polyglotlish

[polyglotlish]

Icelandic Resources

Learning Icelandic:

Digital Dialects: Basic words and phrases in Icelandic

Icelandic 101: A great source for beginners, including pronunciation guides and history on the language.

Icelandic Online: Free Icelandic lessons put out by a university in Iceland

ieLanguages: A very basic guide to Icelandic

Live Mocha: A great website with multiple lesson levels. (A poor man’s Rosetta Stone, if you will.)

My Languages: Very basic Icelandic lessons

Quizlet: Colloquial Icelandic flashcards

Tungumalatorg: Icelandic video lessons with subtitles to help with following and understanding the dialogues.

Pronunciation:

Introduction to Icelandic Pronunciations

Forvo: Lists of words with translations and native pronunciations.

Sigur Ros: Icelandic Pronunciations

Wikipedia: Icelandic Phonology

General:

Icelandic Phrases for conversational Icelandic

Short list of basic greetings and phrases

Icelandic poems with their English translations

Grammar:

Icelandic mini-grammar: A brief introduction to Icelandic grammar.

Mirmir: A website with nothing but Icelandic grammar. Very indepth.

Nativlang: A basic introduction to Icelandic grammar.

Verbix: A great website that gives conjugations for nearly any verb you can think of. (Also has most other languages as well.)

Wikipedia: Icelandic Grammar

Icelandic Noun Phrases: An indepth article discussing grammar and noun placement. PDF

An Icelandic Primer: Grammar text-book. PDF

Icelandic Dictionaries:

Icelandic-English: This is very indepth, but hard to navigate unless you know what you’re looking for.

Icelandic-English: A great resource, with links to common abbreviations and short grammar guides.

English-Icelandic-Danish: Online dictionary that has English-Icelandic, and Danish-Icelandic. Though it may require payments to access some information.

Slangurorðabókin: Icelandic Slang dictionary. It is in Icelandic, but fun for someone learning to see.

Tumblrs:

everysinglewordinicelandic: Posts random words with descriptions.

fuckyeahislenska: Posts pictures with words on them. The posts usually include notes on the declensions and uses. 

icelandiclanguage: A really great resource for anyone interested in studying Icelandic, run by an incredibly nice person that is always very helpful to anyone with questions.

longicelandicwords: Like most Germanic languages, Icelandic has many long compound words. This tumblr shares some of the longer ones.

Other:

Flick: Kind of like an Icelandic Reddit or 9gag.

Icelandic Tongue-twisters

Gossip.is: Icelandic Gossip

Radio:

Bylgjan 98,9: Popular Music (Reykjavik)

FM957: Popular Music (Reykjavik)

Gull Bylgjan: Oldies (Reykjavik)

Létt Bylgjan: ‘Contemporary Adult’ (Reykjavik)

Lindin Radio: Religious (Reykjavik)

Rás 1: Classical

Rás 2: Pop Music/Sports

Suðurland FM 96.3: Popular Music (Selfoss)

Útvarp Kántrýbær: Country music (Skagaströnd)

Utvarp Saga 99,4: News (Reykjavik)

Xid 97,7: Rock (Reykjavik)

News:

Bæjarins Besta: News printed in Isafjordur

Dagblaðið Vísir(DV): Oldest Newspaper in Iceland? Tabloid.

Eyjafréttir: News from Westman Islands. 

Eyjar: Local news from Westman Islands.

Fjarðar pósturinn: News from Hafnarfjörður

Iceland Review: Icelandic news in English.

IceNews: Icelandic news in English

Morgunblaðið: Icelandic newspaper. (This link is for the English page, but it also offers the news in Icelandic)

Reykjavik Grapvine: News in English; more cultural than political?

Skarpur: News from Húsavík.

