At first sight, you’ll probably recognise a lot fewer words in a German text than a Spanish or French one. Add to that those super-long words the language seems to love and you could be forgiven for thinking that German vocabulary is just impossible. Not so! If you discover just a little about where German gets its words from (and how longer words are formed) you'll see that … [Read more...]
Goodbye 2020, hello 2021!
Happy New Year 2021. What a year 2020 was! Despite all the upset, though, we kept learning languages together. As we make a fresh start, it’s time to look back on the last twelve months of language learning and talking about language learning and even to look ahead a bit. My language learning and yours In 2020 I didn’t start a new language but I very much … [Read more...]
German genitive case: the only guide you’ll ever need
In this example-packed post you’ll discover how to form the German genitive case and what it’s used for. There are some nifty genitive-avoiding workarounds too! Genitive-avoiding? Yep, the first of three good pieces of news about the case is that it’s by far the least-used of German's four cases. Even in higher registers of written German, the … [Read more...]
Best Black Friday / Cyber Monday language learning deals 2025
(Updated Friday 5 December '25) The Black Friday through Cyber Monday language learning deals for 2025 are now largely over but until Sunday 7 December the MONDLY and BABBEL deals are STILL open. Kerstin Cable's Fluency Bundle is also still available till Sunday 7 December. Below you'll find the best deals on my favourite courses. Check them out below and sign up to my free … [Read more...]
Japanese update: August to October
Here's an autumn update on my Basic Japanese Project (update vid at the end of the post). I started learning the Japanese twenty months ago in preparation for my first visit to Japan (last October). I had a great time there both exploring as a tourist in Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo and attending the Polyglot Conference. Since then, I've continued with this … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month 19 update
July was a big month in my Japanese journey: I started speaking Japanese with a teacher. During the month I had with six one-to-one conversational sessions online. In this latest monthly update on my Project Japanese, I'll tell you all about that in the context of my wider efforts to learn the language (also as a vid at the bottom of this post). I started learning the … [Read more...]
Polyglot Gathering Online: daily vlogs
The Polyglot Gathering Online was never meant to happen. For its seventh incarnation, the Polyglot Gathering was to take place for the first time in Poland. But, after the first three years in Berlin and another three in lovely Bratislava, we'll have to wait to next year to explore Teresin (just outside Warsaw). Once it became clear that the pandemic meant there couldn't … [Read more...]
Intermediate Basque: learner update
Beginner's Japanese has been my main personal language learning focus since early 2019 but I'm also a serious intermediate Basque learner. Here's an update on my Basque language journey and some tips, questions and conclusions that just might help you, whatever your language, whatever your level :) While I love rapid progress and an (effective) quick fix as much as the next … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month 18 update
It's time for my monthly update on my slow but steady "Learn Basic Japanense" project (with video at the bottom of this post). I began with the language a full eighteen months ago now. In the last eight months or so, my aim has been to set aside thirty minutes a day, five days a week for a focussed study slot. I tend to do this just after getting up but sometimes it's in the … [Read more...]
Is Welsh hard to learn?
"Is Welsh hard to learn?" If you're about to start learning Welsh it pays to know what you're taking on! For that, you're in the right place. If you're some way in to your Welsh journey and feeling frustrated, you're also in luck. In this post, I'll give you the full, no-messing low-down on what's easy and what's not so easy about this wonderful language. (Spoiler: Welsh put up … [Read more...]