Shannon L. Kennedy's Blog: http://eurolinguiste.com/feed/, page 6

Snack-Sized Language Episode 5: Go-Getter, Goal Setting

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about goal setting for language learning and how to create an achievable goal game plan.

Listen on Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Google

Want to keep learning with us? Join Language Conqueror.

In This Lesson, You Learned:

Caitlin’s method for goal setting: Mapping out your flights of stairs to get to the rooftop view (your end goal!), and how working backward from your end result to where you are now can help you plan more carefully and clearly.

Featured Trade Secret:

Goals are great, but they’re not enough on their own. You need more than just goals. You also need systems. And these systems are the routines and tasks you put together and complete in order to reach your goals. Once you have your goals there’s still work to do. You also need to spend some time determining what steps you need to take to work towards those goals.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Language Conqueror Why Goal Setting Isn’t Enough Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

We hope you enjoyed this episode of the podcast! Let us know what you think by leaving us a review. We appreciate your reviews because they let us know what you enjoy most about the podcast so we can keep doing more of it and it helps other learners like yourself find the podcast.

You can share your thoughts on the podcast at eurolinguiste.com/review

Snag our FREE guide to passion-driven language learning

25 language learning ideas + our top 5 habit-building strategies to help you have fun reaching fluency.

You can share your thoughts on the podcast at eurolinguiste.com/review

Snag our FREE guide to passion-driven language learning

25 language learning ideas + our top 5 habit-building strategies to help you have fun reaching fluency.

Get the Free Guide

The post Snack-Sized Language Episode 5: Go-Getter, Goal Setting appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

The Russian Alphabet | Free PDF Printout

Are you learning Russian and struggling with the alphabet?

Want to jump right in and get straight to the PDF?

Get it here.

You’ll get access to my free language learning library, the Russian Alphabet PDF and loads of other useful language learning resources.

Want some context for the worksheet and my experience learning Russian? Keep reading.

Why I Learned Russian

Some time ago, I decided that I wanted to learn Russian.

It felt a bit indulgent because it was the first language I was learning for no reason other than I wanted to. Most of my languages prior to taking on Russian were for work or a trip and not “just because”.

Where did the inspiration for learning Russian start?

A while back my dad talked about enrolling in a Russian language course together, but we never got around to doing it. So I put off learning the language, even though I was still interested in learning it until he and I could study it together.

As fate (or genetics) would have it, however, my dad is too much like me. Or maybe I am too much like him?  Either way, to put it simply, he has more hobbies than he has time for, and has since given up the idea of learning Russian.

Although he has lost interest in learning the language, my own increased significantly. I knew that it was a Slavic language, and while watching a tv show (The Americans) which includes quite a bit of Russian dialogue, I realized just how much I already understood. And because I loved the series so much, I couldn’t help but want to understand better! Plus, I would always be able to teach my папа how to say a few things if he ever changed his mind.

Learning the Russian Alphabet

One of the things that I’ve heard over and over is that it’s really helpful to learn the Russian alphabet before you really start getting into the language. Since I’ve heard it so many times recently, I’ve really taken that bit of advice to heart and immediately began working through a deck on Memrise. I didn’t really feel like it was enough though, so I set out to find a printout of the alphabet to hang on my wall.

But I, unfortunately, didn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

So, I decided to make it!

And now I want to share it with you!

Download the Russian alphabet PDF and get access to my library of free language learning resources here.

I have also been hard at work collecting resources for the Russian language. You can see what I’ve put together here.

Tips for Learning the Russian Alphabet

Struggling to master the Russian alphabet? Here are a few tips to help you get comfortable learning to read and write in Russian:

1 Focus on Familiar Letters First

While Russian uses a different writing system than English, it still shares several similar letters. The letters A, E, K, M, O and T are essentially the same as their Latin script equivalents.

2 Be Wary of False Friends

There are several letters in the Russian alphabet that look similar to their English equivalents but are actually different. Be wary of these false friends!

These letters are:

B – this letter actually sounds more like “v” H – this letter is actually “n”P – this letter is the “r” soundC – this letter is the “s” soundY – this letter makes and “u” sound X – and this letter sounds more like “kh”3 Take It From There

Once you’ve had an easy win with the familiar letters and spent some time with your false friends so they can’t trick you, you can take it from there and learn the remaining letters.

4 Try Out Scripts

Scripts is one of my favorite apps for learning how to read and write in a new language. Drops also includes several lessons to help you master the Russian alphabet. Both helped me immensely when learning languages with different writing systems, including Russian.

A Few Facts About the Russian Alphabet

The Russian alphabet uses the Cyrillic script — like Serbian! It came into use in the 10th century by the Kieven Rus’ for what would become the Russian language.

The modern Russian alphabet is comprised of 33 letters: 20 consonants, 10 vowels, 1 semivowel, and two modifier letters.

“Wait…” you might be thinking. “What’s a semivowel and what are modifier letters?”

