Regular readers will know that I’ve been learning Basque for several years and am a lower intermediate level speaker. It’s unique langauge – an “isolate” related to no other (rather like Japanese or Korean).

It’s spoken by 700,000 people in the Basque Country which straddles the western end of the Pyrenees and the adjacent coastline.

The Basque Country isn’t independent (yet). Four of the seven historic provinces are in the Spanish state and have limited self-government (three form the Basque Autonomous Region (centred on Bilboa, Donosia or San Sebastián and Gasteiz or Vittoria, the fourth is Navarre (Iruña/Pamplona). The “northern” three are the western half of the French “Pyrénées-Atlantiques” department (well-known locations include Miarritz/Biarritz and Baiona/Bayonne).

Getting ready in the morning and some last-minute nerves

The morning started with a run in the park, with Basque Radio playing through the headphones.

I’d deliberately not booked a lesson on Skype. The intention was to leave things to “settle” and to let my head clear, rather in the way I do before an exam. In the end, though, I rehearsed my anticipated topics a couple of times in the morning.

I was also checking I had all the ingredients ready to make Welsh cakes.

Then I tidying the place up a bit.

I have to admit I was not feeling enthusiastic about the upcoming afternoon. I just didn’t feel that my Basque was good enough. Maybe I’d have pulled out if I could.

This is quite a typical pattern for me. I am getting better at standing “outside myself” and recognising how I fee for what it is.

Over to the Tower of London to meet the presenter and crew

I left the house at shortly after three in the afternoon, armed with my vlogging camera and phone. I’d decided to vlog the afternoon. No surprises there.

I met presenter Pello Reparaz and the film crew by Tower Pier on the north bank of the Thames, in the shadow of the Tower of London .

Pello is a musician from the northern (most Basque) part of Navarre province (one of the seven traditional Basque provinces and a semi-autonomous region within the Spanish state. He has a group called Vendetta.

With Pello were a crew of four. The director (who also did some filming), two cameramen and Joseba, the producer.

They were all very friendly and explained more about the programme, “Euskalonski”, while mic-ing me up.

Passing the Palace of Westminster by boat (with Pello Reparaz, musician and presenter of “Euskalonski”

Filming on the river bank and atop a riverboat

Filming started with brief exchange between Pello and me on the river bank. I explained where we were, pointing out the Tower, Tower Bridge (telling the audience that it was fifty years old, when I meant one-hundred and fifty) and the ovoid City Hall on the South Bank. I pointed out Westminster and the “London Eye” big wheel in the in the distance and explained that London, historically, was two separate cities.

Pello asked some questions about my background, my mixed English/Welsh identity and how I came to learn Welsh.

We then got on a tourist cruise boat and filmed a bit more conversation on the open top deck.

It had been my suggestion to film from the boat and it certainly provided some great footage of the sights. It was a pity it was a very overcast day, but at least it wasn’t raining.

I felt quite tense and nervous. In part, that’s my default setting. Added to that there was also a bit of performance anxiety about the language and uncertainty about the finer details of what they wanted me to do. Also, it turned out that we weren’t supposed to be filming on the boat, as an officious employee delighted in telling us.

I was more relaxed once we got off the boat on the north bank at Westminster by the Boudica statue.

We filmed Pello singing the Sex Pistols’ “God save the Queen” (!) by the steps with me standing by listning (they had wanted me to sing but I drew the line there).

There’s a musical theme to the whole series with several of the other interviewees whom Pello met singing or playing instruments and Pello himself paying a synth at various points around the town.

An anthem at the foot of the statue of the ancient British (i.e. Welsh) Queen Boudica, Westminster

Down to Brixton

It was about 7.30 when we arrived in Brixton by tube, after a bit more filming underground en route (none of which made it into the programme).

It was interesting for them to see a bit Brixton on the walk from the tube to my house. It’s not a touristy place but very full on with lots of sights, sounds and smells (buskers, incense sellers, various market stalls,lots and lots of people).

Given the musical strand to the programme, I missed a trick in not taking them to see (and film) the David Bowie mural just over the road from the underground station exit (Bowie was born in Brixton). Also, I should have explained better about the connection between Eddie Grant’s song Electric Avenue and the run-down market street by the same name in the centre of Brixton (the first market street in Britain to be lit by electric light).

End of the line: Brixton tube station

In the dining room at my place, they filmed Pello and me talking a bit more. On my mantelpiece I have a chip of wood I picked up from the ground as a souvenir in Pamplona in 2013 when I was there for the San Fermin festival and also watched a traditional Basque aizolariak (wood cutters) competition. That was a talking point (didn’t make the cut) Another topic of conversation was my reproduction Soviet poster (which did). My interest in Russian and languages provided a way into talking briefly about language blogging and vlogging to camera a little about my language learning and the vlog.

Interviews for Dr Popkins’ Howtogetfluent YouTube channel

Then the crew got set up in the garden and filmed me filming an interview with Pello for the vlog.

We did a two-and-a-half minute piece in Basque, an extract of which appeared in the show. In that we’re talking about Pello’s linguistic background as a native Basque speaker and whether it’s worth us foreigners learning the language. A short clip of this appeared in the show (and in my own vlog of the afternoon and evening). If you’d like to hear some more Basque, look out for it on the YouTube channel on Tuesday.

Then we recorded a nine-minute conversation in English specially for my YouTube channel (not used in the TV programme). This was the first and only part of the day where we weren’t speaking Basque. I covered some of the same ground as in the Basque interview, but I also wanted to find out more about Pello’s experience as an English learner and learn about his music and TV projects. The interview will be out on the channel on Thursday.

Making Welsh cakes

Next, I set to making the Welsh cakes with one of the cameramen in attendance. My kitchen gets is a bit small for more than two people, especially two guys wielding cameras. We decided that Pello should watching through the window.

In the week before the shoot, I’d practised backing the cakes twice, the second time up in Yorkshire under my father’s expert eye. They turned out ok (though a couple were rather burnt, some people like them that way)

We had the Welsh cakes, tea and Welsh whisky at my garden table. First Pello and I (for the shoot), then the rest of the team as well.

They left at about 9.45. I was pretty tired and so were the crew. It was their second full day of filming (of three) here in London. It sounded like they’re working in all the cities on the show in short succession. The Paris show went out as the first episode (with London as episode two). Berlin is coming up next. Then there are programmes from Warsaw, Rome, New York….

Welsh cakes in the making

Gero arte! With the crew at the end of the evening

Watching the show: my impressions of the show

Exactly two weeks on from filming day, I settled down in the living room here at Howtogetfluent Towers to watch the London episode live on the EITB website.