Sports.is: Sports news

Víkurfréttir: News from Southwest Iceland

Vísir: Icelandic News from Reykjavik

[polyglotlish]

50 common verbs in Catalan

1. Aconseguir - To get/obtain 2. Agafar - To take/pick 3. Agradar - To like 4. Anar - To go 5. Aprendre - To learn 6. Beure - To drink 7. Cantar - To sing 8. Comprar - To buy 9. Conèixer - To meet 10. Córrer - To run 11. Crear - To create 12. Cridar - To shout 13. Decidir - To decide 14. Dir - To say 15. Donar - To give 16. Dormir - To sleep 17. Dur - To carry 18. Entendre - To understand 19. Escriure - To write 20. Estar - To be 21. Fer - To do 22. Fer servir - To use 23. Haver - Auxiliary verb 24. Haver-hi - There is/are 25. Intentar - To try 26. Marxar - To leave 27. Matar - To kill 28. Menjar - To eat 29. Morir - To die 30. Necessitar - To need 31. Nedar - To swim 32. Odiar - To hate 33. Parlar - To speak 34. Pensar - To think 35. Poder - Can/To be able to 36. Preguntar - To ask 37. Semblar - To seem 38. Ser - To be 39. Saber - To know 40. Saltar - To jump 41. Sentir - To hear 42. Sentir - To feel 43. Sentir - To be sorry 44. Ser - To be 45. Tenir - To have 46. Treballar - To work 47. Trobar - To find 48. Venir - To come 49. Veure - To see 50. Voler - To want

[polyglotlish]

A P P S

All the apps listed here are available to download on iTunes (iOS). Bolded = not free.

Duolingo

Learn Danish

Danish by Nemo

Mango Languages

Danish Flashcards

Learn Danish (different from 1st one, in-app purchase)

Babbel (one free lesson)

Study Danish Words

WordUP Danish

Learn Danish - Wordpower

Woorden

Gus on the Go: Danish for kids

LearnOasis

W E B S I T E S

Danish Class 101 

Speakdanish.dk

Copenhagen Language Center

101 Languages

Ielanguages

Grammar explorer

Loecsen

Learn with Oliver

Polymath

BBC

Unilang

Transparent Language

Basby

D A N I S H  N E W S / R A D I O / T V

DR

TV2

Berlingske

BT

Billedbladet

Politiken

Jyllands Posten

C O N J U G A T I O N / V E R B S

Verb conjugator

Verbix conjugator

Verb list

Wikibooks verb list

Vores fællesprog

A simplified grammar of the Danish language

500 Most common verbs in Danish

T E X T B O O K S

Perfect and periphrastic passive constructions in Danish

Danish: An Essential Grammar

Colloquial Danish (this one is life-saving!)

D I C T I O N A R I E S

Freedict

Dicts

E B O O K S

Saxo

Familieforlaget

Children’s books forever

Det forkerte barn (pdf)

Logos Library

E X T R A S

Vocabulary Trainer

Danish Class 101 Podcast

Danish swearwords

[polyglotlish]

A P P S

All the apps listed here are available to download on iTunes (iOS). Bolded = not free.

Duolingo

Learn Danish

Danish by Nemo

Mango Languages

Danish Flashcards

Learn Danish (different from 1st one, in-app purchase)

Babbel (one free lesson)

Study Danish Words

WordUP Danish

Learn Danish - Wordpower

Woorden

Gus on the Go: Danish for kids

LearnOasis

W E B S I T E S

Danish Class 101 

Speakdanish.dk

Copenhagen Language Center

101 Languages

Ielanguages

Grammar explorer

Loecsen

Learn with Oliver

Polymath

BBC

Unilang

Transparent Language

Basby

D A N I S H  N E W S / R A D I O / T V

DR

TV2

Berlingske

BT

Billedbladet

Politiken

Jyllands Posten

C O N J U G A T I O N / V E R B S

Verb conjugator

Verbix conjugator

Verb list

Wikibooks verb list

Vores fællesprog

A simplified grammar of the Danish language

500 Most common verbs in Danish

T E X T B O O K S

Perfect and periphrastic passive constructions in Danish

Danish: An Essential Grammar

Colloquial Danish (this one is life-saving!)

D I C T I O N A R I E S

Freedict

Dicts

E B O O K S

Saxo

Familieforlaget

Children’s books forever

Det forkerte barn (pdf)

Logos Library

E X T R A S

Vocabulary Trainer

Danish Class 101 Podcast

Danish swearwords

[polyglotlish]

¡Learning Spanish!

Greetings!

Hello there!

I have been lurking on tumblr for quite some time now, and in the past few weeks i have been really interested in trying to polish my language skills.

I am trying to learn French, Cantonese, and Chinese (both simplified and traditional), so it would be really great if there are some blogs that I could follow for tips. 

I am also looking for interesting languages to learn, especially the popular languages such as German and Spanish.

In short, PLEASE REBLOG IF YOU ARE SPEAKING/LEARNING:

- FRENCH

- CANTONESE

- CHINESE (SIMPLIFIED AND TRADITIONAL BOTH WELCOME)

(Not mandatory, but would appreciate it nonetheless) 

- JAPANESE

- KOREAN

- GERMAN

- SPANISH

[polyglotlish]

Woes of a language learner

100-level courses full of people just trying to fill a requirement

Lack of books in your target language

“Say something in [insert language]!”

“That’s nice, but what are you going to do for a career?“

“Why would you learn [insert language]?  Everyone speaks English!”

Living in a monolingual area

[polyglotlish]

Tengo hambre. Pero no tengo comida.

[polyglotlish]

The English word “do” (as an auxiliary verb) is completely unnecessary. Neither German nor French has the concept of “Do you…?” German and French share the concept of changing “You like music,” into “Like you music?” The French concept “Est-ce que” is translated to “Is it that you like music?” In my opinion, even as an English native, “Is it that you…?” is more understandable than “Do you…?“

[polyglotlish]

Hey friends! If you’re like me and want to learn Spanish, you’ve probably spent a good deal of time looking for free, easy-to-use resources! Well, look no further, because I’ve compiled some of my favorite Spanish resources here for you!

GENERAL WEBSITES

spanishdict  Helps with translating and conjugating Spanish words

Spanish Central   Helps with translation. Also has quizzes and flashcards to help you test your vocabulary knowledge

Spanish Checker   Spanish grammar and spelling checker. Not only corrects your mistake, but tells you why it was wrong

Omniglot   Useful if you’re trying to learn the basics of a language

Study Spanish   Learn basic Spanish vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar

Rocket Languages   Has listening activities and tests to help you study 

BBC Languages   All the essentials you need to learn Spanish

Digital Dialects   Learn Spanish by playing games

Udemy   A beginning Spanish course

SMARTPHONE APPS

Duolingo   Useful for learning vocabulary (also available online)

Babbel   Helps you learn conversational skills (also available online)

HelloTalk   Allows you to speak to a native speaker of your target language

Memrise   User-made courses designed to help you learn through repetition

Mondly   Similar to Duolingo (also available online)

DICTIONARIES

spanishdict

Wiktionary

WordReference

Forvo

GRAMMAR & SPELLCHECK

Spanish Checker  

LanguageTool   

Conjugation Chart

GRAMMAR PRACTICE

Exercises

More Exercises

Even More Exercises

PHONETICS

Pronounce the Alphabet 

Basic Spanish Pronunciation

Pronunciation Rules

Pronunciation Practice

Forvo, the Pronunciation Dictionary

MORE SPANISH/LANGUAGE MASTERPOSTS

Spanish Resource Masterpost by @highschoolering

Notes on Spanish Verb Tenses by @mes-langues

How to Not Sound Like a Gringo by @puroespanol

Online Tests by @todas-las-joyas

Language Learning by @study-well

OTHER

The Difference Between Hispanic, Latino, and Spanish

I hope this helps! Happy Spanish learning!

