One of the best tools available to us nowadays to help us learn a language is to get on Skype/Google+/Facetime or any VoIP tool and chat to a native speaker.

The pros are many. It doesn’t require travel. Through many sites it’s cheaper than in-person lessons, and it usually has way more options than you would find in your home town.

Because of this, I’ve been doing a “Skype Series” of articles to help people get the best out of their online lessons. So far we’ve covered

• How to find the right teacher for online lessons, and

• How to prepare for your first online language lesson

Today I want to talk about what tools you can use during your online lessons that wouldn’t work easily in-person, and how you can get the absolute best out of your time on Skype with your teacher.

But first, let’s cover something interesting that comes from all this: why online lessons can actually be better.

Advantages of using technology

I’ve already argued several times why online language lessons are just as good as in-person ones, or even as good as than travelling to the country, but there are some things that you can do better digitally than in “meat world”.

For instance.

• Online, you can decide whether you’d like to see the teacher or not. If you’re having a bad hair day, or if you can’t stand the idea of someone seeing you struggling as a beginner, just don’t activate your webcam and make it audio only. Easy. This is especially useful for shy or introverted language learners!
• Your computer and your home is a familiar environment. This is absolutely key for people who are afraid of getting into language learning. It’s not just speaking another language, but sometimes just the place you do it in that can create bad associations.
• It’s way easier to avoid excuses. If it’s raining, or if there is a public transport strike, or if your dog is just really cuddly that day and you can’t bear to part, then you may be tempted to skip your class, “just this once”. The only good excuse for missing an online class is if the Internet goes down!
• While you’re speaking online, you can have a tab (or several!) open on your computer to a dictionary or translator that will help you speak and keep the conversation flowing, and you can use it without distracting your teacher. This “cheating” is something I do the first first times I try to speak, but I do it in such a way that it is less distracting and embarrassing than using dead-tree dictionaries would be in person.
• You can record your Skype lesson using software for personal use to review later, and the option is included by default in some software. Recording an in-person class is more cumbersome, or requires buying special equipment. Plus your teacher may become extremely distracted by the camera in his/her face.
• And, you can use a host of cool digital tools that I’ll describe below…

Now that I learn my languages almost exclusively online, I’ve improved my technique and have found some cool ways to make the experience even more rewarding and useful for me as a student.

Live correction with Google Docs

In-person classes are indeed great for getting spoken practice, but it feels awkward for getting written practice. You are either writing in silence, or waiting for your teacher to read in silence. And I don’t know about you, but I’m more comfortable typing than I am writing. So if I’m practising in-person, should I bring a laptop and then hand it to my teacher for correction? It’s sloppy.

One alternative is to write in your free-time and then hand it to your teacher. But I’m personally terrible with homework, so I found a way to improve my writing skills, while getting correction and not wasting class time.

I get live correction via Google Docs.

The way this works is that you and your teacher both view the same document and can both make changes to it, and those changes can be viewed in real time. If you want to get your mistakes corrected immediately as you write, you can do this, but what some of my teachers do is let me type and they will have another page open, or another document open, and they will type out corrections and explanations in real time as they see my mistakes.

Usually for this part, I turn off the audio/video feed and focus on writing, and then when I finish a section I get back on the call and my teacher immediately brings me through his/her corrections without needing me to wait while they read, since they were reading as I typed.

Another great use of Google Docs is that I will be talking to my teacher, and they will be typing what I say, but marking mistakes or commenting on them.

This is very simple, but the benefit is that they are still speaking to me naturally without saying any corrections, and yet they can still visually correct me. I have found this to be an extremely effective way to get feedback without interrupting the flow of the conversation.

Screenshare

Skype and many VoIP programs have an option to share your screen, or to view the screen of your teacher on your computer. This is a great simulation of reading a book together, and is very useful if they have the book or their personal notes scanned.

The software that my German teacher uses instead of Skype is Webex, that lets you share the screen and add annotations. This emulates actually writing into the book, if it’s not in an editable format like PDF. It’s paid software, but only for the teacher, not for the student.

My teacher also shares files like audio within the program, which is more convenient than downloading them as you would from the Skype file share option.

I would also get my entire class (visual, audio, file attachments) emailed to me at the end of the class.

Get out of the classroom – virtually

Once one of my teachers on Skype had a very unique idea and took his smartphone with him to a festival, found a good wifi signal and I got to see and hear people dancing and singing.

These “day trips” are easier than you think, and just as effective as they would be in person. My teacher has also had me give a tour of my home in the target language, and at times if their friend pops in, instead of it being a nuisance, they’ve actually invited them to join in on the chat and give me practice with another native speaker!

Online video/audio calls are evolving all the time. These kind of cool tricks like being able to move around with your smartphone and setting up group calls were much harder or impossible years ago when the likes of Skype were in their infancy.

I’m excited to see developments that allow us to learn at a distance even easier, bringing teachers and students together and bridging the gap so that language learning is open to everyone!

In the comments, I’d like to hear what other questions you have about learning on Skype! I plan to write more about the verbal exercises I do with my teachers, and how I spend my online time differently at different levels of fluency. What else would you like to know? Please share!

The post Why learning online is better than in-person, and how to make use of your technology appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

HelloTalk is a cool new language learning app that serves one purpose: it connects you directly with native speakers, and provides an interface to text and speak with them, all from your smartphone.

There are websites out there that let you search for people to talk with, but with these websites the actual conversation happens on Skype, Google plus, or by telephone. HelloTalk acts as the direct interface through which you find a conversation partner and chat, send voice messages or call the people you want to practice with. No need for any third-party software.

And this is available for FREE.

HelloTalk also offers translation options from within the app. These features are the paid aspect of the app. This supports the developers to keep the rest of the app free, but I can give you a quick tip to get these tools at no cost…

Sign up to the app, and one of your friends will automatically be HelloTalk Team. Simply message them “FI3M” and you’ll get 3 months free membership. This includes unlimited access to HelloTalk’s premium features. These are Translation, Voice Recognition, and Transliteration.

Now, more about the app and its pros and cons…

HelloTalk Features

I’ve been aware of the HelloTalk app for some time, but now is definitely the time to try it out because the community around it has exploded. This week it passed 1 million users covering about 100 languages. In the time that the app has grown, the developers have had the chance to vastly improve the interface. That said, there’s still some room for improvement.

Key features of the app include:

• Voice chat
• Text chat
• Camera share
• Doodle share (draw in the app to visually represent what you want to talk about)
• Smileys and other features you’d expect from a good chat program, like notifications of new messages, GPS location sharing, text size settings.
• Language learning specific features: Translation, Transliteration, and voice recognition to help you write/speak your target language.
• Mark exchanges (text, voice, images) for studying later, or save the entire chat to refer to later.

You can use the photo feature to share cultural differences with your language partner from your surroundings – when combined with the doodle option, the possibilities are endless for how you could use this to your benefit in language learning. You can draw a picture of a dog if you don’t know how to say that word (and as you can see, I can share my incredibly beautiful artistic talent), you can take a picture of your house and try to describe it, or try to describe your language exchange partner’s environment as language practice, and you can share cultural differences between your country and theirs.

Another helpful feature is the option to chat in several languages at the same time. On the app’s home screen you can see all your latest chats. There’s no need to go into the app settings to change your target language. This is an issue I’ve had in other language tools when I’ve been learning or practising more than one language.

In many ways, the experience of using HelloTalk is like Whatsapp, but with a public database of “friends” for the sole purpose of language practice. It’s pretty cool that you can scroll past many people and see at a glance where they are from based on the flag shown in the corner of their avatar.

One more thing. HelloTalk works on both Android and iOS, so whether you’ve got an iPhone, iPad, or an Android smartphone or tablet, you’re good to go.

Practice Speaking Without Feeling Embarrassed

If you’re using HelloTalk’s voice recognition system, then you can simply speak what you want to say. The system will attempt to understand you automatically, and convert that to text to send to your language partner. I tried this out with a few Mandarin phrases, and it worked well.

This feature lets you practice speaking without having to worry about the embarrassment of someone actually hearing you. What’s more, the conversation can continue in a slower pace than it would if you were speaking on Skype. Your conversation partner can choose whether they reply using text or voice. If they opt for text, you can use the text-to-voice feature to have a voice synthesizer replicate what they may be saying, as if you were having a voice chat.

Mileage in this feature will vary widely depending on the language, how closely you can emulate a native speaker, and of course limitations of the voice recognition system itself.

Find a Language Partner in Your City

In the past, I’ve recommended using social searches to find language partners who live near you. Meeting with people who speak your target language from your local area is great when you want a break from online lessons.

HelloTalk has this covered. Its local specific search option helps you find a language partner who lives near you that you can invite out for coffee. As there are over a million HelloTalk users, there’s a good chance of finding somebody in your area.

I tested this feature out in Sydney, Australia (where I am at the time of writing) and found 24 people within a few kilometres of me looking for a Chinese-English exchange. I also discovered several people ready to offer exchanges for other languages like German, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish. As with Whatsapp, you can share your GPS location to make it easier to find language partners nearby.

However, unlike many social language sites, HelloTalk doesn’t come with a review system for its users. There’s the option for users to fill out an introduction for information about themselves, although many people don’t do this. This makes it a little riskier when you are meeting up with strangers, as you don’t necessarily know much about them. For this reason, I’d recommend using the meetup feature with caution.

To find people in your area, just use the search feature to find people who speak the language you are learning, and who want to learn a language that you speak. Then, change the search order to “by location”. Generally, I’d stick to using just the live chat feature via the app, rather than arranging a meet-up if you’d prefer to be cautious.

Another thing you can do – which I think is a much safer – is use this app while travelling to connect with people in your destination. Then you can pick up local tips on getting around and places to eat, all while getting language practice.

HelloTalk’s Special Language Learning Features

As I’ve mentioned, HelloTalk is like a normal chat app, but with lots of features to help language learners – especially if you sign up to the premium version of the app.

If you use it for Chinese, for instance, you can use the transliteration option when a native speaker writes to you, to instantly see the pinyin (romanized pronunciation).

HelloTalk also includes an automatic translation feature. This is really helpful if you are OK with just getting the general gist of things. It can also help keep conversations flowing, since you don’t have to open another app/window to get the translation.

When you’re chatting using HelloTalk, you can see your conversation partner’s language/location as a flag. Additionally, while you talk to them, their local time is shown at the top of the chat window. This is handy if you need to know whether to say good morning or good evening to start your conversation!

This combination of features is what puts it ahead of the competition. Whenever I chat to someone on Skype, I almost always have several tabs for dictionaries or Google Translate open in my web browser. Switching between these is hard work, and it doesn’t help if you are feeling overwhelmed as it is!

Another cool feature is the option to highlight your conversation partner’s reply and select it for correction to help them improve their sentences. They can do the same for you. This is different to simply replying with the right way of saying something, because it keeps the dialogue focused on the actual conversation.

Finally, the app has a mode that counts the amount of characters  or time spent (e.g. 500 characters or 5 minutes) in one language. When it reaches the limit, it suggests that you switch languages. This avoids the awkwardness of trying to bring it up yourself in the conversation.

You can check out some of these features demonstrated in this video:

My Main Criticisms of HelloTalk

I don’t like to be overly critical, especially with a free app. But it’s really hard to ignore the fact that HelloTalk is still buggy. Luckily, I imagine these problems will disappear very soon, but be warned that you’ll see things like:

•  Bad English used in the interface (this is likely the case in the other non-Chinese translations of their interface). Things like “Advance” instead of “Advanced”, “Portuguese” spelt as “Portugues” (in the English column), and the guide to the app saying “This help your partners practice listening”, among other things. These sloppy mistakes should be fixed for a more professional feel, but they can be ignored of course.
• Huge **stability issues**. It crashes at inopportune times. HelloTalk are aware of this, so I imagine it should be fixed soon. For now though, you will need to be patient as you keep restarting the app.
• Slow responsiveness over 3G/4G when you leave a wifi connection. Wifi shouldn’t be necessary for text exchanges.
• Huge battery drain (on my Android). I found that I had to manually kill the app whenever I left it, since letting it run in the background just destroyed my phone’s lifespan for the day. This is a pity because when you have HelloTalk running in the background, you get notified when people are interested in speaking with you.

However, these are mostly technical issues. I’d struggle to think of any ways HelloTalk could improve the interface, features and look of the app. For people looking for casual free conversation exchanges, it is definitely something worth testing out.

To try HelloTalk for yourself, go to the Android or iOS store to install it.

Sign up to the app, and one of your friends will automatically be HelloTalk Team. Message them “FI3M” and you’ll get 3 months free membership, which includes unlimited access to the premium features. These are Translation, Voice Recognition, and Transliteration.

The post HelloTalk App Review: Chat with Native Speakers on Your Smartphone appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Having real conversations with native speakers is one of the best ways to quickly improve your language skills.

Yet I’m constantly surprised by the number of people who wait years before they take that step — or who never take it at all!

Recently I was in a room with 20 language learners and asked them “How many of you have used Skype to practise your target language?” Not a single person raised their hand.

This needs to change. Seriously, if you haven’t tried it yet, now’s the time to start.

So many language learners know they should start practising with a native sooner rather than later… and then just don’t. Hopefully this post will light a fire under your arse!

Today I’m sharing in one post my specific strategies for using Skype to practice speaking a new language, and how to make the most out of every Skype conversation. And of course you can use these strategies without ever leaving home.

Let’s get started.

How to Find a Skype Language Exchange Partner

Your first task is to find another person who speaks your target language and who is willing to chat with you over Skype.

Italki – My favourite language learning resource. 

I’ve written loads about my favourite way to do this, which is with the excellent service italki.

Italki is an online language learning service that connects you with language teachers from around the world. If you’ve been curious to try it out, take a look at my review of italki where I break down their entire system for you.

I’ve also written out a guide for how to choose between italki’s many online teachers to find the best one for you. When you’re filtering through the various tutors and teachers, pick a native speaker who lives in the country you’re focused on. This will give you a direct pipeline to the authentic and modern way to speak your target language.

But I know that you’ve heard me talk about italki before. And while I really do think you should give it a try, there are alternative methods for finding great exchange partners, which I’ll share with you now!

HelloTalk – Casually chat in your target language throughout the day.

For example, if you’re on the shy side, you might try HelloTalk for a totally different experience. This app works on your smartphone, and connects you with other people learning your language who want to do a language exchange. The app lets you send voice messages or “text messages” to people who match up with your language, which is great if you don’t feel like being on video. When you get a text message on HelloTalk, the app will help you translate it, and it will auto-correct your replies to get rid of the mistakes.

What I really love about HelloTalk is that whenever I suggest it to a reader, they usually get back to me with great news like “I’ve been chatting in Mandarin in all day!” And that’s always great to hear. The downside to HelloTalk is that it doesn’t offer video chats if that’s what you’re looking for, and you won’t find professional teachers on the site – just other language learners (but they can still teach you a lot).

Join a language learning community and find an exchange partner there!

Try something for me.

Go into your Facebook account and search for “Esperanto”. Do you see that public group there with 16,000 members? Now go to meetup.com, type in your target language and your city, and click “search.” I just randomly searched for “German” in Minneapolis, Minnesota and found 3 different local communities.

In most cities all over the world, I promise you’ll be surprised by what you’ll find. There are communities of people everywhere who are searching for someone to practice their languages with. Why can’t that someone be you?

All you really need to do to find a language exchange partner is to step outside your comfort zone.

That’s the hardest part. “Finding” people is easy. Having the courage to talk to them is harder, but so worth it.

What to Expect from Your Skype Language Exchange Partner

There are basically two types of people you will practise speaking with on Skype: language exchange partners (free) or a teachers/tutors (paid).

With language exchange partners you should expect to spend some time helping the other person with your native language. You can suggest that each of you go back and forth, spending 10 – 15 minutes speaking in their native language, and then 10 – 15 minutes in yours. I recommend you set up the rules at the start of the call to keep things fair.

But keep in mind that most language exchange partners are not professional teachers and may not have any experience teaching their language to others. This is a great way to practise speaking, but you shouldn’t expect too much in terms of structured instruction or in depth explanations. And you may get the dreaded question, “What do you want to talk about?” So I recommend you arrive online with at least some idea of what you want to practise, so you’ll be prepared when you get that question.

Paid teachers, on the other hand, focus entirely on helping you speak and understand your target language. While you do have to pay money, the costs are considerably less than you would pay for a live one-on-one teacher, or even a group class. Plus, you get to do it from the comfort of your own desk or couch!

With paid teachers you should be clear about what you are looking to get out of your lesson, and prepare some materials or topics that you want to review.

A bit of preparation before you talk to your teacher will allow you to focus on those areas that are most important.

Two Steps to Prepare for Your Skype Language Exchange

Step 1: Decide What to to Talk About

Whichever language I’m learning, I usually prepare for my Skype speaking practice in the same way. If you’ve gone through my free Speak in a Week course, then you know that I recommend starting with phrases and words that are specific and relevant to your own situation. Keep a list of words that are specific to you and your life, so you can refer to it when talking about yourself.

Make sure that you have practised these phrases several times, and know how they should sound. Listening to the words beforehand on forvo.com is really helpful for this.

Another handy group of phrases to have ready are those that you may need to ask related to language learning. For example “Can you please repeat that more slowly?” or “Can you write it down for me?” These will become invaluable during your first conversations in the language.

There are of course more in-depth strategies for preparing for a Skype chat, but just knowing a few phrases you want to say in advance will take you really far.

Step 2: Tackle Your Nerves

Feeling nervous? So is the other person!

One of the biggest reasons I hear that people don’t take the plunge to practice on Skype is nerves!

I’m always hearing, “Benny, I’m shy!” or “Benny, I’m scared!” Well, I can’t change that, but I can tell you that your exchange partner is likely just as nervous as you are.

The person on the screen won’t be scrutinizing your language skills the way you imagine they will be. They won’t be judging you. They won’t be annoyed with your mistakes or slow speech. They’ll probably be too busy worrying that you will judge them, that you will be annoyed with them. They’ll be focusing on their own mistakes, not yours!

A lot of people get nervous the first time they speak with a native speaker. You’ll probably never feel totally “ready” to start speaking with another person. This is completely normal.

In fact, if you feel “ready” to speak with a native speaker, then you’ve probably waited too long! Feeling a bit terrified during your first conversation is to be expected and, while I can’t give you a magic pill to take away the nerves, I can tell you that this is absolutely temporary.

