French for Beginners: The Partitif

Hello online French learners! Welcome back to the new French on a Windowsill lesson. This time, I've taken the "partitif" and explained it for you. Don't worry - I didn't know it was called that either. In simple words, learning the partitif will teach you how to use de (of).

Watch the Video first

So, just to recap:

There are two types of uses of "de".

1. After a quantifier - then it's just "de"
   
   Examples of Quantifiers can be: un kilo, deux pots, 100 grammes, assez, beaucoup, peu...anything that gives you an indication of how much you have.
   
   
2. Without a quantifier - then it changes and becomes a contracted article
   

Use this Printable Sheet for your notes

Hope you enjoyed today's lesson again, and let me have your thoughts guys. I always look forward to hearing from you!

The 6 Best Techniques for Learning Vocabulary

Vocabulary is one of the pillars of language learning and especially significant for the advanced learner. Once you are familiar with the basic structures of your target language, you'll want to start saying and understanding more words! One of my students recently asked me:

I'd like to get some system for vocab learning in place. Have you any recommendation?

..and I thought this makes an awesome blog topic. So here are my top techniques for learning vocabulary.

1) Write, Look, Cover, Repeat (WLCR)

This is the ultimate classic. For me, vocab learning has always been a notebook and pen type exercise. The physical motion of writing something down is very useful as it satisfies the needs of haptic learners. Take a pad, draw a vertical line in the middle and write the word on one side in your native/source language and on the other side in your target language. Memorise the list, then cover one side and tick off all that you remember. Then repeat.

Supercharging your WLCR

• Add another Write step for all the words you couldn't remember first time round, then start again. And repeat. The list of words you can't remember should get smaller every time.

• Satisfy your aural learning style through the version write, mumble, cover, repeat - speaking out each target language word every time. Or record them all and listen back to the vocabulary list a few times.

• Colour code your list, for example to highlight different genders or word types. (Thanks to David Casey on Facebook for this tip!)

2) Get them all

This technique is very well suited to learning by immersion. You acquire new words by carrying a dictionary everywhere (anything electric has them on these days) and then making a note of new words wherever you come across them. These form your daily vocabulary list. Learn the words, revisit the source, move on to a related text or video for repetition. Keep going until you remember all (or 80%, 70%...it's your choice!) of the words from your list, then find a new source. Your memory will build the connection between source and vocab, allowing you to remember the word by where you learnt it from.

3) Flashcarding

Flashcards are great for learners who work very well with visual clues. You can either make sets combining an image with a word in the target language, or just write the words in source and target language. Different colours come in handy here, and many online products also offer to make life easier for you (e.g. Anki and Quizlet).

What makes Flashcarding different from WLCR is that you cannot rely on memorising words by order - they come at you at random and you must be ready for anything. Personally, I perceive this as a hurdle and it's never been my thing. But on the other hand, what better way of preparing for real life?

4) Work in a Context

Memory research tells us that building links between data helps us remember things and the way to make sense of that is to put the vocab into use. A classic memory technique would be to connect every word with a strong image (imagine the grumpy ticket clerk huffing and handing you два ьилета). Alternatively, come up with a story that includes all your vocabulary.

Tried to get the partner involved with bilingual vocab stickies.

I also like to to work in blocks of different topics, for example you can focus on cookery for a few weeks. That way, the most common words will reoccur and you learn not only the word, but how to use it.

Again, immersion is key here and make sure you produce language in context. Write a full sentence using your new word. Update your Facebook in the target language. Use it 5 times in a conversation. Whatever it takes, just make sure you have satisfied both repetition and context.

5) Stickies Everywhere

Sticky notes were made to serve as reminders, so we shall use them for that! Put contextual vocabulary in strategic places, or write yourself little messages in the target language. After a week of "Guten Abend, Gute Nacht" on your mirror, it might just sink in.

If you have flashcards or prefer larger pieces of paper, why not put your pieces of paper into a clear plastic envelope and stick them in the shower?

6) Study Linguistics

Many words are made up of parts of other words. So this one requires a bit of study, but it will make your vocabulary learning the smartest it has ever been. Become familiar with prefixes and suffixes, word roots and common sources of target language words. For example, many European languagesare Latin-based and their words change through little add-ons. James at EngVid has a great way of explaining the concept through "Vocabulary Pyramids". The results can be staggering: one simple root can change in 10 ways, yet you only have to learn half of a new word.