[polyglotlish]

By the way, talking about my Linguistics teacher, today I’ve realized that not only the usage of “usted” and “tú” in Peninsular Spanish (Spain minus the Canary Islands, whose dialect is in some aspects more alike to some American dialects than to Peninsular Spanish) is difficult to non-native speakers, but also to natives, due to the fact that “usted” is slowly disappearing. 

How teachers speak to students and vice-versa is an example of this: my former Latin teacher was like sixty years old, but insisted on using “vosotros” with us, and we had tutearlo (using “tú” instead of “usted” with him). My Linguistics teacher, however, who is younger than him, uses “usted” with us. The fun fact is: today I’ve approached him to ask him a question, and he was a bit unsure of which one he had to use, because he sometimes said “a lo mejor te interesa” (”maybe this it’s interesting to you”, using “tú”) but other times “si quiere…” (”if you want”, using “usted”). 

Very slowly, “usted” in Peninsular Spain is definitely disappearing, like “thou” disappeared in English. It will keep existing in other dialects, especially in Latin America and the Canary Islands, because they use ustedes instead of vosotros. 

Really interesting! This proves that if you pay attention closely, you can see how languages change over some years or a generation. 

[polyglotlish]

Spanish Duolingo: Medical

el riesgo - risk

el corazón - heart

el médico - doctor

la operación - operation

la ambulancia - ambulance

la emergencia - emergency

la enfermedad - disease, illness

Es una emergencia. - It is an emergency.

¿Cuándo es mi operación? - When is my operation?

El riesgo es demasiado grande. - The risk is too big.

¿Necesita una ambulancia? - Do you need an ambulance?

¿Dónde está la salida de emergencia? - Where is the emergency exit?

la dosis - dose

el paciente - patient

la presión - pressure

el síntoma - symptom

la medicina - medicine

la condición - condition

el diagnóstico - diagnosis

Ella toma la medicina. - She takes the medicine.

Tengo la presión baja. - My blood pressure is low.

¿Cuál es su diagnóstico? - What is your diagnosis?

¿Cuáles son las condiciones? - What are the conditions?

El paciente tiene los síntomas. - The patient has the symptoms.

Ellos tienen problemas para caminar. - They have trouble walking.

la dieta - diet

el virus - virus

la clinica - clinic

la lágrima - tear

el órgano - organ

la emoción - emotion

la depresión - depression

Ella tiene depresión. - She has depression.

La depresión es una enfermedad. - Depression is an illness.

La atleta tiene una buena dieta. - The athlete has a good diet. 

Las paredes de la clínica son blancas. - The clinic walls are white.

Estas fueron lágrimas de felicidad. - These were tears of happiness.

El amor es una emoción muy fuerte. - Love is a very strong emotion.

el olor - smell

muerto - dead

la mente - mind

el cadáver - corpse

la circulación - circulation

el remedio - solution, remedy, medicine

Es un buen olor. - It is a good smell.

Es un olor dulce. - It is a sweet smell.

Mis padres están muertos. - My parents are dead.

No puedo leer tu mente. - I cannot read your mind.

Tienes que abrir tu mente. - You have to open your mind.

La carne contiene proteínas. - The meat contains proteins.

El tiempo es el mejor remedio. -  Time is the best medicine.

grave - serious

el sabor - taste, flavor

la ayuda - help, assistance

¿Es grave? - Is it serious?

No necesito tu ayuda. - I do not need your help.

Cuento con tu ayuda. - I am counting on your help.

El limón tiene un sabor ácido. - The lemon has a sour taste.

[polyglotlish]

Significado de algunas expresiones Mexicanas.

