Foreign Languages - Blog Posts

Learning a language and slang at the same time is crazy bc i‘ll use a phrase and be like „is this a slang term and acceptable in casual conversation, a rare but correct phrase, or absolute bullshit that makes me look like an idiot“

Do Europeans (and do Ukrainians) criticize for low foreign language skills?

Today, I found a post of a non-European who complained about how the Spanish criticized foreigners for nor speaking Spanish. It reminds me of posts about how Europeans hate when Americans are not bilingual or are not speaking their mother tongue.

As an Eastern European, specifically, as a Ukrainian, I personally give no sheesh whether you speak Ukrainian or not. However...

First, not all Ukrainians speak English/Spanish/French/German etc.

You cannot simply come here and expect us to speak English fluently. Elder generations speak English badly, my generation (um...actually, I am not gen Z according to our generation theory...I am Y...uummmm...however!) also refuses to speak (but learns), the youngest gen Alpha cannot speak English yet. Why? Because we cannot practice it, we have no extra money to travel all around the world (even before the war, ye know), and as an English language teacher, I have to say the methods of teaching English in Ukraine are...particularly ineffective. Same situations with less spreaded languages.

Second, we want you to speak Ukrainian.

It is a common situation (especially before the war) when a foreigner surely learns French or German but thinks English will be enough in Ukraine. You may say that is because Slavic languages are hard to (at least) speak, but many of you choose russian to learn. Moreover, there are absolutely brainless and somehow pragmatic people (yeah, Chinese, I am speaking about you) thinking it is enough to speak russian in Ukraine, the mother language of Ukrainians does not matter.

We want you to speak Ukrainian. We do not really care how bad you speak. We will surely (try to) understand you and correct if it is necessary. Our language is unique, and we want not only all the Ukrainians to speak it but also foreigners to learn.

btw how did I learn English...? well...I am a philologist of English and Chinese languages, and I have a bachelor degree (yet).

теє-то, кулєги, поширюйте допис, я пітнів і без перекладача писав, як справжній профі!

Sometimes some simple things in my life can feel so bizarre, and it's so funny, like-

Watching videos and reading fics in English is such a norm for me, I don't even recognise it as something special anymore, and then one moment when I'm casually standing and reading something, and my groupmate right next to me does a double-take on my screen and goes: "You can read this?!?" I go like, 'yeah?-'

And then it hits me. I can read it. Holy crap, I can. 🫢 I can understand words in another language. I can talk with people and they understand me! It's so bizarre. 😶

current frenchy read: La chauve suivi de la leçon by Lonesco Cantatrice

it is originally a play however it was $5 at my local bookstore so i couldn’t resist

looking 4 moots!!

my name is kat and i’m 18

about me and DNIs are in pinned post:)

I know bilingualism done fucked me up when i almost tripped walking on the street today and said out loud: "FUCKING HELL" as an automatic response...completely sincerely and unironically I`m Ukrainian you guys....I live in Ukraine...I

How the HECKKKKKK do people stick to just one language? I can’t wrap my head around that. I love learning about different languages and all and I see the value in every one and I just want to learn everything..how do people fight those urges? Like, I know I should focus on my current target language, but I’m so tempted to learn everything, even though I know I can’t and won’t..does anyone else relate and how do you combat this? T-T

tj_beastboy - W1NNER rock cover out now!!!

SoundCloud

Voloco

Yesterday’s prep for tonight’s service, the kitchen smelt absolutely DIVINE! Love being a culinary student, best scholarly choice I made lol.

My partners parents found out I’m learning Bulgarian, and now I feel more pressured to learn more, and learn faster 😮‍💨

This is my mother fr! For example, if I say the American version of an English word, or if I ‘ma però’, or if I mix up any language/sentence structures of any of the languages she knows, she will IMMEDIATELY correct me and point out why I was wrong 🥲. Like sorry Im dyslexic while you have multiple language degrees lol.

Linguists are like vampires but instead of drinking your blood they harass you about a weird irregularity in your speech that no one else would have noticed.

Had a good day of studying today, mainly focused on Русский (Russian). In college today we made banana bread and date scones which were really nice, I love being a culinary student but I really dislike the fact we have to pay for the things we bake ourselves. Apparently it was also ‘freshers’ week for universities so there was loads of stalls set up in the town centre where you would get massive discounts if you were a student.

