You’ve got an interview for a job in German? Well done! But are you clued up on what's expected and is your German interview-ready? I've done four or five interviews in German. Sometimes I got the job, sometimes I didn't. Here are some of the German job interview phrases and tips that I wish I’d had from the start. Basic German job interview vocabulary "You can’t start … [Read more...]
Japanese update: August to March
It’s been eight months since I last reported back on my basic Japanese project. Yes, I’m still at it with Nihongo (as the Japanese call their lingo). I started Project Basic Japanese at the very beginning of 2019. This is an update on what I’ve been doing. I'll lay bare what real, longer-term language learning can look like - warts and all - when you’re an independent adult … [Read more...]
Russian A2 test: the TRKI Basic Level exam uncovered
If you want to know all about the Russian A2 test or, to give it its official name, the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL) Basic Level exam, you’re in the right place. This post lifts the lid on the format of this important “upper beginner” Russian language exam, known in Russian as Test po russkomu iaziky kak inostrannamu, bazovoi uroven’ / Тест по русскому языку … [Read more...]
German plurals: the ultimate guide
Here’s your essential guide to how to make German plurals. Plurals? Well, we’re talking “nouns”. That's to say, naming words for a living being, place, thing or idea. “Noun” in German is das Hauptwort, das Nomen or das Substantiv. If you’re just referring to one Nomen (being, thing and so on), you use the singular form (der Singular). Refer to more than one and … [Read more...]
Top Learn Russian YouTube channels
YouTube is a fantastic resource to learn Russian and here’s a list of nine of the channels you should absolutely check out. Most offer a mix of more formal lessons, monologues, conversations and vlogs. Two of the channels focus on vox pops out and about with native Russians. This post is aimed mainly at beginner and lower intermediate Russian learners. True, most of the … [Read more...]