majestylanguage

[majestylanguage]

Check out the create a sim for my new series about the Globetrotter Challenge. This challenge was created by @moonfi and the rules can be found on their blog. It's all about exploring the different worlds the sims 4 has to offer and I thought it would be a really fun way to get back into Youtube. It would mean the world to me if y'all watched and shared by video! Thank you and much Love!

[majestylanguage]

aburrirse como una ostra: literally 'to be as bored as an oyster', it means 'to be bored to death', but the original entry in spanish is gold, here's a quick translation:

Explanations are useless. It's sufficient enough to think about the poor mollusk, in its movements, in its social interactions with other marine life...

source: alberto buitrago jiménez' diccionario espasa: dichos y frases hechas

[majestylanguage]

♛ 2 - 6.29.23

Hello All! Yesterday I started practicing writing the Russian alphabet in cursive and I think the letters are finally clicking. Its a lot of me just sitting in my living room yelling to myself that this letter is ‘S’ not ‘C’ which is fun. The hardest part is remembering which letters are the same since there are only 6 of them that stay the same. But like 8 share the character but make a different sound. But it is nice to feel like I’m making progress and enjoying the learning process. I think I might start doing Duolingo again to expand my vocabulary in spanish. I had like a 4-month streak last fall but it ended due to emotional stuff and I’ve been too upset about that to start another one but I think I’m in a good place. Oh and maybe it can help me stay awake in the mornings if I have a little task to do instead of just wishing to sleep again. Anyways wish you all a productive and fun day! Much Love - Majesty ♛

[majestylanguage]

A video analysis of the difference between Joule joining Kelvin and Kelvin joining Joule. 

(Source)

[majestylanguage]

♛ 1 - 6.22.23

So today I started studying and went to do a lesson on Lingoda. Turns out you have to pay like $30 for each lesson so I will instead just being using Lingoda for the flashcard function along with the quiz section. I have found another resource at Learn Practical Spanish (https://www.learnpracticalspanishonline.com/beginner/pronouns.html) and it is truly free. I also did my Russian Flashcards today. Overall good day!

[majestylanguage]

Hello Langblr!

Hello! It has been a while since I’ve posted here. I am now in college and have the same ambitious goals from when I started this blog in middle school! My current target languages are Spanish and Russian. I am planning a trip to South America in the upcoming years that will put my Spanish to the test and am minoring in Spanish at my university. I have been formally taught Spanish since 1st grade, however didn’t really begin absorbing the language till sophomore year of highschool. To continue my growth with Spanish I will be taking the A2 course on Lingoda (https://learn.lingoda.com/en/account/course-overview). I will also be watching Shows (specifically reality TV since I love it) in Spanish to familiarize myself with the language. 

Russian is more of a personal learning experience - my favorite characters in a book learned Russian so I wanna learn Russian. I’ve started with learning the alphabet starting with hand-made flashcards and quizlets. Once I have a more solid grasp on the letters I will begin the Russian course on LingoHut (https://www.lingohut.com/en/l71/learn-russian).

My future goals include fluency in Spanish and Russian. Once I have a more solid grasp on these languages I wanna learn eventually French, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Greek and American Sign Language. Which I know seems ambitious but I have a long life ahead of me so it’s possible! 

[majestylanguage]

10 Polyglot Things to Do This September:

Write 5 sentences per day in your target language(s)

Pick two films to watch in a target language and view each twice, first without subtitles then with them

Make 300 vocabulary flashcards or entries in your vocab journal (that only averages out to 10 words per day!!)

Use two weeks to write one short story, two weeks to write a personal essay. Aim for 1,000 words each, but don’t get frustrated if you end up writing a different amount (:

Take a page from a book or an article in your target language and make syntax trees to brush up on your grammar game

Read the full Wikipedia page on a language or language family that you know absolutely nothing about!

Memorize the words to 10 Disney songs in your target language

Get connected! Send 10 language-related asks to langblrs you follow that are proficient in your target language

Google “How I Learn Languages” and get prepared to channel the muse of other language learners

Transcribe one video in your target language

Good luck!!

[majestylanguage]

9 points about language learning and how I’m learning 20+ of them

I’ve had a few requests to write about how I learn my languages. To different degrees, there’s currently 20+ of them and I don’t see myself stopping yet. The thing is, learning languages comes really easily to me and I want to share, maybe it will be helpful to somebody else.

First, I’d like to have a look at first versus second language acquisition. I’m a linguist and I’m super interested in Child Language Acquisition. That however, has a critical age of 14 (or so I was always told) and is then no longer possible and any language learned after that age will never progress as quickly or can’t be learned perfectly. Well. I disagree. The simple difference is - first language acquisition is how you acquired your first language(s) as a child. By imitating, finding patterns, etc. Second language acquisition is what you know from language courses. Vocabulary, irregular verb tables, endless exercises. Now that we got some of the terminology off the table, let me see how I actually learn languages: 1) I utilise elements of the first language acquisition rather than second language I’ve only studied vocab a couple times at school, when I put them into Quizlet or when someone forced me to. I’ll get back to it in another point. I don’t learn patterns. I know there is one and I let the input do its magic of slithering into my head. Again, more on that in point 2. You always get told you’ll learn a language better when you’re thrown into the country where they speak it.  And it’s so true because of the processes behind it. Because input and immersion are the keys and that’s how children learn, too.

