Benny Lewis's Blog, page 64
February 16, 2018
Merde Happens: Why Are French People so Rude? (And What to Do about It)
Still, I try. Still, I fail. I’ll keep trying until I master the American pronunciation of “water” and will blame my two years living in Yorkshire forever. After miming “octopus” in restaurant in Greece, I know miming can get you very far when you don’t have the words. So I won’t give up that easily.
I love languages and if you’re reading this post on Fluent in 3 Months in the metro, at work, or on the toilet (come on, we know it!), you probably like them too.
In France, where I live, French people have the worldwide known reputation of being rude, cold, arrogant, you name it… with a language that is famously difficult. You want to visit France? Then be ready to be annoyed, challenged and mistreated.
Or do you?
Why is France still the #1 tourism destination in the world if its inhabitants are such cons?
Why do foreign American students at the Sorbonne, dream of staying one more year in Paris?
Could it be… a misconception? Or is there maybe a secret memo frog haters didn’t get?
A bit of both. :)
French culture seems so easy to understand: buy your baguette, put on a béret and use putain every five words and tadaa… You’re more French than Gérard Depardieu.
Well… no. To enter French culture and go beyond the “French people are rude” cliché, just follow a couple of simple rules. See them as secret code to hack French people’s hearts and impress your girlfriend/boyfriend/mum at the Eiffel Tower.
Bonus points: follow these rules and French people will open up and start speaking French to you. Pinky swear.
Bienvenue en France, mon ami !
Rule 1: French Greetings Open French Hearts
Greetings in France are like the baguette in a French meal. Forget about them and you’ll feel the loss until dessert. Yes, you might earn a few seconds (well… 2 seconds max) but by skipping a nice Bonjour you’ll pass for a rude, impatient and uneducated tourist. Worst, some French people will simply ignore you. Yes, I know, it sucks.
Why? Because greetings in French are the key to starting and finishing any conversation. Whether it’s a two hour debate or a 20-second interaction to get a box of Ladurée macarons in the boutique of the Champs-Elysées, greeting people you talk to with a Bonjour or a Bonsoir (after 6 PM) signals that you see and respect the person in front of you. This person is not just there to suit your needs. And yes, this even applies to taxi drivers, shop assistants and waiters. In France, a commercial interaction is also a well-behaved exchange, a good opportunity to show the good manners your mom taught you.
See greetings in France as cleaning your shoes on a rug before entering someone’s house. Your friends will only notice you’re rude when they see your dirty shoeprints on their carpet. And it will be too late.
At the end of a conversation, simply say Merci. Bonne journée. or Bonne soirée after 6 PM. These basics will get you everywhere. Add Merci (= Thank you) and S’il vous plaît (= Please) and you’ll be Louis XIV in Versailles… (like a king in France).
Rule 2: No, You Don’t Have to Switch to English
A very common complaint from visitors in France is “I wanted to speak French but Parisians switched to English when I tried. How rude! I’ll boycott camembert for the rest of my life, in protest.” Ok, calm down. Let’s look at the reason and what to do about it.
French people might switch to English for two reasons:
They want to be helpful by speaking English because they (believe they) speak it better than you speak French
They’re just like you: they want to practice with a native.
It’s so simple that I still don’t understand why so many people take it personally. It’s not against you!
If you’re still reading, here’s where all the fun starts. The next step is… a mind game!
If French people switch to English while you’re huffing and puffing to align 10 words without fainting in the language of Edith Piaf, keep speaking French. Do not switch to English. Keep up and either they’ll understand that you want to practice or they’ll switch back to French because of the cognitive dissonance. Yes, the first 20 seconds will be awkward but remember: it’s not against you. Show them you don’t need English, that’s all.
However, if you want to speak your mind, feel free to ask On peut parler en français ? It’s a bit blunt but it’s straight to the point and they’ll speak French to you. After they agree to it, do not forget to say Merci (beaucoup).
Try it next time you’re in Paris, Lyon or Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
One last tip of good-manners-from-your-mum: even though French people are kinder than you may think, don’t try to use your high school broken French to chat with a worker around La Défense at 8 AM. Remember, it requires some effort to understand you and without a healthy breakfast, they might not have enough energy to teach you about the subjunctive in the metro. When asking a busy Parisian for help, be quick and to the point. There are millions of tourists each year in Paris, be considerate when you’re asking your way to the Eiffel Tower. It’s probably right behind you anyway.
Rule 3: Corrections Are Love, Not Hate
French people love food, themselves and their language. That’s why you’ll impress them if your vocabulary goes beyond toilettes, photo, and Arc de Triomphe. They’ll be thankful you tried and appreciate your efforts. By reading this post alone, you’re ahead of 99% of the tourists. Félicitations !
But that’s where the real struggle starts. Yes, you got points from knowing your greetings. Yes, you earned a high-five from Marion Cotillard when they answered back in French. Now for the big test: French people will interrupt you to correct your French.
Argh! Thought you deserved a praise? A bise on both cheeks for trying?
Non !
They saw you were brave enough to speak French, and they try to help you… by correcting your mistakes. I know it can be intimidating, I know it sounds super rude, I know your brain is already so saturated by trying to make grammatically correct sentences that you can’t handle any kind of extra input. But they’re just trying to be nice.
This is where I usually tell students: unless it’s your mother-in-law, fake it if you don’t get it. As long as you know they’re trying to be nice (and not rude, but let’s say you got the point by now), accept the correction and thank them for their help.
What to say? Four steps:
Oh ! (look like you made a mistake and understand why)
Try to repeat what they said. (over-articulate)
C’est ça ? (smile)
Merci beaucoup. (look thankful)
It’s ok to fake it. Between us, “jewelry” and “dessert/desert” are still a mystery to me in English. I just gave up but always thank kind English-speaking well-wishers trying to correct me.
Note: And if it’s your mother-in-law, ask your French significant other to explain later, with a glass of Pinot Noir and a lot of empathy over your ignorance of the plus-que-parfait tense.
Rule 4: Fast Talk is a Compliment
If you thought “correcting you” was the final challenge in the game of SFIF (Speaking French in France), be ready for a surprise. “French people speaking fast” is the last obstacle you’ll face before the finish line. Good luck!
It’s a subtle but hilarious issue. Because it’s often the students’ secret wish but they end up fainting with their breakfast croissant in hand when it happens.
Why? Because when French people see that you want to speak French, that you can and that you didn’t run away when they corrected you, they’ll assume that you actually speak French. Like their friends do. So they’ll start speaking French like they do with their friends! Fast. Super fast. Lightspeed fast.
Should you fake it again? (no)
Should you run away, this time? (Oh no)
Should you switch back to English and speak as fast in revenge? (Please no)
First, you deserve a gold medal. Being spoken French to, fast, is a compliment. They accept you as one of theirs. Félicitations !
Then, what to do?
Ask them to slow down!
Here’s the way, mix and match according to your level.
Remember to breathe first or you might drool on their espadrilles, if you don’t re-oxygenate your brain before trying to form a sentence.
[Excusez-moi] Plus lentement, s’il vous plaît. [Je ne comprends pas quand vous parlez si vite.]
If you’re daring and/or advanced, just laugh and say J’ai rien pigé à ce que vous venez de dire, ça va beaucoup trop vite pour moi. They’ll laugh too.
Rule #5: Merde Happens.
One last thing before your next romantic week-end in the City of Loooove. No matter how motivated, prepared and fluent you are, sometimes, sh*t happens.
Maybe at some point during your stay, between a boat trip on the River Seine and a guided tour in the Musée d’Orsay, a French speaker is rude to you.
On behalf of 59,999,999 French people, I’m sorry.
If you followed all the rules, got your vocabulary in check and your best smile on board, that’s just bad luck. Maybe they didn’t mean it, maybe they did, maybe they’re upset because their goldfish has the flu… Yes it sucks. But, no, all French people don’t hate you. Don’t take it personally and move on.
Please don’t let this merde get in the way of a lovely time in my country.
S’il te plait. :)
In Conclusion: You Can Speak French in France
The cliché of French people being rude, cold and arrogant will never die, no matter how many “likes” this post gets on Facebook. But I hope that now, you’re confident that you can go beyond it and enjoy your time in France. No matter how closed they seem, all cultures carry their own rules to unlock them. All it takes is knowing those rules. And now that you do, I’ll raise my glass of bordeaux to your success in France. Santé !
The post Merde Happens: Why Are French People so Rude? (And What to Do about It) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
February 12, 2018
28 Beautiful Words for Love from Around the World – and Their Literal Translations into English
In fact, there are more words for “love “ than there are languages in the world. Let me explain with an example:
The Japanese language has dozens of ways to say “you”. There are polite forms, very polite forms, impolite forms and downright rude forms.
There are different ways of addressing men and women, immediate superiors, higher superiors, inferior colleagues, male children, female children, your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse. There are even different ways to address a suspected criminal depending on whether they’ve just been accused, are on trial, or have been convicted.
Do all these different words for “you” exist just to annoy foreigners learning Japanese? Of course not. They’re integral to Japanese culture, and they give foreigners valuable insight into an intangible aspect of that culture, namely that status and relationships are very important in Japan.
Likewise, there are many languages that have several different ways to express the concept of love. What do you suppose this says about those cultures?
English has a few different words for different kinds of love, including fondness, affection, and infatuation (though one could argue that not all of these are actually types of love). But when it comes to the word “love” itself, this one word can express all of these concepts and more.