[polyglotlish]

signs ur a language hoe

so we’ve all seen those posts about art hoes and music hoes, so i thought us languages hoes need a chance to explain ourselves:

you might be a language hoe (alternate: lang hoe??) if:

your duolingo streak is more important to you than your friends

most of your music library isn’t in your native language

you have a special section of your bookshelf dedicated to books with titles like “TOP 500 FRENCH VERBS” and “RUSSIAN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY”

you know that if you used all that time you spent on your other languages on your target language you’d be fluent

you have more than one target language

you know what it’s like to be up at 3am studying for fun

you actually get excited about learning new grammar concepts

most of your internet friends don’t have the same native language as you

you’ve had people look confused when they borrow your phone and see it’s in a language they don’t understand

you get homesick for countries you’ve never been to because they speak your target language there

you’ve had heated arguments about the term ‘fluent’

you hate the term ‘fluent’

a good day for you is one where you resist the urge to start learning 10 new languages

you can at least somewhat communicate in 3 or more languages

you regularly watch youtubers who speak in languages that aren’t your native language

you’ve had arguments over whether english should be a lingua franca

you hate foreign language classes

if you don’t hate foreign language classes because your school offers some that actually teach the language, you’re intensely aware that the entire langblr community is jealous of you

you’ve been frustrated by your school not offering your target language as a class (goddmanit why dont american public schools teach us russian)

either you’re a romance language ho, or you’re annoyed by how everyone’s studying romance languages on tumblr

you’ve at least witnessed heated debates on whether swedish or norwegian is supreme

you watch foreign movies without subtitles in your native language

the word “declensions’ makes you want to cry

you love writing in foreign languages in moleskine journals (if u dont u gotta ur a language hoe)

either your team pro learn one language at a time, or you’re team pro death and dying

you’ve had like 20 tabs open of different vocab lists and online grammar lessons

being mistaken for a native speaker is the best feeling in the world

[polyglotlish]

Can you suggest any Danish music? I have a hard time finding danish artists other then Nephew.

Gi mig Danmark tilbage - Natasja

Vi to datid nu - Cicilia

Gi’ mig et smil - Wafande

Lækker - Nik & Jay

[polyglotlish]

Spanish language film recommendation time

Okay here’s a brief summary of some interesting movies I’ve seen, hopefully you guys can find something you like and practice your Spanish:  

Amores Perros (2000). dir. Iñárritu. This one isn’t optional, if you haven’t seen it, you MUST. Seriously this is one of my favorite movies of all time, saying that it’s about relationships in Mexico City doesn’t even BEGIN to cover it. The cinematography, the music, the plot, the acting–everything is fantastic.

¡Átame! (1989). dir. Almodóvar. This is…an interesting (infuriating?) film. Basic plot: Guy gets out of a psychiatric institution, becomes obsessed with a woman, kidnaps her, Stockholm Syndrome. I think it’s supposed to be edgy with its sort of BDSM-esque aesthetic, and in 1989 Spain (Franco died in 1975) it definitely was. The ending of this film would make for some interesting classroom debates, that’s for sure. 

Babel (2006). dir. Iñárritu. Another wonderful film by Iñárritu (my fave), this isn’t completely in Spanish but definitely deals with some Hispanic themes, namely Mexican/American, and also deals with much broader international themes–the film follows three different story lines, similar to Amores Perros, except all are in different countries instead of in the same city–yet they are all still connected. Really interesting and visually gorgeous film.   

Bajo la misma luna (2004). dir. Riggen. This is… a sweet, feel-good film about an incredibly (unbelievably?) intelligent and motivated young boy who crosses the Mexican-American border looking for his mother.  

Biutiful (2010). dir. Iñárritu. This film is also incredibly gorgeous (have I said I love Iñárritu yet?)–very sad film but super interesting, takes place in Spain, highly recommended. 

Como Agua para Chocolate (1992). dir. Arau. This fits in with the “magical realism” genre, if that’s your thing. It’s a Mexican film based on a book by Laura Esquivel, and a love story, very dramatic. 

