andreeastudies-blog

[andreeastudies-blog]

My Thoughts: english

My cursing: perfect english

My monologue : english

Me , actually talking with someone: hy excuse mich , do you weißt where the Bahnhof is?

[andreeastudies-blog]

#learningjapanese in japan #2 Vocabulary that you´ll actually need in Japan #2

Continuation of the series, again, a list of useful words, including explanations.

厳禁・げんきん・strictly prohibited

片道・かたみち・one way (in the case of a ticket)

回送・かいそう・not in use, heading back, regarding public transport.  These are busses or trains that you can´t get on.

乾燥・かんそう・dryer. If you add 機・き, you´ll get a drying machine. 乾燥 often is an option on washing machines. There are even bathrooms that include this function. 

お新香巻・おしんこまき・Maki Sushi filled with pickled vegetables (I had Daikon). This is of importance for vegetarians and vegans at sushi restaurants because this will probably be the only safe option you´ll have besides  かっぱまき (cucumber sushi). It tastes absolutely amazing, so definitely give it a try if you find yourself at a sushi place in Japan! 

沢庵・たくあん・Pickled raddish.  This was the filling of my お新香巻 and was really tasty. 10/10 would recommend. Appearantly it can be bought in supermarkets and I regret not knowing this before leaving Japan because I´d have gotten a lot.

火口・かこう・vulcane crater.  Note that this word can also be read as ひぐち, which changes the meaning to “source of a fire”

阿蘇山・あそさん・Vulcane near Kumamoto. If you are in the area, definitely go there! The sceneries you see there are really beautiful.

[andreeastudies-blog]

Hey guys! :D Does anyone happen to have Japanese From Zero! 1: Progressive Edition as pdf book or whatever other digital format and is willing to share? I would appreciate it a lot, thank you very much.

[andreeastudies-blog]

Norwegian word order

Word order can be tricky to master in any language, and since I’ve had some questions about this recently (@wordsnnblues​)  I thought I’d make a post that covers the most important rules. This is simply a guide to the most common workings of Norwegian word order, and is unfortunately not exhaustive, but I tried to include the most important aspects.

Disclaimer: I’m not referring to this image in this post , so any letters that I use may not correspond to the ones used in the image! (I just thought it looked pretty :p)

The V2-rule

The main rule regarding Norwegian word order is that the finite verb (V) takes the second position* in the sentence. Some other parts are a bit more flexible, and there can be quite a few changes to word order depending on what element precedes the finite verb. 

*Note that there is a difference between position and word. There can be several words in one position, for example in the first position, and thus, even though the verb must be in the second position, it can be later in the sequence in terms of words.

Main clauses 

When the subject is fronted (SVO)

Putting the subject in the first position is the most usual way of constructing sentences in Norwegian, just like in English. The subject must then be followed by a verb according to the V2-rule above, which then can be followed by an object or adverb (or verb) as wished and depending on the characteristics of the finite verb. 

Examples

Hun (S) spiser (V) = She (S) eats (V) / She (S) is eating (V)

Hun (S) spiser (V) mat (O) = She (S) eats (V) food (O)

Hun (S) spiser (V) fort (Adv.) =  She (S) eats (V) fast (Adv.)

Hun (S) spiser (V) maten (O) fort (Adv.) =  She (S) eats (V) the food (O) fast (Adv)

This is also valid for other tenses, just like in English:

Hun (S) spiste (V) mat (O) = She (S) ate (V) food (O)

Hun (S) har spist (V) mat (O) = She (S) has eaten (V) food (O)

Hun (S) skal spise (V) mat (O) = She (S) will/is going to eat (V) food (O)

Adverbial phrases in SVO sentences

In sentences where the subject is in the first position, adverbial phrases are usually placed straight after the verb. Adverbial phrases of time or place are usually placed in the last position. This applies for all tenses.