Consider the following English sentences:
I love my husband/wife
I love my mother
I love my best friend
I love learning languages
I love Mondays
No matter what kind of love we’re talking about in English, we can use one single word for it: “love”. This is as baffling to some students of English as all the different forms of “you” are to people learning Japanese.
Why should the concept of romantic love (“I love my husband/wife”) use the same word as parental love (“I love my mother”), or love of an object?
In English, the word “love” has become diluted so that it can be used in place of “like”. In some languages, the difference is very important. Is the English language limited by not putting much value on this difference? Monolingual English speakers would probably say no, but that’s because they don’t have anything to compare it to.
The truth is, the more languages you learn, the more you see the benefit of having various ways to refer to “love”.
Let’s take a look at how some languages express the idea of love. Some languages have just one or two words, like English. Others have many more, and they’re as integral to the culture as all the different Japanese words for “you” are to Japanese culture.
1. Greek Words for Love
Greek famously has four main words for love:
Έρωτας (Erotas) (known as Έρως (Eros) in Ancient Greek): This refers only to romantic love or courtship. You’ll recognize it as the root of the English word erotic
Aγάπη (Agape): In Ancient Greek, this word described a spiritual or charitable love, such as the love that God has for man. This word is used often in the Greek translation of the Bible. In modern Greek, its definition is more broad, and can be used to express love for family or a romantic partner.
Φιλία (Philia): The general word for non-romantic love between equals, such as between friends and family, or love for activities. You’ll recognize this word as a suffix of several English words, such as “cinephile” (film lover) or “francophile” (French language lover). This word isn’t used as often today as it was in Ancient Greek.
Στοργή (Storgé): This is the word used to describe the natural affection that exists between parents and children. This word is also more rare today than it was in ancient times
2. Love in American Sign Language
ASL is a language unto itself. It doesn’t just translate words directly from English into signs, as many people think. ASL grammar is also very different from English grammar. ASL has two ways to say the English word “love” (video credits: Signing Savvy: ASL videos and learning resources):
1. Love for actions or objects (e.g. “I love learning languages”). This word is signed by kissing the back of your fist:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfhRwaiDwC0
2. Love for living beings (e.g. “I love my mother/spouse/dog”). This word is signed by crossing your arms over your chest and “hugging” yourself:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzmADH2HzBQ
3. Japanese Words for Love
As you’ve probably already guessed from the introduction, Japanese is a highly nuanced language. This goes for a concept like “love” as well. Though luckily there aren’t as many words for love as there are for “you”! There are two main words for the concept of love, but the usages of each are highly dependent on a variety of cultural factors.
愛 (Ai): Depending on the context, 愛 can be used to refer to several types of love, including friendships, family, and love of things or activities. It’s used as the base for constructing many different love-related words, such as 愛犬家 (aikenka; a dog lover), 母性愛 (boseiai; maternal love) or 博愛 (hakuai; philanthropy).
恋 (Koi): This word usually implies physical or romantic love, though in certain contexts, it can imply a more “selfish” type of love. It’s used in the construction of such romance-related words as 恋人 (koibito; a boyfriend/girlfriend), 恋敵 (koigataki; a rival in love) or 初恋 (hatsukoi; first love).
4. Tamil Words for Love
Tamil is the language of Sri Lanka and two states in India. It’s also one of the four official languages of Singapore. Its roots go back thousands of years, giving it a rich history in literature and poetry.
According to some sources, there are dozens of different words in Tamil to express the concept of love. Here are a few words:
அன்பு (Anpu): This is the general term for love. It can describe romantic love, affection, friendship or devotion.
காதல் (Katl): Katl is reserved for expressing romantic love.
ஆசை (Achai): This is the love you feel when you long for someone.
பாசம் (Pachm): The feeling of deeply connected love. You can use this word to describe parental love, for example.
கைக்கிளை (Kaikkilai): This word probably doesn’t have an equivalent in very many languages. It’s used to express a romantic love that isn’t reciprocated by the other person. It’s a great example of what a rich, nuanced language Tamil is.
5. Spanish Words for Love
While Spanish really only has one noun for love (amor), when it comes to the verb “to love”, there are three different Spanish words to choose from. These depend on context, of course.
Querer: The word querer is the general term to use when you love a person, including friends, family or romantic partners. It also translates into English as “to want”, but don’t let that confuse you. “Te quiero” is not the equivalent of the decidedly un-romantic English sentence “I want you”. It makes more sense to look at the word querer as a homonym having two distinct meanings in Spanish: “love” and “want”. Just like the word “love” in English can also refer to a score of zero in tennis, which has nothing to do with the feeling of love.
Amar: Amar is a much stronger version of querer, and is only used in a romantic way.
Encantar: You might recognize the origin of the English word “enchant” in the Spanish verb encantar. This word is most similar to the English word “love” when referring to activities. It indicates a strong like. If you’d say “I love studying Spanish” in English, then use encantar for the Spanish translation: “Me encanta estudiar español.”
6. Arabic Words for Love
Another profoundly rich and varied language, Arabic has at least eleven different words for love. These range from general terms similar to English, to very specific terms for certain phases of love that you might go through while falling deeply in love with someone. Here are a few key words from that spectrum:
حب
(Habb): This is the general word for “love”. It can describe romantic love, or love for family, activities or objects. You might recognize it as the root of the Arabic terms of endearment habib (for men) and habibi (for women).
عشق
(‘Ishq): When you’re in the “honeymoon phase” of love and are feeling a passionate love for your partner, ’ishq is the word to use. It’s the feeling you have when the initial love you felt for someone has now taken root. In fact, the origin of this word comes from the Arabic word for “vine”. This conveys the impression of the love having been planted in your heart so it can grow into passion.
شغف
(Shaghaf): This word is reserved for an intensely burning love or lust. You can use it to describe being madly in love with someone.
حنان
(Hanaan): Hanaan has several meanings, including compassion, tenderness, and loving care. It’s a common Arabic first name for girls.
7. Irish Words for Love
Irish is the first official language of my home country. People are often surprised to learn that it’s quite different from English, being a Celtic language rather than Germanic. Here are a few of the numerous Irish words to express love:
Grá: This is the all-purpose word for love, which can be used in generally the same way as the English word “love” (for loving people, places, romantic partners, etc.)
Cion: Cion roughly translates as “affection”, such as the love you might have for a child.
Searc: This is used for describing romantic love or “true love”.
Cumann: Use cumann when you want to express the love and companionship that exists between friends.
8. Sanskrit Words for Love
Sanskrit is a classical language that has influenced modern South and Southeast Asian languages at least as much as Greek and Latin have influenced modern European languages. This language has an astounding 96 words for love. Here is just a small sampling of the vast spectrum of Sanskrit words for love.
स्नेह (Sneha): Maternal love or affection.
काम (Kama): Erotic or amorous love. You might recognize this word from the title of the famous ancient text, the Kama Sutra.
अनुरक्ति (Anurakti): Passionate love or attachment.
रति (Rati): This word originally meant to enjoy or delight in something or someone. The meaning has evolved to imply a physical desire or love.
प्रिय (Priya): Meaning “darling” or “beloved”, Priya is a common given name for girls in India and Nepal.
9. Love in the Klingon Language
There’s not much to be said here. The fictional Klingon language, from the Star Trek universe reportedly has no words for love. Close translations include “unhate” and “honour”. What do you suppose this says about that culture?
This is just a tiny sampling of all the different ways there are in the world to express the complex emotions associated with love. If you know of other languages that have multiple ways to describe different kinds of love, or languages whose nuances for love can’t be directly translated into English, I’d love to hear about them ;)
Tell me in the comments!
The post 28 Beautiful Words for Love from Around the World – and Their Literal Translations into English appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
February 8, 2018
Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)
I’d seen Benny and other Fi3M writers mention it on the blog many times, but it wasn’t until the Fi3M team was given the chance to volunteer for various product reviews that I finally tried out an Innovative Language course for myself.
Rather than start a brand new language, I used Innovative Language’s ThaiPod101 course. I had never found a really satisfactory, affordable online Thai course before. So however great Innovative Language’s reputation was for European languages, I was sceptical of whether ThaiPod101 could really work for me.
To make sure my review would be as complete as possible, I committed to use ThaiPod101 for at least 10 hours, and to try out all of the available features.
So, how did I get on?
When I finished my 10 hours (which turned into 22 hours because I enjoyed myself so much) I recorded myself speaking Thai with my friend who is a native speaker. You can see the video at the end of this article.
Before we get to that, let’s take a look at what’s inside:
Getting Started with Innovative Language Pod101 Courses
Creating an account is super simple. You can do it on the web or download the mobile app for the language you want to learn (see the links at the end of this article).
If you use both the website and the mobile app, your progress will be synced between them automatically.
The number of lessons varies between languages, but some languages have over 2,000 lessons, while the more recently-added languages have a few hundred. More lessons are being added all the time.
There are various subscription tiers in every Innovative Language course, from Basic to Premium Plus. For this review, I used Premium Plus so I could review and comment on all of the features that Innovative Language has to offer.
When you first sign up, you get a seven-day free trial of the Premium subscription. You can listen to as many lessons as you want during that week to find out if it’s the right language course for you.
If you’ve tried it out and decided to subscribe, it’s time to choose a subscription plan. Read on to decide which plan is best for you.