To the boy who laughed at my Russian translation today иди нахуй! I’m trying my best here 🥲. Hey at least my bestie got my back though helping me correct it and tell me what I got wrong, forever grateful!

Saw this outside the foreign language department at school today

Nominication for study?

For those unfamiliar with the expression 'nominication,' it is a Japanese portmanteau of the words 'nomu' meaning to drink and 'komyunike-shun' or communication in English. It refers to the phenomenon of enjoying communication over a drink and is a large part of Japanese culture.

Sometimes people I have met have mused over the idea of a lesson held while drinking to enjoy English communication. Overall my instinct has always been that this is an ineffective way to study, as the best way to take away results from an English lesson is through active involvement. This includes speaking and asking questions which we will achieve in a nominication- based lesson, but it also involves writing notes and clarity of mind to put together information and new language usage opportunities. I typically chuckle and say, 'good idea' because I know these spontaneous ideas rarely come to fruition.

That opinion is formed from the core of what I believe and how I plan my language lessons, but the problem is that there actually may be some benefit to such sessions. As a student of Japanese, early on I spent time making word lists, reviewing grammar points and writing out the same kanji (Japanese version of Chinese written characters) but I could barely communicate. Part of that problem was fear, but the other half was a lack of practice. It wasn't until I joined the local festival and a Bon Odori (traditional Japanese dance to honor the recently departed) called Enshu Dainenbutsu that I started to get some practice and grow my speaking skills. On top of this, my son started soccer and I took care of driving him and cheering for him, so I had many chances to interact with other parents. I discovered that after a couple of beers I was able to communicate more and it helped me make bigger steps in my speaking ability. A Time magazine article cites a research done by British and Dutch scientists where they concluded that there is a positive influence on foreign language skills after a few drinks (not too many!)

The reason is simple enough to imagine. When we are under the influence, we worry less and we speak more freely. By eliminating the overthinking factor, I found I could have longer conversations and activate words that I had thought I had forgotten. There is also room to experiment and, if we manage to ensure that we don't drink too much, we can stay aware of people's reactions and grow. I feel a reason why this can help is that language is more than math, more than science, there is an artistic element to it as well. The brain needs to grow on many different plains to increase our aptitude and confidence, which is such an important factor in reaching the next steps in communication.

So does this sway my hardliner opinion? A little. I still think structured lessons and practice are essential, especially in a business context. However students could separately enjoy the occasional session with a private teacher or language group which may help give the students a judgement free environment in which to practice their speaking capabilities. Even some classes I have taught like to have a seasonal party to relax and enjoy English communication, but a class still needs to be centered in a classroom with a pen or pencil in your hand.

I decided I want to either start with Japanese or Korean for self studying languages again. Help me out!!

I've self studied Japanese on and off for years but I consume more content in Korean on a daily basis.

Thank you lovelies <3

What's The Best Way To Split Up Language Learning When Learning 2+ Languages At The Same Time?

For example, I'm currently studying Spanish and Korean and will be re adding Japanese in a few months. I currently try to do specific days for specific languages but find myself doing a little of both a day.

Spanish Langblr Side Blog <3

Hello lovelies!

I want to get some more practice in my Spanish studying, specifically my writing and reading skills. I want to start posting some writing in Spanish on Tumblr but I'm a bit wary of doing so on my main profile because I feel like it's going to throw off the vibe and aesthetic of my blog. That being said, I am going to create a Spanish side blog! I hope you guys will give me a follow over there and help me out with my sentence structure, vocabulary, grammar, and just how I'm doing in Spanish overall!

Username: @ros3ybabespanish

follow the side blog if you love language learning content <3

Daily Check-Ins

Hello lovelies!

Quick question for everyone. I have been debating doing my daily check ins like I used to. I feel as tho it will keep me more accountable (alongside my lovely accountability buddies), and help me realize that I've done a lot of things in a day and have things to feel proud of. What do you guys think? Should I start that back up?

Spanish Media/Input Recommendations?

Can you guys comment me some good media/input recommendations for someone learning Mexican/Spain Spanish? I' talking about any and all that you guys find interesting, whether you learned Spanish on your own or it's your native language!