2) I don’t cram languages. I process them.

Around langblrs, I keep seeing all the ‘crying over verb tables’, ‘trying to learn a 1000 words this week’ and the like. That may work for you, sure. But I’ve never done that. I did learn a few irregular verb patterns for German in class, but while I could recite them, it wasn’t helpful. In Irish, I sometimes still wonder which verb ‘An ndeachaigh tú?’ comes from. The thing is, you’re able to process language. You know this word is probably irregular. If you come across it and don’t know what the irregular form is, look it up. After you’ve looked it up for the tenth time, you’ll probably remember by then. Same with anything else. Don’t try to learn things by heart when it comes to languages. 3) Vocab?? Same rule applies here. I’ve only learned vocab at school and then a handful of times when I wasn’t too lazy to put it into Quizlet (which is fun and I learn something, but it’s more of a useful pastime than anything). When you read, just skip the words you don’t know and only really look them up if you can’t tell by context. NEVER translate vocabulary. I mean, sure, look up what it means, but don’t connect it to the word itself. Connect it to the meaning. Pictures work better. As for abstract words, imagine the concept. Just try not to bridge the meaning of the word with your native language. Languages in your brain are meant to be two separate units. Unless you’re working on a translation piece, they shouldn’t be ‘touching’. 4) I use example sentences for everything.

Grammar guides are useful but rather than learning all the rules at once, take it one step at a time and remember some example sentences and let them guide you through the grammar rule you need.

5) Input is everything. Output is hard, but you’re basically imitating input and utilizing patterns you know (or think you know). Let me give you an example. Let’s say I’m writing a piece on my daily routine, for example. I make use of the example sentences and try to tailor them to my own needs. Trial and error, if I make a mistake, it’s okay, if somebody points it out, I probably won’t make it next time. As I progress, I will gradually remove the mistake. Same goes to new words and new verbs. Use the input you’ve got. Does this verb sound like some other verb you’ve heard before? It’s might have a similar conjugation pattern. You can check it, you don’t have to.

6) Learning languages should NOT be stressful! I never stressed over learning a language. Sure, I’m frustrated that after a year and a half of learning Irish, I’m not 100% fluent, but I’ve never stressed over it. I’ve never cried over it. I’ve never cried over a language (I only cried after a French oral exam which I thought I failed). Don’t be hard on yourself and try learning through a method that’s not stressful. Watch videos for children. Read books for children. Write down cool things in your target language(s). 7) You’ve learned a language before. Why wouldn’t you be able to learn it now in a very similar way? This is basically me saying that I have little belief in the efficiency of pure second language acquisition. Maybe a few individuals can reach fluency by cramming a language, the thing is, I think that if we concentrate on processing instead of remembering, just like we did when we were children, we can reach better results in a shorter amount of time. Also, if this is your third or fourth language, compare to languages you already know. 8) I don’t start with basics. I start ‘somewhere’.

Delve into the language the second you’ve started. Are you overwhelmed? That’s fine! You’ll find your way around it. Start with word meanings, finding out what kind of sentences those are and then build your way around it. Don’t start saying ‘hello’ and ‘I’m from’. Those are cool, but usually, they are used in a different way when you actually go out and speak. You’ll get them along the way.

9) Don’t rely on instructions (only). Rely on yourself.

This is just my two cents. I’ve pieced this together trying to remember how I’ve learned what I’ve learned and comparing it to how others around me learned. Please, let me know if it makes any sense. I may edit this and post this again later if I have any more ideas. Feel free to contribute or to bombard me with questions. I’m happy to answer.

[majestylanguage]

SPANISH YOUTUBERS MASTERPOST

A list of Spanish YouTubers. These are big channels, but you can check out the videos that Youtube recommends to find more people (even smaller channels!) Also, many people have a second channel, so check those out (NOTE: This is not a list of channels that teach Spanish, but a list of Spanish people who make videos for Spanish speakers, which means that you’ll find lots of slang and different accents, as well as cultural references).

Dulceida

Forfast

The Tripletz

Elvisa Yomastercard

ElrubiusOMG

Enrique Álex

Blue Equis

Miare’s Project

De vermut

Ger

Percebesygrelos

Pablo Vlogs

El coleccionista de mundos

Uy! Albert

Rush Smith

Paula Gonu

Kikillo

Stoneismyname

Mister Jägger

ileovlogs

focusingsvlogs

Hola Julen

David Rees

AuronPlay

luluyesyes

Jonan Perreando

Yellow Mellow

Xurri Fenton

Álvaro Kruse

MyChimyK

omglobalnews

King Jedet

Mark Miller

Porexpan

Juanmasaurus

Laura Escanes

Señor Zeta

Anna Gorse

ItsJudith

Adelita Power

Ter

Celo Pan

Inesmellaman

Las Menuditas

Candela Piú

Kevinloquesea

Happip

AndyGM en Berlín

El Rincón de Giorgio

Andrea Compton

Izhan

Holly Molly

Libros Por Leer

Desahogada

Gominuke

RoEnLaRed

Fizpireta

Adriamusica96

Zeus Santorini

Maria Cadepe

Terafobia

Vanfunfun

Coque’s Corner

Luzugames

Herrejón

Mifamiliaguiri

[majestylanguage]

So here is yet another post about Spanish that I hope you all langblrs will like. I present to you 10 words that exist in Spanish but don’t exist in English.