The whole show was very enjoyable, with a range of guests. These included a ballet dancer who works at the Royal Ballet, a Basque chef, a Pakistani family whose younger members spoke native-level Basque. The other learner was Daffyd, a US citizen with Welsh/Indian/Australian roots whom I met a few years ago at a London Basque event. Like me, he talked about his linguistic identity and learning Basque and (in his case) his father’s native Hindi. He also played the drums with Pello.

I really liked the way they split my contribution in two. After the introduction, our shoot at Tower and on the boat, was the first segment of the show, about two minutes in. Then, forty-nine minutes in, footage from here in Brixton was the penultimate section.

The weirdest thing for me watching was knowing that the crew were with us just off camera all the time and, of course, knowing that a lot of the polished version is far less spontaneous than it seems.

You’ll get an inside view if you check out the short vlog I’ve done of the afternoon and evening (link at the end of this piece).

The view from my living room. Watching the show in real time

How was my Basque?

Looking back following the shoot and the broadcast, my spoken Basque still feels very limited but it’s streets ahead of where it was, say, six months ago. Thanks to the clear short-term goal of “Euskalonski”, I’ve done a lot more work at it in the last month than would otherwise have been the case.

This was the first time for ages I’d actually used the language outside a class situation. I sometimes had to ask for a second time what people were saying to me and I made my share of mistakes on air.

All the same, the glass is half full: we did stay in Basque all the time, as we had done at the preparation stage over Skype and in emails.

Eskerrik asko, Euskalonski!

There’s nothing like showing visitors around London to remind me how wonderful this historic city is, with its majestic river and architecture and its cultural and linguistic diversity.

My participation in the filming of the London episode of Euskalonski made for a memorable afternoon and evening to bring my month’s Basque Boost project to an end. The month may be over but my Basque learning most certainly isn’t.

I can hardly imagine such an opportunity having sought me out through learning a “bigger” language. Never forget that learning a “lesser used” language can sometimes more readily open doors.

Here’s my vlog:

The full London episode is on the EITB website, here.

They also made a compilation of my contributions, here.

Other posts in this series:

Kick off diary and video

First week diary and video

Second week diary and video

Third week diary and video

Final week diary and video

The post “Euskalonski”: on a Basque TV shoot (with vlog) appeared first on How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins.

Monday 20th August  (one hour self-study)

One week exactly till I have to speak Basque on TV (well, take part in the recording).

Last night, Uñai cancelled this morning’s lesson. The day kicked-off with a 40 minute walk round the park, listening to Basque talk radio.

Decided to work with the Arian B2.1 textbook again for a change. So, thirty minutes this morning listening and reading about the experiences of four Basque students, their reasons for learning and methods. Took dictations of the short conversations from the audio recording and then checked them.

Then I went out to shoot more pieces to camera in my “Dr Popkins Method?” video series.

I’ve run out of “locations” in the house, so I decided to split each of the next three vids into three and shot a third of each in a different café. I had my morning espresso in one of my local cafés and short the first section of each three.

Quick lunch then a Skype call with the Basque TV researcher and director. More discussion of the content and when we’re meeting next Monday. They want me to make “Welsh cakes”….So I’ll have to practice

Then out to another café to film the middle third of the next three “Dr Popkins” videos.

In Britxon Blend Café, with the Bowie mural visible outside

A problem with vlogging from cafés – erm, a problem with cafés in general – is that they often have music blaring out. I was reduced to sitting outside Café Stir where then enemy then became the traffic noise on Brixton Hill, especially the frequent sirens. Ambulances are worse offenders than police cars. They all sound like wannabe extras from a US cop series circa 1975. Bring back 1950s Ealing comedy police car bells.

Then I went down the hill to the centre of Brixton to shee to shoot the final third. I did this in the Brixton Blend Café which is just opposite the David Bowie mosaic and hung out there a bit longer to do some more editing of tomorrow’s Eisteddfod vlog, part two.

Espresso overdose alert!

Arian B2.1 textbook

This evening, a further thirty minutes from Arian, instead of preparing for the session with Iñigo tomorrow. It’s refreshing to be working with a different book. The Habe lesson sheets are rather quirky (and at a lower level). Bakaraka is very thorough and great for practising structures, but rather dry and distant from real life (the texts are rarely conversations or on contemporary subjects, for example).

Tuesday 21st August (45 minute one-to-one lessons, 30 minutes self-study)

Kicked off with an early run in the park: 25 mins passive Basque radio exposure.

45 minute lesson with Iñigo. We continued to work with “Habe” unit 34. Some more practice of reported speech. Then a reading exercise, with questions, about two bizarre couples. Finally, some extracts from newspaper dating small ads.

Half an hour this evening preparing vocab to do with cooking. I’m going to be doing some for the show. I’d already covered most of the vocab but can’t recall it actively.

Wednesday 22nd August (one hour self-study)

I wasn’t sure whether the lesson with Uñai was still on, given that he cancelled due to illness on Monday.  Although I showed up at 8.30 this morning, he didn’t. That threw me rather.  I should have mailed to ask him last night but for some reason hadn’t. Actually, for two reasons: (1) I thought I shouldn’t fuss; (2) I kinda think the person who’s deviated from the plan should take the lead in checking what happens next.

Went for a 25 min run in the park instead, with Basque radio playing in the earphones.

Late afternoon I was back in the centre of Brixton.

I found two cafés more in to film the intros and “outros” for “Dr Popkins” videos five and six. One is quite a cool place off Coldharbour Lane, spoiled only by more loud music (it touts itself as a shared workspace, with desks for hire at the back. Not sure intrusive music goes with that).

Tonight I did two half-hour sessions doing more prep for the television shoot. Tried to make up phrases related to cooking.

I think they’ll probably ask me about how I learn languages as well, so I’ve been working on vocab around that too.

Uñai mailed tonight to confirm that he’s back in action tomorrow. I have a lesson with him and another with Iñigo tomorrow. During both, my plan is to check the phrases and practise them.

Thursday 23rd August (30 minute one-to-one lesson)

Iñigo failed to show for our 2pm lesson. A mix-up over what we’d agreed.

Uñai is now back in action and at 18:00 I had a session with him. Quick general chat and then we worked on the vocab and phrases I prepared yesterday around making Welsh cakes, my approach to language learning and my life in London.

No more Basque today, apart from some passive radio exposure.

Tonight I made Welsh cakes for the first time.  They were a bit burned because I hadn’t rolled the mixture thickly enough.

