Here's the latest monthly update on Project "Learn Japanese". I started working on the language at the beginning of 2019, a full fifteen months ago (video at the bottom). Before my first trip to Japan (last October), I aimed to dedicate thirty-minutes to focussed Japanese study. That reflects the importance I attach to consistency and habit in my language learning and how I … [Read more...]
The German imperfect tense: form and uses made clear
In this post you'll find all you need to know about how to form and use the German imperfect tense (also called the simple past tense or the preterite) or, in German, das Präteritum or das Imperfekt. The imperfect or preterite is one of the three tenses used to talk about the past in German. The others are the perfect and the pluperfect (the "past in the past"). In English, … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month 15 update
For over a year now, I've been sharing my no-hype, "no magic method" account of my attempts at learning Japanese through self study. Although I haven't reported back since I got back from my first visit to Japan, I've been keeping going with my study routine. This post marks the long-overdue resumption of my monthly language learning updates here on the site. There's a "Month … [Read more...]
Why learn a minority language?
Why learn a minority language? In the final post in the series on learning minority, lessor used or endangered languages, let's look at the rewards on offer. Throughout the series, I've drawn heavily on my own experience as a learner of Welsh and Basque but I'm talking to you, dear minority language learner or would-be learner, whatever the lingo! In the first … [Read more...]
The most advanced Russian exam? Guy aces the TRKI 4th certificate (interview)
Here's the latest a series of interviews with successful candidates for the most advanced Russian exam, the TRKI 4th Certificate. The Тест по русскому языку как иностранному Четвертый сертификационный уровень (ТРКИ-4), as it's known in Russian, is the top exam for Russian as a foreign language. The exam guidelines are set by the Russian Ministry of Education. The level is … [Read more...]
Learning minority languages: overcoming negative attitudes
The off-putting attitudes of others don't help us language learners at the best of times. What are the particular negative attitudes you might encounter as a learner of a minority, lesser-used or endangered language and how can you overcome them? This is the latest in our learning minority languages series. Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment that the discouraging … [Read more...]
Transform your German by Summer 2020?
Are you a German learner who's been learning the language for a while and who's covered a lot of the basics? Are you ready to take focussed action to power yourself up as an "independent user" of the language and transform your German between now and the summer? Over in the Howtogetfluent Email Club, I've been talking to quite a few of you who've reached German "upper … [Read more...]
Minority language dialects: a challenge for learners?
If you've heard that your minority language has a variety of dialects, which one should you learn? How should you respond if you hear that there are lots of dialects and that "some native speakers can't even understand each other"? What does the "standardisation" of a language even mean? In this, the fourth post in the series on learning minority languages, let's … [Read more...]
Happy New Year in three languages…and more
How do you say "Happy New Year" in your target language? It'a question I've had to ask myself as I saw in New Years past in Wales, Germany and Russia. The answers remind me, first, that direct translation is not always the name of the game in language learning. As we explore a few New Year's phrases, we'll get a quick glimpse of some of the linguistic nuts and bolts holding … [Read more...]
Minority language resources: a guide
When you're learning a language, good resources can make all the difference. But what about resources for learning a minority language? That's the focus of this first post in a new series on learning a "minority languages”. Just how different is it? Here you'll find the low-down and actionable tips drawn from my own and what I've learned from many other learners and linguists … [Read more...]