#langblr ask

[mehilaiselokuva]

what is wrong with your language.....

What IS wrong with Finnish?

The asks keep on getting more interesting!

This might be a bit off-topic but every time someone asks why Finnish is how it is I always blame Mikael Agricola. He did much of the work on the oldest standardized version of the Finnish language and is known for incorporating the (wildly different) Eastern and Western dialects into his work. This is why, for example, while the people in the West say "mettä" and the people in the East say "mehtä", the word for "forest" in the standard Finnish language is "metsä" (where did they even get this from...)

[german-enthusiast]

dear germanenthusiast. just now i repeatedly spilled tea from an overflowing mug. in fact, i kept spilling the tea as i was wiping the spill, and i found myself stuck on how to say "this is so sad" in german - which saved my remaining tea, but left me with a question. "das ist so traurig" sounds not applicable to the situation (traurig feels like a person word, not a situation word, if that makes sense?). please advise. MFG <3

Dear muzaplacha,

i hope the tea was good despite everything.

"Das ist so traurig" truly doesn't feel quite right.

Traurig does in fact work with situations too, not only people; we actually do say "es ist so traurig, dass [situation] a lot but i feel like "das ist so traurig" just doesn't work as well as a standalone sentence.

I think the tricky part here is that "this is so sad" seems a deadpan (thus, in a way comedic) reaction and that is way harder to translate than ernest statements. (if you did not mean to imply any comedy, I'm sorry to have misjudged)

I can't come up with a sentence that, to me, carries both meaning (this is sad) and deadpan/comedy (which doesn't mean it's not possible, @linguistness, @official-lauchzwiebel maybe y'all have a fitting expression?).

If my tea kept spilling over, i might instead say one of the following:

- Schade. (10/10 German word)

- Na Großartig. / Na super. (obv. meant ironically)

- Mist. (10/10 German word)

but tbf i picture myself reacting with grunts of frustration more than words, which might explain my lack of a good translation for this specific situation

[spanishskulduggery]

Es divertido a mí que algunas palabras de español se ven como palabras de inglés pero se referen a alguno muy diferente, por ejemplo ‘embarazada’ y ‘embarrassed’ - un par comunísimo, yo sé. ¿Qué son unas palabras tramposos (para hablantes de inglés) que sabes?

Some very common false cognates or partial false cognates:

sensible = sensitive [the word sensible is related to sentir "to feel", so sensible is someone who feels a lot aka "sensitive"; in English "sensible" as in "having sense" is sensato/a]

la sopa = soup [for us we see la sopa and we would be inclined to think "soap" but that is el jabón]

actual = "current", "updated" [normally "actual" for English speakers is real or concreto/a, but in Spanish actualmente is "currently" or "happening now"... when we usually would want "actually" which is de verdad]

la complexión = physique [this refers to your physical build in Spanish; the word we associate it with is la tez which is "the complexion of someone's skin" or sometimes they talk about el tipo de (la) piel "skin" or "skin type"]

la carpeta = folder [a "carpet" is la alfombra]

la ropa = clothes [a "rope" is usually la soga "rope"]

pariente = relative [this is one of your relatives in a family; but los padres is "parents"]

realizar = to finalize, to carry out [lit. "to make a reality"; the "realize"; what we usually want to use is darse cuenta "to have a realization"]

agonizar = to be dying, to be in the process of imminently dying, "to be in your death throes" [instead of "agonizing" like over a decision which I normally see as dar vueltas "to go back and forth" or atormentarse "to be tormented"]

largo/a = long [we think "large" which is grande or enorme for "big" - largo/a means "long"]

asistir = to attend [sometimes "to assist", but also is the verb you'd use like "to attend/go to school" is asistir a la escuela]

la asignatura = assignment [we see this and would assume "signature", but that's la firma - asignar is "to assign" or "to give an assignment"]

la firma = signature [we would see this and think "firm" like a "law firm" - that is typically el bufete]

gracioso/a = funny [while la gracia can be "grace" it can also mean "something funny" or "humor"... thus gracioso/a can sometimes be "gracious" or "graceful" but it almost always means "funny" - the word "gracious" is usually cortés which is "polite" but the more common word is educado/a "educated/having manners"... or it could simply be amable "kind/loving"; and "graceful" is usually elegante "elegant", or sutil or grácil which is "graceful" and "subtle/gentle"]

