Spanish Vocab Builder #60 - Body - Using the Body

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for the Body - Using the Body. Click here [...]

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News #213 - Steal These for Yourself! The Top 5 Spanish Learning Strategies

“How can I learn Spanish and start speaking faster?” It’s the one question beginners love asking. So here’s the deal – we’ve asked our experienced Spanish learners for their top strategies- the kind you can steal for yourself right now! And if you apply these top 5 strategies – consistently – you’ll definitely improve your Spanish. Extended! [...]

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Coffee Break Italian – Earthquake Appeal

A 6.2M earthquake caused significant damage in central Italy. So far more than 290 people have been killed and the town of Amatrice is in ruins. Survivors need access to emergency supplies. Here at Radio Lingua we’ve been trying to come up with a way in which we can help.

For many visitors to Italy and lovers of Italian food, the signature dish of the region affected by the earthquake is very well known. Indeed, we’ve spoken about Spaghetti all’Amatriciana several times on the show. We’ve put together a mini-course featuring a recipe card in Italian with some vocabulary help, and Mark and Francesca have recorded a quick video episode helping you to understand the recipe.

100% of the proceeds of this course will be donated to the Global Giving Italy Earthquake Relief Fund. More details of this fund are available here. Given the nature of the situation, we have to put a time limit on the sales of this course, and we will confirm the full amount donated by the Coffee Break Italian community through this mini-course in a future newsletter and on our Facebook page.

In order to put this course together as quickly as possible, we’re using our new Coffee Break Academy site. This means that if you decide to purchase the course, you’ll need to create a new account. You can use the same details as your normal Coffee Break Italian account, but you will have to create a new account in order to buy this mini-course. (If you’ve already signed up to either the Coffee Break French or Spanish Masterclass, you’ll already have an Academy account).

To find out more about our mini-course in aid of the Italy Earthquake Relief Fund, please visit our Coffee Break Academy site.

[Photo credit: Global Giving Italy Earthquake Relief Fund]

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Episodio 229: Hacer el agosto

Today we talk about an expression that includes the current month and it's related to... business!. Learn Spanish with us! Transcript available: "Hola, te doy la bienvenida a otro de nuestros episodios. ¿Qué tal estás? Espero que bien. En esta ocasión voy a explicarte una nueva expresión: hacer el agosto. Es una expresión relacionada con el dinero que se utiliza en España de vez en cuando y que puedes escuchar en muchos contextos ... "

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Coffee Break French Live – 24 août 2016

Join us Coffee Break French Live

In this episode:

• feedback for our Facebook community
• the expression tenir quelqu’un au courant / au jus
• the idiom faire la grasse matinée
• news about Coffee Break French on Instagram

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook to find out exactly when we’re broadcasting our live shows.

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Coffee Break Spanish Live – 25 de agosto 2016

Join us for Coffee Break Spanish Live.

In this episode:

• feedback for our Facebook community
• the expression echar una cabezadita
• answering the question ¿qué llevas a la playa?
• news about Coffee Break Spanish on Instagram

Make sure you’re following us on Facebook to find out exactly when we’re broadcasting our live shows.

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Intermediate Lesson S1 #17 - We Have Never Been a Big Fan of Doing That in Spain Either!

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! You can’t believe it! They gave you the time off for your vacation to Spain! You are so excited you really don’t know what to do with yourself! As you and a colleague enjoy a nice lunch together, she asks you in Spanish, “Have you made any plans for your vacation [...]

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Culture Class: Mexican Superstitions and Beliefs #1 - Tuesday the 13th and Tortilla

Learn about Mexican culture with SpanishPod101.com! Every country has its superstitions, and Mexico is no exception. Whether you believe in them or not, learning about superstitions is a great way to find out more about Mexican culture…and learn more Spanish along the way! In this lesson, you will learn about superstitions related to Tuesday the 13th, [...]

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Spanish Listening Comprehension for Intermediate Learners #20 - Finding Your Way Around a Building in Mexico

Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Do you find yourself only understanding the key parts of Mexican Spanish conversations? Would you like to understand what’s happening around you in daily life in Mexico? Then this Mexican Spanish Listening Comprehension for Intermediate Learners series is for you! In each lesson of this five-part series, you’ll see an [...]

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6 Tips to Learn Phrasal Verbs in English

I've been teaching English for close to a decade. It’s never long before students start asking “How can I sound more like a native speaker?” I’ve realised that a big gap for English learners is phrasal verbs. Teaching phrasal verbs has enabled my students to feel more confident and comfortable using English. It's also been a great help for me as a language learner. That's why I’ve decided to share with you my best tips for learning phrasal verbs in English. If you’re learning English, I’m sure you’ll love these. And if you’re a native English speaker, knowing about phrasal verbs can be a big help with your language learning. Let’s get started.

What is a Phrasal Verb?

Firstly, let's outline briefly what a phrasal verb actually is! Have you ever noticed how when you sometimes add a seemingly tiny word like a preposition or an adverb after a verb, the meaning can completely change? Crazy, huh? That's phrasal verbs. They're a little bit wacky. Let’s look at some examples.

Verb: Pick

“Pick” is just a normal verb, not a phrasal verb. Well, not yet at least. It can mean a few things. Let's focus on one meaning for our example: to select or choose. We need to pick which meal we’d like to eat. But look what happens to 'pick' when we add the word 'up'.

Phrasal Verb: Pick Up

Now, as if by some kind of wordplay magic, “pick” has become a phrasal verb. To 'pick up' can actually mean many different things. We’ll look at just four of the possible meanings in this post: to improve, to collect someone or something, and to acquire knowledge. Let's look at an example for each of these:

• Improve: The weather is picking up lately, isn’t it?
• Collect someone: Can you pick up Jenny after football practice?
• Collect something: Can you pick up my parcel from the post office?
• Acquire knowledge: James picked up Spanish really quickly.

Phew! Who'd have thought that the addition of the tiny word 'up' could make such a difference? Ready to learn some more? Here are my top tips to learn phrasal verbs in English.