Once your first conversation is over, it will only get easier. In fact, it will start to get easier in the first 2 minutes of your conversation! Just hang in there and soon enough you’ll start to get into the flow of things.

How to Set Up Your Computer for a Skype Language Exchange

When I have a speaking session on Skype, I make sure that my computer desktop is set up in an optimal way. There are a few specific windows you should be sure to keep open on your computer while you’re chatting with a native speaker:

• Your list of phrases and keywords in a notepad document
• Google Translate to use during the conversation
• An online dictionary to find words in your target language

If you have these open in tabs in your browser, or in easily accessible windows, all of the information you might need during the conversation is at your fingertips and easily accessible. This allows you to focus on practising speaking, rather than scrambling to look things up.

This might seem like “cheating”, since you have the things you want to practise right in front of you. But this is about getting used to speaking in the language. And the fastest way to become comfortable speaking and gain confidence in your ability is to open your mouth.

In time, you’ll be able to speak without those “cheat sheets” on your computer screen. In fact, using this sort of system, you’ll find yourself progressing to new phrases and words much faster than if you were always trying to reproduce them from memory.

5 Tips to Make the Most of Your Skype Language Exchange

Here are a few other tips that can help make your Skype call much more effective:

Tip 1: Open Your Mouth!

The best way to make the most of your Skype language practice is to open your mouth and speak! Enjoy getting to know someone from the other side of the planet.

It’s amazing when you think about how technology is brings this world closer together. Thanks to this amazing software called Skype, you no longer need to travel thousands of miles to converse with a native speaker!

Tip 2: Use Video, Not Just Voice

To make sure your Skype call is as effective as possible, try to have a video call.

“Can’t I just have a voice call?” you might ask, and sure, while that is technically possible, I highly recommend you arrange a video call with your native speaker.

Over 90% of communication is nonverbal, so body language can play a big part of getting your point across, or understanding what the other person is saying.

Seeing the person also gets you used to observing cultural cues that people use when speaking in that language. How someone uses their hands or shows emotion on their face can vary from culture to culture. Seeing it first hand will give you insight into the cultural nuances of how people communicate.

Tip 3: Try the Bingo! Strategy

Another way to make the most of your call is use the “Bingo” strategy, which my partner Lauren came up with. Essentially, Lauren has a list of possible things to say, and plays a bingo game with herself to try and practise all the phrases on the list. If she does this, it’s Bingo! For each phrase she uses it gets ticked off the list. (You can read all about it on her 2 Week Russian language study update here.)

Tip 4: Use Technology to Your Advantage

Try recording your Skype conversation to review later on. (To do this, always get permission first from your teacher, and don’t share the video unless you get permission for that, too).

If you record your session, you’ll be able to look back and figure out that word you didn’t understand, or watch again to remember all the words you wanted to say but didn’t know how. This way, you’ll be better prepared for next time.

You can also ask your teacher to incorporate Google Doc documentation, screen sharing, or other technologies into your lessons.

Tip 5: Review Your Notes After the Call

Lastly, don’t close your computer the moment your Skype call ends.

Instead, spend an extra ten minutes looking back at the notes in the Skype chat box. What words did your teacher type out that you didn’t know? What new phrases should you add to your study list or Anki deck? Were there any conversation topics that you struggled with during the conversation?

This “debriefing” time is so important to make sure that everything you just learned doesn’t get lost, but gets reincorporated into your study strategy.

Now, I know that so many of you have still been procrastinating on using your languages on Skype. What’s been holding you back? When will you pull the trigger? Let me know in the Facebook comments!

The post How to Use Skype to Learn Another Language appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

I love watching German language movies to help with my German missions.

Watching movies is an effective way to develop an ear for the language. You also get to experience the spoken language in many different social situations you would probably never find yourself in.

One of the main reasons I study languages is to experience the culture, and movies also provide you with valuable cultural exposure.

The following is a list of German films to help give you get a closer look into the language and culture of German speakers. If you’re learning German, then this list should help you come up with enjoyable options for those days when your brain hurts from studying and you just need to relax for a couple hours.

1. Das Boot (The Boat)

Released: 1981
Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson
Suitable For: War Movie Buffs

IMDB Average Rating: 8.4 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%

The Story
A gripping, tense and somewhat claustrophobic movie about a German submarine crew fighting the Allies in 1941.

Language Hacker’s Notes
While there isn’t a tonne of dialogue in this film, it’s rich with World War II references and military-speak that you may not normally hear while walking around the streets of Frankfurt.

2. Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run)

Released: 1998
Directed by: Tom Tykwer
Suitable For: the MTV Generation

IMDB Average Rating: 7.8 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%

The Story
An energetic and fast-paced film about a woman who needs to get 100,000 Deutschmarks in 20 minutes or her boyfriend will die. An engrossing performance by Franka Potente (who you’ll recognize from The Bourne Identity) who steals the show. It’s like Crank (with Jason Statham) meets Sliding Doors (with Gwyneth Paltrow), but in German!

Language Hacker’s Notes
A film geared towards a younger generation, you’ll find lots of fun slang and colloquialisms to spice up your German!

3. Good Bye Lenin!

Released: 2003
Directed by: Wolfgang Becker
Suitable For: Fans of Social Commentary and Comedy

IMDB Average Rating: 7.8 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%

The Story
A hilarious film about a young man whose socialist mother awakes from a heart-attack induced coma, unaware of the recent German reunification. To keep her from having another heart attack, he must scheme to make sure she has no idea anything has changed and that the German Democratic Republic is still alive and well.

Language Hacker’s Notes
Plenty of interesting cultural notes on a German perspective of reunification. Plenty of useful vocabulary to help you talk about political ideology.

4. Ostwind – Zusammen Sind Wir Frei (Eastwind – Together We Are Free)

Released: 2015
Directed by: Katja von Garnier
Suitable For: Children and Families

IMDB Average Rating: 6.9 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: n/a

The Story
A touching family film utilizing the tried and tested formula of pairing a girl with a horse. A story you’ve seen many times before, but this time it’s in German!

Language Hacker’s Notes
A brilliant way to experience the German language from a child’s perspective. Also lots of useful vocabulary for the equestrians out there.

5. Downfall (Der Untergang)

Released: 2004
Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Suitable For: History Buffs

IMDB Average Rating: 8.3 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%

The Story
An intense and gripping look at the last 10 days of Adolf Hitler’s life in his bunker during the end of World War II.

Language Hacker’s Notes
If you want to get a taste of the Austrian accent (Don’t forget they speak German in Austria!), then Bruno Ganz gives you a taste of the real thing in his amazing performance as the Austrian-born Hitler.

Also, wait for that one scene which went viral all over the Internet about Hitler complaining about… anything they decided to put on the subtitles. Very random!

6. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant)

Released: 1972
Directed by: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Suitable For: Relationship Experts

IMDB Average Rating: 7.7 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 83%

The Story
A classic German film and an excellent exploration of the dynamics of human relationships. While some of the interactions are adult-themed, this film is considered a good introduction to the world of New German Cinema and the work of acclaimed director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Language Hacker’s Notes
If you want some ways to talk about love and hate, then this is your film. You also get the added bonus of the rarely heard Bavarian accent.

7. Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)

Released: 2008
Directed by: Uli Edel
Suitable For: Action Fans

IMDB Average Rating: 7.4 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%

The Story
A look at the controversial Red Army Faction (RAF), the left wing militant group who terrorized Germany during the 60’s and 70’s.

Language Hacker’s Notes
An action-packed film with enough slang words to fill a dictionary!

8. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes)

Released: 1972
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Suitable For: History Buffs

IMDB Average Rating: 8.0 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98%

The Story
One of the most impressive German films of the 70’s thanks to the fantastic acting performances and this classic pairing of actor Klaus Kinski and director Werner Herzog (the German equivalent of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese). This film follows the story of a conquistador’s descent into madness as he searches the Amazon for El Dorado, the legendary City of Gold.

Language Hacker’s Notes
An enjoyable film to watch for pure entertainment value, but probably an overly intense way to learn German. Due to the complexity of the German language in this film, it’s best to use this for study when you get to a more advanced level.

9. Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa)

Released: 2001
Directed by: Caroline Link
Suitable For: History Buffs

IMDB Average Rating: 7.7 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%

The Story
This 2003 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Picture tells the story of a Jewish family from Germany relocating to Kenya during World War 2.

Language Hacker’s Notes
If you’re relatively new to German, then this film may be perfect for you. The actors speak a clear and easy-to-understand German, perfect for those still early in their study of the language.

10. Die Vorstadtkrokodile (The Crocodiles)

Released: 2001
Directed by: Christian Ditter
Suitable For: Kids and Families

IMDB Average Rating: 6.2 / 10
Rotten Tomatoes Page

The Story
Based on a popular young adult novel, this is basically a German version of “The Bad News Bears”. Two outcasts join up with a local gang and subsequent hilarity and hijinx ensues as they take on a large foe. It was so popular it even spawned two sequels!

Language Hacker’s Notes
This is another film to help you learn some German “kid speak”. You’ll experience a youthful version of German spoken by 21st century kids. So, that means you’ll finally learn the German word for “gummy bears” (Gummibärchen).

What Are Your Favourites?

So, now that you’ve read the list, you probably have some movie-watching to do

Naturally there are many more German movies out there. If you have a favourite that you think should be on the list, share it on our Facebook page! Everyone would love to read your selection of must-watch German films!

The post 10 Must Watch German Language Movies appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

I’ve said before that listening is one of my biggest challenges when learning a language. My Speak from Day One approach to learning langauges, means I’m usually stronger at speaking than listening.

With that in mind, I’ve collected over 50 resources to help Spanish learners improve their listening skills.

I’ve organised this collection into five categories:

• Videos: Watching videos helps you understand body language and provides valuable visual cues for your listening practice.
• Podcasts and Radio: For covering a variety of topics and speaking styles, podcasts and online radio can’t be beat.
• Music: Listening to music gives you a look at the creative and poetic side of a language.
• News: This provides you with more formal, standard use of the language, combined with contemporary topics.
• Lessons: It is helpful to listen to Spanish in a structured environment, especially when you are first starting out.

These Spanish listening resources are for everyone, regardless of your level. So, let’s get started!

Videos for Spanish Listening: Your Key To Understanding Body Language

Since most communication is nonverbal, seeing the body postures, facial expressions and hand gestures of Spanish speakers will make it easier to understand them. And video is the only type of listening practice which allows you to practise this important part of Spanish communication.

Spanish YouTube Channels and Web Shows

Here are some Spanish YouTube series to view life in the Spanish speaking world.

• Freaklances: An animated series following the lives of several freelancers.
• Malviviendo: This show follows the lives of several friends living on the outskirts of Seville, Spain.
• Enseriados: A comedy about two flat mates who share a passion for television. English subtitles are available.
• Apples: A comedy about a group of lesbians, a dummy and a stuffed cat who work together to solve their problems.
• Gangster Que Hago?: This is a comedy series about a man looking for love in all the wrong places. Please note that it also comes with a parental advisory warning for content.
• SUNY Albany: The State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany put together an extensive list of video resources in the Spanish Language.

Live Video Chat with Native Spanish Speakers

I’ve had great success in my language learning missions when video chatting with my tutors and teachers. Interacting with a real person is much more authentic than just watching actors in a movie.

The best part? Everything you watch is 100% related to you and your life!

It’s worth checking out the following:

• Google Hangouts: You can chat face-to-face using Google’s popular video and voice calling system. To put yourself out on a limb, you can broadcast the call live to the whole world!
• Periscope: If you haven’t jumped on the Periscope bandwagon yet, you might not be too familiar with this live streaming video service. Recently I discovered you can search for live streaming video from different countries around the world, including Spanish-speaking countries. This is a direct pipeline to listen to Spanish (or any language) in a very authentic way. (Follow my Periscope by searching for “polyglot”, and I’ll do streams in Spanish every once in a while!)
• Apple Facetime: If both you and your conversation partner have Apple devices, then you can have a free call on Apple’s video conferencing software. This comes bundled with Apple computers, tablets and phones.
• Tango: While I don’t have direct experience of this software, I’ve heard it is a good way to have face-to-face conversations with people all around the world.
• Skype: The standard for most people when it comes to making video calls online. If you download eCamm’s Skype Call Recorder for Mac, or Pamela on Windows, you can record your conversations to review them later on.

Of course, all this assumes you have someone to speak with in Spanish. If you need a language conversation partner, be sure to check out iTalki, where you can find amazing native Spanish speaking teachers and tutors.

How to Watch Spanish Television Online

There are a wide selection of Spanish language television programmes available online. Here are a few worth checking out:

• Drama Fever: This website provides telenovelas (TV dramas) with English subtitles. As a bonus, you can also use it to watch TV dramas from Korea, China and other countries!
• Hulu Latino: Hulu, a popular video streaming website based in the U.S., streams televisions shows in Spanish.
• Multilingual Books: This website provides a link to online television station streaming video feeds from a wide variety of countries. A treasure trove of Spanish TV.
• Streema: Streema is a service that provides links to the websites of many television stations in Spain. You can also search for programmes from other Spanish speaking countries in Central America and South America.
• Univision: A network name synonymous with Spanish language television, the Univision website provides access to an amazing selection of their Spansih-language television programmes.
• Telemundo: Telemundo is another television network with an extensive selection of programmes in Spanish.

There are actually so many Spanish language television shows available to view online that there’s no way to list them all here, The resources above will get you on the right track.

Spanish Movies

Spanish speaking movie goers are currently the second largest demographic in the United States, and with the startling number of films coming out from all of the Spanish language countries in the world, there is plenty of viewing fare for Spanish language lovers everywhere.

• Spanish Movies Online: This website provides exactly what it says: Spanish movies online. Lots to choose from here.
• Zumvo: This website provides links to movies from Spain that you can stream online.
• Hulu Movies: Hulu comes to the rescue again! Not only do they have Spanish language television shows; they also have Spanish language movies.
• SBS: SBS, a service out of Australia, has a large selection of free Spanish language movies from around the world.
• Netflix: Netflix has movies from both Latin America and Spain. Just remember that Netflix is a paid service and you may need a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service to view it outside the U.S.
• Fandor: Fandor, similar to Netflix, is a paid subscription site that provides many films from around the world in a variety of languages.

Spanish Video Lessons

The best part about Spanish language video lessons is that they follow a structured format and are perfect for those new to the language.

The following is a selection of some of my favourites, as well as a few that have come highly recommended.

• Spanish Pod 101: You might know Innovative Language’s Spanish Pod 101 podcast series as a great place to learn a language. This is their YouTube channel to help you see the language being spoken.
• FluentU Spanish: FluentU curates videos from all over the web, includes subtitles in Spanish and English. Curated videos are carefully organised so you can study them easily.
• Yabla Spanish: Yabla specialises in helping you pick up Spanish through videos in a natural way, with real Spanish spoken by real people. Check out some of the their sample videos to see what it’s all about.
• About.com: About.com has various videos instructing on aspects of the Spanish language, including a wide selection on verb conjugations.
• Web Spanish: An amazingly fun show giving you authentic Spanish instruction with memorable visuals and humour.
• ES Audio: This series of videos entitled “How to Speak Spanish Fast” provides insight into many parts of the Spanish language.
• Señor Jordan: This might be one of the funniest Spanish language video courses out there. Definitely worth watching if you want to bust a gut while learning a language.
• Complete Spanish: Language Transfer have put together this series of Spanish language lessons to take you through their entire Spanish programme.

Online Radio: Covering Every Topic You Can Think Of

Online radio provides a wide sampling of topics you may not normally be exposed to. That’s why I love listening to it. Plus, it represents Spanish spoken the way you hear it in real life, in accents from all around the world.

• Listen Live Europe: This website contains online radio stations for a variety of countries in Europe, including many in Spanish.
• Cadena Ser: Several podcasts and shows are available on this network’s website.
• E-Spanyol: Over 600 Spanish language radio stations are listed in this directory.
• Live TV Radio: A large selection of Spanish language radio channels, organised by country.
• TuneIn Spanish: TuneIn is one of my favourite apps for listening to radio stations from around the world. For Spanish radio, check out stations in Central America, South American and Spain.

Music: Spanish Lyrics and Creativity

Spanish music uses language differently than in day-to-day conversation. The issues and topics are closer to our hearts and minds.

Spanish music can be an entertaining way to improve your listening skills and gain a deeper understanding of cultures in the Spanish speaking world.

Here are some websites and links where you can find Spanish music online.

• Last.fm Spanish: This popular music recommendation site provides great Spanish music and downloadable mp3 files.
• 8tracks Spanish Playlist: Another music recommendation site where users create their own playlists. These include playlists of Spanish music.
• Online Radio Spanish: This list of online radio stations from Spain, Central America and South America has many stations dedicated to music.
• Surf Music: A German online radio station directory with a vast list of stations from all over Spain.
• TuneIn Spanish: TuneIn is ideal for listening to stations that play Spanish language music. Stations listed are from Spain, Central America, and South American.

News: Everyday Topics In Standard Spoken Spanish

Listening to the news in Spanish will teach you valuable current vocabulary, and teach you the best way to phrase common expressions on popular topics. Plus, newscasters tend to use very standard pronunciation, so this is a good way to hear things said in a very clear (although somewhat fast) manner.

• About.com: About.com has put together a list of Spanish language news sources, some of which are audio and some printed.
• RTVE: Spain’s national public broadcaster, RTVE, has a wide array of news broadcasts in Spanish
• SBS: SBS provides a list of Spanish news sources.
• MIT: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a list of news sources in Spanish in print, audio and video.
• News in Slow Spanish: If you are not quite up to speed with the rapid nature of a newscaster’s delivery, this is the resource for you.

Podcast Lessons: Structured Spanish to Help You Level Up

Listening to the news or watching television shows might be overwhelming if you’re new to Spanish. Online Spanish language lessons and podcasts are a great way to practise listening to the language using a graded, structured approach.

These online lessons and materials that will help you learn Spanish, while providing valuable listening practice.

• SpanishPod101: SpanishPod101 is one of the first resources I recommend to new Spanish learners. Their lessons and materials are top-notch.
• Notes in Spanish: Real, authentic Spanish language conversations, broken down to help you build confidence.
• Audiria: This podcast, put out by two brothers from Malaga, puts out daily (that’s right: daily) podcasts for Spanish learners.
• Coffee Break Spanish: This popular podcast from the Radio Lingua Network provides an introduction to the Spanish language as the host introduces aspects of the language to a beginner learner.
• Podcasts in Spanish: Over 170 podcasts for Spanish learners. The audio is free, but you’ll have to pay for the downloadable worksheets.
• Spanish Obsessed: Rob and Liz have put together an amazing collection of Spanish language materials, for everyone from total beginners to advanced learners.
• Language Treks: Language Treks has a selection of free Spanish language lessons on useful topics for daily life
• AiringPods: AiringPods lists dozens of Spanish podcasts you might want to try.

