Grrr. It’s mid November and it's getting dark by half past four in the afternoon here in London now. By 8pm last night, when I headed out for an evening walk, it was dank and misty. It really felt like autumn. My mood, though, lifted up as I came across something quirky: a Royal Mail pillar box adorned with a knitted hat or “topper”. I’d heard before that there’s … [Read more...]
Intermediate B1 German vocabulary and grammar: what and how?
What new vocabulary and grammar do you need to move from upper beginner (A2) to lower intermediate (B1) German? Maybe you want to improve your German for work or pleasure. You may even need to pass a German B1 exam. If so, you're in the right place for some actionable information on the B1 German vocabulary and grammar that you need and how to master it. We've already done a … [Read more...]
How I learned Welsh…and you can too
This is the story of how I got fluent in Welsh. It's the third post in my new “Dr Popkins Method?” series of articles. There posts are very much my personal history....but I'm sure you'll already see instructive parallels - or contrasts - with your own experience. That should already help you get a realistic take on this large - but not insurmountable - undertaking. At the end … [Read more...]
“Dr Popkins Method?” Getting fluent in French
This is the first time I've blogged about French. I tell the story of how I managed to get reasonably fluent in the language. It’s the second post in my new "Dr Popkins Method?" series of articles. If you prefer video, you can scroll straight to the bottom for the link to the companion vlog about my experiences learning French and Welsh. This post follows the same plan but … [Read more...]
How to remember the gender of Welsh nouns and when it matters
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...]