A semivowel is a letter that sounds like a vowel but really functions as a syllable boundary between a consonant and a vowel. For example, the letters y and w in English can function as a semivowel in words like “yes”, “country”, and “sew”. In Russian, the semivowel is й.

The modifier letters in Russian are ь and ъ. The way a modifier letter works is that it modifies the pronunciation of the letter preceding it. It may also alter the sound of the following vowel.

Russian cursive is a completely different animal than Russian print, and it’s worth spending some time learning as well. But to get started reading and to be able to access resources for Russian learners, learning Russian print is enough to get started.

Download the PDF.

The post The Russian Alphabet | Free PDF Printout appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

How to Use Active Recall in Language Learning

Do you struggle to remember what you learned in another language?

You’re not alone.

We often give memorization too much credit in language learning. And while there are things that need to be memorized, there’s a lot more that needs to be understood in order to successfully use the new language.

Regardless of just how much of a language is memorization versus understanding, there are things you need to memorize — particularly vocabulary.

So what do you do if you don’t have a good memory?

Before we dive in, here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

Table of Contents

What Defines a Good Memory
Strategies for Improving Your Memory
Active Recall: What It Is and How to Do It Effectively
Active Recall Strategies

In my experience as a language learner, there are three things that have proven to be effective strategies for memory for me personally: spaced-repetition, comprehensive input, and active recall. And when used in combination with one another, these prove to be a powerful formula for success.

But for now, let’s focus on one of these three pillars — active recall.

We’ll start with defining what a good memory is.

What Defines a Good Memory

To start, a good memory is subjective.

In a lot of cases, we may be good at remembering information on a specific topic, or a specific type of information like dates or numbers. Or we may be good at remembering things for a limited period of time. Or we have vivid memories from our past.

What we don’t have, most often, is amazing memory in every domain.

In the case of language, a good memory likely means (though again, this can be subjective):

You have good long-term memoryYou are not only able to remember information but also explain itYou don’t just remember information but also context (meaning you don’t just know how to handle verb tense but the context the tense needs to be used in)You have a wide active memory and not just a wide passive memoryStrategies for Improving Your Memory

Active recall, which we’ll talk about in just a moment, is a powerful tool for improving your memory. But it’s not the only tool. Here are a few more you can use:

Mnemonics

Mnemonics are a powerful tool to aid your memory. And if you’d like to learn more about them, it’s the topic of one of our Language Quests in Language Conqueror. You can learn more or sign up here!

But to summarize, there are several mnemonic devices you can use — songs, memory palaces, and rhymes are all great mnemonic strategies.

Write It Out By Hand

Today, we’ve digitized much of what we do, including our notes. But there’s a lot you can gain by writing things out by hand. There have been countless studies that prove writing things out by hand strengthens memory and recall.

Writing by hand coordinates several skills: motor skills, vision, summarizing, and comprehension. And the combination of these skills give whatever you’re learning more “stickiness”.

Focus

One of the things we most often struggle with is focus. There are lots of things demanding our attention at any given time — family, friends, that book on the shelf, the dishes that need to be done, work, notifications…

By removing distractions, we give ourselves the chance to better focus and better retain what we’ve learned.

Consistent Practice

If there’s anything I’ve taken away from my practice as both a professional musician and a language learner, it’s that something every day is more powerful than infrequent cram sessions.

A Healthy Body = A Healthy Brain

In an earlier Language Quest, we explored the connections between fitness, exercise, and language learning. Fitness is amazing for language learners because it’s a stackable habit, but it’s also a good way to prime yourself for learning. A healthy body truly does improve the health of your mind.

Sleep

When we sleep, our brains consolidate and sort everything we experienced and learned during the day. It’s also when our brains and bodies repair themselves. If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain and body don’t get the recovery time they need. This makes sleep a powerful tool for your memory.

Active Recall: What It Is and How to Do It Effectively

Active recall is a powerful strategy for remembering and understanding information. So how do you do it?

Let’s say you read a passage in your language learning coursebook. It’s an explanation of a grammar rule or perhaps something interesting about your language. Active recall is when, after completing the passage, you then summarize what you’ve read in your own words.

Essentially, you test your knowledge.

Active recall is the act of retrieving information from your brain.

And it’s not just at the learning stage.

In order to strengthen your ability to remember new information, and particularly your language, you need to retrieve it regularly.

The best part is, active recall requires very little training. In fact, it’s a skill you likely already learned. Think about all the time in school you worked on reading comprehension. You read passages and then answered questions about them.

Active recall is a similar exercise where you ask yourself questions, or test yourself on what you just read.

Active Recall Strategies

Wondering how active recall works in practice? Here are several active recall strategies you can use to learn a new language:

Close Your Book

We’re often tempted to “peek” or look at what we’ve already written down when we’re trying to recall what we’ve learned. By closing your book, app, laptop or notebook, you get to test yourself on how much you really remember.

Once you’ve done this, you can then open your book and fill in the gaps.

Write Down Questions

As you’re going through material, you likely have questions that come up as you’re learning. Active recall is a good way to use those questions to focus on what you’re learning and pick out the parts you don’t understand.

