NEW Japanese Katakana workbook, with over 30 pages including puzzles, writing practice and flashcards so you can easily learn to read and write Japanese katakana! Available in A4, A5, letter, half letter and legal sizes. Download it here
Hello hello language learning friends, I’ve added a pack of 8 productivity pages so you can organise your studies and reach your language learning goals! ✨
Includes goal planner, 100 days of productivity, study checklist, lesson summaries and more! It’s also available in 6 colours, all included in the download!! Head over to my shop to see the full list of pages included and colours available! ✨
Whoops! I accidentally published a draft of this post early a few weeks ago, and some people liked and reblogged it. If you saw it…pretend you didn’t.
I’ve kind of inadvertently started a Cross-Strait series on this blog comparing Mandarin Chinese in Mainland China and Taiwan. This post is a continuation of this unofficial series. It is NOT intended to be comprehensive. For example, some of the characters below can be surnames but are not marked as such because I’ve never encountered them (meaning they are likely very rare). More obscure variants aren’t indicated either.
Definitions are from MDBG. Please let me know if you notice any errors.
發、髮 → 发
发 | 發 fā - to send out / to show (one’s feeling) / to issue / to develop / to make a bundle of money / classifier for gunshots (rounds) >> 发送 | 發送 fāsòng - to transmit / to dispatch / to issue (an official document or credential)
只 zhǐ - only / merely / just / but >> 只要 zhǐyào - if only / so long as
只 | 隻 zhī - classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc >> 一只猫 | 一隻貓 yì zhī māo - one cat
游、遊 → 游
游 yóu - to swim / variant of 游 | 遊 >> 游泳 yóuyǒng - swimming / to swim
游 | 遊 yóu - to walk / to tour / to roam / to travel >> 游览 | 遊覽 yóulǎn - to go sightseeing / to tour / to visit
塗、涂 → 涂
涂 | 塗 tú - to apply (paint etc) / to smear / to daub / to blot out / to scribble / to scrawl / (literary) mud / street >> 糊涂 hútu | 糊塗 hútú - muddled / silly / confused
当 | 當 dāng - to be / to act as / manage / withstand / when / during / ought / should / match equally / equal / same / obstruct / just at (a time or place) / on the spot / right / just at >> 相当 | 相當 xiāngdāng - equivalent to / appropriate / considerably / to a certain extent / fairly / quite
当 | 當 dàng - at or in the very same… / suitable / adequate / fitting / proper / to replace / to regard as / to think / to pawn / (coll.) to fail (a student) >> 适当 | 適當 shìdàng - suitable / appropriate
別、彆 → 别
别 | 別 bié - to leave / to depart / to separate / to distinguish / to classify / other / another / don’t …! / to pin / to stick (sth) in >> 离别 | 離別 líbié - to leave (on a long journey) / to part from sb
别 | 彆 biè - to make sb change their ways, opinions etc >> 别扭 bièniu | 彆扭 bièniǔ - awkward / difficult / uncomfortable / not agreeing / at loggerheads / gauche
胡、鬍 → 胡
胡 hú - surname Hu / non-Han people, esp. from central Asia / reckless / outrageous / what? / why? / to complete a winning hand at mahjong (also written 和) >> 胡说 | 胡說 húshuō - to talk nonsense / drivel
面 miàn - face / side / surface / aspect / top / classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc >> 面对 | 面對 miànduì - to confront / to face
干 | 乾 gān - dry / clean / in vain / dried food / foster / adoptive / to ignore >> 干脆 | 乾脆 gāncuì - straightforward / clear-cut / blunt (e.g. statement) / you might as well / simply
干 gān - to concern / to interfere / shield / stem >> 干扰 | 干擾 gānrǎo - to disturb / to interfere / perturbation / interference (physics)