While all of these podcasts are related to Spanish language learners, what if you want to listen to podcasts direct from a Spanish speaking country? Searching through iTunes is often challenging since they target your search results based on your native language or country of residence. Here’s my hack for finding podcasts in your language of choice which will help you locate the best podcasts in the Spanish language. Be sure to check it out!

Where Do You Listen to Spanish?

Be sure to use these resources to increase your exposure to Spanish. Soon you’ll be improving both your comprehension and fluency with this wonderful language, and you’ll find that learning Spanish can be easy.
If you have any other suggestions or if I missed your favourite place to listen to Spanish online, let us know in the comments.

The post Listen to Spanish: 50+ Amazing Spanish Listening Resources appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

When I met Brian Kwong a few years ago and saw his immense enthusiasm, I was glad to see someone else so eagerly encouraging language learners. He surprised me further by putting his enthusiasm into practice and building a community where language learners support one another.

His Add1Challenge community is an excellent support network. Members give one another encouragement for speaking their target language.

Rather than have Brian talk about the community, I wanted to invite an active participant in the Add1Challenge to share everything involved. Here, Kevin Morehouse from Language Hero shares his experience with the community.

The central premise of the Add1Challenge is this: hold a 15 minute conversation in a new language after just 90 days of learning.

If the thought of a whirlwind sprint to the conversational finish line has you thinking twice, don’t worry. You’ll be taking on the task with dozens (perhaps hundreds!) of other language learners. Plus you’ll be part of one of the internet’s most vibrant and nuanced language learning communities t.

The Add1Challenge has rapidly become one of the most popular language learning tools on the web, and with good reason – it works!

The idea behind Add1Challenge was born from a presentation by language enthusiast Anthony Lauder.

Anthony Lauder’s presentation inspired the Add1Challenge.

In this presentation Lauder sought to boil down the quest to become a polyglot into a simple equation. To learn 10 languages you only have to follow two steps:

1. Learn nine languages.
2. Add one.

That’s one very difficult step, and one much easier one.

Want to learn eight languages?

Learn seven, then add one.

Following this logic, the easiest step towards becoming a polyglot always boils down to just adding one.

Brian Kwong attended this conference hot off the heels of his own successful three-month challenge in German. He heard Lauder’s words and was motivated to build a community where participants could support and inspire one another as they all attempted to learn a new language in 90 days.

With that, the Add1Challenge was born.

The Add1Challenge Gives You a Really Simple Mission

All participants in the Add1Challenge share one, singular goal:

Hold a fifteen minute conversation with a native speaker in 90 days.

How does the Add1Challenge help you achieve this goal?

Simple: Accountability and Community.

Accountability: You Can’t Quit When You’ve Got Friends Like These

The Add1Challenge holds you responsible for your learning. The entire challenge is structured so you can see your progress, share your experiences, and receive feedback.

Before you even start the challenge, you’ll meet the first line of accountability: the price tag. If you want to be part of the Add1 community, you’ll have to pay a fee of $97 USD. This is meant to separate the learners who are “on the fence” from those who are truly “all-in”. It makes participants more likely to stay committed to the community for the entire three months. As a bonus, Add1Challengers who complete their assigned tasks will have the opportunity to earn their money back (and more) in the form of prizes.

• At the start of the challenge, you pick one language to study for the entire 90-day period. Then, you must commit to how often you will study (days per week) and how long you will study (minutes per day). This is your non-negotiable study routine.

There are no official limits to how much or little studying you can do during the challenge, though the lower limit of days per week is typically four, and the lowest number of minutes per day is usually 30. The upper bound of the study routine is most often seven days a week at one hour per day, though recently I’ve seen a few challengers do two hours per day.

Here’s how it works:

• Every day, you will record your progress on the challenge-wide accountability tracker. If you meet your study goals for the day, you write “Yay!” If not, you write “Nay”.
• (Optional) Every week, you will check-in briefly with two small groups: your study group (challengers learning your target language) and your Mastermind group (random challengers).
• Every month, on Days 0, 30, and 60, you will submit a short video of yourself speaking in your target language.
• On day 91, you will submit your final video, where you will speak entirely in your target language with a native speaker for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Community members sharing their Day 1 and Day 91 videos.

Keep in mind, that the Add1Challenge team takes these requirements seriously. If you do not submit the required videos by their assigned deadlines, you will be removed from the Facebook group, without a refund.

Community: With the Add1Challenge, You’ll Never Walk Alone

At every turn, Add1Challengers are presented with opportunities to meet, interact, and learn with one another, including:

• The “Add1Challenge In Action” Facebook group: This is the primary hub for all Add1Challenge interactions. It is constantly bustling, with challengers posting their video submissions, asking questions, posting comments, and generally sharing their enthusiasm for all things related to language learning. If you’re in search of advice or feedback from a large variety of committed language learners from all walks of life, the official Add1Challenge Facebook group is the place to be.

A glimpse inside the official Add1Challenge Facebook Group.

• The Mastermind Groups: This is an optional feature of the Add1Challenge, but one I’d highly recommend checking out. If you join a Mastermind group, you will be given access to a private Facebook group along with several other randomly selected challengers. Since these groups are not language specific, these groups are great for discussing the more general challenges of language learning, such as motivation, time management, and study methods.
• The Study Groups: Another optional feature, the study group functions in the same manner as the mastermind group, except that you will only be paired with people that are studying your language of choice. Since you all share common linguistic ground, the possibilities here are nearly endless: you can chat exclusively in your target language, you can discuss grammar and vocabulary, you can share resources, recommend tutors, and even come up with activities to complete from week to week. Study groups are heavily encouraged to meet with one-another over Skype, as well.
• The “Burning Questions” Google Hangouts: This is one of the key features of the Add1Challenge that I believe separates it from other online language challenges: every month, challengers are given the opportunity to “pick the brains” of various established members of the polyglot community. This is a fantastic chance to share your struggles with heavily experienced language learners, and hear their thoughts on whatever challenges or doubts you may be going through as you learn. Questions are fielded either directly from Hangout participants (limited seating, get there early), from email submissions, or from questions posted within the official Add1Challenge Facebook group. Past “Burning Questions” polyglots have included Benny Lewis, Luca Lampariello, Judith Meyer, Richard Simcott, Olly Richards, and Conor Clyne.

Our very own Benny Lewis in a Burning Questions Hangout.

• Assignments and Mini-Challenges: Throughout the challenge, members of the official Facebook group can participate in optional assignments and mini-challenges. Assignments usually require you to briefly write your experiences about a specific aspect of the challenge for others to see and comment on. Mini-Challenges are generally intensive two-week “sprints” that require you to do as much as you can of a specific task. Past challenges include writing target language sentences, logging speaking hours, and even joining the italki language challenge.
• Grand Prize Voting: Depending on the number of participants in any given challenge, the Add1Challenge team is able to award a free round-trip ticket to any target language destination of the winner’s choice. In the first round of voting, participants nominate one another, and often share stories about how much they’ve learned from or been inspired by other challengers over the course of the three months. The votes are then tallied, and the challengers with the most votes then go to the final round, where the winner is selected by Brian and a panel of expert polyglots.
• Many More Opportunities: The Add1Challenge is always evolving. With each new iteration, I’ve seen Brian and his team add more and more features aimed at helping you successfully achieve that 15-minute conversation on the challenge’s final day. Newer iterations have even included free language learning materials and a “language hacking” course.

My Experience with the Add1Challenge

Prior to joining the fifth Add1Challenge, I had had years of experience studying several languages in a variety of contexts. With my diverse experiences, I never expected the Add1Challenge to impact my learning style as much as it did. The Add1Challenge, with its daily YAY or NAY accountability tracker, gave me something I had never had before: a reason to show up every day.

I’ve taken classes, downloaded apps, and purchased tutoring sessions, but none of those things ever gave me a need to show up day in, day out, Sunday to Saturday. When I joined the Add1Challenge I suddenly felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. I had dozens of people walking the same path as I was, and I strongly felt the need to give the challenge my all, so I didn’t let them down.

For both of the challenges I’ve been a part of thus far, I’ve made the choice to learn for an hour every day. Depending on your circumstances, that may or may not be a viable option. But whatever you choose to do, I’m sure you will find that on those days when you’re not learning, you begin to miss it. You’ll miss typing in your YAY for the day, and filling in the little green box. You’ll find yourself inexplicably pulled towards building a chain of successive “yays”.

Once you’ve got a streak going, you’ll become protective of it, and your study routine will become an essential part of your day. Soon, as you watch your line of successes build alongside your fellow challengers, you’ll realize that you no longer have to actively think about whether or not you’re going to study. You just do it. At that point, language learning has become a habit.

Altogether, the interconnected elements of the Add1Challenge have helped me build a daily language habit and gain serious momentum in my studies. With each passing day (and each box checked) I got a little bit better at my language skills. Taken one day at a time, this progress might not seem like much, but over a three-month span, it meant I was light-years ahead of where I would have been with my choppy, inconsistent study habits that I had held previously.

For my first Add1Challenge, I took on French. My brief sojourn into the language during my university years yielded sub-par results. I saw the fifth Add1Challenge as an opportunity to finally make some headway into a language that I had always seen as opaque, despite my experience with other Latin-based tongues.

Make headway I did. One hour at a time, I took myself from a near-beginner in French on Day 1 almost all the way to the intermediate level on day 90. I didn’t do it alone, of course. I had the help of some excellent tutors, quality resources, and of course my group mates, who kept me learning and laughing with them all the way through. I enjoyed the process so much that I didn’t even miss one single day of my French studies. Where I first completed my daily routine out of obligation to myself and my fellow learners, I later completed it out of reflex. Learning French has become such a part of my life now that I give no thought to whether or not I’m going to put in my hour. I just find the time, and get it done.

This is not to say that the challenge was easy. Even if you build the language learning habit, your motivation will always tend to wax and wane. This is why I made sure I had a wide variety of learning activities to draw from—like reading non-fiction books, watching movies, listening to music, chatting with a tutor, and even pronunciation practice—that I could rotate through to make sure I never got bored enough to even consider giving up.

The Add1Challenge Gives You The Freedom to Learn Your Way

More Day 91 videos from Add1Challenge community members.

The Add1Challenge is great for language learners who need some basic structure in their learning efforts. At any given time, there are learning targets to be aimed at, fellow learners to check-in with, challenges to be completed, and videos to be made.

However, if you are looking for your hand to be held throughout the learning process, the challenge may not be for you.

Though you are expressly required to submit your four progress videos by certain deadlines, the Add1Challenge provides you with an incredible amount of freedom and flexibility in nearly every other area. In fact, I would go so far as to say the Add1Challenge leaves all of the important choices to the learner, including what language you’ll study, how often you’ll study, when you’ll study, and what materials you’ll study with.

Put simply, the Add1Challenge is a force multiplier. Every ounce of effort you apply to it will yield tons of rewards in terms of knowledge, skills, friendships, and more. If you use the Add1 ecosystem to your advantage, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more motivating environment in which to learn and grow.

Note, however, that since the Add1Challenge only multiplies your efforts, it cannot make something out of nothing. Just as you are free to choose your learning path, you will also be free to falter and fail. If you do not follow your plan, engage with the community, use the resources, and even ask for help when you need it, you will not attain the results you are looking for, challenge or not.

Is There Anything Not To Like?

The Add1Challenge’s greatest weaknesses are the unfortunate result of its greatest strength: people.

Where I’ve seen many challengers thrive and become standout members of the community, I’ve also seen others fade into the background, sometimes never to be heard from again.

For every study group or mastermind group full of dedicated, punctual, motivated learners, I’ve seen or heard of another that struggles due to poor participation, lack of direction, or time zone troubles. Learners of obscure or underrepresented languages even run the risk of having no one to form a study group with.

Each person has different ways of approaching the challenge, which means that levels of satisfaction can vary wildly. If you’re not fortunate enough to be paired with responsible, proactive learners, you may feel lost or out of place, and your opinion of the challenge will likely reflect that.

I believe that the above circumstances are merely the consequence of the Add1Challenge’s youthfulness. Having not yet hit its tenth installment, the Add1Challenge’s community and staff does not have the sheer numbers and infrastructure it would need to ensure that everyone has the guidance they need.

As the challenge grows in size and prominence, I would like to see much of this guiding infrastructure filled in. For mastermind and study groups, I envision an official “Add1 Action Plan” that will help groups decide how to effectively organize and carry out group meetings. For language newbies in need of direction, I would like to see one-on-one coaching, or even an “accountability buddy” system that pairs each new participant with an experienced Add1 veteran. I am also eager to see Add1’s community together in the real world, in the form of in-person meetup groups, parties, and even conferences.

I do believe the Add1Challenge is headed in this direction. But it is not there yet. For the Add1Challenge to be the best it can be, it needs one thing: you. Without you, and without more people like you, none of these things will be possible. So please: show up, take part, and show the world that you are up to the challenge of learning a language.

So What Are You Waiting For?

Whether you’re making your first foray into languages, or you’re a seasoned polyglot aiming to add one more to the pile–the Add1Challenge can’t be beat. Its community and depth of resources gives you the tools necessary to get started on the right foot, and the momentum to keep you coming back for more.

Head to Add1Challenge’s site and sign up today.

About the author: Kevin Morehouse is a language coach and blogger who writes about language learning motivation and mindset at Language Hero.

The post Add1Challenge Review: Learn a Language in 90 Days appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

With Spanish as your target language, you know how important it is to learn lots of Spanish words and pick up basic grammar.

One of the best ways (besides speaking) to learn Spanish words and grammar is to read Spanish. The problem? Textbooks are too basic (or too boring!), while novels are difficult for beginners.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a collection of reading resources that are perfect for beginner and intermediate Spanish learners. They’re easy to read, and just as important, they’re fun to read.

As long as you know a few basic Spanish phrases, then you’re ready to dig in.

The Breakdown of Reading Resources

This article includes Spanish reading resources in several categories:

• Reading Resources for the Beginner Spanish Learner
• Amazing Children’s Books to Build Your Skills
• Spanish Reading Resources with Video and Audio
• News, Information and Current Events in Spanish
• Apps for Spanish Reading Practise
• Paid Resources to Help You Build Your Spanish Reading Skills

I’ve included over 30 resources, most of which contain dozens of articles and stories to read.

Reading Resources for Beginner Spanish Learners

These resources are perfect to help you master the basics of Spanish and build essential vocabulary.

Reading Passages with Vocabulary Lists
Each passage on topics from Bancos (Banks) to Viajes (Travels) includes a helpful list of related vocabulary.

Reading Comprehension for Teachers and Students
This list of a dozen reading resources is designed to help beginners with reading comprehension.

200+ Passages with Quizzes
This massive collection of over 200 Spanish passages includes integrated quizzes so you can check you’ve fully understood what you’ve read.

Spanish Stories and Much More
This website features a selection of Spanish stories. It also includes a variety of other Spanish reading materials, such as poems, riddles and more!

Cultural Readings for Various Levels
These texts deal with cultural topics in Latin America and Spain, and are broken up by level. Start at A1 if you’re a beginner.

Amazing Children’s Books to Build Your Skills

These children’s books are aimed at beginner Spanish readers, and are much more entertaining than dry essays or reports.

International Children’s Digital Library
The ICDL has a massive collection of children’s books from around the world, including many in Spanish. This website is a treasure trove for language learners.

Children’s Books Forever
These cute downloadable Spanish books feature charming illustrations.

Grimm Stories in Spanish
The Brothers Grimm are known for collecting classic stories including Hansel y Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). What makes this website extra special is that each story is available in many different languages. You can compare, side by side, the Spanish version with one in your native language.

Hans Christian Andersen Stories in Spanish
As with the Grimm stories mentioned above, here’s the same service for the stories of Hans Christian Andersen.

Childrens Books Online
This is another brilliant selection of children’s books, many in Spanish. It includes classics like Jack and the Beanstalk and The Golden Goose.

Spanish Comic Strips
Comic strips are great fun for all ages. This website includes several popular comic strips such as Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes in Spanish translations.

Spanish Reading Resources with Video and Audio

Reading is a great way to discover new Spanish words. It’s even better when you can listen to the audio of what you’re reading or watch the stories acted out.

20 Readings with Audio
This website provides over 20 readings for beginners, together with audio recordings.

Listen and Read Spanish – With a Quiz
These readings with audio have a built-in quiz system, so you can double check what you’ve learned.

University of Texas Austin Spanish Proficiency Exercises
This amazing resource features videos of native Spanish speakers from many different regions. It focuses on 15 main language skills such as describing basic objects, counting, and talking about your family.

News, Information and Current Events in Spanish

I love reading newspapers and magazines to learn Spanish. I find out what’s going on in the world and improve my reading skills!

Spanish News Bites
This website provides small, bite-sized chunks of news in Spanish. Perfect for a beginner Spanish learner.

CNN in Spanish
Not just for beginners, this is CNN’s Spanish-language website, providing all the latest headlines.

Online Newspapers in Spanish
M.I.T. has put together this comprehensive list of Spanish language newspapers. You’re sure to find a newspaper you like.

Even More Online Newspapers in Spanish
Another list of online newspapers for Spanish readers.

Wikipedia in Spanish
Believe it or not, you can get Spanish reading practice from Wikipedia. Search for any topic in your native language, and then click on the left column link for Spanish to be taken to the Spanish language version of that article. This is a great way to build topic-specific vocabulary.

Apps for Spanish Reading Practice

There are lots of apps that can help you practice your Spanish reading skills. Here are a few of the best..

Duolingo
Duolingo is a fun language learning app for iOS and Android. It provides a guided, gentle introduction to Spanish, with quizzes and reading exercises.

FluentU Spanish
FluentU curates the best Spanish videos on the web and provides reading tools to help you study them effectively.

Cat Academy
This free app combines the appeal of cats with the language learning power of SRS (Spaced Repetition Systems, more on these in a moment).

Paid Resources to Help You Build Your Spanish Reading Skills

All the resources I’ve shared so far have been free. But if you want results fast, you might consider investing in paid products.