Innovative Language Pod101 Review - Lesson Format
What are Innovative Language lessons actually like? The courses for every language follow the same format. Each lesson includes:
An audio podcast episode with two teachers who play a recorded dialogue and discuss its related vocab and grammar. Each lesson is about 10-20 minutes in length.
A PDF file of lesson notes
A lesson checklist
An audio clip of just the dialogue from the lesson (Premium subscription and up)
A line-by-line transcript of the entire lesson recording, even the teachers’ banter (Premium subscription and up)
A quiz on the lesson material (Premium subscription and up)
A recording tool to record your voice and compare it to a native speaker (Premium subscription and up)
Innovative Language Lessons as Podcasts: How Do They Work?
Audio podcast lessons are the heart of Innovative Language’s teaching method. For 10-20 minutes, you get to listen to two (or sometimes three) teachers talk to each other, and to you, about the content of the dialogue, the meaning of the vocab, cultural references, and the grammar that is illustrated in the dialogue.
These lessons are very informal, yet structured. The teachers get quite a bit of freedom in deciding how to present the content, but the general framework of every lesson is as follows:
The teachers explain what you’ll be learning in that lesson, and what the dialogue will be about
You listen to the dialogue first at normal speed, then (for less advanced lessons) at a slower speed
The teachers list key vocab from the dialogue with English translations. For certain words, they’ll give more examples of usage than what you heard in the dialogue
The lesson ends with one final playing of the dialogue
Lessons can also include:
Relevant cultural facts or trivia related to the dialogue
Grammar explanation, where the teachers discuss the main grammar rule featured in the dialogue, with examples
The Pod101 Dashboard - Navigating to Your Lessons and Tracking Your Progress
When you log in, you’re brought to your personal dashboard. Here’s what mine looks like:
The “My Pathway” section is where you track your progress and customise your lesson planning. Click “Add a New Path” to choose new lessons to add to your dashboard.
As you complete each lesson in a path, the progress bar on the dashboard will reflect that. I love having this visual representation of my progress. It’s motivating to watch the bar go from 0% to 100%.
There’s a lot to take in on the dashboard, and it might take a little while to learn where to access all of the content of the website. On the left side is a list of Quick Links to access the most often-used features. The most common link I click is “Browse Lessons”. This leads straight to a list of all available lessons, so I can jump right in and pick a lesson that looks interesting.
In the screencap below, I selected Intermediate and was presented with a list of all the intermediate lessons, with completed lessons indicated by a check mark. Doesn’t get much easier than that to find new lessons to study!
Reviewing Pod101 Material when You’re Not Completing Your Lessons
There’s way more to Innovative Language courses than just individual lessons. However, you’ll need a Premium subscription or higher to access them.
Some of the highlights of the extras you get with a Premium subscription include:
Flashcards with text and audio. You can add words from your lessons to an SRS flashcard deck for review (Note: This feature is only available when you log-in on the website)
Thai-English/English-Thai dictionary (or the dictionary for the language you’re studying)
Vocabulary and grammar databases
Core word lists for studying the most common and useful words in the language (100 words in the Basic subscription, 2,000 in Premium and up)
A personalised study programme with 1-on-1 attention from a human teacher who will answer your questions and grade assignments (Premium Plus subscription only)
Now that you have a good idea of what’s included with Innovative Language Pod101 courses, I’ll share my personal experience with ThaiPod101, what I enjoyed about the Innovative Language experience, and where I think some (small) improvements could be made.
My Experience with ThaiPod101: The Good
There’s so much to love about this programme. I’ll try to be brief, but there’s a lot to say.
Super High Quality Lessons
This is the #1 reason I kept coming back to Innovative Language, even after finishing my review.
Each lesson teaches you a nice manageable chunk of your language. It’s easy to listen to. And the teachers have personalities! Too many audio language courses have teachers that sound robotic.
The vocabulary was easy to remember because it was always taught as part of a complete sentence. If you follow all of the notes and the checklist with each lesson, you’ll come away knowing the dialogue inside and out.
Huge Depth of Content -- With Advanced Teaching in Your Target Language
Pod101 lessons go from absolute beginner (for those who don’t even know “hello” or “yes”) through to near mastery of the language. And starting at upper intermediate level, the teachers start to use the target language as the language of instruction! I’ve never seen a Thai course that gets advanced enough for the instructors to teach in Thai.
Huge Breadth of Content -- Covering (Nearly) Every Topic Imaginable
The lessons cover nearly every topic and situation I could ever expect to encounter in Thailand. Here’s just a sampling:
“Classic” situations like how to order in a restaurant, give directions or buy a bus ticket
How young men are chosen for military service
Office politics
Thai gay culture
How to behave at a Buddhist temple
The screencap below shows some of the lessons available in the intermediate series:
You also get to learn all the different levels of formality of the language. Most language courses - and this goes for European languages too - teach only the most formal way to address people. But ThaiPod101 covers it all: super polite language used with elders, formal ways to speak with strangers, informal ways to address your peers, and right through to vulgar and impolite language used only with close friends. This is true for all Innovative Language courses.
Real-World Relevance -- Learn Vocabulary You’ll Actually Use
Finally, a language course that doesn’t focus on lists of colours or obscure office supplies (seriously I can’t remember the last time I said “pencil” or “stapler” out loud even in English). You do get exposed to this vocabulary in certain lessons, but if it’s not relevant to you, you can just skip to the next lesson. There’s no rule about completing lessons in a certain order.
In the screencap below, the dialogue is about buying a bus ticket. It even contains the filler words “um” and “well then”, so you can learn how to say these in Thai. It might not be “proper”, but it really is real-world!
Content is Available Offline -- So You Can Learn-As-You-Go
This is a huge plus. I could download a bunch of audio lessons onto my phone with the mobile app at home, then go for a long walk and play the lessons without using up my mobile data.
Personalised Learning Assignments from a Real Teacher
The big selling point of Premium Plus, the top-level subscription, is the 1-on-1 instruction with a real teacher. She sent me weekly assignments to complete, like the one below:
The assignments were a great idea. They really brought me beyond the standard lesson material and made me think more independently in Thai.
My Experience with ThaiPod101: What Could Be Better
Overall, my experience with ThaiPod101 was excellent, and it easily achieves the highest rating possible for this review. That said, there were some niggles.
With the Premium Plus subscription, I would have liked the tutor to have considered my time and availability, as well as my learning needs. The assignment topics were ideal for me, and appropriate for my level of learning. That said, they were sent weekly, and some weeks I was too busy to complete them. It would be cool if they could ask “When would you like to receive the next assignment?”
Flashcards are desktop only, unless you download an extra (paid) app. I love using Flashcards to study on my phone, and I would like to see mobile flashcards become a core Pod101 feature.
The quizzes were sometimes too easy for me, and for this reason I eventually stopped using them. I like to be challenged when I’m learning a language.
Overall, these are small niggles in a world class language resource.
The Moment of Truth: Holly Speaking Thai
Here’s the video of me speaking Thai after using ThaiPod101 for 22 hours of study (note that I was already at intermediate level before I started using ThaiPod101):
httpvh://youtu.be/3qdjRRYjeW0
Innovative Language Pod101 Review: Final Thoughts
Innovative Language is the most comprehensive language programme I’ve ever come across for improving all of my skills in my target language. I plan to use it from now on as a core tool in my Thai studies, and other languages. In fact, after my Premium Plus free trial ran out, I signed up immediately for Premium using my own credit card.
My Thai vocabulary and listening comprehension skills have greatly improved thanks to this course. I understand a lot more slang words and cultural references, and vocabulary for far more situations than I could previously talk about. I’m finally progressing past the intermediate stage, where I’ve been stuck for a very long time, and am becoming an advanced Thai speaker.
I never use just a single product for language learning (unless it’s for a product review like this), but if I had to, then it would be Innovative Language.
How to Join Innovative Language Pod101
As promised, here are the links for all the Innovative Language courses.
Click on any language below to sign up for the Innovative Language Pod101 course. All courses come with a seven day free trial of Premium features:
Most popular languages:
Other languages in alphabetic order:
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February 5, 2018
“Por qué, porque, por que and porqué” – What’s The Difference?
The four terms are pronounced more or less the same. The main difference is is that por qué and porqué have more emphasis on the second syllable, while porque and porqué have more emphasis on the first, a fact that should be easy to remember if you learn the rules for Spanish accents and word stress.
The important thing is the spelling. Like who's vs. whose or its vs it's, writing the wrong porque can change the meaning of a sentence, or break it altogether. That said, like a misplaced its, people will probably be able to tell what you were trying to say. But getting it right is still important in formal writing.
So here's the only thing you'll ever need to read on the subject of the four porques. Read it, study all four cases, and practice using them. It shouldn't take too long to drill into your mind.
1. ¿Por qué? - "Why"
Which of the four versions is the most common? It's a toss-up between por qué and porque. They're perhaps the two that are the easiest to confuse with each other.
We'll cover por qué first. It means "why", and is rarely translated as any other English word.
Por qué can be used as a question, in which case don't forget both the opening and closing question marks:
¿Por qué lo hiciste? - “Why did you do it?”
¿Por qué me llamaría? - “Why would she call me?”
¿Por qué no estás aquí? - “Why aren't you here?”
Or as a reported question:
Me preguntó por qué no fui. - “He/she asked me why I didn't go.”
No sé por qué no lo hablé. - “I don't know why I said it.”
So the rule is easy to remember: if you're asking "why?", use "por qué".