Books

Podcasts

Tv Shows

Movies

Youtube channels

Songs/Musical Artists

Favorite Spanish teachers/tutors on Italki

Literally anything!

Thank you guys <3

can anyone recommend a good textbook for learning Spanish? I really like studying using textbooks and I have two from when I took Spanish classes but they are the most unhelpful textbooks ever and I absolutely despise using them unless I have no other choice.

preferably I’d like a textbook that focuses on grammar as vocabulary is pretty easy for me to pick up given how widely Spanish is spoken in my city.

I’m also open to any music, song, movie, book, tv show, and any other spanish language learning material! I want to be able to speak spanish with some of the people I work with and I think it’s a great and beautiful language for me to learn overall, and definitely will be the most helpful!

*I am still going to self study Japanese during my six week break from classes, but I am going to try to divide my time between spanish and Japanese with a stronger focus on spanish! May even start a six week language challenge during my break to keep me motivated and accountable!

so if you guys have any recommendations for someone learning spanish (and even Japanese) , please comment/reblog this!

thanks in advance <3

small break from my normal challenge posts to ask a question and get some feedback!

I’m going to start posting some language learning stuff and hopefully some study type content as well now that finals are coming up and during the following break I want to dive back into my language studies to keep my brain full of knowledge.

Can anyone recommend some resources and advice/tips?

I’m looking for (Mexican) Spanish learning resources, Japanese learning resources, and advice and tips on motivation to keep going with the language learning, some productivity and discipline tips, and just any advice and motivation you guys have in general? Even if it’s not language related and just school and study related, I would be so happy to hear from all of you guys!

I look forward to posting some more normal everyday content along side the study school and language stuff along with my challenge updates! I feel like I haven’t been keeping up with the normal content I want to post so I’m really looking forward to doing more of that now!

anywho, thanks in advance for the resources, advice, and tips! I appreciate all of you, lovelies 🩷🤍

Language Learning Goals 🎀

because I’m just starting out trying to re learn and familiarize myself with the Japanese language again, it was hard for me to think of current goals I might want to achieve, and what time frame I’d want to achieve them in. I think I will begin posting a monthly goals list because as I learn more of the language, my goals are definitely going to change. Right now I have my long term goals for Japanese and then some short term daily/monthly goals!

🌸 Long Term Japanese Goals -

conversational fluency - I want to be able to have comprehensible conversations with native Japanese speakers, and be able to understand what they say and also be able to speak the language myself

understand Japanese media - I want to be able to listen to music and watch Japanese YouTubers and Anime without subtitles

understand spoken/written Japanese - again, I want to be able to know what other people are saying in this beautiful language and also be able to read it to some extent.

My main goals long term are to travel to different parts of Japan in the coming future so being able to speak, understand, and read japanese are my biggest concerns but I’d also like to have that knowledge of writing the characters and knowing proper stroke order too, just for fun and education!

🌸 Daily Japanese Learning Goals -

Use one type of media as a passive learning tool (music, tv shows, YouTube, anime)

Study Flashcards 2-3 times (currently using my hiragana Flashcards I made on Anki)

Minimum of 2 Duolingo lessons

Practice writing the characters in an app (again, currently re learning hiragana)

1 other app lesson used as a supplemental learning tool (renshuu, Bunpo, LingoDeer, drops, etc)

My daily goals are a bit broad as this is typically what I want to do on a day to day basis for about a month of two, and then I will incorporate using textbooks, workbooks, notebooks, and really dive into the self studying and learning more structurally.

🌸 Monthly Japanese Goals (September) -

Memorize hiragana characters

Begin learning basic vocabulary (~30 vocabulary words by end of month)

Begin studying katakana characters (make Flashcards, use apps, etc)

Practicing speaking and pronunciation skills (shadow speak: use YouTube and some tv shows)

Practice realistic listening skills (YouTube videos, tv shows, anime)

Purchase Genki I and Genki II workbook and textbook + Answer Key and chart bundle

Kept a minimum of a 7 - 10 day streak on Duolingo

Joined Japanese club at my university

These are my current goals for the month of September! As the weeks continue, i will assess my progress and build new monthly goals depending on my current progress levels. I’m really excited to be doing this and sharing this journey with everyone. The biggest thing about why I made this blog the way I did was to keep myself accountable for my goals and that is exactly what I plan on doing; reaching my goals!