Spanish Pod 101
I’m a big fan of Innovative Language podcasts. What you might not realise is that all their materials include downloadable transcripts so you can practice your reading right along with your listening.

Amazon’s Spanish Children’s Books
This selection of the best selling Spanish language children’s books is ideal for beginner Spanish learners.

Teach Yourself Spanish
Teach Yourself Spanish includes plenty of opportunities for reading practice.

Yabla Spanish
I love Yabla. They’ve curated the best video content they can find online over a range of fun topics, and they host the videos on their site with precisely timed subtitles in both English and Spanish. A great way to practise your reading!

Coffee Break Spanish
This programme by the Radio Lingua Network provides audio-focused lesson. You can also get downloadable transcripts to help with your reading comprehension.

4 Hacks to Help You Speed Up Your Spanish Reading Progress

Here are my top tips to help you cut hours off your study time, so you can become a Spanish reader faster than you ever thought possible.

Improve Your Recall with Spaced Repetition Systems
SRS is the best way I know to quickly learn new words. SRS prompts you to recall new words when you’re on the verge of forgetting them. This makes them stick in your long-term memory. My favourite SRS tool is the Anki flashcard app.

Use Mnemonics for Better Memory Retention
Mnemonics provide “hooks” for your brain to attach information, which makes them harder to forget. One of the best (and free) apps for setting up mnemonic devices is Memrise.

Increase Your Reading Speed Using Learning With Texts
This open-source, cloud-based foreign language reading app will help you absorb Spanish vocabulary at an accelerated rate. Best of all, it’s free!

Pomodoro Your Productivity
The Pomodoro Technique is a way of breaking up your study sessions into short segments, followed by even shorter breaks. This helps you study faster and smarter.

What Are You Waiting For? Get Reading Spanish!

Reading in Spanish is important. However, the best way to learn Spanish fast is to speak from day one. I always recommend a study programme focused on speaking.

Reading isn’t an end unto itself. It’s a tool to help you learn new words. It also exposes you to grammar and culture.

With this list of reading resources for beginner Spanish learners, you can level up your Spanish language faster than ever!

The post Learn Spanish: 30+ Resources for Spanish Reading Practice (Beginner to Intermediate) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

English can be a tricky language to learn. It’s full of weird spellings and strange pronunciations. As such, good English listening resources are really helpful for English learners.

That’s why I’ve put together this collection of English listening resources – to help you become a better listener as you improve your English.

This resources list is organised into five categories:

• Videos: Watching videos helps you understand body language and provides valuable visual cues for your listening practise.
• Podcasts and Radio: For covering a variety of topics and speaking styles, podcasts and online radio can’t be beaten.
• Music: Listening to music gives you a look at the creative and poetic side of a language.
• News: News provides you with more formal, standard use of the language, combined with contemporary topics.
• Lessons: Lessons allow you to listen to English in a structured environment. This is really helpful when you first start learning English.

These English listening resources are for everyone, regardless of your level. So, let’s get started!

Videos for English Listening: Your Key To Understanding Body Language

Videos let you see body language. This is really important, because people say as much with their bodies as with their lips. Video is the only type of listening practice lets you see body language, so it’s a perfect place to start.

English YouTube Channels and Web Shows

YouTube started in the United States so of course there are lots of web series in English. Here are a few to help you view life in the English speaking world.

• Chad Vader: Ideal for Star Wars fans, this show is about Chad Vader, a day shift manager at the local Empire Market.
• Gary Saves the Graveyard: Created by the celebrated comedy group, The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, this show is about a man tasked with keeping 235 zombies entertained while they wait for eternal peace.
• Long Story Short: This series of short clips (each under five minutes) share the internal dialogue of a young man as he goes around his daily routine. Short sentences and big jokes make this one worth watching.
• S.O.S.: Save Our Skins: Part sci-fi, part horror, part comedy, S.O.S. won the best British Web Series award at the Raindance Web Festival in 2014.
• Written It Down: This unscripted comedy series by Australian actors won numerous awards at LA Webfest.
• About.com Video: About.com has a huge video database with topics on just about anything you can imagine. Not a web series, but still a fantastic resource for English listening.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. Run a search on YouTube for “web series” and you’re sure to find plenty of English videos to keep you entertained for hours as you learn English.

Live Video Chat with Native English Speakers

I’ve had great success in my language learning missions when video chatting with tutors. Watching someone’s body language while they are responding to what you say is much more authentic than just watching actors in a movie.

The best part? Everything you watch is 100% related to you and your life!

It’s worth checking out the following:

• Google Hangouts: You can chat face-to-face using Google’s popular video and voice calling system. To put yourself out on a limb, you can broadcast the call live to the whole world!
• Periscope: If you haven’t jumped on the Periscope bandwagon yet, you might not be too familiar with this live streaming video service. Recently I discovered you can search for live streaming video from different countries around the world, including of course English-speaking countries. This is a direct pipeline to listen to English (or any language) in a very authentic way. After signing up, follow me by searching for “polyglot”!
• Apple Facetime: If both you and your conversation partner have Apple devices, then you can have a free call on Apple’s video conferencing software. This comes bundled with Apple computers, tablets and phones.
• Tango: While I don’t have direct experience of this software, I’ve heard it is a good way to have face-to-face conversations with people all around the world.
• Skype: The standard for most people when it comes to making video calls online. If you download eCamm’s Skype Call Recorder for Mac, or Pamela on Windows, you can record your conversations to review them later on.
• LiveStream: While this isn’t a chat service, LiveStream is a platform where people can broadcast events or activities online. A great sampling of different people and genres from around the world.

Of course, all this assumes you have someone to speak with in English. If you need a language conversation partner, be sure to check out italki, where you can find amazing native English speaking teachers.

How to Watch English Television Online

Many English language TV shows can’t be viewed outside of the country of broadcast due to copyright. That means the pickings here are slim. Even so, I’d recommend that you catch up with English language television using these resources:

• Viki: Viki is a community of television viewers who help create subtitles for shows from around the world. While mostly known for their Asian Dramas, they also have a wide selection of programmes from English speaking countries.
• USTV Now: For American military personnel and families overseas, this service streams US TV networks online. The free service gets you seven networks like FOX, NBC and ABC.
• Hulu: Hulu, a popular video streaming website based in the US, has lots of current and popular shows. If you are outside of the US you may need to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service to view the shows due to regional copyright restrictions.
• Netflix: Netflix is a paid-service for streaming TV shows and movies. You will also need a VPN if you are watching outside of their coverage areas.
  In both cases, the easiest VPN I’ve found to use is the Hola plugin when watching in your browser.

English Movies

The US is the home of Hollywood. If you’re an English learner that means you have an easy source of great English listening materials at your fingertips! Again, if you see country restrictions, try using a VPN plugin.

• Hulu Movies: Hulu comes to the rescue again with a great selection English language movies.
• SBS: SBS, a service broadcast out of Australia, has a large selection of movies from around the world.
• Netflix: Netflix has an astonishing selection of movies. Just remember that Netflix is a paid service and you may need a VPN service to view it outside the US.
• Fandor: Fandor, similar to Netflix, is a paid subscription site that provides many films from around the world in a variety of languages.

English Video Lessons

The best part about video lessons in English is that they often follow a structured format. This is is perfect for new English speakers.

The following is a selection of some of great English video lessons to help you get started:

• FluentU English: FluentU curates videos from all over the web, includes subtitles in various languages, and organises them for easy study.
• Yabla English: Yabla specialises in helping you pick up English through videos in a natural way, with real English spoken by real people. You can check out some of the their sample videos and see what it’s all about.
• Learn English Through Stories: This genius YouTube channel helps you by reading you stories. Play it before you sleep for a perfect bedtime.
• English Anyone: With over 100,000 subscribers, Drew’s channel focuses on building native skills with English. With his clear diction and way of speaking he’s very easy to understand.
• Rachel’s English: Rachel’s channel focuses on helping you develop your American pronunciation by showing you how sounds are created.
• EngVid: With over 900 lessons, EngVid provides a YouTube channel for each of their 11 teachers. Plus, each teacher is from a different part of the world. If you want to practice listening to clearly spoken English with a variety of accents, then this is your channel!

Online Radio: Whatever You’re Interested In, There’s a Station for You

Online radio provides a wide sampling of topics you may not normally be exposed to. That’s why I love listening to it. Plus, it represents English spoken the way you hear it in real life. Remember: English is an official language in over 80 countries, which means there are a ton of radio stations available, in accents from all around the world.

• Listen Live Europe: This website contains online radio stations for a variety of countries in Europe, including those in the UK and Ireland.
• Talk Stream Live: This network of streaming radio talk shows is a treasure trove of English listening resources.
• Talk Zone: Another network of online talk radio shows to help you listen to more English.
• TuneIn: TuneIn is one of my favourite apps for listening to radio stations from around the world. They even have a category just for Talk Radio.

Music: A Gateway to English Lyrics and Creativity

English is different when used creatively in poetry and song. The topics and issues discussed through music or poetry tend to be closer to our minds and hearts.

Listening to music in English is a fantastic way to develop an ear for the language while being entertained and moved.

Here are some websites and links where you can find English music online.

• TuneIn English: This awesome resource also includes many stations focused on music.
• Irish Pub Radio: A music station from my home country, Irish Pub Radio streams a 24 hour selection of music that’s close to my heart.
• I Heart Radio: Just tell this website which type of music you like and they’ll set you up with a customised playlist of English music.
• Live 365: This network of online radio provides a listing of stations from all around the world.
• Jango: Jango gives you free online radio based on your preferred styles and artists
• Radio Tuna: As it’s tagline says, this is online radio made easy. Pick a genre or artist and you’re good to go!
• Pandora: Probably one of the first online music services, Pandora uses the technology from the music genome project to provide you with music you’ll love.

If all of those aren’t enough, the Telegraph newspaper has put together an exhaustive resource of their favourite online radio stations. Can’t find a radio station to satisfy your tastes here? Then it probably doesn’t exist!

And if music’s not enough, you can listen to English poetry on the following websites:

• Poetry Out Loud: Poems and performances to increase your creative listening skills.
• Poetry Archive: The Poetry Archive has a variety of audio recordings of poets reciting their own poems.

News: Contemporary Topics In Standard English

Having a conversation about the economy, politics, the latest movies or sports may prove challenging if you aren’t up to date with what’s going on in the world. Listening to the news in English will teach you valuable current vocabulary, and teach you the best way to phrase common expressions on popular topics. Plus, newscasters tend to use standard pronunciation, so this is a good way to hear things said in a clear (although somewhat fast) manner.

• The Voice of America: Probably one of the best known English language news sources in the world, the VOA has been broadcasting world-wide for the better part of the last century.
• ABC Radio: This is the official radio broadcast of the American Broadcasting Channel in the U.S.
• CNN Radio Soundwaves: CNN also has an online radio broadcast to share it’s 24/7 news reporting with the world.
• BBC News: The British Broadcasting Service provides this online feed of it’s world news service.
• CBS Radio News: Another U.S. television network with it’s own radio news offering.
• National Public Radio: The non-profit NPR network is known for it’s in-depth reporting on a wide variety of topics.
• News in Easy English: Listen to news reports spoken with easy-to-understand English.

Podcast Lessons: Structured English to Help You Level Up

If you’re just getting started with English, then listening to the news or watching television shows might be overwhelming. Online English language lessons and podcasts are a great way to practise listening to the language in a graded, structured approach.

The good news is that since English is such a popular language for people to learn, the amount of English-learning podcast lessons are immense!

Here are some links to online lessons and materials that will help you learn English, while providing valuable listening practice.

• EnglishClass101: EnglishPod101 is one of the first resources I recommend to new English language learners. Their lessons and materials are top-notch.
• ESL Pod: This podcast has over 1,000 lessons for English learners to pick from!
• CU Lips Podcast: Fun English lessons with natural expressions and commonly-used vocabulary
• 6 Minute English: This new offering from the BBC gives you English lessons in bite-sized chunks.
• The English We Speak: Another podcast from the BBC, this one focuses on the curiosities of spoken English.
• Listen to English – Learn English!: These short (5 minutes or less) podcasts improve your listening skill with clearly spoken conversations.
• Better at English – Listen and Learn: Genuine, unscripted conversations in English. You can download transcripts at their website.
• Quality Time ESL: Clearly spoken oral exercises with an emphasis on grammar, correct usage and pronunciation.
• ESL Aloud: Guided lessons in spoken English for those wanting to improve their communication skills.
• English Vocabulary for Business: This podcast teaches advanced business-related vocabulary.

While all of these podcasts are related to English language learners, what if you want to listen to podcasts direct from America, England, Ireland, Australia or another English-speaking country? Searching through iTunes is often challenging since they target your search results based on your native language or country of residence. Here’s my hack for finding podcasts in your language of choice which will help you locate the best podcasts in the English language.

Where Do You Listen to English?

Be sure to use these resources to increase your exposure to the English language. Soon you’ll be improving both your comprehension and fluency.

If you have any other suggestions or if I missed your favourite place to listen to English online, let us know in the comments.

The post English Listening Practice: 50+ Brilliant Resources for ESL Learners appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Learning how to speak Spanish? It can be tricky to find high quality online lessons that don’t cost a fortune.

You want to learn Spanish, and you’re willing to put in the time, but where can you go to learn?

With this question in mind, I’ve put together a list of online Spanish lessons that won’t cost you a single cent. While some of these programmes have a paid service, many of them are completely free, and all of them provide a hefty selection of free lessons that are perfect for getting started with Spanish.

Ready? Let’s get to it!

Free Online Podcasts To Help You Learn Spanish

Podcasts are one of my favourite ways to learn a language. You can take them with you wherever you go. Then, anytime you have a spare moment you can listen to native speakers teach you their language.

There are a lot of Spanish language podcasts out there, but not many that provide a complete language learning programme to help you build up your skills. Here are a few worth checking out:

• Spanish Pod 101: Innovative Language, who produce this podcast, are my go-to publisher when I’m starting to learn a new language. It’s free to sign up and learn the basics. You’ll have to pay for more advanced lessons and premium material, although it’s worth it.
• Coffee Break Spanish: Get a daily dose of Spanish in just a few minutes with this popular podcast.
• Show Time Spanish: From the same folks that brought you Coffee Break Spanish, this series is for intermediate and advanced learners.
• Finally Learn Spanish – Beyond the Basics: Perfect for those who studied Spanish in the past and need focused practise on listening and speaking.
• Insta Spanish Lessons: This popular Spanish language podcast features weekly lessons for students of all levels.
• Notes in Spanish: A husband (British) and wife (Spanish) team share lessons on real spoken Spanish for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners.
• Learn Spanish with La Casa Rojas: Intermediate and advanced Spanish learners will appreciate that in this podcast absolutely no English is spoken.

Learn Spanish with Free Audio Lessons

Not all study programmes come in podcast form. Here are some free Spanish audio lessons that you can get without subscribing on iTunes or using an app:

• 123 Teach Me Spanish: Hundreds of lessons in a structured format make this a fantastic starting point for learning Spanish online.
• FSI Basic Spanish: The Foreign Service Institute’s 55 lesson Spanish language course was developed by the United States government and includes downloadable PDF textbooks. It focuses on the Latin American dialect.
• Spanish for Beginners: A compact selection of eight lessons that are perfect for beginner Spanish learners.

YouTube: Free Video Spanish Lessons

YouTube is a treasure trove of Spanish language materials. The following channels will provide hours of useful Spanish language instruction.

• Professor Jason Spanish: Professor Jason’s videos have close to five million views in total. His extensive video lessons cover a wide variety of Spanish language topics.
• Spanish Dict: These expertly produced videos are incredibly popular, and have a high-energy style to keep you engaged wihen the going gets tough.
• Spanish Pod 101: This series of free Spanish video lessons from Innovative Language provides an excellent taster if you’re thinking about signing up for their podcast.
• Spanish Sessions: These 48 videos are recordings of one-to-one Spanish classes, in Spanish. Don’t worry if you’re just starting out, as they’re subtitled.
• Agustin Iruela: These lessons are produced according to the CERFL levels from A1 to B2. They’re a hidden gem, so don’t tell everyone!
• Master Spanish Language: A series of 40 Spanish lessons for the complete beginner, with barebones production values. Close to half a million learners must be onto something.

More Free Spanish Video Lessons

Besides Spanish lessons available on YouTube, there are some clever and well-produced Spanish language video material from top notch sources.

• 5 Minute Spanish: A self-paced course from the University of Arkansas.
• Destinos: an Introduction to Spanish: This 52 episode series teaches you Spanish through an engrossing telenova – a Spanish language television drama.
• Mi Vida Loca: This immersive video mystery was produced by the BBC to engage Spanish learners.
• Talk Spanish: Another offering from BBC with 10 focused lessons for total beginners.

Free Online Spanish Courses and Systems

Some of these language courses have lessons for sale. All include free lessons to help you get started with your Spanish language journey.

• FluentU Spanish: Real world videos make this course unique and entertaining.
  StudySpanish.com: Over 1,000 pages of free Spanish learning materials.
  Spanish MOOC: Free beginner courses with real teachers on hand to answer your questions.
  Duolingo Spanish: 38.5 million users mean that Duolingo is one of the most popular online Spanish language courses around. And it’s completely free. Check out our review to learn more.
  Medical Spanish for Healthcare Providers: A series of lessons and resources custom made for those in the medical field.

Which Free Online Spanish Language Lessons Do You Use?

It is amazing how many high quality resources are available to learn Spanish online, at no cost. Though I’ve featured 25 places you can learn Spanish for free, I’m sure there are many more. What have I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Want more? Check out Benny’s favourite Spanish resources.

The post 25 Free Online Spanish Language Lessons appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Due to popular demand, we’ll continue to expand on languages we share resources for, here on fluentin3months. Today, I’ve invited native speaker Anna Breslavskaya to help us dive in. Let’s see what she came up with:

Привет всем! Hello everyone!

It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of listening when learning a foreign language. Being able to understand others is the key to effective communication and to getting the feel of a language.

So, I’ve collected a number of Russian listening resources that can help you improve your Russian listening skills as well as get to know more about Russian culture and its trends.

I’ve organised the resources into nine categories:

• YouTube Channels: Watching videos helps you understand body language and provides valuable visual cues for your listening practice.
• Live Video Chat. Thanks to to the internet, it’s really easy to find language partners to learn with. I’ll show you the best software to use for chatting.
• TV and Radio: This media gives you full immersion into the Russian speaking world.
• Video Lessons: It is helpful to listen to Russian in a structured environment, especially when you are first starting out. Lessons and courses provide this.
• Online Lectures: Lectures show a more formal, standard use of Russian, combined with the opportunity to learn something new.
• Music: Listening to music gives you a look at the creative side of Russian.
• Podcasts: These are the best way to learn on the go and make use of downtime.
• News: Russian spoken in a formal way.
• Audio Books: Fiction demonstrates the poetic side of Russian.

