French

Conjugation & Tenses in French: 10 Tips to Get through It!

When starting to French, you will have to go through the different possible tenses and the conjugation of verbs for these tenses. In French, we have MANY different tenses. This is just the theory, because while we talk, we use only a few of them and if you want to

Spanish

5 Practical Tips for Adults to Learn Spanish Quickly

There’s a lot of debate as to the best ways adults can learn Spanish. If you ask on language learning forums, you’ll find every answer possible. Immersion, books, apps, software, travel to a Spanish speaking country are all possible answers. The truth is, there´s not a one

Mandarin

Is Top Down or Bottom Up Processing Best When Learning Chinese?

You might have heard of top down or bottom up language learning techniques. If not, don’t worry, by the time you finish this article you’ll know what they are and the advantages and disadvantages of using them. You’ll also know in what ways to use them to

French

12 False Friends to Know When Learning French

When learning new languages, one common technique to significantly improve your vocabulary is to identify the Cognate words, also known as true friends. These words are words that you recognize from your native language and mean the same thing in another language. For example opinion is the same word and

Spanish

Best Practices for Doing Business in Spanish Speaking Countries

Hi, I’m Heather. I help people ……. What do you do? How many times have you heard that in networking meetings and social gatherings? For a lot of people, especially Americans, talking about what we do before talking about who we are is an easy way to get to know

French

4 Tips to Improve Your Conversational French

Building up your French conversation skills is one of the hardest parts of the learning process. If you went down the conventional approach, you may have studied the grammar and learned the key vocabulary items that you need for day-to-day interactions. However, you may have faced a hurdle when it

Spanish

The 5 Best Countries to Learn Spanish

Language is incredible. Think about what it really is. In essence, language is just humans creating sounds or making lines on a piece of paper that represent thousands of thoughts, feelings, and desires. However, there are also thousands of languages out there, so communicating with everyone in the world can

English

7 Easy Ways to Learn English Online

Whether it’s tirelessly chatting with friends or uploading thousands of selfies on social media on a daily basis, the English learners of today generally don’t utilize the abundance of online resources to their benefit. I am super critical of my students for using their phones and computers way

Mandarin

The Best Speech Techniques to Avoid Sounding Like a Foreigner in Chinese

Chinglish. We've all heard it. It's that cross between Chinese and English which just doesn't sound quite right but still tries to be English. Well, it works the other way around as well: it's called Englese. Englese is where Chinese learners will speak in Chinese, but they incorporate elements of

French

Mental Obstacles to Overcome for French Beginners

Learning French is much more than just memorising a few nouns, learning how to conjugate verbs and mastering how to pronounce your 'r' like a native speaker. Often, a student can spend hours of precious time doing all of these things, yet still struggle to hold a conversation in French.

Spanish

Learning Spanish in 90 Days: Day 30

Today marks the day where I am 30 days into my 90-day journey. I’m officially one third of the way through my challenge to go from A1 – B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It’s a great time to assess where I’m at now,

English

The 3 Levels of English Pronunciation Mistakes

Let's address the elephant in the room real quick... Yes, there is always a big possibility you'll make pronunciation mistakes when speaking English, regardless of your proficiency level. The best thing is: you don't have to worry about it! Making pronunciation mistakes is a common part of the language learning

Mandarin

Best Oral Techniques for Showing Politeness in China (Depending on Who You’re Around)

If you don’t already know about the Chinese concept of Face, it’s probably about time you read up on it. In essence, Face relates to dignity and prestige. To lose Face is to look bad in front of others. In Chinese Society, it is vitally important what one

French

12 Useful Phrases for French-Speaking Countries

Good news if you are learning French, France is not the only country where you will be able to practice your French! French is indeed not only spoken in France but also in Switzerland (well the west half of the country), Monaco, Belgium, Canada, in some Caribbean Islands like Martinique,

Spanish

Tips to Speak Spanish in any Emergency Situation

When I moved to Spain, I moved here with my partner, who was born and raised in Marbella, on the southern coast of Spain. She’s fluent in Spanish and English. When we first got here, she did a lot of the talking and translating for me as I learn

English

Top 20 English Idioms That Will Make You Sound Like a Native

In all of my years of studying and teaching the English language, there has not been a single feature of it that has amazed be as much as words that make sense even when they don't. Sorry, let me rephrase... the English language has this tendency to provide its speakers

Mandarin

The Best Chinese Novels for Catching Culture

In an age of technology and video, it can sometimes feel as though novels no longer have a reason to exist. Movies are faster, easier to digest, and (for some) a lot more fun. But novels are still important. For every movie out there, there are at least 10 books,

French

Top French Pronunciation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

French is a tricky language when it comes to pronunciation. All kinds of mistakes are possible when not applying the spelling rules. These rules are numerous and difficult to memorize in one shot. This article is not for beginners. If you happen to be one, I wrote this reference guide

Spanish

7 Best Podcasts to Learn Spanish

Did you know that podcasts can be used to help you learn Spanish? What’s great about podcasts is that they’re convenient. You can listen to them while sitting in traffic, or during your morning jog. More and more education professionals are incorporating podcasts in their teaching plans because

English

The 5 Stages of Becoming a Native-Like English Speaker

Acquiring native-like fluency in any language is hard in itself if you're only focused on the end game. However, if you break the entire process of reaching the highest level of English language mastery into multiple stages, then it's suddenly a much easier picture to paint. Nobody can go form

Chinese

A Guide to Chinese Idioms and Chengyu, Not Just a List

Chinese idioms are called chengyu. If you’re learning Chinese, you have probably come across them before. Long lists of them, put together by other learners, or possibly teachers. But if you see one outside of a guide, how do you know something is a Chengyu? How do you know

French

Top 6 Books To Help You Learn French

Parlez-vous Français? Not really, but would you like and also need to learn how to? What if we told you that you will master this language? Oh, Mon Dieu! As a former French learner, I must say that one of the most efficient methods that helped me break the barriers

Spanish

Learning Spanish in 90 Days: Day 17

When I decided to take on the 90 Day challenge, I did so with the clear goal of becoming B2 proficient. I made a clear goal and a clear commitment to spend an hour a day learning and studying Spanish. How do you prepare to integrate a new habit to

English

Top 5 Podcasts to Help You Learn English

Someone had asked me this question before: "Is there an effective way to learn English without hitting the books?" Of course, the one thing that popped right into my mind was the usage of language learning apps on a smartphone. However, the person who asked wasn't quite fond

Mandarin

How to Create a Chinese Language Environment - Even If You’re Not in China

You don’t have to join a Chinese immersion program in China to immerse yourself in the Chinese language. In fact, you don’t even have to join a Chinese immersion program in the US. It’s more than possible to immerse yourself in Chinese from the comfort of your