Merry Christmas in Greek (+6 More Holiday Greetings)
Learn how to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Greek, plus essential holiday vocabulary and traditions.
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Learning Brazilian Portuguese if you already speak Spanish
I had the chance to attend one of the world’s most famous parties; Brazil’s Carnival. While most visitors would check it out in Rio, which I have lived in, my experience of the Carnival in Olinda in the Northeast was incredible! Some ‘gringos’ (note: in Brazil that word is used affectionately, not derogatively, and describes […]
Introducing the best language learning system in the world: HB 2.0
What’s the best language learning system? So many people keep asking me this question, so I want to settle it once and for all. It’s not Rosetta Stone, it’s not Pimsleur, it’s not LingQ, it’s not any book you can find in your local library, or any podcast that you can download. If you have […]
First weeks in the Philippines & video tour of my beach cottage
Time for a mission update! Last time I updated was after a few days in Manila when I had decided to go down south. I made it to Cebu, and went straight to the very south of that island (around Moalboal) to get some time by the sea (I hadn’t been by the sea for […]
The silent period – a comfortable way to waste time
If your end-goal is to speak then having a silent period to prepare (while you study, listen, or brace yourself for the glorious coming of your ready day foretold by language learning prophets) is nothing more than a comfortable way to waste time. It’s amazing how much this is promoted by various methods I see […]
Looking for signs: understanding foreign body language
Explanations of foreign body language / gestures is one of the many many things you won’t find in grammar books and typical courses. And it’s something you’ll never pick up from audio based passive learning. The vast majority of non-verbal communication is actually universal – it would just seem strange to list them. But then […]
Learning grammar… do I have to?
For most people, the grammar issue is a huge question. So you may be surprised to see I haven’t written many posts about it despite running this blog for over 5 years about languages and related topics. The reason is simple: there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I have my method, and someone else will tell […]
Where are all the language tourists?
In this day and age travel is so easy and cheap that taking a “gap year” is becoming more and more commonplace. Travel before settling down into your job or even before going to college is something a large number of Europeans and Australians have been doing for well over a decade. I’m glad to […]
Why it doesn’t matter whose or what method you follow
No matter what you’re doing, whether it’s learning a language, trying to become a writer, starting a business etc. it seems like everyone these days has a step-by-step layout about precisely how you can succeed in it. It’s hard to decide which one to follow, especially when some of them conflict with one another. That’s […]
First impressions of the Philippines
It’s time for my first update from the Philippines! (No language learning tips in this post 😉 ) Most of what I’ll write here is covered in this video I recorded. Unlike most of my videos, this one isn’t so exciting; just me talking to the camera in bad lighting (and bad quality, due to […]
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