Benny Lewis's Blog, page 57
October 11, 2018
Japanese Numbers: Counting in Japanese from 1-100+
Ready to learn how to count from 1-100+ with Japanese numbers? The Japanese number system can be quite complex, especially when you first start learning.
While basic counting in Japanese is easy, there are several ways to count… even just to 10. And counting objects can become confusing because of a dreaded thing called “counters”.
But I’m here to help guide you through it! I’ll share all my best tips for counting in Japanese and tricks for getting around some of the difficult parts.
Japanese Numbers 1-10: How to Count to Ten in Japanese
The Japanese number system has two sets of numbers, the Sino-Japanese number set, and the native Japanese number set. The most commonly used are the Sino-Japanese numbers, but you will often come across 1 - 10 in native numbers.
Sino-Japanese Numbers
Kanji
Native Japanese Numbers
Kanji
1
いち (ichi)
一
ひとつ (hitotsu)
一つ
2
に (ni)
二
ふたつ (futatsu)
二つ
3
さん (san)
三
みっつ (mittsu)
三つ
4
し、よん (shi, yon)
四
よっつ (yottsu)
四つ
5
ご (go)
五
いつつ (itsutsu)
五つ
6
ろく (roku)
六
むっつ (muttsu)
六つ
7
しち、なな (shichi, nana)
七
ななつ (nanatsu)
七つ
8
はち (hachi)
八
やっつ (yattsu)
八つ
9
く、きゅう (ku, kyuu)
九
ここのつ (kokonotsu)
九つ
10
じゅう (juu)
十
とう (tou)
十
0
れい、ゼロ、マル (rei, zero, maru)
零
So, let’s check out the Native Japanese row first. You’ll only see this system used up to 10, so that makes it easier. The other cool bonus of this counting system: no counters! I’ll cover counters in a moment, but this set of numbers is considered the universal counter. You can use it to count everything except money, time, and people. So, if you forget the right counter, use these numbers!
The tip to remembering these numbers is that they all end in つ (tsu) except for 10, which is とう (tou). This also makes it easier when reading the kanji for these numbers. You can always tell which counting system is being used by whether the kanji is followed by つ or not (except 10).
Now, let’s look at the Sino-Japanese numbers. These are the Japanese numbers you’ll use most often, and they combine with counters for counting objects. Once you memorize these 10, counting to 100 is easy! You’ll notice that three numbers have two different readings: 4, 7, and 9. The numbers 4 and 9 are considered unlucky in Japanese because し (shi) and く (ku) sound the same as the words for death (死, shi) and agony (苦, ku). So, Japanese people avoid using those readings whenever possible. Even though 7 is a lucky number, it’s reading しち (shichi) also has し so it's more common to say なな (nana).
As for zero, the Japanese word is 例 (rei), but it's more common to say it like in English. ゼロ (zero) is most often used, or マル (maru) which means “circle” and is like saying “oh” in English instead of zero.
Japanese Numbers 1-100: How to Count to 100 in Japanese
Counting to 100 in Japanese is super easy once you learn the first 10, and it only uses one system! In Japanese, once you get past 10, you count as if you’re adding. Here’s how that looks:
11 is 十一 (juuichi): 10 + 1
12 is 十二 (juuni): 10 + 2
and so on up to 19.
Once you get to twenty, it’s the same concept, but you start by counting the 10s:
20 is 二十 (nijuu): 2 10’s
21 is 二十一 (nijuuichi): 2 10's + 1
and so on, up to 99.
100 gets a new word: 百 (hyaku).
Hiragana Numbers in Japanese, 1 - 100:
1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 50
51 - 60
61 - 70
71 - 80
81 - 90
91 - 100
1 - いち (ichi)
11 - じゅういち (juuichi)
21 - にじゅういち (nijuuichi)
31 - さんじゅういち (sanjuuichi)
41 - よんじゅういち (yonjuuichi)
51 - ごじゅういち (gojuuichi)
61 - ろくじゅういち (rokujuuichi)
71 - ななじゅういち (nanajuuichi)
81 - はちじゅういち (hachijuuichi)
91 - きゅうじゅういち (kyuujuuichi)
2 - に (ni)
12 - じゅうに (juuni)
22 - にじゅうに (nijuuni)
32 - さんじゅうに (sanjuuni)
42 - よんじゅうに (yonjuuni)
52 - ごじゅうに (gojuuni)
62 - ろくじゅうに (rokujuuni)
72 - ななじゅうに (nanajuuni)
82 - はちじゅうに (hachijuuni)
92 - きゅうじゅうに (kyuujuuni)
3 - さん (san)
13 - じゅうさん (juusan)
23 - にじゅうさん (nijuusan)
33 - さんじゅうさん (sanjuusan)
43 - よんじゅうさん (yonjuusan)
53 - ごじゅうさん (gojuusan)
63 - ろくじゅうさん (rokujuusan)
73 - ななじゅうさん (nanajuusan)
83 - はちじゅうさん (hachijuusan)
93 - きゅうじゅうさん (kyuujuusan)
4 - し、よん (shi, yon)
14 - じゅうよん (juuyon)
24 - にじゅうよん (nijuuyon)
34 - さんじゅうよん (sanjuuyon)
44 - よんじゅうよん (yonjuuyon)
54 - ごじゅうよん (gojuuyon)
64 - ろくじゅうよん (rokujuuyon)
74 - ななじゅうよん (nanajuuyon)
84 - はちじゅうよん (hachijuuyon)
94 - きゅうじゅうよん (kyuujuuyon)
5 - ご (go)
15 - じゅうご (juugo)
25 - にじゅうご (nijuugo)
35 - さんじゅうご (sanjuugo)
45 - よんじゅうご (yonjuugo)
55 - ごじゅうご (gojuugo)
65 - ろくじゅうご (rokujuugo)
75 - ななじゅうご (nanajuugo)
85 - はちじゅうご (hachijuugo)
95 - きゅうじゅうご (kyuujuugo)
6 - ろく (roku)
16 - じゅうろく (juuroku)
26 - にじゅうろく (nijuuroku)
36 - さんじゅうろく (sanjuuroku)
46 - よんじゅうろく (yonjuuroku)
56 - ごじゅうろく (gojuuroku)
66 - ろくじゅうろく (rokujuuroku)
76 - ななじゅうろく (nanajuuroku)
86 - はちじゅうろく (hachijuuroku)
96 - きゅうじゅうろく (kyuujuuroku)
7 - しち、なな (shichi, nana)
17 - じゅうなな (juunana)
27 - にじゅうなな (nijuunana)
37 - さんじゅうなな (sanjuunana)
47 - よんじゅうなな (yonjuunana)
57 - ごじゅうなな (gojuunana)
67 - ろくじゅうなな (rokujuunana)
77 - ななじゅうなな (nanajuunana)
87 - はちじゅうなな (hachijuunana)
97 - きゅうじゅうなな (kyuujuunana)
8 - はち (hachi)
18 - じゅうはち (juuhachi)
28 - にじゅうはち (nijuuhachi)
38 - さんじゅうはち (sanjuuhachi)
48 - よんじゅうはち (yonjuuhachi)
58 - ごじゅうはち (gojuuhachi)
68 - ろくじゅうはち (rokujuuhachi)
78 - ななじゅうはち (nanajuuhachi)
88 - はちじゅうはち (hachijuuhachi)
98 - きゅうじゅうはち (kyuujuuhachi)
9 - く、きゅう (ku, kyuu)
19 - じゅうきゅう (juukyuu)
29 - にじゅうきゅう (nijuukyuu)
39 - さんじゅうきゅう (sanjuukyuu)
49 - よんじゅうきゅう (yonjuukyuu)
59 - ごじゅうきゅう (gojuukyuu)
69 - ろくじゅうきゅう (rokujuukyuu)
79 - ななじゅうきゅう (nanajuukyuu)
89 - はちじゅうきゅう (hachijuukyuu)
99 - きゅうじゅうきゅう (kyuujuukyuu)
10 - じゅう (juu)
20 - にじゅう (nijuu)*
30 - さんじゅう (sanjuu)
40 - よんじゅう (yonjuu)
50 - ごじゅう (gojuu)
60 - ろくじゅう (rokujuu)
70 - ななじゅう (nanajuu)
80 - はちじゅう (hachijuu)
90 - きゅうじゅう (kyuujuu)
100 - ひゃく
*20 is called はたち (hatachi) when someone turns 20 years old, because that is the age when one is considered to become an adult. It's other irregularity is はつか (hatsuka), which is the 20th day of the month.
Kanji Numbers in Japanese: 1 - 1 Trillion!
Kanji make it easier to read numbers, as the Hiragana can get pretty long as you start getting to bigger numbers. And you don’t have to memorize too many of them, because of how the numbers are stacked to make bigger ones.
Kanji
Kana + Romaji
1
一
いち (ichi)
2
二
に (ni)
3
三
さん (san)
4
四
よん (yon)
5
五
ご (go)
6
六
ろく (roku)
7
七
なな (nana)
8
八
はち (hachi)
9
九
きゅう (kyuu)
10
十
じゅう (juu)
100
百
ひゃく (hyaku)
1,000
千
せん (sen)
10,000
万
まん (man)
100,000
十万
じゅうまん (juuman)
1,000,000
百万
ひゃくまん (hyakuman)
10,000,000
千万
せんまん (senman)
100,000,000
一億
いちおく (ichioku)
1,000,000,000
十億
じゅうおく (juuoku)
1,000,000,000,000
一兆
いっちょう (icchou)
So, as you can see, the numbers continue to stack themselves all the way up past a trillion! The biggest difference is that the big numbers are divided by units of 4 (or 10,000) rather than 3 (1,000). So once you get past 10,000, it can be a bit confusing to think of one million as “one hundred ten-thousands" at first.
One note, though: Romanized numbers (1, 2, 3) are often used instead of kanji nowadays. When those large numbers come up, they are written the same as in English. But, it's still important to learn the kanji because they do still pop up, especially when paired with other kanji.
The Japanese Number System: The Most Common Japanese Number Counters
So we talked about them a bit earlier, but… What are counters?
Counters specify what kind of object you’re counting in Japanese. Japanese has many, many forms of counters for everything, from long objects to animals to machinery. It’s considered one of the most confusing points of learning Japanese. But, there are some tips to help you learn your way around it.
As I said earlier, if you don’t know the counter for an item, you can simply use the 一つ、二つ (hitotsu,futatsu) system to count your objects up to ten. This will save you a lot of trouble if you memorize those numbers!
The other thing to take note of is that some numbers conjugate differently with certain counters. The ones to look out for are 1, 3, 6, and 8. Number 1 changes about half the time, while 3, 6, and 8 change most of the time. 三 (3) changes the first letter of any counter from the "h" column of the kana chart to "b" or "p," like in 三分 (sanpun, "three minutes"). 六 (6) changes the “h” kana to “pp,” like 六匹 (roppiki, "six animals"). 八 (8) changes "h" counters the same as 6, usually. This is not quite a rule, but common enough to help you when you're getting started.
Sometimes, the less common readings of 4, 7, and 9 are used with certain counters, like 七時 (shichiji, "7 o’clock").
Now that that’s out of the way, here are the most common counters you should know:
Counting People In Japanese
When counting people in Japanese, you use the counter ~人 (nin) for 3 or more people. For one person, you say ひとり (hitori), and for two people you say ふたり (futari). Any number after that is the いち、に、さん number system followed by ~人, such as 三人 (sannin, "three people").
Counting Long Objects in Japanese
For long, thin objects, like pens, chopsticks, or bottles, the counter is ~本 (hon). Although 本 means “book” in Japanese, it isn’t the counter for books (that’s ~冊, satsu, which is the counter for bound objects, like manga ). ~本 is also the counter for things like roads, rivers, and train tracks - anything that travels that is very long and thin. It’s also used for long-distance telephone calls and travel routes. An example would be 四本のペン (yon hon no pen, "four pens").
Counting Small Objects in Japanese
Used for small objects, connect ~個 (ko) to the number to count it. And it’s also used for round objects, like apples: リンゴ二個 (ringo niko).
Counting Animals in Japanese
When counting small animals, you use ~匹 (hiki), like dogs and cats. For larger animals, like horses or elephants, you use ~頭 (tou). For example, 三匹の犬 (sanbiki no inu, "three dogs" - also note the change from h to b in hiki) and 三頭の馬 (santou no uma, "three horses").
Counting Mechanical Objects in Japanese
Yes, even cars, your washer and dryer, your video game console for playing games in Japanese, and computers have their own counter. Bicycles fall under this category, too. You use ~台 (dai) for these objects, like 二台の車 (nidai no kuruma, "two cars").
Counting Units of Time in Japanese
To express time in Japanese, you’ve guessed it, you use counters! You express seconds with ~秒 (byou), minutes with ~分 (fun or pun), hours with ~時 (ji), and length of time with ~時間 (jikan).
For months, you use ~月 (getsu), and for years you use ~年 (nen).
Other Common Counters
Other counters you’ll stumble across often are ~枚 (mai), ~回 (kai), and ~階 (kai or gai). ~枚 is used to count flat objects, like paper. ~回 is used to express the number of times, like the number of times in a week you workout. ~階 is used to count the number of floors in a building.
Japanese Grammar for Numbers
In Japanese, numbers can come before or after the item being counted. But they typically come after the item + particle, such as はがきを五枚買います (Hagaki wo gomai kaimasu, "I will buy 5 postcards"). はがき (item counted) を (particle) 五枚 (number + counter) 買います (verb).
If you put the number before the item, then it needs の (no) to connect them. Reversing the last sentence, 五枚のはがきを買います (Gomai no hagaki wo kaimasu) means the same thing, but puts the emphasis on the quantity. It’s usually said this way in response to a question (like “How many did you buy?”).
A Final Note on Counters
Don’t feel too discouraged about counters in Japanese. They may seem strange or foreign, but we use them all the time in English too. We count lettuce, cabbage and garlic in heads, thin/fine objects like hairs and threads in strands, and pants in pairs. Some counters are unique to one noun, such as a skein of yarn. If anything, Japanese is more logical than English when it comes to counters because there’s a counter for every noun instead of just a few select ones.
Japanese Ordinal Numbers
Japanese ordinal numbers express an order or sequence, like first, second, and third. In Japanese, you add 第~ before the number. So first is 第一 (dai ichi)、第二 (dai ni), and so on.
For other numbers with counters that you’re giving in a sequence, you add ~目 (me). So “for the first time” is 一回目(ikkai me). “Third person” is 三人目 (sannin me).
Japanese Days of the Month
After counters, this is another difficult aspect of Japanese. The days of the month are quite inconsistent, especially the first 10 days, plus the 14th, 20th, and 24th. The first 10 days are more like the Native Japanese counting system, but… not quite. It’s best to just memorize them.
