Integrate Language Learning Into Your Daily Life: A Handy Guide
Integrate Language Learning into your Daily Life: a Handy Guide
Reading
Internet is your friend! Fill your social media feeds with content in your target language: follow blogs you like, news outlets from other countries… The occasional absent-minded scrolling can thus turn into a more productive experience!
Treasure the little things: when I was a kid, I would read literally anything I happened to lay my eyes on… which included cereal boxes at breakfast time. While not overwhelmingly exciting per se, nutritional values, ingredients (and somewhat troubling warnings) often come in more than a language; small occasions like these are more common than you’d think in our daily life, and grabbing them is definitely worth a shot!
Books you know, stating the obvious since 1997: if given the choice between reading a novel in its translated version or in the original language, I usually go for the latter. Goes without saying, but: don’t overdo it. Challenging yourself is great, but if you tackle Crime and Punishment two weeks into learning Russian the whole thing will hardly end up well. Choose books suited to your level that you feel comfortable about, that will neither bore you to death because of their easiness nor drain your vital energy with their killer prose.
Listening
What’s not to love about music, right? Thanks to YouTube (plus numerous streaming services), the average learner has decades of songs from all around the world at their fingertips. Browse through playlists, try different genres, and enjoy a resource you can take with you anywhere!
I was never the type to listen to the radio all that much, but I must say I’ve had to change my mind: many international stations provide web broadcasts that can prove extremely useful in your learning journey.
Needless to say, YouTube is a gold mine: look for interesting content in your target language and enjoy! An additional tip if you want to work on your speaking as well: pause the video every once in a while and try to mimick the pronunciation.
Eavesdropping isn’t normally a habit to be encouraged, but we’ll make an exception for language learning: trying to catch glimpses of conversations half-heard on the bus or while walking around the city can be very stimulating, and is a good way to train your ear.
Watch TV shows and movies. Others are firmly against using subtitles if you’re doing it for learning purposes, but I’ll have to disagree: while I get that it makes you focus less on pronunciation, they can be vital to fight the initial disheartenment that could turn the whole experience into a self-inflicted chore. Depending on your level, I’d suggest you start out with subtitles that are in your native language, then abandon them as soon as possible to move on with subtitles in the target language (and then, when you see it fit, get rid of subtitles entirely).
Writing
This doubles as reading: translate a lot, both from your target language into your native one and the other way around. The object of your translation doesn’t really matter, as long as it’s something that holds some interest for you: songs are usually fast and fun to do (also, check out this website: https://lyricstranslate.com/), but this can be applied to anything, really.
Most people will recommend you try keeping a journal, and I must say I agree. You don’t have to write something every day, but as you start to get the hang of it you’ll find out how useful that can be: having to look for the words to express your very own thoughts effectively will provide you with vocabulary that could be crucial in later interactions.
Chat: Tumblr, discord and Telegram, among others, are good places to find fellow learners, and if you don’t feel like actively studying having a chat in your target language is definitely better than nothing! Besides, you’ll probably end up learning a bunch of useful slang words, plus some essential colloquial expressions that will make you sound more natural.
Speaking
Sing in the shower. Really, do. There’s nothing like a little karaoke session to get a hang of new sounds!
Talk to yourself (preferably when no-one else is around, but ultimately you do you). Pick a random topic and ramble freely. Recording yourself is also a nice trick: you’ll be able to spot the things that don’t sound quite right and work on them with a better focus.
Read aloud, and, once again, record yourself while you do it: you can check out later terms that were new to you (and, if need be, their pronunciation).
Don’t fear the natives! It’s easier said than done, I know, but if you try to grab any opportunity you get to speak your target language the overpowering dread will later give in to a pleasant sense of satisfaction, and you’ll end up looking for a chance to speak far more often than you’d think!
More Posts from Littlelanguagefox and Others
Phrasal verbs › alphabetical list : C.
Call for › demander/réclamer.
Call in › faire appel à quelqu’un/obliger quelqu’un à rembourser sa dette.