1. Transitive or Intransitive

I hate to start by throwing these grammar words at you, but it helps a lot if you can understand the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs when learning phrasal verbs. You may already be familiar with these words, but if not, here's the jargon-free explanation:

• transitive = needs something or someone after the verb
• intransitive = stands alone

For example, the phrasal verb 'bump into' means “to meet someone unexpectedly” and always has to be followed by the person you weren't expecting to meet. You can't just say, "Yesterday, I bumped into. Haven't seen her in years!" You have to say instead something like this: "Yesterday, I bumped into Sarah. Haven't seen her in years!" The exception to this would be if it were a statement that didn’t reveal ‘who’ you ‘bumped into’. For example, “I went to town yesterday. You’ll never guess who I bumped into.” Even here though, ‘who’ is the someone that you met unexpectedly. In the answer, this ‘who’ will change into someone’s name and be placed after ‘bumped into’; it just happens to appear earlier in the sentence. However, some phrasal verbs are intransitive, which means they work fine on their own. For example, ’grow up’ means “to mature”. You never add an object. Here are a few examples of how this works.

• They grew up in England.
• Your daughter is growing up so fast!
• When I grow up, I want to be a popstar.

Something worth noting here is that some phrasal verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. For example, 'wake up', as I'm sure you know, means “to awaken”. If you want to say that you awaken, you simply say "I wake up". However, "I wake up Sarah" is an example of real English, but it means that you go into Sarah's bedroom and shake her and blow an airhorn into her ear and throw water on her and scream until she opens her eyes. Or, you know, it just means that you gently tap her and say her name to ease her into the day. (If it's the former, it's fair to say Sarah needs to find new friends.)

2. Separable or Inseparable

As well as having to consider whether or not a phrasal verb is transitive or intransitive, we also have to become familiar with the idea of separable and inseparable. Here’s a jargon-free explanation, as you asked so nicely:

• Separable = the verb and extra word(s) that make it a phrasal verb can be separated
• Inseparable = do not split the main verb from the other words in the phrasal verb. That's just asking for trouble.

Let's go back to poor old sleepy Sarah. When we're talking about 'waking someone else up', the phrasal verb 'wake up' takes an object because we've added 'someone else'. It is also separable because that 'someone else' can go between the verb 'wake' and the word 'up' and it still sounds ok, the meaning doesn't change, and you won't get any confused looks when you speak to native speakers. Hooray! So as well as being able to say 'I wake up Sarah', we can also say 'I wake Sarah up', which means exactly the same thing. Pretty cool, huh? Well, I hope you like that bit because not all phrasal verbs are that accommodating. Some are strictly separable and must be kept separate at all times like a pair of angry divorcees. For example, 'keep something around' means to keep something close to you. However, you can't 'keep around something'. I always keep my phone around when I’m waiting for you to call. Others are strictly inseparable. For example, 'look up to someone', which means to admire and respect someone. We can't say 'look someone up to' or even 'look up someone to'. Here’s an example of how it would work. I really look up to my older sister. Learning whether a phrasal verb is transitive/intransitive and separable/inseparable from the start will really help you to use it correctly as you go forward. I'd recommend writing a few example sentences showing off how it's used to help you to remember. But where do you get these phrasal verbs from to begin with?

3. Context: A Simple Trick for Memorising Phrasal Verbs

It's pretty easy to find list after list of phrasal verbs on the Internet and in grammar books, but that may not be the best way to learn them. Instead, try focusing on topics. Imagine you're watching a Formula One race. There are going to be lots of phrasal verbs you can use here involving 'pull' because many are to do with driving. For example, Hamilton pulled up at the pit stop, Vettel is pulling away slowly, Rosberg is pulling ahead. You can almost smell the petrol fumes. Now think of an airport. There are as many phrasal verbs as suitcases here! For example, we have to check in, the plane takes off in 10 minutes, don't forget to look after your luggage. A great way to do this would be to start with a list of phrasal verbs and a blank notebook. Write one topic or situation at the centre of a page in your notebook, for example, "in the classroom". Now browse your list of phrasal verbs until you come across something that you might hear "in the classroom". Add it to your list with an example and repeat. Oh yes, and don't forget to note whether each is transitive or intransitive and separable or inseparable. It's much easier to embed this in your memory as you learn each phrasal verb rather than struggle along later.

4. Use Stories to Lodge Phrasal Verbs in Your Memory

Once you've created your mind maps, you can take it one step further and create your own stories linked to a particular phrasal verb. Everyone loves a good story, right? Stories make for more familiar, engaging, interesting, and memorable learning resources. If you're creating them yourself, then even better. It doesn't matter if you don't consider yourself a writer! Here are a few reasons why. Number one, no one has to read them if you don't want them to. Number two, you don't even have to write them down. Which skill is the most important for you to make stronger? Speaking? Why not try recording yourself saying your stories aloud as they come to you? Again, no one has to hear them if you don't want to share. I promise I won't tell.

5. Use Music to Discover How Phrasal Verbs are Used

Of course, there's plenty of good advice about using music in language learning. Similarly to why stories are so great, music creates a memorable attachment and gives context. To get started, try searching for the phrasal verb you're learning in speech marks with the word 'lyrics' on YouTube. For example, ["carry on”] (http://ift.tt/2c3tRax) lyrics. If you're searching a separable phrasal verb, then you can perhaps try inserting pronouns too. For example, "wake me up” lyrics. If you've got a huge list of phrasal verbs and don't have time to do that for each one, I've put together this playlist to get you started. You're welcome, friend!

6. Check Current Use of Phrasal Verbs by Reading the News

Once you've lost your voice from all the singing, head back to Google, but this time, instead of searching for lyrics, check out the news tab and try searching for your phrasal verbs. I use this technique all the time with my students (and myself) when learning different languages. Not only does it give you a range of sources and therefore potentially a wide variety of language use, but it also brings you examples of current usage. One thing you might spot from this exercise is how some phrasal verbs are used as nouns too. For example, when I searched 'pick up' for research for this post, this is what I got. In the first example, the phrasal verb 'pick up' is being used to mean collect... We've also got examples of it as a noun... And as a noun with a different meaning… Finally, check out this one... Another verb, but with a different meaning. Here it means 'to improve'. You don't even have to go on to read all of these articles if you don't want to. Google has given you exactly what you need on the first page. Thanks, Google. By using these tips to take your phrasal verb knowledge further, you’ll not only enjoy the process more than simple rote learning, but you’ll also be creating longer lasting memories of the words. Win-win. Feeling inspired? I've recently released my first online course. Yay! It's called Mastering English Phrasal Verbs Through Story and is perfect for you if you're looking for something to give you exposure to over 500 phrasal verbs and a chance to create your own stories as part of the learning process. Find out more here. What do you struggle with the most when learning phrasal verbs? Which tips work for you? I'd love to chat with you about this in the comments! Image credit: Rennett Stowe.

