نویسنده: AliBina
-
Strangers: Che and Ya – RussianPod101
Zdrastvuite, Ya Svetlana! Welcome to Russianpod101.com’s Алфавит Made Easy! The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn the Russian Cyrillic alphabet: the Алфавит! You’re officially on the second half! Last time we quickly reviewed all of our True Friends, False Friends, and New Friends. Then we learned a few new words and phrases. Now is where it gets really fun! In this lesson we’ll introduce our last category of Russian letters – “Strangers.” Strangers are letters which don’t look familiar and don’t have an equivalent letter in English. After that, we’ll learn some more phrases for your notebook. Ready to go? Our first Stranger is “Я”. It looks like a backwards Arr but unfortunately, it doesn’t sound similar at all. It’s almost always pronounced “Ya”, like “Why”-”A” in English. In addition to being a letter, on its own it is one of the most important words in Russian: the first personal pronoun, “I”. In printed form, size is the only difference between the upper and lowercase versions. Here’s the uppercase. Я (print, upper) And the lowercase. Я (print, lower) The cursive version of uppercase “Я” looks like this. With the loop, it may seem a bit confusing at first. But once you get used to it, you will realize that it is quite an efficient stroke. Lowercase “Я” is written the same way as the uppercase, except for the smaller size. It also has the hook on the left. This is the third letter we have learned that uses a hook when following another letter. Now let’s write them. Я (cursive, upper) And the lowercase. Я (cursive, lower) The second letter we’ll learn in this lesson looks like the number 4: Ч. While it may look strange, “Ч” has a pretty familiar sound. “Ч” usually makes a “ch” sound, but sometimes it can sound like “sh” when used before a hard sound or at the beginning of the word. We’ll go over this in more detail later. Size is the only difference between the upper and lowercase versions. Here’s how to write the printed versions. Ч (print, upper) And the lowercase. Ч (print, lower) Now let’s see how to write “Ч” by hand. Uppercase “Ч” is easy to write, and because it looks quite similar to the printed version, it’s easy to read too. It’s written with a single stroke and connects smoothly to the next letter. The lowercase is a bit more interesting. When it stands alone, it’s pretty easy to recognize, but when it’s connected to a preceding letter, it looks similar to a lowercase cursive Arr in English. When transitioning into “Ч”, you have to stretch the connection point from the previous letter so it connects more smoothly. Handwriting time. Ч (cursive, upper) And the lowercase. Ч (cursive, lower) Great! We’ve learned two new letters. Now let’s see some new sentences that you can write! First up is a question and answer that introduces a very important and useful phrase. Try reading it aloud. [short pause] Did you try to say “Chto”? It’s nearly impossible, isn’t it! That’s why the first word in this sentence is pronounced “Shto” with an “Ess”-”Aytch” sound. This is an incredibly useful word because it means “what.” We know “eto” means “this,” so basically you’re asking “What is this?” “Shto eto”. In the answer, we see “Eto” again, and “Fabrika” which we already know means “factory.” “Moya” means “My.” So the question and answer fully translated is: “What is this?” “This is my factory.” Что это? Это моя фабрика. (cursive) Don’t forget the hook on the lowercase “я”! Now you are ready to move on to another useful phrase. [short pause] We read this phrase as “Я еду через Москву.” Let’s go over the words in the phrase. As we just mentioned, “Я” means “I”. “еду” means “to go (by transport),” “через” means “through,” and “Москву” is a form of Moscow. So fully translated it reads “I am going through Moscow” with the implication that you are using transport, and not going by foot. Я еду через Москву. (cursive) In the next lesson, we’ll meet a few more Strangers. I hope you’re excited! See you in the next Алфавит Made Easy! lesson. Пока Пока -
Il nostro corpo (Our body) – Cyber Italian Blog
Michelangelo, studio per la Sibilla Libica. 1510-1511 circa,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Nota i muscoli di questa giovane fanciulla!“Mi sento un pezzo di legno”. Questo è ciò che una persona italiana dice quando “si sente rigida”, non fa “stretching” (allungamenti) da molto tempo né esercizi di riscaldamento prima di iniziare un’attività sportiva.
Pinocchio tutte le mattine si alza e dice: “mi sento un pezzo di legno!” Allora inizia a fare ginnastica. Dieci minuti tutte le mattine sono un “toccasana”.