Finally, how do you know which words to learn?

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with my free PDF guide to the essential vocab topics for beginners. This guide is your handy checklist to help you have successful conversations in any language. Download it right here!

How can Music help you learn a Language? - Part 3: Musical Hacks

IMG credit: www.courtneycarmody.com

The following is the next instalment in my series looking at how music can help you get better in a foreign language. We looked at the way it transports you to the heart of the culture in your target country, and a great method for getting to know new words and practicing structures through song. In the final part, I wanted to share some more ingenious ways to use music for learning with you. These are my musical hacks.

1) Join a choir, sing vocal harmonies

A few years ago, I was in Poland with a group of other travellers and got chatting to a British girl who had studied French and German. We both had good fun trying to pick up a few Polish phrases and others had remarked on our good pronunciation skills. In the course of an evening at the pub, she presented me with the theory that our common hobby of choir singing could have something to do with our pronunciation and copying skills. In fact, to me this has always rung true, and in fact there are scientific studies looking into this "listen and copy" training method.

Your listening and copying skills are invaluable tools for language learning. You will need them to

• become familiar with pronunciation
• develop conversation skills
• get comfortable listening to yourself and others
• apply rules and instructions to produce sounds.

Singing in harmony with other vocal performers trains you to make sure you know the sounds they are producing. So for this musical hack, I recommend that you make your local choir into your new best friends. You will reproduce melodies and ensure that you observe and develop other sound producers (singers, speakers). Some choirs even use sign language to accompany the sung words, and many will feature pieces of music in foreign languages. Not only will it train the essential listen and copy skills, but you'll also learn to sing in a new language.

2) Make up your own jingle

Have you ever come across an earworm? It's a piece or section of music that gets stuck and plays over and over in your head. Use this repetition to practice by singing your vocab and getting that stuck in your head.

Every language has its own rhythm and melody, and building that into your jingle is a powerful thing. If you are feeling a little apprehensive starting this off, try a really well-known song. How about Gangnam Style? Listen here:

я люблю путешествовать

That was me practicing some Russian with a song stuck in everyone's head.

Advanced learners

Your option for this could be to translate some lines from your favourite song and sing them in the target language. For inspiration, maybe try the "Call Me Maybe" polyglot video.

Use a microphone or voice recording app to compare your pronunciation to the real speakers', and catch yourself in a moment where you were not worrying about getting it right or wrong because you are too busy trying to sing in time with the music.

3) Jam

Building a "jamming" session into your learning experience is a low-pressure way of letting go and allowing yourself to experiment. You need a little creativity for this, but there are no goals - just have fun and experiment.

Some ideas; Sing a song with your language partner (from Italki or Verbling for example). Learn the days of the week using notes from musical scales. Raid youtube for a foreign language song, use it as your alarm tune for a week, then write down all the words and translate them.

So that's it, I hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I did. As ever, I love hearing from you and if you enjoyed this post, please consider joining my newsletter crowd!

Further Reading

• 7 reasons why you should sing to learn languages.. by Benny Lewis
• Language Learning Tip: Use Music to Learn a Foreign Language by The Everyday Language Learner
• Tools to Learn Spanish #2 – Practicing Spanish with Lyrics Training on Fair Languages
  

How can Music help you learn a Language? - Part 2: Where to Look for Inspiration

After my recent post describing some of the reasons why music is such a great learning help, let's get into the groove today and find some song ideas! My examples in this post are in German, but you can use this inspiration for learning other languages too!

CC Licenced from SpecialKolin on Flickr

How To Use a Song for Language Learning:

1. Find a few songs in your target language - you won't have to look a lot further than the local google searchbox, youtube or library. Below, you'll find many ideas for easy starters.
    

2. Pick out a song that catches your attention and sounds fun - no matter if you understand the words at this point! Then listen, maybe a few times, and keep it around. Stick it on your iPod or put it on a CD for the car.
    

3. After you've become pretty familiar, you will catch yourself humming along and maybe even picking out words that you sing along to. Now get the lyrics and dictionary out. What's this song actually about?
    

4. Keep listening, sing along, sing it to your kid/pet/best friend. I bet it's almost normal by now!
    

5. Make a note of 10 new words the song has taught you. Then look out for how the verbs and sentences are used. You should recognise some previous grammar lessons or verb tables.
    

