#language learning resources

[llyfrenfys]

Do you know any free and/or online resources to learn Welsh?

Hello @runin-reads Just getting round to this ask now but there's a few things I know of which might help. Followers feel free to add on any more as well!

Resources:

Free Welsh coursebooks from DysguCymraeg available to download on their website

Free collection of Welsh dictionaries available to view on The Internet Archive

Cysill and Cysgeir are free to download here. Cysill is a Welsh grammar checker that checks for correct spelling, mutations etc. Cysgeir is a Welsh dictionary app. Both were developed by Bangor University and are free to download on Windows.

Gweiadur is a free online Welsh dictionary which not only has a comprehensive guide to Welsh words, but also provides example sentences, idioms and conjugation tables.

Followers add on any more if you can think of any!

#cymraeg #welsh #dysgu cymraeg #ask #gofyn #cwestiwn #gymraeg #language learning #welsh language #yr iaith gymraeg #free language resources #language learning resources #celtic languages

[adhd-languages]

Keeping up your Languages when you’re Busy

Confession: I’ve been slacking on Japanese recently because my life has been so hectic recently. So here are some of the ways I’ve been trying to keep it in my brain when I can’t dedicate a lot of time to studying.

CHANGE YOUR PHONE LANGUAGE

This applies to computers as well! This is the easiest way to ensure you see at least some of your target language every day. It’s good for any level, even beginners.

If you haven’t already done this, do it now. I understand that some things are important and you need to be sure you understand them — in that case, you can always change individual apps to have different languages, just look up the app name in settings.

Podcasts/Music

Find some podcasts in your target language and listen to them before bed, during your commute, whatever. There are lots of podcasts made specifically for learners, or you can look up topics in your target language to find a podcast you might enjoy.

Music is also an amazing way to hear your target language being used. If you find an artist you like, that’s another good way to study your TL! Follow them on socials, look up interviews with them, etc.

Talk to Yourself

Any spare minute you have, talk to yourself in your target language. It doesn’t need to be out loud. You can have a conversation with yourself, try to express how you’re feeling, make up stories, or just describe the things around you in your target language. This is also a good way to see what kind of vocabulary you’re missing.

Apps

Duolingo has fired a ton of translators and started using crappy AI translations — so they’re probably not the best choice.

I’d recommend dictionary app that has some sort of flash card feature is also good, or an anki deck. Drops is good, and has a lot of languages, but keep in mind you’ll need audio. Anything that’s easy to get out and do for even just a few minutes is perfect.

Apps won’t teach you a language on their own, but doing a little every day helps remind me the language exists and keeps it in my mind.

Texting/Writing/Posting

Whether your friends know your TL or not, force them to experience it by randomly messaging in Japanese! Or, if you feel fancy, download an app like “HelloTalk”, “Tandem”, “Speaky”, “Tabee”…there are a lot.

If you keep a digital journal (like I do…inconsistently), try to write some entries in your TL.

If you have a blog, which I assume you do, post in your TL. Even if you’re a beginner, you can make a sideblog dedicated to saying stuff like “I’m hungry” and “Green is my favourite colour” in your target language.

Open your notes app and just write random words you can remember or sentences you can string together.

I know it’s really difficult, and don’t beat yourself up because you aren’t studying as hard. A language can be a lifelong companion — you’ll have phases of studying constantly, and sometimes it’ll take the back seat, but there’s no rush to learn it. Have a great day :)!

#language #language learning #langblr #languages #learning japanese #learning Spanish #learning French #Quinn posts #language learning apps #language learning resources #language learning advice #language tips #foreign languages #language resources #studyblr

[balloons-and-shadows]

Swedish podcasts

I just got two messages asking about podcasts for learning Swedish, so here we go :)

Disclaimer: I only use Spotify for podcasts, so I only know about podcasts that are available there

Coffeebreak Swedish | audiolessons, grammar and culture

Say it in Swedish | different 'levels' available

Lätt svenska med Oskar | 5-minute episode

Simple Swedish podcast | past-beginner stage podcast

Radio Sweden på lätt svenska | actual news in Sweden

Livet på lätt svenska | about Swedish culture

Easy Swedish with Viktoria | episodes about everyday stuff

Lysande lagom | about swedish culture and the language

Hope this helps!

