learning any other language, the only variable being that you just have to hunt harder to find the resources.”
The Problem with Rare Language Dictionaries
Aside from the lack of Google Translate, the most frustrating thing about learning a rare language is that the dictionaries that do exist are… less than useful. Often when I look up a word in the dictionary and then try it on one of my family members, I get a weird look: either the word belongs to a different dialect, or it’s so old that only my grandmother uses it. I’m afraid the only way around this is that you need to ask a real, live native speaker – so you had better get over your fear of speaking!
Something else to bear in mind – spelling is often inconsistent from one text to another. This is because many of these languages are used more for speaking than for writing, with people switching to the country’s “official” language for formal communication.
Jonty shared his experiences of trying to learn from a Circassian dictionary with his Circassian-speaking father: “The words in the dictionary were different from the ones he used growing up in the village. There’s a lack of standardisation.”
In the case of Hiligaynon, words were imperfectly translated to the Latin alphabet from the original Badlit script, resulting in certain vowel pairs being used interchangeably. For example, “big” in Hiligaynon is written as “dakû” by some and “dakô” by others. Once you learn the quirks that are unique to your target language, recognising different spellings of the same word will become second nature.
Let’s Go on a Treasure Hunt!
“Focus on comprehensible input,” says Jonty. “For me, comprehensible input are phrases, dialogues, stories, songs – stuff you enjoy, stuff you’re going to use.”
The issue for rare language learners is that any input is hard to come by, let alone input that’s comprehensible. I found changing my attitude to be helpful here: I’m not “trawling the internet for resources,” I’m “going on a treasure hunt!” This small adjustment turns frustration into excitement over every new resource, however small.
These are some of the nuggets I’ve found on the way:
Get Out the Mic
You’ll find songs in just about any language on YouTube or Spotify. It’s a great way to pick up some fun, creative vocabulary and assimilate grammatical structures. Recently there’s been a revival of Hiligaynon-language music in Iloilo, resulting in wonderful pop songs like this one.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05W58Aztd4
Social Media is Your Friend
“Follow and engage with key influencers who post content in your target language,” says Anne. “I've found and made friends with people based in and covering Uzbekistan. This can also be a good way to source teachers, whether remote or for in-person meetups.”
Jonty runs a Facebook group for the global Circassian community and recommends joining several such groups to boost your practice. “My group is multilingual, some are wholly Circassian, some are for Russian or Turkish speakers of Circassian. Through those, there’s around a half-dozen WhatsApp group chats that people use as well.”
My personal recommendation is to follow pages that interest you or make you laugh. My favourites for Hiligaynon are KAON TA, ILOILO (Let’s Eat, Iloilo), which posts delicious food pictures; and ORAYT Bacolod, which posts funny (and punny) wordplay images.
If you have friends or relatives who speak your target language, chat with them online. Keyboard apps like Gboard and SwiftKey have recently added many rare languages, so check whether yours is on there to avoid getting stuck in autocorrect purgatory.
I also recommend following the Facebook pages of local radio stations. Hiligaynon speakers typically use a mixture of Hiligaynon and English, which limits opportunities to learn new vocabulary. Local Philippine DJs, however, are proud of their heritage and will tend to avoid using Tagalog or English words. You can also try listening to the stations themselves, though I only recommend this for advanced learners.
Anne has her own radio recommendations for rare language learners: “Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and Voice of America are good sources for both language exposure and as news.”
“Hack” italki Using the Location Search to Find Rare Language Tutors!
Although italki is a fantastic resource for language learners, it still doesn’t list many rare languages, which caused years of frustration for me.
After I started the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge, I decided to give italki another shot and discovered a useful feature: the ability to search by location.
Curiously, you can’t find this feature under the “Find a Teacher” tab – it’s only available under the language exchange partners directory, which lists both exchange partners and tutors.
You can use this to “hack” italki in the following way:
Enter the official or majority language of your target language’s country. For me, this was Filipino (Tagalog).
Click “Living In,” and type the name of a city where you know a large number of people speak your target language (I entered “Iloilo”).
Hopefully, a list of tutors will appear. Send each of them an email asking whether they’re able to teach your target language.
Sadly, many tutors on italki don’t list their exact location. If you don’t find a teacher using the method above, you may need to take the more difficult approach and email every tutor in the country until you find someone who speaks your target language. It’s a massive pain, but it’s so worth it in the end.
Learn a Rare Language the Peace Corps Way
The American Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) were once known for becoming fluent in the language of the communities they were placed in. Travel writer Paul Theroux, a former Peace Corps volunteer, learned to speak Chinyanja while stationed in Malawi.
Sadly, this practice seems to have died out (I recently met a PCV in Cebu who was taught Tagalog despite all the locals speaking Cebuano!), but the old Peace Corps resources are available on Live Lingua. There are over 100 courses there with textbooks and class notes for languages such as Wolof and Aymara.
Bear in mind, though, that some of these lessons may be outdated. Ask a native speaker to look over them to make sure that the phrases and vocabulary are still in use today.
Go on a Rare Language “Mission”
No, I don’t mean mini missions. I’m referring to the enormous number of (mostly Mormon) missionaries who are stationed in all corners of the globe right now. Whether you agree with this or not, it’s a real boon for rare language learners.