2. Porque - "Because"
Por qué and porque often travel as a couple. Ask a question with ¿por qué? - "why?" - and you'll probably hear a porque - "because" - in the response:
¿Por qué lo hiciste? Porque fue gracioso - “Why did you do it? Because it was funny.”
¿Por qué me llamaría?Porque le gustas - “Why would she call me? Because she likes you.”
Por qué quieres escalar el Monte Everest? “Porque está ahí - Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest? Because it's there.”
Like "because" in English, you can use porque to link two clauses when the second explains the first:
Aún no lo he leído porque no he tenido tiempo - “I still haven't read it because I don't have time.”
Ganó porque es mas fuerte - “He won because he's stronger.”
No tenía ganas porque estaba muy cansada - “I didn't feel like it because I was very tired.”
If you're struggling to remember which way around por qué and porque go, it might help to brush up on the Spanish accent rules. Remember that qué with a question mark typically indicates a direct question. That should help you to remember that ¿por qué? is usually a question, while porque is more likely found in a statement.
If you're a beginner, you can probably stop here. Porque and porqué are much more common than the remaining two items on this list. If you try to learn the others now, you might just confuse yourself.
With that warning, let's proceed:
3. Por que - "For which"
Por que is perhaps the trickiest of the three. It means "for which", and before we get in the details, it might help to look at the English.
When you think about it, the exact words "for which" aren't actually very common in English. Using it can sound quite formal and stuffy:
"That's the prize for which I was nominated."
This sentence isn't wrong, but it sounds a bit weird. It's more natural to say "That's the one (which) I was nominated for", moving the preposition to the end.
But remember that in Spanish, a sentence can't end with a preposition. Instead, you must use a word order closer to the "stuffy" English version:
Es el motivo por que lo hice - “It's the reason why (for which) I did it.”
No entiendo la razón por que es posible. “I don't know why (the reason for which) it's possible.”
You should also use por que when a phrasal verb like preocuparse por (“to worry about”) or luchar por (“to fight for”) is naturally followed by a que:
Se preocupa por que no le guste. - "She's worried that she won't like it."
From that last sentence, you might see that por que can be a bit confusing. Don't feel too bad - this is one of those things that even native speakers mess up sometimes.
My suggestion is to spend more time studying the word que and how it's used with prepositions and in relative clauses. It's beyond the scope of this article, but the more deeply you understand how other prepositions can hang on to que in terms like en que and al que, the easier you'll find it to parse sentences where por is attached to a que.
(Quick note for grammar geeks: While this is certainly true for Spanish that you can't end a sentence with a preposition, it's a myth that the same rule applies to English. See here for more of an explanation.)
4. El porqué - “The reason”
Last but not least, and probably the easiest of the four: el porqué is a relatively uncommon masculine noun meaning "the reason".
Dime el porqué no quieres ir - Tell me the reason you don't want to come.
Creo que es el porqué de su decisión - I think that's the reason for his decision.
Porqué isn't used very often, but it's still a fun little noun to spice up your vocabulary. Again, if you're just getting started, don't worry about porqué yet. The other three cases are more important to learn.
How to Make Sure You Know the Difference Between "Por qué”, “Porque”, “Por que” and “Porqué"
As you can see, the rules aren't that complicated.
If you're struggling, I suggest you don't spend too much time studying the "rules" directly. Instead, find or create a bunch of example sentences that cover all four porques and put them on flashcards.
The more examples you see and hear of natural Spanish sentences that use these four words, the more you'll get an intuitive feel for they work.
Over to You
Do you have any advice for how to learn these four tricky Spanish words? What other similar-sounding Spanish words do you tend to mix up? Let us know in the comments.
The post “Por qué, porque, por que and porqué” – What’s The Difference? appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
February 2, 2018
German Greetings: 10 Ways to Say “Hello” in German
In this article, I'll teach you several common and useful German greetings . By the end you’ll know everything you need to know about how to say hello” in German, in every situation.
1. Hallo - “Hello”
This is the simplest way to say "hello" in German. It's a friendly, all-purpose greeting that can be used in pretty much any situation, formal or informal.
2. Guten Tag - “Good day”
Guten Tag is the German "hello" that's best-known to English speakers. It's slightly formal, but only slightly.
Guten means "good" (it's the masculine accusative form of gut). Easy! Now just add the right word for the time of day:
Before midday: say guten Morgen (good morning)
Midday until approximately 6pm: say guten Tag (good day)
6pm until bedtime: say guten Abend (good evening)
A common question: why is it guten Tag and not gut Tag? I.e., why is it guten (the accusative form of the adjective) and not gut (the nominative)?
First of all, note that Morgen, Tag, and Abend are all masculine nouns, so we know that gut must be masculine in all three phrases. But what case are the nouns?
Think about it like this. When you say "good day" to somebody, what are you actually saying? Probably something like "I wish you a good day". In German that’s ich wünsche dir einen guten Tag.
In that sentence the word Tag is the direct object of the verb wünsche, so it (and any associated adjectives) must be accusative. Therefore we must use the masculine accusative form of gut, i.e. guten. Simple!
3. Alles klar - “All clear”
If you live or travel in Germany, you'll hear people saying alles klar all the time. It means "everything (is) clear!".
It can be used as a question (alles klar?) a statement, or merely to fill empty space. What we care about here is that it's also used as a greeting, especially by young people.
Greeting someone with "alles klar?" is a lot like greeting someone with "what's up?" in English. The best way to answer alles klar? is with a simple ja, meaning “yes”. You could also reply with “Ja, alles klar, danke, meaning “Yes, everything is good thanks.
4. Was ist los? - “What’s up?”
Was ist los? is hard to translate directly.
The adjective los roughly means "separate" or "free". Asking someone was ist los? is like saying "what's up?" or "what's going on?", very similar to greeting someone with alles klar?
The confusing thing is that was ist los? can also mean "what's the matter?", i.e. it implies that you perceive that something is strange or wrong.
However, from the context and the tone of voice it's usually obvious which meaning of was ist los? is being used.
It’s similar to how some English speakers, especially Brits, use “are you alright?” (or just “alright?”) as a greeting. Depending on the context, “are you alright?” may be a genuine question and a sign of concern. But when used as a greeting, it probably doesn’t require a thought-out answer.
5. Wie geht es dir? - “How’s it going?”
"How does it go to you?" is the literal translation of this essential German phrase. You can guess at a better translation: this is a common German way of saying "how’s it going?"
When you use dir, it’s informal. In a more formal situation, you should probably say wie geht es Ihnen?
When informally addressing a group, say Wie geht es euch?
The phrase is often shortened to wie geht's? The easiest response is a simple gut, danke - "good, thanks".
6. Grüß Gott! - “God bless you”
Within and between the German-speaking countries, there’s a lot of linguistic and cultural diversity.
Not every greeting is in equal use across the entire Germanosphere. So for the next few items on this list, we'll look at some greetings that are unique to certain areas.
Grüß Gott is an expression that's only used in Bavaria (south-eastern Germany) and Austria. Literally, it means something like "greetings (from) God". A better, less literal translation is "God bless you". It's a very formal way of saying hello.
Bavarians also use Grüß dich!, which essentially means "greetings to you!". This is less formal, but it tends to be used more by the older generation than the younger.
7. Servus - “At your service”
Servus is Latin for "servant", and its use as a greeting comes from a Latin phrase meaning "at your service".
Like Grüß Gott, servus is only used in Bavaria and Austria. It can also be used to say goodbye
8. Moin! - “Hi!”
Let's move to the other end of the German map. Moin is a common greeting in northern Germany, especially in and around Hamburg. You also sometimes hear people doubling it up: moin moin!
The origins of the word "moin" are uncertain. Many think that it comes from a regional pronunciation of Morgen ("morning"), but it's possible that it also comes from a Low German word meaning "good".
Whatever the case, you can use moin at all times of day. The people of Schleswig-Holstein will love you for it.
9. Na - “Hi, how are you? Fine thanks, how are you?”
Na is another regional German greeting. It's common in the north, and people from Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland tend to struggle with it. I can't blame them, because it's hard to explain.
There's no easy way to translate na into English. It's best explained by example: when two (northern) Germans meet, one might say "na", to which the other replies "na" - and then the conversation begins. It's like "hey", "how are you?", and "fine, thanks" all rolled into one versatile syllable. Germans are famous for their efficiency, after all.
10. Hier ist… - “It’s…”
This one might not technically count as a greeting, but it's still worth including, because you're likely to say it when meeting someone... but only if you're not meeting face-to-face. Let me explain:
Imagine you're calling, texting, emailing, or otherwise communicating at a distance with someone who already knows you. If they don't recognise your voice/number/address, what do you say to let them know who it is?
In English I'd say "it's Benny", but you can't translate this directly into German (i.e. I can't say es ist Benny). Instead I'd have to say hier ist Benny - "here is Benny."
This is a subtle detail, but it's absolutely something you should know!
11. Tschüss - “Goodbye”
Now let's look at some ways to say "goodbye" in German. Probably the most common way to do this is to say Tschüss - "bye"!
Don't be intimidated by the spelling. The cluster of consonants "tsch" is pronounced just like a "ch" in English.
12. Ciao - “Bye”
Ciao is Italian in origin, but it's common in Germany, as it is in many other parts of Europe!
13. Auf Wiedersehen - “See you again”
Wieder means "again" and sehen means "to see". So auf wiedersehen essentially means "when we see each other again!"
