This is the first in a new series: "Gender Mender" in which I'll be helping you master using gender in different languages and showing you tricks to remember the gender of nouns. We're starting with a look at how Welsh noun gender works and how to remember the genders of Welsh nouns. Learning the system can be a real headache for two reasons. First, you just have to clamp the … [Read more...]
Which German language certificate is best?
You want to know what's the best German language exam for you in 2024? Read on! This post lifts the lid on the range of German as a foreign language proficiency certification options. You'll find essential info on each to help you choose the right exam. You may need a German language certificate as a prerequisite to matriculation at a German university. Maybe you want to live … [Read more...]
Language learner’s update (May 2018)
I haven't done an update on my own language learning is going since my review of 2017-18 in late December. It's time to catch up. I also want to flag up what's been going on the site....and what's coming up. Back in Germany I'm writing this from Berlin at the start of a twelve day period in the German "Sprachraum". I'm here to celebrate the joint 50th birthday of three … [Read more...]
Icelandic’s success as an inspiration for Welsh and Europe’s other “lesser used” languages.
There a host of reasons why I was looking forward to going to Iceland and learning some Icelandic for the first time. One of them was to compare the Icelandic and Welsh linguistic situations. The two languages are not closely related. Icelandic is a Germanic language and Welsh a Celtic one. They do both share the characteristic of having a relatively small number of … [Read more...]
Ten ways to support Welsh, even if you don’t speak the language
You may not speak Welsh yourself, but you want to support Welsh speakers. Maybe you have a child or grandchild in a Welsh-medium school, maybe you feel Welsh and the language matters as part of your family's history or your personal identity. Maybe you're not Welsh but you've moved to Wales and want to show support. Maybe you simply love Wales and its unique culture from … [Read more...]
How to improve your written Russian: sounds, spelling and word formation
My experience preparing for the writing paper of an advanced Russian exam was a comedy of errors. It threw up a lot of mistakes connected with the differences between how Russian sounds and how it's written. They're the mistakes of somebody who has spoken and listened to vast amounts of the Russian over the years, but hasn't had nearly as much experience writing Russian. You … [Read more...]
Coursebooks for learning Basque: the complete guide
It's a while since I've focussed on Basque and I've been wanting to do this run-through of coursebooks for learning Basque for quite a while. If you're a regular on the site, you may recall that two summers ago I spent a month on an intensive Basque course and I've been learning the language on and off for nearly five years. I'm now at an intermediate level. There aren't many … [Read more...]
Is German hard to learn?
Is German hard to learn? This mega-post about German is the first in an occasional, in-depth series - "Language Lowdown" - in which I'll be giving it to you "both barrels" on different languages. What's hard? What's easy? It'll be very much the rough with the smooth. But don't worry, German, like every language does have its share of smooooooth. It can be hard to get … [Read more...]
How to pass an advanced foreign language writing exam or “writing Russian right” for the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language Third Certificate
Слава Богу! Praise be! I've finally passed my advanced foreign language writing exam in Russian. In this post, I lift the lid on how I did it and how you can too. If you're planning on taking the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language Third Certficiate (that's the TRKI 3 - Тест по русскому языку как иностранному, третий сертификационный уровень) or another of the higher TRKI … [Read more...]
Intermediate/advanced foreign language exam preparation: Russian TRKI third certificate writing sub-test
How do you best undertake intermediate/advanced foreign language writing exam preparation? Here's an update on what I'm doing in Operation Write Russian Right, my retake of the writing paper of the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language Third Certificate (ToRFL or TRKI - Тест по русскому языку как иностранному третий сертификационный уровень). I have three quick takeaways … [Read more...]