Why? In order to connect with locals, these missionaries throw themselves into learning the language – not some government-ordained “official” language, but the one people are actually speaking on the streets. They’re often paired with a native “companion” who helps them to do this.
Where will you find these missionaries? On YouTube, of course, where they continue to spread their message after their tenure is up. The Friends in all Nations – Filipino page has videos of missionaries speaking Hiligaynon much slower than native speakers do. Try searching “Friends in All Nations” plus your target language and see what comes up.
What if – like me – you’re not particularly interested in Mormonism? Fortunately, many of these missionaries also created fun vlogs about discovering the local culture. My favourite channels are Ilonggo Boyz and Bryce and Nikki Hillman, which talk about food, music and language quirks. Once you’re comfortable watching vlogs made by foreigners, challenge yourself with videos by native vloggers.
Some missionaries become so passionate about the language that they create resources to help everyone learn it. The Speakin’ Ilonggo app that I use for Hiligaynon was created by a former missionary, Paul Soderquist, who runs the Learn Ilonggo with Paul YouTube channel. Early on in my three-month challenge, I set up a Skype call with Paul and we chatted for half an hour about Hiligaynon and its grammatical quirks. It was a huge help – not only because of Paul’s great tips but because it gave me confidence that what I was attempting was achievable.
Find Your Community
If your hometown is big enough, you can find a community for any language – even rare ones. “Here in New York, we're fortunate enough to have large communities of Uzbek speakers in and around the Sheepshead Bay neighbourhood in Brooklyn and in Rego Park in Queens, which has been nicknamed "Queensistan" for its large immigrant community of Bukharan Jews,” says Anne. Use Facebook, Meetup or Couchsurfing to find these local meetups.
For truly rare and endangered languages, however, be aware that you may encounter some resistance – especially if you don’t have a family connection with the language. “There’s a lot of scepticism that speakers of small languages have for a member outside their ethnic group who wants to come in and learn it,” says Jonty. “You have to convince them to give you the time and effort to teach you.”
Overcome Motivational and Organisational Issues with a Course
Despite already knowing about a lot of these resources, my Hiligaynon learning stalled for years because I just couldn’t get organised. Every time I visited my family in Iloilo, I would resolve to “finally learn Hiligaynon” – but that resolve would fizzle out again when I got home.
Aside from having a ridiculously vague goal, I just didn’t have a framework on which to build my learning, or anyone to tell me what I should be studying and when. This is where learning a “better resourced” language such as Spanish or French (or even Esperanto) for a few weeks can be useful – you learn to build an effective routine that works for you. In other words, you “learn how to learn.” Once you’ve figured that out, transfer those skills to a language with fewer resources and you’ll find it much easier to progress.
Better yet, join a non-language-specific course like the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge. I was nervous starting out in the Challenge, as I worried that the assignments would involve resources that excluded me, such as maintaining a streak in Duolingo or listening to a certain number of Innovative podcasts. Fortunately, the challenge assignments are achievable for any language, so long as you have access to native speakers and the internet.
The Challenge also helped keep me accountable, so that I turned up every day and pushed through the hurdles that would normally defeat me. In rare languages, there are many – and it’s worth remembering that on days when you see other people making big strides in more popular languages. I turn the situation around and say, “Well, I’ve come this far – and I don’t even have Google Translate!”
Recruit Friends and Family
I’ve left my best tip for last. Unless you’re a linguistics professor, chances are you’re learning a rare language because of a personal connection – a parent, partner or close friend. Use them! Not only are they easily accessible (and free) speaking practice, speaking with them will reinforce your reasons for learning and keep you motivated through the inevitable frustration.
The Unexpected Bonus of Rare Language Learning: Say Goodbye to “Analysis Paralysis”
You’d think that, given the lack of resources, you’d be better off learning a well-resourced language such as Spanish?
Well… not necessarily.
You see, when I was learning Spanish, I probably spent more time trying to decide what resources to use than actually learning. I flipped between dozens of different books, read hundreds of app reviews, and scroll through thousands of tutors on italki.
By contrast, this is what a typical morning of Hiligaynon study looks like for me:
Review my Anki flashcards. There are no pre-made decks online, so every card is one that I made myself, with words that I’ve actually used in real-life conversations.
Set up next week’s lessons with Ann and Kurt, my two Hiligaynon tutors – who, as far as I know, are the only Hiligaynon tutors on the whole of italki.
Decide which of my two Hiligaynon Peace Corps books I’m going to study today.
Review some phrases in the Speakin’ Ilonggo app. No more flipping between Duolingo, Mondly and Memrise.
Watch some videos from my personal YouTube playlist: American missionary vloggers if I’m taking it easy, native vloggers if I fancy a challenge.
Head downstairs and chat with my Mum in Hiligaynon.
Over to You!
If you’ve always wanted to learn a rare language because of a family connection or some other burning passion, I hope I’ve convinced you that it is possible. You just need to get creative: treat it as a treasure hunt, have the courage to speak, and always, always remind yourself of the reasons why you’re doing this.