envolver = to envelope, to wrap, to be encompassed [usually we're looking for "to involve" which is involucrar or tener que ver con (algo) "to have to do with"]

la copa = glass of wine, "a drink" / wine glass [la copa is more related to the word "goblet", and it can refer to "cup" for sports but in Spanish drinkware is usually divided into three terms: el vaso is a "glass of water" or a "vase", la taza is usually "cup of tea" or "cup of coffee", and la copa implies alcohol often "a glass of wine" or "a cocktail", and ir de copas is "to go out drinking"]

el disgusto = annoyance [usually el disgusto is a sign of displeasure, annoyance, or contempt - we see "disgust" which is usually el asco which implies revulsion or possibly nausea where dar asco is "to be gross, to be disgusting"]

soportar = to tolerate, to put up with, to bear [soportar is sometimes confused with "to support", which is often apoyar as in "to help someone" or in some cases "to support" as in "to keep up" is mantener..... soportar means "to tolerate", and insoportable is "unbearable"]

alterar = to upset [alterar can be "to alter", though it's often cambiar; usually alterar or alterado/a refers to "upset" or "unhappy", where if someone is alterado/a it means they're angry or bothered by something]

molestar = to annoy [this one is really hard for English-speakers who are new - molestar does not carry any sexual connotation in Spanish, it's simply "to annoy" or "to bother"; the word for "to molest" which does have sexual connotations is usually abusar "to abuse" or acosar which is "to stalk" or "to bully" and it's often narrowed down with the proper adjective - el acoso sexual is "sexual harassment" literally, implying that it's a kind of bullying or degradation that is sexual in nature]

introducir = to insert [this does mean "introduce" in the sense of "to put into something else".... but the word for "to introduce oneself" is presentarse]

el compromiso = commitment [el compromiso or comprometer refers to a kind of "commitment" one has made; and comprometer is another word for "engaged (to be married)" - in general it isn't "compromise" in the sense of an agreement, which is usually el acuerdo]

la lectura = reading [la lectura is related to leer "to read"; a "lecture" in school might be la conferencia or simply la lección "lesson" or la clase; but if someone is giving you a "lecture", that's usually el sermón like a sermon and sermonear is "to give a lecture" or "to give a sermon"; either in the religious sense, or the lecturing sense where people can sarcastically say you're giving a sermon like a priest]

sano/a = healthy [sano/a usually means "healthy" of body; the word for "sane" like "not crazy" is cuerdo/a]

la sanidad = health service, good health, safety [same as above, la sanidad can be another term for la salud though it usually refers to health services like "sanitation" or the state of being in good health; la Sanidad is also the general term for "the Department of Health" or "the Ministry of Health"... it's kind of like the upkeep required to be healthy/safe]

el suceso = event, occurrence [this is related to suceder "to happen/occur"]

el éxito = success [this is ACTUALLY "success", unlike suceder...... unfortunately people see el éxito and think "exit" which is la salida from salir]

bombero/a = firefighter [this one makes more sense if you know the root etymology - la bomba does mean "bomb", but also means "pump", and so los bomberos are "firefighters" or "people who work the (water) pump"; the word for "bomber" is bombardero/a which is closer to "bombardier" in French]

la red = net, network [this is a literal "net" but la red has come to be used with the internet and any kind of "network" - las redes sociales for example is "social media", or literally "social networks"; thankfully you probably already know that rojo/a is "red" the color]

colorado/a = red, ruddy [the word for "colored/colorful" is usually colorido/a with an I, or con/en colores... but colorado/a is another term for red, as colorete is another word for "blush" as in the makeup; colorado/a makes sense in the sense of "having color in one's face". Americans will find this easier to understand by the state Colorado and the Colorado River... which was named that way because it's red; colorado/a is quite often used to describe facial color, which is where you get "ruddy" as in "reddish complexion"]