The days of the month in Japanese are:
1st - ついたち (tsuitachi)
2nd - ふつか (futsuka)
3rd - みっか (mikka)
4th - よっか (yokka)
5th - いつか (itsuka)
6th - むいか (muika)
7th - なのか (nanoka)
8th - ようか (youka)
9th - ここのか (kokonoka)
10th - とおか (tooka)
14th - じゅうよっか (juuyokka)
20th - はつか (hatsuka)
24th - にじゅうよっか (nijuuyokka)
The rest of the month follows the regular stacking number system + 日 (nichi), like 二十三日 (nijusan nichi, “23rd of the month”).
How to Say “Number” in Japanese + Some Math Words
To say “number” in Japanese, you can say 数 (kazu) to express a number as quantity, or 数字 (suuji) as in figures or cardinal numbers. “To count” is 数える (kazoeru).
If you need to express yourself in mathematical terms, here are some words you can use:
Plus: プラス (purasu) or 足す (tasu)
Minus: マイナス (mainasu)
Equals: は (wa)
Multiply: 掛ける (kakeru)
Divide: 割る (waru)
Half: 半分 (hanbun)
Point: 点 (ten)
Japanese Phone Numbers
Saying Japanese phone numbers out loud is pretty straightforward. You always read the numbers as single digits, then you say “の" (“no”) wherever the dash is. So the number 123-456-7890 would be いち に さん の よん ご ろく の なな はち きゅう マル (ichi ni san no yon go roku no nana hachi kyuu maru).
Japanese Number Superstitions
The last thing you need to know for Japanese numbers? Superstitions! I already mentioned how 4 and 9 are considered to be unlucky numbers. Because they sound the same as “death” and “suffering,” you’ll notice throughout Japan that those numbers are missing. There may not be a 4th floor of a building, or a room number 49.
Japanese Lucky Numbers
The number 7 is considered an extremely lucky number and this is deep-rooted in the culture. From national holidays like 七夕 (Evening of the 7th, on July 7th), to the celebration of life 7 days after birth, it pops up often. The number 8 is also lucky, because it’s said to bring prosperity. The kanji, 八, widens at the bottom to bring in more luck and success.
You’re the 007 of Japanese Numbers Now!
You’re all set! You’ve had your crash course for numbers in Japanese, and now you can smooth talk your way through the many number systems. It’s a lot to take in at first, but little patterns emerge as you practice using the numbers which makes it easier.
If you’re ready to take your Japanese to the next level, make sure to check out the most important Japanese phrases to start speaking and how to find a Japanese language exchange partner. And check out Fi3M founder Benny’s own Japanese language journey!
頑張ろう！(Ganbarou, “Good luck!”)
The post Japanese Numbers: Counting in Japanese from 1-100+ appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
October 8, 2018
How I Learned Korean in 90 Days [CASE STUDY]
Am I really fluent in Korean after just 90 days of study? I could say that depends how you define fluency... but that would kind of be dodging the question.
Personally, I wouldn’t say that I’m fluent. But I did have a 15 minute conversation, 100% in Korean after just 90 days. You can watch it here on YouTube.
I’m also proud that when I shared my day 60 video update another Korean learner commented that it had taken her years to learn the things I was saying in the video.
So how did I do it?
I took the Add1Challenge. The Add1Challenge is a 90 day language learning challenge where you’re guaranteed to have a 15 minute conversation in your new language at the end of the 90 days (as long as you do the work).
Full Disclosure: I’m the Community Manager of the Add1Challenge.
I should also say that this wasn’t my first rodeo with Korean. A couple years back, I studied it for about six months with a study buddy. But despite focusing on it and giving it my all, it seemed like nothing about the language stuck. Not the writing system. Not the vocab. Not the grammar.
After six months of trying to sort it out, I could say “hello”, “thank you” and that I liked music, but that was about it.
When I returned to Korean for the Add1Challenge, it had been over two years since I last studied it.
Here’s my Day 0 video for the Add1Challenge, so you can see the level I was at when I started out:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKDXVRocHxU
As you can see, I got through everything I knew in just 30 seconds.
So that’s the background to how I did this. And actually, a lot of Add1Challengers have previously studied a language when they join the challenge, and they want to take things to the next level.
But Shannon, Aren’t You a Pro Language Learner?
Yes, I study languages publicly and share my successes (and failures) online. To date, I’ve studied more than nine languages. And with several, I’ve done pretty well.
But I don’t consider myself a natural at languages. I often struggle, as I did the first time I tried learning Korean. To many, it may seem that my motivation abounds. I wish that was the case! But to tell you the truth, it’s something that I struggle with, too.
As someone who does a significant amount of their language learning in public, it’s easy to feel nervous about sharing anything other than my successes. But as the Add1Challenge Community Manager, I know that it’s important for me to give other language learners a peek behind the curtain - to share my successes and my failures. Both of which I’ve experienced many.
I decided to give Korean another go. I wanted to see how far I could get in 90 days, and I knew that the Add1Challenge was the place to do it.
Learning Korean in 90 Days: Day 0 - Day 29
The first few weeks were awkward. It was like trying to catch up with an old high school acquaintance after too many years apart. There were things about the language that registered as vaguely familiar, but for the most part, I might as well have never studied it at all.
That discomfort meant that I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to study the language, but decided to trust the Add1Challenge process of hitting my daily study goal. Gradually, I began to notice a change.
The change wasn’t big, but it was enough to signal that my hard work was making an impact. Here’s what I shared with the Add1 community:
As I began to feel happy with my progress, I started to feel good about learning Korean and I found myself wanting to study. Win!
Here’s the progress video I made of myself on Day 30:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyWDrDflC4
As you can see, I managed to speak for pretty much a full minute -- a big step forward from the 30 seconds I managed on Day 0.
The Korean Resources I Used from Day 0 - Day 29
When I started out, I used the same resources I use almost every time I begin a new language. Pimsleur (yes, I know Benny’s not a fan but I am!) and Memrise. I think it’s really important to start listening to the language and getting an ear for it right away. And I also think it’s crucial to start picking up as much vocabulary as I can as soon as I can.
These two resources kept me busy during my first month, but I also knew I needed to start speaking if I wanted to get to my 15-minute goal, so after about two weeks of studying on my own, I tried out a few different teachers on italki and found one that was a good match. For the duration of the challenge, she and I met once a week.
Learning Korean in 90 Days: Day 30 - Day 59
With that nice little boost, it was easier to stick with it between Days 30-59. I really started to believe that I could, in fact, learn Korean.
I found a teacher on italki that I enjoyed working with, and she provided me with really helpful materials that helped me learn a wide range of Korean vocabulary. I shared my progress with the Add1 community:
At the same time, almost everything that I was doing to learn Korean felt like “work” and as a part of the Add1Challenge, we encourage language learners to make room for both “work time” and “play time”.
To get that next motivation boost, I needed to figure out how to find more “play time” with Korean.
Here’s how I did that. In the Add1Challenge, I was part of a Korean study group (if you join the challenge, you’ll be assigned to a study group for the language you’re learning). Together with my study group I began playing word games using the Naver Korean dictionary. This helped me learn a lot of new Korean words. It was also fun way to add a touch of friendly competition and “play” into how I learned Korean.
I also decided to find a Korean television show that I enjoyed. The first couple of Korean TV shows I tried weren’t for me, so I kept searching. I wanted to find a Korean TV show that covered some of my interests. On my third attempt, I found a show that took place in a restaurant where food, cooking techniques, and ingredients were mentioned often. I’d found the one for me!
I wanted to understand the show without relying too much on subtitles, so I started watching episode after episode, back to back. Finding this Korean TV show that I enjoyed watching really helped!
Here’s the update video I made for day 60:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-ugPlDJk-s
This time I spoke for over two minutes, double what I’d done on Day 30. I was still making good progress! Although it wasn’t an easy video to make. I’ll share some more about that in a moment...
The Korean Resources I Used from Day 30 - Day 59
When I started studying Japanese in the last challenge, I felt like I waited a little bit too long to start reading. Reading is a good way to see the language at work, so I didn’t want to make that same mistake with Korean. Once I had a few words under my belt, I started reading with LingQ.
I also wanted to get more structure, so I picked up a coursebook. For the challenge, I found Korean Made Easy. I found the explanations of Korean grammar simple and easy to follow, so for this challenge, it was exactly what I needed. I aimed to do one to three chapters each week, copying any useful structures or vocabulary into my Memrise flashcards for study.
Learn Korean in 90 Days: Day 60 - Day 89
When it came time to record my Day 60 video, I was nervous. I’ve completed Add1Challenges previously, and Day 60 had typically been when I hit a wall. Often, I found there was little difference between my Day 30 and Day 60 videos.
That said, I know we have a good reason to ask for the progress videos in the Add1Challenge. Documenting your progress boosts your confidence and your motivation.
So it was with a feeling of trepidation that I sat down and hit record on my Day 60 video. I was planning to say a lot of the same things as I said in my Day 30 video, but I hoped to say them better and to expand a little more. I took a deep breath and started. When I said all I had to say, I looked at the time stamp. Between my Day 30 and Day 60 video I had managed to double my speaking time.
That really unlocked my motivation!
But then I hit a HUGE obstacle...
Learn Korean in 90 Days: Day 90
For me, Day 90 came early.
Around Day 60, my Korean teacher sent me a message to let me know that she’d be out of town for the entire last month of the Add1Challenge. I panicked.
Who would I record my Day 90 video with? What if I wasn’t ready? Would not having a tutor during the last month keep me from achieving that 15-minute conversation?
I thought about where I was at and since I was still feeling extremely motivated, I decided to be courageous.
I sent my teacher back a message and asked her if she’d record the video with me before she left.
And then I set to work.
I threw out anything and everything “extra” and focused on studying what I’d need to know to hit the 15-minute mark in Korean. Scripting became my most important ally. I spent my time figuring out what I’d need to say and understand in my 15 minute conversation, then translate it in Korean.
On Day 63 of the Add1Challenge, I had a Korean lesson. Because my teacher knew I was preparing to record our conversation, she picked up the call as though we were already recording.
We got to 15 minutes. There were a lot of “umms”, “sorry I don’t understand” and blank stares on my part, filling up that time and I knew I still had ways to go. We then worked on expanding what we got through. After about 30 minutes, I was feeling pretty confident at how things were going, so I turned on the camera.
Suddenly I was a nervous wreck. I was checking the clock constantly to see how long we spoke, I had to review my notes and the messages she sent me, and couldn’t answer basic questions that I’d understood only moments before. We still made it past the 15 minute marker in (almost) only Korean despite all the difficulties I had. I got through it.
But I still knew I could do better. Our trial run had given me the push I needed.
I was feeling pretty confident!
The next day, on Day 64 of the Add1Challenge, I filmed my “Day 90” video of a 15 minute conversation in Korean with my tutor. It was 16 minutes total. A bit shorter than our trial run, but this wasn’t because we said fewer things or got through less material. It was because I had become better at understanding and replying right away, reducing the time our conversation took.
Here’s my full Day 90 video:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14KUZGtkmOE
The Korean Resources I Used from Day 60 Onwards
At this point in the challenge, my hands were pretty full with the resources I was already using. And while they helped me improve my Korean overall, many of them weren’t helping me directly get to my 15-minute conversation. Because of this, I stopped using everything but my lessons and Memrise. And even there, I narrowed down what I was using, choosing to use the Memrise deck I created and not those created by anyone else (prior to this point I was studying Korean vocabulary with three different decks).
The focus definitely helped me prepare for my Day 90 video.
Day 90 and Beyond
After completing the Add1Challenge, I’d fallen back in love with Korean. This feeling was my reward for sticking with it, even with the extra challenges I faced!
I wasn’t perfect. I faced a number of stumbling blocks along the way, and there were a few days that my daily check-in read “nay”. But I trusted in the system provided by the Add1Challenge and as a result, I gained a new language that I will love for life.
The post How I Learned Korean in 90 Days [CASE STUDY] appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
October 4, 2018
60+ Really Useful Spanish Phrases for Conversation and Travel
There are tons of benefits to learning to speak the local language when you travel, even if you just learn a few phrases. People really appreciate it when you speak to them in their own language, and there’s a good chance you’ll make memories you can treasure for life.
I started out learning Peninsular Spanish (mainland Spain), but through my travels I've grown accustomed to various dialects of Spanish. It always made these adventures much more enjoyable.
By learning a few basic Spanish phrases for travel, you can create lasting friendships all over the world. Making friends, enjoying the culture, and learning about the best spots only locals know - that’s the real dream of travelling, isn’t it? So let’s get you prepared!
How to Say “Hello!” in Spanish
Of course, you can’t start a conversation without knowing some Spanish greetings. So here are some common Spanish phrases to get started.
This is the most common greeting is hola. You can use this one at any time of day, and it always sounds natural.
You can also try the following:
“Good Morning” in Spanish
To greet someone in the morning (la mañana), you say buenos días. During the afternoon (la tarde), you can switch to buenas tardes ("good afternoon"), which is also in the plural form.
“Nice to Meet You” in Spanish
When you’re introduced to someone, you can say mucho gusto. It translates as “pleasure”, like “It’s a pleasure”. But that’s a bit formal in English, so a more accurate translation would be “Nice to meet you”. In extra formal situations, you can say un placer.
“My Name is...” in Spanish
When you introduce yourself, you can start by saying Me llamo ____. My favourite conversation starter is Hola, soy Benny (“Hi, I'm Benny”). This version is a more conversational way to say your name, but me llamo is more straightforward.
“What’s Your Name?” in Spanish
Once you’ve introduced yourself, you should ask what the other person’s name is (if they don’t beat you to it). To ask someone else’s name, you say ¿Cómo te llamas?
“Have a Good Day” in Spanish
Say goodbye by saying ¡Tenga un buen día! to wish someone well with the rest of their day. If it’s someone you’re close to, you can say it more casually: que tengas un buen dia.
“See You Soon” in Spanish
If you’ve made plans to meet with someone again, throw in a friendlier phrase: ¡Hasta luego!
“Goodbye” in Spanish
You can say adiós for "goodbye", or cuídate to say “take care”.
Being Polite in Spanish
Naturally, you want to make sure you can express yourself in a polite way so you don’t offend anyone. So memorize these important phrases to mind your manners.
“Please” in Spanish
When asking for something, make sure to include por favor to say “please”. It usually gets added on at the end of a sentence, much like in English.
“Thank You” in Spanish
Make sure to always say thank you! You can say gracias, or muchas gracias if you want to say “thank you very much”.
“You’re Welcome” in Spanish
If someone says thank you, you can reply with de nada which means “you’re welcome” or “no problem”. You could also use mucho gusto here to say “it was my pleasure”.
“Excuse Me” in Spanish
There are a few main ways to say this in Spanish, depending on how you use it. If you need a favour, you say perdone. And if you need to get by someone, you would say perdón, disculpe or con permiso (this is a bit more polite, like “pardon me”).
“I’m Sorry” in Spanish
If you did something wrong or need to apologise for something, say lo siento. As in English, you can also use disculpe (“excuse me”) for an apology in some situations.
Chit Chat in Spanish
Now it’s time to start diving into useful Spanish phrases for conversation! I’m covering some light small talk to get you going, but make sure to check out my Spanish conversation starters to get into deeper discussions.