Friday 24th August (40 minutes light self-study)

Morning run with Basque on the radio. Discussion included the removal of Franco’s body from the Valley of the Fallen.

Then train up to my father’s in Yorkshire for the weekend. During the journey I spent about 40 minutes reviewing several chapters in Assimil Basque.

At my dad’s I also went over the vocab and phrases I’d worked up with Uñai yesterday, but that was it on Basque today.

Dad also gave me a lesson in making Welsh cakes as a result of which I discovered a couple of tricks (beat the egg before you add it to the mixture; coat the rolling-pin with flour so that the mixture doesn’t stick to it).

Saturday 25th August (30 minutes light self-study)

Relaxing at my dad’s in Malton. Did about thirty minutes working on Assimil in Costa Coffee, my regular coffee shop there. I don’t normally like hanging in chains and the espresso at Costa Malton is not very good.  The problem is, most of the other coffee shops there are a bit too flowery china and doily for me. There is a new hipster roastery but it’s too cool to have proper tables and closed more than it’s open.

Sunday 26th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson, 30 minute one-to-one lesson and about 50 minutes light self-study)

Lesson with Eider, ten minutes general chat. I explained the journey up to my father’s and what I’ve been doing here. Then we went on to practise the conversation topics for tomorrow’s TV recording.

Eider had heard of the “Vendetta” group that the presenter of “my” programme, Pello Reparez, sings in and she seemed quite excited by the prospect.

Train back south in mid afternoon. Read Basque novel on train for about 20 minutes but spent a lot of the time editing video (both easier and more fun….).

Tonight: the final pre-shoot lesson with Iñigo.

He was telling me that he had been pickpocketed in Donostia, but got his cards back. Then I once again practised my conversation topics in advance of the shoot.

Not really feeling nervous but not really sure what to expect tomorrow either. It’s a good opportunity, though.

End of month round-up

Here’s how it went:

Week One: three Basque lessons (plus one aborted after ten minutes due to computer failure) and seven  hours’ study over six days.

Week Two: five Basque lessons and two hours’ study over two days.

Week Three: eight Basque lessons and two-and-a-half hours’ study over six days.

Week Four (includes the final Sunday, technically the “fifth week”): four Basque lessons and three hours 10 minutes of study.

My original target for the project was to have a thirty or forty-five minute Basque lesson five days a week and do at least thirty minutes self-study five times a week.

Over the four weeks, that would have meant twenty lessons and ten hours of self-study.

My actual total was twenty lessons and a little over fourteen hours of self-study.

In addition to that, I had several “real” Skype calls with the programme makers and passive exposure to Basque radio. I was listening daily, either when running or while at home doing chores/eating.

So, I made the target for lessons and overshot nicely with the self-study.

The lessons were not distributed as evenly as I’d have liked due to teacher availability and cancellations.  It was looking particularly bleak on the Thursday of week one, when I’d only clocked one thirty minute lesson (plus the abortive ten-minutes on Wednesday). Here it really helped that I have three teachers. As I pointed out in a recent “Quick Tip Tuesday” vlog, it’s a good to make sure you don’t rely on just one teacher or conversation partner.

The weakest week was the second. That was entirely due to my decision to travel to Wales to attend the National Eisteddfod. That was a great trip but it did resulted in my cancelling a Thursday and Friday lesson and not doing anything Thursday to Saturday.

As usual, I found that having made a public commitment to a certain amount of study really helped to keep me focussed.  Without this accountability, my Basque would still have been motoring along but at a lower pace.

How about my substantive achievement? I’m not sure I feel any shift in my speaking over the month, which, with these relatively low practice figures is no surprise. As regular readers will know, I normally prefer three-month projects, because there’s more time for a shift to register.  If anything, it’s my radio listening comprehension that seems to be moving most in Basque at the moment.

There’s no doubt, though, that I was a lot better prepared for the television experience than I would have been without this little project. Again: having such goal a month ahead really gave me something to work towards.

The Euskalonski page on the EITB website

What of Monday’s shoot itself?  I was nervous but it all went well.   I was spluttering and making mistakes but also really speaking.  We stayed in Basque all the time as we filmed (which took from three fifteen in the afternoon to nine thirty in the evening).

The programme is called Euskalonski. The presenter, Pello Reparaz, is travelling to major capitals with his guitar, seeking out Basque speakers and learners.

The first episode is on Monday (from Paris). I’m not sure yet when “London” airs. I’ll let you know via twitter, the Howtogetfluent Facebook page and group. I’m on Instagram as well now (and loving “Instagram stories”.

You won’t be surprised to hear that I was also shooting for a vlog of my own.  I’ve decided to hold back with the completing and publishing that until the programme itself has aired. That way I can add a coda of me watching the programme and form a view of the finished product.  Look out for a post all about the day itself with the vlog.

Other posts in this series:

Kick off diary and video

First week diary and video

Second week diary and video

Third week diary and video

The post One month Basque boost: final week diary appeared first on How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins.

Monday 13th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson)

The week kicked off with 45 minutes on Skype with Uñai. We did the last exercise in unit 30 of my “Habe” course (which we had missed out last week by mistake). We then resumed with unit 31 and redid one of the benefactive (“norentzat”) case exercises we’d already worked through together last week.

This was all after thirty minutes general discussion. In that, we covered Uñai’s on-going accommodation problems in The Hague. I also gave him a round-up about my time at the Welsh National Eisteddfod, the annual Welsh cultural and social festival that I attended at on Thursday and Friday last week. What I said was very similar to what I told Iñigo in my most recent lesson with him. Good to practise the vocab again!

No further study today….Naughty, I know. I was prioritising working on the site and working my upcoming language learning methods course…..

Tuesday 14th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson, 30 minute one-to-one lesson, no self-study)

Started with a 45 minute lesson with Iñigo, the first fifteen minutes of which were, however, lost to Skype problems.

We switched to Google Hangouts which we’ll use going forward. Sound and image quality not quite as good but at least we could both see and hear each other.

Continued to work on “Habe” unit 34. The topic is “advertising”. The grammatical focus is on the still on the “norentzat” case.

Breakfast, shower, then ten mins prep before a thirty minute lesson with Eider (she had postponed from Sunday, making today a two-lesson day). Once again, I explained all about the Eisteddfod and showed off my footage of Geraint Thomas. This was low tech sharing, that’s to say, me holding my vlogging camera screen up to the Skype camera.