bizarro/a = brave, gallant [this is a bit of an odd etymology because some will claim it's Basque some will claim it's Italian; the original word bizarro/a is related to anger and specifically soldiers so it's like people that will charge into battle - the French term bizarre is where English takes it for "strange/weird"; in Spanish that's extraño/a or raro/a - though note that some places DO use bizarro/a as "strange"; another possible interpretation is that it's someone who's "outlandish" like big personality, brave, kind of more on the reckless side, so it can come out as "gallant" or "grandiose" in some contexts]

culto/a = educated, learned, someone who is well-read or well-educated [culto/a here means "having formalized education" or someone with lots of intelligence... the word el culto "cult" does exist but it's not always the one you want since it can refer to a devotional order (not specifically dangerous or scary) - the word "cult" in Spanish is usually la secta and "cultists" are sectario/a]

demandar = to sue, to bring a lawsuit against someone [la demanda also is "a lawsuit", not a demand; usually the verb for "to demand" is exigir - there are times when la demanda can be a demand but in the sense of "the situation demands" or "these are my demands"... la exigencia is more common as the "strongly worded forceful need" kind of feeling]

la ganga = bargain, deal [In English we would probably think it meant "gang" like a criminal gang which is usually la banda or la pandilla - they do use el gángster in Spanish though; other words you might see is el hampa "criminal organization", or los bajos fondos which means "the criminal underground" but is literally "the deep depths"]

la librería = bookstore [this one is hard because some people do use it as "library", but the general word for library is la biblioteca. The suffix -ría usually implies a place where something is sold like "pizzeria" in English; in Spanish you would probably see la panadería "bakery" or "where bread is sold", la pastelería "bakery (for cake)" where "pastry is sold", or something like la herrería which is now like "hardware store" a place where "iron/smithing tools are sold" - this one is understandable though, biblioteca is Greek "place where books are kept", but librería comes from Latin "place where books are sold"]

There are also a few very partial cognates, or words that kind of mean different things than what you'd expect in some cases.

Like abandonar is "to abandon", but it can be "to leave a place" so it isn't always "leaving someone behind", it can be just "leaving"

There's also real which has two meanings; "real" [de verdad is another term], but also means "royal" - like el pavo real is "peacock" but "royal turkey" literally; and if you ever see la Real Academia you'll know it's Royal Academy, not Real Academy

el tinto does mean "tint", but it has two separate meanings; first el vino tinto is the term for "red wine", so in some cases you'll see it means "red" or "dark liquid" - the term is usually more "burgundy" so think very deep red... and the second meaning is that for some countries, el tinto refers to "black coffee".... Somewhat related, but la tinta is "ink"

For Christians, you'll see la cura is "cure", but masculine - el cura is "priest"; a general term for priest is also el sacerdote (or la sacerdotisa "priestess" if female) but that's not confused with anything; also la curita is "bandage" like "bandaid"... UK would call this a "plaster"

Another is asesino/a which is "murderer" - not specifically "assassin" which is sometimes described as asesino/a profesional; you can use asesino/a for both, and the verb asesinar is "to murder" or "to assassinate" but English has a kind of distinction between "murder" and "assassinate"

A good one to know is la quimera which you'd know as "chimera" like a fused monster from Greek mythology, or just science/biology or sci-fi things... it can also be "an unrealistic fantasy" or "a pipe dream", like a dream/goal that is unattainable or unrealistic, "pie in the sky" sort of things

A really common one is raro/a which can be "rare", but also means "strange" - both connected to the idea of "uncommon" but English has more of a disconnect between the words

ignorar is another one; it most often means "to ignore", but it can also be "to not know" or "to be ignorant of" - not always a conscious decision, but a state of not knowing something

preciso/a is one that throws me off a lot - it can be "precise", but it's usually more "necessary" or "critical"; as precisar is a synonym of necesitar

guardar can sometimes be "to guard", but it is often "to keep" or "to hold onto"; usually "to guard" is defender or proteger as "defend" and "protect"

Then there's la arena which can be "arena" like a "stadium", but also means "sand"