What About You?

Do you relate to any of the above? What memory techniques have you applied to language learning that have worked for you? Let me know in the comments below!

And if you’re interested in learning more about this topic or joining a supportive group of language learners, then I invite you to join me in Language Conqueror!

As a part of Language Conqueror, you get:

A video lesson introducing the QuestDaily prompts to guide you along the Quest each dayA workbook with all the exercises and instructions you need to complete the QuestA video demonstrating the Quest in action from one of our hosts (or special guests)Trade secrets: these are tricks you can use to succeed at your QuestA Side-Quest: an action you can take to help you gain the confidence you need to complete your QuestAccess to the Quest community so you can collaborate with other learners, share what you’re working on, and get supportYour Quest: the final assignment you complete to put everything you learned over the month into practice

We hope to see you in the next Quest!

The post How to Use Active Recall in Language Learning appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

100+ Conversational Croatian Words & Phrases

Want to learn Croatian? Maybe you’re struggling to find resources to help you start speaking.

When I started out, I certainly did. In fact, that’s why I created my own course!

Many of the resources I found when I started learning Croatian were outdated and they didn’t offer me a lot in terms of day-to-day conversation. Rather than learning how to say “what did you do last weekend?” I had memorized a bunch of rules involving cases and I was nowhere near conversing with my fellow Croatian speakers.

So I decided to put something together on my own so that I could feel more confident engaging in language exchanges.

And today, I’d like to share it with you.

In this post, you’ll find a short selection of the 100+ conversational phrases and words in Croatian I have available as part of a downloadable PDF I’ve put together for you as a part of my free language learning library.

Happy Croatian language learning!

Get your free PDF with 100+ Conversational Croatian Words and Phrases Greetings English Croatian HeyBokHelloZdravoHow are you?Kako si? (fam.) / Kako ste? (form.)I’m good, thanks.Dobro, hvala.Long time no see.Dugo se nismo vidjeli.Basic & Polite Phrases English Croatian PleaseMolim (vas)Thank you so muchHvala lijepaExcuse meOprostiteI’m sorryŽao mi jeThank you for your time.Zahvaljujem na vašem vremenu.Get the Conversation Rolling English Croatian What’s new?Šta ima novo?What are you plans this weekend?Kakvi su vam planovi za vikend?How is your family?Kako je vaša obitelj?What do you do in your free time?Što radite u slobodno vrijeme?Tell me what you think.Kaži mi što mislite.Getting a Bit of Clarification English Croatian How do you say that in Croatian?Kako se to kaže na hrvatskom?I don’t understand.Ne razumijem.What are you talking about?O čemu govorite?I don’t know.Ne znam.Can you please write that down?Molim vas, možete li mi to zapisati?Words About TimeEnglishCroatianEvery daySvaki danSometimesPonekadNowSadaLaterKasnijePlentyDosta/dovoljnoExclamations & Transition Words to Take Your Speaking to the Next Level English Croatian Don’t worry!Ne brini!ExcellentOdličnaImpossibleNije mogućeLookGledajteHow horrible!Kojeg li užasa!No problem!Nema problema!That’s good!To je dobro!Wow!Joj!ExactlyTočnoThat’s a good question.To je dobro pitanje.Conversation Closers English Croatian I enjoyed speaking with you.Uživao sam govoriti s vama.I must go.Moram krenuti.Keep in touch!Ostanimo u vezi!GoodbyeDoviđenjaI’ll be right back.Brzo se vraćam.

*Please note that most of the above examples use formal language, assuming that you’re getting to know the person that you’re speaking with. I have included both the formal and familiar forms of the above phrases in the download PDF as a part of my free language learning library for your reference.

Get your free PDF with 100+ Conversational Croatian Words and Phrases

Are you learning Croatian? What are some phrases that you’ve found useful in your target language? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

The post 100+ Conversational Croatian Words & Phrases appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | August 2021

Summer is over and school is right around the corner (if it hasn’t started for you already!). We’re kicking things into gear because it’s the first year both our kids will be in school. And getting them up to speed has me feeling all nostalgic and motivated about study!

It’s time for a new analysis of my language goals as a part of Clear the List, but also a new Quest as a part of Language Conqueror!

And this month… it’s all about mnemonics.

I share different mnemonic techniques, how to use them, and so much more. So if you’re looking to improve your memory, this Quest is a great option for you.

What is Language Conqueror? It’s a course I work on with a monthly Quest focused on passion-driven learning. You can learn more, get a feel for my teaching style, and download our free PDF here: Get the Free PDF

And if that’s not enough, you can also get a feel for my teaching style with Snack-Sized Language!

Snack-Sized Language is a free podcast where we teach you snack-sized language lessons. So far we have episodes teaching general language learning tips, Japanese, French, Mandarin and Korean. Plus, we recently added Russian, Spanish, and German. Not to mention, more languages are coming soon!