We then got on with Bakarka 4 chapter 3, working further on the past tense short forms of esan (to say, tell) and doing the text “Egin kopiak bada ezpada ere”.

The texts in this book – like in Assimil courses- tend to have an amusing turn at the end.

This time it was about an office worker’s boss telling him to throw out all the old letter and bills as they were getting drowned in paper. The following day the worker reported the work done and added that he’d also photocopied each paper he threw out, for the archives. I did “get” the joke this time, though sometimes it takes several reads through.

No more Basque study today. I was flat-out working on the site and then for quite a few hours into the night finishing the Tuesday vlog, the first of two from the Eisteddfod. It was a question of priorities and Basque was only in second place.

Wednesday 15th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson, 30 minutes self-study)

Woke at about 6.30 after only about four and a half hours’ sleep after publishing the Welsh vlog at about one o’clock in the morning. Felt exhausted and unrested… Did my usual trick of rolling around in bed for an hour or more trying to get back to sleep, then gave up and made a cup of tea and returned to the sheets and listened to a bit of Basque radio.

At 8.30 it was my lesson with Uñai. A prime example of how pre-booking lessons helps keep you on track. I certainly didn’t feel in the mood for a lesson but, by the end, though still tired, it feels like it was very productive.

We worked further on “Habe” unit 34. More “norentzat” case exercises, reading short texts about celebrities, then translating some short conditional sentences into English. Next, exercises putting the correctly conjugated form of “jakin” (to know – facts, not people). I gave the verbs in the past was well as the present, as I’ve been practising the past forms with Eider in Bakarka 4.

Now for a run before breakfast. I put it off yesterday because if my too late start then. Unsurprisingly, it then never happened.

Half an hour’s self-study in the evening. Finished working checking I know all the vocab in the last sections of “Habe” unit 31 that I may well finish with Uñai tomorrow.

Listened through to the first audio recording to unit 32 and then took it down as a line-by-line dictation.

A “wall of text”, Habe style

Thursday 16th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson; 30 minutes self-study)

7.15-7.45: Thirty minutes focussed pre-prep on “Habe” unit 32 – reading the texts and pulling out the vocab. The topic of this chapter is “work and vocation” – always a good topic to stimulate thought and conversation, so I look forward to going through the discussion exercises with Uñai.

8.15-9.00: Just come off quite a good lesson with Uñai. We got straight started with exercises – little general catching-up chat at the beginning, given that we “met” yesterday.

We finished “Habe” unit 31 with more sentence translation (from English into Basque) and the final gap-filling exercises from the unit on “norentzat”. Then an exercise filling in the gaps with conjugated forms of “jakin” in the present.

We then got straight into unit 32, so I was glad I’d done some prep on it. The grammatical focus in this unit is reported speech. In Basque reported verbs take a special ending – “la” (with stem changes sometimes). It’s very simple in theory but quite different from anything I’ve come across in an other languages so far.

I should add that all the work I’m doing in the Habe units is revision. I covered these units about a year or more ago in the physical Basque classes I used to attend.

Friday 17th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson, 30 minutes self-study)

Just come straight off my 45 minute lesson with Iñigo. Ten minutes in, Skype disconnected and I switched from the Mac to the iPhone. He was also giving the lesson by phone. I’m really a laptop guy (never use my tablet) but no problem doing the lesson by iPhone.

To most of you it will be no revelation that you can have a language lesson on your phone, but it reminds ME how portable and flexible the location of an online lesson can be these days.

We finished “Habe” unit 34 with some final “complete the gaps” exercises and moved on to unit 35. It’s title is “Love, where?” and we began working through a “wall of text” – short explanations by young people from Donostia (San Sebastián) about how they meet (or fail to meet) potential partners. I read out three of the six texts and understood the thrust of each, though there was some new vocab. I hadn’t prepared the text in advance and will try to review – and prepare the rest – before tomorrow’s lesson.

I’m afraid I didn’t fee particularly fluent today. It’s very much up and down from lesson to lesson with how the language flows. I just hope I feel “the flow” when I’m with the television crew taking part in the Basque TV programme a week on Monday.

Finished my day this evening with thirty minutes preparing the next pages of unit 34 for tomorrow’s class with Iñigo.

Saturday 18 August (45 minute lesson with Iñigo, 30 minutes self-study)

Day kicked off with a 45 minute lesson with Iñigo.

Well, I’d set aside thirty minutes for study before hand but that was lost to me trying to work out how to install Skype and access my existing account on my iPad (which I don’t use very often). Finally sorted that out and it worked very well with Iñigo’s account (which my Mac for some reason doesn’t).

Like yesterday, I felt pretty useless during the lesson. We were working on the subject of dating, with a certain amount of slang or idiomatic vocab. The preparation I did yesterday evening stopped things feeling even worse, I guess.

The grammar is reported speech: indirect statements and questions which are simple but very different in Basque and the forms take a bit of practice.

Finished the evening with 30 mins prep of Bakarka 4 ch. 3 for the lesson with Eider tomorrow (going through two quite long reading texts and checking the vocab).

Arian B2.1 – Basque students talk about how they learn

Sunday 19th August (30 minute lesson, 30 minutes self-study)

Kicked off with a 30 minute run in the park, with Basque radio playing in my ears. An interview with a guy making maps of Iruñea (Pamplona) after the news bulletin.

Just come off a 30 minute Skype call with Eider. She’s got the market cornered for Basque on italki.com at the moment. I use this platform to arrange most of my language teaching and exchanges. When you complete your first ever lesson using this link you’ll get USD10 in credit (and so will I) :).

For the first fifteen minutes we were chatting. I was trying to explain that I called the police yesterday as some neighbours (actually a block away) were playing loud reggae music for several hours. Some of the music was actually quite good and I Shazam-ed it, but that’s not the point. It annoys me when people are inconsiderate of others. The older I get, the less inclined I am to put up with it.

Back to the lesson: we continued to work with Bakarka 4 chapter 3. I did an exercise which involved adding “izenlaguna” (adjectiviser (!)) endings. That’s “-tazko” from “-tzat”, “-ganako” from “-gana”, ” -kiko” from “-kin” and “-rako” from “-ra”.

I found this quite difficult because I didn’t understand all the sentences (despite have supposedly “prepared” them yesteday).

In the last couple of minutes I read the text “Egin Kopiak Bada Ezpada Ere” outloud. We had worked on last week. This time noticed several examples of the adjectivisers we’d just been practising.

Did the lesson standing up, like yesterday with Iñigo. I spend far too much time at my desk. For a few months now I’ve had a small frame that raises up my laptop but can also be used to convert the table into a standing desk. I find standing helps me focus and keeps me feeling more energised.