Call off › annuler.
Call on someone › rendre visite à/faire appel à quelqu’un.
Call out › crier/appeler.
Call up (a file) › appeler/ouvrir (un fichier).
Care for › s’occuper de.
Carry on › continuer.
Carry out › réaliser.
Get carried away by › s’emballer pour quelque chose.
Carry forward › reporter.
Carry off (an award) › remporter (un prix).
Carry through › mener à bonne fin/aider à réussir.
Cash in › se faire rembourser.
Cash up › faire la caisse.
Catch up › rattraper.
Catch on › devenir populaire/prendre.
Catch out › prendre en défaut/démasquer.
Cave in › s’effondrer/céder.
Change over (to) › passer à.
Check up on/check out › vérifier.
Check in (airport) › se présenter à l’enregistrement.
Check out (hotel) › payer sa note et partir.
Clean up › nettoyer/faire fortune/faire son beurre.
Clean (someone) out › nettoyer à fond/mettre quelqu’un à sec/dévaliser.
Close down › fermer définitivement.
Close in on › cerner.
Too many phrasal verbs with To come, find it special post here.
Conjure up › évoquer.
Cut across › toucher (pas au sens physique).
Cut back › réduire/diminuer.
Cut down (on) › réduire.
Cut off › couper/déshériter.
(feel) cut off › se sentir isoler.
(be) cut out for › avoir des dispositions pour quelque chose.
To (be) cut up › être très affecté.
i wanted to share some thoughts on ‘온유하게 해요 (shine on you)’. everybody is already aware of the title pun by now, but there’s another meaning on it that rly impacts me & i want to say.
so as many know, onew (온유) is an actual word in korean. i wouldnt give 온유 an exact translation but it’s along the meaning of softness, tenderness, or mildness. i’ll use ‘tender’ here.
so, onew’s name is in both titles. ‘온유하게 해요’ means ‘to make (smth) tender/onew’ & in ‘shine on you’, ‘on you’ sounds like ‘onew’ too. that’s cute, but what i want to focus on is the verse where this sentence appears:
‘싱그러운 미소가 불안했던 마음을 온유하게 해요’.
my personal trans goes: ‘your refreshing smile makes my (previously) troubled heart tender’. note that ‘-했던’ implies past onto ‘troubled’.
now, what makes this verse so lovely to me is exactly bc 온유 is his name. he is 온유. then saying ‘your smile makes me tender’ ends up meaning ‘your smile makes me who i am’. and more than that: ‘your smile makes my troubled heart tender’ seems to paint that ‘seeing your smile makes me remember who i really am’.
isn’t that such a beautiful love to have? to remember yourself in someone’s smile, to find strength in them to never stop being own tender self through all the troubles that come. it’s incredibly romantic.
and if you think about it, this verse is so precious bc it comes such a long way: if jinki wasn’t named onew all the way back 10 yrs ago, this sentence wouldn’t mean much today. it’s a verse with a simple sound, but its meaning came together in a careful & rare balance.
it’s this sort of thing that adds all the magic in art.
♡ SOME SPANISH TELENOVELA PHRASES ♡
requested by an anon
Exclamatory Phrases
¡no puede ser! | it can’t be!
¡vete / fuera de aquí! | go away, get out of here!
¡déjame en paz / aléjate! | leave me alone, get away from me
¡suéltame! | get off me, let go of me!
¡no me toques! | don’t touch me!
¡dime la verdad! | tell me the truth!
¡no lo creo! | i don’t believe it!
¡no me mientas! | don’t lie to me!
¡mentiras! | lies!
¡no lo soporto! | i can’t stand it!
!cállate! | shut up!