The post 6 Tips to Learn Phrasal Verbs in English appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Spanish Vocab Builder #59 - Feeling Sad? Learn The Top 21 Words For Negative Emotions

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn Feeling Sad? Learn The Top 21 Words For Negative Emotions. Click here [...]

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Episodio 228: Empleos curiosos

We talk about unusual jobs around the world. You'll practice with it in a context, also, you can practice your pronunciation. Transcript available: "Hola a todos, ¿qué tal el verano y sobre todo qué tal las vacaciones? Espero que lo estéis pasando muy bien y sobre todo, que estéis descansado. En el podcast de hoy vamos a hablar sobre algunos empleos originales que pocas personas realizan en el mundo. Existen trabajos poco habituales ... "

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Episode 33 – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

Alejandro has left for London and in this episode we’re reading an email from Rory with the latest updates on the story. Rory is thinking about the future and his plans for his PhD which perhaps will take him to Argentina. As usual, there is a huge range of complex grammar and advanced vocabulary covered, and Mark and Carmen are on hand to discuss the text in detail.

In the preview episode available here on the Radio Lingua site, on iTunes and on Soundcloud, you’ll be able to listen to Carmen and Mark’s introduction, to the core text of this episode, and to the summary in English of what happens in the text. For a full analysis of the text and in-depth discussion of the words and phrases contained in the episode, you can subscribe to our premium version. For further information, please see below.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4 provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your advanced studies of Spanish. The premium version includes the following elements:

• full-length audio episode: in each episode Mark and Carmen discuss the language covered in each text in depth, providing further examples and testing you on your understanding;
• transcript: a full transcript of the entire episode including notes on complex language and grammar points;
• bonus audio episode: test yourself on the key constructions included in the audio episode with this bonus audio translation exercise.

The members’ version can be accessed through our membership system. You can purchase a membership using the links below.

• Season 4: Lessons 1-40
  £89.00 GBP inc VAT / approx $109 USD ex VAT for non EU customers)

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Gengo Spanish #24 - What a Coincidence in Latin America!

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Whoa! You’re taking a bus ride to the ferry boat to Cozumel in Mexico, and your Latin driver is cursing up a storm in Spanish. He’s gesticulating wildly and yelling all sorts of insults in Spanish to the allegedly poor drivers around him. You wonder whether he ought to turn that [...]

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News #212 - Question for You: What Spanish Lessons & Courses Do You Want to Take?

Pronunciation? The Alphabet? Grammar? Saying motivated? What kind of Spanish learning paths, lessons and courses do you want to take? Let us know in the comments of this Sunday News. The reason we ask is… these specific Spanish courses probably exist on SpanishPod101. Olympics Sale Starts Now! Get Up to 30% OFF Basic, Premium or [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #58 - Home Appliances

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for Home Appliances. Click here to make your own [...]

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Episodio 227: La gripe española

What was the Spanish flu? Improve your ability to speak Spanish using everyday expressions and practicing with native speakers. Transcript available: "Hoy estamos aquí para compartir con vosotros otro episodio relacionado con la historia. En esta ocasión vamos a hablar sobre “La gripe española”. Han pasado más de 100 años desde el inicio de la Primera Guerra Mundial, un suceso bélico internacional que comenzó en Europa ... "

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Hebrew for Beginners: 10 Reasons Hebrew is Easy

“Oh my god! Come here, look at this! Hurry, you have to take a picture of it!” My mom yelled at me to catch up. She pointed up at the Tel Aviv street sign. Lucky for her, street signs in Israel have three languages on them: English, Hebrew and Arabic. In English, it read, “Yeremyahu street.” Yermyahu is my Hebrew name. My mom gave it to me, so of course she was proud to see it on a street sign in Israel and wanted me to take a picture of it. It wasn’t urgent at all, but you know how moms can get... It was our fifth day in Israel. My mother, brother, sister and I were having a blast: enjoying pita and hummus, exploring cities like Haifa and Jerusalem, and enjoying quality family time together. Meanwhile, my Hebrew was slowly coming back to me. I took three semesters of it in university from 2009-2012. It had been over two years since I’d actively used it, but by day five, I was finally conversational again after a little immersion . However, the first few days felt like I was starting from scratch. Luckily, I realised quickly that Hebrew can be relatively easy to learn - even for beginners. This is the "Hebrew for beginners" list I wish I had when I was getting started.  Enjoy!

1. The Hebrew Alphabet, Aleph Bet, isn’t so Difficult

Almost none of the Hebrew alphabet looks like the Roman alphabet, and even when it does, it carries a different sound. So beware of the following “false friends.” The koof (ק) looks like a P, even though it makes the “K” sound. The shin (ש) looks like a “W” but it makes the “S” sound. Samech (ס) looks like an “O” but makes the “S” sound. And the cursive mem (מ) looks like an N, but it makes the “M” sounds. The cursive shin (ש) looks like an E. Don’t be fooled! Wait...WHAT!? Cursive!?!? Ah just in time for #2…

2. Hebrew Uses Cursive

Writing in Hebrew cursive isn’t like writing in English cursive. I learned English cursive in grade school and never use it unless I am reading a letter from my grandmother or signing a check (Let’s be honest: this barely happens. Not only because I’m broke but because I work online). Most native Hebrew speakers actually write in Hebrew cursive, so it’s worth learning it if you plan to learn to read and write in the language, which you should because you are an overachiever!

3. Hebrew Reads from Right to Left

Most languages read left to write, so reading Hebrew can be tricky to grasp at first. But once you get the hold of it, it comes naturally! It’s actually great brain exercise as well.

4. There’s no “to be” Verb in Hebrew

Similar to a lot of South East Asian languages, Hebrew has no word for “is” or “are”. Instead of “I am tired,” you say, “I tired” (אני עייף). Or, you can even shorten it to, “tired?” (עייף) to ask a question (i.e. “Are you tired?”). This actually makes it much easier for beginners because there are fewer words to remember.

