Spanish

How to Learn Spanish by Embracing Hispanic Culture

The Spanish language originally comes from Spain. In 1492, the Europeans brought Spanish to the Americas, combining their culture with the existent indigenous cultures that were already there. The slave trade brought African influences to Latin America, as well. As a result, Hispanic culture is rich with a mixture of

German

6 Ways to Retain Your German Language Knowledge

Once you no longer worry about the best way to learn German, you’ll start to worry about how to retain the German you’ve learned. The more comfortable you are with a language, the stronger your desire to retain what you’ve learned. While it is pretty easy to

Spanish

7 Fun and Engaging Ways to Practice Spanish in Everyday Life

It can be difficult to learn Spanish. Staying engaged in the material is not easy, especially if you’re learning in a conventional way. Traditionally, languages are learned through translation. A teacher might ask you to translate a sentence from English to Spanish or match a list of vocabulary words.

French

Getting Around: French Vocab to Help You on Public Transit

As a French language learner, the odds are high that at some point in your life, you're going to want to try your hand at living in a French-speaking area. No matter where you end up, knowing how to get around in French is a vital part of sounding fluent

German

Books to Read to Improve Your Understanding of the German Language

Books have offered people a way of escaping from their daily lives for centuries. As someone who is learning or working to retain German, you have a lot of options. Even if you are still in the early days of learning the language, there are books for you that are

Japanese

The Top 5 Trickiest Topics in Japanese Language Classes

I’ve always thought one of the most annoying things about English is how groups of animals are counted. A smack of jellyfish? A murder of crows? A pod of dolphins? What’s going on here? If these idiosyncrasies annoy you as an English speaker, just wait until you start

Mandarin

9 Essential Chinese Words without Direct English Translations

One of my favorite things about learning new languages is discovering words that do not translate directly into English, my native language. Each of these words feels like a revelation: a new way of expressing myself and thinking about the world. I enjoy the mental challenge of explaining these words

Spanish

Ultimate Guide to Gender and Number Agreement in Spanish

Where Do Gendered Nouns Come From? In Spanish, almost everything is gendered. Nouns in Spanish are all masculine or feminine. This is common not only in Spanish, but in all Romance Languages and dates back to Latin. In Latin, there are three genders; masculine, feminine, and neuter which evolved over

German

6 Tips to Master Writing in German

Writing poses its own unique set of benefits and issues for German language learners. Since you have time to think and review what you want to say, there are better odds that you can learn the grammar and other aspects of German. Once you hit send though, all of those

French

Diving In: 8 Best French Language Immersion Programs

When it comes to learning a new language, you'll need to dedicate lots of time and effort. After all, learning French is a big endeavor and will take many years. It'll be a while before you truly feel confident and fluent in the language, but language immersion is a great

Spanish

5 Common Mistakes Even Native Spanish Speakers Make

Think about your native language. Is your grammar strong? It’s easy to think that native speakers in the language we are trying to learn have perfect grammar and make no mistakes, but this is rarely the case. Everyone has their own way of speaking, and we are all prone

French

French vs. English Pronunciation: 5 Tips to Help You Sound Fluent

As a French language learner, one of your top language goals is to sound fluent. Even if you don't know every single French word out there, your accent and how you speak can be the key to sounding fluent sooner than you may think possible. Fluency isn't just about knowing

Spanish

How to Use Reflexive Verbs in Spanish

Reflexive verbs are a challenging part of learning Spanish. Often students are unfamiliar with the concept. A reflexive verb is any verb that shares a subject and an object. In other words, the person doing the action is also receiving the action. An example might be “I wash my face.

Japanese

The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Particles

Learning a new language is like starting over. It’s almost like learning to speak again, like a baby. This can be a daunting task, especially if you’re a native English speaker tackling Japanese. Unlike what many overly optimistic “Free Learn Japanese” websites will tell you, Japanese isn’t

Mandarin

Learn Chinese Misconceptions about Foreigners before You Travel to China

Unfortunately, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking in stereotypes, whether or not these beliefs reflect reality. We may not even realize we believe a stereotype, but it can impact the way we treat other people. This is especially true of stereotypes about groups of people with whom

French

9 Best Resources to Get News for French Learners

As a French language learner, there will come a time in your language learning journey where you want to find more resources. One great way to do this is by reading the news in your target language and for French, you have a lot of different options. Reading the news

English

5 Ways to Stay Motivated While Learning English

You've been learning English for a while now, and no matter what your level is, it can sometimes be demoralizing. You might be wondering, "Is this all worth it? Will I ever get fluent?" You're not alone. Learning a language as an adult can be a years-long process,

Spanish

Learn The Difference Between Saber and Conocer in Spanish

Do you know what saber and conocer mean in Spanish? They both mean "to know". In English, we have one verb for this concept, whereas in Spanish, we have to distinguish between various situations that call for one verb of the other. In this article, you will learn

Mandarin

Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Learn Mandarin Chinese

Chinese has a reputation for being a very difficult language to learn. The U.S. State Department ranks both Mandarin and Cantonese as Category IV “super-hard languages”, the most challenging for English-speaking diplomats to master. The combination of written characters and spoken tones presents a double-whammy for those of us

French

7 French Websites You Must Know About if You Go to France

As a French learner, the odds are high that you'll want to spend time in France someday. Whether it's at the beginning of your French learning journey or in the middle of it, taking a trip to France to practice your French is a great idea. If you really want

Mandarin

How to Wish Someone Happy Birthday and Celebrate in Mandarin

Western birthday traditions like singing “Happy Birthday” and blowing out candles on a cake haven’t been around for very long. In fact, up until the latter half of the 19th century, most people didn’t celebrate birthdays. Some cultures marked birthdays for rulers or prominent members of the upper

Spanish

How to Master Spanish Commands

In this article, you’ll learn how to use Spanish imperative verbs to tell people what to do. This can be great for giving commands in the classroom when teachers want students to stand, sit, or raise their hands. It can also be used to keep people safe and tell

German

15 German Tongue Twisters to Perfect Your Pronunciation

There’s nothing quite like tongue twisters to give you a different perspective on a language, especially a language that seems as intimidating as German. There’s something playful and distracting about tongue twisters that gets the brain working in a way that is completely unique. The words suddenly don’

Mandarin

85+ Essential Workout Phrases in Mandarin

The benefits of exercise are no secret: experts at the Mayo Clinic and elsewhere say that regular physical activity can improve your mood, reduce your risk of diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, and even help you sleep better. Even if you dislike getting hot, sore, and sweaty, there

French

4 Secrets to Understanding Verlan as a French Language Learner

As a French language learner, there's nothing more frustrating than thinking you finally speak at a passable level only to encounter words and a way of speaking that you've never heard. For most French learners, verlan poses a particularly annoying difficulty. No matter how fluent you are, the odds are