“How Are You?” in Spanish
There are several ways to ask how someone is doing, but the most common and direct translation is ¿Cómo estás? or ¿Cómo está usted? (which is more polite). If someone asks you this question, you can reply bien for “I’m well” or así así for “so-so”. Follow with ¿Y tú? (“And you?”) to keep the conversation going.
“What’s Up?” in Spanish
For a more casual greeting, you can use the expression ¿Qué tal? You’ll hear this one quite a bit, as it’s more natural in everyday conversation - like “what’s up” or “how’s it going?” When someone says this to you, you can answer the same way as above: bien (or muy bien, meaning “very well”).
“What Are Your Hobbies?” in Spanish
Start getting to know others by asking what they like to do in their spare time. You can ask ¿Cuáles son tus aficiones? for “What are your hobbies?” Un hobby and un pasatiempo are other common ways to say “hobby”. You can also ask ¿Qué haces para divertirte? which means “What do you like to do for fun?”
“I Like…” and “I Don’t Like…” in Spanish
You asked them about their interests, and now they’ve asked you. So how do you express what you like? You say me gusta (“I like”) or no me gusta (“I don’t like”). For instance, me gusta viajar (“I like to travel”) or No me gusta la pizza (“I don’t like pizza”). Just kidding with that last one - who doesn’t like pizza?
“Where Are You From?” in Spanish
Another small talk question that helps to keep the chit chat going. You can ask someone where they’re from by saying ¿De dónde eres?
Talking About the Weather in Spanish
It’s always handy to know a few words or phrases about the weather, as it’s universal small talk. The word for “weather” is el clima or el tiempo, and you can say things like ¡Buen clima hoy! (“Nice weather today!”). Or, the opposite: El mal tiempo hoy, eh (“Bad weather today, huh”). Other phrases you can use are hace calor hoy (“It’s hot today”) and hace frío hoy (“It’s cold today”).
Out on the Town & Getting Around
When you’re travelling, it helps to know how to express yourself when you’re out to eat, shopping, or trying to find your way around!
“I Would Like…” in Spanish
If you want to ask for something, use me gustaría… as the basic Spanish stem to get started. A few common things you might ask for: food, drinks, or to buy something. If you want to ask for something to eat, say me gustaría comer... For something to drink, you say me gustaría beber... And to say what you would like to buy, you say me gustaría comprar… Add the word for what you’re trying to get at the end, like Me gustaría comprar un periódico ("I would like to buy a newspaper").
To make it even easier, you could always point to what you want and say esto for "this." So in that last example, you could hand the cashier the newspaper you want to buy and say Me gustaría comprar esto ("I’d like to buy this").
“Can I See a Menu, Please?” in Spanish
If you’re out to eat and trying to figure out what you want to ask for, you can first ask to see the menu. Un menú, por favor (“A menu, please”) will do the trick.
“Check/Bill, Please” in Spanish
When you’re finished your meal, you’ll need to ask for the check/bill. You can ask for it by saying La cuenta, por favor.
“Cheers” in Spanish
Of course, you need to know how to toast at happy hour! Whenever you meet with someone over drinks, say ¡Salud! for “Cheers!”
“How Much Does it Cost?” in Spanish
When you’re out shopping, you’ll likely want to know how much everything is. To ask the price, say ¿Cuánto cuesta eso? which is “How much does it cost?”
“Do You Have…” in Spanish
To ask if someone has something you need, you can say ¿Tienes...? followed by the word for what you need. Are you at the hotel and in need of toiletries, like toilet paper? Ask the receptionist ¿Tienes papel higiénico?
“I Need…” in Spanish
Or, you could say “I need” to express what you’re looking for. You say necesito… and then whatever word you need. Like in the last example, you could say Necesito papel higiénico ("I need toilet paper").
“I Want…” and “I Don’t Want…” in Spanish
If you remember those old Taco Bell commercials with the little Chihuahua, you probably already know this one: Yo quiero Taco Bell. Any time you want something, you can say yo quiero and any time you don’t want something, you say yo no quiero.
“Where is…” in Spanish
When you’re travelling, it’s easy to get a bit lost or unsure of where things are located. You can use the phrase ¿Dónde está…? to ask for directions or where something is. Some basic Spanish sentences that may be helpful:
¿Dónde puedo encontrar un taxi? (“Where can I find a taxi?”)
¿Dónde hay un banco? (“Where is a bank?”)
¿Dónde está ____ hotel? (“Where is (your hotel’s name) hotel?” )
¿Dónde está el baño? (“Where is the bathroom?”)
Direction Words in Spanish
If you’re going to ask where something is located, it’s helpful to know the words to understand the answer. Here are some basic direction words you should know:
Izquierda (“Left”)
Derecha (“Right”)
Siga recto (“Go straight ahead”)
Gira (“Turn”)
Aquí (“Here”)
Allí (“There”)
Adelante (“Up ahead”)
Deténgase aquí (“Stop here”)
“What Time is It?” in Spanish
Don’t have a watch? Ask someone for the time by saying ¿Qué hora tienes? You can also ask more casually with ¿Qué hora es?
“What is This?” in Spanish
One of the most useful basic Spanish phrases you can know when learning the language: ¿Qué es esto? Anytime you don’t know the word for something, you can ask by saying “What is this?” Then you can keep expanding your Spanish vocab!
Ask the Important Questions
To really find your way around or continue a conversation, you need to know how to ask questions. From asking about a person to trying to understand what someone is saying, these words are crucial to communication, learning, and building your Spanish sentences.
The 5 W’s in Spanish
Who, what, when, where, why. If you know these words, you can get the answers you need.
¿Quién…? (“Who”)
¿Qué…? (“What”)
¿Cuándo…? (“When?”)
¿Dónde…? (“Where?”)
¿Por qué…? (“Why?”)
“How” in Spanish
To ask “how,” you say ¿Cómo…? And to ask how many, you ask ¿Cuántos? Plus, if you need to know which things, you can ask ¿Cuál? means “Which?”
“Can You Help Me?” in Spanish
If you’re in need of help while out, you can ask ¿Puede ayudarme? This is a good one to remember, too, because if you’re lost or you’re shopping and have a question, you can get their attention with Disculpe. ¿Puede ayudarme?
For an emergency, shout ¡Auxilio! (“Help!”)
“Can You Say That Again?” in Spanish
When you’re starting out learning a language, it’s hard to keep up with native speakers sometimes. If you didn’t catch what they said, you can ask puede repetirlo, por favor (“Can you say that again, please”). If you still can’t understand, try asking them to say it slowly by asking ¿Puedes hablar más despacio? If all else fails, you can ask ¿Hablas inglés? (“Do you speak English?”) Although, I believe the smartest decision you can make to gain fluency is to aim for full immersion and avoid English when possible.
Speak. Experience. Enjoy.
Now you’re ready for your travels and prepared to start having some basic Spanish conversations! The locals will appreciate your efforts, and you’ll have a more meaningful cultural experience.
If you need help with your pronunciation, check out this online pronunciation dictionary called Forvo. And if you’d like more prep leading up to your travels (or for deeper studying!), check out my tips for Spanish home immersion.
How are you going to use these Spanish phrases to have deeper experiences and make new friendships? I’d love to hear about your plans or if you have a really cool story to share about how learning basic phrases impacted your trip. Share your thoughts in the comments!
The post 60+ Really Useful Spanish Phrases for Conversation and Travel appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
October 1, 2018
FrenchPod101 Review: 30 Days with FrenchPod101
But something was calling me back...
For several months I had been toying with the idea of reigniting the flames with French. I began to check out some of the many free online French resources.
There were so many options I soon became overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to start. I knew I felt attracted to learning French, I just couldn’t find the motivation to get going with it once and for all.
I kept making excuses, putting off study dates with French…until I noticed FrenchPod101 from Innovative Language. FrenchPod101 offers a free “Word of the Day” directly to email, so I signed up straight away, just to get me started…nothing to lose!
Who doesn’t want to hear from an old love in their inbox?
The Word of the Day from FrenchPod101
Directly into my inbox arrived the first “Word of the Day”: Arriver. I must admit I was a little disappointed as I thought this was going to be too easy. Everyone knows that arriver means “to arrive” (well, not everyone but I certainly did).
I didn’t even bother to click on the link encouraging me to listen to a native speaker say arriver. I remembered arriver from my school-day French and I thought I was too smart to even bother.
This wasn’t exactly lighting up my flames of passion for French!
It took me four days of “Word of the Day” before I bothered to hit the link to listen to the word voiture (“car”), which I also knew but thought I should try and practise that tricky …ure pronunciation in French. Quelle surprise when I saw eight different phrases using voiture. The sentences were interesting, and used several different tenses, with lots of different vocabulary.
I went quickly back to the previous “Word of the Day” emails and found that each one had a whole lot of sentences, phrases and expressions that I could listen to and repeat as many times as I wished. It was great.
I started to get a real feel for the pronunciation and began to get used to the sensation of speaking a little French again.
But that was just the beginning…
I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t scrolled down to the end of the page of “Word of the Day” on Thursday, and read:
One month’s free trial of FrenchPod101 Premium level.
Yes, too good to be true…so being the cynical, smart person I like to think I am, I scrutinised the not very small print, and discovered it wasn’t actually ‘free’ but required the modest sum of…. $1 to be paid (Normal price: $25/month).
Note: You can access this offer here. Enter your email, click “Join Now”, then select “Yes, I want to receive the Word of the Day email”
From the amount of material I was already accessing with the really free “Word of the Day”, I thought I might give this a go. Only $1 for 30 days’ access, and then I could decide if I wanted to continue with the course at a cost of $25/month.
Added to the deal was the “Fast track to Fluency” pack; Normal price $9.99 but completely free to me with my 30 day trial of FrenchPod101.
By now I’m getting a bit confused by it all. However, I calmed myself by realising I had actually only paid one dollar so far, but I wasn’t exactly sure what for.
Here’s what happened when I delved inside my purchase...
FrenchPod101: My 30 Day Journal
Day 1: A Slow Start
The lesson today is on the theme of ‘self-introductions’ which makes me have visions of Je m’appelle Marie so I didn’t go into it. I learned so much of that topic at school 20 years ago, that I don’t think I can bear going through it again.
I was hoping for a better a start! I’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Day 2: The Inflection Chart
Lesson two came straight into my inbox, so I couldn’t ignore it. It’s entitled “How to Apologise in French”. Now this sounded a little more interesting but once I clicked on to the interesting dialogue spoken by a native French speaker, I realised I had a whole host of activities at my disposition.
As I listened to ‘How to Apologise’ I could click on each sentence and repeat, slowly, faster and again and again.
One of the best features was to listen to a native French person’s recording of the sentence or phrase, and see the graph of the inflection of voice. Then underneath you can record yourself repeating the sentence or phrase and you watch your own inflection and see how they compare with the native speaker.
I must have stuck on that strategy for ten minutes, mesmerised by the graph in front of my eyes. I haven’t ever come across that feature before in a language-learning method. I really thought it helped my pronunciation, my speed and most of all my confidence, as I could verify that my French was slowly, after practice, approximating a native French-speaker’s speech!
Day 4: Mind Your Manners!
Yesterday’s and today’s FrenchPod101 lessons were about “The Weather” and “How to Mind your Manners in French”.
“The Weather” item was interesting, but I loved reading about manners in French. Manners can be different in some countries and I really appreciated the nuances that were explained in a fun way in the lesson.
Day 8: Fast Track to Fluency
I have to admit that I have actually missed 4 days of FrenchPod101. I’m so annoyed with myself as I was really enjoying it and keeping up, but then “life got in the way” as they say. It really did.
I was looking back at the previous emails and was about to give up, thinking that all of this material was mounting up and I really haven’t got time at the moment to get back into French anyway …when I realised I hadn’t even opened up “Fast Track to Fluency”, which had come as part of the signing-up deal.
Rather than wade through all the past lessons, I went straight to see what this was about.
It couldn’t have been better timed. Motivational, inspirational, but most of all …practical. Just what I needed to get back on track. (No pun intended, well actually yes there is…Fast Track to Fluency…back on track.)
I downloaded and printed the ‘Fast Track to Fluency Lesson Checklist’ and the ‘Fast track to Fluency Weekly Schedule’ which I’m hoping is going to help me to focus my learning, and make a solid, daily commitment to my French learning. I really want to do this.
Day 12: Sticking with It
I’m so happy that I’ve been able to get back to the lessons and stick to the schedule. The checklist has really made me aware of the purpose of each lesson and has even served as a reminder for the previous lessons, so I’ve even had some revision without really noticing it was actually revision.
Only one thing I’m not sure about the ‘Fast Track to Fluency’ pack, was why it was spread over seven days, when the most useful part was the printable sheets. They didn’t appear till day three or four. I might have to go back to it and see if I missed something. There was a lot of advice and encouragement over a seven-day period, which is of great value, but for me the best part was the Checklist and the Schedule I was able to print out and actually use.
Day 18: Too Much English?
All going well and I’m very happy playing around with the different speeds I can listen to each sentence in the dialogue. The Premium lesson today was: “How to Describe your Significant Other”. I just love how there is a lot of humour in the ‘banter’ after the lesson.
The ‘banter’ is in English between a native French speaker and an English-speaking learner. The French speaker is explaining in a funny conversational manner to the English speaker about the dialogue I’ve just listened to. Sometimes I think there’s a bit too much English going on in this section, but it’s all in such good humour, it’s quite entertaining.
Day 23: Keeping Up
The last few days have been hectic, but I’ve really tried to keep up with my ‘Fast Track to Fluency’ schedule. “Where shall we go for dinner in France” and “Let’s Celebrate Your Birthday in French” were two of the lessons I really enjoyed.
I love listening to the native French and recording my own rendition of those same sentences. I really believe I’m making real progress with even just this one strategy.
Day 27: Let’s Hang Out
Word of the day: Café = Coffee Shop.
You’d think that would be too easy to even worry about, but oh no. I clicked onto it, and lo and behold, I learned how to say, “Let’s meet at the coffee shop.” Even more interesting was: “My friends are hanging out at the coffee shop today”!
I never expected such interesting sentences or phrases in a beginner’s French course.
Day 30
I’ve got so much French floating around in my head, I’m going dizzy and am even ready to book a weekend in Paris!
I’m sorry to have come to the end of my free 30-day trial-period of FrenchPod101.
I know I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg as far as recuperating my school-day French, but I’ve had such fun that I’m seriously contemplating joining up for at least another month (updater: I’ve actually done so). It’s an excellent course.
Want to give it a try yourself? You can join FrenchPod101 here. I recommend it!
Pod101 podcasts are available for 30+ languages. You can read our full review (with screenshots) of the Pod101 system here.
The post FrenchPod101 Review: 30 Days with FrenchPod101 appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
September 27, 2018
Let’s Learn Hindi! Get Started with These 31 Beginner Lessons
In this article, I’ll first give an overview of the Hindi language and then list 31 beginner lessons for learning Hindi.
Let’s go!