While this is a well-known phrase that every German will understand, it's very formal-sounding and a bit old-fashioned.
14. Bis bald - “See you soon”
This literally means "until soon". So it's like saying "see you soon!". It's a friendly, informal way of saying goodbye.
What’s Your Favourite Way to Say “Hello” in German?
Have I missed any German greetings? What's your favourite way of greeting or saying goodbye to someone in German? Let me know in the comments.
The post German Greetings: 10 Ways to Say “Hello” in German appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
January 29, 2018
Sing Your Baby Bilingual! How to Teach Your Baby a Second Language Through Songs and Music
The universe is very clever. An infant can be born anywhere in the world, and from day one they possess the capacity to speak any language - they have all the building blocks to acquire any accent and make all speech sounds. But this takes up a lot of brain space, and by 12 months the baby will only retain those that are useful - the ones that s/he hears on a regular basis that are a part of their native language. You can capitalise on this ability by exposing your baby to multiple languages from an early age, thereby guarding the capability to speak with a native accent in any language. So what’s the best way to do this?
In this article, I’ll share five good reasons to sing to your baby in other languages. I’ll then give strategies you can use to make this singing with your baby part of your everyday life.
6 Good Reasons to Sing to Your Baby in Another Language
Reason 1: Singing is a Form of “Motherese”
When the excited parents to be first hold their bundle of joy in their arms, many naturally gravitate towards speaking in a baby voice to their child. Others vow never to succumb to this sometimes cutesy, over-exaggerated form of speech commonly known as “motherese,” “fatherese” or “infant directed speech,” as it will be referred to here.
Rather than silly noises and nonsense words, infant directed speech is actually a special style of speech that is characterised by a higher pitched voice, more variations in pitch than usual (high and low tones), exaggerated emotional intonation and is spoken more slowly, using greater repetition and shorter, less complex phrases.
Whatever your view on the matter, science has shown that babies respond positively to infant directed speech. In a trial conducted by Robin Cooper and Richard Aslin, two day old infants turned their heads longer towards infant directed speech when compared to the response to adult directed speech. This demonstrates not only an infant’s preference for this style of speech, but also that it may be an innate preference. The use of infant directed speech can be found in many other languages besides English, including European, Indian, Asian, African and Middle Eastern languages.
A step up and moving on from infant directed speech yet closely related, nursery rhymes and songs include many of the same elements with short phrases, repetition, musicality, varying pitch range with highs and lows and emotional inflection. A study of six to ten month olds infants showed that not only could they differentiate between sung and spoken stimuli, but also that they preferred the singing.
Reason 2: Nursery Rhymes are a Global Tradition for Teaching Babies New Things
Nursery rhymes and songs are part of a longstanding oral tradition globally. Music is a universally recognized element of human existence. In any language, nursery rhymes serve a variety of purposes. Lullabies can soothe a baby and help them to sleep. Some nursery rhymes are little singing games with a cue where the child learns to anticipate a resulting action, for example, a tickle. Many songs reinforce vocabulary through simple gestures and corresponding movements. Others help to teach numbers and counting, or use repetition to tell a story.
Reason 3: Nursery Rhymes Create a Bond Between Parent and Child
Nursery rhymes and songs are fun and engaging. They can quickly help forge a bond between a parent and child sharing the experience, increase social interaction and foster a sense of togetherness. They provide a common reference point when part of a group as a shared cultural experience. In whatever language you choose, nursery rhymes and songs help to develop communication skills, social skills, and to learn new words. They introduce the concepts of rhyming, rhythm and repetition as well as allows for playing with sounds and exploring elements such as alliteration and onomatopoeia.
Reason 4: Learning Songs is a Similar Process to Learning a Language
Fluent in 3 Months founder Benny Lewis has previously pointed out, that learning music and learning a language have similarities. Both are comprised of smaller units that come together - in music, you have a series of notes that form the melody and song and in speech you have a series of sounds (phonemes) that you string together to make words and sentences.
To take this concept further, researchers are now beginning to explore the idea that musical ability is actually essential to language acquisition and occurs at the same time, and in fact assists in the process of language learning. Yet another study showed that musical experience from as early as nine month of age improved infants’ ability to process both musical and speech rhythms.
Reason 5: Children Love to Play with Sound -- And Songs Let Them Do That
Learning to speak is naturally a very musical process which includes experimenting and creatively playing with sound, intonation, rhythm and rhyme. Song is, essentially, a musical form of speech. And if you consider that nursery rhymes and songs form an integral part of a baby or young child’s language acquisition, then the link between language and music becomes even more apparent. Songs and rhymes are a great way to help prepare a child for language before they learn to speak as they involve the ears, the voice and the brain. Singing to - and later, with - a child is a very powerful way to assist their ability to communicate.
Reason 6: Singing With You Kids Will Improve Your Own Language Skills
What if you don’t speak a second language? Having a baby is a good reason to start learning, and singing with them will help you pick up the language too. Learning a few songs is a relatively easy language goal. It’s a fun and simple way to start you on your language learning journey, and it will be an experience that you can share with your child. If you already speak another language, it’s a way to keep using it and not only that but your vocabulary will increase. As a non-native French speaker, words like “bib”, “pacifier” and “nappy” were never a part of my vocabulary until they became relevant when I had a baby! As my child has grown, my vocabulary has expanded further still.
So what are you waiting for? Pick a language and start singing! Here are my top tips to get you started:
5 Simple Ways to Sing to Your Baby in Your Target Language
1. Sign Up for a Foreign Language Music Class
Join a foreign language music group. Research has shown that babies respond better to humans rather than recorded music. So while recorded music can be used to enhance and support your baby’s learning at home, nothing beats the real human element of having a song sung to them.
For example, in South London I run a French language story and singing session for ages five and under called Les Petits Tigres. Our classes use puppets, props, sensory play, musical instruments, images, gestures and movement to engage with the children. I email lyrics to parents/carers after the sessions so they can sing the songs when they are home and continue with their learning. In my neighborhood you can also find singing classes for little ones in Chinese, Spanish and Russian so it is definitely worth having a look around you to see what’s out there.
To find a music class in your area, I’d recommend you take a look at family activity listing apps such as Hoop or Happity, local neighborhood online forums and listings, libraries and leisure centres, or Google search your target language + baby group. Larger cities often have language institutes (such as the Institut Français Royaume-Uni in London) that put on events for kids and families.
2. Make Friends With Other Parents Who Speak Your Target Language
For older toddlers who speak another language, the social aspect is incredibly important. As a parent speaking another language to your child, if that’s the only input that they get in that language then then may well be wondering why mama or papa speaks that funny language. But expose them to other people speaking the target language, particularly other little people, and suddenly you have opened their eyes to the possibilities that exist in the larger world. Making it accessible to them and showing them why it is useful is a hugely motivating factor. Spend time with other people with children in your area who speak the same language. It’s good for you to keep up your skills and great for them too. My son went to a French preschool where he had the opportunity to interact and socialise with others his own age in the target language, and he benefited by being able to play and speak with these other children in that language. Depending on where you live and how far you’re willing to travel, you can find a class, Saturday school or playgroup in nearly any language. Or you can always start your own group - there’s a great post here to help show you how to do it.
3. Listen to Music in Your Target Language at Home - and Sing Along!
Supplement your at home learning with recorded music. Put the tracks on repeat, learn the words and sing along. Pretty soon you’ll be singing to your baby all the time without a need for the recording. Nothing is better for baby then mama or papa singing to them, in whatever language! Songs with actions and gestures are a fantastic way to really engage with your child and get them involved.
Mama Lisa’s World is a comprehensive website featuring nursery rhymes and songs in just about every language. Most of them have mp3 tracks so you can hear it as well as videos, lyrics in the target language and in english, sheet music, plus a brief history and description of the song and any corresponding actions or gestures that go along with it.
You can also find numerous channels on YouTube featuring children’s songs in many foreign languages. A lot of them feature the lyrics on screen to help you sing along.
4. Get Out Musical Instruments to Play With
Music isn’t limited to just singing and it can be as simple as shaking a rattle along in time or more complex such as playing the guitar. Developing musical skills has a correlation with language acquisition, particularly as so many rhymes have a musical, rhythmic quality. This quality can be emphasised through playing along with the rhymes and songs. Get your child involved and give them a shaker or drum to bang on - a pot with a wooden spoon works great. You can make your own simple shaker with a plastic bottle filled with dried pulses. You may also like to repeat the same song, playing with the tempo and learning about opposites, doing it again slowly then again very fast.
5. Read Nursery Rhymes and Simple Stories
Read target language nursery rhyme books. The illustrations will help your child with comprehension and reading aloud to your child is widely known as being a cornerstone of literacy development, contributing to listening comprehension skills. Really engage with your child and make it interactive. For older children, encourage participation. Ask them what they think will happen. Talk about rhyming words and have them point them out to you. Make up your own alternative versions, substituting words - for example, Baa Baa Black Sheep may become red sheep, blue sheep, etc. Puppets are an excellent prop for all ages. Websites such as Little Linguist (based in the UK, with international shipping available) have a lot of great books available in over 50 languages to support your bilingual baby as well as puppets and CDs.
Do you sing your baby bilingual? Please post a reply with your favourite foreign language children’s song or nursery rhyme in the comments!