6. Congratulations, you can now sing in another language AND you revised without the boring effort.

1) Raid the Kids Section

Kids are full-time learners in their own right, and music for them can do the language learner many favours: a simplified range of vocabulary, many repetitions, perhaps actions, all aimed at making sure the song sticks! Think "If you're happy and you know it" and you've got the idea.

Beispiele (examples):

Germany's award-winning songwriter Rolf Zuckowski has given us a beautiful list of songs to choose from. My recommendations, based on them being so catchy that they are curently stuck in my head even though I sang them in the 80s, are:

• Christmas favourite "In der Weihnachtsbäckerei" - perfect for seasonal vocabulary

• "Sommerkinder" and "Winterkinder" - one composition, several versions based on the seasons

Another great example is the (slightly retro..) Sesame street theme in German - so great for question words. And general cheeriness.

2) Learn from Lovesongs

I'm thinking boybands here, and Céline Dion. Lovesongs have distinct advantages for the language learner. They are usually sung more slowly, giving you a chance to keep up with the pronunciation. The topic is predictable and the lyrics usually stay away from tricky stuff like world politics.

And auf Deutsch: Schlager

The Schlager genre is an absolute treasure trove for any German learner. These cheery hits from the 1960s and 1970s stick in your head for days. The lyrics largely restrict themselves to flirting and having fun and they always come out in a group of merry Germans so these will really give you the edge for making quick friends in the pub.

A few favourites of mine are Mendocino, Michaela and, best and surrealest of all, anything by Dschinghis Khan (these are more complicated lyrics, but the topics are easy to guess from the costumes!).

3) Not for the faint hearted: Drinking Songs

All right, now I don't know how far this will get you if you're trying to learn Arabic or Tamil, but for many European people a good party is never complete without a bit of a song.

German learners rejoice, you have a big range to choose from. If the Schlager genre was your thing, then I would recommend the gem called "Sieben Fässer Wein" (seven barrels of wine, no really, that's what it means) by Roland Kaiser. It has everything - drunken irresponsibility, a spoken section from a priest and that 70s humour where the wife is every man's nightmare

Other useful drinking songs are the regional ones, often blurring into folk song territory. For example, my own home region offers absolute beauties like "Oh Mosella". I have heard this song accompany the happiest wine festival memories of my whole life, for as long as I can remember.

CC Licenced by punk17er on Flickr

4) Pop Music

The big advantage of using songs that you love in your target language is that you'll look very cool and won't feel as silly as when you are singing a kids song. There is a huge range of songs and artists to discover who are making music right now. But handle these with a bit of caution - if you're into rap, for example, there will be an awful lot of words and lyrics to handle!

Germany for example has a strong indie scene represented by bands like Tocotronic, Blumfeld and Tomte. The rappers and hip hoppers are even more active - try Kool Savas or Samy Deluxe.

After all that, a deserved reward!

With any music from artists which are active and out there, I urge you to add a final step 7 to the instructions of using music in language learning. Get involved! Go buy a ticket to see your new favourite band, maybe discover a soundtrack written in the language (Disney films, for example, tend to have translated versions of all their songs), find other fans in online forums and really get out there and enjoy it! That way, not only will you have fun but you'll also be using your amazing language skills before you even notice.

Fancy reading more? Tofugo has a post about learning Japanese through kids songs and the topic is also covered by Everyday Language Learner Aaron.

French for Beginners: The Possessives

Welcome back, French on a Windowsill watchers! After we had a little break and revision getting into the celebrity quiz on youtube, it's back to the books today with my introduction to possessives. These are the ways in which you can show what belongs to whom in a sentence.

There are two types: Determiners, which go with a word and work exactly like "my, your, his, her, our, their" in English. And then there's pronouns, which actually stand for a word - in English these are "mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs". Make sure you understand this difference in your own language and you won't have a problem in French!

Easy Example

"This is my mug. Where's yours?"

"Oh, mine is in the kitchen."

The word "my" is a determiner, because it goes together with the noun "mug". The words "yours" and "mine" stand FOR the mug, so they are pronouns.

And now for how it works in French

Thanks for watching!

It's important to remember that in French, the possessive will change according to the gender and number of the word after it, not the word before it.

Print or save these tables for use in your revision.

The possessive determiner

The possessive pronoun