5. No One Uses “Shmi” (שמי)

Several teachers taught me to introduce myself like this. “Shmi Jeremy.” But, in Israel, no one says that. They say, “Ani (אני) Jeremy,” which translates to, “I am Jeremy.” Shmi (שמי) is the more formal way of introducing yourself, more like “I am called.” While this makes sense, it’s used mostly by grandmothers in Israel, so you may get a few funny looks if you introduce yourself this way to native Hebrew speakers.

6. Beginner Hebrew Includes Vowels… But You Don’t Need Them

The vowels in Hebrew are dots and dashes above and below the letters to indicate the sound the consonant should make. Advanced Hebrew, such as that used on menus, street signs, websites and store names, does not have the vowels. Sound scary? Not really. No vowels, no problem! Allow me to illustrate this with an example. How do you pronounce “read”? Did you pronounce it the same as “red” or the same as “reed”? Is either right? It’s a trick question, there’s not a right or wrong answer. You simply know how to pronounce it correctly given its context. On top of that, think about how HARD it is to learn English because none of the vowels stay consistent. ‘Day’ sounds different than ‘dad’, which is different than ‘daunt’, but they all start with the same two letters! Once you learn to spell and pronounce a Hebrew word, you remember it the same way you remember words in English. When reading new words, you may make mistakes from time to time, but that’s okay (I’ll share a few hints that help with that in a second). People make mistakes in English all the time. To this day, I still don’t know how to pronounce the word “corps.” Seriously, please comment and let me know if the “ps” is silent or not.

7. You Can Use “Consonant Hints” to Help Your Pronunciation

To survive Hebrew without vowels, learn the consonant hints, which are the dots and dashes above and below the letters. Here are a few: The yud (י) usually makes the “ee” sound and the vav (ו) usually acts like an “o,” making an “oh” or “oo” sound. These letters are part of the normal alphabet, so they will always be there to guide you. Granted, these rules aren’t 100%, but they’re pretty solid.

8. Hebrew Roots Give Clues to Word Meanings

Roots are the letters in the base of a word that helps identify it. These roots make it easier to guess words that aren’t familiar. For example, sepher (ספר) means book. Soophar (סופר) means writer (see the vav (ו) there acting like a vowel?). Seephria (ספריה) means library (notice the yud (י) giving it the “e” sound?). They all contain the same three root letters, sadeech (ס), pei (פ), and resh (ר). This makes it easier to remember new words. This is in contrast to English, where we have words such as “Butterfly” which has a lot to do with the word “fly” but nothing to do with what I put on my pancakes (butter).

9. In Hebrew, the Adjective Comes Before the Noun

This is different than English and many other languages, but bear with me. It’s tough to remember, but it actually makes more sense to say first what the object is rather than describe it first. If I said, “The other day, I saw a big, black, dangerous, loud…” you’d have no idea what I was describing until I got to the end of the sentence. However, if I started with the object and said, “I saw a dog that was big, black, dangerous, and loud,” it’s easier for the listener to follow and imagine what I am describing.

10. There are SO MANY COGNATES

If you’re just starting to learn a new language, cognates are your best friend because they’re the easiest words you’ll ever learn. Hebrew shares a ton of words with English. Here are a few: Auto-bus (אוטובוס), chocolate (שוקולד), supermarket (סופרמרקט), bank (בנק), carnival (קרנבל), avocado (אבוקדו), coffee (קפה), and beer (בירה). That’s right, coffee AND BEER. So, no need to keep reading, you know everything you need! Just kidding. Here’s a more extensive list of Hebrew- English cognates. So worry not! Even if you don’t actually know any Hebrew, you know way more than you think! The Hebrew language is one of the oldest languages, and though it’s not the most popular one, it’s still intriguing and fun to learn. With these ten tips, you’ll be on your way to mastering it before you know it. So good luck, and mazel tov for making it to the end of this article!

The post Hebrew for Beginners: 10 Reasons Hebrew is Easy appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Absolute Beginner European Spanish for Every Day #2 - Top 25 Verbs

Learn European Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! In your home country, there are some phrases that are so common you use them or hear them every day. The same is true in Spain too, so why not give your European Spanish an instant boost by learning them in this video lesson? With Rosa’s help, you’ll be sounding [...]

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How I turned my guerilla-style language-learning method into a course you’ll find in bookshops around the world

I learned my first foreign language, Spanish, mostly by hanging out with Erasmus students during the gap year I spent in Valencia, Spain. In other words, I learned Spanish through speaking it. My second language project was Italian. And I learned it quickly -- surprisingly quickly -- in just a few months while I worked at a Youth Hostel in Rome.  I learned Italian through speaking it. Then with French, I hit a wall. For a year, I let myself get caught in the English-speaking bubble. But when I swallowed my insecurities and forced myself to talk with my co-workers in my bad French, I learned the language. (And now, it’s one of my best!). I learned French through speaking it. Can you see where this is going? Traditional language learning methods failed me. I studied German at school for five years and could barely speak a word of it in conversation. I attended Spanish classes for six months in Spain, and still struggled to even order food in Spanish. Yet when I ditched the courses and started to learn through speaking, conversations and ordering food came naturally. I started seeing language courses as “dusty old books” -- and I stayed as far away as I could, focusing my efforts on other approaches. Where language courses failed me, speaking succeeded. That’s why for my entire career, I’ve never created a course. Instead, I’ve always shared strategies and techniques for learning a new language. I’ve aimed to encourage and inspire people. I want to show everyone that “yes, you CAN learn a language, too.” Anyone can speak a language - even if that means sounding like Tarzan to start with.

I believe the best way to learn a new language is to speak the language

I never dreamed I’d make a language course - in large part because I disagreed with the idea that you needed a course to learn a language, particularly as a beginner. I also believed that creating an effective beginner’s course was an almost impossible task. It’s incredibly difficult to create a language course that works for a wide range of people. Why? Because everyone’s different. What I need to learn a new language is different to what Billy needs. And Billy’s needs are different to Stephanie’s. And so on. On top of that, I’ve discovered that the best way to learn a language is to speak from day one. What’s the point of learning a language if it’s not about having real conversations with real people? Real conversations are messy and human. They don’t fit neatly into a course. The things that I need to say in a conversation are completely different from the things you might need to say. Here’s a simple example: whenever I meet someone new, one of the first things I’d want to say is “I’m Benny. I’m a blogger from Ireland.” But the words “blogger” and often even “Ireland” are not likely to be found in many beginner courses. My view was that language course methods have their place. They work for some people, and that’s great. But they’re only one small tool in the language learner’s toolbox. This hasn’t changed. But my beliefs about language courses have changed. What happened?