For my thirty minutes self-study today, I worked from chapter one of the Arian B2.1 book. It’s a bit above my level but it’s got short audio pieces with transcripts. That’s great for dictation, which I find a great way to force me to focus and “notice” the differences between what I think I hear and the written language and language I simply don’t know well enough yet.

Call coming up with Meritxell from Basque TV tomorrow morning to discuss the filming again.

Week four report and general update

I’m with the crew a week tomorrow (Monday 27 August). For that reason, think I’m going to hold off publishing the diary and video next Sunday and wait till the first Sunday in September. That way I can roll in a report on how the filming went.

So, look out for a post on a more general language learning topic next week.

It’s now the end of the third week of my four-week sabbatical from work. I’ve been working hard behind the scenes on the site and on my first product.

Also, as I mentioned above, last Tuesday I published the first of two vlogs from the National Eisteddfod in Wales. The second one will be out on Tuesday.

Last week, too, I brought out the third in the Dr Popkins Method? video series. This time I told the story of how I learned Russian at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union and German as the country was reunified.  I wonder whether Basque (or Welsh) independence could be the next thing to be sparked by language learning efforts

Here’s the Basque video diary for week three…..Me, still struggling…Still making tons of mistakes. Still not feeling as fluent as I think I should be by this stage….But, still in business….

Other posts in this series:

Kick off diary and video

First week diary and video

Second week diary and video

Final week diary and video

The post One month Basque boost: third week diary appeared first on How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins.

Monday 6th August (45 minutes one-to-one lesson, 20 minute “real” conversation, 30 minutes self-study)

This is the start of the second week of my month’s sabbatical from my day job at the law firm and I’m determined to keep up the momentum with me Basque….among other projects.

The London heatwave continues, for now. This means I had to be early with my morning run. Went out today at half past seven. Half and hour jogging round the park with Basque radio playing through the headphones.

Back with five or six minutes to spare before my 45 minute lesson over the net with Iñigo. I generally use italki.com for language teachers and tandem partners (that link will give you – and me – USD10 credit when you complete your first ever lesson with them).

The lesson went well, once we got connected. My Mac doesn’t like Skype. The materials were unit 34 of my “Habe” course. We were working more on revising telling the time and then on an exercise on “Oharrak” (warnings), which involved matching up those daft packaging warnings you sometimes get with the relevant household objects (sleeping pills (“can cause drowsiness”), an iron (“beware – can get hot”) and so on).

2pm twenty-minute call with Meritxell from Basque TV, all in Basque. We discussed more about the upcoming programme. Lasted 20 mins. We’d already earmarked the last Monday of August. Filming with me will be during the afternoon. Discussed three locations, timing, which order to film.

I learned more about the programme. They are also filming at a Basque restaurant in London and other interviewees are Basque singer who lives here and an American who has learned the language (a guy I’ve met a couple of times through the London Basque Society). They will be also filming one of those Catalan human towers (a “castell”). That’s because there’s a group who do castells her that’s run by Basques.

Evening: thirty minutes self-study. Reviewing some of what I did with Iñigo from unit 34. Then went ahead in the unit to prepare some of the vocab. Listened to the first audio clip to this unit: “Mercedes Vio Berria” radio ad twice through. Then tried to write down what I could hear. Then corrected against the transcript.

Tuesday 7th August (45 minute one-to-one lesson, 1 hour self-study)

Got an early start at 6.30 am. Spent an hour working with the “Habe” materials. Did vocab prep work on “Azkarrak direla publiziastak” (Ad men are crafty) text in unit 34. Then moved to unit 33 (which I will be working on with Uñai before too long (I’m currently doing unit 31 with him).

Unit 33 is about migration and immigrants. Lots of topical and relevant social and political vocabulary. I worked through several of the reading texts, looking up vocab.

45 minute afternoon session on Skype with Uñai. First half spent in general catch-up conversation. More than enough to talk about: he has now been reunited with his missing suitcase but has problems with his new flat, I was explaining more about my upcoming participation in the television programme.

I’ve decided to go to the Welsh National Eisteddfod, so tomorrow I’ll be travelling to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.

The Eisteddfod is the main Welsh-language cultural festival. It takes place entirely through the medium of Welsh. It’s always the first week in August. It’s held in a different part of Wales every year, alternating between the northern and the southern parts of the country.

I told Uñai a bit about that too during the lesson.

We then did some more of the unit 34 written exercises but verbally, on the hoof.

Then I had to retell the story of Txano gorritxo by weaving in six modern items: “helikopteroa” (helicopter), “sakelako telefonoa” (mobile phone), “igerilari bat” (a swimmer), “ezpainak margotzekoa” (lipstick), “telepizza” (a telephone-ordered pizza) and “pinrtze urdina” (a blue prince (?!)). More you do no want to know Finally there was quite a long reading comprehension about Pernando Amezkettara (a jokey Basque historical character).

Tomorrow’s lesson brought forward to an earlier time as I’ll be on the train in the afternoon, Wales bound.

Wednesday 8 August (two 45 minute one-to-one lessons)

Another early start, including a run in the park listening to Basque radio before lesson with Iñigo.

Temperature in the low twenties this morning. Looks like the heatwave may be over, for now.

Good general discussion first about different types of cuisine and different attitudes to eating animals (which, and which parts). Conversation then turned to the fishing industry and I was trying to explain attitude around that in the UK in the context of Brexit. That proved a bit of a stretch at my current level.

We then continued with “Habe” unit 34. There was a complete the gaps exercise about a Basque TV advert featuring a young man receiving a traditional Basque txapela for his 18th birthday and wearing it the wrong way round like a rapper. Then there was a reframe the sentences as reported speech exercise.

Just time for breakfast then straight on at 9.30 with the day’s lesson with Uñai (originally scheduled for this afternoon).

We started “Habe” unit 31 which is about the “red press” (prentsa arrosa), that’s to say media celebrity and gossip magazines. Practising the “norentzat” case (who for) with some useful exercises. Then read three short pieces about celebrities. I discovered that Elton John where red-tinted specs because of a medical problem with his eyes. It’s not just fashion.

Early afternoon I headed to the station to catch a train to Cardiff.

Although there have been periods when I’ve attended the Eisteddfod year after year, the last time I was there was in 2014.

One problem often is getting to the “Maes” literally “the Field” the main location of the Eisteddfod. This year, though “y Maes” is in the “Cardiff Bay” area of central Cardiff: Rohl Dahl Place, the Wales Millennium Centre (concert hall) and the Senedd, the home of Wales’ National Assembly (parliament).

