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.…
I was 17 when I spent a year as an exchange student in Southern Germany. I had studied German at school for a long time, and after my exchange year I spoke the language fluently. I didn’t need to search for words or recall grammar rules. I could say anything I wanted without even thinking about it. I used to gossip with my friends for hours on the phone. We talked about our crushes and weekend plans as any teenage…
Attention all friends of Italy! Our Italian material has been renewed. We have updated all existing study material, added three new courses to the Comprehensive Italian package and published a complimentary Italian grammar page. WHAT’S NEW IN THE COMPREHENSIVE ITALIAN PACKAGE? The course Health and wellbeing includes useful vocabulary and expressions that you may need when visiting the doctor, when expecting a baby, for the treatment of illnesses and for maintaining your health. With the help of the other new course, Working life, you will learn the…
Do you know the feeling when you try to come up with a reasonable sentence and pronounce it as eloquently as possible, and at the same time your brain is buzzing with grammar rules and your heart is pounding as if you were running a marathon? For me this is a familiar feeling, especially in situations where I try to speak a language for the first time outside of the classroom. Especially if the person I am talking to is…
“Talent alone is not enough”, says 24-year-old top level judoka, language enthusiast and full-time student of economic sciences, Samuli Viitanen. “The key to success is hard work and doing the right things”, he continues. This is the formula he applies to professional sports, his studies as well as his language learning. “I really appreciate language skills. Language learning never goes to waste. People learn languages in order to cope while traveling but in reality, language skills are about so much…
Take my word for it – learning languages is easy For me learning languages has always been easy. At least, that’s what I’ve always thought (or told myself). I don’t find language learning boring or demanding – quite the contrary. I think it’s interesting and fun. I constantly want to learn more and improve. I believe that with this attitude learning really does become easier. In my opinion, one of the greatest problems with learning languages is the belief that…