~💕

#language learning #swedish langblr #swedish #langblog #langblr #languages #swedish language #language learning resources #swedish resources #language resources

[polyglot-thought]

Language Study Resource Recommendation: Internet Archive’s Open Library website!

They offer thousands of books in many different languages. To find books in languages other than English; First click browse, and then click Subjects. Scroll all the way to the last subject and you’ll see a title that says “Books by Language,” and under this you will see choices for all kinds of languages, with a ‘see more’ tab for even more languages.

I don’t know much else about this website however because I just found out about it today.

#language #language learning #learn languages #language lessons #foreign languages #language learning resources #language study #language resources #study resources #learning resources

[cinnamon-sticks-and-coffee-cups]

bon matin! c’est tôt pour moi, hmm? today I’ll be sharing some online resources for learning french ranging from vocab lists to full on courses! i hope you find these useful - the internet really is precious when learning languages! <3

⁎⁺˳✧༚ frenchtoday.com

this website threatens to put me out of business and I couldn’t be more delighted! vocab lists galore, free lessons, tips to work on your pronunciation, articles on french culture and even stories and poetry. i haven’t looked at everything available on there, but from what I’ve seen, it’s pretty useful!

⁎⁺˳✧༚ frenchpod101.com

this is a free course you can take, with options for absolute beginners and those already a little familiar with the language. it looks to be good for conversational french and is an easy, no nonsense starting point for beginners, who i know from experience are often easily overwhelmed.

⁎⁺˳✧༚ coffee break french

this is one I’m not quite as familiar with but has come to me highly recommended. it’s a podcast that covers the basics as well as providing dialogues and example role plays. give it a try and let me know how you find it!

⁎⁺˳✧༚ innerfrench (chaîne de YouTube)

this is a really interesting channel! you get to learn french through a variety of different topical discussions and he speaks slowly enough for you to get most of what he’s saying even if you’re a relative beginner, which can make you feel super smart :)

bien, c’est tout! i hope these recs are alright, and I hope we meet again soon~ a bientôt!

#cinnamon’s french posts #français #french #frenchblr #langblr #french vocab #language learning #vocabulaire français #language apps #language learning resources

[m4rmaladet0ast]

so, I'm not really sure how many people this might help, but I just HAD to talk about this because it's amazing. there's this book called "Stories from Welsh History for Standard III" by Owen Morgan Edwards. not sure about apple books??? idk what iphone uses lol, but on google books, it's free (at least in canada). it's a great book in my opinion, with interesting, simple stories with the translation in English on the next page. it has some key vocabulary at the top of each story in case you get stuck. really good resource, hope it helps!

#welsh #language learning #studyblr #aspiring polyglot #learning welsh #cymraeg #language learning tips #language learning diary #language learning resources #running on two hours of sleep

[bxrleskque]

Full Norwegian-Resource Index

As many online norwegian learning resources I could find. Thanks to Reddit r/norsk for most of the links on this list. That being said, I have not used all of these sites, but as someone who is weary of online webpages and downloading malicious links, I can tell you that as far as I know, everything is safe to use!

SKAM - Norwegian teen show

LearnNoW - Online course

DinOrdbok - Online dictionary (Bilingual)

Dict - Online dictionary (Bilingual)

Naob - Online dictionary (Monolingual)

Duostories - Short stories from Duolingo

Barnebøker - Short stories for beginners

KlarTale - News site in straightforward Norwegian (beginner friendly)

NorskPrøven Example Tests - Tests of A1-B2 level

NTNU - Paper exams + answers

BliKlar - Short tests of A1-B2 level

Duolingo Forum - Grammar notes from Duolingo

Grammatikk - Free online grammar book

NyNorskBok - Online reading list

#norwegian #norwegian language #polyglot #language learning #norsk #bokmål #language learning resources

[learnlanguageswithani]

"most used vocabulary" spreadsheet

helloooo, good evening everyone (or whatever time of day you're seeing this)

i finished putting together my "most used vocabulary" spreadsheet so that i can start filling it out for every language that i'm interested in (not all at once though).

this spreadsheet has gone through several versions and i initially got the first version for portuguese from nathaniel drew's website* and from there i've made multiple versions adding things and taking things out, trying to make it work for me. there are definitely a few words i've added at some point that still seem common and important enough to keep on this spreadsheet (or maybe that's my inability to prioritise talking).

i want to make my version available to anyone who might find it helpful so through this link you should be able to make a copy on google drive or download it. i also plan on strategically going through this list and publishing my progress here, so we'll see how that goes. i will be using a slightly different list to do that, which will include some more "niche"** vocabulary that i use regularly but that isn't in the "top most common words"—things like sewing and fashion terminology to talk about my uni lessons, and bookish vocabulary so i can talk about what i like to read.

anyway here it is in all it's glory :)

and for anyone interested in my personal (and unfinished) list, it's here:

with additional categories so far being school, sewing, art, books, baking, true crime (content warning), and holidays.

if you have any suggestions for words or phrases i should add, let me know!