E tu?
Fai ginnastica tutti i giorni?“Mi sento un pezzo di legno” (I feel like a piece of wood). This is what Italian people say when they “feel stiff”, they haven’t stretched for a long time or warmed-up before a physical activity.
Every morning Pinocchio wakes up and says: ‘I feel like a piece of wood!’ Therefore he starts stretching. Ten minutes a day is a miracle cure.
And you?
Do you exercise every day?To practice Italian this week we invite you to play…
PRACTICE HERE: Italian/English Version
-
The One Guaranteed Way to Learn Words & Phrases for Good: Spaced Repetition Flashcards
What if there was a guaranteed way to learn new words fast? You’d speak way more of your target language, right? Well, such a way exists. It’s called spaced repetition flashcards, and you’ll see just what makes this method powerful in just a bit. But first, if you don’t yet have access to our language learning system, sign up for a free lifetime account right now. Just click the link in the description to get your free lifetime account. What is spaced repetition? So first, let’s talk about spaced repetition. What is it, and why is it so powerful for learning languages? First off, spaced repetition is exactly what it sounds like. It’s learning that gets spaced out over time. Imagine this. You learn a new phrase today, and instead of trying to memorize for the next 20 minutes so you can remember it forever, you just walk away for the day. But then, you come back tomorrow to review, then again, two days later, then again, three days later, and so on. So you’re spacing out your learning. You learn, you take a break, you come back later. Why do it this way? There are two big reasons. First, you need repetition to learn anything. I mean, think about it. When was the last time you heard something once and it stuck forever? You’d be fluent by now if that worked. And second, your brain remembers better when you take breaks in between reviews. If you try to cram it all in at once, your brain has no time to process, and you forget everything as quickly as you learned it. But by spacing out your learning, you’re giving your brain time to rest, process, and remember new words and phrases. So that’s spaced repetition learning. And spaced repetition flashcards apply this spaced repetition method to help you learn the language and remember it for good. Instead of you having to remember when to review certain words, the flashcards do this for you and test you accordingly. How to use the spaced repetition flashcards inside our system. Now, let’s talk about how to use our spaced repetition flashcards. You’ll find the flashcards in the vocabulary drop-down menu on our site. There, you’ll see the 100 Must Know Words deck waiting for you. That’s a ready-made deck you can start with. But you can also make flashcard decks using words and phrases from our lessons, the 2,000 core word list, words in your word bank, and our free vocabulary list. So click study and then start session to begin. Here’s how it works. You’ll see a word or phrase and your job is to see if you know it or not. Click show answer to check. If you got it right, mark it as correct. If not, mark it as incorrect. You can even rate how well you knew it by clicking on the spectrum from correct to incorrect. You can also set it as mastered to never see it again. And here’s where the flashcards put spaced repetition to work. They start sorting the words based on how well you know them. The words that you don’t know will show up until you get them right. For the words you know, these will start getting spaced out. You’ll see them in two days, then five days, then 13 days, and so on. So you don’t forget them over time. When you’re done with a session, that’s it. Come back tomorrow. How to customize your learning with spaced repetition flashcards. The most common way to quiz yourself with flashcards is simple. You see the word in your target language and check if you know the meaning. But there are other ways to quiz yourself too. In the settings, you can choose from three modes. Listening, hear the word and check if you understand it. Production, see the translation and try to recall the word in the target language. Recognition, see the word and check if you know its meaning. You can use one, two, or all three modes to learn even faster. So if you haven’t tried learning with spaced repetition yet, give it a try. It’s a guaranteed way to learn new words and remember them for good. And in the grand scheme, you’ll learn much faster and spend less time on the actual vocab study. So if you want to learn the language and get access to these learning tools and our learning system, sign up for a free lifetime account right now. Just click the link in the description to get your free lifetime account. -