Teach Yourself asked me on a date

For most of my language learning journey, I’ve not spent much time on language courses. And when I did use them, there were only a few that I thought were reliable (and that I recommended here on the blog). One of those has always been Teach Yourself. So when Teach Yourself approached me and suggested I partner with them for a Teach Yourself branded language course, I knew I had to think about it. Even better, Teach Yourself wanted to combine their decades of experience publishing language courses with my unique approach to language learning. Together, we decided to create a course that would help language learners:

• Speak from day one
• Embrace mistakes
• Focus on spoken (not written) language
• Postpone most grammar
• Learn only what they need
• Use hacks to remember what they learn
• Change their mindset to communicate confidently and effectively

Nothing like this has ever been done before, and I had the option to do it with a big name in the language learning space. But as with any new relationship, I was cautiously optimistic...

How I Played Hard to Get with Teach Yourself

I didn’t make it easy for them. My views on learning a language are far from traditional. Speak from day one! Embrace Tarzan Speak! And I believed that Teach Yourself was, at heart, like other traditional publishers. The brand is 75 years old, and the publisher that owns the brand is over 250 years old. They’re so old in fact that they are the same people who published Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Seriously. Here’s how I imagined our conversations would go:

Benny: I want the learner to speak the language right away.

Stodgy Old Publisher: Sure, we can have them repeat after the audio.

Benny: No no. I mean, the learner has to use the phrases right away. Like, in a conversation with another person.

Stodgy Old Publisher: … … … *blank stare*

But when I met with Teach Yourself, here’s how it actually went:

Benny: I mean, the learner has to use the phrases right away. Like, in a conversation with another person.

Teach Yourself: … We can do that. We could even partner with a service like italki to help learners find people to have conversations with in their new language.

Benny: … … … *blank stare*

Here’s the great thing about teaming up with an established brand like Teach Yourself: they have the resources to bring all of my mad-scientist ideas to life. Teach Yourself broke all the stereotypes I believed were true for traditional publishers. They even listened when I explained that I wanted the freedom to tell learners that it's OK to say things WRONG. Here’s how I imagined that conversation might go:

Benny: You know, in real life, French people say “Je sais pas”, not “Je ne sais pas”, so we should teach that.

Stodgy Old Publisher: … but “je ne sais pas” is the grammatically correct form.

Benny: Right, I know, but that’s not how people actually speak.

Stodgy Old Publisher: … but “je ne sais pas” is the grammatically correct form.

But Teach Yourself got it. While many publishers might balk at the thought of encouraging learners to say things that aren’t grammatically perfect, they worked with me, and helped me create a course that places the highest priority on giving students practical, relevant, and extremely useful phrases. They were even on board with me telling readers what vocab to avoid learning right away, because it’s just not that useful. Language hacking and time wasting just do not go together. Our partnership worked out so well, we eventually decided to create four Teach Yourself Language Hacking courses (to start). These are:

Finally, a language course that's flexible enough for anyone

There are a hundred reasons why the Language Hacking courses are (ACTUALLY) different from anything that’s been created before. But probably my favourite is that the courses are designed so that... You can choose your own adventure. Throughout the course you have opportunities to find and use the language that's specific for you. You can personalise it to suit your situation, and go beyond the usual stock answers like “I’m single” or “I’m married.” Most people’s lives aren’t so cut and dry. You might want to say, “It’s complicated”, or “I met my partner online”, or “I’m a disaster in relationships!” instead. Language Hacking prepares you for these real-life conversations. The same way you may have read through those “choose your own adventure” books when you were a kid, excited each time to read it again and create a totally different story -- that’s how we built the Language Hacking courses. You can revisit the course again and again, and each time you go through it, you’ll learn new phrases that prepare you for different life experiences that you choose for yourself. You can complete the course ten different times and learn ten different sets of vocabulary, depending on what your goals are for that adventure. Because who knows where your language journey may take you or what you may need to say. These are not your typical language courses. You can never really “complete” the course, because you can always revisit it to build on your vocabulary in ways that are completely you-specific. So here’s how these courses have changed what it means to be a language hacker Language hacking has always been about learning powerful strategies and techniques to learn new languages faster on your own at home. I didn’t want to - I couldn’t - make just another course that teaches you standard, one-size-fits-all phrases. I wanted to create a new kind of course that teaches you how to use what you learn to continuously build new phrases on your own. It’s language hacking in practice. Language Hacking courses equip you with useful, versatile, relevant phrases you will absolutely need to know. They arm you with the strategies to learn on your own what no course can teach: the vocabulary and phrases that YOU need in YOUR conversations. This way, you’re learning only what you definitely need to know, and not wasting your time studying the endless possibilities of what you “might” need to know. And I worked with Teach Yourself to create these courses. What could be more fitting? … perhaps that we’ve also collaborated with italki to make sure you’re using the language, actually speaking it with real people, right from Unit 1. … and that I’ve created audio-based flashcards through Anki to accompany the course. And I’m giving them to you for free. Why would I do such a thing? Because I don’t want my course to stop living after you’ve closed the book. And since someone else will probably do it anyway, I want to make sure what’s out there is really good quality. So I’m making it myself with the help of an FI3M team member who’s a huge Anki nerd (Hi, Joseph!) I set out with Teach Yourself to create a new series of language courses that would get learners actually speaking a new language, quickly, with real people. And you know what? I’m proud to say that we nailed it.

How to get your Teach Yourself Language Hacking course

Click here to pre-order your Teach Yourself Language Hacking course now. Be sure to save your email receipt - my team and I have put together an incredible bundle of bonuses for everyone who pre-orders.           (If you’re still not sure that Teach Yourself Language Hacking is right for you, click here, select your language, and enter your email to receive the first chapter of your chosen course, free.)

The post How I turned my guerilla-style language-learning method into a course you’ll find in bookshops around the world appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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News #211 - The 9 Free Ways to Learn Spanish for Life. Steal These for Yourself!