Some common general adverbials (A):

Ikke = Not Også = Also Kanskje - Maybe Aldri = Never Alltid = Always Dessverre = Unfortunately Sjelden = Rarely Ofte = Often Allerede = Already Fortsatt = Still

Some common adverbials of time (AoT)

I går = Yesterday I dag = Today I morgen = Tomorrow Nå = Now Neste/forrige uke/måned/år = Next/last week/month/year I fjor = Last year Denne gangen = This time Den gangen = That time

Some common adverbials of place (AoP)

Der = There Her = Here Dit = (To) there Hit = (To) here Hos … = At …’s (place) I … = In …, 

Examples

Hun (S) spiser (V) ikke (A) kjøtt (O) = She (S) does not (A) eat (V) meat (O)

Hun (S) spiste (V) sjelden (A) kjøtt (O) = She (S) rarely (A) ate (V) meat (O)

Hun (S) har aldri (A) spist (V) kjøtt (O) = She (S) has never (S) eaten (V) meat (O)

Hun (S) skal kanskje (A) spise (V) kjøtt (O) = She (S) will maybe eat (V) meat (O) / She is maybe going to eat (V) meat (O)

Subject-verb inversion = When another (non-verb) element is fronted (VSO)

Sometimes you want to put another element in the first position, for example to add emphasis. In these cases, the finite verb and the subject switches places; the (finite) verb still remains in the second position and is followed by the subject. In English, the subject is placed in the second position and the verb follows it in the third position. 

Examples

Nå (AoT) spiser (V) jeg (S) mat (O) = Now (AoT), I (S) am eating (V) food (O).

I går (AoT) spiste (V) jeg (S) kjøtt (O) = Yesterday (AoT), I (S) ate (V) meat (O)

I dag (AoT) har (V) jeg (S) gjort (v) lekser (O) = Today (AoT) I (S) have done (V) homework (O)

Denne (O) skal (V) jeg (S) spise (v)  i morgen (AoT) = This one (O) I (S) will eat (V) tomorrow (AoT)

I Frankrike (AoP) spiser (V) de (S) ost (O)  = In France (AoP), they (S) eat (V) cheese (O)

Adverbials in VSO / inverted sentences

In VSO sentences, the adverbial (A) is often placed after the subject, in the fourth position.

I går (AoT) spiste (V) jeg (S) dessverre (A) kjøtt = Yesterday, (AoT) I (S) unfortunately (A) ate (V) meat (O)

Hos besteforeldrene mine (AoP) får (V) jeg (S) alltid (A) godteri (O) = At my grandparent’s house (AoP) I (S) always (A) get (V) candy (O)

Når jeg drar på ferie (AoT) spiser (V) jeg (S) ofte (A) på restauranter (O) = When I go on holiday (AoT) I (S) often (A) eat (V) at restaurants (O) 

The conjunctions “og”, “men” and “for”.

og = and men = but for = because / as / since / for

These conjunctions link main clauses, and the word order does not change when these are used. 

Examples:

Han (S) spiser (V) appelsiner (O), og (conj.) hun (S) spiser (V) epler (O). = He (S) eats (V) oranges (O) and (conj.) she (S) eats (V) apples (O)

Han (S) liker (V) kaffe (O), men (conj.) han (S) liker (V) ikke (A) te (O) = He(S) likes (V) coffee (O), but (conj.) he (S) does not (A) like (V) tea (O). 

Jeg (S) kommer (V) ikke (A), for (conj.) mamma (S) kan (V) ikke (A) kjøre (v) meg (O). = I (S) am (V) not (A) coming (V), because (conj.) mom (S) can(V)not (A) drive (v)me (O). 

Interrogative sentences

In Norwegian, like in English, questions are introduced by either a verb or an interrogative word.

In Norwegian, the most used interrogative words are: 

Hva - What Hvem - Who Hvor - Where Hvorfor - Why Hvordan - How (When followed by verb. Only in regards to method/way of doing) Hvor … - How … (When followed by an adjective or adverb. In regards to extent, size and amount.) Hvilken/Hvilket/Hvilke - Which Hva slags - What kind

When using an interrogative word, this is placed in the first position, and the finite verb is placed in the second position.

Hva (Int.) spiser (V) du (S) ? = What (Int.) are (V) you (S) eating (v)?

Hvor mye (Int.) koster (V) det (S) ? = How much (Int.) does (V) it (S) cost (v)? 

Without the use of an interrogative, the finite verb is placed in the first position and the subject second. 

Spiser (V) du (S) kjøtt (O)? - Do (V) you (S) eat (v) meat (O)? / Are (V) you (S) eating (v) meat (O)? 

Gjorde (V) du (S) leksene dine (O)? - Did (V) you (S) do (v) your homework (O)? 

Adverbials in interrogative sentences

In interrogative sentences, the general adverbials are most often placed in the third position, after the subject.

Spiser (V) du (S) ikke (A) kjøtt (O)? = Do (V) you (S) not (A) eat (v) meat (O)?