Why Learn to Speak Hindi? It’s One of the “Big Five” Languages
Hindi is one of the world’s “Big Five” languages alongside English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. More than half a billion people speak it, and about half of those are native speakers, mostly in northern India.
Hindi became the lingua franca of India when the British were expelled in 1947. English remained a national language, but the expectation was that it would be dropped from the constitution after 15 years of independence. Today, both are among the 23 official languages of India. This is only the tip of the iceberg. More than 1,600 spoken languages are used in this culturally diverse country.
Here are some itroductory words in Hindi. The word for India is Bhaarat and the word for Indian is bhartiya. One often sees the phrase desi meaning “Indian”, as in, “the way Indians do things.” This phrase comes from the other word desh, or “country” and deshi, meaning “someone from a country.”
Hindi’s Ancient Heritage: Sanskrit
Hindi descends from Sanskrit, an ancient language as important as Greek and Latin in terms of historical and cultural impact. Many of the modern languages of India come from Sanskrit and it is still used as one of the official languages of India. Sanskrit is also the holy language of the Vedas, the oldest known literary works and the core of Hinduism.
You’ll learn a lot of Sanskrit words when learning Hindi. For example, the first Sanskrit cognate you’ll likely come across in Hindi is the word for “name” – naam. “My name is” in Hindi is Mera naam hai. Our words for “mother”, “father” and “trigonometry” come through Latin and Greek but also originated in Sanskrit.
Hindi Writing and the Hindi Alphabet -- The Beautiful Script of Devanagari
Hindi can be written in the Latin alphabet, which is great for learners, but you should invest the time to learn Devanagari script.
Admittedly, it takes a while to learn Devanagari. It’s more complex than the Latin alphabet, but that’s exactly why it’s intriguing. The name comes from “deva” or “deity” and “nagari” or “city”. This implies Devanagari is a script for ideas that are both “religious as well as urbane or sophisticated.” If you know Devanagari you’ll also be to read Sanskrit (though modern Devanagari has been simplified) and Hindi. You’ll also be able to sound out languages like Nepali, a similar language.
Devanagari is a syllabary. Like Japanese, all the consonants have a vowel attached and it’s always an “a” unless otherwise indicated. There are 13 vowels and 36 consonants five of which are modified by a dot underneath to make sounds used in the many Arabic and Persian loanwords in Hindi.
The challenge of learning Devanagari is that consonants and vowels merge to form combined shapes in the script. This means learning some 1,000 combinations if you want to master reading and writing. This “condensing” is intended to make the script aesthetically pleasing and acts to compact the lengths of many words, so for example, newspapers are shorter.
Here is an example that uses a word for love. Its transliteration is pyar. These four sounds of p, y, a, and r are represented by प य अ र, when written on their own. But together, they become प्यार, which is shortened because the p and y merge and the “a” is implied.
The connecting line above each word is what gives Devanagari its signature look.
Hindi Pronunciation -- Much Easier than English
Hindi is a phonetic language. It sounds like it is a written, which is a big plus in learning any language. The downside for learners is that there are sounds in Hindi that English speakers won’t recognize. They are made by adding an h to sounds we do recognize. So, there is a da sound and a dha, a ka sound and a kha, etc.
In addition to it being difficult to hear these nuanced differences -- or to say them properly - Devanagari is romanized with seemingly random variations. Dal, a famous dish made of lentils, is seen in English spelled as dal, daal or dahl. In Hindi, it’s दाल, which is made up of “da”, “aa” and “la”, or द आ ल. Use Devanagari and you’ll be certain you have exactly the right word and spelling.
Two Languages for One: Hindi and Urdu
When you learn Hindi a huge bonus is that you also learn Urdu. While Hindi and Urdu are treated as distinct for religious and geopolitical reasons, they are the same language for conversational purposes.
Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan where only 8% of people in Pakistan speak it natively because of the linguistic diversity of the populace.
The two languages do have differences, primarily in that Urdu draws vocabulary from the Persian and Arabic cognate pool, while Hindi draws from Sanskrit. This is apparent in greetings and the formal written language. Urdu is written in a modified version of Arabic. In Hindi, one would say “hello” as namaste and write it in Devanagari as नमस्ते, while in Urdu one would say salam and write it as سلام.
Persian and Arabic Loanwords in Hindi
As you learn Hindi, you’ll see only a few words recognizable as cognates. This is expected because of the distance between English and Hindi. But this is why Hindi is fun – it’s all new!
Some interesting cognates from other languages will pop up, like अनानास, (ananas) for pineapple, a loanword that followed the trade of this fruit across the world and is now found in many European languages.
A large number of Hindi words have their roots in Persian. During the Mongol Empire, Persian was the lingua franca in modern day India.
Hindi also contains a fair bit of Arabic because of the influence of Islam in India. Some of the most beautiful words in Bollywood are pulled from Urdu. They are Persian and Arabic in origin.
Because of its borrowings from many different languages, Hindi is rich in synonyms. These can hold you up as you learn the language, and it also gives Hindi amazing flavor. Love alone has four common variations. If you watch Bollywood movies, you’ll hear pyar but also मोहब्बत (mohabbat), प्रेम (prem) and इश्क़ (ishq).
Hindi Words You Already Know
Even though there aren’t that many shared words between Hindi and English, you probably already know a lot of Hindi words, especially if you enjoy Indian food. Indian food is among the most diverse and flavourful on Earth. Indian cuisine is so popular that you’ll likely already know words like curry, kebab, tandoori, masala, biryani -- all styles of cooking. Roti, naan, parathi and chapati are breads. Starters include poppadoms and samosas. Other words you might see on a menu include: daal (usually lentils), mirchi (chilis), machli (fish), maas (meat), and khargosh (rabbit).
Other Hindi words you’re likely to know include yoga, and if you attend yoga classes, you’ll probably know namaste. It’s the first word you should learn in Hindi as it’s ‘hello.’ You might also know shanti (peace), chakra (circle), shakti (power), kismet (fate), mantra (mantra), jungle (a forest), sitar (the instrument), sandals (the shoes), and guru (the master).
Less obvious loanwords include things like “cushy”, which comes from the word kush or kushee meaning “joy” or “pleased” in Hindi. English speakers might recognize mubarak as a last name but in conversation it means “congratulations!”
Hinglish: A Risk or a Help for Hindi Learners?
The English used in India is “Indian English”, with a smattering of local flavor, only some of which is British. For example, Bollywood actors in movies speak “dialogues” rather than “lines”. In language videos you might hear “if you have doubts”, or “I’ll answer all your doubts” instead of “if you have questions.” You’ll also hear “when I reached”, meaning “when I arrived”.
In the media you’ll increasingly hear Hinglish. This is Hindi with chunks of English thrown in for emphasis. This can be especially useful in deciphering Bollywood movies.
If you are lucky to have the chance to go to a cosmopolitan part of India where English is commonly spoken, you might find it difficult to find people willing to speak Hindi with you. English is now widely recognized as the global language of business, science and entertainment. At the very least, you can leverage this to ask questions about local customs, foods, and sights.
How to Learn Hindi: 31 Beginner Lessons
My Hindi experience started with Bollywood movies. Looking up a word here and there for fun blossomed into a full-blown vocabulary list and forays into grammar. I’m still at the early stages but my interest grows the more I learn.
If you want to start with Hindi, or just want a “linguistic tourist” overview of the mechanics, here’s an introduction in 31 mini lessons.
How to Learn Hindi: The Beginning
Lesson 1: Context is everything in language learning. One of the things with language learning at the beginning is that it’s simple. That’s, of course, where you need to begin if you want to speak. The meaty stuff comes later. My first exposure to Hindi was very advanced: Bollywood movies. The downside was that I could understand hardly any of it, but the upside was that it was meaningful. I wanted to understand these movies to follow the storylines. And those stories gave context to the language, so I could follow what was happening without understanding every word.
Lesson 2: Google Translate is your friend. Google Translate works pretty well but still makes some mistakes that you just have to look past. I knew I could rely on it as a tool, but that I couldn’t assume it’s always 100% correct. A great benefit is that you can also listen to words to learn pronunciation.
Lesson 3: Keep note of all the words you’ve learned or want to learn. From day one of learning Hindi, I took time to keep a digital record of the words I wanted to learn. I did this in a Google spreadsheet.
Lesson 4: Drop the “the”. There is no word for “the” or “a” in Hindi. In other words, there are no definite or indefinite articles. It is common, however, to use ek, which means “one” in front of a noun. This makes ek kitaab akin to “the book” or “a book”.
Lesson 5: Make a special effort to learn the “glue words” first. I started by learning “the little words”. These “glue words” occur so frequently, it’s best to learn them straight off the bat. Three important glue words in Hindi are aur (and), lekin (but) and ya (or). The sooner you conquer them, the better.
Lesson 6: Get ready for formalities. Hindi is a formal language and there are three levels of formality. “You” is aap, tum, and tu, from most formal to least. Tu is another Sanskrit cognate that speakers of romance languages will recognize!
Lesson 7: Get ready to show respect. The post-fix ji is a formality token added to the end of names and responses – like, yes and no. So, in a formal situation, haan (yes) and nahin (no) become haan-ji and nahin-ji, respectively.
Lesson 8: Put verbs last. Hindi is an SOV language (subject-object-verb) while English is an SVO language. This means basic word order will be different from English – get used to putting your verbs last.
Lesson 9: Gender matters. When it comes to learning nouns in Hindi, you’ll have to remember one of two forms. Hindi has male and female nouns.
Lesson 10: Adjectives. Adjectives come before the noun, like in English. Some change according to the gender of the noun they’re attached to, as well as for singular and plural. Others stay the same.
Lesson 11: Infinitive verbs. One of the first patterns you learn is that infinitive verbs end in ‘na’ – as in karna meaning “to do”.
Special Features of Hindi Grammar
While the above features of Hindi are probably familiar to you if you’ve studied European languages (e.g. gendered nouns), the below features are likely to be novel.
Lesson 12: Distance matters. Pronouns distinguish whether the subject is near or far from the speaker. They differ based on proximity. He/she/it can be “near” or “far away”, as in yeh (near) or veh (far).
Lesson 13: Double verbs are common. Lots of verbs are “double”, a combination of a noun-verb. The most frequently used verb in these combination is karna, to do. Examples include shopping karna, to shop and shaddi karna, to get married.
Lesson 14: Prepositions are reversed. Switch the order of prepositional phrases. Prepositions come after the noun because Hindi is a post-positional language. Instead of the book being “on the table” as in English, it is “table on” in Hindi – and remember, no “the” or “a”.
Lesson 15: Possessives are reversed, too. You also need to switch the order of possessive phrases. Possessive, which is done with apostrophe s in English, is done with ka after the noun. So, “my cat’s dish” is cat ka dish.
Lesson 16: Pronouns can be in the past tense. When you form the past tense, you add ne to the pronoun. “I” is main, but when you speak about the past, “I” becomes maine.
The Most Surprising Features of Hindi
Lesson 17: You can distinguish male and female speakers, even in writing! Men and women speak Hindi differently. Hindi is special for not only having gendered nouns, but also gendered verbs. This means males and females use different verb endings. In other words, you know the gender of the speaker in Hindi. The male ending is “a” and the female is “i”.
Lesson 18: Everyone is an “it”. Everyone is equal in Hindi in one respect. Given the heavy focus on gender, it is intriguing that there is no distinction between “he/she/it” in Hindi.
Hindi at its Most Beautiful
Lesson 19: Doubling up words. My favorite “Hindi-ism” is the use of double words. This feature has a vast number of uses and it often emphasizes meaning. If once means “slow” as in haule, twice means “super slow” as in haule haule. This “phrase” gets translated as ‘slowly, sweetly, softly’ in this song by that title.
Lesson 20: Double words can be requests for more detail. Repeated words can also be used to request more detail. For example, kya means “what” and kya-kya means “what kinds”. For example, if you say “tell me what (kya) you had for breakfast” you might get the answer “cereal”. But if you say “tell me everything you had (kya-kya) for breakfast” you get a full list as explained in this video on [repeat words]
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrLhOgMWIrQ
Lesson 21: Hindi is rich in untranslatable words. Another perk of learning this beautiful and ancient language is that there are many untranslatable word in Hindi. They simply don’t exist in English. One of my favorites is humdard, which is literally “we-pain”, meaning someone who has gone through the wringer with you and stayed by your side.
Lesson 22: There is a database of ‘untranslatables’. There is an amazing website full of untranslatables called Shabd Meaning (shabd means :word” in Hindi). Here, each word is given a page-long explanation. For example, here is the page for humdard .
Bollywood
Lesson 23: Make use of subtitles for movies. Most Bollywood movies can be viewed with English subtitles. Because of the wonderful differences between Hindi and English in word order and usage, subtitles often convey meaning rather than being exact translations.
Lesson 24: Sing to learn Hindi. Most Bollywood songs have lyric translations posted on the web.Some even have lyric videos with Hindi and English translations so you can sing along.
Lesson 25: Remember lyrics are poetic Hindi. Songs are akin to poems, so if you study Hindi through lyrics that’s worth remembering. The language used will often be unusual Hindi in terms of vocabulary, word order and the use of figurative language.
Lesson 26: Imaginative translations. You must beware the translations from Hindi to English since the use of language can be so different. Watch out for whether they are even correct to begin with and whether they are literal or more figurative.
Lesson 27: The original Hindi is best. Hindi is different enough from English that often, there are many possible translations. If you look at more than one translation of Bollywood lyrics online, you may find they are hardly ever exactly the same and often even wildly different.
Lesson 28: Get a proper explanation. If you talk to a native Hindi speak about the lyrics, you’ll always find they are more beautiful and meaningful in the original Hindi – as expected. The trade-off is between a literal translation, which will be ‘correct’ but seem stilted in English while a more poetic translation that will be more beautiful but bear far less resemblance to the literal meaning of the Hindi. The original Hindi, especially if you have all the depth of meaning explained by a native speaker, is always by far the most satisfying.
Lesson 29: Study dialogues for fun. The best lines from movies are catalogued by fans all over the web. One of the first I learned was “ Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi naamumkin hai ” from the movie “Don”, meaning “It is not just difficult to catch Don but impossible.” A great ‘Hindi-ism’ here compared to English is nahi naamumkin meaning literally “not possible” meaning”‘impossible”. Here is a list of famous “dialogues” including one which has two “word pairs” in it: “Bade bade shehro mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hai” meaning, “In big cities, small things like this happen".
Picking up Speed
Lesson 30: Switch to Hindi. As you soon as you know enough Hindi to do it, switch to Hindi. Take advantage of the wealth of English lessons online in Hindi. The instructors will be teaching English, but you’ll be learning the equivalent Hindi. Here is an example from one of my favorite YouTube teachers teaching the weather. Here’s another easy to understand and follow teacher talking about food.
The Amazing Hindi Script
Lesson 31: Learn Devanagari You’ll want to invest the time it takes to learn the script as it will help remove the ambiguity of transliterations. Google Input Tools is great at letting you switch to Devanagari in documents when you need it. Using it can give you the practice you need to pick it up faster and stick with it once you get further along instead of falling back into latin script. You’ll soon be grateful you put in the effort up front.