Tonight, back in the AirBnB after my first Eisteddfod evening, I decided to postpone the lessons I had booked with Iñigo tomorrow and Uñai early tomorrow and Friday morning. So there will be a pause in my Basque focus until Sunday.

Outside the Eisteddfod “Maes”

Thursday 9 August (no Basque)

I spent all day on “y Maes”.

I’ve been looking at the various stalls there (book and craft stalls, stalls held by charities, educational institutions, various official and corporate bodies, voluntary organisations). Then I was in famous, brick Pierhead building, where all the activities for learners were focussed.

I also attended more formal events in “y Pafiliwn”, the Pavilion. The Pavilion usually a (very) large tent but, this year, the main concert hall in the Wales Millennium Centre. I was glad to catch the presentation of the prize to Mat Spry, winner of the Welsh Learner of the Year competition. I also saw some “Cerdd Dant” (Welsh poetry set to harp music).

Another highlight today was the triumphal reception for Geraint Thomas, the Cardiff boy who’s just won the Tour de France. I was just in the right place at the right time (inside the Senedd) to see the First Minister of Wales and the Speaker of the National Assembly lead him out to the steps to meet the crowd.

I was shooting footage all day and there’ll be a couple of “Eisteddfod” vlogs up on the YouTube channel before too long.

Geraint “Tour” Thomas (first on right) on the steps of the Senedd (Welsh parliament)

Friday 10 August (no Basque)

Again I spent the whole day at the Eisteddfod.  Once the heavy morning rain had cleared.

I attended a couple of interesting meetings. One was on the Welsh legal system (I’m a lawyer by day). The other, hosted by the language pressure group Dyfodol was about the government’s policy of creating one million new Welsh speakers by 2050. The special guest was Eluned Morgan, the Minister for the Welsh language.

The concert hall was packed for the main ceremony of the day, the announcement of who had won the “Chair”. With That’s the competition for the best cynghanedd (Welsh strict metre poem) on a set theme with a length limit. Poets have to submit work under a pen name “chairing” of the bard”. So, unable to get a ticket, I had to watch the ceremony on a TV screen.

Saturday 11 August (no Basque)

Had breakfast at a cafe in the imposing Art Deco hall of Cardiff Station before getting on the train for London.

It’s a two-hour journey.

I admit I could have used this for reading Basque.

Instead, I was editing some of the video for the first of the (likely) two eisteddfod vlogs.

Back in Brixton, I’ve been re-jigging my lessons over the weekend. Iñigo was originally available this afternoon, but we are now having a lesson tomorrow. That’s in place of the one I should have had with Eider, who has to go to her café job but will rescheduled (not yet sure when).

I should have done at least thirty minutes Basque tonight. Instead, I did more work on the Eisteddfod vlogs. Addictive, this video production business.

Sunday 12 August (45 minute one-to-one lesson, 30 minutes self-study)

First thing: half an hour’s prep of “Habe” materials. Then: a run in the park listening to Basque radio on the headphones.

Next: a lesson with Iñigo. We never got to the “Habe” materials as we were just chatting all the time.

I told him what I’d been doing in Cardiff and he was telling me about his upcoming interview for a seven month internship in London. Who knows, we may well get to meet in the autumn.

Early afternoon, I recorded this week’s video (see below).

General update

This week I’ve been busy working behind the scenes on the site (I’m developing some courses for language learners – more details soon).

I was also productive over on YouTube.  This week’s Quick Tip Tuesday vlog was called “Conversations first”. I shot it in Hoxton, currently one of the hipster captials of London.

I also shot the second and third in my “Dr Popkins Method?” video series. Number Two I published on Thursday. It’s my own story of how I got fluent in French and Welsh. Next week, I’ll publish the next episode: how I learned German and Russian.

What about you? As we hit the more-or-less half way mark in August, is your language learning going as you’d planned it? If not, how come? If so, what’s your secret? Share with us all in the comments below!

Now, without further ado, here’s this week’s Basque practice video:

Other posts in this series: 

Kick off diary and video

First week diary and video

Third week diary and video

Final week diary and video

The post One Month Basque Boost: second week diary appeared first on How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins.

Sunday 29th July (1 hour 30 mins self-study)

Worked on one of the listening exercises from my “Habe” materials, unit 30: two jokes about priests. Followed my regular study routine. Began with careful listening to the audio without looking at the text and started interacting with it from there.

Then started preparing “Habe” unit 31, which is all about gossip and scandal in the press. Did the first reading exercise and listened once through to the first listening exercise.

Mailed Uñai, a new teacher I’ve found on the web, to find out about his availability for the coming week. He isn’t sure yet and won’t be able to tell me till Tuesday or Wednesday. So, I’ll be starting the week unsure whether I’m going to be able to book the teacher hours I’d like.

Monday 30th July (45 minutes self-study)

Ran in the park and listened to live Basque radio for half an hour on the headphones. Conversation about the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family in Ekaterinburg. I’m a specialist in late-tsarist Russia, so the subject is right up my street. The journalist had visited the site and was explaining. Understood quite a lot.

No teacher lined up for today. Neither current teacher available and I’m still waiting for my new ones to get back in touch. My fault for not having got back to one of them by email earlier last week.

Good news: my regular italki teacher Eider (the only Basque teacher currently on there) has confirmed my 30 minute sessions with her for the next three Sundays. She only offers Sundays at the moment. She’s not around for the final Sunday of my Basque month, though.

For 45 minutes worked by myself on second of the two audio files from Habe unit 30. It’s the story of Mateo Txistu (Whistling Mathew). He’s priest who also likes hunting. While he was officiating at Mass, his dog was tied up outside the church. A hare ran by. The dog started barking loudly. Mateo abandoned the Mass midway through and he and the dog pursued the hare all day and all night, on and on and on, without success. God was so angry that Matteo had abandoned the Mass. Even today, during long winter nights when the wind is blowing, when the old people hear the wind blowing they say it’s Mateo Txistu running after the hare. Loads of old folk stories like this in Basque.

Again I used my usual routine, beginning with the audio and trying to understand as much as I could before reading the transcript and pulling it apart in an interactive way.

Hurrah! In the evening a potential new teacher, Iñego confirmed a half hour test session tomorrow morning.

