Dive into Language

Articles

Valentine’s Day is approaching – check out these fun date tips from Sweden, Germany, Spain and England

February 1, 2019

Valentine’s Day is approaching, and you might be planning to do something special together with your spouse. Or maybe you’re single but planning to ask a certain interesting person out? In either case, this year you could try something different from the traditional “dinner and movie” date. In this blog post, we’ve collected a few different date ideas from Sweden, Germany, Spain and England. Feel free to try these at home! Not romantically involved at the moment or have nobody…

0 Comments

Articles

Ways to express you didn’t hear or understand

January 25, 2019

Imagine you’re having a conversation in a foreign language and simply can’t understand what somebody just said to you. What do you do then? At least I often find myself blurting out something slightly rude like “What?” or “Huh?” instead of a nicer, more sensible reaction. In very informal speech, such as with close friends, it may be alright to use expressions like “Huh?” or “What?” in English, German or Spanish when you couldn’t hear or understand somebody, but in…

0 Comments

Articles

Short forms in English – Typical mistakes to avoid

January 18, 2019

Short forms (also known as contractions) are used frequently in informal and spoken English. The following are some very common examples: I’m (= I am) you’re (= you are) he’s (= he is / he has) she’s (= she is / she has) I’ll (= I will) I’ve (= I have) I’d (= I would / I had) don’t (= do not) doesn’t (= does not) didn’t (= did not) isn’t (= is not) hasn’t (= has not) can’t (=…

0 Comments

Articles

How to host an English tea party

January 11, 2019

What do you think of when you hear the words “English tea party”? Victorian ladies, priceless heirloom porcelain, a stately home and rigid etiquette? Maybe this was the case in the 19th century, but this originally aristocratic custom has come a long way since then. These days, hotels and tea rooms serve afternoon tea, and hosting a tea party for friends is a little bit of accessible luxury and enjoyment. For those who would like to host their own tea…

0 Comments

Articles

Best phrases and tips for phone calls in English

January 4, 2019

I have always felt like it’s harder to speak a foreign language on the phone than face to face. It’s especially difficult to understand native English speakers on the phone, because sometimes they speak very fast and with a heavy accent. On the phone, you can’t even use gestures and expressions to aid communication, but have to put every message into words as clearly and fluently and possible. For this post, I asked our English experts for English phone conversation…

0 Comments

Articles

17 film tips for Spanish, German, French or Swedish learners

January 2, 2019

Do you like films? Would you like to improve your Spanish, German, French or Swedish listening and speaking skills? If you said yes to both, this post is for you! We asked WordDive team members for their favourite non-Hollywood films. Watch and enjoy while learning new things about the film’s language and country of origin. Spanish films Volver, 2006 (Volver) This sweet comedy is directed by Almodóvar and stars the charming Penélope Cruz. Y Tu Mamá También, 2001…

0 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts