I'm now two weeks into my summer “language sprint”. What's it all about? First, I’ve increased the work I’m aiming to do as part of my nine-month Basic Japanese Project. My weekly commitment is up from thirty minutes a day, seven days a week, to one hour a day, five days a week. Second, I'm aiming to clock an hour each day on my intermediate Basque. I started the … [Read more...]
What is the Eisteddfod like?
I've spoken fluent Welsh (as an adult learner) for over half my life and one way I've grown into the culture is by attending the Welsh National Eisteddfod or Eisteddfod Genedlaeathol Cymru. It's held for the first week of August each summer. The location changes from year to year. The National Eisteddfod is a huge cultural and social celebration (with a dash of … [Read more...]
Basque/Japanese diary, Week One
A week ago, I started a summer "language sprint". I've increased the amount of focussed study I'm aiming to do as part of my nine-month Basic Japanese Project from thirty minutes a day, seven days a week, to one hour a day, five days a week. Plus, I'm being more consistent in my on-going study of intermediate Basque, aiming to clock another hour each day on that language. This … [Read more...]
Two language tango: a new four-week learning sprint (Basque/Japanese update)
For the next four weeks my language learning will change gear. I'm upping the time that goes into my focussed study of beginner's Japanese and intermediate Basque. It's a summer learning "sprint" or, if you like, a two-language tango. (Scroll down for vid). If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I'm nearly seven months into a project to learn basic Japanese in advance … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month Six update
I'm now over well over half way through my learning Japanese in nine months project. Now, I'm not foolhardy enough to try to learn the whole language in nine months. After all, I'm only setting aside thirty minutes a day, seven days a week of focussed study. No! The aim is simply to get as far as I can within these constraints. My reason to learn some basic Japanese now? A trip … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month Five update
It's over five months since I started my latest language learning project: learning Japanese. This is my May update (belated due to my trip to Bratislava for the Polyglot Gathering). At the bottom of the post, you'll find my May update vlog from the YouTube channel. A recap if you're new here: my aim is to study Japanese daily, seven days a week or, over nine months to … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month Four update
I'm now just over four months into my current language project: learning Japanese. Here's my April update. There's a video update at the bottom of the post, too. My target minimum focussed study time is half an hour of Japanese daily, seven days a week or, over nine months. A "full house" total of 30 mins x 30 April days would be fifteen hours. My actual total was … [Read more...]
German modal verbs explained
What are the German modal verbs? How do you conjugate them? How to use German modal verbs? If you want clear and complete answers to these questions, you're in the right place! Modal verbs are one of those welcome areas where German and English feel very close. When "ich kann" means "I can", "wir müssen" means "we must", what's not to like? Yes, here our common … [Read more...]
How to remember German noun gender: the ultimate guide
Learning the German noun gender system can be a real headache. In this post, I'm sharing some top tips on how to remember German noun gender. Taken together, the tricks will stack odds of getting the gender right significantly in your favour. The info below will save you time and give you confidence as you power ahead auf Deutsch. Los geht's! So what is all the fuss … [Read more...]
Passing the upper-intermediate (B2) Welsh exam: a successful candidate’s story
Karen is a linguist and translator from the south of England. She's already shared her tips on how to become a successful translator with us here at Howtogetfluent and I'm delighted that she's agreed to be interviewed again to tell us how she passed the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC)'s Upper Intermediate (B2) Welsh exam. Below, she shares not only her tips but tells us … [Read more...]