The post Sing Your Baby Bilingual! How to Teach Your Baby a Second Language Through Songs and Music appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
January 26, 2018
Days of the Week in German – With Usage Guide and Easy Ways to Remember Them
German Days of the Week
Monday
Montag
Tuesday
Dienstag
Wednesday
Mittwoch
Thursday
Donnerstag
Friday
Freitag
Saturday
Samstag
Sunday
Sonntag
Learning German is easy if you approach it the right way, and the German days of the week are easy to learn too. Most of them are similar to English, and the rest aren't too hard to memorize.
Below, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the days of the week in German. I'll cover what they are, where they come from, and how to use them. On top of that, I'll give you some tips and tricks for how to remember them.
To ask a German what day it is, you can ask "welchen Wochentag haben wir heute?" - "which day of the week do we have today?" Let's look at the seven answers you might receive:
German Days of the Week
Montag - Monday
"Monday" in German is Montag. The name comes from Mond, the German word for "moon". So "Montag" is literally "moon-day" - and in fact, that's where the English word "Monday" comes from too.
Fun fact: in German-speaking countries, Montag is considered to be the first day of the week (as opposed to some places where Sunday is considered the first).
Dienstag - Tuesday
"Tuesday" in German is Dienstag. The origins of this name are thought to go back to the old Germanic god Týr. Týr was a god of law and heroic glory. Dienstag is "Týr's day". You guessed it - that’s also where we get “Tuesday” from.
Mittwoch - Wednesday
"Wednesday" in German is Mittwoch. It's the only day whose name doesn't end in "Tag". The name simply means "Midweek".
Donnerstag - Thursday
"Thursday" in German is Donnerstag.
Donner is the German word for "thunder" - so Donnerstag means "thunder's day". The day was originally named after Thor - the Norse hammer-wielding god who was later transformed into a Marvel comic superhero. In German-speaking cultures, the Norse god Thor is known as Donar.
[caption id="attachment_23230" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Image by TNS Sofres via FlickR[/caption]The English “Thursday” is also named after Thor - “Thor’s day”.
Freitag - Friday
"Friday" in German is Freitag. You can spot the obvious connection between the English and German words.
In both languages the name comes from the god Frige (sometimes spelled "Frig").
Samstag - Saturday
"Saturday" in German is Samstag, or alternatively Sonnabend ("Sun-evening"). The latter is only heard in northern and western Germany, and never in Austria or Switzerland; Samstag is more universally understood.
Samstag comes from the Greek sambaton, which in turn comes from an older Greek word sabbaton, which is related to the word "Sabbath". It has similar roots to the French samedi and the Spanish sábado.
Sonntag - Sunday
"Sunday" in German is Sonntag. It comes from Sonne, which is the German word for "sun". So Sonntag is literally "Sun-day". Hmmm... can you guess where the English word might have come from?
How to Say “Yesterday”, “Today” and “Tomorrow” in German
If we're going to talk about days, there are some other things you should know: Gestern, heute, and morgen mean "yesterday", "today", and "tomorrow" respectively.
Morgen can also mean "morning", which can get slightly confusing.
It's usually obvious from the context whether morgen means "tomorrow" or "morning". If someone says dieser Morgen, you'll know they mean "this morning", because "this tomorrow" doesn't make sense. If you want to say "tomorrow (in the) morning", say morgen früh - "tomorrow early".
What about the days before gestern and after morgen? In English we say "the day before yesterday" and "the day after tomorrow", but German has special words: vorgestern and übermorgen respectively. So "ich werde es übermorgen tun" means "I'll do it the day after tomorrow".
Finally, you should know how to say "week" and "weekend" in German. They're Woche and Wochenende respectively. If you do something "at the weekend", you say an der Wochenende.
What Gender are German Days of the Week?
What gender are German days of the week? Easy: all German days of the week are masculine.
Remember that the word Tag is masculine, so according to the rules of German compound words, a word like Sonntag must be masculine too.
Mittwoch is an exception; it’s masculine too, despite the fact that Woche, "week", is feminine.
How to Ask “What Day of the Week is it?” in German
I’ve already mentioned that welchen Wochentag haben wir heute? means "what day of the week is it?" - but this isn't the only way to ask this question.
Here are three other ways you might hear it being asked:
Welchen Tag haben wir heute? - "Which day do we have today?"
Welcher Tag ist heute? - "Which day is today?"
Was ist denn heute für ein Tag? - "What is today for a day?"
There’s one problem with the phrasing in these questions: it's not clear whether you're asking for the day of the week or the date. Using Wochentag (day of the week) rather than Tag, as in my very first example, clears up this problem.
To ask for the date, use Datum:
Welches Datum haben wir heute? - "What date do we have today?"
Was ist das aktuelle Datum? - "What is the current date?"
How to say "On Monday… On Tuesday… etc." in German
In English we say "on Monday". In German you say "am Montag" - literally, "on the Monday".
The word am is a combination of an ("in/on") and dem (dative masculine form of "the").
So, for example, "I ate meat on Tuesday" is "ich habe am Dienstag Fleisch geessen".
When to Capitalise Days of the Week in German
As you may know, nouns in German are always capitalised. But does a word like "Mittwoch" count as a noun?
In general, yes: days of the week function like nouns and therefore must be capitalised. But there's one exception: to say you do something habitually on a given day of the week - e.g. "I do it on Mondays" - then the day is not written with a capital letter.
To go back to the meat-eating example: "I eat meat on Tuesdays" is ich esse dienstags Fleisch (Note the "s" on the end of dienstags).
How to Say "From Monday to Friday" in German
To say "from (day) to (day)", use "von... bis".
"From Monday to Wednesday, I study German" would be Von Montag bis Mittwoch, studiere ich Deutsch.
Abbreviations for German Days of the Week
In English we often write "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", and so on when we don't want to write the full name of the day.
In German they do something similar, but they generally abbreviate days to their first two letters rather than three. You can see it on this sign:
Caption: opening times - Tuesday to Thursday 10am - 5pm, Friday to Sunday 2pm to 5pm
How To Remember German Days of the Week
Hopefully, the days of the week won't take you long to learn. There's only seven of them, and they're not that different from English! But if needed, here are some tricks to help you memorize them.
First of all, make sure you're exposed to the days of the week as much as possible, so you're constantly reading them and being reminded of them.
One good way to do this is to change the settings of your phone and computer to German. Now when you look at the calendar app on your phone, you'll be reminded of the relevant vocabulary.
If you use a paper calendar, buy a German one too! Look for as many ways as possible to increase the amount of German you hear and read.
You could try memorizing the days in the form of a song. Here's one simple song that should help you learn. Here's another one that's aimed at German children. There are many more on YouTube if those two aren’t to your liking!
Finally, you can use mnemonic tricks to burn each day of the week into your brain. The basic formula goes like this:
First, for each day, think of an image that reminds you of how its German name sounds.
For example, for Dienstag you could think of the actor James Dean riding a stag.
For Mittwoch, think of Mitt Romney cooking food in a wok. For Donnerstag, you could picture yourself eating a Döner kebab.
Next, think of something that you associate with a particular day of the week. E.g. for Sunday it could be a church (even if you don't go to church yourself). For Monday it could be your alarm clock waking you up for work. For Tuesday it could be an American presidential election (they’re always held on a Tuesday). You get the idea.
Use personal connections if possible: for example if you have salsa lessons every Thursday evening, then your mnemonic for Thursday could be an image of yourself dancing at your salsa class.
Finally, create an image in your head that joins together the images you came up with. With example, for Thursday (Donnerstag) picture yourself dancing salsa while eating a Döner kebab. For Sunday (Sonntag), imagine yourself attending church under the sweltering hot sun. For Monday (Montag) picture yourself being woken up by your alarm while sleeping on the surface of the moon. For Tuesday (Dienstag) think of James Dean riding a stag while campaigning for president.
Don't be shy - the more outlandish and ridiculous the image, the more likely you are to remember it! Similarly, make it as vivid and colourful as possible. What does the scene smell like, sound like, and taste like? What emotions does it make you feel?
Create a good mnemonic, and you'll only have to think about this once - then it will be burned into your memory forever. As they say in German - einfach (“simple”)!
What Are Your Tips for Learning the Days of the Week in German?
How did you learn the days of the week in German? Do you know any other good tricks for memorizing them? Are there any points about their usage that you think I've missed? Let me know in the comments.
The post Days of the Week in German – With Usage Guide and Easy Ways to Remember Them appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
January 22, 2018
How to Use Social Media for Instant Spanish Immersion
But what if this isn’t possible for you? Not enough time, not enough money, too many kids, …
The good news is you can now create your own immersion environment with social media. It’s never been easier. The key to create a sustainable and enjoyable immersion environment is to combine your learning experience with your hobbies.
Stop watching that cat video again, and go watch that taco recipe (in Spanish) on YouTube instead.
Turn off your TV, and run to Facebook to watch live Spanish content.
Don’t worry, Trump isn’t going anywhere, you can still catch up with his hysterical tweets later on. In the meantime, go follow some other Twitter accounts to brush up your Spanish slang. Stop reading Buzzfeed, and go to Instagram to enjoy beautiful Hispanic landscapes. Leave the Kardashians alone, and jump on Snap Map to find Spanish stories.
There’s plenty to get you started in this article. And if you can’t find anything you like here, no worries. Try the resources of this page, then use the tricks we’re providing to find many other resources of your liking.