Do you have any other tips for learning rare languages? Let me know in the comments!
The post How to Learn a Rare Language like Hiligaynon (with Minimum Frustration) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
April 19, 2020
Hello in Chinese – 25+ Chinese Greetings to Sound Like a Native
So you want to know: “How do you say hello in Chinese?”
I’d like to show you how to master Chinese greetings so you’ll know how to say “hello” in Chinese.
Saying “hello” is usually the first thing you learn when studying a new language. It’s one of the most basic things to learn and it’s typically very easy.
But it can be a little trickier than it seems, as there are lots of different ways to say “hello”.
In this post, I’ll show you a range of Mandarin greetings – from “good afternoon” in Chinese to “What’s up?” in Chinese.
1. “Hello” in Chinese - 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
One of the first words you’ll learn when studying Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo), which literally means “you good”.
If you’re already learning Chinese, your experience may be similar to mine – every time someone hears I can speak Chinese they go: “Oh, say something in Chinese! What is it… I know I know! Nǐ hǎo! Right?”
Long story, short: nǐ hǎo is the most basic way of saying “hello” in Chinese.
It’s not wrong to say nǐ hǎo. But you’ll rarely hear native Chinese speakers use this phrase.
It would probably be like saying “Greetings” in English – nobody really uses it anymore, but it’s still acceptable and people understand it.
Feel free to use 你好 (nǐ hǎo) – at least until you learn new ways of saying “hello” in Mandarin Chinese.
But don’t stop there! I want to show you how to say “hi” in Chinese and how to use other greetings in Chinese.
So, if you want to sound more like a native, and to maybe impress your Chinese friends, learn some of these Mandarin Chinese greetings:
您好 (nín hǎo) - “Hello”
This is a more polite way to say “hello” in Chinese.
You might already know that 您 (nín) is the formal “you” form. You use it in Chinese when talking to older people or people you have respect for.
Most likely, if you lose the one “n” at the end of “nín” and say 你好 (nǐ hǎo) instead, nobody will get upset with you.
But be aware, a lot of older and traditional Chinese people will appreciate if you use 您 (*nín).
你吃了吗? (Nǐ chīle ma?) - “Have you eaten?”
When you translate the phrase character by character, it means “Have you eaten?”
But this is one of the most common ways to say “hi” in Chinese.
Native Chinese people use it very often, and although sometimes they actually want to ask you if you’ve had your dinner or not, most likely they’re just greeting you.
You can answer by saying: 吃了 (chīle, “I have”). This is your way of saying “hi” back.
It’s polite to say 吃了, and if you know the person well, you can continue with a conversation.
You could also say 没有 (méiyǒu, “I haven’t”), which would actually let them know you’re hungry and want to eat!
你吃过饭了没有? (Nǐ chīguò fànle méiyǒu?) - “Have you eaten (rice)?”
This has the same meaning as the previous phrase, but it’s a bit longer.
饭 means “rice” or “food”, and so it might be translated literally as “Have you eaten rice?” or “Have you eaten food?”.
But, again, it’s just one of the most common greetings in Mandarin Chinese.
It’s like saying “Hello, how are you?”. It’s just that Chinese people prefer to use food-related expressions. Their culture and relationships are about food.
But remember -- the question doesn’t mean they’re actually interested in whether you’ve had rice today or not.
You can answer similarly to the previous question: 吃了 (chīle, “I have”) or 吃过了 (chīguòle, “I ate”).
Both of these literally mean “I have eaten”, but you’re just saying “hi” back to them.
大家好 (dàjiā hǎo) - “Hello everyone”
This phrase is used when saying “hi” in Chinese to a bigger group of people.
The literal meaning is “everyone good?” and is a substitute to 你好 (nǐ hǎo).
You probably wouldn’t use 大家好 when greeting just two people, but it wouldn’t be completely wrong. To be on the safe side and sound more like a native, make sure you only use 大家好 when greeting three or more people.
你们好 (nǐmen hǎo) - “Hello everyone”
Similar to the greeting above, this Chinese greeting is used to say “hello” to a group.
In English it means “everyone good”, just like 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo).
你们好 (nǐmen hǎo) is the greeting to use with a group of two people, but feel free to use it with bigger groups, too. A Chinese teacher or an older person might correct you, but it’s not wrong to use this phrase when saying “hi” in Chinese to more than two people.
Comparing this with the previous phrase, you’re more likely to hear 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo), as it’s a bit less formal.
久仰 (jiǔyǎng) or 久仰大名 (jǐu yǎng dà míng*) - “Hello, nice to meet you”
This is a very polite way to say hello in China.
It means “I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.” Or even “I have been admiring you for a long time.”
This greeting is usually used when meeting someone you really want to or need to be polite with. It’s not a common way to say “nice to meet you” or “hi” among friends.
It’s likely that you won’t ever need to use 久仰大名 if you’re learning Chinese for fun, traveling or other casual reasons. Unless you’re planning to meet some Chinese celebrities!
幸会 (xìng huì) - “Nice to meet you”
This is a more colloquial and common way among people who are the same age and position as you; your peers.