Knowing and using them in your vocabulary shows how fluent you actually are so hopefully this will help you.

1. Chueco/a: 

This can be roughly be translated as “not straight” BUT NOT IN THE SEXUAL ORIENTATION KIND OF WAY. It literally means not being able to do something in a straight line. 

For example: Not able to draw a straight line? You draw chueco/a. Tried kicking a soccer ball in a straight line but it ended up in the far left side of the court? You kick chueco/a.

2. Empalagado/a: 

This is what happens when you eat too much sugar. 

For example: You know that feeling of nausea and awkward fullness after you have eaten like five cupcakes, two chocolate bars and three bottles of soda? THEN is when you feel empalagado/a.

3. Despistado/a: 

So I Google-translated this word and it came out as “lackadaisical”. I don’t think anyone actually uses that word. SO, it means someone who doesn’t pay attention to anything and daydreams most of the time. It is not a permanent feature tho, you can be despistado/a just during your math class. 

For example: If someone asks you a question and you don’t answer because you were too busy thinking about Zac Efron, then you are despistado/a.

4. Tocayo/a: 

It refers to someone who shares name with you. 

For example: Let’s imagine your name is Hermione and suddenly you meet someone whose name is ALSO Hermione. Voilá! That person is now your tocayo/a.

5. Buen provecho: This is not a word but a phrase. It means something like “have a good meal”, it is kinda close to saying “bon appettit” in French. It is frequently used before you start a meal but also as a sign of respect when you run into someone who is currently eating. Also, it is not a phrase used only for “fancy” situations, it actually works whenever someone is eating. 

For example: If you are eating at a restaurant with a group, you say buen provecho before you start eating, but also let’s imagine you are walking around the city and see your boss eating tacos from a food truck, then you also say buen provecho. Freaking good manners.

6. Desgraciado/a: Oh this is a funny one. You might think, at first sight, that this word refers to someone who is not very graceful. WRONG. If you Google-translate the word, it may drive you to think it means “unfortunate”. ALSO WRONG. This is what you call someone who has been a jerk. Someone who didn’t treat you right. Like honestly, someone you really hate. 

For example: Your boyfriend just dumped you on your birthday? He is a desgraciado. Your group-project colleague disappeared during the whole process and just showed up to put her name on the project? She is a desgraciada. It is such a powerful word, I love it.

7. Llorón/Llorona: It refers to someone who cries A LOT. It doesn’t necessarily mean someone who cries but also someone who is very sensitive and gets sad about a lot of things, especially if those things aren’t really important. 

For example: Your sister just cried because she saw a very cute dog? She is a llorona. Your best friend just got VERY upset because he got a 99/100 on a test? He is a llorón (das me tho).

8. Te quiero: This is probably one of the phrases native Spanish speakers miss the most when they start speaking English. This is what you say to someone (and by someone it means a romantic partner most of the time) when you start getting feelings for them but you don’t love them just yet. If you did love them tho you would say “te amo”.  

For example: You have been dating someone for a while now and you know they are amazing but you are not in the “love” point just yet, then you say te quiero to them. No commitment, you guys.

9. Desvelado/a: It refers to someone that hasn’t slept for a while. 

For example: When you pull an all-nighter and show up to class late, with huge bags under your eyes and basically just feeling like a living-dead, you are desvelado/a.

10. Lampiño/a: It literally refers to someone that doesn’t have facial/body hair. 

For example: If you are trying to grow a beard but just can’t seem to grow any hair on your face you are a lampiño/a. Also, if you do not have to shave your legs at all for the summer because you have been blessed with the lack of body hair, then you are lampiño/a.

[majestylanguage]

Say this instead of that

Some synonyms for common adjectives in Spanish

bonito - agraciado, bello, lindo, precioso

feo - antiestético, desagradable, horrendo, atroz, feúcho

grande - mayúsculo, voluminoso, amplio, vasto

pequeño - minúsculo, diminuto, chico, reducido

perfecto - ideal, magistral, sublime, insuperable, magnífico

malo - malvado, maligno, malévolo, infame, vil, cruel

bueno - bondadoso, benévolo, benigno, clemente, indulgente

cómodo - descansado, placentero, confortable, grato

común - general, genérico, ordinario, usual, frecuente

extraño - raro, insólito, singular, inverosímil, curioso

alegre - jovial, gozoso, regocijado, jubiloso, radiante, animado, festivo

triste - sombrío, melancólico, deprimido, acongojado, mustio

vacío - desocupado, libre, deshabitado, solitario

lleno - colmado, saturado, pleno, repleto, atiborrado, atestado

frecuente - repetido, continuo, periódico, usual, regular

inteligente - lúcido, listo, ingenioso, hábil