-

Another one that will trip you up all the time especially if you read a lot of regency things or fantasy or romantasy... is pretender. First, pretender is a verb, and it's not "pretend" the way you're thinking... pretender is "to claim" or "to attempt"; it refers to "to make a claim for something" [literally "before" + "have/grasp"]

pretender is used like "to claim the throne", so a "pretender to the throne" is not specifically a "liar", it means someone who wants to take the throne - that verb pretender goes to the noun pretendiente "claimant" or "someone making a claim"

The OTHER important way it's used is that it is "to woo"; just as you can "claim a throne", you can try to "claim someone's hand" and that's what that means

If you read the Odyssey for example, Odysseus kills the many "suitors" who have camped out in his home while he was away, trying to marry his wife Penelope. The word "suitor" in Spanish is pretendiente... so if you look in art you might see something like Odiseo matando a los pretendientes "Odysseus killing the suitors" or La matanza de los pretendientes "the killing of the suitors"

The verb for "to pretend" in English is fingir [like "feign"] or mentir "to lie"; and the words for "pretender" in that case are mentiroso/a "liar", or it's farsante which is related to "farce", so someone who carries out a farce or is a general liar

...

The most important one I can think of is emocionante which is "exciting", and excitante which is "arousing"

First, la emoción has two meanings - "emotion" as in feelings, and then "excitement" like happy anticipation; and so emotivo/a or sensible mean "emotional" as in having lots of feelings... then emocionante means "exciting" as in causing happy anticipation

Second, excitar is "to arouse", usually in the sexual way, so excitante is often more sexual - it isn't always this way but this is a common one people tell you to avoid because it comes out as "horny" in some cases

[onigiri-studies]

Any recommended resources to learn german? I tried to get into studying german again after a ling time. Thank u💖

Hello! Thank you for the ask! 🫶🏻🩷✨ Here are some resources to learn German:

Textbooks

grammar

vocabulary

idioms: 1 , 2 , 3

Listening comprehension

coffee break german

coffee break german advanced

news in slow german

german stories-learn german with stories

Youtube channels

24h Deutsch

Lingster Academy

Easy german

Reading comprehension

Projekt Gutenberg (you can find many books on this platform)

[askjumblr]

What's the point of א and ע if they're silent?

.

[salvadorbonaparte]

I would like to do a grammar exercise that involves kitty cat

Okay then. Write German sentences about my cat using prepositions.

[meichenxi]

update on the china bizniz job: today I took minutes in a meeting about pharmaceuticals and. bioreactors. I processed and corrected invoices. I am so far in over my head. the stress.

on another note, because I have never had an office job in english, I am already at the disturbing stage where I have been asked to translate things and I'm like I don't. know. how to say this

sounds wanky. sounds like humble-bragging. in actual fact it's more that I have no relevant experience and only really learnt what a sales invoice was three weeks ago. also chinese does compound words excellently.

so for example: 若按合同补足，需要补发1000美金. translating it is like

if we make the money sufficient. extra. making up the deficit. if we go back and make it sufficient according to the contract. then we need to extraly send 1000 dollars. then we need to send 1000 dollars in addition. then we need to send 1000 dollars in addition to make up for the lack of dollars. previously

like I feel like a fucking moron. a daily reminder that translation is a skill and it is VERY domain dependent.

[haru-dipthong]

Out of curiosity, what else would you define as "anime English" stemming from literal translations? I grew up with anime, so I probably don't even recognize it at this point. Obviously I had original works and socialization for my English, but I never really thought about it until I came across your RGU retranslation project.

It’s hard to pinpoint a precise set of qualities of what I see as anime english. I think it’s mainly characterised by having things phrased in a way that is unusual for native english speaking television, as well as the presence of certain uncommon english words.

The unusual phrasing comes about from translating individual words more than the intended meaning. Japanese speakers phrase things in completely different ways to what is “common sense” in English. For example, passive voice is used often in Japanese — the most normal way to say “He punched me!” would actually be あいつに殴られた！ which means “(I) was punched by him”. This is a simplistic example to illustrate a point, but hopefully this shows how the most common way to say something in English is often quite different to the most common way to say something in Japanese. When you translate Japanese, you shouldn’t try to preserve the original phrasing unless it’s important, because it will not carry the same sound or give the same impression when converted to English.

