Tips For When You Think You’re Stagnating

Weather Vocabulary in Spanish and French

Nouns

Weather – El clima – La météo/ le temps

Temperature – La temperatura – La température

Forecast – El pronóstico – La prévision

Sun – El sol – Le soleil

Wind – El viento – Le vent

Cloud – La nube – Le nuage

Snow – La nieve – La neige

Rain – La lluvia – La pluie

Storm – La tormenta – La tempête/ l’orage (m.)

Thunder – El trueno – Le tonnerre

Lighting – El rayo – L’éclair (m.)

Heat – El calor – La chaleur

Cold – El frio – Le froid

Ice – El hielo – La glace

Hail – El granizo – La grêle

Humidity – La humedad – L’humidité (f.)

Adjectives

Sunny – Soleado - Ensoleillé

Windy – Ventoso - Venteux

Cloudy – Nublado – Nuageux

Rainy – Lluvioso - Pluvieux

Stormy – Tormentoso – Orageux

Hot – Caliente – Chaleureux

Cold – Frio – Froid

Icy – Helado* – Glacé

Humid – Húmedo – Humide

Dry – Seco – Sec

Frozen – Congelado – Gelé

Slippery – Resbaladizo – Glissant

*Can also mean very cold

Verbs

To shine – Brillar – Briller

To rain- Llover – Pleuvoir

To blow – Soplar – Souffler

To burn – Quemar – Bruler

To freeze – Congelar – Geler

To check the weather – Revisar el clima – Vérifier la météo/ le temps

To fall – Caer – Tomber

To slip – Resbalar – Glisser

To hail – Granizar – Grêler

To predict – Predecir – Prévoir

How to Study Like a Harvard Student

Taken from Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, daughter of the Tiger Mother

Preliminary Steps 1. Choose classes that interest you. That way studying doesn’t feel like slave labor. If you don’t want to learn, then I can’t help you. 2. Make some friends. See steps 12, 13, 23, 24. General Principles 3. Study less, but study better. 4. Avoid Autopilot Brain at all costs. 5. Vague is bad. Vague is a waste of your time. 6. Write it down. 7. Suck it up, buckle down, get it done. Plan of Attack Phase I: Class 8. Show up. Everything will make a lot more sense that way, and you will save yourself a lot of time in the long run. 9. Take notes by hand. I don’t know the science behind it, but doing anything by hand is a way of carving it into your memory. Also, if you get bored you will doodle, which is still a thousand times better than ending up on stumbleupon or something. Phase II: Study Time 10. Get out of the library. The sheer fact of being in a library doesn’t fill you with knowledge. Eight hours of Facebooking in the library is still eight hours of Facebooking. Also, people who bring food and blankets to the library and just stay there during finals week start to smell weird. Go home and bathe. You can quiz yourself while you wash your hair. 11. Do a little every day, but don’t let it be your whole day. “This afternoon, I will read a chapter of something and do half a problem set. Then, I will watch an episode of South Park and go to the gym” ALWAYS BEATS “Starting right now, I am going to read as much as I possibly can…oh wow, now it’s midnight, I’m on page five, and my room reeks of ramen and dysfunction.” 12. Give yourself incentive. There’s nothing worse than a gaping abyss of study time. If you know you’re going out in six hours, you’re more likely to get something done. 13. Allow friends to confiscate your phone when they catch you playing Angry Birds. Oh and if you think you need a break, you probably don’t. Phase III: Assignments 14. Stop highlighting. Underlining is supposed to keep you focused, but it’s actually a one-way ticket to Autopilot Brain. You zone out, look down, and suddenly you have five pages of neon green that you don’t remember reading. Write notes in the margins instead. 15. Do all your own work. You get nothing out of copying a problem set. It’s also shady. 16. Read as much as you can. No way around it. Stop trying to cheat with Sparknotes. 17. Be a smart reader, not a robot (lol). Ask yourself: What is the author trying to prove? What is the logical progression of the argument? You can usually answer these questions by reading the introduction and conclusion of every chapter. Then, pick any two examples/anecdotes and commit them to memory (write them down). They will help you reconstruct the author’s argument later on. 18. Don’t read everything, but understand everything that you read. Better to have a deep understanding of a limited amount of material, than to have a vague understanding of an entire course. Once again: Vague is bad. Vague is a waste of your time. 19. Bullet points. For essays, summarizing, everything. Phase IV: Reading Period (Review Week) 20. Once again: do not move into the library. Eat, sleep, and bathe. 21. If you don’t understand it, it will definitely be on the exam. Solution: textbooks; the internet. 22. Do all the practice problems. This one is totally tiger mom. 23. People are often contemptuous of rote learning. Newsflash: even at great intellectual bastions like Harvard, you will be required to memorize formulas, names and dates. To memorize effectively: stop reading your list over and over again. It doesn’t work. Say it out loud, write it down. Remember how you made friends? Have them quiz you, then return the favor. 24. Again with the friends: ask them to listen while you explain a difficult concept to them. This forces you to articulate your understanding. Remember, vague is bad. 25. Go for the big picture. Try to figure out where a specific concept fits into the course as a whole. This will help you tap into Big Themes – every class has Big Themes – which will streamline what you need to know. You can learn a million facts, but until you understand how they fit together, you’re missing the point. Phase V: Exam Day 26. Crush exam. Get A.

my language goals for now

i dont want to give myself definitive language goals bc once i put pressure on myself i cave and i don't do anything. these are my goals for now until i reach the goal so i havent given myself time limits either.