How to Learn Russian Faster & Easier with Structured Audio/Video Lessons
If you’re learning the language but not improving because the apps you use teach random words, and YouTube videos are too disconnected, then you’ll want structured lessons that build on each other. And that’s how our lessons and learning system work, and you’ll see how in just a bit. But first, if you don’t yet have access to our language learning system, sign up for a free lifetime account right now. Just click the link in the description to get your free lifetime account. How to get a structured path of lessons. First things first is, where do you get the lessons? The moment you sign up for a free lifetime account, you get access to all the lessons. Once you’re in and set your level, we’ll give you a pathway of lessons that match your level. It’s all laid out for you to follow from lesson one to two to three until the end. You’ll see lesson one on your dashboard, so click go to lesson to get started. And each lesson is about three to 15 minutes, so you can finish one anytime you have a few spare minutes. Since the lessons are audio and video format, you can just listen or watch, which makes it way easier to consume than reading a textbook, and you can listen on the go with our app, Innovative Language Learning. How do the lessons work? So you might be wondering, how do lessons actually work? Well, it’s super straightforward, and it’s all designed to help you learn as quickly and naturally as possible. All you have to do is press play on a lesson. All lessons are hosted by real teachers and native speakers, so you’re getting authentic language right from the start. First, you’ll hear a conversation between two native speakers. Then we’ll play it again, this time slowed down and translated for you. After that, our teachers explain the main grammar point, the words, and any cultural nuances that pop up. Finally, you’ll hear the conversation one last time, but now you’ll actually understand it. When you’re done, we’ll guide you to the next lesson in the pathway, which will build on what you just learned. So you start with basics, like greetings in lesson one. Then in lesson two, you’re introducing yourself. By lesson three, you’re asking how someone is, and all the way from beginner to advanced. Extra tricks for learning faster. Now there are tricks you can use to learn even faster with our lessons. First, you can read along with the free lesson transcript as you listen or watch. You’ll find the transcript inside every lesson. Following along makes sure you understand every word, and it really helps you learn faster. Second, you should replay and re-listen to the lessons. You can also download lessons to review offline. But the point here is that the more you listen, the better the language will stick. It’s kind of like playing songs on repeat, and some of our learners play these lessons on repeat like you do with songs. Third, if you have questions, just leave a comment on the lesson. Our teachers are there to respond and help you out. And fourth, use the premium dialogue track. This track is just the conversation in the target language. No translations or anything. You can use this to immerse yourself, and you can also re-listen to it as many times as you want. So if you want to learn the language and get access to these learning tools and our learning system, sign up for a free lifetime account right now. Just click the link in the description to get your free lifetime account. -
Making Basic Comparisons – Part 2
Do you remember how to say Artvin? Artvin Do you remember how to say “more than”? Den / dan / ten / tan daha Den / dan / ten / tan daha Do you remember how to say crowded? Kalabalık Do you remember how to say “more crowded than”? Den / dan / ten / tan / daha kalabalık Do you remember how to say Istanbul? Istanbul What about “Istanbul is more crowded than artvin”? Istanbul artvin’den daha kalabalık. What about small? Küçük Do you remember how to say big? Büyük What about ancient? Kadim What about rainy? Yağmurlu Do you remember how to say cold? Soğuk In this lesson you learned how to make basic comparison in Turkish. I’m Seda surell and thank you for watching. I will see you next time at turkishclass101.com. Hoşçakalın! -
Discovering Italian Medieval Villages
Italy is famous for its rich history, stunning landscapes, and vibrant culture. While cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice are well-known travel destinations, there is an equally fascinating world waiting to be discovered in the lesser-known Italian medieval villages. These charming, historic villages offer an intimate glimpse into Italy’s past, with winding cobblestone streets, ancient …
The post Discovering Italian Medieval Villages appeared first on Sos Italian – Learn Italian online.