Insults
cobarde | coward
desagradecido/a | ungrateful person
mentiroso/a | liar
sinvergüenzo/a | shameless person
Plot Reveal Phrases
estoy embarazada | i’m pregnant
eres el padre | you’re the father
tengo un amante | i have a lover
quiero el divorcio | i want a divorce
habia un accidente | there was an accident
está muerto | she / he is dead
Love Phrases
estoy en enamorada de ti | i’m in love with you
eres el amor de mi vida | you’re the love of my life
eres mi vida | you’re my life
te amo / te quiero | i love you
te juro / te prometo | i swear to you, i promise you
no quiero vivir sin ti | i don’t want to live without you
no puedo vivir sin ti | i can’t live without you
cásate conmigo | marry me
¡nos vamos a casar¡ | we’re getting married!
Heartbreak Phrases
¡se acabo! | it’s over!
él me engañó / ella me engañó | she cheated on me
tiene otra mujer | he has another woman
no te amo / no te quiero | i don’t love you
me hiciste daño | you hurt me
¡te odio! | i hate you!
no lo / la puedo olvidar | i can’t forget about him / her
MISC. vocab
el novio, la novia | boyfriend, girlfriend
el amante | lover
el secreto | secret
el embarazo | pregnancy
la muerte | death
envidia | envy, jealousy
venganza | vengeance, revenge
more phrase lists ♡ idioms ♡ random phrases p. one ♡ random phrases p. two request a vocabulary / phrase list
At a crossroads
So here I am, sitting on the couch in my parents’ living room wondering how the hell I got here. Now that I’m out of college, I feel like that one shot in The Matrix where Neo tries to follow his mentor by jumping across the roof: moving forward but in slow motion. I just jumped from a ledge desperately trying to figure out whether or not I gave myself enough momentum to reach the other end.
I’m taking a year between undergrad and grad, but now I’m starting to wish I had just sucked it up and applied during the fall semester of my senior year. I’ve got a good support system (thank goodness) and a job lined up for the summer but I am just so nervous.
I feel like Evee, so many ways to evolve. Am I scared? probably. Am I gonna study for the GRE’s and take them anyway? hell yeah! Will I listen to a lot of kpop while I do it? Undoubtedly.
I am so grateful to be where I am right now, but I don’t know how to leap into the unknown. And I don’t think anyone really does. I think that’s why I’m here, in slo-mo between two rooftops, one too far behind, and one almost too far ahead.
Sorry for the rant, y’all! I love you, keep working hard, and rest when you can.
And don’t worry, I’ll be okay
Peace,
Lisa
(ps. this is an accurate depiction of Kim Namjoon pulling me out of my own fear)
hey you!! stop for a second!!! think of all the things you have accomplished today!! you woke up?? fucking superb!! washed your face? i’m proud of you!!! what did you do this week??? walked your dog?? they are so lucky to have you!! made yourself a meal??? you are doing amazing!! remember that life mostly consists of small things, not big ones, and you need to learn to cherish them!! play your favorite song!! do your homework!!! water your plants!! throw away the trash!! put away the clothes you’ve been piling on that chair!!! drink some water!!! you can’t do the big things without doing the small ones as well!!!!
Creo en Ti por Reik: Vocabulario y Gramática
Esta canción escuché por la primera vez hoy y me sentí que “Creo en Ti” (video abajo)sea una de mas canciones lindas de mi vida. Entonces, quiero compartir con ustedes alguno vocabulario clave y algunos puntos gramaticales que aparecen dentro de esta canción. ¡Disfruta!
TR: I heard this song for the first time today and I felt that “Creo en Ti” is one of the most beautiful songs of my life. So I want to share with you some key vocabulary and some grammar points that appear within this song. Enjoy!