Listen up. Today, we’re going to reveal all the secrets of how to learn Spanish at SpanishPod101 – for free. That’s right; the top 9 Free Lifetime Account features that each and every one of you get the second you join. Quick Discount Ends August 10th! Click Here to Get 20% OFF Premium. Don’t miss this Sunday [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #56 - The Top 20 Words For Positive Emotions

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn The Top 20 Words For Positive Emotions. Click here to make your [...]

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Episodio 226: ¡Festival del humor!

We talk about humor in Spain. Why it's hard to laugh with jokes in another language? What are Spaniard's favorite jokes? What kind of humor is the favourite in Spain? Learn Spanish while we tell some jokes. Transcript available: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy te voy a hablar de un tema divertido: el humor. Chistes, bromas y otros elementos del lenguaje cuyo objetivo es hacer reír a las personas. Reír es sano, ya lo dijimos en el episodio número 85, donde os hablamos sobre los beneficios de la risa. Hoy voy a hablarte principalmente de chistes, es decir, esas pequeñas historias que se cuentan para hacer reír a otras personas. Te contaré qué tipos de chistes se suelen contar en España y qué tipo de humor nos gusta a los españoles ... "

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Learn a Language Faster: 8 Simple Language Hacks

“How has this gone so badly?” I thought. I was taking the official listening exam in Chinese proficiency, and I could not understand a single word of the recording. The test was "elementary" level, and I was there, handing the paper to the teacher at the entrance to the classroom, confused. I had studied by myself at home for years, and I had lived for nine months of "full immersion" in my new country. I’d also attended Chinese classes for three hours per week. How could I perform so badly? When I received by mail the "Not-Passed Diploma", my confusion turned into frustration. Who was to be blamed for my failure? I had really spent a lot of time studying seriously, religiously, with friends, books, music, movies, and language exchange. Was it me? Was it the teaching system of the school? What was wrong? It was not my first language learning experience. By the time I began learning Chinese, I was fluent in two languages besides my mother tongue and had studied other languages at a basic level. But this time, I entered into the adventure of an exotic language from a remote place, and I failed. After some time, things got better, but it was a long and winding road with many obstacles. During the following years, I discovered some secrets about language learning. Certainly, these are not ideas I invented, and most of them have been well-known to many expert learners. But for me they were a discovery, and, in one way or another, made a big change in my perspective of my learning process. Here’s what I learned...

1. Avoid Shifting Gears Between Languages

A drop of water falling on an uneven surface will follow the direction of the steepest slope. The brain does the same with languages. In the presence of two messages in two different languages, the brain focuses on the easiest one, often blocking or ignoring the second one. The brain seems to work at different speeds with different languages. Changing from one language to another implies changing speed, like shifting the gear in a car. The moment I open a textbook and begin to study, my brain changes gear, which takes a small amount of effort. If for a moment I get distracted by a written text or an audio message in my mother tongue, my brain will shift gear again - no effort needed. In other words, it is easier to “shift gears” from a more difficult language to an easier one than the opposite. Here’s the simple lesson I learned: while learning languages, don't get distracted by anything in a language different to the one you are learning. This is more difficult at a beginner’s level, because you might need an explanation in a language you can understand, or you might need to check the dictionary. But I always try to create, as much as possible, an environment without distractions in other languages. Try it for yourself. Which language are you learning? French? Find a free day in your schedule. Try (as much as possible) not to read, listen or even say anything in a language other than French. From early in the morning (or even from the previous night) listen only to music in French, read the news (even if you understand just a bit) in that tongue, and make the effort to think, with simple phrases, in French. If you want, you can be more radical with this. Remove all material from your desk that is not in French, and set your computer and your phone to French, so when you sit down to study, there are no "slopes" that will change the gears of your brain to non-learning mode, even if it is just for some seconds. Try this, even for half a day, and you will notice the difference.

2. Plan Exhaustion Into Your Study Goals

We’ve all had the experience of making a clear and decisive resolution: I will exercise twice a week, I will not lose my temper at the office, I will study Japanese every day. After a beginning full of energy and determination, our motivation fades out and we find ourselves in the same situation: no exercise, losing our temper and not studying Japanese. The problem might be bad planning, unrealistic goals or lack of motivation. But there is another aspect we can take into consideration: often we make plans and take decisions for the times in which we will have a lot of energy. Why not plan instead for those moments in which we will be exhausted? It is good to ask yourself: how do I rest? Walking in the forest? Reading novels? Listening to music? Watching sports? Doing handicrafts? Painting? Take your preferred way of relaxing, and add an element of your target language. Like walking in the park? What about listening a language podcast while you walk? Enjoy reading novels? Look for a book adapted to your level. Love listening to music? Have you tried learning a song in your target language? Is watching sports your thing? Then watch the same sports matches you usually would, but listen to commentary in your target language. If this isn’t possible, then look for sports you can watch with commentary in your target language. Is your favourite “hobby” spending time with friends? Then make a new friend interested in learning the same language as you. Learn together. Still stuck for ideas? Then listen to the radio, music or news while doing other things, even if you only understand ten percent of the content. At the beginning, these new ways of relaxing will feel unfamiliar - perhaps even difficult. You will need time to adapt, but after a while it will be as effortless as the way you used to rest before. And most importantly, your brain will work by itself without you noticing, and will store information that it will bring up again when needed. You might ask: isn’t it more effective to study with intensity, order and attention? This question is a trap. I am not saying that you should only study in ways that allow you to rest, but there are many moments in which this is the only way you can study. Make the most of your rest time!

3. Before You Take Your First Step, Decide Where You Want to Go

What is my "level" in my mother tongue? Most probably I would say that it’s at least "advanced", or "native". But that is hardly a real description. Am I able to write a contract in precise legal terms? Do I understand the slang of my language from different countries or cities, or even age groups? Am I able to explain the intricacies of grammar to a foreigner? Each one of these abilities could be a goal to attain in my own language. In the same way, each time I decide that I will start (or continue) learning a language, besides finding a reason to learn the language, I need to set clear goals. Not only dreams, but clear specific goals, including the time and resources I am willing to spend on learning a new language. For example, it might be that I am learning Russian because I enjoy studying "something", and it happened that I found a Russian textbook at home. In this case my objective is to enjoy the act of studying. It is a valid objective and studying Russian is just a means to attain that goal. Perhaps I sing in a choir that sometimes performs songs with French, Italian and Latin lyrics. I would like to understand a bit of these three languages to make the singing more meaningful. In that case what I need is good pronunciation, together with some basic ideas about grammar and vocabulary. We can imagine a more demanding situation: I want to apply for a scholarship that requires a certain level in Japanese, or my boss just told me that in order to get promoted I need to be fluent (whatever that means) in Finnish. It is then necessary to set clear goals. Here are some examples of goals:

• Within one month acquire vocabulary concerning seafood products.
• By 10th August be able to read in a loud voice fluently, without stammering, and clearly, even if I don't understand what I read.
• At the end of the year understand what the evening news is about in my target language.
• In three weeks decide what kind of materials I need to begin learning a language.
• Pass the intermediate level test in Quenya as a Foreign Language in February.
• Survive my trip to Inner Mongolia.
• Teach a university course in French next September.