The story of Mateo Txistu

Tuesday 31 Aug (30 minutes one-to-one lesson, 1 hour self-study)

Started “Habe” unit 34: “Iragarkiak” (“Announcements”). This is the unit I’ve sent to Iñego, so I’m preparing the ground for the lesson. Listened to one of the audio exercises right through and then tried to reproduce sentence by sentence and took it from there.

8.30 am – just come off the first lesson with Iñego. He’s a very communicative, friendly personality and a clear voice. I didn’t understand everything he said but could guess (or pretend) when not. I think it’s just more important sometimes to keep the conversation going.

We agreed to do two half-hour sessions a week, and he’s happy to use my “Habe” materials. This time, though, just a getting to know you chat session.

One interesting thing I learned was that there is a difference between jolastu or jostatu, on the one hand and jokatu, on the other. They all mean “to play” but jolastu/jostatu means to play and instrument or about actors performing or children having fun. Jokatu means to play in a competitive way (for example at cards or in sport).

We also discussed knowledge of English in the Basque Country. Iñego said it was generally low in the Spanish Basque provinces, but higher than elsewhere in the Spanish State or in the North (French Basque Country). We put this down to the positive effects on linguistic ability of “elebitasun” (bilingualism – another new word). Iñego explained that in some schools Maths or Geography are now even taught through English.

Wednesday 1 August (10 minutes (!) one-to-one, 1 hour self-study)

Got in half an hour in before my lesson with Uñai. I was working on “Habe” ch. 31 listening exercise “Norentzat?” (“Who is it for”), practising the -entzat case ending. I took down the text as a dictation.

My lesson with Uñai started on schedule at 10am but ended abruptly at ten minutes later when Uñai’s computer cut out.

The problem? He arrived in the Netherlands yesterday and the airline has lost his baggage. The cord for his computer was in the missing case. Lesson abandoned. I hope he gets the case back!

Did another half hour on my own. Translated the text of “Norentzat” into English to translate back at a later date. Revised the Matteo Tsixtu exercise listening exercises from unit 30 by listening again and then “shadowing” the text a couple of times.

My mood slumped when I checked my mails and found that Iñego has cancelled the second lesson we had agreed for tomorrow. Immediately jumped to the conclusion he’s maybe going to be unreliable.  With Uñai out of action due to the lost luggage, that means I could end up only having two full lessons this week (I’m booked with Eider on Sunday) and I was aiming for five!

Loretegian – out in the garden filming the vlog

Thursday 2nd August (2 hours self-study)

7.30am – glorious sunny start as the heatwave continues. Did second listening exercise from “Habe” unit 31 by way of a first listen through to the whole text and then a phrase-by-phrase written dictation exercise.

I noticed the chunk “filma grabatu” (to record a film). I’d been saying this to my teacher without being sure whether this was the verb used for making a film or video.

One hour plus passive radio listening today.

Friday 3rd August (30 minutes one-to-one, 1 hour self-study)

Less active work on my materials today. Started with “shadowing” exercise on the audio of the “Bihotzaa dir-dir” text from “Habe” unit 31. Then going through the rest of the text and exercises in this unit to check I understand. Looking up vocab. All in preparation for working through with Uñai on Skype.

Just going out the door with my phone headphones on when the stream of Basque radio was interrupted in my ear by a Skype call. It was Iñego asking if I was up for a lesson right away. Another ten minutes and I’d have been in the middle of the run.

So, about turn on the doorstep and I had a good second lesson with Iñego, the first using the Habe materials. We worked on unit 34 together for the first time.

Mid-afternoon got an email from Uñai saying that his suitcase with the computer cord had been located so he’s up and running again. Three sessions with him booked for next week. Looks like the “teacher crisis” which looked to be brewing on Wednesday has now passed .

One hour or so of passive radio today, including on my twenty-five minute run. Yes, that finally happened after the unexpected Basque lesson.

Saturday 4th August (30 minutes one-to-one, 30 minutes self-study)

Morning kicked off with a thirty 30 minute lesson with Iñego.

General chat first. Topics included Basque “baserriak” (traditional farm houses) and how often the names of them are also Basque surnames. Also discussed how the typical “Basque” typeface is more used in the North (French Basque Country) than in the South. Is it kitsch nationalism for the tourists in place of a political identity and strong language revival of the South. Or is it one way of proudly showing identity when faced with the crass arrogance of the trumped up little Napoleons of right and left up in Paris? Perhaps both.

Then back to unit 34 to practise telling the time. Iñego good on forcing me to be really accurate with my endings. I’m now at a level where it makes sense to tune up my case endings with numbers when telling the time. It’s the ablative (“-tik”) ending on the number for “from” (e.g. from 9 o’clock), then allative (“-ra”) for to (as in “to 10 o’clock). The endings need to be plural for 2 o’clock onwards, though as the Basque time expressions use “one hour” but “two, three hours” etc.

Later today I spent another half hour reading a text for the first time to work on with Eider next Sunday.

Can’t sleep? Try reading Basque!

Sunday 5th August (30 minutes one-to-one, 30 minutes self-study)

Unable to drop to sleep between midnight and quarter to five this morning, partly because of the heat. Ended up propped up in bed at about 4.20 am reading the first seven pages of a Basque novela “Ainzaneren koadernoa” (Ainzane’s notebook) that I first “read” a few months ago. (Well my eyes went over the words then, but I didn’t get much of the meaning.)

I was amazed how much more I understood last night. I was really following the story, despite not knowing all the words or being sure of all the structures. Very encouraging. It’s hugely exciting when you sense a gear-shift like that.  Or was I dreaming?

Not up until after eight and no time to run, especially as I had to deal with a problem in the kitchen this morning when the kettle tripped the electricity circuit a couple of times. Need a new kettle! Number three in eight years in this house. All in all, no time for some passive radio either before my thirty-minute session with Eider.

My reading fluency in the middle of the night did not translate into a particularly fluent Skype performance from me. Still, some useful work with Eider from Bakaraka 4, chapter 3. We focussed on the exercises practising conjugations of past tense of esan (to say, to tell), which is completely new to me. You can also usually also express this with using an auxiliary verb with esan unconjugated.

Shortly after the lesson, I returned to my desk for another thirty minutes’ work reading through one of the longer texts in chapter 3 ready to work on together in next Sunday’s lesson.  Then, out to the garden to film the video update.

Totals and round-up

I aimed for five lessons and five days with at last thirty-minute self-study sessions (total two-and-a-half hours in total). Totting up (starting with Monday and including today) I only did four lessons but I did at least thirty minutes self-study all seven days (total self-study: six and three quarter hours).