Subordinate clauses

Subordinate clauses are dependent clauses that are often part of a main clause. they can be introduced by certain subjunctions.

Some common subjunctions:

fordi = because at = that om = if siden = since / as

Subordinate clauses remain SVO sentences, with the subject preceding the verb.

Jeg (S) studerer (V) norsk (O) fordi (subj.) jeg (S) har (V) en norsk venn (O) = I (S) study (V) Norwegian (O) because (subj.) I (S) have (V) a Norwegian friend (O). 

Hun(S) sa (V) at (subj.) hun (S) liker (V) meg (O) = She (S) said (V) that (subj.) she (S) likes (V) me (O)

Adverbials

Although the word order remains SVO in subordinate phrases, the placement of the adverbial changes, from being straight behind the finite verb (V) in main clauses, to being straight in front of the finite verb in subordinate ones. 

Main clause

Hun (S) liker (V) ikke (A) kaffe (O) = She (S) does (V) not (A) like (v) coffee (O)

Subordinate clause: 

(Hun sier) at (subj.) hun (S) ikke (A) liker (V) kaffe (O) = (She says) that (subj.) she (S) does (V) not (A) like (v) coffee (O)

Adverbials

The placement of adverbials can vary a lot depending on what kind of meaning you want to convey, and also on what kind of adverbial you are dealing with, so the rules on adverbials that are mentionned in this post are not complete. I recommend everyone who is curious and want to know more about this to refer to this pdf, which I think deals well with the topic: https://tanuljunknorvegul.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/learn-norwegian-language-routledge-norwegian-an-essential-grammar.pdf.

Hope this is clear, and that I’ve not forgotten any major elements. Please feel free to correct any mistakes or typos, and don’t hesitate to ask further questions if anything remains unclear! <3

[andreeastudies-blog]

🍑🌈🍃 START THE YEAR WITH SOME LGBT READS 🌷🎉☀️🐚

sapphic graphic novels

LGBT poetry

LGBT books with hate to love trope

translated LGBT books

LGBT books set at a boarding school

historical fiction books

different sappho translations

A READING LIST FOR PRIDE

LGBT books written in the XX century

LGBT books with the found family trope

12 diverse books coming out in january-june 2019

and from a new blog i run with charlotte:

12 LGBT books coming out in january-june 2019

new adult LGBT romances

LGBT graphic novels

LGBT releases of october 2018

november 2018

december 2018

6 of our favourite LGBT books of 2018

[andreeastudies-blog]

read classics - I know from experience its a slow but steady climb when it comes to reading classics, but it’s a worth while experience to put yourself in world that so different from the world now but mirrors it quite the same. Reading classical opens you mind to how simple but complex the human race is. It might seem like chore especially if your not a reader but you can start by just picking a classical that ficinated you the most  and listening to it on audiobook first. After a couple times of listening on audiobook you’ll get used to rhythm of the language and it’ll be easier to continue reading on your own. Also, pro tips- if you really wanna kick it up a notch, write a short review for every classic you read to help retain the info. 

expand your genres-  Everyones knows there’s a lot to be learned from movies, tv show and music but for most of us, once we learn what kind of genres we like we tend to never branch out and this limits our learning. You don’t have to like every genre but exposing yourself to different styles of music and movies teaches you tolerance and after a while of forcing yourself to do this, you might find your pallet start to shift.  

watch youtube videos- This is one of my favorite ways to not only be entertained but to get a general overview of a certain topic, usually if it sparks my interest i’ll do a little further research. Youtube channels such as ted-ed, asap science, scishow and today i found out do an amazing job of giving you a little bit of knowledge about everything.

listen to people who have different opions than you- I know this one is particularly hard one for most people, but your going to learn the least from having repeptive conversations with people with the same ideas as you. People with different opinions than you will have an impact on how you live your life wether you like it or not; its not your job to accept their ways of thinking but to understand why they think the way they do- you never know, you might just find that the other persons opinion has some merit and might make you more knowlegable about a certain situation. A great way to do this is to watch interviews, read articles about the opposing side of your opinion.

Accept that you’ll never know everything- This is an important one, you may be thinking, how does this have to do with educating myself? well, I added this one because I truly feel like you can’t educate yourself without acknowledging your ignorance. A person who thinks they know eveything has no room to learn. One of the most powerful ways to educate your self is to accept that you are never going to be finished learning, this opens you up and makes you more receptive to lessons we learn in life everyday. So in short, if you want to be more educated, just live! we’re all life long students and that’s okay. 