Whatever your Russian level is – beginner, intermediate or advanced – you’ll find Russian listening resources for you.

Поехали! Let’s go!

Russian YouTube Channels

• This is хорошо: The host of this channel shares and comments on hilarious videos found on the internet. One of the most popular YouTube channels in Russia. Fantastic for advanced learners or for those who’d like to get a taste of spoken Russian.
• 100500voprosov: The host asks embarrassing, funny, stupid and serious questions in public places. The best way to see all sorts of people and ways of speaking Russian.
• Ugrant Show: An extremely popular TV show in Russia that now has its own YouTube channel. Intelligent and funny!

Live Video Chat with Russian Native Speakers

• Google hangouts: Make voice and video calls with this user-friendly programme.
• Skype: The most popular way to make video calls. Make the most of your sessions by recording voice calls with MP3 Skype Recorder, and video calls with the Free Video Call Recorder for Skype.
• Viber: Every second Russian has got Viber on their phone. A very convenient way to make voice and video calls.

Of course, all this assumes you have someone to speak with in Russian. If you need a language conversation partner, be sure to check out iTalki, where you can find amazing native Russian speaking teachers and tutors.

Russian Television and Radio

Note: If you’re based outside Russian, you made need to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access some of these TV channels and radio shows.

• wwiTV: A list of the main Russian TV channels. Click on the title of any channel to start watching.
• Squid TV: A collection of links to a huge number of Russian channels divided by topic and location.
• IVI: A collection of the best Russian TV series that you can watch online for free.
• Vizeozal: Another source of series that can be streamed for free. Choose from almost 100 Russian series.
• Reddit: A Reddit thread that provides links to Russian films with English subtitles.
• RussianFM: A minimalistic webpage with a number of Russian radio stations that you can listen to online.
• Listenlive: A much bigger list of radio stations grouped by topic and region.
• Tunein: Tunein connects you with hundreds of Russian radio stations, as well as various podcast channels.

Russian Video Lessons and Courses

• RussianPod101: These short video lessons are a great add-on to the podcast of the same name. They are especially useful for beginners.
• Easy Russian: A channel created by a very funny woman teaching vocabulary and grammar in an entertaining way.
• Weekly Russian: Russian lessons for beginners.
• Learning Russian from the Streets: Short videos of people in the street being asked different questions. Each video has subtitles with an English translation. This is real spoken Russian.
• Mini-Videos for Learners of Intermediate Russian: Short clips from a comedy serial accompanied by a transcript and vocabulary notes. Laugh and learn at the same time.

Online Russian Lectures

• Universarium: I love using MOOCs when I’ve reached a B1/B2 level in a language. Taking a course designed for native speakers is an opportunity to progress to a higher level in a natural way (the way we did it in college) through studying subjects like maths, literature and science. Universarium is the first Russian MOOC platform. Currently there are 84 courses available. I’d recommend you to check out these ones.
• Lektorium: A good collection of lectures on academic subjects.
• Nowchpok: A YouTube channel with awesome animated videos answering curious questions, such as “why do we laugh, kiss, blush?” Good training for getting used to fast Russian speech.

Russian Music

• Lyrics Gaps: Here you’ll find a useful way to practice your listening skills with Russian songs. Listen to a song and fill the gaps in the song lyrics.
• Songs with Lyrics and Translation: Head over to YouTube to sing-along to some well known Russian songs.
• Disney Songs with Russian and English subtitles:
  I love listening to Disney songs in any language. This is a special playlist of songs that have Russian subtitles.
• Disney songs playlist: Even more Disney songs in Russian.
• Popular Songs with Lyrics: A number of music videos of popular Russian songs together with lyrics.

Russian Podcasts

• A Spoonful of Russian: A podcast for beginner and intermediate learners.
• Learn Russian Step by Step: The perfect podcast for beginners. It does what it says – taking you through Russian grammar and vocabulary step by step.
• A Beginner Course of Spoken Russian: Simple dialogues recorded in two voices and easy stories with comprehension questions.
• Ochen po russki: This podcast is a must for those interested in Russian slang.
• Speaking Russian: A beginner podcast suitable for those looking to pick up some basics before a trip to Russia.
• RusPod: A fantastic podcast for the beginner and elementary level. The website is user-friendly and provides perfect supporting materials.
• Russian Made Easy: A good podcast for English speakers just beginning to study the Russian alphabet.
• Survival Phrases: Eighteen short episodes to listen to on your flight to Russia.
• RussianPod101 A famous and professional podcast from RussianPod101 that Lauren of Fluent in 3 Months used in her Russian mission.
• Russian Podcast: This is a treat for intermediate learners. The host creates dialogues on a variety of topics and explains new words and expressions. The accompanying PDF guides are free.
• A taste of Russian: A great podcast for learning informal language and slang. A must for intermediate learners.
• Russificate Podcasts: Advanced learners welcome! Russian idioms, proverbs, poetry and much more.
• Business Russian Podcast: If you’re learning business Russian and have reached B1 level, these podcasts are for you.
• Shkola zhizni Podcast: Podcasts on all sorts of topics from an online Russian magazine targeted at Russians.
• Airing Pods: Over 30 Russian podcasts to choose from.

Russian News

• News in Slow Russian: The only source of news in easy and slow Russian. Unfortunately, new content hasn’t been posted for a while. Nevertheless, it might be useful, if you’d like to understand Russian news programmes.
• Echo of Moscow: Russia’s best news radio station.
• Radio Potok: A collection of many other Russian news radio stations.

Russian AudioBooks

• Loyal Books: Russian books and poems recorded by volunteers.
• Auguo: Pearls of classic Russian literature for reading and listening to online.
• Listening Gallery: A collection of Russian poems with translation into English.
• My Chekhov: Listen to and read the best short stories of the renowned Anton Chekhov
• Anna Ahmatova: Audio poems of best Russian poetess of the 20th century.
• Asbook: A huge collection of modern audiobooks and radio shows.

Where do You Listen to Russian?

This is a huge list of resources. Where should you start? Choose the resources that best suit your interests and your level and listen to Russian every day. Over time, you’ll develop confidence in listening to spoken Russian.

If you have any suggestions for other Russian listening resources, or questions about listening to Russian, please share in the comments.

Удачи! Good luck!
About the author: Anna Breslavskaya is a language coach and a blogger who writes about learning and teaching English on AnnaEdu. She teaches English and Russian online. She is also part of the team in a unique 12 week Russian study project launching on 5th October 2015. Check out the website Language Heroes to learn more about it.

The post Listen to Russian: 50+ Incredible Russian Listening Resources appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

You can learn a new language at any age. You don’t need to be a toddler, or a kindergartener, or some other “magic age”, to become fluent in more than one language. But there are still plenty of reasons to start your children on the path to bilingualism from an early age, and French is an excellent language to start with.

Not only is French one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, but some studies predict that it will be the most widely spoken language by 2050!

Ok, 2050 is a long way away, but did you know that right now, France is the single most popular tourist destination in the world? If you’re considering a holiday in France to see what all the fuss is about, why not plan ahead to make it more fun for your children by helping them understand the language before you go?

No matter what age your children are, it’s not too late (or too early!) to get them started on French. Here are a few ideas to help them on their way.

These resources are also ideal for beginner French learners.

French for Kids: Infant and Up

French Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes

It’s no secret that babies start to recognize language from a very early age. They’re also highly responsive to music. So if you have a very young child, it’s not too early to expose him or her to French through songs and lullabies. And older children will enjoy them as well, and will probably learn to sing them before you know it.

Spotify for Android and iOS. Spotify is one of the best free music apps in the world, and is really useful for learning languages. Among other things, it contains pre-made playlists for virtually every situation or mood you can imagine.

Want to lull your baby to sleep with the soft sound of French lullabies? There’s a playlist for that! It’s called Mes 100 Plus Jolies Berceuses (“My 100 Prettiest Lullabies”), which has – you guessed it – a hundred different French lullabies to play at night, or any time you want soothing music to calm your child and immerse them in French. Just enter the name of the playlist in the search field when you launch Spotify.

Comptines Pour Enfants is an absolutely brilliant set of nineteen French nursery rhyme songs in one YouTube video. It’s better than so many others, because instead of just the audio, you get some simple cartoons to help your child see what the songs are about. Plus for many of the songs the lyrics appear on screen as each line is sung. Be warned, they can be pretty catchy! If your children have reached speaking age, they could be dancing around singing “Un, deux, trois, j’irai dans les bois” all morning before you know it.

French for Kids: Toddler and Up

French Cartoons

Most kids start watching cartoons (dessins animés in French) before they can fully understand their native language. They find the moving pictures, music, and laughter of the characters very engaging even if they don’t understand every word being said.

The higher-quality cartoons are usually so good at putting the dialogue in context with the characters’ actions that it’s quite easy to understand what’s going on, and even what the characters are talking about, without being fluent in the language. So your toddlers won’t get bored with watching French cartoons; they might not even know the difference!

Bandgee.com is a treasure trove of free popular cartoons in French, including Garfield and Les Schtroumpfs (The Smurfs). Many of the videos are available to watch immediately, but for some, you need to create a free account with bandgee.com.

Tou.tv Jeunesse. Radio-Canada, Canada’s public broadcasting network, puts tonnes of its television shows online free of charge, including a separate section just for cartoons and other kids’ shows. Unfortunately there’s a catch: you need to be within Canada to view the content, or else use a VPN application to make your location appear to be in Canada.

French Flashcard Apps

French Baby Flash Cards for Android and iOS. This is one of the few good, free French early learning apps out there. It lets you pick a category and then scroll through the photos one at a time, listening to the French pronunciation of the object in each photo. Categories include food, numbers, letters, colours, and more.

French for Kids: Starting School (Age 5 and Up)

French Games and Activities

If your children are old enough to play games and puzzles on a tablet or computer, then they can do some self-directed learning on their own time without any help. The following apps are a good place to start.

Duolingo. An old favourite here at Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M), Duolingo is an incredibly useful app for building basic vocabulary and grammar skills. And it’s so easy to use that even a child can play. Not only does it quiz you on a variety of vocabulary, but it identifies your weaker areas so you’ll know which words to practice more often.

Hello-World French Children’s Activities. Hello-World is a free project whose goal is to teach world languages to children through fun and educational immersion activities. They have succeeded phenomenally, with over 700 activities for French alone!

If your child is close to Kindergarten age, then I recommend starting with the Children’s Games section, which has some easy, basic games such as finding the object that doesn’t belong, or connecting the dots in alphabetical order. When you click on any object in a game, you hear its pronunciation by a native French speaker, along with the spelling in a caption on the bottom of the screen.

For older kids, other activities include vocabulary Bingo, number matching, logic puzzles, and about 695 others!

French Kids’ Books

International Children’s Digital Library. If you’re looking for books to read to your child in French (or for your kids to read themselves if their level is high enough), then look no further. Here’s a collection of thousands of online children’s books in dozens of languages, including nearly 60 books in French.

Miscellaneous French Resources for Kids

Monde des Titounis. This website is an absolute gold mine, containing a little bit of all of the above suggestions. What I love most about this site is that it has a lot of the classic children’s songs and stories that your kids probably already know in English, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood. Hearing a story in one language that you already know well in another is a very useful way to make connections from your native language’s vocabulary to the new language.

What’s more, this resource isn’t just stories and songs. Click the “Apprentissage” icon for some very simple activities to help young children learn basic French vocabulary, such as the alphabet, colours, names of animals, and much more.

There isn’t much reading required to enjoy this site if your child is too young to read French. The fairy tales and other stories are actually narrated videos that let you turn the captioning on or off.

French for Kids: Any Age

Start a French Bilingual Playgroup

I bet you’re not the only parent in your area who is interested in giving their kids a head start in French. Depending where you live, there might also be some French-speaking families nearby who would love to give their children some exposure to French outside their home. So, why not start a French playgroup?

There are resources all over the web on how to go about starting a bilingual playgroup. The website Bilingual Parenting has put together some very useful guidelines to help you start your own local group, including some advice on how to grow your membership and keep them coming back for years.

Have you helped your children learn French? If so, please share the resources you’ve used in the comments.

The post French for Kids: 10 Helpful Online Resources appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Are you studying Spanish and want a fresh way to learn?

Listen to some of the following catchy Spanish songs and you’ll give your language skills a huge boost while hardly feeling like you’re studying at all.

Here are just a few of the benefits of adding music to your Spanish study routine…

You Strengthen Your Vocabulary and Bolster Grammar

Listening to songs in Spanish can massively improve your vocabulary and grammar, because you’ll have a context for the new words and sentences you’re learning; you’re far more likely to remember words if you learn them in a song rather than in a long vocabulary list.

Think about it. When you were a preschooler, would you have memorized the alphabet as quickly as you did if you had only heard it as spoken dictation rather than as a song? Or what about the names of the notes in a scale? If you’re a native English speaker, I bet you can’t even think the words “doe, a deer, a female deer” without automatically humming the next line of the song in your head. This simple song is tattooed in your memory. And there’s no reason why you can’t extend this memory technique to more complex vocabulary and grammar, by listening to songs in a foreign language.

You Get an Ear for the Language

Spanish songs can give your listening comprehension skills a serious upgrade. I don’t know many language learners who enjoy listening to the same spoken conversation again and again, but virtually everyone I know has some favourite songs that they could play over and over all day! After only a couple of repetitions of a good Spanish song, you’ll get an ear for the sounds, and you can’t help but get the song stuck in your head. Follow along with the lyrics while you listen, and you’ll make the connection from the sounds to the words. Your comprehension will skyrocket.

For the list below, I made sure to choose songs that aren’t sung too quickly (contrary to the lightning-fast speed of everyday speech!), so you don’t have to start at a level that’s too difficult too soon. Once you get an ear for these songs, go ahead and move on to faster or more complex songs so you don’t lose momentum in your listening comprehension progress.

You’ll Learn to Appreciate the Art of Other Cultures

When you get to know the music of another culture, you get to know the culture itself. You understand the type of art that the people enjoy, and the lyrics teach you popular colloquial expressions and subtle turns of phrase that are closely linked to the values and heritage of that culture.

Your favourite songs right now are probably in your native language, but I’ve put together a diverse collection of songs from all over the Spanish-speaking world that I’m sure you’ll like at least one of.

If you don’t find the perfect song for you below, check out the links at the end to access hundreds of other songs. Don’t give up! It probably took you a while to find songs that you love in your native language, so listen to a variety of Spanish songs in order to find some that you’ll love just as much.

There’s always room for more variety in your study habits. So if you haven’t listened to any Spanish music during your studies so far, then now’s the time to change up your routine and have some fun in the process.

1. Agua by Jarabe de Palo

For beginner Spanish learners, there’s no better song to start with than this. This slow, clearly sung tune was made into a YouTube video specifically to help learners of Spanish improve their vocabulary. Not only do the Spanish and English subtitles appear as the song is sung, but the words are colour coded so you can match each Spanish word to its corresponding English word, and the infinitive of the main verb in each sentence is shown so you’ll understand the conjugation!

2. Que Será de Ti by Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos is a Brazilian singer who has recorded many songs in Spanish (among several other languages!) and is known as the King of Latin Music. This slow and moving song about lost love would be remarkably easy to understand even without the bilingual subtitles, but the subtitles do help during the more poetic parts. Many of the key phrases are repeated throughout the song, helping them stick in your memory better.

3. Yo te amo by Chayanne

A timeless love ballad by Puerto Rican singer Chayanne, this song is easy to close your eyes to and sway back and forth with the nostalgic melody. But don’t get so into it that you forget to follow along to the bilingual subtitles while you listen!

4. No me resignaré by Binomio de Oro de América

This song is a nice example of Vallenato, a popular folk music style from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. This moderate-tempo love song by Binomio de Oro de América, a group whose popularity has spread outside Colombia to many parts of Latin America, has a pleasant rhythm that you can’t help moving to. The lyrics are also packed with the future tense, giving you lots of practice with that verb conjugation. Be sure to listen for the three classic Vallenato instruments played throughout: the accordion, the guacharaca, and the caja vallenata.

5. Carito by Carlos Vives

I dare you not to have this song stuck in your head after the first listen! With a lively tempo and endearing storyline, this is a wonderful music video to sing (and dance!) along to again and again. It’s an adorable song about a schoolboy’s crush on his American English teacher, Carito. Don’t be intimidated by the quick tempo; Vives actually sings very clearly, and there are bilingual subtitles to help you along. You even get a bit of vocabulary in there about school, teaching and learning.

6. Rio Que Va Lejos by Los Fronterizos

I love listening to traditional folk music from different countries. Instead of just being about love or loss like many pop songs, folk music is about the country itself and the land that the people live on. This beautiful Argentinian folk song evokes images of an old river, cold winds, and the coming of winter (yes, winters are cold and snowy in Argentina!).

7. Olvido by Amaral

Amaral is a very popular music group from Spain that manages to fuse together several different Spanish and Latin music styles into truly memorable works of art. This song, with its unusual rhythm and haunting key, is captivating to the point where you’ll physically feel the silence when the song ends. It’s also an exceptionally useful song for new Spanish learners because the lyrics, while poetic and very poignant, are actually made up of quite simple vocabulary that beginners can easily learn.

8. Manos al Aire by Nelly Furtado

Nelly Furtado is a hugely successful singer, topping charts all over the world and winning both American and Latin Grammys, but did you know that she’s originally from Canada? While most of her songs are in English, this song from her debut Spanish album was the first original Spanish song by a North American to hit #1 on the Latin Billboard chart. And for good reason! It’s a foot-tapping pop song with a strong beat, but it’s not sung quickly at all, giving you a chance to catch all of the lyrics with ease. What I especially like about this song is all of the Spanish colloquialisms it contains, so you can practice listening to everyday, informal sentence patterns.

9. Muñeca de Trapo by La Oreja de Van Gogh

Another hugely popular music group from Spain, La Oreja de Van Gogh won a Latin Grammy in 2006 for best pop album for their album “Guapa”. This song, which translates as “Rag Doll”, is the first single from that album. The lyrics are a bit more advanced than the other songs in this list, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and give it a try anyway. It’s such a beautiful song that it’s definitely worth it.

