The first and most common mistake that adult language learners make is irregular exercising. Many adults who want to improve their language skills sign up for weekly language courses at a community college or adult education center. In addition to this one weekly lesson, most adult learners do basically nothing for their language learning project. It’s clear that this pace is way too slow to result in any real improvement in their language skills. The key to achieving real conversational…
Soon it’s time to welcome yet another new year. There are different New Year’s traditions around the world, and we have gathered some of them here. Now you can pick your favourites and maybe even include them in your own celebrating! New Year’s resolutions Many of us promise to make changes in our lives as the year changes. Making New Year’s resolutions is a part of the New Year celebrations in many cultures, and has been for a very long…
It’s easy to stay inside your comfort zone. It’s warm, safe and cozy in there. But if you never step out of that zone, you’ll never know about all the cool things waiting outside. Language learning might not be in your comfort zone – but if you like to travel and would like to get the most out of your time abroad, I would definitely recommend it. I’ve also been to countries where I don’t speak or even understand the…
The stand-up comedian Ismo Leikola thinks the most important word in Finnish is ”no niin”. Depending on your intonation, it can mean anything from ”exactly” to ”dinner is served” – you could almost hold a conversation saying nothing but ”no niin”. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration – but Ismo is right about one thing, and that’s the importance of small filler words in conversation and language learning. Have you ever paid attention to how many extra little…
Do you know what is the most important language to learn? The language of small-talk, of course! It is smart to start chatting with other people soon after learning the basics of a new language. That way you meet interesting people, strengthen your vocabulary and hear how the natives speakers actually sound. If the skill of chit-chatting is not one of your strengths, take these tips, and shine as a master of small-talk. Ask interesting questions People are often happy…
I’ve noticed that in most parts of the world you can survive if you speak some English. On the other hand, after arriving to a new country, I’ve often found myself regretting that I didn’t spend even half an hour learning at least a few words in the local language. However, if I have been able to speak the local language at least a little bit, I have noticed that I somehow get a lot more out of the trip.…