Crónica de una fuga (2004). dir. Caetano. This is a really interesting film based on a true story about “the disappeared” youth in Argentina. 

Cronos (1993). dir. Guillermo del Toro. This is a vampire movie, very del Toro in style, if you like his work and fantasy/horror stuff you might like this. 

Cuatro Lunas (2014). dir. Velarde. WELL I watched this movie just because it was gay but it actually had kind of a surprisingly cute plot line (exploring 4 different phases ‘moons’ of the life of different gay men) so if you want a gay movie, I recommend it, it’s on Netflix.  

Danzón (1991). dir. Novaro. Good movie from a female director (!) that explores some themes of gender, I remember having interesting conversations in class about the gendered “gaze” of the camera, and it’s a fun dancing/music related film theme-wise.  

El ángel exterminador (1962). dir. Buñuel. Okay this movie is definitely an “art film” and may be difficult to understand on the first watch, but it’s actually great. Black and white, some really interesting camera shots, explores themes of the helplessness of bourgeois society, if you like film history or technique, give this a shot. 

El laberinto del fauno (2006). dir. Guillermo del Toro. Everyone loves this movie, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s dark fantasy mixed with Spanish history. 

El lugar sin límites (1978). dir. Ripstein. This is based on the novel by Donoso, it’s basically about a transgender* [*this may not be the best term–the term I would use is ‘travesti’ which is closer to ‘transvestite’ but this is one of those cases where because of the differences in culture/language it’s hard to translate exactly] woman and the dynamic between the travesti community and ‘macho’ gay men, and is the origin of an archetypal character [’La Manuela’]. If you’re interested in LGBTQ+ themes/history, this is an interesting watch.     

Evita (1996). dir. Parker. This is a musical about Evita, Antoni Banderas is in it (idk why but this is hilarious to me he’s so Spanish?)–if you like musicals or are interested in Argentinian history, it’s not a bad film (though I don’t think this should be your only source to learn about the Perón family).  

El secreto de sus ojos (2009). dir. Campanella. The ending of this movie is so amazing. There is a fairly graphic rape scene so be aware of that. It’s basically a detective film from Argentina, with all of the local accents and slang (which for me at least is fun).   

El último verano de la Boyita (2009). dir. Solomonoff. Okay, I watched this movie because it’s the only movie I’ve ever seen or heard of about an intersex child, and it was actually quite good.  

Il Postino (1994). dir. Radford. This film takes place in Italy but I’m including it because it’s basically about Pablo Neruda, so if you want to watch a film about the poet, this is your film. 

La batalla de Chile: El poder popular (1979). dir. Guzmán. This film comes in three parts, and it’s a documentary about Chile surrounding the rise and fall of Allende and life under Pinochet. Quite good if you like history.  

La hora de los hornos (1968). dir. Getino & Solanas. Also a documentary, about Argentina. Very good, deals with a lot of historical issues. 

La Lengua de Mariposas (1999). dir. Cuerda. I LOVE this movie, it’s so sweet, it’s basically about a little boy and his relationship with his teacher with the Spanish civil war looming in the background. Watch this.  

La ley del deseo (1987). dir. Almodóvar. This is actually my favorite Almodóvar film, maybe it’s because Antonio Banderas is very young and gay in it, but in terms of the cinematography it’s also got some quite pretty shots. 

La Zona (2007). dir. Plá. This is about violent crime and…basically about class differences in Mexico and the family issues that can cause. 

Little Ashes (2008). dir. Morrison. This film is mostly NOT in Spanish, but I thought I’d include it because it is about Lorca and deals with very Spanish themes, and hilariously also has Robert Pattinson playing Salvador Dalí. Really.  

Los olvidados (1950). dir. Buñuel. This is about juvenile delinquents in Mexico City, basically, and deals with issues of class and is known for its surrealism (kind of an interesting thing for a film of that era). 