It’s really just “nice to meet you” when you meet someone for the first time and shake their hand.
You can use this phrase with older people as well.
It wouldn’t be wrong to use 幸会 with a friend’s parents or a teacher, either.
喂 (wéi) - “Hello”
This means “hello” in Mandarin, and you use it when picking up the phone.
喂 can be used in two tones – wèi and wéi. Wèi is more used as a “hey” than “hello” answering the phone.
If you know that you have to be careful about how you answer the phone, stay on the safe side and use wéi. That way, you won’t offend anyone.
Read more about tones in the Chinese language here.
怎么了 (zěnmeliǎo or zěnmele) - “What’s Up?”
This Chinese greeting is mostly used among friends and young people. It means “How are you?” or “What’s up?”.
You won’t hear older people using this phrase and they might either not understand it, or even get offended if you use it with them.
Comparing to English “what” in the phrase, 怎么 means “how” in Chinese, but the meaning stays the same.
了 is a modal particle used in Mandarin Chinese to intensify a completed action. For example, 你吃了吗? shows that the person asking the question is curious to see if you’ve eaten/ate in the past, but not asking if you’re eating now.
In 怎么了 (“What’s up?”), a literal translation of “up” is not needed; 了 serves as “up” in this case.
哈罗 (hā luō) - “Hello”
Does it remind you of something?
Yes, you got it.
哈罗 is a Chinese version (transliteration) of “hello”.
Chinese people love to come up with transliterations of English words and incorporate them into their language quickly.
哈罗 is not the only one they borrowed from English.
With all these transliterations, you might not hear them often among older people. But you can be almost 100% sure your younger friends will know them.
Have a look at these ones:
嗨 (hāi) - “Hi”
If you want to know how to say “hi” in Chinese, well, this one is it.
Similar to 哈罗, this greeting is how you say “hi” in Mandarin using the sound of the English “hi”. Even the character is a special one for this greeting - it doesn’t mean anything else than “hi”.
嘿 (hēi) - “Hey”
A third familiar word!
You guessed it, this is “hey” transliterated into Chinese.
出去玩吗? (Chūqù wán ma?) - “Hello/How are you?”
This phrase literally means “Do you want to go out to play?” If somebody asks you this, don’t be too surprised. They are actually not asking you if you’re going out to play, but rather to see where you are going.
Most likely they either want to join with you in what you’re doing, or they are just saying hi.
You can answer by saying hāi, “Hi”. Or you can say something like 我要和朋友出去玩, 加入我们 (Wǒ yào hé péngyǒu chūqù wán, jiārù wǒmen) - “I’m going out with a friend, join us!” or ”Would you like to join us?”.
去哪? (Qù nǎ?) - “Where are you going?”
In English, this seems a bit nosy and might raise eyebrows. But it is a common way to say “hello” or “how are you?” in Chinese. And sometimes, your conversation partner will actually expect you to say where you are going!
For example, if you meet some in the afternoon on the street who uses this phrase, you can reply 从学校接回孩子 (Cóng xuéxiào jiē huí háizi) - “Picking up kids from school”.
你好吗 (Nǐ hǎo ma?) - “How are you?”
This Chinese greeting is a way of saying “How are you?” in Chinese. It literally translates as “Are you good?”
In China, greeting words often include 好. It’s like saying “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” in English, but Chinese also use 好 in questions like this.
Usually, when you want to ask someone how they are doing, ask them if they’re good.
好久不见 (Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn) - “Long time no see!”
As in English, you’d use this phrase to start a conversation with an old friend or someone you haven’t seen in a while.
After you say 好久不见, carry on the conversation with asking how have they been; the next phrase is perfect to use in such a situation:
最近好吗? (Zuìjìn hǎo ma?) - “Have you been good lately?” or “How have you been lately?”
最近 (zuìjìn) means “lately” or “recently”. You should use 最近好吗? only if it’s been a while since you’ve seen the person. A good rule of thumb is more than a week, preferably longer.
“Good morning” in Chinese - 早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo)
This is a straightforward way to say “good morning” in Chinese. 早上 (zǎoshang) means “morning” and we already know that 好 (Hǎo) means “good”.
This greeting is pretty much the same as “good morning” in English, but with “good morning” in Chinese, the time of the day (morning, afternoon, etc.) comes first - before “good”.
Be careful when you use this particular greeting - 早上 (zǎoshang) is mostly used between 8 AM and about 10 AM (early morning).
早! (Zǎo!) - “Morning”
This is a shorter and casual version of 早上好 (ǎoshang hǎo, “hood morning”). It means “Morning!”.
上午好 (shàngwǔ hǎo) - “Good morning”
When saying “good morning” in Mandarin Chinese, you need to be careful about the different variations.
上午 (shàngwǔ) is late morning, so when 早上 (zǎoshang, “early morning”) is gone, use this greeting.
The right time to use 上午好 (shàngwǔ hǎo) is between 10am and 12pm.
“Good afternoon” in Chinese - 下午好 (xiàwǔ hǎo)
This is the most common way to say “good afternoon” in Chinese. 下午 (xiàwǔ) refers to the time after lunch and before dinner – most likely after 6 PM you won’t hear 下午好.