[andreeastudies-blog]

Halla honey! I'm just trying to learn Norwegian, I have just started so basically I know the ABC's hahaha. Do you have any suggestion? Tusen takk!

Hei! Yes, of course. I’ll round up everything I can think of for you :)•  Get Duolingo. Set your daily goal for something low, like 10 XP, so you can motivate yourself to at least do one lesson/exercise a day. If you’re motivated, feel free to overstep your goal, but there’s no shame in just doing one lesson to keep your streak going, it seems like a little but over time you’ll see it means a lot. • The Mystery of Nils is one of the best Norwegian textbooks out there. If you sign up to their mailing list you get half of the book for free as well as videos such as these pronunciation ones.• Here’s a site that explains the basics of Norwegian. I went through this and took notes like I was in school and it helped me get a basic grasp of Norwegian grammar!• NTNU have a quick and dirty course on everything.• WordBrewery, not just for Norwegian, but for Norwegian, can give you sentence examples with your preferred difficulty and you can also choose specific words to practice there.• Norwegian teacher Karin, my queen.• Here’s a list of Norwegian vloggers. • Watch Himmelblå. (All three seasons complete with subtitles in Norwegian are on YouTube.) You might be surprised with how much you will understand even if you’re just a beginner. I watched it when I was just starting out and the immersion really helped me! In my opinion the story also objectively gets better and more dramatic as you go along so you won’t miss much in the beginning.• And this brings me to, of course, SKAM. Not all people who want to learn Norwegian do it because of SKAM, but if they are learning Norwegian, they’ve probably seen/are watching SKAM, me included. If you’re confident enough and want to, try reading fanfiction in Norwegian!And yeah, watch the blog ‘cause I hope to be posting more resources, esp. for books! 💕 Oh and here’s a dictionary for all your translating needs!

[andreeastudies-blog]

Norwegian YouTube Masterpost

Here is a list of youtubers that I like to listen to for listening comprehension of Norwegian along with some small shows and educational channels to watch. I mainly made this list to help everyone with some exposure to spoken Norwegian, since in my opinion it’s a bit difficult to find Norwegian speaking youtubers.

(not all of the youtubers are from Oslo/speak the Oslo dialect/standard østnorsk, but I think it might help quite a bit with some exposure to other dialects too. It’s helped me at least.)

Alfonso Dingo Torres - channel that posts Steven Universe videos/songs in other languages. He doesn’t have a Norwegian specific playlist but if you scroll through his videos, I’m sure you find the Norwegian ones right away.  

Cartoon Network Norge - It’s Cartoon Network, but in Norwegian, which means shows like Steven Universe and Adventure time are available (but not the full thing usually).

Hei Briskeby - Okay, yes, I know they aren’t going to upload again but they are from Oslo and there are transcripts of their videos in English. I feel like that might help you get used to just understanding how the language is supposed to sound along with a translation to help attach sound to meaning.

Hjartholm90 - I’m pretty sure he’s from Bergen. His dialect sounds either bergensk or similar but I might be wrong about that. (correct me if you think or know otherwise). Also is a gaming channel if you’re into that.

Lykke Sofie Myrås  - She is from Stavanger. Miscellaneous channel, from makeup to vlogs to routine videos.  She hasn’t uploaded much recently but she does have a snapchat which is lykkesofie

makeupmalin - She is from Holmestrand, which, is eastern Norway. She does makeup as well as other things and is a pretty big channel.

Miriam Lie - Definitely from the west (please correct me if you know). Does mostly makeup videos.

Nellie - She is from Tigerstaden. She does a wide variety of types of videos, such as humor and relate-able videos.

NorskTegnefilmSang - a channel for cartoons dubbed in Norwegian

Norwegian Teacher - Karin - Obviously from Oslo. Remember, she doesn’t just do teaching videos, she does vlogs and other videos about life in Olso as well as other places she goes.

NRK P3 - Literally  NRK’s channel, with music, interviews and more.

OLEJOHA - He is from Oslo. He does vlogs as well as funny videos. He also talks about Skam ;)

Rakkerstreker - Pretty sure they are from east Norway, please correct me if you know otherwise. They are another gaming channel that plays quite a big variety of games. This is their main channel.

Sangfugl -  From Oslo. She does a big variety of videos and has subtitles both Norwegian and English on most of her videos. I just think she deserves more subscribers to be honest lol.