Machuca (2004). dir. Wood. This is a film about class tensions during the 1973 coup in Chile, as seen from the perspective of two young boys. A very watchable movie on the topic. 

Mar Adentro (2004). dir. Amenábar. This is about the legal question surrounding euthanasia, very touching, interesting film. Javier Bardem is in it and is great as usual.    

Maria Llena de Gracia (2004). dir. Marshton. This is about drug smuggling and shows the grim reality of that life and why some women might chose to become ‘mulas.’ Hard to watch but very good. 

Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968). dir. Alea. I hated the attitude protagonist of this movie but the actual film was so interesting, it’s about Cuba during the era where Soviet/US conflict was high and visually is a very gorgeous movie. 

Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988) dir. Almodóvar. This is probably one of Almodóvar’s most famous films and deals with the relationships between women, and was pretty interesting because when we watched this in class half the class thought this was a very feminist movie and half the class thought it was very sexist, so… decide for yourself, I guess.  

Nostalgia de la luz (2010.) dir. Guzmán. This is a gorgeous movie about astronomy and the “disappeared” in Chile (and yes, they are related, sort of), it’s sort of a documentary but doesn’t feel like a documentary. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history.    

Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón (1980). dir. Almodóvar. This Almodóvar film is probably the one that most explicitly explores the sexual revolution during la movida madrileña. 

Sin dejar huella (2000). dir. Novaro. This is a roadtrip movie, featuring two women who explore Mexico. Definitely explores the variety of cultural and geographical landscape in Mexico.  

También la Lluvia (2010). dir. Bollaín. Watch this. Gael is great in this movie (as always) and it’s very compelling plotwise. Essentially, this movie uses a Spanish film company making a movie about Columbus/Bartolome de las Casas/etc. during the Cochabamba protests in Bolivia to make a statement about neoimperalism/neocolonialism.  

¡Qué viva México! (1979). dir. Eisentein. This was a film project began in the ‘30s and then later abandoned because of funding issues, but watching the surviving footage is super neat for anyone interested in the history of Mexico.  

Soldados de Salamina (2003). dir. Trueba. This film is about a frustrated writer (ahhh, #relatable) investigating the Spanish Civil War. I liked this movie for having an (ambiguously) bisexual main character, and for how it weaved storylines from two different time periods together.   

Todo sobre mi madre (1999). dir. Almodóvar. This is about a grieving mother and her attempt to come to terms with some tough issues, mainly what happens when a parent is transsexual. 

Un Mundo Maravilloso (2006). dir. Estrada. I actually hated this film because it felt like it was beating me over the head with a hammer (having the leader of what was essentially the World Bank cackle and say “let’s kill poor people” is not v. subtle) but I wanted to mention Estrada because he’s made a number of films dealing with Mexico that I haven’t seen, and if Mexico interests you especially I would check out some of his other films or even give this one a try (the ending is kind of interesting).  

Violeta se fue a los cielos (2011). dir. Wood. Watch this. I loved this film, it’s about one of the leaders of the “nueva canción” movement in Chile, which is like folk song revival, but it’s a dramatization of her life (not a documentary). It features some great music and the heroine is just… a fascinating human being. 

Volver (2006). dir. Almodóvar. Another Almodóvar film, not my favorite by him but if you like his style I’d recommend it. Basically about a mother-daughter team building a much more awesome life after…an incident. 

Y tu mamá también (2001). dir. Cuarón. This is…a very sexy roadtrip/coming-of-age movie that takes place in Mexico. Fair warning, this film is pretty explicit, and I think became well-known just for that. It has some interesting themes though, particularly regarding male sexuality and where the line is (culturally) for what is/isn’t appropriate between male friends or what is/isn’t considered “homosexual.” 