Letras (Lyrics)
Vocabulario Calve
creo en ti - I believe in you
(la) noche - (the) night
(el) cielo - sky (or heaven depending on context)
(la) calle - street
(el) laberinto - labyrinth
rendir (v.) - to defeat (this verb has many meanings, in this context, it means defeat)
(la) piel -skin
(el) corazón - heart
desarmar (v.) - to disarm, to take apart, to disassemble
(el) amor - love
(las) luces - lights
(el) alma (n.f.) - soul
indestructible (adj.) - indestructible
(el) dolor - pain
(las) fantasmas - ghosts, phantoms
(la) paz - peace
(la) caída libre - free fall
Gramática
Porque el cielo ha conspirado en mi favor - Because the heavens have conspired in my favor:
ha conspirado = present perfect tense (haber + participio pasada)
Me haces bien - You make me better (literally: you make me well)
me (pronombre) + haces (hacer en el presente 2a persona) + bien (adjetivo)
Creo en ti - I believe in you
Creo (creer en el presente 1a persona)
Creer means to believe. When pared with “en” + “persona/pronombre” it means “to believe in...”
Me ha vuelto indestructible - I have become indestructible
volverse (con pronombre) = to become
“vuelto” is the past participle of volver(se), it’s irregular
me vuelvo (presente) = I become
me ha vuelto (pres. perfect) = I have become
Mi dolor se quedo kilómetros atrás = my pain stayed kilometers away
se quedo = quedarse en el pasado 3a persona
this verb always needs a reflexive pronoun
Past tenses
te encontré = I found you
crucé = I crossed
esperé = I hoped/waited (what a fun wordplay)
This was super fun to work on! I didn’t include everything because that would take forever! I love this song so much, it’s so cute and sweet.
If you have any questions, reply to this post and hopefully I can help you out. This is my first time making one of these!
i dropped off my resume at this place at 1:15 and got called for an interview at 1:45 holy dang
where! has! my! passion! gone! I had it abundantly when I was a child, and I must have dropped it along the way, but I cannot figure where!
Writing a CV:
The perfect resume for someone with no experience (by businessinsider)
Guide to writing a CV
Common grammar mistakes to avoid on your CV
How to explain a gap in your CV
How to overcome common CV issues
What not to do on your CV
Should I include hobbies and interests in my CV?
CV layout: dos and don'ts
Free CV template
School leaver CV template
CV templates and tips
More free CV templates
Example CVs
How to tailor your CV to different industry sectors
Writing a Cover Letter:
How to write a cover letter
How to overcome common cover letter problems
Graduate cover letter template
Career break cover letter template
School leaver cover letter template
Free cover letter template
Referencing:
How to get a reference
References: workers’ rights
How to deal with employment references
How to include references on a resume
Interviews:
How to answer common interview questions
How to prepare for an interview
The interview itself
Advice to help you ace the interview
Answer curveball interview questions
101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again
Second interview questions and answers
Telephone interview questions and answers
Questions you should not be asked
What to wear to an interview: bloggers’ top tips
Group interview tips: do’s and don'ts
Interview questions for employers: What you should be asking
What not to do at interview
What job can I do?
How to decide what job to look for
How to find a new job
How to search for jobs online
Jobs in the retail industry
Jobs in the engineering industry
Jobs in the fashion industry
Jobs in the IT industry
Jobs in the motoring industry
Jobs in sport
Jobs in the education industry
Jobs in the energy industry
Careers with animals
Jobs in the media industry
Jobs in the leisure & tourism industry
Jobs in the catering industry
Jobs for history lovers
Jobs for geography lovers
Jobs for English lovers
Jobs for maths lovers
Volunteering:
7 Simple ways to make the best of volunteering
Benefits of volunteering
Benefits of mentoring
Volunteer Abroad
Resignation:
Resignation letters: What you need to know
Resignation letter templates
How to resign
How To Resign & Hand In Your Resignation Letter
Redundancy /Job Loss:
Deal with redundancy
Things to do if you lose your job
Claim Jobseeker’s Allowance
Jobseekers allowance (UK) overview
15 tips to survive a job loss
How to Cope With Job Loss and Move On
At work:
How to start a new job
How to have a good first day
How to hold onto your job
How to handle bullying in the workplace
Commuting: how far is too far?
How to get a promotion
Summer workwear advice
Office Style Trends 2015
What You Can (and Can’t) Wear to Work
Dealing with stress at work
How to deal with a brutal boss
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