Stina Talling - She is from Bergen. She does a wide variety videos, specifically comedy and entertainment videos.

Sunny - She is from Oslo. Yes, I know she doesn’t do much speaking in Norwegian but she have some videos where she explains slang terms or swears

tim lektor - mainly grammar lessons that are pretty in depth plus some audio books  

Veernacular - You might know her as Vee or letslearnnorwegian on here ? She just has a pronunciation video but I feel like this is a good place to get started if you still don’t know some pronunciation, plus she’s going to be making more videos soon !

Weird Norwegian - from Trondheim (specifically Steinkjer). Doesn’t specifically speak Norwegian all the time but will do videos about his dialect, Norwegian  swear words or translating things into Norwegian.

Amalie Olsen - (reccomended by @archlover-9) from Vestfold, which is very near Oslo. She does humor, makeup and beauty videos as well as some vlogs.

Kristine Bremnes - I’m not exactly sure but i think she’s from Trondheim or somewhere near it? she does vlogs, hauls and some makeup videos.

JOSU - from Narvik which is far north (closish to tromsø). He mainly does vlogs.

Norsklærer Karense - as @toramor put it, “She is a professional Norwegian teacher and has hundreds of videos where she explains Norwegian grammar and phrases. I’d reccomend her channel to those at a more intermediate level. Her videos are great practice as they’re all in Norwegian, but they’re easy to understand because she speaksslowly and explains more difficult words.”

BeasVerden - (reccomended by @fremmedsprak)  from Oslo (or as she put it, a “portugese girl from oslo). She does a lot of humor videos and skits, from what i can tell.

LenaRedmo - (also reccomended by @fremmedsprak) From Trondheim. She does beauty, vlogs hauls and other things.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo -(also also reccomended by @fremmedsprak (ily im so sorry for tagging you so much lol)) He’s from Trondheim also. He does vlogs mostly about athletic activities (skiing, running etc.) His vlogs also include English subtitles which can be of help 

Nordic ScreensTV - Norway’s own Youtube network (according to their description, it’s the first and biggest network) that brings together Norwegian Youtubers and has them collab, doing challenges or other random activities together.

x, x, and x are episodes of Charlie and Lola, a children’s show, that, to me, are very simple and easy to understand for listening comprehension in my opinion. (it’s also on the nrk website, but unless you know a way around it, it’s blocked there.)

x is a playlist for a show called The Moomins (Mummintrollet in Norwegian)

x is a playlist for the little mermaid (songs and speaking) in Norwegian

x is a playlist for Moana songs in Norwegian

x is a playlist for Pocahontas I & II songs in Norwegian

x is a basic guide on norwegian

Annd that’s all I have. Please please please feel free to correct or add to this list, I’d greatly appreciate it. And I hope you enjoy ! ♥️

(Edited) List as of January 16, 2018

[andreeastudies-blog]

My Fave YouTubers (For Language Learning)

I watch A LOT of YouTube and it’s honestly a great site for studying a new language (or to learn anything tbh). I watch them specifically aimed to teaching a language as well as some who just generally speak or talk about the language! (Great for listening comprehension and native conversation!)

Here are my faves:

Japanese YTs:

Abroad In Japan 

Ask Japanese

JapanesePod 101

Life Where I’m From

Mimei

Natalia Natchan

Simon and Martina

Tokidoki Traveller

Rachel and Jun

Sharla In Japan

Korean YTs:

DearSeoul

Ella K

itsjinakim

Jasmine Lipska

Joan Kim 

La La

Go! Billy

Megan Bowen

Q2HAN

sweetandtastyTV

TTMIK

whitneybae

As you can see they’re are a few more Korean channels than Japanese channels so if you have any suggestions let me know!! I love these YouTubers because they talk about learning the language and culture as well as post videos of their daily lives living in that country and or studying the language etc etc. Some of them have second or even third channels that are completely in the language of study! If you aren’t already subscribed to them I recommend that you do! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! ^^)/

[andreeastudies-blog]

Japanese listening practice for beginners - Youtube videos

“キッズボンボン for Children” channel

All of the videos on this list have Japanese subtitles. It is mostly in ひらがな and the words are separated. This and the fact that these videos are aimed for children, makes them great for beginners.

