The end of the old year is a natural time to reflect on the past twelve months. It's also a time when many of us want to make a fresh start and do some looking ahead. In the last week, two friends have separately drawn my attention to a free tool to help with this. It's called Year Compass. I'm late to the party with this one, as it turns out that it's been … [Read more...]
Christmas YouTube videos to stay engaged with your language
At this busy time of year, I have to admit that the regular daily focussed language study sessions that are usually central to my language learning life have rather fallen by the wayside. You know the story: work, life, seasonal festivities ramping up. However busy I get, though, I do keep listening to my languages: German, Basque and … [Read more...]
What Angkor Wat can teach you about learning a language
Earlier this summer, I stood in the pre-dawn dark with a crowd of fellow travellers, waiting for the sun to rise over Angkor Wat. It was the highlight of a month-long trip through Southeast Asia—a trip that began with a two-week work stint in Singapore and Hong Kong (I’m a lawyer by day), followed by time off in Vietnam and Cambodia. But Angkor Wat wasn’t just a visual … [Read more...]
Good Friday in 20+ European languages — and a tip for smarter vocab learning
What does Good Friday mean in English? This post first answers that question. Then we'll briefly explain how diving a bit deeper into this or other words help us remember our foreign language vocabulary better. Then, scroll down and you'll find how to say Good Friday in 20+ European languages and find that most languages name the day in one of three ways. But, there are some … [Read more...]
Talking to yourself to learn a language?
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...]
Five fun Christmas foreign language practice ideas
We had ten days of "deep and crisp and even"-ish snow here in London, but, as I write this on Christmas Eve, I'm afraid we're back to the seasonal norm: rain and dank grey skies. But not to worry! It's still festive enough here at Howtogetfluent Towers. 🎄 🎄 🎄 I do love a bit of Christmas kitsch, not least the … [Read more...]
A fun little vocab and writing skills project
Grrr. It’s mid November and it's getting dark by half past four in the afternoon here in London now. By 8pm last night, when I headed out for an evening walk, it was dank and misty. It really felt like autumn. My mood, though, lifted up as I came across something quirky: a Royal Mail pillar box adorned with a knitted hat or “topper”. I’d heard before that there’s … [Read more...]