Are you learning Hindi? I’d love to hear about it. Tell me why you’re learning Hindi and the steps you’re taking to learn it in the comments.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to my Hindi teachers Anil Mahato, Gaurav Walia and Bakshi Yashpreet, all in India, for answering questions and for checking the facts in this article.
The post Let’s Learn Hindi! Get Started with These 31 Beginner Lessons appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
Let’s Learn Hindi! Here’s Why Hindi is Easy
In this article, I’ll first give an overview of the Hindi language and then list 30 beginner lessons for learning Hindi.
Let’s go!
Why Learn to Speak Hindi? It’s One of the “Big Five” Languages
Hindi is one of the world’s “Big Five” languages alongside English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic. More than half a billion people speak it, and about half of those are native speakers, mostly in northern India.
Hindi became the lingua franca of India when the British were expelled in 1947. English remained a national language, but the expectation was that it would be dropped from the constitution after 15 years of independence. Today, both are among the 23 official languages of India. This is only the tip of the iceberg. More than 1,600 spoken languages are used in this culturally diverse country.
Here are some itroductory words in Hindi. The word for India is Bhaarat and the word for Indian is bhartiya. One often sees the phrase desi meaning “Indian”, as in, “the way Indians do things.” This phrase comes from the other word desh, or “country” and deshi, meaning “someone from a country.”
Hindi’s Ancient Heritage: Sanskrit
Hindi descends from Sanskrit, an ancient language as important as Greek and Latin in terms of historical and cultural impact. Many of the modern languages of India come from Sanskrit and it is still used as one of the official languages of India. Sanskrit is also the holy language of the Vedas, the oldest known literary works and the core of Hinduism.
You’ll learn a lot of Sanskrit words when learning Hindi. For example, the first Sanskrit cognate you’ll likely come across in Hindi is the word for “name” – naam. “My name is” in Hindi is Mera naam hai. Our words for “mother”, “father” and “trigonometry” come through Latin and Greek but also originated in Sanskrit.
Hindi Writing and the Hindi Alphabet -- The Beautiful Script of Devanagari
Hindi can be written in the Latin alphabet, which is great for learners, but you should invest the time to learn Devanagari script.
Admittedly, it takes a while to learn Devanagari. It’s more complex than the Latin alphabet, but that’s exactly why it’s intriguing. The name comes from “deva” or “deity” and “nagari” or “city”. This implies Devanagari is a script for ideas that are both “religious as well as urbane or sophisticated.” If you know Devanagari you’ll also be to read Sanskrit (though modern Devanagari has been simplified) and Hindi. You’ll also be able to sound out languages like Nepali, a similar language.
Devanagari is a syllabary. Like Japanese, all the consonants have a vowel attached and it’s always an “a” unless otherwise indicated. There are 13 vowels and 36 consonants five of which are modified by a dot underneath to make sounds used in the many Arabic and Persian loanwords in Hindi.
The challenge of learning Devanagari is that consonants and vowels merge to form combined shapes in the script. This means learning some 1,000 combinations if you want to master reading and writing. This “condensing” is intended to make the script aesthetically pleasing and acts to compact the lengths of many words, so for example, newspapers are shorter.
Here is an example that uses a word for love. Its transliteration is pyar. These four sounds of p, y, a, and r are represented by प य अ र, when written on their own. But together, they become प्यार, which is shortened because the p and y merge and the “a” is implied.
The connecting line above each word is what gives Devanagari its signature look.
Hindi Pronunciation -- Much Easier than English
Hindi is a phonetic language. It sounds like it is a written, which is a big plus in learning any language. The downside for learners is that there are sounds in Hindi that English speakers won’t recognize. They are made by adding an h to sounds we do recognize. So, there is a da sound and a dha, a ka sound and a kha, etc.
In addition to it being difficult to hear these nuanced differences -- or to say them properly - Devanagari is romanized with seemingly random variations. Dal, a famous dish made of lentils, is seen in English spelled as dal, daal or dahl. In Hindi, it’s दाल, which is made up of “da”, “aa” and “la”, or द आ ल. Use Devanagari and you’ll be certain you have exactly the right word and spelling.
Two Languages for One: Hindi and Urdu
When you learn Hindi a huge bonus is that you also learn Urdu. While Hindi and Urdu are treated as distinct for religious and geopolitical reasons, they are the same language for conversational purposes.
Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan where only 8% of people in Pakistan speak it natively because of the linguistic diversity of the populace.
The two languages do have differences, primarily in that Urdu draws vocabulary from the Persian and Arabic cognate pool, while Hindi draws from Sanskrit. This is apparent in greetings and the formal written language. Urdu is written in a modified version of Arabic. In Hindi, one would say “hello” as namaste and write it in Devanagari as नमस्ते, while in Urdu one would say salam and write it as سلام.
Persian and Arabic Loanwords in Hindi
As you learn Hindi, you’ll see only a few words recognizable as cognates. This is expected because of the distance between English and Hindi. But this is why Hindi is fun – it’s all new!
Some interesting cognates from other languages will pop up, like अनानास, (ananas) for pineapple, a loanword that followed the trade of this fruit across the world and is now found in many European languages.
A large number of Hindi words have their roots in Persian. During the Mongol Empire, Persian was the lingua franca in modern day India.
Hindi also contains a fair bit of Arabic because of the influence of Islam in India. Some of the most beautiful words in Bollywood are pulled from Urdu. They are Persian and Arabic in origin.
Because of its borrowings from many different languages, Hindi is rich in synonyms. These can hold you up as you learn the language, and it also gives Hindi amazing flavor. Love alone has four common variations. If you watch Bollywood movies, you’ll hear pyar but also मोहब्बत (mohabbat), प्रेम (prem) and इश्क़ (ishq).
Hindi Words You Already Know
Even though there aren’t that many shared words between Hindi and English, you probably already know a lot of Hindi words, especially if you enjoy Indian food. Indian food is among the most diverse and flavourful on Earth. Indian cuisine is so popular that you’ll likely already know words like curry, kebab, tandoori, masala, biryani -- all styles of cooking. Roti, naan, parathi and chapati are breads. Starters include poppadoms and samosas. Other words you might see on a menu include: daal (usually lentils), mirchi (chilis), machli (fish), maas (meat), and khargosh (rabbit).
Other Hindi words you’re likely to know include yoga, and if you attend yoga classes, you’ll probably know namaste. It’s the first word you should learn in Hindi as it’s ‘hello.’ You might also know shanti (peace), chakra (circle), shakti (power), kismet (fate), mantra (mantra), jungle (a forest), sitar (the instrument), sandals (the shoes), and guru (the master).
Less obvious loanwords include things like “cushy”, which comes from the word kush or kushee meaning “joy” or “pleased” in Hindi. English speakers might recognize mubarak as a last name but in conversation it means “congratulations!”
Hinglish: A Risk or a Help for Hindi Learners?
The English used in India is “Indian English”, with a smattering of local flavor, only some of which is British. For example, Bollywood actors in movies speak “dialogues” rather than “lines”. In language videos you might hear “if you have doubts”, or “I’ll answer all your doubts” instead of “if you have questions.” You’ll also hear “when I reached”, meaning “when I arrived”.
In the media you’ll increasingly hear Hinglish. This is Hindi with chunks of English thrown in for emphasis. This can be especially useful in deciphering Bollywood movies.
If you are lucky to have the chance to go to a cosmopolitan part of India where English is commonly spoken, you might find it difficult to find people willing to speak Hindi with you. English is now widely recognized as the global language of business, science and entertainment. At the very least, you can leverage this to ask questions about local customs, foods, and sights.
How to Learn Hindi: 30 Beginner Lessons
My Hindi experience started with Bollywood movies. Looking up a word here and there for fun blossomed into a full-blown vocabulary list and forays into grammar. I’m still at the early stages but my interest grows the more I learn.
If you want to start with Hindi, or just want a “linguistic tourist” overview of the mechanics, here’s an introduction in 30 mini lessons.
How to Learn Hindi: The Beginning
Lesson 1: Context is everything in language learning. One of the things with language learning at the beginning is that it’s simple. That’s, of course, where you need to begin if you want to speak. The meaty stuff comes later. My first exposure to Hindi was very advanced: Bollywood movies. The downside was that I could understand hardly any of it, but the upside was that it was meaningful. I wanted to understand these movies to follow the storylines. And those stories gave context to the language, so I could follow what was happening without understanding every word.
Lesson 2: Google Translate is your friend. Google Translate works pretty well but still makes some mistakes that you just have to look past. I knew I could rely on it as a tool, but that I couldn’t assume it’s always 100% correct. A great benefit is that you can also listen to words to learn pronunciation.
Lesson 3: Keep note of all the words you’ve learned or want to learn. From day one of learning Hindi, I took time to keep a digital record of the words I wanted to learn. I did this in a Google spreadsheet.
Lesson 4: Drop the “the”. There is no word for “the” or “a” in Hindi. In other words, there are no definite or indefinite articles. It is common, however, to use ek, which means “one” in front of a noun. This makes ek kitaab akin to “the book” or “a book”.
Lesson 5: Make a special effort to learn the “glue words” first. I started by learning “the little words”. These “glue words” occur so frequently, it’s best to learn them straight off the bat. Three important glue words in Hindi are aur (and), lekin (but) and ya (or). The sooner you conquer them, the better.
Lesson 6: Get ready for formalities. Hindi is a formal language and there are three levels of formality. “You” is aap, tum, and tu, from most formal to least. Tu is another Sanskrit cognate that speakers of romance languages will recognize!
Lesson 7: Get ready to show respect. The post-fix ji is a formality token added to the end of names and responses – like, yes and no. So, in a formal situation, haan (yes) and nahin (no) become haan-ji and nahin-ji, respectively.
Lesson 8: Put verbs last. Hindi is an SOV language (subject-object-verb) while English is an SVO language. This means basic word order will be different from English – get used to putting your verbs last.
Lesson 9: Gender matters. When it comes to learning nouns in Hindi, you’ll have to remember one of two forms. Hindi has male and female nouns.
Lesson 10: Adjectives. Adjectives come before the noun, like in English. Some change according to the gender of the noun they’re attached to, as well as for singular and plural. Others stay the same.
Lesson 11: Infinitive verbs. One of the first patterns you learn is that infinitive verbs end in ‘na’ – as in karna meaning “to do”.
Special Features of Hindi Grammar
While the above features of Hindi are probably familiar to you if you’ve studied European languages (e.g. gendered nouns), the below features are more less common.
Lesson 12: Distance matters. Pronouns distinguish whether the subject is near or far from the speaker. They differ based on proximity. He/she/it can be “near” or “far away”, as in yeh (near) or veh (far).
Lesson 13: Double verbs are common. Lots of verbs are “double”, a combination of a noun-verb. The most frequently used verb in these combination is karna, to do. Examples include shopping karna, to shop and shaddi karna, to get married.
Lesson 14: Prepositions are reversed. Switch the order of prepositional phrases. Prepositions come after the noun because Hindi is a post-positional language. Instead of the book being “on the table” as in English, it is “table on” in Hindi – and remember, no “the” or “a”.
Lesson 15: Possessives are reversed, too. You also need to switch the order of possessive phrases. Possessive, which is done with apostrophe s in English, is done with ka after the noun. So, “my cat’s dish” is cat ka dish.
Lesson 16: Pronouns can be in the past tense. When you form the past tense, you add ne to the pronoun. “I” is main, but when you speak about the past, “I” becomes maine.
The Most Surprising Features of Hindi
Lesson 17: You can distinguish male and female speakers, even in writing! Men and women speak Hindi differently. Hindi is special for not only having gendered nouns, but also gendered verbs. This means males and females use different verb endings. In other words, you know the gender of the speaker in Hindi. The male ending is “a” and the female is “i”.
Lesson 18: Everyone is an “it”. Everyone is equal in Hindi in one respect. Given the heavy focus on gender, it is intriguing that there is no distinction between “he/she/it” in Hindi.
Hindi at its Most Beautiful
Lesson 19: Doubling up words. My favorite “Hindi-ism” is the use of double words. This feature has a vast number of uses and it often emphasizes meaning. If once means “slow” as in haule, twice means “super slow” as in haule haule. This “phrase” gets translated as ‘slowly, sweetly, softly’ in this song by that title.
Lesson 20: Double words can be requests for more detail. Repeated words can also be used to request more detail. For example, kya means “what” and kya-kya means “what kinds”. For example, if you say “tell me what (kya) you had for breakfast” you might get the answer “cereal”. But if you say “tell me everything you had (kya-kya) for breakfast” you get a full list as explained in this video on [repeat words]
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrLhOgMWIrQ
Lesson 21: Hindi is rich in untranslatable words. Another perk of learning this beautiful and ancient language is that there are many untranslatable word in Hindi. They simply don’t exist in English. One of my favorites is humdard, which is literally “we-pain”, meaning someone who has gone through the wringer with you and stayed by your side.
Lesson 22: There is a database of ‘untranslatables’. There is an amazing website full of untranslatables called Shabd Meaning (shabd means :word” in Hindi). Here, each word is given a page-long explanation. For example, here is the page for humdard .
Bollywood
Lesson 23: Make use of subtitles for movies. Most Bollywood movies can be viewed with English subtitles. Because of the wonderful differences between Hindi and English in word order and usage, subtitles often convey meaning rather than being exact translations.
Lesson 24: Sing to learn Hindi. Most Bollywood songs have lyric translations posted on the web.Some even have lyric videos with Hindi and English translations so you can sing along.
Lesson 25: Remember lyrics are poetic Hindi. Songs are akin to poems, so if you study Hindi through lyrics that’s worth remembering. The language used will often be unusual Hindi in terms of vocabulary, word order and the use of figurative language.
Lesson 26: Imaginative translations. You must beware the translations from Hindi to English since the use of language can be so different. Watch out for whether they are even correct to begin with and whether they are literal or more figurative.
Lesson 27: The original Hindi is best. Hindi is different enough from English that often, there are many possible translations. If you look at more than one translation of Bollywood lyrics online, you may find they are hardly ever exactly the same and often even wildly different.
Lesson 28: Get a proper explanation. If you talk to a native Hindi speak about the lyrics, you’ll always find they are more beautiful and meaningful in the original Hindi – as expected. The trade-off is between a literal translation, which will be ‘correct’ but seem stilted in English while a more poetic translation that will be more beautiful but bear far less resemblance to the literal meaning of the Hindi. The original Hindi, especially if you have all the depth of meaning explained by a native speaker, is always by far the most satisfying.
Lesson 29: Study dialogues for fun. The best lines from movies are catalogued by fans all over the web. One of the first I learned was “ Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi naamumkin hai ” from the movie “Don”, meaning “It is not just difficult to catch Don but impossible.” A great ‘Hindi-ism’ here compared to English is nahi naamumkin meaning literally “not possible” meaning”‘impossible”. Here is a list of famous “dialogues” including one which has two “word pairs” in it: “Bade bade shehro mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hai” meaning, “In big cities, small things like this happen".
