Is talking to yourself a useful technique to help you learn a language? Many successful learners swear by it and, done right, it offers four clear benefits. First, self-talk (as the technique is also called) builds up confidence (by removing performance pressure). Second, it lets you focus entirely on your own voice (so you can pay attention to accuracy). Third, it's a … [Read more...]
German accusative case (one stop shop)
In this one stop shop on the German accusative case, you'll get a summary and detail on 1) What it is 2) When to use it and 3) What the special accusative case forms of certain words are. There's a clear explanation of the German case endings and my handy all-in-one table German case endings table. We'll finish with some take-away tips in summary. Let's get started! Los … [Read more...]
German nominative case (made clear)
In this post, you'll discover 1) What the German nominative case is 2) When to use the nominative case and 3) What the special nominative case forms of certain words are, including a clear explanation of the German case endings and my handy all-in-one table German case endings table. We'll finish with some take-away tips in summary. Let's get started! What is the … [Read more...]
How to find and fix mistakes in your foreign language speaking and writing
In this post, we’ll look at three easy but effective techniques to help you find and fix mistakes that you make repeatedly when use your foreign language, so that they don't solidify as permanent features of your speaking or writing. The distinction between good mistakes and bad mistakes when you use your foreign language First, let’s be clear! There's lots of scope … [Read more...]
Polyglot Gathering daily vlogs
The Polyglot Gathering is an annual, four-day get-together for language learning enthusiasts. It takes place at the beginning of the summer. We all came home from the sixth Gathering in Bratislava in May 2019 and began looking forward to the 2020 event in Teresin, near Warsaw Poland. Alas, history had different ideas! For the next two years, the event was forced to switch … [Read more...]