Speechling Official Blog

101 Basic Russian Phrases for Travel in Russia

The Russian language is wonderful if you're travelling through a country like Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and of course Russia itself! Overall, there are about 250 million Russophones spread over East Europe and Central Asia. No doubt, you'll find plenty of places there that are more than worth visiting. If you're

English

15 Common English Filler Words You Should Know

What are filler words? They're everywhere in spoken English. Learn not only what English filler words are but how to use them in English conversation.

Chinese

Chinese Conversation Tips: How to Talk to Strangers

When you're ready to take your Mandarin Chinese skills to the streets for some real life practice, how do you address people you've never met? Make sure you get off on the right foot and read these tips!

Japanese

Top 10 Classic Japanese Books for Learning Japanese at All Levels

It’s more fun—and probably more memorable—to read classic Japanese books containing fables, folktales, and legends when learning Japanese than it is to stick strictly with textbooks. Let’s step away from those workbooks for a while and add some of these Japanese books containing well-known folktales to

English

The Ultimate Guide to Learning English Verb Tenses

Most of you can agree with me when I say: English has confusing verb tenses! For example, saying “I play the guitar” has a much different meaning than “I’m playing the guitar.” The English language requires you to not only conjugate verbs into the past, present, or future, but

Italian

How to Write a Formal Letter in Italian

There are several situations in which you might need to write a formal letter, *una lettera formale*, in Italian, such as cover letters, formal emails, and scholarship applications, and this article will give you the formal letter writing skills for them all.

Spanish

How to Use Por and Para Like a Native Speaker in Spanish

How can two small words be so easy to say, but be so incredibly confusing for many Spanish learners? Whether you are a beginner in Spanish or an advanced speaker, we’re going to dive in and dissect some of the main differences between por and para.

Portuguese

Top 20 Workout Words You Need to Know in German

If you enjoy working out, you know all of the keywords and phrases that go with it. As you get more familiar with German, you will start to see that they have their own workout lingo as well. From the different words to entire phrases, there is a lot of

Korean

Top 12 Korean Dramas to Learn Korean

The Korean drama craze is sweeping the globe and streaming sites like Netflix and with good reason. K-dramas are full of intense emotions about various, relatable topics. They often offer more exciting plots than the romantic storylines of their western counterparts, and super fans are obsessed with the actors and

Mandarin

How to Improve Your Handwriting for Chinese Characters

As a Mandarin learner, handwriting Chinese characters can be intimidating. Modern technology makes it easy to avoid manually writing out words, but penmanship remains a skill that is important to your learning. Script may not be necessarily useful to your day-to-day, but it helps you develop an understanding of Chinese

Japanese

Learn Japanese for Free Online with the Top 10 Apps

Today’s technology connects us to vast amounts of information all the time. So, as you begin to study Japanese, you probably have the necessary tools right in your pocket! You can learn Japanese for free by tapping into online sources and apps that come in all levels for any

French

Top 10 French Youtube Channels for Learning French

For beginners learning French, finding time to realize their language goals can be tough. If reading a French language learning book sounds boring, and taking a class is too time-consuming, you’re in luck. Now, even the busiest person can learn French for free by watching one of the fun,

Italian

How to Learn Italian With Italian Music Terms You Already Know

In this article, I will show you how to use Italian music terms to improve your Italian, especially your Italian grammar, which turns up surprisingly often in music terms.

Japanese

101 Basic Japanese Words and Basic Japanese Phrases for Travel in Japan

Travel in Japan is the ultimate goal of many Japanese students. Not only is it a fascinating and eye-opening experience; it’s a great opportunity to practice using basic Japanese words and basic Japanese phrases in a setting other than the classroom. Having a selection of basic Japanese phrases ready

German

The Best Ways to Ask for and Give Directions in German

If you've ever found yourself in a country where English isn't the native tongue, you know that undercurrent of dread as you try to reach your next destination. Even if you are simply making your way through the airport, asking for directions can leave you with a vague sense of

Korean

The Complete Guide to Korean Numbers

Counting to twenty should be simple in just about any language. After all, counting is a basic language skill, along with saying "hello" and "goodbye." If kindergarteners can do it, surely adult language learners can too, right? Well, here's some bad news and some good news

Japanese

The Ultimate Guide to Learning to Speak Formal and Informal Japanese for Beginners

If you are learning to speak Japanese, get ready to start minding your manners! Much like Spanish and French, Japanese requires that you adjust your language based on whether you’re addressing peers, coworkers, strangers, etc. This is called register, and those who are learning to speak Japanese must recognize

Korea

101 Basic Korean Words for Travel in South Korea

When you visit South Korea, you'll find that English is quite common in big international cities like Seoul or Busan. English academies and immersion schools have been flourishing for decades, so it's safe to say you'll be able to get by without speaking much Korean. However, if you want to

Japanese

Top 10 Japanese Books for Learning Japanese as Beginners

Reading Japanese books is notoriously difficult, but there’s a simple solution for those learning Japanese as beginners: read children’s books! While you have to learn thousands of kanji before you tackle Japanese books for adult audiences, some Japanese books for the younger crowd don’t use kanji at

English

Learn When to Use These Tricky English Verbs: Say, Tell, Talk, and Speak

I will tell you all about my date tomorrow! I think we will talk all night long about nothing and everything. I am going to speak to my students about bullying tomorrow. What did Kelly just say to John? Anyone else experience a headache after reading those four sentences? The

Italian

The Ultimate Guide to Italian Accents (Sicilian and 4 Other Regions)

Italian accents and dialects are very useful for Italian language learners to know. In this article, learn Learn Italian accents to help you communicate with Italians more easily.

Portuguese

Top 10 Brazilian Songs to Help You to Learn Portuguese Through Music

A great way to learn portuguese is through listening to brazilian songs. Music is good for your brain, and can help you to learn how to speak portuguese more effectively. In this article, we’re going to talk through how to combine music and language to help you to learn portuguese.

Korean

The Ultimate Guide to Ordering in Korean Restaurants

Take a step outside in Korea, turn on the television, or scroll through instagram, and you'll be confronted with a common theme: food, food, and more delicious food. This isn't surprising. The culture of eating is hugely significant in most countries, especially in South Korea. Korean meals bring people together

French

Top 5 French Recipes: Learn French with Food

Learning French can be grueling work. As a French learner turned teacher, I know that there’s more to learning a new language than memorizing and regurgitating words, phrases, and pre-written conversation scripts from decades-old textbooks. I’m also a foodie. This trait has allowed me to learn and teach