the advantages of being bilingual or multilingual: a collection of articles and infographics
Learning languages should be a huge part of American education and tradition.
Judith Thurman on what hyperpolyglots can teach the rest of us.
If you've ever visited Scandinavia, it's hard not to miss the popularity of the English language. We take a look at the role of the English language in Norway and Scandinavia today. Along with the
Guten tag = Danish?
Adiós, La revedere, Au revoir. Knowing how to say goodbye in different languages is just an important as "hello".
Are you planning a trip to Germany or a German-speaking country? Here are the essential phrases any traveler will want to learn.
Guten tag = Danish?
Research conducted by the website SwiftKey has led to the production of a fantastic infographic, giving us insight into the the different languages their users are typing in. The work was done in recognition of the importance of languages, and to celebrate the United Nation’s International Mother Language Day. The trilingual combination of Indonesian/Javanese/English has given Indonesia the […]
Learn how to organize your notebook when studying a foreign language. I'll give you some tips and hacks to achieve your goals!
I just found this list this week about how to be German. Now, while this is just a bit of fun, I think it is spot on! These characteristics are things we have noticed about the Germans. It is what makes them lovely or annoying (depending on what you like). Some of those habits we have already got used to and have taken on ourselves as a family. http://store.hipstery.com/collections/how-to-be-german I am just going to comment on some of the things we have found to be true so far. Put on your house shoes Germans do wear slippers or house shoes whenever indoors. Kindergarten kids wear slippers. They even have pairs of slippers for guests. While we don't necessarily wear house shoes at home (we like the barefoot look), we do wear some much more often than in our previous house. Eat a long breakfast (Source: Deutsch perfekt (10/2012), Illustration : Bernhard Förth) Breakfast is a very important meal in Germany. And it is not just for the Sunday brunch (which takes the whole day)! Get some insurances Germans have insurances for everything. And a lot of people have insurance advisers. This is one we don't really understand! It comes down to being prepared and safe but we thought the Germans were sensible people! Dress seriously There is a German saying that says that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. It is true in Germany! If you are going outdoors, dress for the outdoors. You cannot overdo it in Germany: hiking boots, trousers that zip into shorts, expensive outdoor jacket,... On our daughter's list of kit needed for kindergarten was: rain jacket, rain trousers, snowsuit, etc. Obey the red man Oh dear God yes! Do not cross the road on red. You will get looks murdering you and even could get shouted at (even if there is nobody on the road). Drink Apfelsaftschorle It is basically apple juice with sparkling water. Love it! Say what you mean Germans are very direct. They will tell you if you look fat, ugly or look rough. And they will be direct about it. They will not say it in a polite way or by going around the issue. Love your car Cars are all immaculate here and relatively new. There are few beaten up old cars. Do nothing on Sundays Sundays are dead even in a city. Apparently Germans do housework in the morning and go for a walk in the afternoon. Suits me fine (apart form the housework bit).
German Learning Resources
During my year in Germany I often pined for things from the USA. Now I’m missing Germany fiercely after spending three months at home.
The German alphabet contains the 30 letters. 26 from the English Alphabet plus the Extra letters ä, ö, ü and ß. Learn German Language Alphabet
Learning German? Find out how you can easily avoid the most common German mistakes with these super simple fixes in under 10 minutes!
In German please!
You need more than just words to know how to speak like a German and to make sure you understand everyone. Here are some typical German sayings.
These German books for beginners will ease you into reading German, with straightforward language and intriguing storylines. Choose from novellas and novels from different genres, including fantasy, slice-of-life, comedy and historical. And if you want more German books, we've also listed down top places to get them!
„Aha!”
Want to speak like the Germans do? Here is an infographic with 10 ways for you to use the German word 'na' to make you sound more like the locals ☺
Levels of German language proficiency: „Can understand Jan Delay”
Online Language Learning Community
Germans can make up some more-than-logical words and expressions. But sometimes they do come up with surprising words to express simple things.