Alright! I’ve probably forgotten something but that should get you guys started. Feel free to ask me any questions or let me know what you think of these! Enjoy~

[polyglotlish]

Scandinavian languages masterpost

DANISH

Websites

Ordnet MyLanguages Dansk her og nu Netdansk VFS Meet the Danes Duolingo Speak Danish Babbel 101languages IE Languages IE Languages - General words and phrases

TV shows

Broen Forbrydelsen Borgen Rita The Team Heartless Norskov Arvingerne Den som dræber Klovn Drengene fra Angora Paradise Hotel Danmark

News

Ekstrabladet Jyllands-Posten Politiken Søndagsavisen

Movies

Jagten (2012) En kongelig affære (2012) En chance til (2014) Hævnen (2010) Festen (1998) Fasandræberne (2014)

Music

Carl Nielsen Oh Land Anne Gadegaard Basim Agnes Obel Lars Ulrich Medina Anti-Social Media

NORWEGIAN

Websites

NTNU 101languages Loecsen Babbel Omniglot IE languages NRK TV Duolingo Gramatikk.com Nynorsk Senter Lexin | Bildteman | Bokmål & Nynorsk Picture Dictionary Book2 | English-Norwegian Audio Course Klartale

TV shows

Lilyhammer Okkupert Modus Dag Frikjent Mamon Kampen for tilværelsen Neste sommer Jul i Blåfjell Helt perfekt I kveld med Ylvis Øyevitne

News

VG NRK Dagladet Morgenbladet Bergens Tidende

Movies

Bølgen (2015) Kon-Tiki (2012) Trolljegeren (2010) Hodejegerne (2011) Død snø (2009) Død snø 2 (2014) Fritt vilt (2006) Fritt vilt 2 (2008) Fritt vilt 3 (2010) Max Manus (2008) Villmark (2003) Varg Veum (2007-2012)

Music

Susanne Sundfør Alexander Rybak Ylvis DeLillos Bertine Zetlitz Bobbysocks Jarle Bernhoft Lene Marlin Marie Mena Sissel Kyrkjebø Marit Larsen Nico & Vinz Lars Vaular Maria Arredondo Vassangutane Einherjer Enslaved Kampfar Taake Vreid Windir Mayhem Emperor Satyricon Darkthrone 1349 Gorgoroth Immortal Kaptein Sabeltann Tsjuder Wardruna

Other stuff

Pronunciation Guide Språkrådet Kaleido | Lek med språket 

SWEDISH

Websites

Duolingo Babbel IE Languages LiveMocha 101languages

TV shows

Bron Beck Wallander Solsidan Oskyldigt dömd Maria Wern Svenska Hollywoodfruar Kontoret Modus Äkta människor Ögonvittnet Welcome to Sweden

News

Aftonbladet Expressen Dagen Jönköpings-Posten Sydsvenskan 

Movies

Män som hatar kvinnor (2009) Låt den rätta komma in (2008) Flickan som lekte med elden (2009) Kyss mig (2009) Ronja (1981)

Music

Avicii Lykke Li Eric Saade Loreen Tove Lo Robin Basshunter ABBA Bjørn Afzelius

Other stuff

List of nouns with vowel change (umlaut) in the plural. Some general rules for forming the plural of nouns Swedish-English false friends Words for relatives ‘Du’ and ‘ni�� The gender neutral pronoun hen Tycka, tänka and tro, what’s the difference? Infinitives with or without att Locations Some cases of nouns without an article Professions and similar without an article  Speaking about body parts in Swedish Deponent verbs En or ett – some tendencies Simple present vs present progressive The det är construction - how to start talking about things Introduction to Swedish word order A guide to pronunciation

Here is also a nice video that teaches you the most basic Scandinavian phrases in all three languages at the same time.

I’ll continue to expand this list when I encounter more material I find suitable. If you need help finding a place to watch the TV shows/movies, send me a message and I’ll help you. Feel free to propose suggestions for this list :)

[polyglotlish]

Concept: native English speakers who want to learn other languages don’t constantly get told that what they’re doing is pointless.