-
The One Guaranteed Way to Learn Words & Phrases for Good: Spaced Repetition Flashcards
What if there was a guaranteed way to learn new words fast? You’d speak way more of your target language, right? Well, such a way exists. It’s called spaced repetition flashcards, and you’ll see just what makes this method powerful in just a bit. But first, if you don’t yet have access to our language learning system, sign up for a free lifetime account right now. Just click the link in the description to get your free lifetime account. What is spaced repetition? So first, let’s talk about spaced repetition. What is it, and why is it so powerful for learning languages? First off, spaced repetition is exactly what it sounds like. It’s learning that gets spaced out over time. Imagine this. You learn a new phrase today, and instead of trying to memorize for the next 20 minutes so you can remember it forever, you just walk away for the day. But then, you come back tomorrow to review, then again, two days later, then again, three days later, and so on. So you’re spacing out your learning. You learn, you take a break, you come back later. Why do it this way? There are two big reasons. First, you need repetition to learn anything. I mean, think about it. When was the last time you heard something once and it stuck forever? You’d be fluent by now if that worked. And second, your brain remembers better when you take breaks in between reviews. If you try to cram it all in at once, your brain has no time to process, and you forget everything as quickly as you learned it. But by spacing out your learning, you’re giving your brain time to rest, process, and remember new words and phrases. So that’s spaced repetition learning. And spaced repetition flashcards apply this spaced repetition method to help you learn the language and remember it for good. Instead of you having to remember when to review certain words, the flashcards do this for you and test you accordingly. How to use the spaced repetition flashcards inside our system. Now, let’s talk about how to use our spaced repetition flashcards. You’ll find the flashcards in the vocabulary drop-down menu on our site. There, you’ll see the 100 Must Know Words deck waiting for you. That’s a ready-made deck you can start with. But you can also make flashcard decks using words and phrases from our lessons, the 2,000 core word list, words in your word bank, and our free vocabulary list. So click study and then start session to begin. Here’s how it works. You’ll see a word or phrase and your job is to see if you know it or not. Click show answer to check. If you got it right, mark it as correct. If not, mark it as incorrect. You can even rate how well you knew it by clicking on the spectrum from correct to incorrect. You can also set it as mastered to never see it again. And here’s where the flashcards put spaced repetition to work. They start sorting the words based on how well you know them. The words that you don’t know will show up until you get them right. For the words you know, these will start getting spaced out. You’ll see them in two days, then five days, then 13 days, and so on. So you don’t forget them over time. When you’re done with a session, that’s it. Come back tomorrow. How to customize your learning with spaced repetition flashcards. The most common way to quiz yourself with flashcards is simple. You see the word in your target language and check if you know the meaning. But there are other ways to quiz yourself too. In the settings, you can choose from three modes. Listening, hear the word and check if you understand it. Production, see the translation and try to recall the word in the target language. Recognition, see the word and check if you know its meaning. You can use one, two, or all three modes to learn even faster. So if you haven’t tried learning with spaced repetition yet, give it a try. It’s a guaranteed way to learn new words and remember them for good. And in the grand scheme, you’ll learn much faster and spend less time on the actual vocab study. So if you want to learn the language and get access to these learning tools and our learning system, sign up for a free lifetime account right now. Just click the link in the description to get your free lifetime account. -
Mastering Informal Italian: Speak Like a Native
When learning Italian, you might start with formal/standard structures, proper grammar, and textbook vocabulary. But if you want to sound like a native, you need to understand informal Italian as well—the way some people actually speak in everyday conversations. Some Italians love to simplify phrases, use slang, or replace words with more casual alternatives. In …
The post Mastering Informal Italian: Speak Like a Native appeared first on Sos Italian – Learn Italian online.
-
Greetings & Farewells – RussianPod101