French - to become C1, be as fluent as possible in reading, writing, listening and speaking, easily switch between French and English, to be able to speak professionally when appropriate, understand complex situations about technical things i.e. finance, environment, philosophy, literature etc.

Spanish - to get back to / maintain a B2 level, to greatly improve my reading and writing in Spanish, to be able to speak easily to Spaniards, also same as French to be able to speak professionally when appropraite, understand complex situations about technical things i.e. finance, environment, philosophy, literature etc.

Irish - to get to a B2 level, to be able to read and write very well and speak and listen fairly well

Korean - to be able to hold a casual conversation, to speak well to Korean people.

Chinese - to be able to read and write 300 characters, to be able to speak and listen at a B1 level.

these goals are very basic for now but im sure that once i begin studying again i will adjust the goals to what is the most realistic choice for me. i also have other languages (german, latin, russian, thai, vietnamese) that i am interested in learning but for the time being i would rather focus on these 5 languages

I love this generation. I hope we all die.

Language Learning Book Masterpost

About 120 pdfs of language learning books - let me now if there are any problems :)

Afrikaans

Teach Yourself Afrikaans

Colloquial Afrikaans

Arabic

Arabic - An Essential Grammar

A Reference of Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic

Albanian

Albanian grammar

Colloquial Albanian

Bengali

Teach Yourself Bengali

Bulgarian

A Short Grammar of Bulgarian

Teach Yourself Bulgarian

Catalan

Teach Yourself Catalan

Colloquial Catalan

Cantonese

Routledge Grammars - Basic Cantonese - A Grammar and Workbook

Routledge Grammars - Intermediate Cantonese - A Grammar and Workbook

Colloquial Cantonese

Chinese

Routledge Grammar - Basic Chinese - A Grammar and Workbook (2nd ed)

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate Chinese - A Grammar and Workbook

Using Chinese Synonyms

Using Chinese - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Chinese - A Comprehensive Grammar

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar - A Practical Guide

Chinese Language(s): A Look Through the Prism of the Great Dictionary of Modern Chinese Dialects

Czech

Czech - An Essential Grammar

Danish

Danish - An Essential Grammar

Danish - An Elementary Grammar and Reader

Teach Yourself Danish

Colloquial Danish

Dutch

Routledge Grammar - Basic Dutch - A Grammar and Workbook

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate Dutch - A Grammar and Workbook

Dutch - An Essential Grammar (second source)

Dutch - A Comprehensive Grammar (second source)

Colloquial Dutch (second source)

Colloquial Dutch 2 (second source)

Hugo in 3 Months Dutch

Hugo Advanced Courses Taking Dutch Further

Teach Yourself Beginner’s Dutch

Teach Yourself Dutch

Teach Yourself Dutch Grammar

English

English - An Essential Grammar

A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar

Colloquial English

Finnish

Finnish - An Essential Grammar

French

Using French Vocabulary

A Student Grammar of French

The Syntax of French

Colloquial French 2

German

Routledge Grammar - Basic German - A Grammar and Workbook

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate German - A Grammar and Workbook

German - An Essential Grammar

Using German Synonyms

The Structure of German

Gujarati

Teach Yourself Gujarati

Colloquial Gujarati

Greek

Greek - An Essential Grammar of the Modern Language

Colloquial Greek

Hungarian

Hungarian - An Essential Grammar

The Syntax of Hungarian

Colloquial Hungarian

Hebrew

Modern Hebrew - An Essential Grammar

Colloquial Hebrew

Icelandic

The Syntax of Icelandic

Colloquial Icelandic

Irish

Routledge Grammar - Basic Irish - A Grammar and Workbook

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate Irish - A Grammar and Workbook  

Colloquial Irish - The Complete Course for Beginners

Irish Grammar - A Basic Handbook

Italian

Routledge Grammar - Basic Italian - A Grammar and Workbook 

Using Italian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Using Italian Vocabulary 

Modern Italian Grammar a Practical Guide

Colloquial Italian 

Colloquial Italian 2

Indonesian

Indonesian - A Comprehensive Grammar

Indonesian Reference Grammar

Icelandic

Teach Yourself Icelandic

Korean

Routledge Grammar - Basic Korean - A Grammar and Workbook

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate German - A Grammar and Workbook 