10. Muelle de San Blas by Maná

This song is based on the tragic, true story of Rebeca Méndez Jiménez, a woman who, local legend has it, waited for 41 years at the pier in San Blas, Mexico, for her betrothed to return from a fishing expedition. She was known locally (and somewhat cruelly) as “la loca de San Blas”, or “the madwoman of San Blas”. Because the lyrics are told naturally, like a story, and are paired with a vibrant yet sorrowful melody, this is a song that you won’t easily forget.

Even More Spanish Songs to Help You Learn Spanish

I made this list to give you a taste of some of the types of Spanish music that are out there for you to practice with. But there are so many more! Try these links to find hundreds more songs to sing, dance with, and most importantly, learn to.

• Rockalingua: A huge collection of free Spanish music to help kids learn the language. The songs cover a wide range of common categories, including daily routines, numbers, school-related vocabulary, kinship terms, and much more.
• Spotify for iOS and Android: Get instant access to some of the best Spanish songs in the world with this free mobile app.
• Songs for Teaching – the most comprehensive online Spanish music database that I’ve found to date! There’s a different song list for each level of difficulty, from children’s songs to beginner and intermediate levels, all the way to advanced songs for grammar practice and even rap songs! There are nearly 300 songs in total, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to find loads of songs that you’ll love listening to again and again.

Do you have any favourite Spanish songs that you listen to for vocabulary and grammar practice? Tell me about them in the comments!

The post 10 Fun Spanish Songs to Help You Learn Spanish Faster appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

One of the surest ways to become disillusioned with learning a language is to focus on one resource alone. That’s why I advise language learners not rely too heavily on textbooks and look elsewhere for ways to improve their knowledge.

Anyone wanting to become fluent in German should be continually looking for methods to build three key skills – listening, speaking and reading. There are endless ways and opportunities to enhance these skills, with many resources available online.

Watching German movies will help you hone your listening skills. You can improve your spoken German by having conversations with native speakers by any means necessary.

As far as reading goes, there are many methods available for use, to build upon your vocabulary and learn German fast. From novels, to plays, non-fiction texts and children’s stories, there is something for anyone, no matter what their learning level or interests.

German Newspapers and Magazines

Newspapers can be easily accessed online, often without a subscription. They offer an insight into the political climate, current affairs, sport and culture. They’re also written in Standard German, making them accessible even for those at the early stages of learning German.

German News in Simple Language

Nachrichtenleicht, or “News Easily” is a website that aims to make news uncomplicated. Every week they publish articles about world politics, sport and human-interest stories, in simple language. They omit long, difficult words, embrace shorter sentence structure and are largely concerned with presenting information as plainly as possible.

This service is designed for people with language difficulties, making it ideal for anyone wanting to learn German online. You can build upon your knowledge of current affairs within Germany and expand on your knowledge of the language, at a level that’s suitable for beginners.

Germany’s Most Widely Circulated Magazine

Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine, with a circulation of more than one million. Likened to Time, it is known across German-speaking countries for its investigative journalism and is cited as being one of Central Europe’s most influential magazines. It’s for intermediate to advanced learners, and will give you exposure to high level German language. If you are unable to gain access to a hard copy print of the magazine, check out the articles featured on Spiegel.de.

News for Younger Readers

Neon targets a younger audience, using an aesthetically pleasing spread and covering topics ranging from cultural issues, to band write ups.

You’ll even find a section entitled Useless Knowledge, which contains random gems of information. For example, German language learners who also own bars will be delighted to discover that “Guests in a premises where the music is 88 decibels loud drink more than guests at a bar with 72 decibels.” Get that music pumping!

Online German Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias

It never hurts to have a dictionary on hand when learning a language, whether in hard copy, or online. The following resources may help in adding to your vocab list or deciphering the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases.

German Wikipedia

In case you didn’t know, the world’s most famous online encyclopaedia is available in German. Navigate to the German version to read articles on just about anything you fancy! Although most information found on Wikipedia should be taken with a grain of salt, it still makes for good German reading practice. Also make sure to click “Deutsch” on the left navigation if you find yourself reading an article in English!

Hurraki

Hurraki is an German online dictionary that works in a similar vein to Wikipedia, with an emphasis on plain language. It is an online community where people are able to add and edit articles in simple German. The website is designed to be easy to reference and read.

German Novels

A brilliant way to get German reading practice is to re-read books you have already read in your native language. By picking books that are already familiar to you, you may find it easier to translate the stories and keep in the loop with what is going on.

If you grew up devoted to the Harry Potter series and devoured the books in your youth, why not try reading them in German? You can pick up the German versions by searching for Harry Potter German Edition on Amazon.com. As the story will be familiar to you, you will find it easier to translate what it is you are reading. Of course, it doesn’t have to be Harry Potter - any English book whose story you have committed to memory will make for perfect German reading practice.

If you wish to delve deeper into the world of German culture, take up the challenge of reading novels written by German speaking authors. Franz Kafka was a famous novelist of the 20th century, publishing both books and short stories . Die Verwandlung or The Metamorphosis is one of his most celebrated novels, that can be purchased in a dual-language format.

Siddhartha is a story by Hermann Hesse, similar to the book The Alchemist with its theme of self-discovery and written in a style that is simple and lyrical. It too can be bought online as a dual-language book, making it ideal for intermediate learners.

Cornelia Funke has been referred to as Germany’s version of J.K. Rowling, penning fantasy tales for young adults. Tintenherz or Inkheart is the first book of a trilogy about a young girl and her father, who have the ability to bring characters to life by reading a story aloud. Chaos ensues!

German Short Stories

If the idea of reading an entire novel in a foreign language is a bit too overwhelming for you at this point in your language education, consider reading short stories instead.

Germany Through the Eyes of a Newcomer

Café in Berlin is a collection of ten short stories, which follow the life of a young man from Sicily who has just moved to Berlin. It explores the daily life in the German capital, offering insights about the country and people from a foreign perspective.

The text is targeted at beginners and aims to help language learners build upon their knowledge of isolated words and phrases, to understanding how these can be worked into sentences.

Essays Covering Life in Berlin

Wladimir Kaminer is a Russian-born German short story writer. After emigrating to Berlin in 1990, Kaminer immersed himself in the city’s art and literature scenes.

Although Russian is his first language, his entire literary output is in German. In describing what it is he writes about, Kaminer claims to make notes about the world, the past, present and future, social reality and life observed through the eyes of a migrant.

His first book Russian Disco, is a series of short, autobiographical essays about life in Berlin just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Use this book as a resource for German reading practice, as well as a direct account of what life was like during one of the most exciting and rapidly changing times in modern German history.

German Children’s Stories

If reading a novel or a short story for adults seems too advanced at this stage in your learning, consider using children’s books instead. They’re more likely to use simple words and sentences, making them easy to understand. And illustrations can help you get to grips with what’s going on even if you don’t understand every word.

The Brothers Grimm

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German academics who collected and published folktales during the 19th century. Their stories, which include the likes of Aschenputtel (Cinderella), Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty) and Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), have been turned into films by Walt Disney and, more darkly, were used as propaganda by the Third Reich. The Grimm Brothers' original stories are still popular at bedtime – the words of watered down versions of the tales, told to children by parents world over with the hopes of carrying them off to sleep!

The Grimm Brothers' folk stories are tales many of you would have grown up both reading and having read to you. This makes them an excellent resource for building upon your reading skills in German.

As the original stories are no longer copyrighted, there are resources available online which feature dual language versions of stories such as Little Red Riding Hood. Take this opportunity to give yourself a German language lesson! Read the text in German, while referring to the English translation. One you are across the German text, try taking a short quiz to test your knowledge.

Max and Moritz

Lesser known in the English-speaking world is the children’s book, Max and Moritz (A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks), originally titled Max und Moritz – Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen. Written and illustrated by Wilhelm Busch and published in 1865, it is a humorous tale told in rhyming couplets. The book is well known and adored across German-speaking countries and remains a popular choice for bedtime stories for not yet literate children.

The book covers seven pranks that Max and Moritz - tormentors and troublemakers - play on their unsuspecting family members, teachers and acquaintances. As this text is also available within the public domain, the original German version and English translated text can be found online. You have the option of reading each trick in German, English or you can refer to the dual language option. Continue to test your German language knowledge with a series of quizzes on the text.

German-English Poems and Plays

Once you’ve reached a more advanced level of learning, you can look to German poems and plays to build your German skills.

Dual language books are a helpful resource in this regard. You can read them as a standalone text, while having the English version readily available for when you come across words or phrases you don’t fully understand.

If you have an interest in poetry, start with a dual-language book that features the poems of many renowned German poets, alongside the English translations.

For those looking to get more specific try reading the works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His poems have been translated and appear in dual language books. Fun fact – the Goethe Institut, an operation that promotes the study of the German language abroad, is named after him!

Der Besuch der Alten Dame (The Visit of the Old Lady) is a tragicomedy written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The play is about a wealthy woman who returns to her former hometown seeking vengeance. She wants the townspeople to rally together to kill the man who abandoned her, in exchange for money.

The printed version of this play features the full German text on one page, accompanied by the English translation and notes on the next page. The book also has an extended vocabulary at the back and a detailed introduction in English, explaining the social and historical context of the piece.

Over to You

As you can see, there are many resources you can use to build upon your German reading skills, no matter what your level of learning or personal interests.

If there are any books, short stories, or online websites that you’ve found to be helpful, please do not hesitate to share them in the comments!

The post 20 Resources for Beginners’ German Reading Practice appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

When it comes to advanced language learning, reading is king. And what is a better device to read on than an Amazon Kindle ebook reader?

The Kindle doesn’t have to mean reading books. I’m currently learning German (and Chinese) and I don’t always want to read German novels. Often, quick-to-read articles that interest me are more to my taste. Plus, the Kindle allows me to highlight interesting passages to help with my language learning.

So, What’s the Problem with the Kindle as a Language Learning Tool?

When I find a German article online that I want to read later, I need it to transfer instantly to my Kindle and have it ready in a searchable database for later reference. It’s surprisingly difficult to do this.

Tools such as Pocket allow you to save articles instantly for reading later. But the standard set-up only works with tablets, smartphones and computers. Pocket isn’t automatically set up for Kindle reading.

There are other tools such as Instapaper and Readability that let you transfer articles to a Kindle to read later. But they only send the articles to your Kindle once a day, not instantly. Plus, they “batch” articles into mini-ebooks, which makes the articles really tricky to find. When I’m interested in an article, I want to be able to find it quickly and read it right away. Amazon has its own plugin but it sucks on all levels (wrong formatting, chopping articles in half, annoying user experience, my article database is not searchable, etc.)

That’s why I needed to find another solution...

The truth is, I’m a lazy person, always trying to find a simpler way to do anything. I wanted to create a one-button knowledge management system that:

• Saves articles to a searchable database to read later and, if need be, refer back to it later
• Transfers articles to read on my Kindle, instantly. Reading on my Kindle is easy on the eye. Plus, the Kindle’s built in dictionaries are really helpful when I come across I word I don’t know.
• Makes it easy to find articles I want to read.

Here’s what I came up with:

The Simple Pocket-to-Kindle Process I Wanted to Create

Note: This process works for articles in any language, not just German articles.

To get articles onto my Kindle, I needed to integrate two systems:

• Pocket, the popular “save it for later reading” web application. It’s free, very flexible, heavily supported, and very popular. Even more important, it has an API, so you can teach it to work with new devices such as the Kindle.
• The Amazon Kindle. The Kindle does have a web browser plugin that can send articles immediately to your Kindle device. However, it’s very buggy. A lot of articles don’t appear properly, and the saved article history is far from being convenient to search and manage.

My task was to merge these two systems. My ideal scenario looked like this:

• Come across an article I like (maybe on Facebook).
• Hit the Save to Pocket browser button.
• Open the article on my Kindle for immediate reading.

As it turned out, the system I created had an extra step:

• Find an interesting article.
• Click the Pocket button in Chrome to send it to Pocket.
• The article is then automatically sent to FiveFilters (I’ll explain how later). FiveFilters immediately converts the article to Kindle format and sends it to my Kindle.
• My Kindle automatically downloads the article within 15 minutes, so I can read it whenever I want to.

A big bonus of this process is that all articles are saved in my Pocket archive forever. If I remember an article I read that I want to read again, I can go back to getpocket.com and do a quick search to pull up the article.

How to Read Web Articles On Your Kindle

Step 1: Create a Pocket Account

Head to getpocket.com and register a free account. Then download the Pocket browser plugin. I use the Chrome version. Pocket is also available for Firefox, and it’s built-in in the newest version of Firefox. With Internet Explorer, you can use the bookmark option to save articles into Pocket.

Step 2: Create a Gmail Account

If you don’t yet have a Gmail account (where have you been?), set one up here.

Step 3: Create an Amazon Kindle Account

If you have a Kindle device, you’ll also have an Amazon account. In your web browser, log into your Amazon account, then go to the Device Manager menu. Here, you’ll find your Kindle specific email address. If you send a document to this email address, it will be delivered to your Kindle.

Usually this email address is like this: yoursurnameyourfirstname_number@kindle.com So for the sake of example, let’s say it’s johndoe_66@kindle.com

Now go to the Settings menu and add your Gmail address to the “Approved Personal Document E-mail list). This is needed, so that only you can send documents to your Kindle device.

Step 4: Set Up Five Filters

This is where it gets interesting. Open Gmail and send a new email to your Kindle email address. However, after the “@” symbol don’t write “@kindle.com” but “@pushtokindle.com”. in the body of the email, include a link to an article.

In practice, it works like this: open your email, and send an email to johndoe_66@pushtokindle.com (of course, use your own name and number, not johndoe_66) and put a link in the email body. Here’s a good article to get you started: http://www.fluentin3months.com/mistakes-matter/.

Sending this email automatically signs you up for a FiveFilters account. They’ll send you an email reply to confirm your sign up. Open the FiveFilters email and click on the link to activate your account.

You can use FiveFilters 25 times free of charge. After that, it’s $12 every six months. That’s a bargain if you do a lot of reading!

Here’s a video that explains how to set up a Five Filters account:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1asTphZ4Ls

Step 5: Connect Pocket and Five Filters

Believe it or not, the most difficult part of this process is complete. All you need to do now is connect Pocket and Five Filters.

To do this, you’ll need to sign up for If This Then That (IFTTT).

Go to ifttt.com and register a free account then open this pre-made recipe. Don’t be put off that it’s not in English.

Here’s how to do it. You only need to complete the “To address” section, as shown below:

You will be asked to give IFTTT permission to connect to your Pocket account and your Gmail account. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to go!

Step 6: Start Adding Articles to Your Kindle

You’re ready to start adding articles to your Kindle!

Here’s how it works. Let’s say I’m browsing Deutsche Welle and I come across this article. I hit the Pocket button in my browser (or alternatively I can just hit Ctrl+Shift+S on the keyboard for a quick shortcut):

Then I open my Kindle and I see this:

Note: you might need to wait a couple of minutes to have the article on your device, because IFTTT runs every 5-15 mins, plus FiveFilters needs a little time to format the article.

Conclusion: Pocket to Kindle Helps You Read More

I’ve read a lot more German articles since I set up this system, and it’s been a huge help to my German learning. I’m sure you’ll find that with this system you’ll also read more.

Go set up the system now, and for $2 a month you’ll be able to read anything you want on your Kindle.

What will you be reading on your Kindle using the Pocket to Kindle system? Let us know in the comments.

The post Pocket to Kindle: How to Instantly Transfer Web Articles to Your Kindle (in One Click) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

For a long time now, I’ve been working behind the scenes on doing a serious revamp of my flagship product, Fluent in 3 Months Premium.

And I’m THRILLED, ECSTATIC and OVER-THE-MOON excited to tell you that my team and I have finally finished this labour of love.

There is now a totally re-designed, shiny, brand new Fluent in 3 Months Premium.

We’re calling it Premium 2.0.

We’ve just officially launched Premium 2.0 today - at a huge discount of 51% off.

This weekend only, you can snatch it up for $47 (usual price $97).

Today I also want to tell you something a bit more personal. And explain why my team and I love the new Premium so much.

The Story Behind The New Premium

My job as the founder of this amazing community is to help you, and people all over the world learn languages faster, better, from anywhere in the world.

And I love my job.

But sometimes it’s tricky. Everyone wants to know pretty much the same thing:

• What exactly should I be doing to learn a new language?
• Where should I start?
• How do I know what to study?

And yet, every person is different and learns differently. Some people are visual learners. Some people love to read, others hate it. So the answers to those questions aren’t quite the same for everyone.

The major constant for me in language learning, and you already know this, is that the best way to become fluent quickly is to speak from day one. Learn a few phrases, speak them. Learn a few more, speak them!

I have been encouraging my readers to do this for years, because I know that it works.

But which phrases should you learn? Where can you find them? What else should you be doing to learn?

The first words I should learn - “Hi, I’m Benny, a blogger from Ireland” - aren’t the same first words you should learn. And those phrases are not going to be in any phrasebook or course I’ve ever heard of.

That’s where it gets tricky: the answers to those questions are different for nearly every person. And yet everyone wants to know, What exactly should I be doing?

So my team and I needed to find a way to create a programme for language learners that:

• tells you exactly what you should be doing to learn a new language…
• even though we know full well that the ideal steps are slightly different for everyone.

This has been the delicate balance I have been searching for, for the better part of a year now.

Luckily, I work with a team of very smart people, who are all successful language hackers. Because they know the problems every language learner faces, they’ve worked with me to create a kick-ass programme that meets those problems head on.

Enter Premium 2.0.

We LOVE the result. We know you will too.

Here’s how we’ve changed Fluent in 3 Months Premium to be our ideal language learning programme.

You’ll learn the language of your choice in a step-by-step interface.

For the total beginner, Premium 2.0 offers a proven language learning pathway for learning any language. There’s a clear start point, and a clear end-point.

You’ll start off learning how to be a language learner (language hacker), which in my book is a more important skill to have than any gold-encrusted, promise-you-the-world language product, course or software could ever be.

Even the best courses can’t jump off of the page or the screen and make you fluent in a new language. You have to know what to do with the materials.

And helping people understand this, helping you learn to be a language hacker and not just a language learner, has been my life’s work.

This pathway is also optional - so if you’re a more experienced language learner, you can skip ahead.

You’ll be guided through learning your first few phrases.

Note that I didn’t say we tell you which phrases to learn.