Спокойной ночи. (Spokoynoy nochi.) Доброе утро. (Dobroye utro.) What do these words mean? Stick around. In this quick lesson, you’ll learn basic Russian greetings that all beginners must know. Before we start, do you know why often Russians avoid shaking hands through a doorway when greeting or saying goodbye? Keep watching for the answer at the end. Здравствуйте. (Zdravstvuyte.) “Hello.” Здравствуйте. (Zdravstvuyte.) Здравствуйте. (Zdravstvuyte.) The word Здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte) is a polite greeting in Russian. It comes from the Old Slavic word здравие (zdraviye), which means “health” and translates to “be healthy” or “I wish you health.” The word Здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte) is long, with many consonants in a row, some of which are not pronounced. In informal settings, this word is often shortened to здрасьте (zdras’te). It sounds quick and casual. Jack greets Steve at a networking event. Jack: Здравствуйте! Как поживаете? (Zdravstvuyte! Kak pozhivayete?) Steve: Хорошо! А вы? (Khorosho! A vy?) Спокойной ночи. (Spokoynoy nochi.) “Goodnight.” Спокойной ночи. (Spokoynoy nochi.) Спокойной ночи. (Spokoynoy nochi.) The literal translation of the phrase спокойной ночи into English would be “peaceful night.” Once, at my birthday party, my friend left earlier than the others. The fun was in full swing. I asked if she got home safely and wished her “good night” – Спокойной ночи (Spokoynoy nochi). She then wished us a not-so-peaceful night – неспокойной ночи (nespokoynoy nochi) in return. Which really means something like “have a crazy night.” Steve calls Tom before going to bed. Steve: Спокойной ночи. Было весело. (Spokoynoy nochi. Bylo veselo.) Tom: Спокойной ночи. До завтра. (Spokoynoy nochi. Do zavtra.) Доброе утро. (Dobroye utro.) “Good morning.” Доброе утро. (Dobroye utro.) Доброе утро. (Dobroye utro.) Hardworking people joke, ‘The morning might be good, but I’m not.’ Start with coffee, a tasty breakfast, and some exercise—then you can wish your colleagues ‘good morning’ or Доброе утро (Dobroye utro). The word добрый (dobryy) also describes someone’s character, like добрый мужчина (dobryy muzhchina) – “a kind man.” Victoria greets her friends before heading out on a hiking trip. Victoria: Всем доброе утро. (Vsem dobroye utro.) Tom: Доброе утро! Рад тебя видеть. (Dobroye utro! Rad tebya videt’.) Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) “Nice to meet you.” Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) There is another phrase similar to Приятно познакомиться (Priyatno poznakomit’sya). Очень приятно (Ochen’ priyatno). It has a broader meaning – “It’s a pleasure.” Очень приятно (Ochen’ priyatno) can also be used to express gratitude or pleasure. Karolina greets a new student. Karolina: Приятно познакомиться. Пожалуйста, проходите. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya. Pozhaluysta, prokhodite.) Gabriel: И мне приятно познакомиться. Спасибо. (I mne priyatno poznakomit’sya. Spasibo.) Как дела? (Kak dela?) “How are you?” Как дела? (Kak dela?) Как дела? (Kak dela?) The phrase как дела? (Kak dela?) is an expression used to ask about someone’s affairs, well-being, or mood. The word дела (dela), “affairs or matters,” in this context originally could refer to how things were going in a broader sense – how events or tasks in a person’s life were unfolding. Steve greets Tom at a party. Steve: Рад тебя видеть! Как дела? (Rad tebya videt’! Kak dela?) Tom: Хорошо! А у тебя? (Khorosho! A u tebya?) До свидания. (Do svidaniya.) “Goodbye.” До свидания. (Do svidaniya.) До свидания. (Do svidaniya.) Свидание (Svidaniye) originally meant “a meeting” or “encounter” and до свидания (Do svidaniya) literally translates to “until (the next) meeting.” Now, in Russia, the word Свидание (Svidaniye) means “a date.” Jack says goodbye after meeting with Steve. Jack: До свидания. Скоро увидимся! (Do svidaniya. Skoro uvidimsya!) Steve: Обязательно. Береги себя! (Obyazatel’no. Beregi sebya!) Let’s review. You’ll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Russian. Ready? Do you remember how to say “Hello.”? Здравствуйте. (Zdravstvuyte.) Здравствуйте. (Zdravstvuyte.) And how to say “Goodnight.”? Спокойной ночи. (Spokoynoy nochi.) Спокойной ночи. (Spokoynoy nochi.) How about “Good morning.”? Доброе утро. (Dobroye utro.) Доброе утро. (Dobroye utro.) Do you remember how to say “Nice to meet you.”? Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) And how to say “How are you?” Как дела? (Kak dela?) Как дела? (Kak dela?) And finally, do you remember how to say “Goodbye.”? До свидания. (Do svidaniya.) До свидания. (Do svidaniya.) Do you know why often Russians avoid shaking hands through a doorway when greeting or saying goodbye? Russians believe it’s bad luck to shake hands or pass anything through a doorway. They think this might bring bad luck, so they step fully into a room or out of it before shaking hands! Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! -
Ten Italian Formal Connectives
When learning Italian, one of the key aspects of becoming proficient in the language is understanding how to link ideas together smoothly. This is where Italian formal connectives come into play. These linking words, such as benché, bensì, ciò nonostante/ciononostante, fuorché and others, are essential for creating complex sentences and improving the fluidity of your …
The post Ten Italian Formal Connectives appeared first on Sos Italian – Learn Italian online.