*nathaniel drew's spreadsheet available here. his version also features pages on the spreadsheet that focus on verb tenses, whereas mine is just focused on the vocabulary. you do have to sign up for his newsletter though if you want to access the original resources.

**it's not really that niche, it'll just be vocabulary that people who don't share my interests wouldn't regularly use.

#most common vocabulary #language learning resources #language learning #langblr

[mariathemillennial]

Spanish Language Learning Resources

A list of Spanish language learning resources (books, youtubers, apps and more)

In the past two years, my interest in the Spanish language has grown almost at the same level as my interest in Japanese. During my studies, I have found multiple interesting resources and I wish to share them with you. I have always valued good resource recommendations from others, so I wanted to make my own list of recommendations. I hope this will be helpful to other language learners out…

View On WordPress

#language learning apps #language learning resources #language learning youtubers #reading in spanish #spanish #spanish apps #spanish language #spanish resources #spanish textbooks

[the-old-book-town]

Kanji Readings, Part 2

I thought I would tackle a common kanji for analysis this time: 青.

青 is well known for meaning both blue and green, and it can also refer to youth - similar to the way green can be used in English to mean inexperienced.

There are only two common readings for 青, AO (kun-reading) and SEI (on-reading).

AO: The native Japanese word for blue (...or green) is 青い (aoi). Most of the time, if the word or phrase is referencing the color, the pronunciation is going to be AO, even if it’s a compound word. For example, 青空 (aozora, “blue sky”) or 青色 (aoiro, the color blue). A lot of the time in Japanese, these two-character compound words use the Chinese-derived kun-readings, but this kanji is an exception. If that compound word is referencing the color, it usually uses the AO reading.

SEI: The Chinese-derived on-reading is also used in compound words, but these words have to do with the secondary meaning of “youth, inexperienced”. For example, 青年 (seinen, a youth) and 青春 (seishun, adolescence).

There are a few exceptions to this pattern - one has to do with an idiom, the other is a word for produce, but for many of the words you encounter with the 青 kanji, the pattern holds true.

#language learning resources #japanese self-study

[yue-muffin]

If you have any interest in manga, then you NEED to take a look at this channel on youtube. There are a bunch of episodes (subbed!) from a series called Naoki Urasawa no Manben, which is really awesome in-depth look at the creative processes behind many many well known mangaka, including interviews conducted by Naoki Urasawa (author of Monster and 20th Century Boys). I have no interest in drawing manga myself, but I still found it highly intriguing to watch and see how their art styles and creative processes are all so different.

It’s also good language practice, haha. Listening to actual people just converse free-style without a script is much, much different compared to written Japanese or Japanese you hear in dramas or anime. Dramas are a little closer to real life, but they’re still obviously not “natural” in terms of dialogue.

#language learning resources #also subbed is nice bc there's obviously a lot of technical words

[adhd-languages]

Polylogger is a very simple but effective app. Does exactly what it’s supposed to do, with no annoying extra nonsense or adverts.

I’d recommend it, as personally I find it motivating to be able to record how much I study.

#langblr #language #language learning #language learning apps #language learning resources #language learning tips

[balloons-and-shadows]

Swedish online language books

Brief Swedish grammar | (old) online book for grammar

Simplified grammar | (old) online book for grammar

Travellers handbook | (old) online book for the basics

Wikibooks | not really a book tho

Linguebooks | links to 53 online language books

Swedish Phase 1 | audiobook, unit 1-5

Swedish Phase 1 | audiobook, unit 6-10

Swedish Phase 1 | audiobook, unit 11-15

Get talking Swedish in 10 days | audiobook

Keep talking Swedish | audiobook

Everyday Swedish | audiobook

Also check out @salvadorbonaparte's Mega Drive here [post] - there you can find around 10 pdfs of Swedish language books

P.S. Many of these sites also offer language books in other languages!