You can subscribe to the podcast on your preferred podcast platform.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

And if you enjoy Snack-Sized language, we would absolutely love it if you left us a review!

And now, on to #clearthelist …

Wondering what #clearthelist is? Let me clear it up for you (see what I did there?). #CleartheList is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, and you!

We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post in the comments below.

So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

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A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste)

Last Month’s Goals

Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // We’ve been working on this, and I try to get him to use Gus on the Go a little bit each day on his own. He’s been asking a lot more questions and we often talk about words in the different languages he speaks whenever we’re in the car together.

Maintain my vocabulary learning streak. // I have been maintaining this. I have 300-400+ days for all my active languages.

Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // I have been working on this, but it seems impossible to catch up at times. At the end of last month, I had close to 1,800 videos on the list but I now am back up to around 1,900.

Keep reading Game of Thrones in Russian. // I’ve been doing a little bit of reading each day and am making steady progress with this. In a week, I read, on average, about 2,000 words in Russian.

Keep reading Eye of the World in Hungarian. // Same as above though my reading pace is much slower in Hungarian.

Maintain my weekly lessons in each language. // I have been able to do this! Back on track.

This Month’s Goals

Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As usual, I’d like to continue to incorporate this more and more until we’re an OPOL household. It’s a work in progress!

Maintain my vocabulary learning streak. // This has been a great way to rebuild my language routine, so it’s staying on the list indefinitely! I share my stats over on Instagram in my stories nearly every day, so if you’re ever curious where I’m at, you can check out my stories. Though I’d like to add Korean back into the mix because I once more, finally, have the occasion to use the language.

Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Once again, here’s even more I need to get through this month than there was the last. I hope to continue working at this in order to make consistent progress.

Keep reading Game of Thrones in Russian. // My tutor and I are working on this weekly.

Keep reading Eye of the World in Hungarian. // My tutor and I are working on this weekly.

Read everyday in Mandarin and Croatian. // I’ve kind of already been doing this, but I’d like to keep working on it.

Catch up on creating my flashcards. // I’ve fallen behind on adding new content and I’d like to catch up.

Watch one episode of Terrace House each week. // Like reading in Hungarian and Russian, I’m using Terrace House as a discussion point with my tutors. I’d like to keep on top of watching one episode a week to prepare for my lessons.

Start getting into course book study again. // This isn’t something I’ve been doing lately and I’m at the point with several of my languages where it’s needed.

Resources I Used This Month

A quick recap of the materials I am using.

What I Am Using to Learn Chinese:

LingQ – my favorite tooliTalki Lessons – I have weekly Chinese lessonsMemrise  Drops

What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

LingQListening to French radio/podcasts/music

What I am Using to Learn Russian:

Colloquial RussianLingQiTalki LessonsDropsPimsleurMemrise

What I am Using to Learn Persian:

LingQPreply LessonsDropsPimsleurTeach Yourself Complete PersianMemrise

What I’m Using to Learn Japanese:

Genki IDrops – they just added hundreds of new culture-specific words for Japanese!iTalki LessonsPimsleurMemrise

What I’m Using to Learn Croatian:

Colloquial CroatianiTalki LessonsLingQ – they added Croatian, woot woot!DropsMemrise

What I’m Using to Learn Hungarian:

Colloquial HungarianiTalki LessonsDropsLingQ – they added Hungarian, too!Memrise

What I’m Using to Learn Korean:

Memrise

Not Currently doing any study for: German, Hindi, Norwegian, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish

What I’m Using for Little Linguist

Lots of booksDay-to-day interactionitalki LessonsDuolingo ABCDropletsMovies in ChineseGus on the Go Chinese

Resources That Aren’t Language Specific

Fluent in 3 Months ChallengeTodoist (to keep all my language lessons and to-do’s organized)Notion – my new favorite app for taking notes (I just set up a template for the way I use Notion to take notes if you’re interested in duplicating it for yourself)The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

This month, I would say my method of learning has included a lot more comprehensible input than in the past because of all the reading that I’m doing. I have noticed that without studying many of the words I’m reading, my recognition and understanding has increased quite a bit. It’s a slower process than some of what I might do otherwise, but I’m curious to see how it all plays out when I stick with this method longer term.

Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month!

The post Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | August 2021 appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

100+ Useful Conversational Phrases & Words in Korean

Want to learn conversational Korean?

Learn key Korean words and phrases in important conversational topics with this post! Plus, there’s a free PDF you can download with even more useful words and phrases in Korean.

As a part of the Korean language challenge I did with Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, I thought it would be fun to share the phrase and word sheet I use as a guide to give me an extra boost when speaking Korean.

These phrases or expressions are those that I’ve found quite useful, especially as a part of those first few conversations and now, I’d like to share them with you.

As a part of the challenge, most of the focus for Lindsay and I had been to learn a bit of Korean grammar (honorifics, basic conjugation, and so on), but I also wanted to spend time learning helpful phrases for day-to-day conversations.

So rather than continuing to focus on rules involving particles, I got to learn fun expressions like “what kind of music do you like?” and get that much closer to actually conversing with Korean speakers.

