clever-ludicrous

[clever-ludicrous]

Crosswords are forever my favourite way to learn vocabulary 🩷

And a moment to appreciate the stickers on my laptop. They're all characters with special meanings to me. I love them so much.

[clever-ludicrous]

I haven’t been really active lately but I came across something I wanted to share.

It’s a free language learning app called Lingo Legend, and I’m honestly a bit surprised by how much I’m enjoying it.

It’s basically just a vocab game where you’re a farmhand. The game is split between working on your farm and going on adventures.

You can choose what theme of vocab — though it doesn’t seem to be possible to put in your own — and set the pace you wish to play. There’s a daily energy limit, which you can refill by watching ads but there are no ad interruptions.

Supported languages are:

French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Dutch, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Maybe I’m just late to the party and everyone already knows about it but I rarely see it talked about.

[clever-ludicrous]

You need to be looking for sewing and drawing tutorials in Spanish, to watch baking tutorials in Russian or read the wikipedia article about the insect you've just discovered on your balcony in German ! You cannot watch Peppa pig in your target language forever.

Will knowing how to say "aiguille à tricoter" in French be useful for your exam ? Probably not, but who cares ? You're listening to spoken French AND you're learning a manual skill !

Youtube is full of wonderful tutorials in many languages, everything is there just waiting for you ...

And why stop at manual skills ? Philosophy ? History ? Astrology ? Hop hop hop, in your target language ! Want to learn something about Egypt ? The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has a coursera course on it.

"But I won't understand anything" I personally prefer to understand 20% of a lecture about a sacred temple in the middle of the desert than understand 60% of the most boring standard "what do you like to eat for breakfast" textbook learning material.

[clever-ludicrous]

❁ My favourite French podcasts for intermediate and advanced learners (B1-C1) ❁

(I really love using podcasts for language immersion and I owe a huge amount of my french progress to these, so I hope they’re helpful to someone else too!)

1.

This one is hugely popular, and for a good reason! I would credit this podcast (and the free transcriptions) with about half of my progress from intermediate to advanced. A really great feature is translations/explanations for difficult words in the transcription.

2.

I love the topics in this one, it’s very unique and thought-provoking (and often philosophical) while also not being too difficult. (I believe that all of the interview episodes come with transcripts also)

3.

Transcripts also available for free! I like the conversational style and there’s a huge range of important topics relating to french culture, social issues, travel etc.

4.

I feel like everyone knows this one? But I love it, it’s really fun

5.

Maybe a little easier than the others mentioned as she speaks quite slowly, but again a huge range of topics and clear explanations of grammar and vocabulary!

6.

Very interesting topics, especially the history episodes

7.

I think everyone knows her YouTube channel, but her podcast is really great too!

8.

Probably the easiest one on the list!

9.

This is actually aimed at natives so I put it last, but it’s perfect for anyone with an advanced level who is interested in language learning :)

[clever-ludicrous]

Die Schnitzeljagd ist ein beliebtes Kinderspiel, bei dem Kinder spielerisch leicht auf die Therapieplatzsuche vorbereitet werden.

[clever-ludicrous]

Can't be sincerely dark without being called edgy, can't be sincerely emotional without being called melodramatic, can't be sincerely silly without being called stupid. They're gonna hate every emotion you put in your art no matter what so make it anyway and be as sincere as you can be

[clever-ludicrous]

I found Readlang while researching for a future post and it lets you read stories, track single-word translations, and even import your own texts. I didn’t want it to go unnoticed, so here you go! It’s free, with a daily limit on phrase translations and context explanations (extra features are behind a paywall, which seems fair). It supports a huge range of languages (less common ones are in beta, but that only affects grading), includes a web add-on and you can import your own text.

I. Can. Import. My. Own. Text.

Learning languages through stories is way to overlooked or dismissed as too difficult and time-consuming.

Years ago, I had to read my fanfictions in English because the market for German batim fanfictions wasn’t as big as I had hoped. That alone motivated me to actually learn the language, instead of just trying to pass my exams, and many non-native English speakers can probably agree. Today, most of my online activities are in English, which has improved my proficiency so much. I can’t imagine how I could have reached this level so quickly without reading.