Translation is not just about the surface level meanings of the words or sentences, but also about the impression the sentence gives you (does it sound formal? Casual? Pretentious? Intentionally awkward?). In sentences where the impression is “natural, everyday conversation” you need to rephrase the sentence in a way that will be a natural, everyday phrasing in English, which may be drastically different from the Japanese.

As for the uncommon english words, those are a bit easier to specify.

告白する：“Confess (your love)” instead of “tell them how you feel” or “ask them out”.

“You’re an eyesore” instead of “you make me sick” or “you’re pathetic” or any number of other insults.

あいつ元気だな：“They’re energetic” or “they’re lively” instead of “they’re a handful”, “they’re a bit much”, or “they’re full of energy”.

面倒くさい：“It’s a bother” or “What a bother” instead of “I can’t be bothered” or “I don’t wanna”.

先輩・後輩：”Upperclassman/lowerclassman” instead of “older kid/younger kid” or “in the grade above/below”. I have NEVER in my entire life heard the word upperclassman used outside of anime subtitles.

There are many many more, but that’s all I could think of off the top of my head. I think the reason these words get used is partly because they’re the most direct literal translation of the individual word (yet no consideration goes into the vibe of the word!). Another part of the reason is that these words have become common to see in anime translations, which establishes a precedent for translators who are time-crunched (or just not very good) to take the easy option and use these words. This reinforces the usage of these words in anime translations, which distances anime english from other dialects of english and gives it a unique sound.

You can see previous posts about this here:

Jun 14, 2023: Examples of how translating word-by-word leads to awkward phrasing

Oct 15, 2023: A discussion about anime english as its own dialect

[adhd-languages]

So if I’m speaking Spanish, and I need to say an English word — like a name, brand, website, etc — I say it like a Spanish speaker

However, I hear a lot of speakers drop into a very native English accent in the middle of a sentence to say “el Starbucks” and whatnot (I love hearing it. Just a random completely English-sounding word in a Spanish sentence)

So I’m wondering…

From my personal observations I think native bilinguals do this more, but I’m interested in more data. Feel free to reply or reblog for a more detailed answer!

(EDIT: sorry the poll is so confusing. “YES” means yes, you do the thing I described, changing your accent to a different one in the middle of a sentence)

[useless-catalanfacts]

One thing that really shocked me when I visited Madrid is that some people seemed genuinely offended when I said I only spoke Catalan. I'm from Germany and my boyfriend is Catalan. As he has a very strong Catalan identity and is very much an activist for the language it made sense for me to learn Catalan instead of Spanish. I don't speak it very well yet, but enough to make casual conversation. Trying to have a conversation with an acquaintance when visiting Madrid, I threw in some of my basic Catalan when English didn't fully work (not to piss her off, because I had no idea it would, but simply to make myself understood as English was failing us and I figured the Catalan might be easier and closer and sometimes even the same words as Spanish). This led to a lot of questions from the friendgroup, but this one person seemed personally hurt that I had chosen to learn Catalan and NOT Spanish. She argued that all Catalans spoke Spanish anyway and that my mindset was childish and "excluding the rest of Spain just to make a point". I thought this was such a strange way to look at it. I know this person is not representative for all of Spain, but I thought it was really worrying that some people think like that. She seemed convinced that there was no purpose of learning Catalan beyond "making a silly, political point" as if there wasn't an entire culture and history that came with it. As if Catalans speaking Catalan were like... being difficult on purpose and not.. you know... practicing their f*cking culture and living their damn lives. Good thing I actually am childish, and spoke exclusively in Catalan to her for the rest of the evening.

That's exactly how many Spanish people see it, it's a shame but your story doesn't surprise me. When I was a teenager I went for a few days to do a thing with other teenagers in Madrid and they reacted in a mix of disgust and offence when they heard me speak to my parents in Catalan on the phone. And I've heard quite a lot of other people explain very similar situations. It also reminds me of a video I shared a while ago (post here) where Judit Mascó explains that when she's working in Madrid and she answers the phone to her mother or friends calling, her co-workers told her it bothers them that she speaks in Catalan to other people, when she's not even talking to them.