PEACH BOY - MOMOTARO (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

KINTARO (Japanese) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

USHIWAKAMARU (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

SHINING PRINCESS (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE TONGUELESS SPARROW (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE DANCING KETTLE (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE STORY OF THE MONKEY AND THE CRAB (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

CLACK CLACK MOUNTAIN (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

OLD MAN WITH THE LUMP (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

OLD MAN FLOWER (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE YOUNG MONK IKKYU (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE GRATEFUL CRANE (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

URASHIMA TARO (JAPANESE) / うらしまたろう - 浦島太郎（日本語版）Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE SNOW WOMAN (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE ROLLING RICE BALL (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy

INCH BOY (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE CHILD GODS (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

THE STORY OF THE ZODIAC (JAPANESE) Japanese classical stories | fairy tale

All of these videos have an English version on this channel. Search for them or click on this playlist. You can use both versions to study what’s being said.

SNOW WHITE (JAPANESE) fairytale | Folktales | bedtime stories

THUMBLINA (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

PETER PAN (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

A DOG OF FLANDERS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

PINOCCHIO (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

PUSS IN BOOTS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN LITTLE GOATS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

CINDERELLA (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE LITTLE MATCH SELLER | Folktales | bedtime stories

HE MERMAID PRINCESS | Folktales | bedtime stories

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE THREE LITTLE PIGS (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE ADVENTURE OF TOM SAWYER (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime

THE WIZARD OF OZ (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

THE UGLY DUCKLING (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (JAPANESE) | Folktales | bedtime stories

All of these videos have an English version on this channel. Search for them or click on this playlist. You can use both versions to study what’s being said.

[andreeastudies-blog]

The Nightmare Before Christmas: This is Halloween Multilingual

English

French

Spanish (LA)

Spanish (EUR)

Polish

Italian

Arabic

German

Russian

Hungarian

Portuguese (BR)

German

Japanese

Korean

Persian

Thai

Dutch

Slovak

ASL

[andreeastudies-blog]

Okay BUT thing that I find interesting: in Germanic languages, it seems to me that the personal pronoun is the key to knowing to whom a verb refers. Because you know, Scandinavian languages have one conjugation per tense, English has two conjugations per tense, Dutch just has the same conjugation for all plural forms per tense and German is like a bit in between. But in Romance languages, it seems like the verb ending itself is main key to knowing to whom a verb refers? Like in Italian and Spanish you can even omit the personal pronoun, and verb endings are almost always different for each person. Some smart linguist please collaborate on this I want to know what there is to know about this

[andreeastudies-blog]

Why do they write 正 to count?

Have you ever seen the kanji 正 be written in anime or Japanese film and wondered why they were writing it? 

There’s actually a cool reason why. In the same way, in the USA, tally marks are used to count, 正 is used to count by 5s. This is because it has 5 strokes making it easy to count a large sum by multiples of fives. 

正 is the 5-stroke kanji that’s preferred for counting by 5′s because the strokes are straight, easy to write, don’t intersect and have space between them. It’s easy to distinguish the differences between each one.

1

2

3

4

5

For example, 正 正 正 正 T is 22.

[andreeastudies-blog]

I'm having such a hard time learning hiragana. Do you have any advice so I can learn more quickly?

Hello! sorry this is a bit late, though i have to say that your ask comes at the right time as i just spent the evening helping my cousin learn his hiragana :)

first of all, i didn’t really have a set method as to how to best learn them. i think what at did at the time was to progressively learn them lines by lines (as in あいうえお/aiueo then かきくけこ/kakikukeko ..) and then would quizz myself on them. practicing writing them by writing simple words that you already know is good too. for example i associated the ‘letter’ す with すし/sushi and that worked really well with my cousin i would tell him the word and he would remember it haha. sometimes simple is best!

and if you don’t know enough japanese to practice written words yet, I’d suggest you practice with @aidoku’s excellent list (https://aidoku.tumblr.com/post/169192742629/あいうえお-words) of words to write in hiragana, that she even classified with first and next characters, so it’s really great for beginners!

if you’re also starting with grammar at the same time I’d suggest you write the sentences in hiragana in your notes and not in romaji, the sooner you’ll get rid of romaji, the better

making small quizz for yourself is good to know what kind of mistake you usually make, so don’t just re-write them 200 times but do little exercises as well. obviously if you have friends or family that can quizz you on them it will make the learning process more fun.

i feel like i always put the emphasis on ‘have fun!!’ but really it is important that learning your target language feels like a fun step and not a chore for you! there’s a bunch of fun little games all over the net (and apps) to help you learn hiragana too so you could look into that as well. sadly i don’t remember the ones i used to play at the time and there’s probably better ones out there by now.