I also discovered Olly Richards' books for learning French, which has helped me grow my vocabulary and actually made the language fun for me again. Now, I'm reading my first novel in Esperanto (Marvirinstrato - Tim Westover), and I highly recommend reading in your target language, whether it’s ‘just’ a fanfiction or a book. If it’s too difficult, try a bilingual version.

[clever-ludicrous]

Daily Affirmation

Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz. Ich hasse Friedrich Merz.

[clever-ludicrous]

Learning languages through stories is way to overlooked or dismissed as too difficult and time-consuming.

Years ago, I had to read my fanfictions in English because the market for German batim fanfictions wasn’t as big as I had hoped. That alone motivated me to actually learn the language, instead of just trying to pass my exams, and many non-native English speakers can probably agree. Today, most of my online activities are in English, which has improved my proficiency so much. I can’t imagine how I could have reached this level so quickly without reading.

I also discovered Olly Richards' books for learning French, which has helped me grow my vocabulary and actually made the language fun for me again. Now, I'm reading my first novel in Esperanto (Marvirinstrato - Tim Westover), and I highly recommend reading in your target language, whether it’s ‘just’ a fanfiction or a book. If it’s too difficult, try a bilingual version.

[clever-ludicrous]

✨be the langblr you wish to see in the world✨

we build community by reblogging, commenting, and sharing our love for our languages!

[clever-ludicrous]

How to Actually Learn a Language (Without Wasting Time)

Polyglots will do anything to sell you something, so here’s the fastest and most basic technique based on my research.

—

Step 1 – Getting the Absolute Basics In

This is where most people already get lost. If you search social media for how to start, the advice isn’t necessarily bad, but it often makes you dependent on a single resource, usually an app that will eventually try to charge you. Duolingo, for example, has turned into a mega-corporation that perfected gamification to keep you on the app.

Remember: free apps make money by keeping you on their platform, not by helping you become fluent.

At this stage, the goal is not to gain conversational skills but to avoid overwhelming yourself and get a feel for what you’re actually getting into. All my recommended resources are free because I believe learning a language should be a basic right. I wouldn’t advise spending any money until you’re sure you’ll stick with it. Otherwise, it can turn into a toxic “but I paid for this, so I have to keep going” mindset that drains all the fun out of learning.

• Language Transfer – Highly recommended for Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, German, Greek, Italian, Swahili, and French.

• Textbooks – Simply search for [language] textbook PDF, or check LibGen and the Internet Archive. Don’t overthink which book to choose—it doesn’t matter much.

• Podcasts – Coffee Break is a solid choice for many languages.

• YouTube Channels – Join r/Learn[language] on Reddit and find recommendations.

—

Step 2 – The 20/80 Principle

The idea is that 20% of words make up 80% of everyday speech.

What you’re going to do:

Search “Most common words [language] PDF”.

This list is now your best friend

For flashcards, I highly recommend AnkiPro. It lets you import pre-made lists for Anki/Quizlet and has an archive where you’ll definitely find the most common words. But it lacks audio. The real Anki program has it, but only on PC (unless you’re willing to pay $30 for the mobile app). Use AnkiPro for now—we’ll come back to repeating phrases later. In the meantime, find a YouTube video with the most common words pronounced, or use Google Translate for audio.

(Knowt is a free alternative for Quizlet if you prefer that)

These lists will spare you from learning unnecessary vocabulary at this stage. Spaced repetition (which Anki uses) can take longer, but it’s worth it because you want these words to stick. Anki will only introduce a small number of new words per day. Once you start new words, write phrases using them. Doesn’t matter if they’re random just try to use them.

—

Step 3 – The First Breakup With the Language

This isn’t really a step, but I have to mention it. For me (and for other language learners I’ve talked to) this is where motivation crashes.

The dopamine rush is over. Your ego boost is gone. You’re stuck understanding just enough to notice how much you don’t understand, and topics are getting more complex. Everything feels overwhelming, and motivation drops.