Many Spanish people just can't understand that Catalan people would like to continue speaking our language, period. They are so convinced that Spanish is superior, that they believe that for our own good we should want to abandon our language and assimilate to theirs, and if we don't, well, then the only possible reason is that we're doing it for the sole purpose of excluding them, as if they were the centre of our lives.

They can see how they use their own language (Spanish) for their family, friends and the rest of their lives, but they can't give us the same amount of humanity and respect to imagine that we can want to speak our own language for the same purposes as they want to speak theirs. No, according to them, we must do it for bad faith proposes.

And let me say: you are doing very well in learning Catalan for your boyfriend. If your boyfriend speaks Catalan, I assume it's most likely that his family and friends speak in Catalan too, it's normal that you'd want to learn the language they use. This will bring you closer to his heart, because you can understand the words with which he has grown up and that are around him, it strengthens your bond. And it gives you the opportunity to communicate with other people around him and participate in conversation. Why would you not want to learn the language? Why would you, instead, want to learn a different language, and does that Spanish person expect you police what your boyfriend and his family/friends speak so not to exclude you (when you would have been the one to decide not to integrate)? It's just such a self-centered way of thinking from them.

[maerossi]

teaching Japanese is bringing back flashbacks of how HARD it was to learn beginner japanese. I totally forgot how bewildering it was to me at first that there was no simple way of saying "and." Like the word for "and" changes in Japanese depending on (among other things) what part of speech you're combining ("cute and pretty" uses a different 'and' than "desk and chair" or "running and jumping").

Like this is a non-issue for me now. I don't have to stop and think "which 'and' do I use?" But 10 years ago I absolutely made a pact with myself to just never combine 2 or more words in a Japanese sentence because it seemed impossible

[spanishskulduggery]

where's the fuck is the boundary between te quiero and te amo, the fuck does the first one mean, it's not me gustas so???????

It depends on the region - but for this to make sense that in all of Spanish querer can be "to want" OR "to love", while amar is also "to love"

As for the differences - in general, te quiero is enough as "I love you"; as querer can be "to love" or understood as "to cherish"

amar is generally understood as to be more romantic love (but not always); it can also in some places be used with family members, but the amar implies a deep unconditional love

At least in default Spanish they use querer for platonic love and romantic love, and amar is usually very deep love and often romantic but when not romantic it does mean intimacy or very close ties as in family or people very dear to you

-

querer is more intense than gustar where gustar as "to like/love" is kind of like either "to get along with" OR in romantic situations it's almost like a crush

querer is generally the next step

Though please also know that in the Bible when people are saying "love one another" it's usually amar [it's a reflexive command there so it's often ámense; like ámense los unos a los otros "love one another", sometimes adding como yo te/los he amado "as I have loved you/you all"]

Some people use amar with their family, others do not. Some people use amar with their very best friends, others do not. It can be regional or a preference

But in things like Disney movies, you do see things like amo a mi familia "I love my family"; so I don't personally think of amar as specifically romantic but it is quite intimate

-

Will also mention that in general querido/a means "dear" as a term of endearment [not often said by men unless to their children]

In older Spanish querida could be interpreted as someone's mistress rather than the legal wife

amado/a means "beloved", and amante is "lover" in the romantic and sexual sense

And that being said, as an expression los seres queridos means "loved ones" literally "ones/beings who are dear/cherished"

Even in Spanish there's a bit of wiggle room and a lot will depend on your intentions

[german-enthusiast]

What makes German a difficult foreign language to learn?*

Phonology / Pronunciation & Comprehension

✳️ accent-based language (accent isn't fixed, rhythm isn't as melodic and forseeable)

✳️ 16 vowel sounds (lots more than the average 5-6!)