I so deeply appreciate the encouragement and support you all show me on a consistent basis! It means so much to have this community to keep me accountable and just help keep me on track with my goals but also remind me to be kind to myself! You guys are absolutely amazing <3

Im gonna post a combined daily update for today and yesterday later tonight!

Til next time, lovelies 🩷🤍

***also, wanted to mention, none of the pictures I use are my own!!! I get them from Pinterest but I use them in my posts to keep me motivated to make my space and aesthetic in real life as similar as possible!

Current Japanese Study Routine + Resources 🎀

As you all may know, I am currently self studying Japanese and Spanish, though I am putting Spanish on the back burner for now so I can focus more on Japanese as that is where my passion lies at the moment. Lucky for me, there is a Japanese language and culture club on my university campus that I am (hopefully) going to join next week or the week after, given how busy my schedule ends up being. I thought I’d make a little post about my current routine that I use to study and what resources I am currently using and am planning on purchasing to use in order to build my proficiency in this beautiful language!

Current Resources 🩷

Apps - I am currently playing around with several apps to see which ones work for me, so here is all the apps I currently have downloaded to my iPad/phone

Duolingo - this has been a go to for all language I’ve ever tried to learn, it’s useful for me as a basic introduction to vocabulary, sentence structure, some grammar, and I just like how it involves typing, speaking, listening, and reading.

Drops - this one is just a fun little 5 minutes gamified way to learn vocabulary for me, it’s definitely a go to on my lazier language learning days

Bunpo - I like this for learning the kana but I didn’t realize it costs money to use fully so I am debating purchasing a subscription to the paid version

Write Japanese - this one I’m using to learn the correct stroke order for the kana and I like it for the most part

Renshuu - I just signed in to use this one last night and it looks interesting. I’ve seen it recommended by several blogs and even when google searching language learning and watching YouTube videos so I’m excited to try it out!

NHK for School - I saw someone recommend this on their blog and I remember using the website version in the past so I know this will be helpful when it comes to reading

Jisho - this is a dictionary app that I’ve seen recommended on so many platforms and I’m always open to a good dictionary!

Japanese - this one was recommended on a blog post and it allows you to add vocabulary and interesting phrases so I thought it’d be useful once I start on learning sentence structure and grammar

Italki - this one is the one I’m most excited to use. It connects you to people who speak and teach your target language for a set timed lesson, and it does cost money but you pay by lesson, not on a subscription basis. So if you do one lesson the first week and then another lesson in three weeks or something, you only pay for those two lessons. I’m really looking forward to trying this one out in the future once I get more comfortable with speaking.

Anki - a flash card app I am using to currently learn hiragana and will soon use for katakana and eventually kanji and phrases. I was gonna use Quizlet but I ended up liking this one better for my current needs.

LingoDeer, Memrise, Babbel, HiNative, HelloTalk, Hey Japan, Busuu, Kanji, Kana, Sensei - apps that I have and have not tried yet. I really like the ones I’ve already tried so I’m not sure if I’m going to use these ones soon but if I get bored of current apps than I at least have alternatives to turn to to continue learning

Textbooks/Workbooks/Materials - I currently own two workbooks but will include the resource I am planning on buying, as well as any stationery material I am also using!

Japanese for Busy People I - This was the workbook we had for the Japanese class I took at my university while in high school. My dad ended up buying it for me if I promised not to take Japanese classes once I went to college. (My parents don’t believe it is useful to know and they are helping pay for my education so I didn’t have a choice.) I haven’t started reusing it yet but once I am comfortable with the kana then I will resume using it.

Let’s Learn Katakana - this is a katakana writing book my older brother bought for me (he is supportive of everything I have an interest in even if he doesn’t understand it himself) and it is really useful for learning and practicing writing katakana. However I am still focusing on relearning hiragana so I will return to this workbook after I solidify my hiragana knowledge.

