Confetti? Check! Crazy and colorful costumes? Check! A playful attitude? Double check! We’re all set and ready. It’s time to celebrate. It's Carnival time! Let's step back in time for a minute and see how it all got started, shall we? … [Read more...] about Put your mask on: It’s Carnevale! [+ Free Vocabulary]
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Buon San Valentino! Valentine’s day in the Italian language
It’s Valentine’s day and there’s no better language than Italian to express love, passion, and romance. It doesn't matter who you are, you will steal the heart of anybody by whispering some Italian paroline dolci (sweet nothings) in their ear. From the ever-charming “ti amo” (I love you) to the luscious “amore mio” (my love), I dare you not to succumb to the musicality of this language. Even the most passionate storia d’amore (love-story) of all times, Romeo and Giulietta, has an Italian vibe since it’s set in Verona. Need I say more? Over the last couple of weeks, I have been sharing love-related Italian words and phrases over Instagram and Facebook. A countdown to Valentine’s Day, one that combines love and education. Want to impress your valentine? Read on and try … [Read more...] about Buon San Valentino! Valentine’s day in the Italian language
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How to keep learning a language during the holidays
There are some Christmas traditions I never ever break. Putting up the Christmas tree on December 8. Not a day before, not a day after. Eating lentils on New Year’s Eve. It is said that lentils bring luck and prosperity if eaten on that day, so… you get the point. Stuffing my face with Italian Christmas delicacies. The sweet taste of Pandoro gets me every time. As soon as I smell that vanilla-scented powdered sugar, I feel like taking a slice. And another one. And then one more. Yum. But I digress. Traditions, as I was saying, are quite a big deal for me. That’s why I created my own language traditions to go with the holiday spirit. Who says you can’t keep your language skills sharp during Christmas? Let’s dive in! … [Read more...] about How to keep learning a language during the holidays
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Music as a Learning Tool: Sing Your Way to Fluency!
Today we’ve got a guest post from Lucia Leite, a Portuguese native speaker who has a degree in English and German. At the moment she's taking a Master’s degree in English as a second language for young learners, while improving her Spanish and French. I’ll leave you with her now... - … [Read more...] about Music as a Learning Tool: Sing Your Way to Fluency!
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Writing in a Foreign Language: How to Do It and Why
The guest post you'll enjoy today was written by a Greek man who is currently studying Norwegian in Norway. His name is Dimitris Polychronopoulos. He blogs on yozzi.com in his eight strongest languages. In this article he will talk about how to become a better writer. Enjoy! --- Sometimes we reach a certain level of a foreign language and we just want to keep going. Maybe we’ve lived and worked in the target country for a long time. Maybe we work academically or professionally in the language. Maybe we haven’t gotten as far along as we would like to in the target language and we have long-term goals for a particular language. It may be that we need to pass a proficiency test in the language for a variety of reasons. … [Read more...] about Writing in a Foreign Language: How to Do It and Why
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Learning to Teach, and Teaching to Learn
I'm so happy to welcome my friend Sahar, a.k.a. The Wandering Jew, on Runaway Daydreamer. I was delighted when he offered up a guest post on his experiences about teaching his mother tongue to others and learning from it. I’ll leave you in his hands... --- What is the best way to learn a language? I’ve tried various methods with varying degrees of success over the years. My spoken Italian came on pretty quickly from six months of immersion, whilst my German is nothing less than scheisse after a year and a half of university lectures, and I have no words for how inexcusably poor my Dutch is after a few months of now-abandoned Duolingo practice; at least, no words for it in Dutch. This year, I had my first opportunity at trying what Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger termed “Docendo … [Read more...] about Learning to Teach, and Teaching to Learn
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5 foreign languages to learn to boost your career after graduation
Today’s guest post was kindly written by Samanphy. Samanphy is currently based in London, coming from Hong Kong. Along with speaking Cantonese, Mandarin and English, she has been learning Spanish since 2010, lived and worked in Spain before and is a fluent speaker. She is studying Business with Marketing and working in the marketing department at Livety.com - a young startup whose purpose is to help students from all around the world find the best and most suitable accommodation in the UK. Over to you Samanphy! --- Once you have secured your hard-earned degree, a great way to enhance your skills is to learn foreign languages. This will enable you to work in your chosen field virtually anywhere in the world, opening up exciting travel opportunities. When it comes to choosing which … [Read more...] about 5 foreign languages to learn to boost your career after graduation
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Review: Learning French with Lingvist
Learning new languages at superspeed is probably the dream of every aspiring polyglot. Lingvist offers you just that - or at least that's what it promises. What's Lingvist? I hear you ask. Lingvist is a brand new platform, launched in 2014 and still in its beta version. Lingvist is also the tool I am currently using to practice French - I am on a 10-day streak and I have no intention of stopping! … [Read more...] about Review: Learning French with Lingvist
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Review: Grammaire progressive du français – Niveau Débutant
Author: Maîa Grégoire Skill Level: Upper-Beginner Rating: **** 4/5 This workbook was designed for beginners but despite the word “débutant” displayed on the cover it assumes some knowledge of the language. As a matter of fact, it is completely written in French - grammar explanations included - so if you use no other book or dictionary, you may find yourself a bit lost at times. You can still be a beginner and use it, but I believe it works better as a refresher for upper-beginners or intermediate French learners. If you have studied French in the past and are looking for a quick and efficient reminder of things once known, you certainly won’t be disappointed. … [Read more...] about Review: Grammaire progressive du français – Niveau Débutant
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Italian Easter Vocabulary, Phrases and Traditions
Christmas may be the most important festivity in Italy, but Easter is a close second. Many cities and villages host religious parades and celebrations - also known as “processioni” - during which a statue of Jesus or the Virgin Mary gets carried through the streets. The Sunday that precedes Easter - called “domenica delle palme” - represents a special moment for Italian Catholics: the Mass lasts longer and olive tree branches blessed by the priest are distributed in churches as a peace symbol. In Rome the Pope takes over St. Peter's Square to greet people from all over the world. Easter Monday is a public holiday called “Pasquetta” and most shops are closed. The usual custom is to go out—whether is a picnic with friends or a trip to the countryside, outdoor activities are a must on … [Read more...] about Italian Easter Vocabulary, Phrases and Traditions
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