#language learning #swedish langblr #swedish #langblog #langblr #languages #swedish language #language learning resources #swedish resources #language resources

[polyglot-thought]

Mandarin Chinese Learning Reccomendation! Jan/15/2023

I reccomend the website Chinese Grammar Wiki, when I started getting serious about learning mandarin I was 2 years into my studies but was at a basically beginner level because I had no idea how to study and get better at something like language learning, but this website definitely helped me out. Some days I would just open up the website and read through each article and it basically burned it all into my brain because just about everything I read on there I still remember today (I last used the website 5 or so years ago). The articles are super easy to understand and gives a concise description of how to use certain words without boring you to death. It was very good for my 14 year old brain at the time LOL. Give it a try :) #notsponsored

#easy mandarin #mandarin langblr #mandarin learning #learn mandarin #beginner mandarin #study mandarin #beginner chinese #study chinese #learn chinese #language learning resources

[ruhua-langblr]

Duolingo Sucks, Now What?: A Guide

Now that the quality of Duolingo has fallen (even more) due to AI and people are more willing to make the jump here are just some alternative apps and what languages they have:

"I just want an identical experience to DL"

Busuu (Languages: Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Korean)

"I want a good audio-based app"

Language Transfer (Languages: French, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, English for Spanish Speakers)

"I want a good audio-based app and money's no object"

Pimsleur (Literally so many languages)

Glossika (Also a lot of languages, but minority languages are free)

*anecdote: I borrowed my brother's Japanese Pimsleur CD as a kid and I still remember how to say the weather is nice over a decade later. You can find the CDs at libraries and "other" places I'm sure.

"I have a pretty neat library card"

Mango (Languages: So many and the endangered/Indigenous courses are free even if you don't have a library that has a partnership with Mango)

Transparent Language: (Languages: THE MOST! Also the one that has the widest variety of African languages! Perhaps the most diverse in ESL and learning a foreign language not in English)

"I want SRS flashcards and have an android"

AnkiDroid: (Theoretically all languages, pre-made decks can be found easily)

"I want SRS flashcards and I have an iphone"

AnkiApp: It's almost as good as AnkiDroid and free compared to the official Anki app for iphone

"I don't mind ads and just want to learn Korean"

lingory

"I want an app made for Mandarin that's BETTER than DL and has multiple languages to learn Mandarin in"

ChineseSkill (You can use their older version of the course for free)

"I don't like any of these apps you mentioned already, give me one more"

Bunpo: (Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin)

#EDIT: Added a great resource for ESL and African languages that weren't found elsewhere #I do NOT recommend memrise and will talk about it another day but #langblr #duolingo #duo #language learning #language learning apps #mandarinblr #resource #reference

[ayin-me-yesh]

In light of Duolingo laying off its translators, here are my favourite language apps (primarily for Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and te reo Māori).

Multiple Languages

Anki is a flashcard programme and app that's not exclusively for languages. While making your own decks is ideal, you can also download shared decks for most languages.

If you're learning Japanese, specifically, Seth Clydesdale has websites for practicing alongside Genki's 2nd or 3rd editions, and he also provides his own shared Anki decks for Genki.

And if you're learning te reo Māori, specifically, here's a guide on how to make your own deck.

TOFU Learn is an app for learning vocabulary that's very similar to Anki. However, it has particularly excellent shared decks for East Asian languages. I've used it extensively for practicing 汉字. Additionally, if you're learning te reo Māori, there's a shared deck of vocabulary from Māori Made Easy!

Mandarin Chinese

Hello Chinese is a fantastic app for people at the HSK 1-4 levels. While there's a paid version, the only thing paying unlocks is access to podcast lessons, which imo are not really necessary. Without paying you still have access to all the gamified lessons which are laid out much like Duolingo's lessons. However, unlike Duolingo, Hello Chinese actually teaches grammar directly, properly teaches 汉字, and includes native audio practice.

Japanese

Renshuu is a website and app for learning and practicing Japanese. The vast majority of its content is available for free. There's also a Discord community where you can practice alongside others.

Kanji Dojo is a free and open source app for learning and practicing the stroke order of kanji. You can learn progressively by JLPT level or by Japanese grades. There's also the option to learn and practice kana stroke order as well.

#language learning #language resources #duolingo #mandarin chinese #japanese #te reo māori