In this post you’ll find a short selection of the 100+ conversational phrases and words in Korean (actually, it’s closer to 140 words and phrases) I have available as part of a downloadable PDF that you can get below.

Happy Korean language learning!

Get your free PDF with 100+ Conversational Korean Words and Phrases

Sign up for my free language learning library and get access to my Korean phrases PDF as well as tons of other language learning resources!

Korean GreetingsEnglishKoreanTransliterationHow are you/Hello안녕하세요annyeonghaseyoWhat’s new?별일 없지요 ?byeol-il eobsjiyoLong time no see오랜만이다orenmanidaNice to meet you만나서 반갑습니다mannasuh bangapseumnidaI am very happy to meet you만나서 참 반가워요mannaseo cham bangawoyoBasic & Polite Phrases in KoreanEnglishKoreanTransliterationYes네neNo아니요aniyoExcuse me (to request something)실례지만…shillejiman…Thank you감사합니다kamsahamnidaYou’re welcome / don’t mention it천만 에 요cheonman e yoGet the Conversation Rolling in Korean EnglishKoreanTransliterationPlease don’t speak English영어 로 말하지 마세요yeong-eo lo malhaji maseyoWhat?뭐 ?mwoWhat music do you like?어떤 음악 을 좋아해요 ?eotteon eum-ag eul joh-ahaeyoI like …저는 … 좋아해요jeoneun … joh-ahaeyoWhat do you do when you have free time시간 있을 때 뭐 하세요 ?sigan iss-eul ttae mwo haseyoGetting a Bit of Clarification in KoreanEnglishKoreanTransliterationWhat does this mean?무슨 뜻이에요?museun tteusieyoPlease say that one more time.다시 한 번 말해 주세요.dasi han beon malhae juseyoPlease speak slowly.천천히 말해 주세요.cheoncheonhi malhae juseyoPlease write it down.적어 주세요jeog-eo juseyoI don’t understand모르겠 습니 다moreugesseumnidaWords About Time in KoreanEnglishKoreanTransliterationSometimes가끔gakkeumAlways항상hangsangToday오늘oneulTomorrow내일naeilYesterday어제eojeExclamations & Transition Words to Take Your Korean Speaking to the Next LevelEnglishKoreanTransliterationWell…글쎄요…geulsseyoUm음eumOh my gosh헐heolFor real?진짜요?jinjjayoI think so저도 그렇게 생각 합니다jeodo geuleohge saeng-gag habnidaConversation Closers & Goodbye in KoreanEnglishKoreanTransliterationSee you later나중에 봬요najunge bwaeyoGood bye안녕히 계세요annyonghi geseyoHave a nice day좋은 하루 되세요joeun haru dweseyoSee you later.이따 봐요.itta bwayoI have to go now나 지금 가야 돼na jigeum gaya dwaeBonus

As a bonus, here is a fun video I found using some of the phrases above so you can hear how they sound!

*Please note that most of the above examples use formal language, assuming that you’re getting to know the person that you’re speaking with. 

And here’s my progress in Korean after studying the language for just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge:

Get your free PDF with 100+ Conversational Korean Words and Phrases

Sign up for my free language learning library and get access to my Korean phrases PDF as well as tons of other language learning resources!

Are you learning Korean? What are some phrases that you’ve found useful in your target language? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

You can also check out my recommended resources for Korean. Or you can dive into taekwondo vocabulary in Korean or learn a bit about Korean culture.

The post 100+ Useful Conversational Phrases & Words in Korean appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

Snack-Sized Language Episode 4: How to Say Hello in French

In this episode of the podcast, we focus on learning how to greet someone in French and you’ll learn the phrases for “hello,” “how are you,” “I’m well,” and how to greet someone in a casual way. Wondering how to how to say hello in French? You’ll learn how with these French phrases in this week’s snack-sized lesson.

Listen on Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Google

Want to keep learning with us? Join Language Conqueror.

In This Lesson, You Learned:

“Hello” in French – bonjour

“How are you” in French – comment ça va? / ça va?

“I’m well” in French – ça va

Casual greeting in French – salut

Featured Trade Secret:

When you first start learning a new language, especially one like French, pronunciation is key to being understood and understanding others. A great way to start grasping this is to increase your listening in the language. Can you find a French show, movie, music, or podcast to listen to? Even a French YouTuber you follow can work wonders! The more you listen, the better you’ll be able to speak and understand the cadence of the language.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Language Conqueror

We hope you enjoyed this episode of the podcast! Let us know what you think by leaving us a review. We appreciate your reviews because they let us know what you enjoy most about the podcast so we can keep doing more of it and it helps other learners like yourself find the podcast.

You can share your thoughts on the podcast at eurolinguiste.com/review

Snag our FREE guide to passion-driven language learning

25 language learning ideas + our top 5 habit-building strategies to help you have fun reaching fluency.