So, the time of day in which you can use 下午好 is between 12pm and 6pm.
晚上好 (wǎnshàng hǎo) is “good evening” in Chinese. It can mean “good afternoon”, but it’s mostly used after 6pm.
“Goodbye” in Chinese - 再见 (zàijiàn)
The literal meaning of this phrase is “See (you) again.” If you’re a beginner learning how to say “goodbye” in Chinese, this is the phrase you’re likely to learn first.
It’s commonly and widely used, and you can use it even if you don’t expect to see the person again.
拜拜 (bàibài*) - “Bye”
Similarly to 嘿 (hēi), 嗨 (hāi) and 哈罗 (hā luō), 拜拜 (bàibài) is taken from English and it has the same pronunciation as “bye-bye”.
拜拜 is very common especially in Taiwan, where all the young people barely use 再见 anymore. Don’t forget though, always say 拜拜 - both “byes”.
拜 means worship or respect, and it might be used as a greeting, but by saying 拜拜, you will sound like a native.
How do you say “Hello” in Mandarin Chinese?
Next time someone asks you this, you don’t have to stick to 你好 (nǐ hǎo) – it’s very possible they already know that one anyway.
Now you’re all ready to surprise them with a wide range of Mandarin greetings, score well on your next exam and impress your Chinese friends.
And lastly, if this list seems a bit overwhelming and you’re not sure if you can ever speak and master Chinese, get some encouragement here.
再见 (zàijiàn), everyone!
The post Hello in Chinese – 25+ Chinese Greetings to Sound Like a Native appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
April 16, 2020
“I Love You” In Italian and 80+ Other Romantic Italian Phrases
It’s said that love is a universal language that makes speech unnecessary for two strangers to understand each other. Yet, sometimes, putting the correct words to your feelings can be very helpful, most of all when those feelings are romantic.
Chances are that if you’re interested in learning Italian, you have a certain fondness for romanticism. You’re in luck!! Italian is a rich language, but even more so when it comes to expressing love. After all, it’s in the “romance” language family.
Do you have an Italian partner and would like to pleasantly surprise them with Italian love phrases? Or are you planning on finding love during your next trip to the boot-shaped peninsula? I cover it all here.
This is your guide to Romantic Italian Phrases 101: once you’ve read it, you’ll be able to express your love like a native.
“I Love You” in Italian
There are two very different ways to say “I love you” in Italian: ti voglio bene and ti amo. This is different from English where we have only one way to say “I love you”, so it’s important to understand the difference.
Ti voglio bene could be translated as “I wish you well” or “I want what’s good for you”. It’s used with friends, family, and in the early stages of a relationship or by long-time partners.
On the other hand, Ti amo implies a very strong feeling. It’s only comfortably used in a passionate, serious love.. It’s not exactly “I’m in love with you”, but that’s the kind of love it expresses. To say “I love you so much” in Italian you can add cosi tanto (“so much”) after the original phrase: ti amo cosi tanto.
In this article, we’re focusing on the serious and deep romantic love, the one communicated with ti amo.
5 More Italian Love Phrases to Share Romantic Love
Maybe you’re not yet ready to say “I love you” in Italian but still want to express what you feel. In this case, consider the following phrases:
Mi piaci - “I like you.” If you add molto after it, you’ll get “I like you a lot”. Add moltissimo to get “I like you an awful lot.”
Significhi molto per me - “You mean a lot to me.”
Ti voglio un mondo di bene - “I love you a lot”, literally “I want a world of good for you.” It’s a couple of notches down from “Ti amo”.
Ti voglio/desidero - “I want you.”
Sono pazzo di te - “I am crazy for you.”
Expressing “Love” in Italian
The Italian word for love is the very famous amore, which can be found sprinkled through pop culture in songs like Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” and movies.
Amore is pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable and a rolling ‘r’ that make it as charming as its concept.
Related words that you should know include:
attrazione - “attraction”
sentimenti - “feelings”
affetto - “affection”
tenerezza - “tenderness”
adorazione - “adoration”
You can fare una cosa con amore (“do something with love”) and credere nell’amore (“believe in love”).
People often tell their significant other sei un amore (literally, “you are a love”) as a way to say thank you. But a closer translation in English is “you’re adorable”. You can also call your partner amore, which is equivalent to calling them “love” in English.
Love is a Verb! How to Say “To Love” in Italian
The Italian verb for expressing a very serious and deep love is amare, which conjugates like this:
(io) amo → “I love”
(tu) ami → “you love” (singular)
(lui/lei) ama → “he/she loves”
(noi) amiamo → “we love”
(voi) amate → “you love” (plural)
(loro) amano → “they love”
You can amare la pizza (“love pizza”, like most Italians do) or amare qualcuno (“love someone”).
If you’re going to declare your love for someone, you must know which pronoun to use:
(io) mi amo → “I love myself”
(io) ti amo → “I love you” (singular)
(io) la amo → “I love her”
(io) lo amo → “I love him”
How to Say that You’re “In Love” in Italian
Being in love in Italian is essere innamorato/a. The phrase uses the verb essere (“being”) and the adjective innamorato/a, which refers to the person who’s in love.