How could anyone ever know which exact words and phrases that you, as a unique individual, are going to need to say first?

Premium helps you understand the types of words and phrases are worth your time to learn right now, so you get the biggest bang for your buck.

But the specific words you learn are always personal to you. This way, you’re not wasting time learning how to say “receptionist” in your first week, when you’d be much better off learning how to say “blogger from Ireland or “software developer” or “professional boxing champion”, whatever it may be!

You’ll always know what to do next

We’ve added specific tasks you should complete, with checkboxes you can tick off at the end of each section.

This way you have a clear idea of what your next step is, and you have the dreaded un-ticked box holding you accountable for actually doing it.

You can store your own custom text right inside Premium

We’ve added a very cool journaling feature that you can use to write notes or to write down the phrases you’re learning.

Since you don’t need to leave the program to write these down, it makes it easier for you to stick with the programme, and complete all the tasks.

You’ll build a customizable schedule to keep you on track for the long-term.

We’ve thought hard about how to create a programme that stays with you even when you’ve stepped away from your computer.

Premium 2.0 gives you clear direction for how to create a learning routine that works for the short term and the long term. Our Resources section now includes an example schedule for inspiration, a blank schedule that you can fill in, as well as lots of guidance for how to fill it in. There’s also curated list of our top recommendations for what types of resources you should include.

You’ll start with our top suggestions, but you’ll also integrate variety into your routine, so that you discover new approaches to learning that you never knew existed.

One thing hasn’t changed.

Even with all these extra features, the heart of Premium remains the same as always:

I believe strongly that no single course or book can bring a person to fluency. There’s no list of the exact words to learn or the exact resources to use, that works for everyone.

Premium is my answer to this problem.

It guides you in the types of phrases you should be learning, the types of learning activities you should be doing, the types of resources you should be using. It gives you all the information and guidance they need to do just that.

...But it also allows you (and helps you!) you to personalize the phrases you learn and the resources you use based on your life, interests, and learning style.

Premium 2.0 is your guide to becoming a completely independent language hacker.

I’d prefer you become the best language learner you could possibly be, than try to follow prescribed specific steps that really may not be ideal for you. Premium acts as that inspiration to get you on your best path.

We've just launched the new Premium 2.0 today - at a crazy discount for Black Friday.

You can snatch up Premium 2.0 this weekend for just $47 (normal price $97), at a sweet discount of 51% off.

Happy language learning!

The post Meet Premium 2.0 – Here’s Why It’s Your Best Guide to Language Learning appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

You ask, I answer!

I’ve spent weeks sleuthing the internet to find out the best Black Friday language learning deals.

And wow, did I find some deals.

Here are the best of the best deals on excellent language-learning resources worthy of you language hackers.

Most of these discounts end this weekend, so act fast!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links - this means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase (at no additional cost to you!). As always, I've only included resources I know, love, and TRUST - so you can buy with confidence that they’ll help you in your language learning :)

Fluent in 3 Months Premium - Premium 2.0 Upgrade: 51% off

After months of behind the scenes work, I’m so excited to launch Premium 2.0 - a brand new, shiny mega-upgrade to Fluent in 3 Months Premium.

Premium 2.0 will get you started learning a new language of your choice. It features a step-by-step guide to becoming a language hacker. You’ll also discover how to build a custom learning routine that works for the long term, to get you fluent.

To celebrate the launch of Premium 2.0, you can snatch it up for 51% off for just $47 this weekend (usual price $97).

Get your copy of Premium 2.0 here!

Innovative Language - Podcasts for All Languages: 50% off All Subscriptions

This is my favourite language learning podcast and audio course, available in an incredible 31 languages.

You start by picking your level, and the audio course adjusts to you, getting slightly more complex as you progress. This is a favourite of a bunch of us here at Fluent in 3 Months.

Click the podcast website below of your target language, and enjoy! These discount links will get you 50% off the normal price for the Premium 1 or 2 year subscription options, for any language.

Click the language you want below to pick up the offer.

Most popular on Innovative Language:

Other languages in alphabetical order:

Add1Challenge - Learn a Language Together:
Apply for 50% Off

Add1 is a community of language learners committed to holding a 15 min conversation with a native speaker in 90 days. Instead of learning alone, Add1 challengers work together to stay motivated, share their struggles and victories, hold each other accountable, and get breakthrough results together.

Brian Kwong, founder of the #Add1Challenge, has graciously offered to give FI3M readers 50% off entry in the upcoming challenge. Spots are limited and application closes on November 30th.

FYI, Brian has warned me that this discount won’t ever be offered again, so jump on it!

Join Add1Challenge here.

Mimic Method - Accent Training for Six Languages:
Up to 90% Off

I’ve met Idahosa, the genius behind Mimic Method, and I’m wowed by his accent skills.

Mimic Method takes you through the component sounds of a language: the rhythm, the beat, the musicality and individual sounds, and how they all tie together. And it shows you exactly what steps to take to develop a more authentic accent. Mimic Method teaches you to tune your ear, then to tune your tongue, to the sounds of a language. I am currently using Mimic Method to help with my Chinese tones. Here are the deals:

Mimic Method’s full courses for French, Spanish, English, Mandarin, and Portuguese are all 50% off this weekend.

The German 7 day course is 65% off this weekend - learn to perfectly pronounce all 56 fundamental German sounds (consonants, vowels and diphthongs) in a week.

Glossika - the Mass Sentence Method: 30% off for Mandarin, Russian, and 30+ Other Languages

Mike (a.k.a. Glossika on Youtube) is a fellow polyglot best known on YouTube for speaking Mandarin and sounding exactly like he was born and raised in Taiwan, even though he’s a westerner. He heads this very clever series of language courses, designed to help you intensively learn a language to fluency in 3 months.

I’ve gotten tons of requests for Glossika discounts, so I’m happy to deliver! Glossika’s huge collection (with over 30 languages to choose from!) is now on sale at 30% off only this weekend

Pick up Glossika at 30% discount here.

To get the discount, you must use the coupon code fi3mnov2015 at checkout.

Italki - Language Lessons Online: Buy 100 Credits Get 100 Credits Free (for New and Existing Users)

Italki is hands down my favourite language learning tool. You can use this site to get very cheap one-on-one lessons in your target language. This is the main way I’ve been able to learn so many languages, no matter where I am in the world.

If you’ve never signed up for italki before, now is the time! This weekend, when you create an account you’ll receive an extra 100 ITC (italki credits, approximately USD$10) immediately after your first purchase of 100 ITC or more. Combined, that’s enough for up to four one-on-one Skype lessons with a native speaker! Sign up here.

If you already have an italki account, you’re also in luck - click on this link to receive your own voucher of 100 ITC. After you’ve filled out the form, if you make a purchase of new ITC before December 4th, 100 ITC will be added to your account shortly after :)

HelloTalk - Text and Video Chat App for 100+ Languages: 6 Months Free Premium Access

Chat through voice and text, with people all over the world, in one of 100 languages. That’s HelloTalk in a nutshell.

There are over one million language learners using this app. You can chat with natives, get corrections, and use Whatsapp-style features to share multimedia with your language exchange partner.

The app is completely free, but if you create an account this weekend and message the code FI3M to the HelloTalk team, you’ll get six months free access to the very cool normally-paid features of the app, like translation, voice recognition, and transliteration.

Skritter – Chinese and Japanese Character Learning App: 33% Off

An essential app for Chinese and Japanese learners, available on both Android and iPhone. You’ll learn to recognize and write Chinese Hanzi traditional and simplified as well as Japanese Kanji in a gorgeous interface.

This is a great tool that makes you feel like you’re holding a magic wand as you practice characters. Anyone who signs up this weekend will get Skritter at 33% off with the coupon code XINGQIWU (Chinese for “Friday”), after a free weeklong trial.

Master Japanese & Master Mandarin - Epic Guides for Language Learners: 50% Off

I’ve written some of my own language guides, but I have no plans to write one for Japanese, because there’s no way I could write anything better than John Fotheringham’s Master Japanese.

Yes, it’s that good. John is a hard-core Japanese learner, and you can feel that in every page of Master Japanese. His guide is written as a “a navigation system for independent learners”, packed with actionable advice, and it’s a lot of fun to read. And this weekend, Master Japanese is 50% off when you use the discount code fi3mfriday.

John’s brand new guide for Mandarin learners, Master Mandarin, is another gem that cuts through the piles of Chinese-learning resources on the Internet, and tells you straight which you need and how to use them.

If you’ve wished for just one place to go for all the best info on learning Chinese Mandarin, this is it. Snatch up Master Mandarin for 50% off this weekend when you use the discount code fi3mfriday.

FlashSticks -Colour-coded Flashcards with App Integration:
20% off - Available for French, German, Spanish, Italian, Beginner + Intermediate

FlashSticks are colour-coded flashcards so you can remember noun genders or distinguish verbs/adjectives and other types of words. Plus, FlashSticks function both as flashcards and as post-it notes that you can attach them to objects around your house to give you more opportunities to boost your vocabulary.

I love how FlashSticks integrate digital and physical technology.Load up the app, point your phone at a flashcard and you’ll hear instant native pronunciation (augmented reality style!). The flashcards come in boxed-sets to keep you organised.

Readers of Fluent in 3 Months can get 20% off any pack or boxset of FlashSticks this weekend with the coupon code BENNYFRIDAY20. Make sure to apply the code at check-out.

Leicht Deutsch Lernen - Learn German through Reading and Stories: 50% Off

This is a hilarious learning system that focuses on teaching spoken German, using a TPRS approach (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling). Basically, learn German through fun stories!

Bálint, the site manager here at Fluent in 3 Months, just passed his C1 exam in German - and he swears by this system (despite its dated sales page)!

Add this to your German-learning tool belt for 50% off this weekend.

90-Day Korean - Have a Conversation in Korean in 3 Months: 71% off

90 Day Korean is a multiple layer course that starts with teaching you to read Korean in 90 minutes or less, and moves on to a web-based course that guarantees you’ll be able to have a conversation lasting several minutes with a native Korean speaker within 90 days.

It’s packed full of learning material, and a weekly plan of action spaced out and emailed to you to help you keep up your pace. There’s also a personal coach to answer all of your questions along the way.

This weekend it’s available for a spectacular discount of 71% off the 9-month course! Check it out here.

Talk in Arabic - Podcast Covering 8 Arabic Dialects: 37% off

Despite Arabic being one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, it’s surprisingly hard to find useful Arabic materials if you want to genuinely speak with people. Arabic courses seem to be based around Modern Standard Arabic (nobody in the street ever speak this).

That’s why it’s a breath of fresh air to see this system focused on helping you speak Arabic whether you're learning the Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi, Saudi, Tunisian, Sudanese, Moroccan, or Algerian dialect.

It features native Arabic recordings, transcripts so you can follow along, subtitles on the videos, online and offline options, and regularly updated brand new content every week.

The creator of the course, Donovan, has offered us 37% off for Black Friday. Check it out here.

Unlimited Spanish - Audio Course with Simulated Conversations : 40% Off

Unlimited Spanish is an audio course where native speaker Òscar simulates conversations, with cues for you to interact with him. It is among the best I’ve seen for simulating a real conversation from pre-recorded audio. And for those of you who are also visual learners, you’ll be able to read along through transcripts of the audio.

You can get Unlimited Spanish for 40% off this weekend.

English-Learning Power Pack: 75% Off

Learning English? Get this absolutely amazing mega deal: 7 English language courses sold together at a huge reduction of over 75% off. The pack includes:

• Fluency with Friends (a course based on the hit TV show “Friends”)
• 100 most common phrases audiobook,
• 15 Minutes to Fluency ebook
• Everyday English speaking course
• Visual Guide to Phrasal Verbs
• Success with Stories
• Shadowing Stories

Snatch it up before the sale is over!

And Don’t Forget…

Fluent in 3 Months Premium is available at $47 this weekend only - to celebrate the launch of Premium 2.0 (usual price $97)!

Get your copy of Premium 2.0 here.

Which of these language goodies do you think you’ll be getting? Please share your favorites in the comments.

I hope you enjoy these language learning special offers - happy language learning!

The post Sale: Black Friday Mega-Deals for Language Learners! appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Do you find it hard to match up spoken French with written French?

If you do, that’s because written French is very different to spoken French.

In particular, French has many silent letters that can go at the end of words. As a result, there are multiple ways to write a single French sound. For example, cent, s’en, sang, and sans all sound exactly the same. The same is true for tout, tous and toux.

Because of this, it can be difficult to reconcile what you read with what you hear in French. You’ll need to put a bit more effort into your reading comprehension in French than you would with some other languages that have a more regular written form, such as Spanish.

I’ve searched the web for a variety of French reading resources and exercises, most for beginners but some for more advanced learners, to help you improve your French reading ability.

Let’s dig in...

Absolute Beginner: Apprendre à Lire

This site is incredibly useful for absolute beginners in French. It’s meant to teach French children how to read, but there’s no reason why you can’t use it too! It covers virtually every French sound, including those not found in English, and teaches you not only how to read them and use them in real words, but also how to pronounce them.

This is handy for beginners, because although the French alphabet is identical to the English alphabet, many of the letters sound very different. There are several exercises for each French letter, so you can choose the ones that you find most helpful.

The site is all in French, including the instructions for each exercise, but the instructions are relatively simple. If you struggle with them, plug them into Google Translate to get the gist with an OK English translation.

Beginner to Intermediate: French Readings - languageguide.org

This is one of the better sources I’ve found for beginner to intermediate French reading comprehension. Languageguide.org is a superb website that provides a simple, condensed way to learn the basics of vocabulary and grammar for many languages.

The French section features several reading samples, each accompanied by a spoken recording. The more difficult words are highlighted, letting you hover your mouse over them to see the English translation.

You can also see the English translation of entire sentences by hovering your mouse over the punctuation mark at the end of each sentence. If you want pure reading practice without the audio, just click the pause button any time to pause the recording and focus on reading.

Children’s Stories: International Children’s Library

I absolutely love the presentation of this free online library filled with children’s books in dozens of languages, including 60 in French! Some of the stories are well-known to the English-speaking world, so if your French is limited, I recommend you start with the stories you’re familiar with, so you’ll have some help with vocabulary due to your prior knowledge. Many of them also have an English translation you can use if you need some help.

Short Fiction: The Works of Guy de Maupassant

Guy de Maupassant was a famous French writer who wrote more than 300 works of fiction during the late 19th century, and is often considered one of the fathers of the modern short story. And for good reason! Each story is only about 3000 words long, but is remarkably captivating. I haven’t yet read one that I didn’t like.

If you want to expand your knowledge of classic French literature, this is one of the best places to start. The website contains nearly all of de Maupassant’s short stories, most of which come with an English translation.

This is definitely one of the more advanced resources in this list, but don’t let that scare you. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself! You’ll learn more quickly if you don’t just stick to books where you know all of the words. The English translations are always there to help you if you get stuck.

Free Ebooks: Ebooks Libres & Gratuits

This is an absolute goldmine of free e-books, available in almost every file format you could hope for, from Kindle, Kobo and Sony e-reader formats, to PDF and HTML for reading on your computer. There are hundreds upon hundreds of free, complete books to choose from.

If you’re a beginner, go to the search box at the top of the page, and select “Jeunesse” from the dropdown menu next to “Genre”. This will show you all of the books for children and young adults. It has dozens of masterpieces such as Le Petit Prince and Alice au Pays des Merveilles. Some even have full-colour illustrations.

Graphic Novels: Amilova

Comic books and graphic novels aren’t just for kids and geeks anymore. You wouldn’t believe the variety of genres that are available today, for every taste imaginable: horror, romance, drama, parody…you name it! Amilova is a huge online community for graphic novel enthusiasts, containing almost a thousand high-quality stories in their entirety, available to read free online.

The big advantage of using graphic novels to help improve your French is that many of them are strongly dialogue-orientated. This means you get to read a lot of everyday spoken vocabulary that people use in real life. Instead of reading the purely classical literary form, you’re improving your spoken colloquial French skills and reading an engaging story at the same time.

Be sure to click the flag in the upper right corner to change the language to French. That way you’ll only see the stories available in French.

Classic Fairy Tales: The French Experiment - French Children’s Stories

Four of the most popular children’s fairy tales - The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood and The Ugly Duckling - are translated into French on this website and accompanied by an optional audio recording. Since you’re probably already familiar with these stories, you’ll pick up the vocabulary more quickly than you would reading a brand new story.

News in Simple French: RFI - Journal en Français Facile

If you don’t have time to read entire books in French, then spend just a few minutes a day catching up on the news in French instead. Radio France International (RFI), a French worldwide news service, offers a daily world news digest in simplified written French for students of the language to practice their reading skills. The webpage is updated every evening with that day’s biggest news stories.

If you’re a beginner or intermediate learner, I recommend you start with this website every morning before you read the world news in your native language. This way, you can try your best to understand the stories in French, and later when you read the headlines in your native language, you can compare what you understood in French and see if you were close to the real story.

Cookbook: Cuisine à la Française

I don’t normally recommend cookbooks to help improve your target language, but I’ll make an exception for French. After all, French cuisine is one of the most popular and influential in the world, having recently been added to UNESCO’s intangible world heritage list due to its global reputation. If you ever visit France, you’ll notice immediately how big a role the cuisine plays in everyday life.

It’s a good idea, then, to read as much as you can about French cuisine while you’re studying the language. That way, you’ll learn practical vocabulary to use when visiting France or eating at French restaurants (or even when just talking about France with native speakers). You’ll also get valuable insight into an essential aspect of French history and culture, and learn to cook a variety of mouthwatering recipes.

The website Cuisine à la Française is the perfect place to start. You can search their database of nearly 2,000 classic recipes alphabetically or by category. Be sure to click on the “Histoire de la Cuisine” tab to learn all about the long and fascinating history of food in France, from 12,000 years ago up to modern day. Also check out “Recettes Anciennes” at the bottom of the page for authentic French recipes from hundreds of years ago.

My only bœuf with French cuisine is the relatively small number of vegetarian meals available in most French restaurants, but that’s why I love cooking at home. Home cooking lets me adapt any recipe to suit my dietary preferences. Give it a try yourself, and improve your French reading comprehension in the process.

Test Yourself: French Reading Comprehension Quizzes

Instead of just reading in French, why not test yourself to see how well you understand what you’re reading? This page on About.com provides you with several excerpts in French that you can read and then do a quiz to check your comprehension.