YouTube Channels to Learn Spanish
Did you know that some of the most popular YouTubers in the world are actually from Latin America? There’s a huge community of Spanish-speaking YouTubers out there. And all countries are represented (yes, even Venezuela!). So whether you want to pick up a Mexican accent, or discover recipes from Spain, you can have everything on YouTube. Below are some examples of the resources you can find.
JuegaGerman
The Chilean Pewdiepie, German, is the Spanish-speaking YouTube channel with most subscribers. He became famous with his first channel HolaSoyGerman. where he sharedfunny videos. Now he’s uploading daily on JuegaGerman where he plays online games or comments on trending videos. His first channel has subtitles in English, Spanish, and other languages.
ExpCaseros
This Spanish couple tries odd experiments you can replicate at home (or maybe not!). They also have life hacks and survival tips. All their videos have Spanish subtitles.
enchufetv
A group of people from Ecuador. They make short funny skits. Their videos are really fast! This is one of the most popular Spanish-speaking channel. Most of their videos have subtitles in English, Spanish, and other languages.
Sheryl Rubio
Sheryl is a Venezuelan actress living in Mexico. On her channel, she documents her life, and shares beauty tips. She went viral in July 2016 with her video about Venezuela, where she talked about the situation in her country, and why she left.
Easy Languages: Spanish
The four resources above feature people who speak fast. If you’re a beginner, Easy Languages is one of the best options to start learning Spanish. They interview native speakers in the street. You get access to raw content with Spanish and English subtitles. They also have simple and easy-to-understand videos to teach you the basics. Take a look at their usual street-interviews, or their playlist for very beginners to get started.
Disney Songs in Spanish
Another option for beginners is to start with Disney songs. You probably have already heard most of them in your mother tongue. This playlist has more than 40 Disney songs in Spanish with Spanish and English subtitles. Most of them are in Castilian (Spanish from Spain), and some of them in Latin America Spanish. Choose a song, listen to it several times and start repeating what you hear. Little by little you will improve your listening and pronunciation skills while learning vocabulary with the subtitles.
An Insider Trick for Finding More Spanish Videos on YouTube
If you don’t like any of the channels mentioned above, you can easily find other channels in Spanish on YouTube. Just go to the About page of a Spanish-speaking channel. In the right column, you can see a list of featured channels. These are channels recommended by the YouTuber. Now you have access to even more YouTube channels in Spanish!
Facebook Pages for Learning Spanish
Instead of scrolling down your Facebook wall, you could be watching content on Facebook to learn Spanish. Would you rather spend your next 15 minutes on Facebook jumping aimlessly from post to post, or be productive and amp up your Spanish game?
Curricé
Curricé is a Spanish singer. He documents his life on Facebook, and also posts some covers and music he makes.
YosStoP
Yoss is a popular YouTuber in Latin America. She shares a picture with her followers on Facebook every Sunday. Each one of them can edit the picture, create a meme and repost it on her Facebook page. The meme that receives the most likes is then featured in one of her YouTube videos. She’s one of my favourite content creators. She’s dynamic and has interesting points of view.
Entrena con Sergio Peinado
Sergio is a Spanish fitness coach. He talks about nutrition and shares his workouts. But he also adds comedy to his content, which makes him different to most other fitness coaches.
SuperPilopi
This Spanish cook shares his delicious recipes with his fans. He’s not your average cook though. On his page, you’ll find intriguing recipes such as meals from Game of Thrones or other famous TV shows.
An Insider Trick to Find Spanish Content on Facebook: Facebook Live Map
On the left of your wall on Facebook, you can click on “Live”. Then a map of the world appears. If you visit Spain or Latin America, you can see lives from people living in these countries. Whether you’re looking for funny Spanish Facebook pages or the news, you’ll have access to raw content in Spanish. Enjoy!
You’ll find a full tutorial on how to find Facebook Live videos here.
Spanish Speaking Twitter Users
Twitter is the best place to experience sarcasm. And yes, you can learn Spanish through Twitter. Enjoy these funny Spanish Twitter accounts!
Super Falete
Super Falete posts funny Spanish tweets. He comments on the news and makes fun of politicians.
Lucia Taboada
Lucia is a Galician journalist. She also retweets other accounts a lot. So you’ll be able to discover all sorts of Spanish-speaking Twitter accounts with her tweets.
Jaime Rubio
Jaime is a journalist, who apparently looks like Mr. Bean. He shares his ironic point of view regarding current affairs and politics.
VonChocolat
Without any taboos, Harry talks about stuff only women can experience.
petitebrunette
Blogger Petite Brunette shares her life and her troubles, with a dash of irony.
An Insider Trick: Twitter Translate is Your Friend
If tweets in Spanish are too complicated, then no worries, Twitter is here for you. Under each Spanish tweet, you’ll see a small sentence saying Translate. Click on it and you’ll see a fairly good translation of the tweet in English (or your mother tongue).
See Hispanic Wonders through Spanish Instagram Accounts
Instagram is a great place to find all sorts of Spanish resources: Food, fitness, travel, … I love Instagram because the content is visual. And it’s easy to navigate and find new accounts. So you can easily travel all over the world (virtually!) and find content you like. And all of this without even moving from your couch.
luisitocomunica
Luisito is a Mexican travel vlogger. You follow him around the world on his Instagram account. But he doesn’t share tips like most travel vloggers. Instead he documents his journey. He’s more like a journalist who shows you what life looks like on the other side of the world.
jucaviapri
Juca is a Mexican influencer. If you like cars and motorbikes, you’re going to love his page! Juca spends his days with cars and talking about tuning engines.
turismospain
The page Turismo España features beautiful pictures of the prettiest places in Spain. Now you can travel and visit the Iberian Peninsula without leaving the comfort of your bed.
andalucia_monumental
Discover Andalusia on this page. Follow them for a virtual walk in the streets of Malaga, Granada, or even Sevilla.
The Insider Trick for Finding More Instagram Accounts
I just gave you a small sample of the Spanish speaking accounts on Instagram. To find more, Google “[name of the city/region] turismo instagram”. That’s how you can enjoy the cities and places you want to see with beautiful pictures and descriptions in Spanish.
Another trick to find more Spanish accounts: use the search function. You can search by hashtags. Just use Spanish hashtags on Instagram, for example: #turismo, #playa, #futbol, #helado, #emprendedor, … You can also search by places. You want to know what’s going on in Madrid? Type Madrid, click on the suggestions and you’ll see the pictures posted by people in Madrid.
Snap Map in Spanish
With Snapchat, you can find new accounts just like on Instagram and Facebook live with a map. Go to your camera screen. Move your fingers on the screen as if you wanted to zoom out from a photo. Then the map appears, and you can choose any place in the world. You’ll see stories shared by people in these cities, as well as events, news & celebrations.
Bonus: How to Find More Social Media Channels to Learn Spanish
What you get from this article is just the tip of the iceberg. Most content creators have accounts on several social media. So if there’s a YouTuber you like, it’s very likely he also has an Instagram account. For instance, YosStoP, featured in the Facebook section, has two YouTube channels with millions of subscribers.
You now have everything you need to start immersing yourself in Hispanic pop cultures. So, what are you waiting for?
The post How to Use Social Media for Instant Spanish Immersion appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
January 19, 2018
“Hello” in French – Plus 10 More Useful French Greetings
In this article I'll teach you the French for "hello" and its variations, and give you a brief tour of the most common ways to greet a French person.
1. Bonjour - “Good day”
If you ask your teacher "how do you say hello in French?", they'll almost certainly reply with bonjour. It literally means "good day", and it's by far the most well-known French greeting.
The nice thing about bonjour is that it's the most safe and polite of all greetings in French. You can use it in any situation, no matter what the level of formality. After all, who doesn't like being wished a "good day"?
2. Bonsoir - “Good evening”
Like bonjour, bonsoir is safe and polite. The only thing that matters is the time of day - it means "good evening", so only use it at the appropriate hour!
3. Salut! - “Hi!”
Another extremely common greeting, salut is bonjour's younger, laid-back cousin. You can say it to your friends and family in informal situations. You probably wouldn't say it to your boss.
Salut can mean "bye" as well as "hello". It’s a common way to end a phone call with someone you know well.
4. Ça va? - “How’s it going?”
Ça va? is hard to translate literally. The best approximation would be something like "does it go?"
It's an extremely common way of saying "how are you?" or "how's it going?". You can also say comment ça va?, which doesn't really change the meaning.
So to say "hello, how are you?" in French, simply say bonjour, ça va? or salut, ça va?
If someone says this to you, you can respond with ça va bien ("it's going well") or tout va bien ("everything's going well"). In Quebec, you’ll often hear “not bad” as the response: pas pire, which literally means “no worse”.
Or maybe that wouldn't be honest. If things are a bit iffy, you could respond with "comme-ci, comme-ça". This literally translates to "like this, like that", and it means something like "so-so" or "not bad, not great".
Note that, in French, "how are you?" and its variants always use the verb aller (to go), not être (to be).
5. Quoi de neuf? - “What’s new?”
Quoi de neuf? literally means "what's new?". It's like saying "what's up?" in English, and is about as informal.
You can also say quoi de beau? - “what's beautiful?", which is basically the same as saying quoi de neuf?
Fun fact: in the French version of Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny says "quoi de neuf, docteur" instead of "what's up, doc?".
6. Coucou - “Hey!”
If you want to know how to say hello in French, you should know about coucou. It literally means "cuckoo", as in the bird, but you can use it as a greeting or to get someone's attention, like saying "hey!" in English.