Genki I and Genki II textbook/workbook + answer key bundle - I am planning to buy this off of Amazon as I have heard from most people who are learning Japanese on their own that this set is really useful for self studying so of course I am going to invest in it once I get paid next week.

I am also looking for a hiragana, katakana, and kanji writing workbook to practice those skills.

Free Online Resources -

YouTube!

Anime!

Music

Manga

Anything free I can find online when google searching resources

Stationary Supplies -

Kokuyo Campus Smart Ring Binder in pink

Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens in black

Index cards

Pilot g-2 fashion pens

Zebra mild liner highlighter/markers

Papermate Mechanical Pencils

Mini notebook to carry around for vocabulary

My iPad + Apple Pencil + Goodnotes 5

My Chromebook

A lot of resources but I am trying to stick with this for the long term. A few years ago, I self studied Japanese everyday for about 2 years and gained a good understanding but fell off from studying Japanese when I went to university.

My Current Study Routine* 🎀

*when I have more than 30 minutes to study, if I only have 30 minutes or less I just mess around on my language apps

I currently do not use any workbooks or textbooks as I am trying to re familiarize myself with the language. Here’s my current study routine!

Practice Anki flashcards 3 times or until I get 85-90% correct

Practice hiragana writing in Write Japanese app (~10min)

Duolingo lessons for 10 minutes

1 Japanese language Drops lesson

Use Renshuu until I get bored (~10-15min)

Watch an episode of anime as a reward (Japanese audio with English subtitles)

I will switch this up to a more structured way of studying once I start using my textbooks and workbooks, but for now this relaxed style of learning is working for me time wise and attention wise (ADHD brain right here).

I also listen to Japanese music throughout the day and try to recall hiragana characters correctly in my head when I have the time. I also sneak in some practice when at work on my apps and whatnot. I mentioned in my last daily check in some of my favorite Japanese artists, and I also love Japanese versions of K-pop songs too! I’m currently watching Bungou Stray Dogs on crunchyroll right now, and I’m open to any recommendations for what to watch next!

If anyone has any language learning tips or resources they’d want to share, feel free to comment! It would be greatly appreciated!

Til next time my lovelies 🩷🤍

Salut!!! I am here to give you some resources that helped me learn french! <3 I will warn you that I learn very informally. I hate taking notes or like seriously studying.

Langauge Transfer- a free podcast lesson that is FANTASTIC for getting a good base in the language and for making connections from english to french. You can listen on youtube or soundcloud

netflix- once you can at least read a bit in french, i would highly recommend the show Lupin on netflix. Watching with french subtitles and then graduating to sans sous-titres will really help! It is a wonderful show and I think that Omar Sy´s accent is really easy to understand

TV5Monde- they have a really good listening comprehension test and then give you resources to improve. You might watch a video about an art exhibit and then answer some questions about it.

Youtube- I can not stress this enough. Not only can you find teachers, but you can also find native french content to practice. BUT the most useful is the comments. That's where you can learn a ton of slang and vocab

I have never been a huge soccer fan er I guess le fút lol. But i am now. Paris-Saint-Germain has a great channel with interviews and games with the players.

CRAZY SALLY

cam summers

Piece of French (teacher)

French Avec Nelly (teacher)

InnerFrench (teacher) and he has a great podcast too!!

Easy French (interviews for people learning french)

lingoni french and french with Alexa (these two were never my cup of tea but are great quality)

Duolingo- some people really do be hating on it, but it has gotten a lot better. I wouldn't recommend it as a only/primary source of learning, but it is a great supplement to get some more vocab in. Plus if you join in on the leaderboards and challenges, it is fun

I do make flashcards as a way to review vocab and I go over them when I get the chance. Quizlet made a lot of their stuff premium :( so i use Brainscape which is pretty great

The best way to get better is to talk!!!! Even talking to yourself for a few minutes a day will do wonders

Bonne chance! <3

oh my, i love you <3 merci beaucoup!

i'll definitely check out all the resources!

 chloé stafler's french cover of sweater weather slapped me across the face with a french textbook and i took the hit gladly

rediscovering my love of french and wanting to pick it up again, i used to hate it in school but now i realise how the structure of school and exams just ironically kills of the feeling of wanting to learn. please interact and tell me your fav methods of learning languages? or just your experiences with learning french in general?