And in other news…. I’ve kicked off a new “Dr Popkins Method” vlog series (check out the YouTube channel). I’m also putting together a new language learners’ mentoring programme for the autumn. On those, watch this space.

Next Basque update: next Sunday.  First, this week’s vid:

As always, any comments or questions now the first week is done, let me know below.

Enough about my efforts! How has the first week of August gone in  your language learning? Tell me all about it!

Other posts  in this series:

Kick off diary and video

Second week diary and video

Third week diary and video

Final week diary and video

The post One Month Basque Boost: first week diary appeared first on How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins.

The time is right

The timing of this TV project is perfect as I’ll have more time and energy than usual to focus on Basque this month. That’s because last night I “broke up” to start my annual one-month sabbatical from the law firm.

Out of the blue a couple of weeks ago, I got a Facebook message from one of the television production team. I’m still not sure how they came across me (no evidence that they were Howtogetfluenters… Maybe the London Basque Society tipped them off).

There was a form to fill in with some background info about my and my interest. I delayed doing this as I “couldn’t face” having to write in Basque. I finally got it sent in and had a preliminary Skype call on Wednesday morning. They had tried to phone me, but I thought Skype would be better than trying to understand a phone call. I was worried that my level would not be good enough and that I wouldn’t be able to understand them.

The call went really well, though. I only had to ask Meritxell to repeat herself a couple of times. We discussed filming ideas and locations and fixed the date.

Me and Basque: the background

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I’ve been learning Basque for five years now.  The language – spoken in the Basque Country on both sides of the western Pyrenees and along the adjacent coastlines in the French and Spanish states – is quite a challenge. That’s because it’s a “language isolate”, unrelated to any other language.  It’s different, exotic.

I’ve generally been learning at a stately pace.  It’s been low intensity, working with self-study materials.  If you’re a Basque learner, check out my Basque text-book review.

Until last year, I was attending a weekly group class at the London Basque Society.

Throughout, though, the mainstay of my learning has been study on my own and working with teachers via Skype. That’s my language learning philosophy: self-study and one to one, with group classes as an add-on. Useful at times but not central.

I’ve mainly found the teachers through italki.

There have been breaks for business travel and vacations. I’ve also put the Basque to one side or into “maintenance mode” when I’ve been focussed other language projects (such as my advanced German and Russian exam preparation and my beginner Indonesian and Icelandic projects).

These breaks aside, the Skype lessons have constant in my life over the past few years.  I aim for two or three a week.  It’s an ongoing language habit that I don’t think about that much.

I’ve also deliberately ramped up several times in the past. I used the framework of the 90-day Add1Challenge three times (check out reports here, here and here).

In summer 2016, I spent one month on an intensive residential course in the Basque Country and made a round-up vlog of life in the Maizpide Barnetegia and travel vlogs about my journey to the Basque Country and the sights and sounds of the Basque Country.

I attend London Basque Society events when I can.

Learner’s update

Here’s a recap of my study/practice totals for December to April (ignoring passive media exposure): December 2017 – 7.5 hours; January 2018 – 12 hours; February 2018 – 6 hours 45 mins; March 2018 – 10 hours 45 mins; April 2018 – 4 hours 30 mins. For a breakdown and more detail, see my last general “Language Learner’s Update”.

Here, hot off my calculator, are the latest totals from language learning log:

May 2018 – total: 5 hours, 15 mins
5 x 45 minute lessons with Unái
1 x 30 minute lesson with Eider
1 hour of additional study (2 x 30 min sessions)

June 2018  – total: 9 hours, 45 mins
3 x 45 minute lessons with Unái
3 x 30 minute lessons with Eider
5 hours of additional study (10 x 30 min sessions)

July 2018 – total: 7 hours, 20 mins
4 x 45 minute lessons with Unái
4 x 30 minute lessons with Eider
2 hrs 20 minutes of additional study (4 x 30 min, 1 x 20 min)

How is the work paying off?

It’s difficult to get an objective handle on your own progress, which is why recording yourself at intervals is a useful tool for seeing whether you’re making progress.

I’ve just been looking back at some of the videos I’ve posted in the past.

I’m clearly a long way on from this video (April 2015):

My best “performance” so far has been this one from a couple of weeks after my return from Maizpide (September 2016):

That’s nearly two years ago but ‘ve certainly felt some improvement in recent months.

I can now have proper conversations. I’m forgetting the most frequent words much less often. I’m still coming up against my limited vocab but I’m finding it easier to remember new words when I do focus on doing that.

I’m developing a feel for Basques unique verb system. It’s different and quite complex, though it is very regular.

The auxiliaries and the small number of (high frequency) synthetic verbs still cause me problems at times.  At other times, though, I’m able to apply the system “on the wing” to get the right form with a verb I haven’t used so much.

That said, when I look at the video I recorded earlier today (below), I still feel a bit embarrassed at my level and feel I should be at a higher level now…..And that’s just when I watch my performance in the intro in English No, seriously, I’m still making a lot of mistakes but, as I said, I’m feeling the progress all the same.

The plan

My aim is to be able to do a thirty or forty-five minute conversation session with a teacher five days a week.

I also aim to do at least one additional thirty-minute session five days a week.

I’ll continue to work with the Habe materials with Unai and Bakarka 4 with Eider. With the other teachers I plan to use other chapters of the same courses. I’ll also review things I’ve done already.

This week I started to look a new text-book as well, the Arian B2.1 book.  It’s above my current level but well make for a change and a stretch.

I’ve worked Assimil Le Basque unifié (initiation)  to death, but I may review some of that.

l’ll be dipping in and out of Colloquial Basque too because it’s packed with very useful vocab, phrases and cultural background and using Alan King’s The Basque Language again.

Aside from the constant need to practice the alien structures of the language, my main challenge is vocab building.

I will also be listening to Basque radio when I’m eating, showering and doing household chores. This passive exposure is something I’ve been doing from the start and I understand more and more (though still less than half, I’d say). This year, I’ve also started watching the news online.

That’s it.

I’ll be posting a short study log with a short progress video each week…..starting with this post and vid. The vlogs will generally be quick updates to camera about my Basque learning and general life that week.  At the end, I also hope to enlist some help to record a proper conversation as well.

I think the programme’s due to go out in September. I’ll let you know.

If you’re a Basque learner, do let me know about your experiences in the comments below.  Likewise if you are studying another language and can relate, or just have questions, it’d be great to hear from you.

Other posts in this series:

First week diary and video

Second week diary and video

Third week diary and video

Final week diary and video

The post One Month Basque Boost: kick off appeared first on How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins.