بلاگ
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How to Learn Dutch 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. -
The 2 Minute Hack for a Strong Russian Learning Routine
If you want to learn the language, but are still struggling with making time to sit down and learn and making language learning a routine there is a quick 2-minute solution to your problem. The 2 Minute Hack for Learning &Easily Sticking With It And in this guide, you’ll discover… One, The 2-Minute Rule &Why That’s All You Need to Get a Routine Going Two, How to Learn the Language in Just a Few Minutes a Day Three, Which Language Tools You Can Use… including Free Ones, And Much more 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. Part 1: The 2-Minute Rule &Why That’s All You Need to Get a Routine Going So, why are 2 minutes all you need to get started? First, you may already be thinking that 2 minutes aren’t enough to learn anything. And you are not wrong. But that’s not what the 2 minute rule is all about The 2-minute rule comes from the book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. And the way it goes is… if you want to form a new habit or routine, you should do it for just 2 minutes a day Why? Well, those 2-minute rules are all about practicing showing up and making language learning super easy to start. So, pick something easy that you can do for 2 minutes. And, we’ll reveal a few ways you can learn for just 2 minutes in just a bit. If you can show up and put in 2 easy minutes consistently, you now have a routine that you can improve upon. Now you can learn a bit more challenging things past those 2 minutes, and now you have a solid routine going. In other words, the 2 minutes acts like a gateway routine. Do the easy stuff for 2 minutes. If you can master showing up and doing 2 minutes… then you can move on to the more challenging things like grammar, reading or drilling vocabulary. But, if you never master showing up. You’ll be like the millions of language learners that set a New Year’s Resolution and failed it 3 days later. Now, how can you put in just 2 minutes a day? Part 2 How to Learn the Language in Just a Few Minutes a Day If you’re learning with our system you can… 1. Sign up for the word of the day emails. This is a free service that sends you new words every day improves your vocabulary and you can easily spend 2 minutes reading through the word, the examples, listening to the pronunciation, and saying it out loud. 2. Learn with our 3-minute lesson pathway. Not quite 2 minutes, but, it comes close. Our 3-minute lessons are a lesson series for Absolute Beginners where you learn conversational phrases in just 3 minutes… and start speaking the language right away. And you’ll find the pathway for these lessons in our lesson library. 3. Learn with our free vocabulary lists. Just look for vocabulary lists in the vocabulary dropdown menu on the site. You’ll find 100s of lists for common topics like greetings, talking about weather, everyday life, must-know phrases for conversations, and much more. And you can spend 2 minutes picking up new words… or saying them out loud. 4. Listen to the dialogue tracks. The dialogue tracks are 10 to 30-second tracks with just the lesson conversation. So, if you want to listen to native conversations or just review a conversation from a previous lesson you can easily spend 2 minutes listening to one on repeat, or several and train your ear and get accustomed to native speech. 5. Review our PDF Language Cheat Sheets We email out freebie cheat sheets every month so if you’re on our email list, you should be getting them. And just spend 2 minutes reviewing the words and phrases on the cheat sheets. These cheat sheets are a great way to learn a bit of language in just a few minutes a day. 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. -
Giacomo Leopardi e la libertà (Leopardi and freedom) – Cyber Italian Blog
Il conte Giacomo Leopardi in un dipinto di Stanislao Ferrazzi (c. 1820) Giacomo Leopardi è considerato uno dei più importanti poeti italiani.
Nella sua famosa poesia L’infinito tratta il tema dell’immaginazione, che rappresenta anche la libertà. Ascolta L’infinito recitato da diversi attori. Quale versione preferisci?
Tu hai molta immaginazione?
Secondo te cos’è la libertà?Giacomo Leopardi is considered one of the most important Italian poets.
In his famous poem “L’infinito” (The Infinite) he explores the theme of imagination, which also represents freedom.
Listen to “L’infinito” interpreted by different actors. Which version do you prefer?
Do you have a lot of imagination?
In your opinion, what is freedom?Picture source: Wikipedia.org
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Giving Simple Directions – Part 2
Do you remember how to say, ”there”? Orada Do you remember how to say, ”library”? Kütüphane Do you remember how to say, ”the library is there”? Kütüphane orada Do you remember how to say, ”here”? Burada Do you remember how to say, ”behind”? Arkasında Do you remember how to say, ”in front of”? Önünde Do you remember how to say, ”inside”? İçinde What about ”outside of”? Dışında What about ”theater”? Sinema salonu Do you remember how to say, ”cafe”? Kafe What about ”bank”? Banka Do you remember how to say, ”school”? Okul What about ”park”? Park Well done! In this lesson you learned how to give simple directions in Turkish. And I’m Seda and I will see you next time at Turkishclass101.com.com Hoşçakalın! -
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Nationalities – RussianPod101
русский (russkiy) татарин (tatarin) канадец (kanadets) What do these words mean? Stick around. In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Russian vocabulary for nationalities. Before we start, did you know Russia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, with almost 200 different ethnic groups living together? Do you know which group is the largest? Keep watching for the answer at the end. русский (russkiy) “Russian” [SLOW] русский (russkiy) русский (russkiy) In Russian, words denoting nationalities are nouns. Masculine is русский (russkiy), feminine is русская (russkaya). Я – русская (Ya russkaya). Susan asks Tom about his friend. Susan: Откуда твой друг? (Otkuda tvoy drug?) Tom: Я думаю, он русский! (Ya dumayu, on russkiy!) украинец (ukrainets) “Ukrainian” [SLOW] украинец (ukrainets) украинец (ukrainets) Masculine is украинец (ukrainets), feminine is украинка (ukrainka). Oh, Ukrainian food is so delicious! Borscht with special garlic bread (pampushka), dumplings with cherries (varenyky). Jack introduces a new chef to Susan. Jack: Вот наш новый шеф-повар. Он украинец. (Vot nash novyy shef-povar. On ukrainets.) Susan: Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) татарин (tatarin) “Tatar” [SLOW] татарин (tatarin) татарин (tatarin) Masculine is татарин (tatarin), feminine is татарка (tatarka). Tatars are the second largest ethnic group in Russia. In the region of Russia where I was born, there are many Tatars, so I even know how to cook Tatar dishes. Susan asks Anna about a new colleague. Susan: Откуда твой новый коллега? (Otkuda tvoy novyy kollega?) Anna: Он татарин. (On tatarin.) канадец (kanadets) “Canadian” [SLOW] канадец (kanadets) канадец (kanadets) Masculine is канадец (kanadets), feminine is канадка (kanadka). I heard that the nature and weather in Canada are similar to those in Russia. And also there are birch trees there. For Russians, the birch tree is a special tree, a symbol of the country. Susan asks Lina about a mutual friend. Susan: Кто она по национальности? (Kto ona po natsional’nosti?) Lina: Она канадка. (Ona kanadka.) немец (nemets) “German” [SLOW] немец (nemets) немец (nemets) Masculine is немец (nemets), feminine is немка (nemka). My first foreign language was German. It sounds so beautiful! And I still have one question. Why is the word “girl” neuter? Susan asks Oscar about a new member in their photography club. Susan: Не знаешь, откуда новый участник? (Ne znayesh’, otkuda novyy uchastnik?) Oscar: Он немец. (On nemets.) японец (yaponets) “Japanese” [SLOW] японец (yaponets) японец (yaponets) Masculine is японец (yaponets), feminine is японка (yaponka). I’m sure every Russian dreams of visiting Japan. It is so close but so different from other countries: sushi, samurai, anime, kimono, games. Japan has given so much to world culture. Yakov asks Anna about a new colleague. Yakov: Это твой новый коллега? (Eto tvoy novyy kollega?) Anna: Да. Он японец. (Da. On yaponets.) американец (amerikanets) “American” [SLOW] американец (amerikanets) американец (amerikanets) Masculine is американец (amerikanets), feminine is американка (amerikanka). Amerikan dream! When I was backpacking around the USA, people were always helpful and genuinely interested in my travels. Jack and Susan chat about a group of tourists. Jack: Откуда они? (Otkuda oni?) Susan: Они американцы. (Oni amerikantsy.) китаец (kitayets) “Chinese” [SLOW] китаец (kitayets) китаец (kitayets) Masculine is китаец (kitayets), feminine is китаянка (kitayanka). Moscow has a Chinatown called Китай-город (Kitay-Gorod), but its name isn’t linked to a Chinese community. Instead, it reflects the district’s history as a trade hub. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Kitay-Gorod was a big market area known for trading silk, spices, porcelain, and other exotic goods from the East, referred to as “Chinese.” Oscar asks Tom about a mutual friend. Oscar: Откуда она? (Otkuda ona?) Tom: Она китаянка. (Ona kitayanka.) словак (slovak) “Slovak” [SLOW] словак (slovak) словак (slovak) Masculine is словак (slovak), feminine is словачка (slovachka). The nature in Slovakia is incredibly beautiful! There are rivers, forests, picturesque mountains, caves, lakes, and thermal springs. Slovakia has everything! Sergey introduces Victoria to a friend. Sergey: Это мой друг. Он словак. (Eto moy drug. On slovak.) Victoria: Приятно познакомиться. (Priyatno poznakomit’sya.) поляк (polyak) “Polish” [SLOW] поляк (polyak) поляк (polyak) Masculine is поляк (polyak), feminine is полячка (polyachka). Do you know how I understand that there are Polish people around me? If I hear people speaking and it sounds like they speak Russian, but I sometimes can’t understand everything they say, then they are Polish. Tom asks Oscar about a new neighbor. Tom: Кто это? (Kto eto?) Oscar: Это мой сосед. Он поляк. (Eto moy sosed. On polyak.) 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 “Russian”? русский (russkiy) русский (russkiy) And how to say “Ukrainian”? украинец (ukrainets) украинец (ukrainets) How about “Tatar”? татарин (tatarin) татарин (tatarin) Do you remember how to say “Canadian”? канадец (kanadets) канадец (kanadets) And how to say “German”? немец (nemets) немец (nemets) Let’s try “Japanese”! японец (yaponets) японец (yaponets) What about “American”? американец (amerikanets) американец (amerikanets) Now, let’s see if you remember how to say “Chinese”! китаец (kitayets) китаец (kitayets) Another one! What about “Slovak”? словак (slovak) словак (slovak) And finally, do you remember how to say “Polish”? поляк (polyak) поляк (polyak) Did you know Russia is home to nearly 200 ethnic groups? Can you guess which is the largest? Russia is a very big country with many different kinds of people. More than 193 different ethnic groups live there, but the biggest group is the Russians. They make up about 72% of all the people in Russia. Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! -
Core Words: How to Say “Groin,” “Kneecap,” and More!
Hi everybody, my name is Thomas. Welcome to the 2000 Core Dutch Words and Phrases video series! Each lesson will help you learn new words, practice, and review what you’ve learned. Ok! Let’s get started! First is… WORD 1 (NORMAL SPEED) middel (NORMAL SPEED) “waist” (NORMAL SPEED) middel (SLOW) middel (NORMAL SPEED) “waist” (NORMAL SPEED) je middel opmeten (NORMAL SPEED) “measure one’s waist” (SLOW) je middel opmeten WORD 2 (NORMAL SPEED) knieschijf (NORMAL SPEED) “kneecap” (NORMAL SPEED) knieschijf (SLOW) knieschijf (NORMAL SPEED) “kneecap” (NORMAL SPEED) De knieschijf beschermt het gewricht en de pezen van de knie. (NORMAL SPEED) “The kneecap protects the joint and tendons of the knee.” (SLOW) De knieschijf beschermt het gewricht en de pezen van de knie. WORD 3 (NORMAL SPEED) lies (NORMAL SPEED) “groin” (NORMAL SPEED) lies (SLOW) lies (NORMAL SPEED) “groin” (NORMAL SPEED) verrekte lies (NORMAL SPEED) “groin pull” (SLOW) verrekte lies WORD 4 (NORMAL SPEED) achillespees (NORMAL SPEED) “Achilles’ heel” (NORMAL SPEED) achillespees (SLOW) achillespees (NORMAL SPEED) “Achilles’ heel” (NORMAL SPEED) De achillespees is de pees die van de hiel naar de enkel loopt. (NORMAL SPEED) “The Achilles’ heel refers to the tendon going from the heel to the ankle.” (SLOW) De achillespees is de pees die van de hiel naar de enkel loopt. WORD 5 (NORMAL SPEED) onderarm (NORMAL SPEED) “forearm” (NORMAL SPEED) onderarm (SLOW) onderarm (NORMAL SPEED) “forearm” (NORMAL SPEED) Ik heb een hart getatoeëerd op mijn onderarm, net boven de pols. (NORMAL SPEED) “I have a heart tattooed on my forearm just above the wrist.” (SLOW) Ik heb een hart getatoeëerd op mijn onderarm, net boven de pols. WORD 6 (NORMAL SPEED) duim (NORMAL SPEED) “thumb” (NORMAL SPEED) duim (SLOW) duim (NORMAL SPEED) “thumb” (NORMAL SPEED) Zonder de duim zouden we niets kunnen vastgrijpen. (NORMAL SPEED) “Without the thumb we couldn’t grasp anything.” (SLOW) Zonder de duim zouden we niets kunnen vastgrijpen. WORD 7 (NORMAL SPEED) pink (NORMAL SPEED) “pinkie” (NORMAL SPEED) pink (SLOW) pink (NORMAL SPEED) “pinkie” (NORMAL SPEED) De pink is de kleinste vinger aan de mensenhand. (NORMAL SPEED) “The pinkie is the smallest finger on the human hand.” (SLOW) De pink is de kleinste vinger aan de mensenhand. WORD 8 (NORMAL SPEED) middenvinger (NORMAL SPEED) “middle finger” (NORMAL SPEED) middenvinger (SLOW) middenvinger (NORMAL SPEED) “middle finger” (NORMAL SPEED) De middenvinger is meestal de langste vinger aan de mensenhand. (NORMAL SPEED) “The middle finger is generally the longest finger on the human hand.” (SLOW) De middenvinger is meestal de langste vinger aan de mensenhand. WORD 9 (NORMAL SPEED) wijsvinger (NORMAL SPEED) “index finger” (NORMAL SPEED) wijsvinger (SLOW) wijsvinger (NORMAL SPEED) “index finger” (NORMAL SPEED) De wijsvinger wordt vaak de aanwijzer genoemd. (NORMAL SPEED) “The index finger is often called the pointer.” (SLOW) De wijsvinger wordt vaak de aanwijzer genoemd. WORD 10 (NORMAL SPEED) ringvinger (NORMAL SPEED) “ring finger” (NORMAL SPEED) ringvinger (SLOW) ringvinger (NORMAL SPEED) “ring finger” (NORMAL SPEED) De vrouw doet een diamanten ring om haar ringvinger. (NORMAL SPEED) “The woman is putting a diamond ring on her ring finger.” (SLOW) De vrouw doet een diamanten ring om haar ringvinger. PRACTICE/REVIEW Let’s review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. First, you will hear a word or phrase in English. Respond in Dutch, then repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. Ready? (Do you remember how to say “waist?” Review 1) (3) (2) (1) middel (1) middel (And how to say “kneecap?” Review 2) (3) (2) (1) knieschijf (1) knieschijf (What about “groin?” Review 3) (3) (2) (1) lies (1) lies (Do you remember how to say “Achilles’ heel?” Review 4) (3) (2) (1) achillespees (1) achillespees (Let’s try “forearm!” Review 5) (3) (2) (1) onderarm (1) onderarm (What about “thumb?” Review 6) (3) (2) (1) duim (1) duim (Now, let’s see if you remember how to say “pinkie!” Review 7) (3) (2) (1) pink (1) pink (Another one! What about “middle finger?” Review 8) (3) (2) (1) middenvinger (1) middenvinger (Do you remember how to say “index finger?” Review 9) (3) (2) (1) wijsvinger (1) wijsvinger (And finally, do you remember how to say “ring finger?” Review 10) (3) (2) (1) ringvinger (1) ringvinger Well done! See you next time! Tot ziens. -
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