It’s important to know how to conjugate the verb essere, since it’s an irregular verb:
(io) sono → “I am”
(tu) sei → “you are” (singular)
(lui/lei) è → “he/she is”
(noi) siamo → “we are”
(voi) siete → “you are” (plural)
(loro) sono → “they are”
You also need to know how to inflect the adjective innamorato:
innamorato (masculine)
innamorata (feminine)
innamorati (masculine/general plural)
innamorate (feminine plural)
If you want to talk about “falling in love” you will simply add the appropriate reflexive pronoun at the beginning of the phrase:
(io) Mi sono innamorato/a. → “I fell in love.”
(tu) Ti sei innamorato/a. → “You fell in love.” (singular)
(lui/lei) Si è innamorato/a. → “He/she fell in love.”
(noi) Ci siamo innamorati/e. → “We fell in love.”
(voi) Vi siete innamorati/e. → “You fell in love.” (plural)
(loro) Si sono innamorati/e. → “They fell in love.”
“Heart” in Italian
When you fall in love, you can “love with all your heart”, or you’re ready to give your significant other “the key to your heart”… In any case, “heart” is a crucial word to learn when you want to be romantic in another language.
In Italian, “heart” is cuore, “my heart” is cuore mio, and “all my heart” is tutto il mio cuore.
Italian has a handful of heart-related expressions, some of the best being:
Grazie di cuore - “Thank you sincerely”, literally “Thanks from the heart.”
Mi hai rubato il cuore - “You stole my heart.”
Ti do il mio cuore - “I give you my heart.”
Il mio cuore è (solo) tuo - “My heart is yours (only).”
Hai conquistato il mio cuore - “You have conquered my heart.”
Ti amo con tutto il cuore - “I love you with all my heart.”
How to Say “Beautiful” in Italian
Love is such a beautiful thing… So how do you say beautiful in Italian?
For men, you can use bello, for women, bella. Yes, there is both a masculine and feminine version, unlike in English, where beautiful is used more for women.
Be careful, though. Because saying “Ciao, bella!” to get someone’s attention can come across as impolite, just like it might be to call someone “Hey, beautiful!” in the street.
However, it will be much appreciated if you earnestly tell someone sei bello/a (“you are beautiful”). You can also increase the flattery and tell them sei molto bello/a or sei bellissimo/a (“you are very beautiful”), or sei cosi bello/a (“you are so beautiful”).
Lastly, it’s not uncommon for men to call women bellezza (“beauty”), which, depending on the tone used, can be perceived as teasing, disrespectful, or very romantic.
“Handsome” and “Gorgeous” in Italian
In English, being called beautiful is nice, but being called handsome or gorgeous is on another level.
However, in Italian, they really only use bello/a to say beautiful, handsome, and gorgeous. With so many different ways to express your love, it’s a bit surprising they only use one main word to describe all kinds of beauty.
But there still are some choice words that you can use to describe a person’s physical appearance in a way that may make them blush:
attraente: “attractive”
seducente: “seductive”
affascinante: “charming”
Incantevole (“enchanting”) is used to describe a smile - un sorriso incantevole - or eyes - degli occhi incantevoli - but rarely a person. It would be considered a little too much.
“Cute” in Italian
Carino/a (“cute”) might look like the diminutive version of caro/a, which means “dear”. So it would be translated as “little dear”. However, if there ever was any relation between the two words, it’s been lost with time, and caro and carino have unrelated meanings.
Italians love to exclaim how cute things are. In fact, it’s quite frequent to hear them say Ma che carino/a! (“So cute!”) in response to almost any statement that has the bare minimum of cuteness involved.
Example: “My sister brought my grandma some apples.” “Ma che carina!”
“I Miss You” in Italian
Sometimes, telling a person that you miss them is even more powerful than telling them you love them.
If your Italian partner asks you ti manco?, they want to know if you miss them, in which case you can answer mi manchi (“I miss you”).
To add more meaning to your words, you can say mi manchi tanto (“I miss you so much”) or mi manchi troppo (“I miss you too much”).
Other Italian ways to tell a person that you miss them include:
Ti penso sempre. (“I’m always thinking of you.”)
Senza di te non sono niente. (“I am nothing without you.”)
Non voglio vivere senza di te. (“I don’t want to live without you.”)
“Good Morning, Beauty” in Italian
Waking up to the sunshine next to your significant other can bring on some romantic feelings so you want to greet them in the best way possible.
If you’re in the mood for slight playfulness, you can say Buongiorno, bellezza! (“good morning, beauty!” to a woman) or Buongiorno, bello! (“Good morning, handsome!” to a man).
Otherwise you can play it romantic and opt for a buongiorno, tesoro (“good morning, treasure”) or buongiorno, amore (“good morning, love”).
“Good Night, My Love” in Italian
When the day’s up, it’s time to wish a good night to your loved one. Buona notte, amore (“good night, love”) or buona notte, amore mio (“good night, my love”) work perfectly fine for that. You can even display some gentlemanly tenderness and wish them a buona notte, caro/a (“good night, my dear”), a phrase favored by married couples.