Get the Free Guide

The post Snack-Sized Language Episode 4: How to Say Hello in French appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

Get By in Croatian Season 1 Episode 1

Listen to the Podcast for Free

You can listen to the Get by in Croatian podcast for free on Apple Podcasts. Get instant access by subscribing to the podcast here.

You can also hear Get by in Croatian on: Spotify | Google | Apple

Episode Summary:Learn basic greetings in CroatianHow to introduce yourselfPurchase Options

Get the exclusive bonus audio and PDF lesson worksheet:
Download this Lesson’s Bonuses

Any questions about Croatian?

Don’t hesitate to leave me your Croatian learning questions in the comments below. It may be featured in an upcoming episode!

Also, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts to get automatic updates.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Get By in Croatian!

If you’d like to help out, then I’d be honoured if you’d take a moment toShare the episode on social media with your friends (click here for Twitter or here for Facebook)Leave an honest review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts

I’ll see you in the next episode of Get by in Croatian!

The post Get By in Croatian Season 1 Episode 1 appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

How to Learn a Language While Driving

Can you learn a language while driving?

No doubt. If you’re passionate about learning a language, you want to make the most out of your time in order to learn and improve your skills. Driving might be a great opportunity to do just that.

I remember when I was learning to speak English; I was obsessed with it. I wanted to be fluent, sound natural, and spontaneous, but there was something that was clear to me: If I wanted to achieve that, I had to go beyond my weekly lessons in the classroom. I needed to find time to keep getting that language into my head.

So, there I was, hiring an American guy to go with me on every single ride during my 2-hour commute so I could practice English and maximize my learning time. That’s how I learned to speak English.

“Are you serious?”

No, I’m just pulling your leg, I couldn’t have paid for that. Plus, I don’t think finding a native speaker to do that would’ve been an easy job.

However, I did learn a lot of English on the road, and in this article, you’ll learn to do what I did back then, so you can maximize your language learning time while driving.

After you read this blog post, you’ll be ready to hit the road and enhance your knowledge of a language at the same time. So, off we go!

Why Learning a Language While Driving Is a Good Idea

If you want to be fluent in any language, you have to understand something: weekly lessons and your textbook are not enough!

You need to make your target language part of your daily life. When I say your daily life, I mean that you have to:

Hear it every day,Include it in your daily activities, andSee it often.

In other words, you need to hang out with the language as much as you can, and in many countries driving opens up a big opportunity to spend a good amount of time learning a language.

For example, when I was learning English, I got a job for a company that had several store locations in the same city.

I had to visit each store almost every day and they were 40 minutes away from each other. So, if I had to visit 3 stores a day, then I would need to drive for 120 minutes (2 hours of driving every day).

It goes without saying that it was boring to be stuck in traffic.

My job was 6 days per week, and if I spent my time learning a language in the car, I would’ve gotten 12 hours of language learning a week without attending a classic class.

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t learning English every single time I got into my car. I love listening to music while driving as well, but what I want you to realize is that if you take some time spent doing a passive activity like driving, you could boost the overall time you spend with your target language.

Just think about it: how much time are you spending behind the wheel every week? Could you invest some of that time working on that language you want to learn?

I’m sure you could, and you’ll be glad if you do.

What To Expect When You Learn a Language Behind the Wheel

Remember the guy I said I hired to practice English with while driving? No, you won’t get that. In fact, most of the time spent learning a language while driving will be through listening.

Why? Because I want you to drive safely. If any activity involves taking your sight off the road, that is very dangerous.

Because of that, when you get into your car to learn a language, you won’t and can’t:

Use your language learning app to do the language review of the day,Call your language exchange partner,Have a textbook, obviously,Engage in grammar rules review, orTake any kind of written notes.

Yes, there are downsides for your reading and writing skills. Heck, even grammar might be mad at you because you’re ignoring it, but let it be mad.

It’s not that important anyway.

If you want to learn a language while driving, then you should place your focus exclusively on the following two activities:

ListeningSpeakingWhen Is It a Good Time to Learn a Language in Your Car?

Not all rides are suitable for language learning sessions. I learned this lesson when I offered to give my cousin a ride once. He was sick, and as soon as he got into the car he said: “I don’t want to talk, just take me to the hospital.”

I was okay with that, and since he didn’t feel like talking, I thought it was a good opportunity to play my English lessons. The funny thing was that after a couple of minutes of me listening to a story in English, my cousin began to ask questions:

“Do you understand everything you hear?”

“Are you planning on traveling, then?”

“Please don’t leave, who’ll take me to my medical appointments then?”

It was question after question, but he had said he didn’t want to talk!

The lesson? If you’re going somewhere with other people in the car, it might be a little frustrating when you’re trying to concentrate on your language lesson. So:

Do it if driving alone.Put your windows up (I’ll tell you why later, just keep reading).Make sure you won’t need to use your eyes or hands for anything else than driving.

Also, keep in mind that stress is a big enemy to learning, so don’t do it if you’re in a rush.