if these methods don’t work with you, you can also try mnemonics. i don’t really have any for hiragana (except that the ら/ra looks like a 5…). tofugu has a post (https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/learn-hiragana/) on mnemonics for hiragana that you might already know about. though making your own is a good option too and will be easier to remember for you imo.

i remember that i used to be confused with the few hiragana that kind of look the same like : さ/sa and ち/chi, あ/a and お/o, or わ/wa, れ/re & ね/ne etc. but this problem can be resolved with mnemonics!

other than that i’d suggest you that a look at @uni-venture’s absolute beginner tag (https://uni-venture.tumblr.com/tagged/absolute-beginner) where you should easily find so posts that can help you.

i now realized that you asked for a ‘more quick’ learning method but my advice would be not to rush too much, you’ll definitely get there! if you feel like you’re taking too long learning hiragana and that its getting in the way of your studying, you could, yet again, make hiragana part of your other learnings (as in grammar or vocabulary lessons), so that you’re killing two birds with one stone!

that’s all i think of as of right now, i typically don’t blog a lot about beginners level stuffs but don’t hesitate if you have anymore questions that you would like me to answer! (that goes to anyone else too ofc~)

(also i’m sorry about the links tumblr just wouldn’t let him put them on properly..)

[andreeastudies-blog]

Learning languages when you’re busy with life (full time student / Working full time / studying AND working, etc.)

Hi to every single one of you !  Since my blog reached 1,400 followers yesterday, and since I receive a lot of questions concerning time management when it comes to studying, learning or keeping a good level of fluency in one of several foreign languages, I thought i would create (my very first) master post. 

- Make it part of your routine

I have 6 classes this semester. If I add studying, TAing (12h a week), working out (3x a week), socialising (twice a week) and volunteering (varies), I’ve got busy 50-65 hours weeks. 

But languages are my passion, I need to keep my english and spanish level up, go from intermediate to fluent in russian, learn mandarin, get a little basis in german, and be sure I am still able to understand italian. How the hell do I squeeze those goals into actions during the week? 

ANSWER :Languages are everywhere in my life, from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed.

The radio

When I wake up, I turn the RNE (radio nacional de españa) on, spend my breakfast, getting ready time listening to spanish. I walk to uni, therefore I have the time to listen to a podcast in one of my target language (usually spanish or russian) while I’m walking. It doesn’t actually take me time because I’m already walking to uni, I’m just packing two activities into one.

Apps

During my break or when I wait for the bus, the subway, or whatever, I take my phone and read some articles, even just the headlines, in my target languages. I also like to play with language apps, two of my favorites include ChineseSkills for Mandarin and Duo Lingo for every other language (the latter is really just to PLAY and grab some new vocabulary here and there.) 

Tv shows

We all need to chill, we all watch tv shows when our brain need a break. So why not choose a tv show that keep you entertained, IN ONE OF YOUR TARGET LANGUAGES ? 

I know that in my case, watching netflix means that I just cannot do anything anymore and that I am so tired that I’ll barely pay attention to what’s going on in the show. Therefore, I’ll watch a tv show in Mandarin, or a movie in Mandarin. Since I’m a beginner in this language, learning new vocabulary in a tv show is not very likely to happen since i’m not used to the prosody of this language. My brain is not used to the sonority of Mandarin yet, and I am not able to differentiate every single word. So, when I’m tired and need a break watching Netflix, I just let my brain and ears get used to the language while I relax. it’s effortless, and, believe it or not, it makes a difference. 

Reading I love stories and books. When I need a break and have enough energy to do something else than crashing in front of a Mandarin tv show (that weirdly conveys communist messages, btw), I will read a short story, usually in russian. It’s a good 20 mins to 1h or 2 invested over the week, and those reading sessions adding up, at the end of the year, it makes a difference. I recommend

parallel books that you can find on amazon

(or in a library if you’re lucky), so you don’t have to stop and look for the translation of unknown words. It saves time and energy.