“Sweet Dreams” in Italian
To be a little sweeter than the basic “good night”, try wishing sogni d’oro (“sweet dreams”, literally “dreams of gold”). It’s a very common and nice “little plus” among Italians. You can even say sogni d’oro, tesoro (“sweet dreams, my treasure”) - which could result in a Ma che carino! from your love’s grandmother when she hears about it.
Because love and dreams are two concepts that, when paired, are too irresistibly romantic, here are a few expressions that bring both together:
Giorno e notte sogno solo te. (“Day and night, I only dream of you.”)
Mi fai sognare. (“You make me dream.”)
Vivere un sogno d’amore. (Used to describe a perfect love, literally “Live a dream of a love.”)
“Girlfriend” in Italian and “Boyfriend” in Italian
There are many ways to describe a relationship nowadays, and there are plenty of Italian words to cover them all.
The common way to say “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” is ragazzo/a. It’s a word used by teenagers and young people che si frequentano (“who are dating”) or are starting una relazione (“a relationship”).
When things get more serious, the appropriate term to use is fidanzato/a, which has a different meaning than its English look-alike “fiance”. Fidanzato/a is both used for serious but informal relationships and formal relationships - those with un anello (“a ring”). Often, when children have a boyfriend/girlfriend, they call them their fidanzatino/a (“little boyfriend/girlfriend”).
Other ways to describe your partner include:
persona amata: “loved one” (somewhat elevated language and rarely used)
innamorato/a: “lover” in the sense of someone whom a person is in love with or who is in love
amante: “lover” in the clandestine way
convivente: “cohabitant”, the official description of two middle-aged people who have been living together for a long time but are not married
compagno: “partner”, usually used by elder people who are not married but are dating
“Wife” in Italian and “Husband” in Italian
When the big question is popped - Mi vuoi sposare? (“Will you marry me?”, literally “Do you want to marry me?”) and fidanzati say their sì, lo voglio (“I do”), they turn into marito (“husband”) and moglie (“wife”). You could also say sposo (“groom” or “husband”), and sposa (“bride” or “wife”).
Share the Love in Italian
Now that you know the Italian for love, you’re all set up to be a heartthrob in one of the most romantic languages in the world! Which romantic phrase will you use the most? Will you start saying ma che carino?
Are there any romantic Italian expressions I missed? Share them in the comments with me!
The post “I Love You” In Italian and 80+ Other Romantic Italian Phrases appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
April 12, 2020
Benefits of Learning a Second Language: 17 Mind-Blowing Reasons to Learn a Language, Backed by Science
I know these benefits of learning a second language from my own experience learning languages. Plus I’ve seen them in action watching others learn languages in communities like the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge. I’m a native English speaker. I also speak Japanese, Spanish and Korean in varying degrees.
Many of the benefits are also backed up by scientific research, and I’ve linked to this research where that’s available.
Wouldn’t it be nice to improve your memory, boost your physical and mental health, and make more money? You absolutely can, and it doesn’t take a magic potion or luck. All it takes is learning a second language!
Do the Benefits of Learning a Second Language Really Matter?
Yes! There are so many benefits to bilingualism. And they matter a lot!
Here at Fi3M we hear from so many language learners who tell us “I struggle to stay motivated in my language learning.” It’s a really common situation. You want to learn a language, but you can’t stick with it.
Knowing the real, scientifically-backed benefits to learning a second language gives you the push you need when your motivation starts to drop.
So with that in mind, here are 17 concrete advantages of learning a new language, many of them backed by science.
By learning a second language, you will:
1. Develop Empathy and Compassion
Language is deeply tied to culture. So when you start learning a new language, it changes the way you view things.
Speaking a second language, you begin to understand new views and perspectives on the world. In fact, language learning increases your compassion and empathy for others.
My own experience backs this up, as learning another language has made me a better listener. As a new language learner, you have to train yourself to focus and pick out words you know. So you pay more attention and learn to interrupt less. Another benefit of bilingualism!
2. Make New Friends
Learning a new language opens up the doors to millions of potential new friends and relationships. Some of my good friends I’ve met because I learned Japanese, and I would never have met them if I hadn’t!
3. Connect with Your Heritage
If you have heritage in a language, learning that language helps you reconnect with your family or family history. Maybe your family is Hispanic, and your grandmother only speaks Spanish. By learning the language, you could have a deeper conversation with her and hear her stories. That’s a life-changing gift and a priceless memory.
4. Unlock a New Sense of Adventure
In Eat Pray Love , Elizabeth Gilbert shares how she was drawn to learning Italian for no particular reason at all. It intrigued her, so she went to Italy and learned it.
If you’re learning a language, you have some interest in the country or culture that speaks it. And it emboldens you to take a leap of faith. You can order food in Korean at your local Korean restaurant. Or go to a local language meetup. Or to travel abroad finally, and have a deeper experience in the country.
5. Grow Your Brain (Yes, it Will Be Physically Bigger)
The connection between the brain and language learning is fascinating. One crazy fact? Your brain will actually grow when you learn a second language. Swedish scientists discovered when people studied languages, their brains increased in mass.