干 | 幹 gàn - tree trunk / main part of sth / to manage / to work / to do / capable / cadre / to kill (slang) / to fuck (vulgar) / (coll.) pissed off / annoyed >> 树干 | 樹幹 shùgàn - tree trunk
余、餘 → 余
余 yú - surname Yu / (archaic) I / me / variant of 余｜餘, surplus >> Author 余华 (Yu Hua)
余 | 餘 yú - extra / surplus / remaining / remainder after division / (following numerical value) or more / in excess of (some number) / residue (math.) / after / I / me >> 多余 | 多餘 duōyú - superfluous / unnecessary / surplus
于、於 → 于
于 yú - surname Yu / to go / to take / sentence-final interrogative particle / variant of 于 | 於 >> Singer 于文文 (Yu Wenwen/Kelly Yu)
于 | 於 yú - in / at / to / from / by / than / out of >> 对于 | 對於 duìyú - regarding / as far as sth is concerned / with regards to
台 | 臺 tái - platform / stage / terrace / stand / support / station / broadcasting station / classifier for vehicles or machines >> 舞台 | 舞臺 wǔtái - stage / arena / fig. in the limelight
里 lǐ - ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m / neighborhood / ancient administrative unit of 25 families / (Tw) borough, administrative unit >> 公里 | 公里 gōnglǐ - kilometer
範、范 → 范
范 | 範 fàn - pattern / model / example >> 模范 | 模範 mófàn - model / fine example
范 Fàn - surname Fan >> Actress 范冰冰 (Fan Bingbing)
並、併 → 并
并 | 並 bìng - and / furthermore / also / together with / (not) at all / simultaneously / to combine / to join / to merge >> 并且 | 並且 bìngqiě - and / besides / moreover / furthermore / in addition
并 | 併 bìng - to combine / to amalgamate >> 合并 | 合併 hébìng - to merge / to annex *合并 also exists as a variant
丑、醜 → 丑
丑 chǒu - clown / 2nd earthly branch: 1-3 a.m., 12th solar month (6th January to 3rd February), year of the Ox / ancient Chinese compass point: 30° >> 小丑 xiǎochǒu - clown
松 sōng - pine >> 松树 | 松樹 sōngshù - pine / pine tree
松 | 鬆 sōng - loose / to loosen / to relax / floss (dry, fluffy food product made from shredded, seasoned meat or fish, used as a topping or filling) >> 放松 | 放鬆 fàngsōng - to loosen / to relax
准、準 → 准
准 zhǔn - to allow / to grant / in accordance with / in the light of >> 不准 bùzhǔn - not to allow / to forbid / to prohibit
准 | 準 zhǔn - accurate / standard / definitely / certainly / about to become (bride, son-in-law etc) / quasi- / para- >> 标准 | 標準 biāozhǔn - (an official) standard / norm / criterion
曆、歷 → 历
历 | 曆 lì - calendar >> 日历 | 日曆 rìlì - calendar
历 | 歷 lì - to experience / to undergo / to pass through / all / each / every / history >> 历来 | 歷來 lìlái - always / throughout (a period of time) / (of) all-time
吁、籲 → 吁
吁 xū - sh / hush >> 吁吁 xūxū - to pant / to gasp for breath
吁 | 籲 yù - to implore >> 呼吁 | 呼籲 hūyù - to call on (sb to do sth) / to appeal (to) / an appeal
須、鬚 → 须
须 | 須 xū - must / to have to / to wait >> 必须 | 必須 bìxū - to have to / must / compulsory / necessarily
表 biǎo - exterior surface / family relationship via females / to show (one’s opinion) / a model / a table (listing information) / a form / a meter (measuring sth) >> 表面 | 表面 biǎomiàn - surface / face / outside / appearance
致 zhì - to send / to devote / to deliver / to cause / to convey >> 导致 | 導致 dǎozhì - to lead to / to create / to cause / to bring about
儘、盡 → 尽
尽 | 儘 jǐn - to the greatest extent / (when used before a noun of location) furthest or extreme / to be within the limits of / to give priority to >> 尽早 | 儘早 jǐnzǎo - as early as possible
尽 | 盡 jìn - to use up / to exhaust / to end / to finish / to the utmost / exhausted / finished / to the limit (of sth) / all / entirely >> 尽头 | 盡頭 jìntóu - end / extremity / limit
*There are some words like 尽量 where 盡量 and 儘量 are both possible.