5 Steps to Learning a Language While Driving

Now that you know learning a language while driving may bring a lot of benefits to your progress. It’s clear that, in your car, you’ll focus solely on…

ListeningAnd speaking.

And you already know when the appropriate times are for learning a language in the car. Now, you’ll find five steps for learning a language effectively as you drive:

Step 1: Pick Your Learning Resource Beforehand

The only learning material that you should use in your car should be in audio format, but don’t wait until the last minute to select your next listening resource. Plan ahead and be ready for when you need to hit the road.

Something you can do is to set aside a specific day to organize and store the audio you’ll use during the week.

Will you practice your Portuguese as you commute? Then why not organize your audio files on Sunday and select which audio you will use during each day of the week?

Some of the resources I used to listen to back in my English learning experience were:

Audio stories,Audiobooks,Podcasts,Audio lessons, andInterviews.

It would be even better if whichever audio you choose comes with a transcription.

Why?… So you can go to Step 2.

Step 2: Prepare Yourself Before You Hit the Road

You’ll use the transcription, printed page, or the written version of whatever you’ll be hearing to read everything you’ll hear in the car before you get behind the wheel.

You shouldn’t wait until you’re in the car to read the transcription. Do it at home or your office, but don’t read as you drive.

This will be a great opportunity to get an idea of what the audio will be about, look up the meaning of new words in the dictionary, or take note of new phrases that the audio contains.

After doing that, I suggest you copy the audio files into a USB flash drive, so you can play them from it instead of your phone. I’ve had instances in which my phone would die as I was listening to an English audio, or a phone call would come in and I’d have to figure out a way to resume the audio after hanging up the call.

That might be dangerous. Plus, in most cars, the audio starts playing as soon as you plug in the device.

Step 3: Play the Audio & Repeat It Many Times.

Play the audio as you drive and take advantage of you not having to use your hands. A good way to do this is to play the audio on repeat many times.

Of course, that wouldn’t be very fun if you do so incessantly for a 2 hour drive, but make sure you don’t listen to the audio only once.

Repetition is a great way to internalize the new words and vocabulary you learn. Besides, it’ll give you time to pay close attention to how words are pronounced in your target language.

Step 4: Shadow the Audio.

This step was especially useful for me when I was learning to speak English. Since I was listening to short stories in my car, it was easier to follow and even memorize the stories by repeating them many times.

Shadowing meant that I was telling the story just as I heard in the audio, acting much like a parrot who repeats everything they hear.

You should do the same and repeat everything you hear. When I say “everything,” I mean literally everything:

Imitate the pronunciation of the speaker you hear in the audio,Use the same intonation you hear, andCopy and exaggerate the pronunciation you hear.

Heck, yell the story as you shadow it. The higher your energy when you learn your target language, the more it will stick to you.

Back when I was learning, yelling the stories in my car was pretty fun (and liberating, haha!).

This is something experts use in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming): they connect ideas with high energy and positive emotions to make it stick in your brain. This is something you can do with your target language as well.

But won’t people think you’re crazy if they see you yelling in Chinese or French as you drive?

How To Avoid Other Drivers Thinking You’re Crazy

Remember when I told you to put your windows up? Yes, this is the reason why I told you to do that. We don’t want your voice to exit the car and call attention to you from other people.

Another thing you can do is to only speak when your car is moving.

Back when I was learning, every time I stopped at traffic lights, other drivers would look at me because I seemed to be talking and saying things to myself. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I accidentally looked at the car next to me as I was repeating the story I was hearing. The driver said:

“What is it, buddy?”

That was a little uncomfortable, but I learned that I should shut my mouth every time I stopped at a traffic light.

Step 5: Stop the Audio Player

Whenever you feel ready, a good way to check your progress is to stop the audio player of your car and talk to yourself about whatever you just heard in your target language.

Don’t be afraid to have a conversation with yourself asking questions, or just form a quick summary about the audiobook, podcast episode, or interview you just heard.

Something I used to do when I listened to short stories was to retell the story myself, without having shadowed the audio. I came up with a couple of rhythms in my mind so I could sing the story and make it stick.

So, why not rap that short story you heard in your target language?

Conclusion

And there you go; this is how to learn a language while driving. To be honest, being behind the wheel was such a big advantage to me back when I was just starting my first language learning journey.

I’m sure you can get a lot out of it if you implement some of the ideas you just read. To wrap things up, we’ve seen the cons and pros of learning a language in your car in this article.

You also learned that if you’re going to do this, you need to be willing to engage only in listening and speaking, so that this doesn’t become a risky activity.

And finally, you learned how to do it in five steps:

Pick your learning resource beforehand,Prepare before you hit the road,Play the audio & repeat it many times,Shadow the audio, andStop the audio player.

The following inphographic summarizes all these steps, feel free to pin it or print it out. I’ll be useful to have these ideas in mind:

These recommendations are based on my experience, but I’m curious about yours.

Are there any other techniques to learn a language while driving that you’ve tried?

Let me know in the comments below.