- Don’t expect perfection : 5 minutes is better than nothing 

I know it can be frustrating not to have the time to study your target language and instead prioritise your work/studies over languages because it’s the best option for now, but giving up on your target language won’t speed up the process.  2 minutes on an app in between classes or peeing (don’t lie to me. We’ve all done that.) doesn’t seem like making a big difference in the process of learning a language, but believe me : when it comes to the brain and its magic, consistency is more vital than quantity. Let me explain. If you quit using a language for three weeks, thinking, “I’ll study for a good 3-4 hours to catch up”, rather than reading a headline one day, listening to a song another day, sending a text to an e-pal on another day, you’re not making the smart choice. Chances are you are going to forget vocabulary and structures that you’ve learned because your brain is not going to use it regularly : therefore, why would it spend energy to keep something there is no use for on a daily basis ?

Even a 10 minutes or a 5 minutes will have its benefits. 

I hope this helped ! 

[andreeastudies-blog]

✨How to Study Languages When You’re BUSY✨

school is just around the corner, and i know that once school starts, i’ll have less and less time to study languages. as students, we can’t avoid crazy schedules, especially with all the lectures, labs, and extracurricular activities interrupting our perfect duolingo streaks! but there are ways you can still keep up with learning a language, even when you’re busy! here are some tips to keep up with a new language.

squeeze language practice into your every day schedule - even just 5 minutes a day! you don’t need to spend an hour everyday on learning languages. you can practice for as little 5 minutes a day, as long as you do it everyday. 5 minutes before you go to bed, on your transit to school or work, when you’re eating lunch, before classes start - you can always find at least 5 minutes to work on duolingo practices or refresh memrise vocab lists. for duolingo and memrise, make sure to set a daily goal - this will motivate you to maintain those streaks, encouraging you to practice everyday!

don’t overestimate how much you’ll be able to accomplish each day. i used to set my duolingo daily goal super high, and when i don’t meet the goal for that day or miss a streak, it’s easy to feel discouraged. AVOID OVER-REACHING. set practical, realistic goals for yourself. you can always overachieve those smaller goals and feel better about yourself. don’t be afraid to take it slow!

treat language studying as a class and block a schedule for yourself in your routine. if you’re super motivated into learning languages, treat it more as class than as a hobby. this means you have to get organized. like you would for a class, set a designated time block to study the language. for example, twice a week tuesday and thursday, 30 minutes each after lunch. in those designed time blocks, you can focus on sharpening those language skills by learning more in-depth grammar points, reading a short piece, listening to dialogues, or watching a short video in your target language. doing this will make sure you’re not just scratching the surface - you will actually progress.

engage in passive learning. this is perfect for when you’re busy. listen to music in your target language, listen to podcasts when you’re exercising, watch movies or tv shows (even with subtitles is ok!), switch your phone and other devices into your target language. 

do something fun with your target language to spark continuous interest. once in a while, come up with fun and interesting projects you can do with your target language! for example, if there’s a song you love, translate the lyrics! watched a good movie recently? look at the screenplay and analyze your favorite dialogues, and make sure to break down new vocabs and grammar. transform your favorite quotes into an artwork and hang it in your room! get creative and do something you’ll enjoy.

record your progress and your accomplishments! this is super helpful for organizing your studying progress, seeing how far you’ve gone, and celebrating your accomplishments. 

set long term goals to keep motivated. you can scratch the surface with that 5 minutes per day routine, but to truly get anywhere with a new language, make sure you’re setting long term goals! that is, by the end of the year, what will you want to be able to do? do you want to read harry potter entirely in your target language? be able to hold a conversation with a native speaker? watch movies without subtitles? travel to the country? these are the type of questions you should ask yourself.

good luck everyone! and have a wonderful semester!

[andreeastudies-blog]

japanese emojis — meaning

emoji – meaning – origin

🈁️ here – ココ 

🈂️ service – サービス 

🈷️ month/moon – 月 (げつ / がつ / つき)

🈚️ free of charge / there isn’t  – 無料 (むりょう) / 無し (なし)

🈶️ not free of charge / there is  – 有料 (ゆうりょう) / 有り (あり)

🈯️ reserved –  指定 (してい) 

🉐️ bargain – 得 (とく)

🈹️ discount – 割引 (わりびき)

🈲️ prohibited – 禁止 (きんし)

🉑️ acceptable – 可 (か)

🈸️ application – 申請 (しんせい)

🈴️ passing grade – 合格 (ごうかく)

🈳️ vacancy – 空室 (くうしつ) 

🈵️ no vacancy – 満室 (まんしつ) 

㊗️ congratulations – お祝い (おいわい)

㊙️ secret – 秘密 (ひみつ)

🈺️ open for business – 営業 (えいぎょう)

💮 well done/good job – 大変よくできました (たいへんよくできました)