Using Korean - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Korean Grammar for International Learners

Colloquial Korean - The Complete Course for Beginners

Latvian

A Short Grammar of Latvian

Teach Yourself Latvian

Colloquial Latvian

Lithuanian

A Short Grammar of Lithuanian

Teach Yourself Lithuanian

Colloquial Lithuanian

Norwegian

Norwegian - An Essential Grammar

Colloquial Norwegian

Polish

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate Polish - A Grammar and Workbook

Polish - An Essential Grammar

A Grammar of Contemporary Polish

Colloquial Polish

Portuguese

Portuguese - An Essential Grammar

Using Portuguese - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Portuguese (Brazilian)

Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil

Colloquial Portuguese of Brazil 2

Russian

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate Russian - A Grammar and Workbook

Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Using Russian Vocabulary

A Comprehensive Russian Grammar

A Reference Grammar of Russian

Colloquial Russian 2

Romanian

Romanian - An Essential Grammar

Colloquial Romanian

Serbian

Serbian - An Essential Grammar

Teach Yourself Serbian

Spanish

Routledge Grammar - Basic Spanish - A Grammar and Workbook

Routledge Grammar - Intermediate Spanish - A Grammar and Workbook

Spanish - An Essential Grammar

Using Spanish Synonyms

Using Spanish Vocabulary

Using Spanish - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

A Student Grammar of Spanish

Modern Spanish Grammar A Practical Guide

The Syntax of Spanish

Swedish

Swedish - An Essential Grammar

Teach Yourself Swedish

Colloquial Swedish

Thai

Thai - An Essential Grammar

Teach Yourself Thai

Colloquial Thai

Turkish

Turkish Grammar

Turkish - A Comprehensive Grammar

Urdu

Urdu - An Essential Grammar

Welsh

Modern Welsh -  A Comprehensive Grammar

The Syntax of Welsh

Colloquial Welsh

Hi Essi! Could you make a list of some vocabulary list topics?

Greetings and basic phrases

Colours

Shapes

Numbers and counting

Measurements 

Telling time

Question words

Basic adjectives/verbs

Personal pronouns

Family members and relatives

Daily routine

Weather

Seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn

Events of the year: new year, easter, birthday, halloween, christmas, etc.

Life events and stages of life

Food and beverages

Herbs and spices 

Cooking and baking

Dietary requirements and allergies

Flavours

Asking for and giving directions

Physical appearance

Clothes and accessories

Makeup

Beauty and fashion

Fabrics and patterns

Materials

Body parts

Personality traits

Feelings and emotions

Places and buildings

Types of houses

Furniture and objects around the house

Containers 

City

Countryside

Animals and insects

Hobbies

Arts and crafts

Tools 

Music

TV and tv-shows

Movies

Books and literature

Popular movies/series/etc: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Twilight, Star Wars, Disney, Pokémon, Studio Ghibli, Moomin…

Sports

Games

Transportation

Cars and driving 

Traveling

School, studying, and stationery

Work and occupations

Diary/bullet journal

Post and email

Culture

Science

Nature

Natural disasters

Environment

Elements 

Countries and continents

Bodies of water 

Space

Compass points

Languages and linguistics

Profanities and insults

Relationships 

Friendship

Flirting 

Love

Sex

Sexual orientation and gender identity

Religion

Fairytales and mythology

Zodiac signs

Computers and other electronic devices

Social media & different platforms (tumblr, facebook, twitter…)

Cleaning and hygiene

Health and illnesses

Money

Shopping

Camping 

Names

Politics and elections

Royalty

Circus

Partying 

Alcohol and drugs

Bullying

News 

Terrorism

Refugees

Military, army & war

Synonyms and antonyms

Pairs and opposites 

Idioms and proverbs

Tongue twisters 

Loanwords 

Abbreviations 

Slang 

Irregular verbs 

False friends 

Advanced vocabulary 

Reading in different languages

Spanish: couldn't be easier, we can tell exactly how to pronounce a word based on its spelling

Russian: ok, we have to memorize where the stress falls on every word because that changes pronunciation completely, but other than that we're good!

Arabic: ok the vowels aren't really written but at least we have the consonants so we can figure out how to say it with practice and memorization

Chinese: well now we have to memorize the pronunciation of every character that gives us pretty much no clues for how to say it, but at least every character only has one reading

Japanese: AAAAAAHHHHHHHH-

CEFR test

Hey guys, if you wanna check your language level of English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian (bokmål), Arabic, Arabic (Syria), Turkish or Danish, here’s the CEFR test! It does take a lot of time (for me it took more than half an hour), but you can test your grammar and vocabulary, reading and listening comprehension so it’s definitely worth it!  read more about the test here

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” - Helen Keller