About the Author:

Diego Cuadros is a blogger at Spanishtomind.com  and a Spanish online teacher. He uses stories to help Spanish lovers understand fast-speaking native speakers, so they don’t freeze and panic in conversations.

The post How to Learn a Language While Driving appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | July 2021

We’re into July and as with the start of every new month, it’s time for a new analysis of my language goals as a part of Clear the List, but also a new Quest as a part of Language Conqueror!

And this month… it’s all about learning like kids! We discuss ways it seems kids learn better than us (hint: they don’t always), how to build language islands around kids and family, and what learning hacks you can steal from what works for kids to apply to your language studies.

What is Language Conqueror? It’s a course I work on with a monthly Quest focused on passion-driven learning. You can learn more, get a feel for my teaching style, and download our free PDF here: Get the Free PDF

And if that’s not enough, you can also get a feel for my teaching style with Snack-Sized Language!

Snack-Sized Language is a free podcast where we teach you snack-sized language lessons. So far we have episodes teaching general language learning tips, Japanese, French, Mandarin and Korean. Plus, more languages are coming soon!

You can subscribe to the podcast on your preferred podcast platform.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Google Podcasts

And if you enjoy Snack-Sized language, we would absolutely love it if you left us a review!

And now, on to #clearthelist …

Wondering what #clearthelist is? Let me clear it up for you (see what I did there?). #CleartheList is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, and Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages.

We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post in the comments below.

So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

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A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste)

Last Month’s Goals

Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // We’ve been working on this, and he’s even started requesting watching things in Chinese. I was so impressed!

Maintain my vocabulary learning streak. // I have been maintaining this. I have 200-300+ days for all my active languages.

Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // I have been working on this, and I got through several videos, but I derailed myself a bit by diving into Masterclass and many of the courses there. While they aren’t language learning courses, there is a lot of great content there for other things. At the end of last month on Youtube, I had 1,774. At the end of June I had 1,758.

Keep reading Game of Thrones in Russian. // I’ve been doing a little bit of reading each day and am making steady progress with this.

Keep reading Eye of the World in Hungarian. // Same as above.

Maintain my weekly lessons in each language. // This month, I haven’t been able to do this as much as I would have liked. But I do have lessons in the books for July, so it’ll pick back up!

This Month’s Goals

Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As usual, I’d like to continue to incorporate this more and more until we’re an OPOL household. It’s a work in progress!

Maintain my vocabulary learning streak. // This has been a great way to rebuild my language routine, so it’s staying on the list indefinitely! I share my stats over on Instagram in my stories nearly every day, so if you’re ever curious where I’m at, you can check out my stories.

Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // There’s even more I need to get through this month than there was the last. I plan to continue to work through this until it gets to a more manageable number.

Keep reading Game of Thrones in Russian. // My tutor and I are working on this weekly.

Keep reading Eye of the World in Hungarian. // My tutor and I are working on this weekly.

Resume my weekly lessons in each language. // It makes sure I’m using all my languages each week and helps me a ton with accountability.

Resources I Used This Month

A quick recap of the materials I am using.

What I Am Using to Learn Chinese:

LingQ – my favorite tooliTalki Lessons – I have weekly Chinese lessonsMemrise  Drops

What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

LingQListening to French radio/podcasts/music

What I am Using to Learn Russian:

Colloquial RussianLingQiTalki LessonsDropsPimsleur

What I am Using to Learn Persian:

LingQPreply LessonsDropsPimsleurTeach Yourself Complete Persian

What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

LingQ

What I am Using to Learn Italian:

LingQ

What I’m Using to Learn Japanese:

Genki IDrops – they just added hundreds of new culture-specific words for Japanese!iTalki LessonsPimsleur

What I’m Using to Learn Croatian:

Colloquial CroatianiTalki LessonsLingQ – they added Croatian, woot woot!Drops

What I’m Using to Learn Hungarian:

Colloquial HungarianiTalki LessonsDropsLingQ – they added Hungarian, too!

Not Currently doing any study for: German, Hindi, Norwegian, Hebrew, Korean

What I’m Using for Little Linguist

Lots of booksDay-to-day interactionitalki LessonsDuolingo ABCDropletsMovies in ChineseGus on the Go Chinese

Resources That Aren’t Language Specific

Fluent in 3 Months ChallengeTodoist (to keep all my language lessons and to-do’s organized)Notion – my new favorite app for taking notes (I just set up a template for the way I use Notion to take notes if you’re interested in duplicating it for yourself)The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

This month I was reminded of the power of consistency.

With my reading in particular, I would often skip it if I couldn’t set aside at least 30 minutes. Instead, I decided to just read each day until I reached the number of LingQ’s I wanted to hit. It made the goal much more manageable and allowed me to do it more consistently. And because I was reading a little bit each day, I actually made more progress with my reading than I did when I was waiting to get that solid block of time.

Consistent practice is key!

Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

Clear The List Linkup Rules:

1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages and Shannon from Eurolinguiste.

4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

5. Share on social media using #ClearTheList

The post Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | July 2021 appeared first on Eurolinguiste.