Switzerland is a landlocked country in the middle of Europe with some of the most beauty scenery that the continent has to offer. In terms of languages, the country has 4 official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. In Switzerland, around 1.8 million people or 22.5% of the population speak French as their first language, mainly […]
How different is French in Switzerland to France? Read More »
I love traveling to both Italy and Spain (and Latin America, of course) and actually lived in Bologna, Italy where I learnt Italian. The year after learning Italian, I learnt Spanish while living adjacent to a Spanish-speaking barrio in Washington, DC in the US. Having learnt both languages in quick succession, I am really aware
How different or similar are Italian and Spanish? Read More »
Hi everyone! Today we are going to analyze the 5 most important differences between Spanish in Spain and Spanish in Mexico. The 2 varieties are mutually intelligible but there are differences in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. In this article, we are going to learn about the differences in vocabulary, the use of vosotros/ustedes, the distinción/el
5 most important differences between Spanish in Spain and Mexico Read More »
As discussed with Jan Van der Aa (in Dutch) in the videos further down the page, I learnt my Dutch by beginning with a short course provided by the university in Utrecht (one hour/week for 3 or 4 months) and then self-study combined with speaking to Dutch natives in locations (in particular, my local cafe)
How I Learnt Dutch (Finally!) Read More »
Guest Post de Paul Mains Con más de 40 millones de habitantes cada uno, España y Argentina son dos de los más grandes países hispanohablantes del mundo. Sus capitales — Madrid y Buenos Aires, respectivamente — son metrópolis bulliciosas, con tradiciones e historias ricas. Sin embargo, a pesar de tener el mismo idioma oficial, ambas
Guest Post by Fernando Saraiva Quick answer: No, they are not the same. And probably the first question of yours after reading this is: Why? Quick answer: Because British English and American English are not the same either. There are basically too main reasons for that event, in addition to, the natural mutation of languages: Geographic
Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese from Portugal: Differences and Similarities Read More »
The word ‘polyglot’ has its origins in Greek meaning the ‘ability to speak many languages’. Having reviewed the literature and theories on polyglottism, it seems to me that an intersubjective examination is needed on where the thresholds should be with the polyglot community. So to what level should I speak a language in order for
What kind of Polyglot are you? Read More »
Guest Post by Jan van der Aa As you read this title you might be thinking, is it really possible to learn a language in one month for a normal person? “Without studying?” What does that mean? My interpretation of “studying” is learning from grammar books, learning wordlists and taking classes. Those are often things
How to Learn a new Language in 1 month without Studying Read More »
Good language learning methods require learners to immerse themselves into the language both culturally and psychologically. In this guest post, I will share with you five tips that will help you immerse yourself in your target language. 1. Go to the country First things first, if you have the opportunity to go to the country
5 Tips on Language Learning Immersion Read More »
In the video below, I discuss Belgicisms with Félix Wang, who is a Belgian polyglot and has a popular YouTube channel called Loki2504. French in Belgium differs from the French spoken in France in several noticeable ways, primarily, the numbers 70-79 and 90-99, the use of ‘savoir’ (‘to know’) in place of ‘pouvoir’ (‘to be
Belgicisms: How Belgians speak French! Read More »