Picking up Speed
Lesson 30: Switch to Hindi. As you soon as you know enough Hindi to do it, switch to Hindi. Take advantage of the wealth of English lessons online in Hindi. The instructors will be teaching English, but you’ll be learning the equivalent Hindi. Here is an example from one of my favorite YouTube teachers teaching the weather. Here’s another easy to understand and follow teacher talking about food.
The Amazing Hindi Script
Lesson 31: Learn Devanagari You’ll want to invest the time it takes to learn the script as it will help remove the ambiguity of transliterations. Google Input Tools is great at letting you switch to Devanagari in documents when you need it. Using it can give you the practice you need to pick it up faster and stick with it once you get further along instead of falling back into latin script. You’ll soon be grateful you put in the effort up front.
Are you learning Hindi? I’d love to hear about it. Tell me why you’re learning Hindi and the steps you’re taking to learn it in the comments.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to my Hindi teachers Anil Mahato, Gaurav Walia and Bakshi Yashpreet, all in India, for answering questions and for checking the facts in this article.
The post Let’s Learn Hindi! Here’s Why Hindi is Easy appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
September 24, 2018
A 5-Step Method to Absorb Spanish Like a Sponge (into Your Active Memory)
I’d like to share what worked for me. Rather than a lecture on what you can do, this will be a revelation of what I personally did to soak up Spanish. And since the approach I used worked for me, we can be reasonably sure that it will for you too, at least to an extent if not all the way.
I’d like to share what worked for me. I can’t promise that they’ll work equally well for you, but I have a feeling they will. It’s worth a try, especially if you’re looking for a new way to approach your Spanish language learning.
Let’s Start with the Bad News
Before we dive into my modus operandi, I have bad news for those looking for an instant solution along the lines of “Kapow! You know Spanish!” I don't know if there's a magic pill out there that offers that, but the ideas I implemented don't.
I should also say this: there are plenty of articles out there that show you how to absorb Spanish passively. I am no expert, so it may be possible to learn Spanish passively. But if that's the kind of shortcut you're after, this article isn't for you. Language is a skill. And a skill doesn't just come to you while you laze in your hammock daydreaming. It's an effort-intensive process. You ought to invest yourself in the journey. There are no miracles here. At least that's the philosophy driving my journey with Spanish.
Finally, this discussion isn’t about memory tricks to learn vocabulary and grammar. That's a separate conversation altogether. This one is about keeping Spanish in your active memory, handy for use, after you’ve done the learning.
Learning a language and being able to use it confidently are two very different things. There are tons of ways to make the learning process fun and effortless: mnemonics, word associations, visualization, etymology, the list goes on. But that's the easy part anyway. The hard part is actually putting all that learning to practical use. If you’ve memorised lots of Spanish words, but you get tongue-tied when it comes to speaking Spanish, then it’s not yet in your active memory.
Building a strong active memory comes with immersion. And practice. A lot of it. There just isn't any shortcut around this that I'm aware of.
So to summarize:
It takes time, this is no shortcut
It takes effort, this is no magic
It’s about getting Spanish into your active memory
With that out of the way and our expectations in place, we can dive right in.
Step 1: Embrace Spanglish as a Way of Life
Using “Spanglish” means mixing up Spanish and English.
Please hear me out before you dismiss Spanglish as not real language. You're right, it's not a real language. But that's not the point here. The point is, it's enough Spanish to give you a decent headstart, and enough English to keep you from feeling lost. Think of it as an optimal mix of the familiar and the unknown. And the best part about it is that there are no rules! Spanglish, being a non-language, is amenable to your comfort. And equally scalable.
So how do we go about it? The short answer is, however you feel like. The longer and more useful answer is, have a strategy. I will discuss mine here.
When I started out, my challenge was to familiarize myself with Spanish words and structure. And that's going to be yours too, well into your Spanish-learning journey. Even if you have mastered Spanish grammar, the language continues to sound alien to you because you're not used to its ways. In order to address this problem, I started translating English sentences into Spanish, both in writing and speaking. This was taxing and far slower at getting me anywhere than I expected. This is what most of you might be doing as it's one of the most cited pieces of advice in the language hacking community.
But the problem with that approach is that it slows you in pursuit of perfection. You never get a chance to get natural with Spanish because you're constantly struggling to get it right, grammatically and semantically. You want the whole shebang translated right off the bat. That's where Spanglish comes in. I wasted a lot of time before this idea hit me, you don't have to!
The idea is to forget perfection and focus on communicating. Just start easing Spanish into your writings and speeches, one word at a time. No need to translate the whole thing, just a couple of words is good enough. Start with nouns:
English: I need coffee with my breakfast.
Spanglish: I need café with my desayuno.
I did this for maybe a week or so, as often as practically possible. Talk to the mirror, write stuff down in a notebook, use every opportunity to churn out some Spanglish. Vow to never use an English noun in your communications. I sounded ridiculous doing this, but the dividends are worth the embarrassments. It's alright to reference a dictionary at this stage (believe me, you won’t be using the dictionary as often as you think).
Eventually, consider taking it up a notch. Start using Spanish verbs along with Spanish nouns that you're already using:
English: I need coffee with my breakfast.
Spanglish: I necesitar café with my desayuno.
You need not conjugate your verbs just yet. Take it easy. Just focus on assimilating as many common nouns and verbs as possible. Remember, you're just building your word-bank and publishing it to your active memory at the moment. Don't worry about getting it all correct for now. Dictionaries are still okay to use. Continue this practice for a couple of weeks. I say two weeks instead of one because this time you have more words to absorb and naturalize, so take your time. No need to rush it.
Now start conjugating your verbs, one tense at a time. Focus on these tenses in the following order:
Simple present tense
Present continuous
Past (preterit)
Past (imperfect)
Subjunctive
Don't bother with other tenses. Not for now anyway. Give each tense about a week before you move on to conjugating your verbs in the next tense on the list. So for the first week from now, just ensure you use all simple present tense verbs in its right conjugation. In all other tenses, leave the verb unconjugated as before. The following week, start conjugating in the present continuous tense along with the simple present that you're already conjugating. The third week, do the preterit, and so on. You might want to give more than just a week for the subjunctive though, it's kind of a tough cookie to crack. Toward the end of this exercise, your Spanglish will be looking more like Spanish and less like English. It also pays to throw in some prepositions and articles to the mix along the way.
Step 2: Describe Simple Images in Spanish
Using a mix of Spanish and English is a good strategy to ease Spanish words into your active memory. But while doing so, my challenge was creating opportunities to use Spanglish!
You see, I come from an Asian country and both Spanish speakers and learners are hard to come by around me. Using Spanish words, even a handful of them, in my conversations was not an option for me. At least not in real-life conversations. So I came up with a workaround: simulating conversations in my head.
You are constantly seeing things around you the entire time you're awake. Real things, pictures, people, and everything in between. Why not describe them aloud, I thought. For instance, as I get dressed for work, I describe the shirt I'm going to wear:
This is una camisa azul.
Took a cab, described the driver. Had a coffee, described the beverage. Called up a friend, described her voice. This was getting fun.
The description doesn't need to be long, just one sentence describing one attribute that stands out is good enough. It's always possible to graduate to more complex ideas with time. Color, shape, size, sound, smell, you could pick literally any attribute that strikes you. You don't have to say it to anyone if you can't, just mutter it aloud to yourself. As long as you're producing some Spanish, even if it's to your own self, you're doing well. Again, referring to a dictionary is no taboo here, though you'll be depending on it less by the day.
A week or two in, you could graduate to a slightly more challenging chore: describing pictures, and in more than one sentence. Take any picture of your choice, online or offline. Just make sure it's not too complex. Simple comic book cartoons with not a whole lot going on are your best bet. And write down at least 4-6 sentences describing various aspects of the picture in question. A week or so of writing and then you could graduate to doing the task orally. To yourself, if necessary.
If you're also doing Spanglish alongside this, which you should, the bulk of your descriptions will be in Spanish by this time. Keep spinning and give no thought to overall perfection.
Talk to the mirror, describe your face. Talk to the bed, describe the sheets. Talk to your kitchen, describe a recipe. Ridiculous yes, but really effective!
Step 3: Write Short Sentences Using Newly-Acquired Grammar Concepts
This one is a tad more mundane in comparison to the previous two strategies. But keep pushing. In order to bolster my Spanglish and shorten my path to 100% Spanish, I started writing simple example sentences using the grammar concepts I was studying at the time. I focussed on only one grammar topic a week for a thorough assimilation. It could be a conjugation, an idiomatic verb, a prepositional phrase, or a new structure. Just one at a time until it becomes second nature.
Here's what I did: I thought up sentences in English that employed the grammar topic I was studying, and translated it into Spanish. In writing. Then I did the same with a new sentence. And went on and on, like a broken record, for days. I targeted at least 20-30 sentences a day for at least a week before moving on to the next topic. So, suppose I learned the preterit tense conjugation today. Then the following seven days, I'd be translating at least 20-30 random preterit-tense sentences every day into Spanish. This can get boring very quickly, but it works wonders when it comes to driving home complex grammar rules.
Of course, you're going to make mistakes. A lot of them. But that isn't a problem either. Make Spanish-speaking friends on Facebook who can correct your translations for you. No one friend is going to be generous enough to do this on a daily basis, so have as many as possible. Also try out communities like Lang-8.com built with this exact purpose in mind. I used Lang-8 extensively because there were't a whole lot of friends on my list who spoke Spanish back then. You could even look to Twitter to kick-start your imagination!
Just a month or two of this exercise done with diligence will produce astounding results. You will become more comfortable with Spanish without even realizing. For best results, though, do this in tandem with the other ideas discussed here. Following any of these in isolation will severely impede your progress. And like I said before, give no thought to either perfection or time. Don't treat this as a time-bound deliverable. Just take it one day at a time and keep going indefinitely.
Step 4: Describe Short Videos...Again, in Spanish
This one is similar to Step 3, except this time we have a more concrete thing to talk about. Find a short Spanish video on YouTube. I prefer videos between 30 seconds and a minute. Anything longer and you'll be lost.
Watch it a couple of times to thoroughly understand what's going on. Done watching? Now try describing as much of what you watched as possible. In Spanglish. Sounds easy? Believe me, it's not. I said Spanglish because that'd be in line with the whole idea of easing into Spanish rather than abruptly running into it headlong.
So what kind of videos, you ask? Music videos are a big no because there's too much going on in them all at once which makes them hard to describe even in one's first language. The best videos for the job are simple cartoons with simple characters and minimal details. Think Tom and Jerry, for instance. Duration is also important. Too short and there's hardly anything to talk about. Too long and you won't remember half of what happened. Videos longer than 30 seconds and shorter than a minute worked the best for me. The idea is to be able to describe it in no fewer than 10 sentences and no more than 20.
What to describe? Everything, or at least as much as possible. Colors, features, actions, etc. Try to smush in as much Spanish as possible. At least make sure all nouns and verbs are in Spanish, even if the latter are unconjugated in the beginning.
Synchronize this activity with your grammar lessons for maximum dividends. Learned a new verbal phrase? Try using it in your description if possible. A new preposition? Plug it in. Picked up a new irregular conjugation? Figure out a way to use it in your description. Remember, most of what you're going to use at this stage will be verbs and conjugations used in real-life conversations. Nothing exotic just yet. Since you're describing live actions, you'll hardly be using future tense, which is good because future tense is not something you need to bother with until much later.
Step 5: Maintain a Mini Journal in Spanish
Every night before going to bed, make it a point to jot down all you did that day in a journal. It's a good practice even outside of language learning. To make it a powerful Spanish absorption tool, do it in Spanish. Or at least Spanglish.
I started doing this for two reasons:
a) It gave me a chance to reflect upon how effectively I spent my day and what I could've done better, and
b) it helped me actively drill more Spanish into active memory.
The idea of messing with Spanish just before going to bed after having done a whole lot of it through the day has another benefit too. It ensures there's some Spanish reinforcement going on inside your brain even as you sleep. This might sound like passive learning because it is, but only because you've actively done something to kick-start the process. Passive learning is a magic pill indeed, but it doesn't happen without some effort on your part. And this time, that effort comes in the shape of a mini journal in Spanish.
Keep it short though. I recommend writing 20 sentences on all the key experiences you had during the day. Had an important meeting at work? Add it to your journal. Boss gave you a rundown? Add it. Got stuck in traffic? Add it. Cooked your favorite recipe for dinner? Add it. Anything that stands out. And if nothing does, write about the mundane. Also, feel free to use the dictionary whenever the urge hits.
Key Takeaways for Spanish Immersion
The key to getting fluent in a language is in maximizing exposure to it. And the key to maximizing exposure to a language is in weaving a bit of it into as many different parts of your life as practically possible.
It might not always be possible to find native Spanish speakers depending on where you live. It also might be a tad awkward to speak with native Spanish speakers at first, especially if they're not your friends. But speak you must, despite the awkwardness.
Here’s a summary of my five step approach:
Graduating to Spanish via Spanglish: This was an incredible way to ease myself into a completely alien tongue. A gradual move is always less taxing and more rewarding in the short run.
Describing pictures in Spanish: A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. That makes it super easy to do at least a few dozen words off one. I would pick any random image — a cartoon, a meme, etc. — and describe it in 4-6 short Spanish sentences.
Writing random short sentences in Spanish: This is similar to describing pictures but a bit more challenging. This time, the focus is on employing the grammar rules, conjugations, etc. Not more than 20-30 example sentences a day to reinforce your learning.
Describing short videos in Spanish: Describing videos is slightly more challenging than describing images. This time, the focus is on activities, employing more grammar constructs and conjugations than before. I recommend between 10 and 20 sentences off a very short video, not shorter than 20 seconds.
Writing a daily journal in Spanish: Writing just before going to bed can help better reinforce the day's learning. At least that's what some researchers say. Start jotting down an account of your day in a journal before hitting the sack. In Spanish, of course. Again, not more than 20-30 sentences. This will not only help with Spanish but also give you a chance to reflect on how productive you've been.
None of these activities is a substitute for actually going out there and conversing with live native speakers. These are mere support systems. You just cannot truly internalize a language through writing alone. Fluency calls for confidence more than knowledge. These activities help you with the knowledge part; confidence still comes from speaking. So don't be afraid to get talking!
The post A 5-Step Method to Absorb Spanish Like a Sponge (into Your Active Memory) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
September 20, 2018
Why Learning a Language is Better Together
I heard things like:
No one speaks that language.
That’s a waste of time, you’ll never use it.
You should just focus on French, it’s the only one you really need.
Everyone speaks English.
They had my best interests at heart, but to be honest, it felt like they didn’t understand what I was trying to do. It really affected me. Both my confidence and my commitment floundered.
But when I wasn’t spending time with languages, I wasn’t happy. It felt like something was missing. I made the decision to do it for me.
I figured if those around me couldn’t understand my passion for languages, then I’d find people who did.
A short time later, I found myself immersed in the online language community.