制、製 → 制
制 zhì - system / to control / to regulate / variant of 制 | 製 >> 控制 kòngzhì - control / to exercise control over / to contain
制 | 製 zhì - to manufacture / to make >> 制造 | 製造 zhìzào - to manufacture / to make
注、註 → 注
注 zhù - to inject / to pour into / to concentrate / to pay attention / stake (gambling) / classifier for sums of money / variant of 注 | 註 >> 注重 zhùzhòng - to pay attention to / to emphasize
注 | 註 zhù - to register / to annotate / note / comment >> 注定 | 註定 zhùdìng - to foreordain / to be bound to / to be destined to / to be doomed to / inevitably
了、瞭 → 了
了 le - (completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) / (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) >> 为了 | 為了 wèile - in order to / for the purpose of / so as to
了 liǎo - to finish / to achieve / variant of 了 | 瞭 / to understand clearly >> 了不起 liǎobuqǐ - amazing / terrific / extraordinary
了 | 瞭 liǎo - (of eyes) bright / clear-sighted / to understand clearly >> 明了 | 明瞭* míngliǎo - to understand clearly / to be clear about / plain / clear * Can also be written 明了 in traditional Chinese.
Thank you everyone for 2500 followers <3 I haven’t been posting as much lately because I’ve been busy. But this post is quite long and took a long time to write, so consider it a token of my thanks.
I am trying to start a daily Korean diary but since I’m just a beginner I had no idea what and how to write. After a bit of research these are some expressions I collected:
오늘은 특별한 날이다.
Today is a special day.
오늘은 평범한 날이다.
Today is an ordinary day.
⏰
아침 여섯시 반에 일어났다.
I got up at half past six in the morning.
세수를 했다.
I washed my face.
그리고 비가 내린다.
And it was raining.
☁
흐렸다.
It was cloudy.
맑았다.
It was clear.
❄
눈이 왔다.
It snowed.
☔
비가 왔다.
It rained./It was rainy.
오후 두시 오십칠분 점심식사를 먹었다.
I had lunch at 2:57 p.m.
그 음식은 맛있었다.
That food was delicious.
나는 한국어를 공부했다.
I studied Korean.
학교에 다녔다.
I went to school.
놀이공원에 갔다.
I went to amusement park.
⛺
그 후에 피곤해서 집에서 잠을 잤다.
After that, I slept at home because I was tired.
Please tell me if you spot any mistakes or if you have other useful sentences you come up with.
I have uploaded my small collection of Korean children’s books in PDF form. Since I am just learning Korean I summarized a few of them based on the pictures, so please excuse some of the titles!
There are 4 types of PDF’s in each folder, full color editions of the book with pictures (title.pdf) or just the text of the book (titletext.pdf). There are also black and white editions for those who want to print them off to write on them for translating. I’ve also included a zip file for those who want all 4 files.
Korean learners, I hit the point where I learn Korean with Talk To Me In Korean and I’m halfway through the second level and I keep reviewing the first level, scared of forgetting it and… I find it useless to learn more if I can’t practice grammar so.. Do you have any idea how to practice what I’ve already learnt? Any workbooks? Websites? I think about TTMIK workbooks, they’d be perfect, but I need to save money first.
i’m curious if anyone is interested in the list of 625 common words to know in your target language - polish edition?
if you want me to make it - let me know, if you already made one - tell me as well! i can check it out or reblog to share such important resources around our community ^^
YOU GOTTA LISTEN. Listen to your favorite shows, to podcasts, to vlogs, to music, to anything—as long as it’s made by native speakers. The textbook isn’t enough. Get serious about immersing yourself in the language as much as possible.