Some people explain goal setting in terms of motivation - to stay motivated, you need a goal. That’s true, but it’s also about putting in place habits that mean you’re likely to achieve your goal. This could be attending Chinese class on Tuesdays from 1-2 p.m. Or it might be reading for five minutes in the morning, listening to music while jogging on Thursday afternoons, or watching a video course on Saturdays at 8 a.m. It’s important to connect your big goals with concrete activities that you can do at very precise moments of your schedule. If you do this, you’ll reach your goals.

4. Create Your Own Learning Activities

For some strange reason still unknown to me, at the language schools I’ve come across they always want to teach many different things, but very rarely do they want to teach you how to learn. In a restaurant this approach would make sense; we go to a restaurant to eat, not to learn to cook. In language learning, it does not make sense. From my experience of many failures (which led to later successes), one of the most useful things you can do is develop personal learning activities. This is especially necessary when you get beyond the basic level in a new language. Creating personal learning activities means you examine yourself and your progress (instead of the school examining you), and find direction in your study that’s relevant to you and your goals. How can you examine yourself? On a regular basis, ask yourself:

• What is my weak point now?
• Which area do I want to strengthen now?
• In which field do I need to acquire vocabulary?
• Where do I commit more mistakes?
• What am I afraid of?

Then create a simple learning activity to address the issues you discover. Not sure where to start with this? Just create something. Try. Fail. Work. Adjust. Change. Practise. Examine. Fail. Try again. Some of the things I've tried (some of which work only in a full immersion situation) include:

• Going to a shopping centre and trying to buy 101 different things, even if at the end I didn't buy anything. (Don't make the vendors waste much time.)
• Listening to music while reading the lyrics and singing aloud. Then singing without reading the lyrics.
• Creating a database of phrases and vocabulary from a novel, and reviewing the list using a free flashcards app.
• Reading an article every day in my target language, and talking about it at lunch with friends or colleagues. This worked much better when they didn't know I was doing it as a language learning activity.
• Keeping a diary in my target language. One or two phrases a day.

I didn’t choose these activities randomly or because they came to my mind. I chose them knowing that, at that moment in time, I needed to improve my vocabulary or listening skills, or reach some other concrete goal. I also chose them because they work for me. They deliver the results I want. These activities work best when you persist at them. In my experience, they don’t seem very useful to start with. But after few weeks I really begin to notice the effects. What do I do when I need ideas for creating or improving these personal learning activities? I draw inspiration from other learners, by reading blogs and websites.

5. Love Mistakes and Laugh at Yourself

I was supposed to teach at the university. I had to pretend that I was able to teach an entire semester in the language in which I had failed so many times. I knew my pronunciation was just terrible and I had not mastered the vocabulary. So, I found myself in front of a classroom with almost one hundred students who were surprised to see that their new teacher was a foreigner hiding under a local name. I was so nervous that I had diarrhea that day, but that is another story. I tried to calm myself and began to speak. I greeted the students and thanked them for joining my class, but after some seconds a question came to my mind: "What are you doing here? This is ridiculous." Suddenly I got nervous again, blushed and started to sweat profusely. I survived the semester without using a single word in English (or any other language besides Chinese). Every week I had to give birth to a new lecture. It was both a very tiring and enriching experience. Did I perform well? Of course not. One year after the end of the semester I had dinner with one of the students, who is now a very good friend. He told me, laughing, that he didn't understand much of what I had said during class the year before. I loved that! It was another fantastic failure diploma, and coming from a friend it was a real treasure. I enjoy my classes. I don't know if the students always do, but I do. One of the things I like is that we laugh at my mistakes. Often I mispronounce words, I forget terms, or forget the right stroke of a Chinese character. Sometimes my students cannot understand my questions, or I cannot understand their answers to my questions. Often they just smile, sometimes they laugh, they imitate my tones, they try to correct me on the spot. There is only one way to survive, and that is to learn how to enjoy failure. This has many advantages. First, we laugh, and it is good to laugh. Second, because I visibly enjoy failure, my students are not ashamed to correct me. Third, I no longer feel afraid of making mistakes. There is a moment in which it’s particularly useful to laugh at yourself: on really bad days. We are not machines, we are not computers. In theory, once an app is installed on a phone it will work in spite of the weather and the day of the week. Human beings are not like that. It might happen that, for unknown reasons your Spanish is less fluent on Mondays. Don't get frustrated. Smile! Even if you make hundreds of embarrassing mistakes in one day, your friends are still your friends.

6. Love Silence

Love silence, speak less. I know this sounds like poor advice. And I profoundly believe in the standard methods of language learning: listen more, speak more, read more, write more. Yes, and at the same time: love silence, and speak less. Love silence. After each failure (grammatical mistake, wrong pronunciation), big or small, don't ignore it so as not to lose motivation. Instead, stop, in silence, and ask yourself: what went wrong? What can I learn from this? Even better, write down your mistakes. Which important word were you not able to say? Loving silence, interior silence, enables you to be a better listener. I have seen trillions of learners who attain an intermediate level but don't progress any further. Even if they are often corrected by others, they don't notice it because they are too busy listening to themselves. Loving silence also enables you to think a microsecond before speaking. For some language learners who love talking, it is difficult to turn long, rich, complex phrases in their mother tongue as they appear in their brains, into the simple, poor, ugly phrases in the language they are learning, but it is necessary to pass through that step. I might want to say "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them." But if I want to translate that into the language I am just learning, I will fail. I need to learn to stop a bit, and turn that into something much simpler, like this: "I am tired. Should I sleep or work?"