I got my first taste of what it was like to learn a language alongside someone else when Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages and I decided to study a language together. Having someone who cared about my progress, who I could check in with regularly and who I could compare notes with was inspiring. And most importantly, it meant that I had a reason to do the work.
After we ended the project, I craved more of that collaboration. That energy. That momentum and accountability.
A short time later, I found it.
Where?
The Add1Challenge.
What is the Add1Challenge?
The Add1Challenge is a community of language learners that come together to reach the same goal - to have a 15-minute conversation after 90 days of collaborative and intensive study.
In every challenge you get to meet dozens of other language learners through the active challenge, and your smaller, more intimate study and mastermind groups.
With the Add1Challenge, you certainly won’t be studying alone!
The Power of Community in Language Learning
I’ve completed three Add1Challenges, and I’ve found that one of the best ways to succeed is by making the most of the Add1 community.
Within the Add1Challenge, I’ve noticed that there are two kinds of learners: those who keep to themselves and use the community simply for accountability, and those who really get involved in supporting others.
Although both approaches work well, I’m sure you can guess which one has a higher success rate when it comes to completing Add1Challenge.
To put it simply, you get the most from a community when you give to the community.
The Add1 Community is There For You When...
Here are some of the benefits being an active member of the Add1 community. The community is there for you when:
You Feel Stuck
During an intensive, 90 day challenge, you will feel stuck at some point. Probably more than once. You’ll feel like you’re not making any progress. Or you’ll be unsure what your next step is.
When this happens -- ask for support. It’s amazing to see how much help and encouragement the Add1 community gives to one another, and it always starts when someone asks for help or shares that they’re stuck. They’re not sure what to do to move forward.
In a recent challenge, one particular challenger felt stuck - they weren’t sure if what they were doing was working or not. Just by posting in the community and expressing what they were feeling, they were able to conclude that what they were doing was, in fact, working. And by sharing that they felt stuck, they also received encouragement from the other challengers.
Your Motivation Disappears
Add1Challengers check in every day with a “yay” or a “nay” to share whether they’ve completed their daily study goal.
If “nays” start to stack up, it can feel discouraging.
When your motivation disappears and you start checking “nay” on your daily checkin, it takes just one “yay” to get back on track.
After all, a couple of “nays” are only a few steps back from all the “yays” you’ll stack up as a part of the challenge.
If you aren’t feeling motivated, the Add1Challenge is built on a system to help you keep moving forward. If you trust in the process, do the work, and participate in the assignments and mini challenges you’ll get there.
And of course, you’re also able to reach out and share what you’re going through with a group of compassionate learners who will cheer you on.
You Need a Few Words of Encouragement
Feel like all the hard work you’ve done is for naught? Get an outside perspective. In the Add1Challenge, you share your update videos with your mastermind and study group. This gives you an objective viewpoint on whether or not you’ve improved.
We tend to be our own worst critics. That means that even if you are making progress, you might feel like it isn’t enough because you’re expecting too much from yourself. Outside opinions let you view your achievements through a more neutral lens.
That fresh perspective can be the little extra push you need to reaffirm that you’re on the right track and confirm that even though you might not see it, you are making progress.
You Want to Celebrate Your Wins
When you have big language wins during the Add1Challenge (and you will have some pretty huge wins) you have a group of friends who are there to celebrate them with you. It feels amazing to tell someone about a language success and know they understand exactly how big of a success it was because they’re down in the trenches with you.
You Have Questions.
Have a question about a particular language learning app, resource, or about language learning in general? Chances are someone in the Add1Challenge community will have an answer for you.
You Need a Friend Who Can Relate
If you’ve had a rough day or are feeling down and out, the other Add1Challengers know what you’re going through. When things are going well and you’re on a roll with your studies, they can also relate to what you’re feeling. Because those in the Add1Challenge are along on this journey with you, they can relate to all of your struggles, triumphs, and day-to-day experiences.
You Need Someone to Hold You Accountable
When you study for yourself, it’s sometimes hard to stick to it. When you are a part of groups that pay attention to what you’re doing and even sometimes count on your participation, you suddenly have more reason to do it.
Accountability is a great way to make yourself more responsible for your own learning. When other people are counting on you and are invested in your success, you’re more likely to do the work that’s needed.
When you know other people are waiting for you to do your weekly check-in, you’re going to show up and do it. When you know your mini challenge points count towards your team’s total, you’re going to do the work.
How to Make the Most of the Community in the Add1Challenge
Ask Questions
Whether you have a question about the Add1Challenge, your specific language or language learning in general, don’t be afraid to ask. There’s a good chance another challenger knows the answer to your question. And if not, at the very least, they can help you find it.
You might ask questions such as:
Is xyz a good language course?
What can I use to help me learn French?
I’m not sure what I should be doing. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Can we create a new place in the challenge for those who need a little extra support staying on track?
Any suggestions for improving listening skills?
Does anyone know of a different Vietnamese podcast I can try out?
Does anyone have any tips on how to find language exchange partners?
Looking for advice on flashcards. I need to start using them to expand my vocabulary. How do you organize them?
These are all questions that were asked and answered within the Add1Challenge community.
Share Your Struggles
If you’re having a rough day, don’t keep it to yourself. Share with your study group, mastermind, or with the Add1Challenge community as a whole. Whatever you’re comfortable with. You’ll get encouragement and advice from the other challengers, and by making yourself vulnerable you’ll be encouraging others to open up too.
You could share struggles such as:
It's hard for me to understand a single word they say sometimes.
Anyone ever been in a situation where you've been "pressured" to speak your target language and literally just freeze in that moment? I have a friend who speaks Spanish and [..] while I was there, I started speaking English but was told "Spanish only" by my friend (his way of encouraging me). I was already nervous but my anxiety went through the roof after that statement.
I feel kind of discouraged. I'm really not the kind of person who wants to give up and that's really not what I want to do! So I really need your help guys to get up and running again.
Again, all real struggles shared by Add1Challengers, each with several comments filled with encouragement, support and advice.
Cheer On the Other Add1Challengers!
When another challenger shares their struggles or triumphs, be their cheerleader. Let them know how amazing they’re doing!
And as I’m sure you’ll guess, these are all real messages of encouragement from our Add1Challenge community.
You might say:
Don't give up! Let's get back on track again. "Everything in future will improve if you are making an effort now."
Give yourself the time to seek what makes you passionate about your target language today, as that might change along the journey. Don't focus on what you didn't do, that's in the past and making yourself feel guilty about those things will make the discouragement grow.
Being honest and fitting it in when you can around your life is a great achievement too! It’s easy to get intimidated by everyone else’s check ins but I’m cheering you on.
First of all, the fact that you are even doing this challenge means you are very much committed to language learning. Everybody here has had ups and downs in their studies and has "fallen off the wagon" plenty of times. It's all part of language learning. Language learning is very much about highs and lows and everything in between. It's fun and frustrating, terribly difficult and at times amazingly easy. You can absolutely do all of the assignments and mini-challenges. All you have to do.... is start. That's it. Just do a little something. Anything. Forget about being perfect, forget about the amount of work ahead of you, forget about not doing this on time or that. None of that should be in your head right now and all it will do is discourage you and you will lose momentum.
Good luck, don't lose courage!
Don't let yourself be pulled down by this word: nay. I know, it feels like a fatal word, but it's not. Do not let it have impact in your motivation. I had similar issues and I know that having to say nay when we just learned 10 minutes and not 30 or 45 is frustrating. Know that every sentence you write, every word you learn, every word you review, every word you recognise and every thought about your target language is a huge: YAY! for us.
Meet Up With Your Study Group -- Weekly
As part of the Add1Challenge, you’re put into study groups with other learners who are working on the same language as you. This isn’t just so that you can chat and check-in with each other. It’s also so that you can get together once a week or so and practice speaking the language.
What do I mean by getting together?
The study groups and masterminds that have stuck together and have been most successful in the Add1Challenge are those that meetup on Skype or Google Hangouts each week for a face-to-face chat.
These can be quick 5 to 10 minute chats or hour long language practice sessions. It’s up to each group to collectively decide what works best for them. But one thing holds true regardless of what the meetups look like - the groups that study together, win the Add1Challenge together.
Join the Language Specific Groups
In addition to the smaller, more intimate study groups, there are also large language specific groups.
Wait, aren’t these the same thing?
Not quite!
Coordinating big groups of learners to meet each week is tough, so your study group is a small group of about 10-15 learners. For big languages like French, Spanish, or Japanese, there tend to be more than one study group. So that’s where the language specific groups come in.
Everyone who is learning that language is put into that group regardless of which study group they’re in.
That way, in addition to having members you meet with regularly, you have a larger group of learners with whom you can exchange notes. You can also setup additional hangouts and chats with members outside of your core study group to get extra speaking practice.
Watch the Extra Videos Created by Your Fellow Challengers
In the Add1Challenge, we have a place called #speaking-practice. It’s where we encourage participants to share extra videos or audio of their progress beyond the Day 0/30/60/90 videos.
Unsurprisingly, this group is rather active. A lot of Add1Challengers find a ton of value in speaking their languages and sharing videos for feedback more than once a month. Some even post videos every day!
Keeping up with the progress of your fellow challengers is a great way to stay motivated and get ideas for things you can work on. If you’re ever unsure what to do in one of your videos, or of what you should be working on, taking a peek at what everyone else is doing can provide a bit of guidance.
Check-in with Your Mastermind Group Every Week
In addition to your language specific study group, you’re put into a mastermind. This is a group of learners working on different languages to you - that way, you get a fresh perspective and can see how those learning other languages approach their studies.
Each week the mastermind groups are asked to check-in with one another, sharing how everything is going. Doing this gives you the chance to talk out what’s holding you back and celebrate what your wins are.
If you notice that some of your mastermind group members aren’t checking in, send them a message to see how things are going. If the favor needs to be returned, you’ll find that having other learners supporting you and paying attention to what you’re doing is a powerful asset as a learner.
How? Knowing that you have a supportive community that has your back - one that is there for you when your motivation lags - can help you stick with it when you are struggling.
Share Your Wins
Again, just like you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, don’t be afraid to share your wins. Throughout the Add1Challenge, you’ll participate in a variety of activities that offer you the chance to experience success. From completing your 90 Day video to being a part of the group that racks up the most points in the mini challenges, from getting back on track after a series of “nays” to simply adding another “yay” to your check-in sheet, there are many opportunities to spread the cheer. Celebrate the milestones - no matter how small.
Don’t be Afraid to Take Initiative
When groups get quiet, they slowly die away. No one feels that it’s their responsibility to take initiative and get the conversation going again. So no one steps up and gets the ball rolling. During the challenge, I check in with the masterminds and study groups to see how things are going, but it’s ultimately up to the members of the groups to keep in touch. If your group gets quiet, don’t be afraid to take initiative and re-initiate the conversation.
Will You Join Me for This Incredible Experience?
Taking part in an intensive language project like the Add1Challenge is an incredible experience. And learning how to harness the power of the community built into the challenge is the best way to get the most out of that experience.
I’m getting ready to take on my next Add1Challenge, and I will continue to use the systems that have not yet failed to get me to my goal - that 15-minute conversation at the end of 90 days.
What about you?
What are some of the ways you’ve benefited from being a part of the language learning community?
If you’ve taken part in the Add1Challenge, what systems helped you get to that 15-minute conversation?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
The post Why Learning a Language is Better Together appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
September 17, 2018
Hiragana vs Katakana: What’s the Difference?
Struggling to grasp how to write in Japanese? It’s not as hard as it seems!
Sure, hiragana and katakana, two of the key systems in Japanese writing, look so foreign and intimidating, but they can actually be quite simple. The characters don’t represent unique meanings the way Chinese characters do. They’re more like a Japanese alphabet. And they have some helpful advantages that make learning Japanese characters easier.
All you need is a quick breakdown of the Japanese writing system, and some useful mnemonics -- and I’m about to give you both of these.
Are you ready to rock your Japanese language learning skills? Let’s go!
How to Make Sense of Japanese Writing -- It’s the Same as English (Well, Almost)
Believe it or not, Japanese and English writing have something in common. Excluding kanji which comes from China, Japanese has two native writing styles -- hiragana and katakana. Together they're known as kana. In other words, hiragana and katakana are two different ways to write the same thing.
English also has two writing systems that read the same way: print and cursive. Whether you write A or A, it’s still the same letter. But how we use them is different. The same is true for writing and reading in Japanese. It doesn’t matter if it’s hiragana or katakana, they both represent the same sound and character.
Hiragana vs Katakana: What’s the Difference?
So, then, what’s the difference between hiragana vs katakana?
Hiragana is the most commonly used, standard form of Japanese writing. It’s used on its own or in conjunction with kanji to form words, and it’s the first form of Japanese writing that children learn.
Written on its own and without kanji, it's a bit hard to read and child-like, and can only be read with some effort. But, it’s fine to write in only hiragana if you are a beginner learner.
Japanese people can still understand, and they know kanji’s difficult for 外国人 (gaikokujin - “foreigners”). Most children's books, and even some video games like Pokémon, are only written in hiragana.
Hiragana is curly like English cursive, but it functions more like print -- it’s used more for easy reading. It’s the standard way to write for clarity and understanding.
Katakana, on the other hand, is more like print in its appearance: more block-ish and sharp. But it’s used to signal to the reader that a word is foreign, adapted to Japanese from another language. It’s also used for emphasis, and onomatopoeia. You may also notice some brands and celebrities write their names in katakana as a stylistic choice.
You may think, then, that it’s most important to learn hiragana and that you can slack off on katakana -- but that would be a myth. The number of Japanese loan words from other languages continues to grow every year. You’ll see a lot more words written in katakana on a daily basis. And onomatopoeia is ridiculously common in daily speech and writing -- not just in まんが (manga - "comic books"). So make sure you learn them both!
Reading and Understanding Hiragana vs Katakana
The best thing about reading in Japanese is that hiragana and katakana are phonetic, meaning they’re always read the same. Period. Unlike English, where the letters can have many different pronunciations, the Japanese alphabet is always read exactly the same. Even when put together in words, they never change. Kanji readings will change (something to look forward to when you advance!), but not kana.
So if you think Japanese symbols are impossible to learn, bear in mind that they’re a lot easier than learning English, because English has so many inconsistencies in pronunciation.
Something else helpful to know: katakana almost always sounds like a word you know. You already know way more vocabulary in Japanese than you think! So if you see katakana, you can sound it out and figure out the meaning with very little guesswork. Like オレンジジュース (orenjijūsu - “Orange Juice”). Some words are taken from Portuguese, French, and other languages besides English, but they’re still always written in katakana. Such as パン (pan - “bread”), and ズボン (zubon - “pants”).