✳️ complex syllables

Morphology

✳️ Case system (Kasus) - allows for variable word order but requires lots of inflection on articles, pronouns, nouns and adjectives

✳️ Kasus-choice changing the meaning (esp. Akkusativ/Dativ with movement verbs)

✳️ rule-governed fusion of article and preposition (z.B. zur, zum, hinterm)

✳️ 9 plural markers for nouns

✳️ 3 grammatical genders (with mainly only probabilistic rules of which is which

Vocabulary

✳️ very frequent use of

🔅 composite worde (z.B. das Rathaus, die Weltkarte, die Mitternachtsformel)

🔅 derived words (z.B. laufen -> verlaufen, günstig -> ungünstig)

🔅 conversion of words (z.B. laufen -> der Lauf, hoch (adj) -> das Hoch (N))

Syntax:

✳️ word order is very variable, but there's still lots of rules (keywords: Verbklammer, Satzglieder, topologisches Feldermodell)

✳️ the verb is often split in two with stuff in between its parts

Miscellaneous

✳️ localizing verbs

🔅 mode of movement often in verb itself, direction often in separate word

🔅 position verbs vs. contact verbs and static vs. causal location (I sit down & I sit on the chair vs. Ich setzte mich hin & ich sitze auf dem Stuhl)

✳️ variety of prepositions (on the table & on the wall vs. auf dem Tisch & an der Wand))

*Disclaimers:

Furthermore of course difficulties that language learning generally has (like vocabulary as a whole, various registers, dialects, etc).

I'm not saying German is more difficult than other languages, just that these are typical difficulties in German (other languages will have many of these as well).

This is also not only from an English-native perspective! (German has 16 vowel sounds + 3 Diphthongs, English 12 vowel sounds + 8 Diphthongs, but Russian, Greek and Spanish for example have only 5 vowel sounds each! so 16 is a lot more in those cases))

[askjumblr]

What are the best resources to learn Hebrew? I just started learning the alphabet on my own because I can't visit the classes now, and I would like to continue learning this language. How do you learn new words? Is there a great app that specializes in Hebrew language (not like Duolingo)? Which videos do you watch? Where do you develop your listening, writing, and speaking skills in Hebrew? And so on... Thanks in advance!

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[benkyoutobentou]

Life Update...

I just paid my tuition, so it seems like it's time to let the cat out of the bag. So long as my visa isn't randomly rejected, I'll be moving to Japan in spring of next year! I'll be there for one year at the very least, the plan is to be there for three to four years, but depending on how it goes and how everything pans out, I won't deny the possibility of moving there permanently.

My first plan of action is attending a language school, basically until I pass the N2. Right now I'd put myself at about halfway there, so my hope is to only spend one year in the language school. After that, and this is a big reason for my moving to Japan, I'll apply to a trade school for instrument repair. For those who don't know, I have a degree in music performance. While in university, I met someone who ended up moving back to Japan to get certified in instrument repair, and that's the school I'll be applying to! Instrument repair is an incredibly hard industry to break into in the United States, where I'm from and live right now, because there aren't any schools that offer courses in it.

Without saying exactly where I'll be, I am going to be in the Kansai region. I wasn't initially sure if I wanted to be outside of Tokyo for my first time living in Japan, but when I reached out to GoGoNihon and they recommended a Kansai school, it felt like fate. Kansai-ben is my favorite dialect of Japanese and it's been a far off pie-in-the-sky dream of mine to speak it effortlessly ever since I started learning Japanese.

Needless to say, I am excessively excited about this new journey in my life. And with that, please (please!) tell me your favorite spots in Japan, whether they're underrated hidden gems or tourist traps that everyone and their dog has been to. I want to know! Location and prefecture doesn't matter- with how long I'll be in the country, I'd like to take the opportunity to travel as much of it as I can. It also doesn't matter what it is. Tell me about your favorite roadside shrine, a great restaurant you went to, or your favorite specialty store. I also don't have an expiration date on this. If you want to tell me about somewhere in the next ten minutes, that's great, but I would also love to hear about it three weeks or even three months from now.

TLDR; I'm moving to Japan!

[sayitaliano]

why do some italians refer to south america as "america meridionale?" it caught me off guard because to me it sounded so confusing

Ciao! It's just another way we call something "at the south":

meridionale/del sud = southern/of the south; settentrionale/del nord = northern/of the north; centrale = central

Same goes for our country tbh (and other countries too ofc): Italia meridionale = southern Italy... and so on

I'm not sure what confuses you, so if it's still confusing please tell me more about it so I can try to help you sort things out more accurately!