7. Don't Forget Memorisation

Memorisation has bad press. We have heard many times that good education, including language learning, is about understanding, creativity, practising, or many other things, but it’s certainly not about memorisation, as it was in the past, in the dark, oppressive, terrible past. Memorisation is the ugly duckling of learning. It’s boring, takes so much time, and so often is useless. These characterizations are partly true, but I would still say "train your memory". Then you might discover that memory is a fantastic realm to be explored. One of the best ways to train your memory is through image association. This technique has been used for millennia and is about far more than simply improving your memory. I would go as far as to say that it’s a way of living, of seeing reality, of "reading" the world around us. Image association not only helps you memorise and recall isolated facts. It helps you develop various habits of the senses and the imagination that reshape your brain. After you’ve entered into this realm of memory training, you’ll find that the way you learn is completely different and far more effective. You’ll also have little patience for phrases such as "I have bad memory". Because these techniques are about a new way of seeing the world, they take time to learn, and cannot be applied immediately. The time you invest will be repaid with a high interest rate.

8. Master the Art of Language Exchange

"We are here in front of a cup of coffee for the first time, ready to help each other to learn a language. Now what?" This is a common scenario in the first session of a language exchange. How do you get past this awkward stage? After finding a language exchange partner, one of the first things I do is to establish a common goal. If we don't have a common vision, the language exchange will hardly work. In my case, language exchange partners come from two sources: friends-of-friends and websites. When you find people on websites, check out their profile to see why they want to learn a language. A person might write that he or she is interested in meeting new people, romance, or cultural experience. I avoid people who want these things. Instead, I search for people who want to learn a language, because that’s my focus. Also, I never contact anyone who wants to learn ten languages, because most probably they lack real motivation, and might not persevere. For reasons unknown to me, for the first session of face-to-face language exchanges, almost all my exchange partners choose a place more expensive than what their budget would allow for a habitual meeting. I almost always begin with: "let's go to a cheaper place." After we order a cup of coffee or dinner, I introduce myself and explicitly say that my focus is to learn a language. I let my exchange partner know that I have strong motivation, and that I have some experience teaching and learning. I also explain what I expect from them ("Don't worry if you don't have experience", "It's ok if you aren’t a grammar superhero", "If after some weeks you don't want to continue, just say it", etc.). Finally, I outline the rules of the game (one hour for your language, one hour for my language, frequency and time, etc.). I have been doing language exchanges for years. Other people might have different experiences, but in my case they evolve in one of two directions:

1. After a few meetings we both realise that we are not going anywhere and the exchange naturally dies.
2. We meet for a long time, end up being friends, and after a while we don't care much about language.

In almost all cases, I need the exchange more than my partner does, so it is up to me to arrange the meetings and to prepare the material for both languages. Often I go to their place, spending more time travelling. If we’re short of time, I sacrifice my learning time. And all that is fine. It is normal that I, being the one who needs it more, should add fuel to the engine to keep it working. I should not expect my learning partner to have the same amount of interest and make the same effort; it's part of the game. In almost all cases, sooner or later my learning partner gets influenced by my enthusiasm and becomes more active, making the entire experience rich and pleasant (In my current exchange it is the opposite, he is more hardworking and says that I always arrive late). I’d also say that an effective language exchange session requires a clear direction. The direction might be given by a textbook or a selection of topics, or a clear goal, such as preparing for a test. I try never to arrive to a session without knowing what we will do that day. With a private teacher, it is not so different. Unless I’m still at a basic level, I don't allow a private teacher to take the reins of the class. I always let my teacher know what I want, and what I need. Learning is my objective and I need the help of others. I can use many means to learn such as books, recordings, and language apps. But I don't use people. Even if it might mean going slower or losing some good opportunities, I try to create situations in which both my exchange partner and I receive something. At the same time, sometimes I allow myself to be used. I have my goals, others have theirs. Language exchange is something very personal and what works for some might not work for all, but one of the key components of a fruitful exchange is laughing lots and having fun. Show gratitude when you receive help from others.

What are Your Top Language Tips?

As I write these paragraphs, I’ve just moved to a new country. I want to be fluent in three months in the local language, but everything seems to be against this goal: I live surrounded by English, I don't have much time, and the language seems to be more difficult to me than Mandarin was when I began with it. Strictly speaking I don't need it as much as I needed Chinese few years ago. Will my "eight secrets" work? Any advice?  

The post Learn a Language Faster: 8 Simple Language Hacks appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Culture File: Mexico #18 - The Automotive Industry

Learn essential Mexican cultural information with SpanishPod101.com! In this 25-lesson English-language series, you’ll hear about cultural topics ranging from important economical activities and tourist destinations to history, influential figures, and traditions in Mexico. You’ll know more about Mexico than the locals in no time! In this lesson, you’ll learn about The Automotive Industry, while building your [...]

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Episode 32 (Preview) – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

In this latest episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4 we join María for another diary entry in which she recounts the latest happenings in the story of finding the treasure and the aftermath. She’s now told her parents about the events, and she’s delighted to report that Rory is going to be rewarded for his part in finding the treasure. As usual, there is a huge range of complex grammar and advanced vocabulary covered, and Mark and Carmen are on hand to discuss the text in detail.

In the preview episode available here on the Radio Lingua site, on iTunes and on Soundcloud, you’ll be able to listen to Carmen and Mark’s introduction, to the core text of this episode, and to the summary in English of what happens in the text. For a full analysis of the text and in-depth discussion of the words and phrases contained in the episode, you can subscribe to our premium version. For further information, please see below.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4 provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your advanced studies of Spanish. The premium version includes the following elements:

• full-length audio episode: in each episode Mark and Carmen discuss the language covered in each text in depth, providing further examples and testing you on your understanding;
• transcript: a full transcript of the entire episode including notes on complex language and grammar points;
• bonus audio episode: test yourself on the key constructions included in the audio episode with this bonus audio translation exercise.

The members’ version can be accessed through our membership system. You can purchase a membership using the links below.

• Season 4: Lessons 1-40
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Inner Circle #31 - July 2016: The Embarrassingly Simple Secret to Crushing Your Monthly Goal

Last time, you learned why you need to take a step back… to reach your language goals! In other words, we told you how to bounce back from failure. This time we’re bouncing back to crushing monthly goals. How? You’ll think it’s embarrassing but… speaking to yourself and speaking out loud are tried and [...]

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