Why? Because you need to get a feel for common phrases and vocabulary, for context, for intonation and pitch, for pronunciation, to train your ear to make out the sounds better, etc…. It’s not about understanding everything, it’s about getting a feel for the language and its patterns.
So yeah. Stop neglecting it. Like now. Because grammar rules help, but they will never get you to fluency. A shit ton of input will take you much further (eapecially input that you can comprehend, which the grammar rules will help with). That’s all ^-^
So I found myself struggling these days because of a loss of motivation. Of course that’s normal, especially while learning a new language. First you’re like “I can learn this language in one night!” motivated but that can change into “How the f*ck could anyone remember all this sh*t?? Why am I doing this…”. I already saw that coming because it was the same with the language I learned before. That’s why I made a list for my future-me to look at when I feel like giving up. Now it’s time for it and I thought I could share it with you. Hopefully it helps some of you! :)
1. Drink water or juice. Yes I know, this is something people like to skip, because they want to get to the “real” tips, but please don’t do that! If you’re feeling tired, exhausted, down or even depressiv this can help you!
2. Clean your desk. If it looks like world war 3 just passed your table, it’s too messy and you will feel like it.
3. Read the list. Yes I mean THE list. Oh wait… you don’t know what I’m talking about? I mean the list you wrote down with reasons why you want to have good grades, why you started this new language, why you have to study the stuff you have to study right now. What do you mean you don’t have a list like that? Write one and then read it!
4. Look at your goals. What do you mean you don’t have a list with small goals that will keep you motivated? What are you doing the whole day? Write one! And be sure you write down small goals you can reach in like a few days or weeks. Everything else will be too far away.
5. Look at the list with rewards you will get/do/buy yourself if you reach a goal. Yes… I’m sure you have a list like that. I’m sure because you know you need one. Who doesn’t like rewards?… Of course you have one. Of course.
6. Anything is better than nothing. Watch a movie in your target language, listen to music the guy you have to learn about composed or watch a Youtube video of this stupid maths stuff you don’t get. Also if you sit down and just study 5 minutes it’s better than nothing.
7. Start a challenge. There are challenges for everything everywhere on the internet. Find one you like, set your goals, choose your rewards and start. This coffee you want to drink at this cool new Coffee shop won’t drink itself!
8. Teleport yourself into the future and skip studying. Of course that doesn’t work! Do I look like a wizard? No. But just close your eyes for a little bit, relax and imagine how you feel after reaching your goal. For example if you are studying a new language, imagine how you visit the country where your target language is spoken. You wake up and go outside for breakfast. You order what you want in your target language, while people look at you, impressed on how good you speak their language. You sit down and drink your coffee/tea, while a cute young man asks if he can sit next to you, because all other seats are taken. He starts a conversation and you have no problem to speak in your target language. He tells you how cute your accent is and asks you for a date. Oh, that won’t happen? Of course not if you don’t study.
9. Go for a walk. I know, just like “drink water” you probably want to skip that, but just don’t. If you really don’t want to go for a walk open all windows. Breath.
10. Meditate. Maybe you’re just too stressed. Calm yourself down for a moment.
11. Exercise. Your body will produce happy hormones. Yes I said happy hormones and yes they exist. Probably not with this name but who cares. The chance is higher to feel motivated to study after a workout.
12. Write a To Do List. Yes I like lists because they work. Write down what you HAVE TO DO today. If nothings helps you should at least do these things and just take a nap. The world is brighter after a nap.
HELLO long time no hear from me…. So let me explain something
I no longer have access to this account through my laptop as I have changed my phone number and cannot log into this account through any any other devices other than my phoneeee
Also this is only a side blog and not a main blog so I can’t do as much as I could if thid was a main blog, so I’m just going to RENAME THIS TUMBLR to oldmayihelpyouwithgerman and CREATE A NEW TUMBLR called mayihelpyouwithgerman on which I’m going to re-upload mosy of my old posts and be way more active (this time actually I promise) especially since quarantine is a great opportunity to learn a new language!