For each excerpt, first click “Lire” to read the text, then click “Étudier” to see a list of key vocabulary from the excerpt along with the English translations. Finally, click “Passer l’examen” to do the quiz related to the excerpt. It’s useful to open “Passer l’examen” in a separate window so you can see the test questions and the text at the same time. Bonne chance !

Do you have a favourite resource for improving your French reading comprehension? Please share it in the comments.

Bonne lecture !

The post 10 French Reading Resources and Exercises (Beginner to Intermediate) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

German is one of the first languages I ever learnt (at school in Ireland and later in Berlin). It remains one of my favourite languages.

That said, I remember well how frustrating German could be. How I had to wrap my head around German grammar and memorise the intimidating long words.

Why Study German With Songs?

When people try to tell me that particular languages are hard to learn, I’ll argue back until I’m blue in the face. Why? Because when it comes to difficulty, I think all languages are created equal. German is no exception.

Even so, it doesn’t hurt to oil the wheels of learning with a bit of fun.

I love music and often incorporate it into my language learning process. Here’s why.

It’s Fun!

For me, studying from grammar textbooks can be quite dull at times. Reading tables of verbs doesn’t help me internalise them in any way - I just tend to get bored.

On the contrary, I find music to be a helpful language learning tool, simply because I enjoy it so much.

Listen to a song long enough (especially a catchy and upbeat song), and you will inevitably find yourself singing along to it. I don’t know about you, but I’m generally always up for an impromptu karaoke session.

Your Accent Will Improve in Leaps and Bounds

There’s a reason why I’m a massive advocate of getting out of the classroom (or onto the Internet) when studying a language. You’re not going to learn to talk like a native merely from reading a textbook.

You have to get out there and hear how people speak in their native tongue. You can do this in person, through watching films, or listening to music.

To know a language, you have to live it. So, if you want to speak like a German, you’re essentially going to have to pretend to be one.

It Will Give You a Unique Insight into German Culture

Luckily, music is an easily accessible gateway into a foreign culture. You can learn a lot about a people through the tunes that they listen to.

Throughout the ages, human beings have chosen to celebrate and commiserate with the aid of music. It doesn’t matter whether you’re listening to the current top 40, or singing a song from the last millennium. You’ve got a front row seat to an art form that highlights both the values and heritage of a particular culture.

You’ll Strengthen Your Memory Skills

Why is it that we get commercial jingles stuck in our head? Well, it’s because music engages certain parts of your brain that spoken language doesn’t.

So, you’re more likely to remember foreign words, if you hear them in a song, rather than in conversation. The music itself will act as a trigger point, stimulating words that you may otherwise have trouble recalling.

Active repetition of learning via song lyrics will help strengthen your memory skills overtime. That means you’ll be growing your vocabulary while having fun.

And of course, this language hack will give you a wicked advantage over others, the next time you partake in a karaoke session.

Here are some German songs you can use to strengthen your knowledge of this particular language. You have my permission now to go forth and listen to them obsessively.

1. Rammstein – Ich Will

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOnSh3QlpbQ

Rammstein have been rocking around on the world stage since the mid-nineties. The majority of their songs are performed in German, although they do often integrate many other languages (English, French and Spanish, to name a few) into their lyrics.

Ich Wille is perfect for those at a beginner’s level. The lyrics are short, simple and straight to the point and the song is sung entirely in German. Best of all this particular tune is family friendly – which is notable in itself. As a hard-core rock band, Rammstein don’t tend to see keeping their songs PG as a top priority.

2. Helene Fischer – Atemlos durch die Nacht

(If the video doesn't load for you, try it here instead)

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haECT-SerHk

Helene Fischer is Germany’s answer to Britney Spears. Her songs are pop-y, fun and catchy – pretty much guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

Atemlos durch die Nacht happens to be the most successful song in German history. I wouldn’t be surprised if i were to find out that most German speakers would know the words to it. It’s certainly the impression you get if you’re at a German club and the DJ puts this track on. Best to learn the lyrics if you should ever find yourself in this particular situation, so as not to look out of place!

3. O Tannenbaum

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS4wTuvR7Ik

Although this is a song that is generally best served during the festive season, it’s another good one to start with. I would be surprised to meet anyone who didn’t know the words of this song off by heart in English – my guess is that they would have been deeply ingrained since childhood! The video itself is aimed at children and features subtitles so you can sing along.

4. David Hasselhoff – Du

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SebarSe6u4c

David Hasselhoff’s music career may have never got off the ground in the United States, but he was a massive hit in Europe, particularly in German speaking countries. So much so, that he performed his iconic song “Looking for Freedom” on New Year’s Eve 1989 at the Berlin Wall (the song hit #1 in the German charts that year).

“Du” is unique among the other songs on this list, as the Hoff is not a native German speaker. He doesn’t run his words together – he sings clearly and distinctly (and with such fervent passion!), which makes this song yet another good choice for those who are just starting to tune their ear to German.

5. Marlene Dietrich - Lili Marleen

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZAV4hsP5WU

This German love song grew in popularity during World War II. Originally a poem written in 1915 during the first World War, Marlene Dietrich’s cover is probably the most well known recording of the song.

Funnily enough, the tune was popular on both sides of the trenches during WWII, making it one of the most famous German-language songs in the world.

6. Nena – 99 Luftballons

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lur-SGl3uw8

This anti-war protest song became an international hit when the English version was released. The original German rendition tells the story of an army general sending pilots to shoot down what turns out to be harmless children’s balloons, floating on a country border. This leads to a 99-year long war, in which there is no winner.

7. Stereo Total - Wir Tanzen Im Viereck

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX3r7LtwMS0

Here’s a song you can sing and dance along to! The beat is catchy and the lyrics repetitive. It’s probably the most bizarre song on this list.
The band in question are the multilingual Stereo Total, who mix things up by often producing songs in French and English as well.

8. Disco Pogo – Die Atzen

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWsQQgbKkjc

Disco Pogo is yet another catchy party tune, that’ll have you shaking your tail-feather in no time at all. I dare you to keep a straight face during the chorus. Dingalingaling indeed.

9. Deichkind - So’ne Musik

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdIP3hyxi3k

This song takes us well into intermediate to advanced language learner’s territory. Hip-hop is not a genre for everyone, but I recommend you give this song a go.

Deichkind are notorious for their humorous lyrics and So’ne Musik is no exception. If you’re eager to pick up some German slang while testing out your rap skills, then this is the song for you.

10. Klee – 2 Fragen

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG--_hTSSfo

Klee are a German pop group influenced by English bands such as Coldplay and The Cure.

“Two Questions” speaks of the point at the end of a relationship, where you look at your significant other and fail to recognise them. It’s a sweet little song that is fairly easy to sing along to. You’ll be craving something with a bit of a slower pace after the last two tunes!

Songs are a Great Way to Learn

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of songs.
A small warning: Be sure to avoid falling in the trap of passive learning.

Write down the lyrics as you listen to the song, until you have it memorised. Add words you’re unfamiliar with to your vocab list.

Also, don’t be afraid to belt out the lyrics with an exaggerated German accent. You may feel silly at first, but you’ll be sounding like a native in no time at all.

And even if you sound silly, it’s so much fun! To prove that I know what I’m talking about, see this music video I made (with a pretty terrible accent, and off-key, in true karaoke style but clearly enjoying myself) about a song in German that was popular while I was living in Berlin.

Above all, enjoy yourself. Language learning is not supposed to be a chore. It’s something you undertake because you have a particular passion for a country or culture. If you choose to mix up your learning, you’ll be far less likely to get disheartened along the way.

What are some of your favourite German songs? Let me know in the comments.

The post 10 German Songs to Help You Learn German Faster appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

I used Tinder for two years, before I met my boyfriend. As a shiftworker, I worked odd hours and thought the app would be a good way to meet people - in my hometown of Sydney, Australia and as an expat in both Doha, Qatar and London, England.

I mostly viewed it simply as a fun game I could play, when I was bored or lonely, living as an expat in a brand new country. It was never anything serious - just a way to get out of the house and meet new people.

Yet, one day, I “matched” with someone who introduced me to a whole new world of Tinder. Turns out, the app is actually pretty handy for anyone learning a language.

You read right. Tinder isn’t just for dating. With a bit of fine-tuning, you can add this app to your arsenal of online resources for language learning.

Plus - you might make a few new friends along the way!

My Experience With Using Tinder for Language Learning

I discovered that Tinder can be used to learn languages by accident.

I was swiping away in London, when I “matched” with a spunky (that’s Australian for handsome) boy from Prague. He was fluent in three languages – Czech, German and English. He lived in Austria, was learning Russian, and looking to improve his English.

We were having quite a good time chatting, when he proposed moving onto Skype. I was concerned at first, imagining a situation similar to the harrowing I had experiences with Chatroulette as a teenager (anyone who stumbled onto this webpage last decade will know exactly what I’m talking about).

He assured me he just wanted to talk. He called me up and we had a chat as he walked home from work. His English was far more advanced than my German, but it was quite fun. Here was an opportunity to make a new friend from a country and cultural entirely different from my own.

The door was opened and Tinder immediately become a much more interesting app to use.

How to Start Using Tinder as a Language Learning Tool

Here’s what you need to do to make Tinder work for you as a language learner.

Step 1: Download the App

If you haven’t used the app before, the process is pretty simply. You download it through the App Store or Google Play. When you first launched Tinder, you’ll be asked to create an account. The only way to do this is to login through Facebook.

Don’t have Facebook? It’s easy enough to create an account for your purpose, as all you’ll need is your first name and a few pretty pictures.

Once your account is setup, select your photos and type up a bio. This is important - people are more likely to “swipe right” on you if you take the time to pen a little bit of information about yourself.

I would write something along the lines of:

Australian living in London. Bookworm. German language-learner. Loves dogs.

You can write more, or less. It’s up to you. I always feel less is more!

Step 2: Sign Up For Tinder Plus

This step costs money, but it’s a must if you plan to use Tinder for language learning.

By signing up for Tinder Plus you can change the location of where you search for Tinder matches.

I live in London in the UK and I’m learning German. Chances are, there are plenty of German speakers in London. But there are many more non-German speakers.

I could spend hours flicking through Tinder, hoping by chance that I’ll encounter a German speaker who has then also matched with me.

With Tinder Plus, I could eliminate London entirely, opting to search for people in Berlin, seriously increasing my chances of finding someone I can practise speaking German with.

It’s entirely up to you, whether you want to invest the money in the paid version of Tinder. I only suggest it, as I think it saves time and your time is a far more valuable asset than money!

Step 3: Choose Your Tinder Location

If you do decide to go with the paid version of Tinder, the next thing you need to do is decide on where you want to start swiping.

This is particularly helpful if you’re living in a country where only a few people speak your target language. For example, are you living in America, wanting to learning Icelandic?

You may also be looking to practise your speaking skills on a region with a particular dialect. If I really wanted to test my German skills, I could focus on a city in Switzerland or Austria and see if I could actually understand what was being said.

It doesn’t matter which location you pick, as you can always change it later.

Step 4: Get Swiping!

Let the game begin! Start swiping. Swipe left for people you don’t like, right for people you do.
Take the time to read the bios before making your decision. You can get a lot of useful information by taking a couple of minutes to do this.. I find if people do play an instrument, make films for a living, or speak multiple languages they’ll let you know up front. This will make deciding on who you end up “liking” a much easier process.

I’ve also found that people who take the time to write a bio tend to be the most fun to talk to online.They’re also the most willing to talk. These are the types of people that you’re going to want to be looking for - people who are up for anything (I don’t mean in a sexual sense!).

Step 5: Get Down and Dirty Straight Away

Once you do have a few matches, I think it’s important not to beat around the bush. People are on Tinder for all sorts of reasons - boredom, looking to make friends, quick hook ups, or with the hope of starting a relationship.

You’re here to learn a language, not break hearts.

So, be upfront. Tell the person that you don’t currently live in their area - but you are looking for someone to chat with. Explain your language learning quest to them. Be prepared for rejection. Some may un-match you without another word. Don’t take it personally. There will be people out there who are up for having a chat, happy to participate in your experiment.

Consider this - you’ve got something valuable to offer, simply with your native language. You’re looking to strengthen your language skills and guaranteed there are other people on the Internet who are in the same boat as you.

My German may be sketchy, but I’m 100% fluent in English. There would be people in Germany just as interested in looking to strengthen their English writing, reading and speaking skills as I am in German. Everyone wins!

Step 6: Move From Tinder to Skype

This last step is entirely up to you. I approached it with the same sort of trepidation as I would in giving a stranger my mobile number. I would only give someone my Skype handle if I’d had a few conversations with that person and felt completely comfortable with my decision. Common sense applies, as with most decisions you make in the online dating world.

You may not be interested in speaking to your new online friends, merely content with texting. It’s up to you. And if the conversation moves into territory that you don’t feel comfortable with – get out of there and be merciless with the block button.

The Benefits of Using Tinder as a Language Learning Tool

I strongly believe in the adage “practice makes perfect”, particularly with language learning. If you are truly serious about becoming fluent in a language, you should be using a whole range of methods to increase your knowledge. While adding to your vocab list or practising pronunciation, you should also be studying movies or singing your heart out in the shower.

Learning a language should never be a chore, especially when there are so many opportunities to approach it from a creative angle and make the process enjoyable.

The beauty of Tinder is that it opens up the possibility of speaking with ordinary people. It provides you with an opportunity that learning in a classroom or from textbooks alone never could. Rather than studying a language in its standardised form, Tinder will allow you to learn slang, experience different dialects and talk about cultural trends.

Best of all, you’ll be communicating in your language, with those who speak it fluently. That’s why you wanted to learn after all, wasn’t it?

Plus - you never know. You could even meet the love of your life along the way!

Would You Use Tinder For Language Learning?

That’s my experience with using Tinder for language learning. Now I want to know – would you do the same?

Feel free to share your thoughts with the community. See you in the comments!

The post How to Use Tinder as a Language Learning Tool appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Free Online Podcasts to Help You Learn Italian

• ItalianPod101 Podcast: It’s a little-known fact that all of the Innovative Language podcasts, including ItalianPod101, are free to sign up for and offer quite a bit of free content. Sign up for an ItalianPod101 account and check out the lessons available for your skill level. After listening to these lessons, you’ll have a pretty good understanding of how the Innovative Language program works. Then you can decide if you’re interested in upgrading your account to a paid subscription.
• Learn Italian Pod: With 175 lessons, Learn Italian Pod is one of the biggest Italian podcasts out there. Each episode starts with a short anecdote or news story narrated in Italian, followed by an explanation of the most important grammar and vocabulary points from the narration.
• Coffee Break Italian: Relax and take in this popular Italian podcast while sipping a cup of cappuccino - but only if you haven’t just eaten! Italians never drink cappuccino immediately after a meal. Best stick with plain caffè after your meal if you’re on holiday in Italy.
• Pastacast: This is a short podcast that ran for only six months, but it covers a surprising amount of material. It breaks down most of the more confusing Italian grammar points into simple elements. The host also tries to use simple English as much as possible for those listeners who don’t speak English as a first language.

Learn Italian with Free Audio Lessons

• Audible Italian: If you’re an absolute beginner in Italian, this is a good place to start. Audible Italian teaches basic expressions for the most common situations you can expect to encounter on holiday in Italy. Each phrase comes with an audio recording of a native speaker saying the phrase. Listen to each one multiple times, and be sure to repeat after it out loud, to work on your speaking and listening skills at the same time.
• One World Italiano: This website is bursting with useful Italian learning material. It contains a 37-part audio course for beginners, a 6-part course for intermediate students, and a 12-part video course. In the sidebar, there are many more lessons, as well as reading, writing and listening exercises that you can access for free.
• Foreign Service Institute Italian FAST (Familiarization and Short-term Training) Course: This is the course that the US government’s Foreign Service Institute uses for training its own employees before they’re stationed overseas. It’s very structured and thorough, and is especially appealing to language learners who prefer a more classroom-oriented approach. Click on “Student Text” to download the textbook for the course, which includes instructions for how to use the course. Then follow along with the audio lessons.

YouTube: Free Online Videos for Learning Italian

• Speak Italian With Your Mouth Full: Learn about Italian cooking and language at the same time. Each lesson is divided into parts. In part 1, you watch an Italian teacher and chef teach new vocabulary and phrases to a class of students. Parts 2 and 3 are a cooking class where you can observe the students learning to cook an Italian dish while using the language material they just learned.
• Lavori in Cors Genova: This YouTube course contains 67 detailed lessons about Italian grammar and vocabulary. Learn about every aspect of grammar that a beginner to intermediate student could want, such as object contracted pronouns, the various future tenses, and even how to swear in Italian!
• Learn Italian with Marco: These video lessons from a very cheerful native Italian speaker will teach you a huge variety of useful Italian phrases. The narrator explains the relevant grammar and vocabulary for each phrase to help them stick in your mind.
• ItalianPod101 free videos: ItalianPod101 has made many of their videos available to everyone on YouTube, so you don’t have to sign up for a paid subscription to access some of their amazing content. Check out the listening comprehension videos, which contain a dialogue that you’ll be tested on at the end of the video. If you’re very short on time, watch one of the “Italian in 3 Minutes” videos for a mini Italian lesson.
• Italianissimo: This is a BBC series from the ‘90s whose goal was to teach Italian to beginners. It contains a mix of English and Italian and is appropriate even for absolute beginners. Try not to laugh too much at the early ‘90s cheesiness of the show - the material is top notch!
• Benvenido in Casa Ba: Here is another television series designed specifically for foreigners learning Italian. It follows the story of a family who has just immigrated to Italy. It’s more advanced than Italianissimo, and is filmed entirely in Italian. Each episode comes with a transcript to follow along to if you get lost.

Free Online Italian Courses and Systems

• Italian Online Club: This hidden gem contains hundreds of lessons for Italian students, organised by difficulty according to CEFR levels, from A1 up to C2. Click on your level to get started. If you’re not sure of your level, take the placement test by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
• Iluss Free Resources: Learn from structured lessons sorted by skill level. Each lesson starts with an overview of the grammar point being covered, and then has a series of quizzes to test your knowledge. Many of the quizzes contain fill-in-the-blank questions, but some also include a listening comprehension component.
• Duolingo Italian: For vocabulary and basic grammar exercises to do during your spare moments throughout the day, Duolingo is the go-to app for millions of language learners around the world. While I don’t recommend it be used exclusively, Duolingo can be a very useful supplement to your Italian studies.

The post 16 Free Online Italian Language Lessons appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.