How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins

How to learn a foreign language. Methods, matrials and stories to help you maximise your effectiveness on the road to fluency

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In-depth explorations, actionable tips and inspiring conversations for language learners who REALLY want to get fluent…..plus a little bit of fun along the way.

Olly Richard’s new Uncovered (Intermediate): review

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Uncovered Intermediate language course

(Updated 8 December 2022) Uncovered (Intermediate) are the new courses for Spanish, German, French, Italian or Japanese from Olly Richards at StoryLearning. I’ve been exploring the courses from the inside and here’s my review: first in overview, then in depth. Listen up if you are at lower intermediate and looking for the materials - and a method - to help you take your … [Read more...]

How to use German infinitives

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In this post we’ll get to grips with German infinitives. What do we actually mean when we talk about the infinitive of a German verb? When do you use the infinitive in German and can you use it on its own as a bare infinitive or do you have to use the zu infinitiv (Infinitiv mit zu)? How similar are German and English here? Eh? Read on! All will be revealed, with lots of … [Read more...]

What to expect from a foreign language tutor (and what not to expect)

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What to expect from a foreign language tutor? Well, if you think a tutor can learn the language for you, you’ll be disappointed. That certainly doesn't mean that it's not worth hiring a foreign language tutor, though. Get your expectations right and you'll find, as I have over the years, that a good language tutor can be hugely helpful at key stages on your road to fluency. … [Read more...]

German relative pronouns and relative clauses made clear

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German relative pronouns

German relative pronouns causes some students a headache simply because they haven’t taken time to understand how the relative clause sentence pattern works and what it's for. Don’t make that mistake! In this post, you’ll find a clear explanation with the jargon busted and lots of clear examples. All the way through, we'll flag up what's similar to English. To finish, we’ll … [Read more...]

“Yma o hyd” by Dafydd Iwan and learning Welsh

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Yma o hyd with Welsh flag football as background

I write this in the week that the Welsh protest song Yma o hyd by Dafydd Iwan topped the iTunes chart in the United Kingdom off the back of his performance in the stadium before Wales beat Ukraine and qualified for the Fifa World Cup for the first time for sixty-four years. Update 30 Nov '22. Well, Qatar didn't quite work out quite as we'd hoped ... but let's keep singing! … [Read more...]

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