You can follow it or whatever idk if anyone even sees this lmao
ok so see you over there maybe??? tschüß
edit; Im also going to be taking down every post on here as soon as i reposted it :)
If you don’t use a language, your brain marks it as “useless”. That means that you’ll slowly forget everything you’ve learned. Here are some things you can do to prevent this:
-Read a book in the language you want to learn
Start with a children’s book. If you see a word you don’t know: Write it down with the translation!
-Watch your favorite movie in the language you’re learning (with/without subtitles)
-Follow people on social media which speak the language you want to learn
-Watch youtube videos
You like comedy/beauty/lifestyle/educational etc. videos? I bet people who speak the language you want to learn make them too!
Great now I know like thousands of words but I don’t know how to pronounce them
How to pronounce the “Ö”: take the word way (orbetray,lay) and now just say the ay.Amazing now tightly round your lips. If you have problems with that use a mirror to see if your lips are actually rounded.
How to pronounce the Ü: take the word knee(orweed,bee) and just say the ee. You have to round your lips just like with the Ö. The result is the Ü sound.
How to pronounce the “Ä”: You already have that in English! Take the word airand remove ther.And that’s how the GermanÄsounds like!
Alright this might be confusing because in English you only conjugate the 3rd person singular (remember that “he she it - the s must fit” thing? That’s exactly what I mean)
But German does that with every verb. So let’s take the verb “(to) learn” - “lernen”.
!!Almost every regular verb ends with “-en”!!
ich lerne (-e)
du lernst (-st)
er/sie/es lernt (-t)
wir lernen (-en)
ihr lernt (-t)
sie lernen (-en)
Just remember the endings and everything will be fine!
Ok, but why do I write nouns with a capital letter? That’s because you write nouns with a capital letter! Always. That’s it. Just remember this simple rule.
Ich heiße (insert name here). = I am (insert name here).
Ich bin (insert age here) Jahre alt. = I am (insert age here) years old.
Ich komme aus (insert country/city here). = I am from (insert country/city here).
Ich bin ein Nachtmensch. = I am a night person.
Ich lerne Deutsch. = I learn German.
Ich liebe Hunde. = I love dogs.
Ich liebe Katzen. = I love cats.
!!! Attention: It is really important here to pronounce “Nachtmensch” (m) properly! If you don’t pronounce the “ch” like you should, it will sound like “Nacktmensch” which means “naked person”.
Alright now you know the basics of the German articles, but how do you pronounce them?
der = in this case you pronounce the “r” like an “a” so it’s more like a “dea” (Attention: e is NOT pronounced like the 2nd “e” in the word “Mercedes”, it’s more like the last “e”.)
die = No. This is not pronounced like the English word. It’s actually pronounced like the English letter “d”, but a little bit harder.
das = the “s” sounds in this case like a snake. You know? Ssssssnake. But don’t focus that much on the s because if you say it too long, it will turn into another word.
Wait a sec… Der, die, das, dem, dessen, den(…)?? Why the fuck does she want me to die?
German has a lot of articles, but let’s start with the main ones.
Just like in English, German has indefinite articles and definite articles. Let’s take a look at the (main) definite articles:
“der”, “die” and “das”.
But why are there 3 ways to say the? That’s because words have one of three genders in German. The German grammar gender are called “maskulin” (=masculine), “feminin” (=feminine) and neutral (=neuter).
Wow enough German grammar words in one sentence. But why do I tell you that?
Depending of the grammar gender of the noun, you have to decide what word for “the” you have to use!
“Der” is an article for the masculine nouns. “Die” is an article for the feminine nouns. “Das” is an article for the neuter nouns.
But what do you use for the plural? Well that’s simple: You use “die”. But watch out: Some words don’t have a plural! But they are veeeery rare, so don’t worry about them!