During the study, the control group learned something new that wasn’t a language. And there wasn’t the same growing effect on their brain!
6. Rewire Your Brain
In the same study, the scientists discovered it was possible to rewire the brain. They trained participants to understand tonal differences between languages in as little as one hour.
The study also found that language immersion provided better memory retention. So the more they were exposed to the language, the better they remembered it.
Your brain trains itself through language learning to process and understand new information. So, those new “wires” in your rewired brain help you process all information better and faster.
7. Reduce Decision Fatigue
Do you have a hard time making decisions? Try making the decision in your target language. One study found that people were less likely to overthink when asked to make a decision in a foreign language. The theory is that because of the distance between the foreign language and your native tongue, the brain doesn’t overthink the situation.
8. Improve Focus and Attention
Learning a second language helps you block out distractions, and hone your focus on the task at hand.
As you learn to switch between languages, your ability to focus while switching between tasks improves. And you can process and refocus faster because your brain is used to processing new information.
9. Reduce Risk for Dementia and Alzheimer’s
There are many health benefits to learning a second language, and this is a big one. Language learning keeps your brain active, engaged, and growing. It gives you a boost in mental stimulation. Because of that, language learning has been proven to delay or reduce the risk of memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. The brain creates more neural pathways while learning, keeping it strong.
10. Get Better at Learning ALL Languages
Studies have found that if you’ve learned one language, your next language will be even easier to learn. And, your native language also improves. You develop the skills necessary to learn and understand how you learn best. And you start to have a deeper understanding of linguistics and grammar, which continues to help you as you learn new languages and speak your own.
11. Become a Math Whiz or Science Genius (Maybe!)
Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement. But if you struggle with math and science, language learning can help.
When you learn a language you become used to sorting and processing new information in your target language. So, you develop better math skills.
Plus, there’s a correlation between bilingual students and their ability to come up with complex scientific hypotheses.
12. Get a Creativity Boost
One of the benefits of learning a foreign language is you learn to think creatively to get your point across. That’s especially true if you still have limited vocabulary in your new language. That, as well as the change in perceptions from understanding a new culture, impact your creative output. You start to look at and put things together in new ways which spark new creative juices.
13. Learn Faster and Remember Longer
Some studies found that language learning improves your working memory. This means those who were bilingual could process, sort, and store new information with better memory retention.
This is also one of the advantages of learning different languages, ones that are not like your native tongue. You’re able to process something very opposite what you’re used to and put the puzzle pieces together. For instance, if you’re learning Japanese and your native is English, you’re piecing together a different writing system and grammar structure.
14. Land the Job
There are financial benefits of knowing more than one language. If you live in the US, you probably have an idea of how few people speak more than one language. Only about 20% of US Americans can speak two languages fluently. I
f judging by the ability to hold a simple conversation, the figure is around 26%. That’s… not a lot. We in the US are way behind the world average of 50%.
That means if you can speak a foreign language, and you add that to your resume? You’ll stand out. Especially if the company you’re applying for has ties to that language. Like, for instance, applying to Toyota and speaking Japanese.
In fact, employers often will choose a bilingual candidate over a monolingual one who is equally qualified
It also shows that you’re self-motivated and a willing learner -- both valuable traits for employers.
15. Increase Your Annual Salary (Maybe!)
While some research suggests that learning a second language would add only about 2% to your annual salary, others estimate around 10% - 15%.
This also depends on your job and where you want to go with it. If you decide to take on a new career or side hustle as a translator, you would be in high demand. Interpretation and translation jobs are expected to grow by 19% by 2028, which is much faster than the average occupation. If you want to work for a federal agency, they usually give preference to those who speak more than one language.
In fact, many government agencies offer a $1,000 - $2,000 annual pay increase for speaking multiple languages. And we know of one guy who got a $7,000 raise after he learned Spanish.
The language you decide to learn matters, too. It may not be a surprise that the search for Mandarin speakers has increased. But did you know German is one of the most valuable languages you could learn? Germany has one of the top economies in the world, making it a sought-after language in employees.
So if money is a motivating factor for you, this could be one of the major advantages of studying a foreign language.
16. Improve Your Confidence
There are benefits to learning multiple languages, too. The more languages you learn to speak, the more your confidence builds from putting yourself out there. Besides that, it can open up new opportunities you may never have dreamed of.
17. Develop a More Positive Mindset
I’ll end this list with my favorite advantage of bilingualism. It takes effort to learn a second language, but it helps you have a more positive outlook and mindset.
For one, when you overcome your fear of speaking from day one and have that first conversation? You develop a more positive mindset that you can do this. Like developing a sense of adventure, you start to believe more in your own capabilities.
But learning new words and ways to express yourself can also make you happier. You learn untranslatable words that capture something you could never describe before.
Why Learn a Second Language? Because It’s Life-Changing
If you can’t tell by these 17 reasons, learning a language could change your life. It could lead to new friends, new happiness, new locations, or new careers. The possibilities are endless -- it’s only limited by your own creativity and determination.
So go forth, and reap the benefits of learning another language!
The post Benefits of Learning a Second Language: 17 Mind-Blowing Reasons to Learn a Language, Backed by Science appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