This is normal. You have to push through it.

I’ll write a separate post on how I manage this phase, but for now:

• Take a step back and make sure you understand the basics.

• Find something that keeps you motivated.

• Consistency is key. Even if it’s just five minutes a day, do it. (Edit: You can search online for inspiration on scheduled plans. I found one that organizes language exercises into different categories based on how much time you have each day, which seems helpful. https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/s/sSGUtORurM

Personally, I used AI to create a weekly plan kind of as a last resort before giving up on the language, but try looking for pre-made ones first.)

I personally enjoyed story learning during this phase. And don’t forget the frequency lists are still your best friend. For story learning check out Olly Richards books!

—

Step 4 – Immersion

Your brain needs active and passive immersion. The earlier steps were mostly active, and now you’ll start the fun part.

How to Immerse Yourself:

1. Join some kind of community.

• I enjoy Reddit/ r/lean[Language]. Do this in your target language, but also in the language you already speak. Post that you’re looking for a chat partner in your target language. The most people are nice, and the mean ones will just ghost you anyway.

2. Watch shows.

• Subtitles only in your target language or drop English subtitles ASAP.

3. Listen to podcasts.

4. Read

I personally dislike media made for kids (except on low-energy days). For real immersion, pick something for adults.

5. Translate, write, and speak.

Before this, you wrote simple sentences using vocabulary. Now, put them to work:

• Translate texts.

• Keep a diary.

• Write short stories.

• Complain about the language in the language.

It doesn’t matter, just use it.

—

Step 5 – Speaking

Start speaking earlier than you think you’re ready. Trust me. This is probably where most people disagree with me. I do think you should start by focusing on input, but the importance of output isn’t talked about enough.

Now, the real Anki (or any program with phrases + audio) comes into play. At lower levels, it doesn’t make sense to just start talking, since you wouldn’t even be able to recognize your mistakes. Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Repeat phrases out loud.

2. Record yourself speaking.

3. Compare your recording to the original audio and adjust your pronunciation.

If it’s a tonal language (or if you struggle with accents), start this even earlier.

Other Speaking Strategies:

• Shadowing – Repeat after native speakers.

• Reading aloud – Your own texts, books, anything.

• Talking to yourself.

• Talking to natives (if you’re brave).

I’m not here to fix social anxiety, but I am here to help with language learning, so just speak.

—

Final Thoughts

• These steps overlap, and that’s fine.

• This is supposed to be fun. Learning just because you’re “too deep in” or because of school won’t cut it.

• If you’re lost, take a step back.

• I’m not a professional. I just think a straight answer is way too hard to find.

—

If you have anything to add, feel free to share.

[clever-ludicrous]

A short introduction to Esperanto

Saluton! Esperanto is the most successful constructed international language created in the late 19th century by L. L. Zamenhof.

Purpose: Designed to be a simple, neutral language for people of different linguistic backgrounds.

Simple Grammar: Esperanto’s grammar is straightforward, with just 16 rules and no irregular verbs or conjugations. (English has estimated 3,500 different grammar rules) Its vocabulary is rooted in European languages, especially Romance and Germanic languages. Plus, you can create new words by combining roots and affixes!

Community: While Esperanto didn’t become the global second language it aimed to be, it still has around 2 million speakers worldwide. It has no native country or official government, only a unique, global community. During World War II, the Nazis banned Esperanto and persecuted its speakers, especially targeting Jewish speakers. It has remained a significant part of the Jewish history, even though it has no direct religious ties.

Symbolism: The name Esperanto comes from the pseudonym Doktoro Esperanto (“Doctor Hope”) that L. L. Zamenhof used when publishing his first work on the language. Both the name and the flag (see below) symbolize peace. The green color in the flag represents hope, the white symbolizes peace and neutrality, and the star represents the “five continents.” (excluding Antarctica) The flag was created by the community and has become a recognized symbol of the language.

Fun Fact: The first Esperanto novel, “Lilio” by Edith Alleyne Sinnotte, was published in 1918, just 31 years after the language’s official creation.

Dankon pro legado.

What does Esperanto sound like?