Hiragana vs Katakana Chart
Here’s a helpful chart to help you learn hiragana and katakana (I’ll explain how to use the chart in a moment):
HIRAGANA
.responsive-table tr td:first-child {background-color: #134b68;}
K
S
T
N
H
M
Y
R
W
N
A
あ
か
さ
た
な
は
ま
や
ら
わ
I
い
き
し
ち
に
ひ
み
り
U
う
く
す
つ
ぬ
ふ
む
ゆ
る
E
え
け
せ
て
ね
へ
め
れ
O
お
こ
そ
と
の
ほ
も
よ
ろ
を
KATAKANA
.responsive-table tr td:first-child {background-color: #134b68;}
K
S
T
N
H
M
Y
R
W
N
A
ア
カ
サ
タ
ナ
ハ
マ
ヤ
ラ
ワ
I
イ
キ
シ
チ
ニ
ヒ
ミ
リ
U
ウ
ク
ス
ツ
ヌ
フ
ム
ユ
ル
E
エ
ケ
セ
テ
ネ
ヘ
メ
レ
O
オ
コ
ソ
ト
ノ
ホ
モ
ヨ
ロ
ヲ
How to Read in Japanese: Sounding Out Hiragana and Katakana (With a Breakdown of Sounds)
The Japanese alphabet is broken down into rows and columns, as pictured in the chart above. The vertical column marks the vowel, and the horizontal row marks the consonant sound. Besides the singular vowel sounds, all Japanese characters will have a consonant and vowel, except for ん ("n" or "m").
Take a look at the chart. You have a column for each vowel sound: あ / ア (a), い / イ (i), う / ウ (u), え / エ (e), お / オ (o). Then the first row on the horizontal line is the “K” row. So the characters are か / カ, き / キ, く / ク, け / ケ, こ / コ (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko). It’s a good idea to memorize this chart because when you get to grammar conjugation, it helps simplify how you change the words to conjugate.
Let’s break down the sounds:
あ: “ah”, like “Ahhhhhh,” with an open mouth.
い: “ee,” like “bee.”
う: “oo,” like “tooth.”
え: “eh,” like “medicine.”
お: “oh,” like the letter “O”
So then the next row reads like:
か: “kah,” like “cat.”
き: “kee,” like “key.”
く: “koo,” like “coo,” the sound a baby makes.
け: “keh,” like “kettle.”
こ: “koh,” like “Coca-cola.”
Let’s try it again with the next row:
さ: “sah.”
し: “shi.”
す: “soo”
せ: “seh”
そ: “soh”
You can see in the S-row, that there is one irregular - し (“shi”). There are only a few other irregulars, such as ち (“chi”), つ (“tsu”), ふ (“fu”), and ん (“n” or “m”). But most are straight-forward. So if you learn the vowel sound and memorize the rows, you can read the whole sound.
After you learn this standard form, you’ll notice some have extra sounds. By adding characters from the Y-row, や, ゆ, よ, you make new sounds. Like: しゃ ("sha”) ちゃ (“cha”), なゃ (“nya”), ちゅ (“chu”) and ちょ (“cho”). When the Y-characters are added to others, they are written smaller and create a conjunctive sound. Kind of like how “I have” becomes “I’ve.” So, instead of saying とうきょ う as “Toe-key-yoh,” it’s “Toh-kyo.”
Characters also change with dakuten (ﾞ), two small lines, and handakuten (ﾟ), a small circle. This sounds complicated, but it’s really not. By adding the dakuten and handakuten, it changes the consonant slightly. Let’s take a look:
か (kah) becomes が (gah)
し (shi) becomes じ (ji)
そ (soh) becomes ぞ (zoh)
つ (tsu) becomes づ (zu)
て (te) becomes で (de)
へ (he) becomes べ (be)
へ (he) becomes ぺ (pe)
Only K, S, T, and H rows use these characters. When they use dakuten, they become G, Z, D, and B, respectively. H is the only row that uses handakuten, and it becomes P when the small circle is added.
With dakuten:
K → G
S → Z
T → D
H → B
With handakuten:
H → P
There are a couple irregulars here too: じ: “ji,” ぢ: “ji,” and づ: “zu.” Although ず (“zu”) and づ (“zu”), and じ (“ji”) and ぢ (“ji”) have the same meanings, it’s most common to see ず and じ.
Noodles and Keys! How to Become a Memory Master of Kana
To help memorize the kana, it’s best to use mnemonics -- which means seeing each symbol as a picture. A friend once shared the mnemonics she learned in high school with me, and they immediately helped me memorize the kana. I’ve never forgotten them since!
Some examples:
ぬ: “Nu” for “noodle.” It looks like a squiggly pile of noodles!
め: “Me” for “medal.” It looks like a medal with the ribbon around it to hang around your neck
れ: “Re” for “Ret’s get out of here!” Picture Scooby Doo and the Gang running off, because it looks like a person dashing off.
む: “Mu” for “Moooooo,” like a cow. It looks like a cow’s face, with the swirl being its nose! (Especially if you’ve ever seen the cow designs in Animal Crossing.)
あ: “A” for “Ahhhhhhh.” Someone’s mouth is wide open! (Maybe at the dentist.)
き: “Ki” for “Key.” It looks like an old-fashioned key.
け: “Ke” for “Cane.” It looks like a stick-figure old man using his walking cane!
そ: “So” for “Sewing.” It looks like a zig-zag stitch in a sewing pattern.
と: “To” for “Toe.” It looks like a big toe and toenail.
へ: “He” for “Hill.” It looks like a small hill.
に: “Ni” for “Knee.” It looks like your leg and knee!
Yeah, it may be silly. But it helps! And that’s all that matters. Create your own, or try some of these. You’d be surprised how they stick with you. I learned this list nearly 12 years ago!
The crazier and more vibrantly you can associate them in your mind, the easier it will be to memorize them. The same is true when you move on to kanji memorization.
Tips for Hiragana and Katakana Practice
Honestly, the best tip is to write it out as much as you can. Whenever I was bored (usually in college classes…), I would make a box and mark it vertically with the consonants, and horizontally with the vowels. And then I would fill in all the spots with the right hiragana and katakana. I’d double check them after, but any blank spots let me know which ones I was having trouble with.
You could also practice Japanese writing, and write right to left, and vertically. It’s a challenge to get used to, but it looks so elegant!
There are also tons of easy reading resources to learn Japanese and get practice reading hiragana and katakana. You can practice in kana-only mode on games like Pokémon, read NHK News Easy or Kodomo Asahi. Any reading and writing practice you can do will help improve your hiragana vs katakana understanding!
Now Go Out and Kana On!
Don’t let a foreign writing system hold you back! Learn how to practice the four pillars of language learning, and it will get easier. Learning hiragana vs katakana isn’t as bad as it first appears, and I know you can do it!
How are your Japanese studies going? Do you have some great tips or mnemonics to learn hiragana and katakana? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
The post Hiragana vs Katakana: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
September 13, 2018
35 Free Online French Language Classes and Resources
How do you know which French courses are good quality, without wasting hours testing them all out?
The good news is that there are tons of affordable and even free ways to learn French.
I’ve put this article together so you’ll know where to start with learning French. I’ve explored and tested countless free French learning tools to find the best ones out there. That way, you don’t have to.
Let’s take a look at these free online French language resources and classes.
Free Online Audio & Podcasts to Help You Learn French
Podcasts are a great way to learn French. You can take them with you wherever you go -- on your commute, when you’re out walking the dog, or to listen to during your lunch break. Anytime you have a spare moment, you can fit in some language learning.
There are a lot of French language podcasts out there, but not many that provide a complete French course. I prefer podcasts that provide a step-by-step French class, or that teach French as it’s spoken in the real world.
Here’s where to start with French language audio:
FrenchPod101 is free to sign up for. It has an impressive amount of French content available at every level from complete beginner to advanced. They’re a favorite of the Fluent in 3 Months team. You get a one-week free trial to test out lessons at all skill levels. After that, you do have to pay for the more advanced lessons and premium material, although it’s very much worth it.
Coffee Break French has both free and paid options. It’s hands down one of my favorite French podcasts. In the course, you learn alongside another student and even get to take a trip to France via soundbytes with the host, Mark.
Journal en Français Facile is a free news podcast in simple French from the French language broadcast rfi.
TuneIn France or Quebec: You can listen to radio from either France or Quebec on TuneIn. Test out a few stations based on the dialect you’d like to learn, see what catches your attention and enjoy. Download the app to enjoy radio on your mobile device.
Forvo: If you come across a new word, especially with French that has a lot of silent letter combinations, Forvo is a great place to listen to words spoken by a native speaker. It has a large database and is a good reference for pronunciation.
YouTube: Free Video French Lessons
YouTube is an excellent place to find free French classes and resources. The following channels give you hours of French lessons in an engaging medium. Plus, video has the added benefits of letting you see facial expressions, body language and other non-verbal aspects of the French language.
FrenchPod101: In addition to their free podcast lessons, FrenchPod101 also has an excellent YouTube channel with hours of free content.
Super Easy French: I love the Easy Languages channel because it offers you a lot of local culture and context. In this series, the hosts go out into the streets of France and interview the people they meet there. It’s a great way to hear the way people really speak the language, pick up useful conversational language, and practice your listening comprehension.
French with Alexa teaches French with fun, short videos that cover everything from grammar to themed vocabulary lists. Alexa also features interviews in French as well as recipes!
Comme Une Française TV: Learn about the French language and culture with Comme Une Française TV. Géraldine, the host, is an upbeat and enthusiastic tutor who shares her experience as a French native as well as tips for learning the French language.
Français Authentique: Looking for content about French language and culture in French (instead of English)? Français Authentique offers learners just that in slow and clear French.
Free Online French Courses and Systems
If you’re interested in guided lessons, there is an exceptional selection of free online French courses and systems available. Here are just a few websites that offer online French lessons at no cost:
TV5 Monde: TV5 Monde offers French learners a variety of news articles organized by CEFR level. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an advanced learner, they have articles with exercises to help you boost your French reading comprehension.
EdX: The online learning portal EdX has a free French language course from WestonHS called On-Ramp to AP® French Language and Culture. It has several free video lessons taught by a native French-speaking instructor.
Learn with Oliver: Learn with Oliver is an online flashcard tool that lets you learn and test yourself on French words and phrases. I personally love their email newsletters and look forward to seeing them in my inbox every day.
Free French Language Apps
Apps are a handy way to learn a new language, especially for those who like to study on the go.
Memrise or Anki (for iOS, for Android, and for everyone else): These are flashcard systems that you can use to create your own French vocabulary decks or download those already created by other users. The desktop version of Anki is free, as is the basic version of Memrise.
MosaLingua (for iOS and Android is another flashcard app, but this one comes with premade French flashcards so you don’t have to make your own (though you can if you want). There is both a free and paid version of this app.
Duolingo: Duolingo is a popular language learning app that introduces you to both French vocabulary and grammar. It’s a gamified platform, so it’s fun to learn and easy to maintain your daily streaks.
Drops: Pressed for time? Drops is the perfect solution. With the free version of the app, you just get five minutes of study time per day. But you can get a lot done in those five minutes. The system is built to keep you engaged and moving so that you get a significant chunk of vocabulary exposure in a short time via beautiful graphics and intuitive swiping.
Clozemaster is a language learning app the uses cloze (fill in the blank) to help you master new vocabulary in French.
Free Online French Language Resources for Advanced French Learners
Take a Free Online Course in French
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) not only offer French language courses, but they also offer courses on other subjects in French. If you’d like to use French to learn more about something you’re passionate in, taking an online course in French can be a useful way to do two things at once.
Coursera: Interested in learning more about negotiation or how to develop a startup? Or maybe quantum mechanics or even Java or C++ are more your thing? Whatever your interest is, there’s a good chance you can find a course taught in French on Coursera -- they have over 80 to choose from!
EdX: Much like Coursera, EdX also has a wide selection of courses where French is the language of instruction. With 40+ options, you can learn about Human Rights, Marketing, Algebra, Astrophysics or even Philosophy.
BBC Languages: Looking for a fantastic introduction to the French language with video and tons of accompanying material? The BBC’s French course is a good place to start.
Class Central: Class Central is an online portal that indexes free online courses from a variety of sites (including Coursera and EdX). Currently, they have more than 400 courses taught in French listed on their site.
Watch French Vloggers on YouTube
If you’re looking for native and relevant material for your French language learning, YouTubers are a great source. French vloggers cover everything from comedy to beauty to food, so you’re sure to find a YouTube personality who covers a topic that you’re interested in.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Natoo: Natoo is a comedy vlogger with a variety of videos and skits on her channel. The videos are in French, but you can watch them with English subtitles.
Cyprien: Cyprien is also a comedy vlogger. In addition to his comedy skits, he also covers aspects of French culture, so it’s a great source of info about the language and other facets of life in France.
Andy Raconte: Andy Raconte is another comedy vlogger with short, entertaining skits on her channel that cover a variety of social topics like jealousy, what it’s like to be socially awkward, and more.
Norman Fait Des Vidéos: Norman is one of the most popular French comedians on YouTube. His channel features several skits as well as short “rants” where he discusses different topics such as dads, family dinners, and raclette.
Je Ne Suis Pas Jolie: If you’re a parent, Je Ne Suis Pas Jolie is a great channel to use as a resource. This vlogger recently became a parent, so she shares her experience, discussing everything from night routines to household products. It’s a great place to pick up family-related vocabulary.
Fast Good Cuisine: Do you love food? What about French food? If your inner foodie is screaming yes, then Fast Good Cuisine is the channel for you to not only satisfy your cravings, but to work on your food-related vocabulary in French.
Joueur du Grenier: Into video games? Joueur du Grenier is a French vlogger who specializes in retro video games. He’s a dynamic presenter, but his channel may be best suited to intermediate or advanced learners because he speaks fairly quickly.
Free French Language Reading Materials
Finding reading material appropriate for your level in the language can be a challenge. Thankfully, there’s a decent selection of French reading resources available to you as a learner online for free.
Wikipedia: Use Wikipedia to read short articles in French. You can switch back to your native language to check your comprehension.
LingQ: LingQ is a popular online learning system that helps you acquire new vocabulary through its reading interface. It’s free to sign up, though if you want to use it long-term you’ll need to opt for a paid plan.
The French Experiment: Looking for short stories to read in French? The French Experiment is a website that offers not only short reading excerpts in French, but useful grammar guides.
Lingua.com: If you’re a beginning French learner, Lingua.com has a variety of easy reading material on day-to-day topics. They’re packed with useful vocabulary and are free to download.
LanguageGuide.org: LanguageGuide.org is a well-curated collection of reading materials with audio accompaniment.
eBooks Gratuits: Many classics are available to legally download free online. If you’re at the level where you’d be comfortable reading Alexandre Dumas or other open domain material, eBooks Gratuits has a lot of material you can dive into.
Paralleltext.io: This unassuming website lets you read the classics like Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland with the French and English text side-by-side on the screen! Click a sentence to hear it pronounced by a computer voice. Tap the circle next to a sentence to change it from French to English and back. Switch from a side-by-side English/French view to French-only if your reading skills are more advanced.
What Free Online French Resources Do You Use?
It’s incredible how many excellent resources are available to learn French at no cost online. Though I’ve featured 36 places you can learn French for free, I’m sure there are many more. Is there anything you feel that I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments!
Want More? Check out Benny's favorite French resources.
The post 35 Free Online French Language Classes and Resources appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