Coucou is more commonly used by or to children; it would be considered a bit strange for an adult to say it, especially in a formal situation. Adults might use it, however, in text speak.
7. Allô? - “Hello?”
Quick: how do you spell "hello" in French? I'm not talking about the spelling of bonjour or salut. I literally mean the English word "hello". Years ago, it crossed the English channel and settled in France, where it's spelled phonetically as allô.
Unlike "hello", the only time a French person says allô is when they're on the phone. It's usually said in a rising tone like a question - allô? - when you're not sure if the other person is there (e.g. if you think the connection may have been dropped).
(Side note: In Quebec, many people answer the phone with oui bonjour? (literally, “yes good day?”). It sounds a bit strange at first, but it’s not impolite, it’s just different.)
8. Excusez-moi? - “Excuse me”
Excuse me? Excusez-moi is the polite way in French to get someone's attention. Note that it uses the vous form of the verb, ending in -ez, because that makes it more polite.
You can also get someone's attention with s'il vous-plait - "please".
9. Enchanté(e) - “Pleased to meet you”
After you greet someone in French with bonjour or salut and you both make your introductions, you can say enchanté(e), which means "pleased to meet you".
The literal translation of this word is "delighted" or "enchanted", you're saying that you're delighted to meet this person.
If you're male, say enchanté. If you're female, say enchantée. Although it doesn't matter if you forget - both words are pronounced the same!
10. Faire la bise
One final and common way to greet someone in French is to faire la bise. This isn't something you say, it's something that you do! Bise means "kiss", and faire la bise means to kiss someone on the cheek or cheeks - a common greeting in France as well as many other countries.
The exact customs around cheek-kissing vary from region to region. In some places it's only common between two women, or between a woman and a man. In other places, two male acquaintances might faire la bise too.
There are also variations in how many kisses to give. In some places you only kiss the other person on one cheek; in others you go for both cheeks, or maybe kiss them three or even four times!
If you're not sure, this map shows the results of a survey on cheek-kissing across France, with the results broken down by department (similar to a county). Which just goes to show that you can find absolutely anything on the Internet.
How do You Like to Say “Hello” in French?
I hope you find these greetings useful! Are there any ways to say “hello” in French that I've missed? What are the best ways to greet people in French-speaking countries? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
The post “Hello” in French – Plus 10 More Useful French Greetings appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
January 15, 2018
The 5-Second Rule for Language Hackers
This isn’t something that’s often talked about, so let me clear the air and say it straight up: Whether you succeed (or fail) at learning a new language has a lot to do with how you manage your emotions.
Perhaps that’s why the simplest things about language learning can often seem the hardest.
We know what we're supposed to be doing. After all, we've all heard the same advice over and over again:
"Just get out there and start speaking a language!"
"Be consistent and stick to a learning plan."
"If you think you don't have enough time, then make time!"
The truth is, we may want to learn a language, but when it comes to asserting ourselves and actually doing something about it, we often end up falling short. We want to learn a language, but our feelings about learning (or about the language) get in the way.
When we stop and think about making a change in our lives, our brain is trying very hard to talk us out of it. Learning a new language requires doing things that are both unfamiliar and scary. Our brain is afraid of these things and will employ all kinds of psychological tricks to keep us from leaving our comfort zone.
That's why being motivated and knowing what to do are sometimes not enough. We also need the ability to flip that switch inside ourselves to unlock our potential.
What is the 5-Second Rule?
The rule was conceived by bestselling author Mel Robbins who explains it this way:
"Anytime there is something you know you should do, but feel uncertain, afraid or overwhelmed, count 5-4-3-2-1 and move when you get to 1." - Mel Robbins
You're probably rolling your eyes right now. How can something so simple actually work?
Call it a Jedi mind trick, a productivity hack, or whatever you want. The 5-second rule is based on "metacognition," which in layman's terms, refers to strategies that let you defeat your own brain to accomplish your goals.
By counting down, you are interrupting the train of thought that is preventing you from taking action. When you get to "1", you move and start "doing", so that all the doubts, fears, and paralyzing thoughts won't get a chance take hold of you again.
It’ll probably take some time to train yourself to use this rule, but once you get used to it, it can be an extremely powerful tool to improve your language learning results.
Here are 4 ways you can put the 5-second rule to use in your language learning:
1. Quit Second Guessing Your Language Goals
There are countless stories about people who've learned a language in just a few months. But even after reading these, maybe you still have doubts as to whether you can really succeed.
You're not sure whether it's the right time to start learning, or maybe you don't feel ready to fully commit.
So instead of doing what it really takes to learn, you go about it halfheartedly, playing around with free apps for a few minutes a day, or passively listening to Spanish radio while making dinner.
If you're stuck in limbo, use the 5-second rule to dismiss your doubts and make a meaningful, genuine commitment to learning. It's about finding the courage to stop overthinking and start taking action.
For some people, taking action means reaching out to someone for a conversation exchange, for others it will mean signing up for lessons with a Spanish tutor, or blocking out an hour every morning in your calendar for learning.
Whatever it may be, when that countdown reaches "1", you have to physically do something.
This is as much about developing inner strength as it is about making something happen. When the rule is applied in this way it can teach you how to finally stop doubting yourself and to start believing in your abilities.
2. Take the Plunge and Start a Real Conversation
You probably already know that the best way to learn a language is to speak it.
But speaking is also one of the hardest parts of language learning for many people. Imagine this scenario:
One day, you park your car next to your office, and as you go to pay for parking, you see a man struggling with the ticket machine. He looks confused and mutters to himself: "¿Como funciona esto?" (How does this work?).
What luck! Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to practice your Spanish and help someone out at the same time?
To break the ice, a simple "¿Buenos días, usted necesita ayuda?" (Good morning, do you need help?) would do the trick.
But there's a little voice in your head that says:
"Nah, it's not worth it."
"Maybe he doesn't want your help."
"What do you say after that?"
"Look, he's starting to walk away, it's too late."
This voice is a natural defence mechanism. Its sole goal is to protect you from rejection and potential embarrassment. There's no way to completely silence this voice because it's hard-wired into your biology.
However, by counting down 5-4-3-2-1, you can act on your initial instinct and talk to a stranger before your little voice can convince you that it's a bad idea.
If you can use the 5-second rule every time you are faced with an opportunity to speak, you'll eventually become more comfortable with these situations. You'll be more relaxed, which leads to more positive interactions, and your confidence will snowball.
3. Beat Your Frustration When You Hit a Plateau
Language learning is never a linear path. You may see rapid improvement for a few months, and then all of a sudden you hit a wall:
Grammar starts to get really complicated and your brain hurts just thinking about it.
Listening to a native speaker feels like trying to catch bullets, as their words come out like machine gun fire.
You memorize new phrases but draw a blank when you actually want to use them.
Your pronunciation still sucks.
Lack of progress can be extremely frustrating and sometimes we are our own biggest critic. People have the tendency to worry and doubt themselves to the point that it becomes a force of habit.
"Maybe I'm just not cut out for this", some would say.
When these emotions reach a boiling point, that's when people give up learning a language altogether, or they "take a break" and try to pick it up again months or years later when the scars have healed.
If you ever find yourself feeling this way, taking 5-seconds to calm your emotions is just what you need. The countdown pushes the negative thoughts out of your mind and resets your brain, allowing you to take control of it.
Once you are in control, you'll be able to redirect your thoughts towards positivity and patience. Ground yourself with the realization it's normal to experience setbacks in language learning. You have to figure out what's holding you back, make the necessary adjustments, and continue to push onwards.
4. Keep Yourself from Slacking Off
Your Spanish Meetup group starts in 30-minutes. It's cold outside, and the wind is howling. Your car is buried under a foot of snow. A warm blanket and Netflix beckon you to stay at home.
"Maybe I'll just go next week." you think to yourself.
At this point, you'll probably start rationalizing this decision. Maybe next week you'll stay twice as long to make up for it. Maybe you'll watch an episode of Narcos tonight so that at least you'll get to listen to some Spanish. That's better than nothing right?
Finding the courage to start something is the hardest part. When you do show up to the Meetup, you'll probably have a great time and wonder why you were so hesitant to go in the first place. But too often people succumb to procrastination because it's always easier to do nothing.
The 5-second rule is perfect for pulling yourself away from destructive habits like this. As you are counting down, you are ignoring the lazy part of you that's telling you "I don't feel like it." When you reach "1", you're not just opening the door to the blowing snow, you're opening the door to a better version of yourself.
Sometimes it's the small decisions in your everyday life that matter the most. By accumulating little victories like this over time, you're setting yourself up for big changes and even greater results.
How to Start Practising the 5-Second Rule Today
The 5-second rule is a tool. Like any tool, the more you use it, the more skilled you become at wielding it. If you stop using it, then you'll most likely revert back to your old patterns, which are very deeply ingrained.
To ease your way into things, start with something small, like waking up in the morning. Instead of reaching over and hitting that snooze button, count 5-4-3-2-1 and jump out of bed.
As you continue to practice the 5-second rule, you'll confront the bad habits, fears, insecurities and excuses that have held you back for years.
Over time, you'll be able to conquer them, attain higher levels of confidence, and take giant steps towards becoming fluent in a new language.
So try it out yourself, and tell us in the comments about your experience with the 5-second rule.
The post The 5-Second Rule for Language Hackers appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.
