French Grammar - Opportunite Is NOT Opportunity

First let me preface this post by explaining what a False Friend / Faux Ami is.

Plain English Please

A false friend is someone you've grown to know and trust for the longest of times. Then one day, you get into a bind and need his or her help. Then, toodle-loo, this person suddenly is gone and nowhere to be found.

Wait, this isn't morality and ethics we're talking about? No.

The false friend we're concerned about is much less sinister. It basically is any word that looks like a word in another language, and so you automatically assume that they are the same thing... And it's a good thing to do actually! Because you'll be right more than 90% of the time. But that 10% is a stinger, so let's get this sorted out shall we?

Today, the word we are going to discuss is.. OPPORTUNITE.

I mean wow! The first thing you see, it looks like a freaking imposter, downright copyright violation worthy! I mean, switch the y out for an e, and magic, you've just learned a new word with no work involved.

So then, how do we translate the word opportunity into French?
--By the word occasion.

Here are some examples:

J'ai eu l'opportunite de manger un hamburger. --> WRONG!

J'ai eu l'occasion de manger un hamburger. --> RIGHT!

I had the opportunity to eat a hamburger.

Ok, that's all fine and dandy, Charlie. But how do we correctly use the word opportunite then? I'm glad you asked!

Pour le chat, c'est l'opportunite de manger les souris

For the cat, this is its CHOICE MOMENT to eat the mice

Or take another example:

Ensuite, on jugera l'opportunite de cette strategie de jeu.

Then, we'll determine the SUITABILITY of this game plan.

Does that make sense? The word opportunite in French really refers to good timing or the appropriateness of something. It's RARELY used by most people in this way, however.

Wait, what do you mean?

This happens to be one of those rules that many French people (at least in Canada) break all the time! It's really more of a rule to be followed when you have to turn in one of those dreaded term papers in a college class. Nothing more!

So... huge sigh of relief. This isn't one of those critical faux amis to remember. But it's still probably a good idea to build up the habit of using OCCASION instead of OPPORTUNITE when your mind thinks opportunity.

Charlie has been a French as a Second Language Classroom Teacher at the Elementary and Secondary levels and has been teaching and tutoring adults, teenagers, and children for over 8 years.

For your FREE eBook on the powerful TOP French resources I used to go from speaking zero French to being SUPER fluent in no time, please visit - http://www.charliesfrenchfactory.com/welcome.html

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Words Commonly Confused or Misused

Alike and like

Alike means 'like each other.'

The two sisters are alike in looks. (NOT The two sisters are like in looks.)
She is like her mother. (NOT She is alike her mother.)

Alike is mainly used in predicative position (after a verb). In attributive position (before an adjective) we use other words or phrases to express the idea.

The two sisters are very much alike.
He has two very similar-looking sisters. (NOT He has two very alike sisters.)

Accept and agree

These verbs have similar meanings. Before an infinitive we use agree, not accept.

He agreed to come. (NOT He accepted to come.)

All right and alright

The standard spelling is all right. Alright is common but many people consider it incorrect.

Alone and lonely

You are alone when you have nobody around.

I don't like to be alone even for short periods.

Lonely and lonesome refer to unhappiness caused by being alone.

After being alone for a few days, I started getting lonely / lonesome.

Alternate and alternative

Alternate means 'in turn', 'first one and then the other'.

We meet on alternate days. (Monday, Wednesday etc)

Alternative is a second choice that can be made other than one's first choice.

I had to go there was no alternative.

Altogether and all together

Altogether means 'entirely', 'completely'.

It is altogether wrong to ill-treat animals.
My new novel isn't altogether finished.

All together means 'everybody or everything' together.

Put the books all together on the table.

Any more and anymore

In British English, any more is usually written as two separate words. In American English, it is often written as one word anymore.

She doesn't live with her parents any more. (GB)
She doesn't live with her parents anymore. (US)

Dead and died

Dead is an adjective.

He is dead.
James is dead.

Died is the past tense and past participle form of the verb die.

He died in 1995.

Disinterested and uninterested

Disinterested means 'unbiased' or 'neutral'. You are disinterested when you have no reason to support one side or another in a disagreement or negotiation because you have nothing to gain or lose if one side wins.

I can't give you disinterested advice because I am a shareholder of the firm.

Disinterested is commonly used to mean 'uninterested'. Many people consider this incorrect.

I am quite disinterested in sports. (Meaning: 'I am quite uninterested in sports.')

Drown and was drowned

In British English both active and passive forms of drown can be used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. OR He was drowned while swimming across the river. (GB)

In American English, only active forms are used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. (US)

Manjusha Nambiar is an ESL tutor and content developer. Her blog grammarenglish gives free English grammar lessons and printable grammar worksheets

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Corporate Business Lessons - English Language Teachers

English has become the language of business. If you are an international company that does any business deals with speakers of another language you are probably doing those dealings in English. English is the language to learn for all international business trading. There are several ways to learn business English. Some of them include being taught by a local non-native English speaker, being taught by a computer program with expensive software, and learning English over video chat with a native English teacher that lives in an English speaking country. English can be learned with any techniques, these are just some of the options.

Learning English from a non-native English speaker can be difficult in a variety of ways. Especially if the person teaching you is not a teacher, things can become very hard. English has a lot of small rules that are often broken. To really know what you are learning and how useful it is to you, you will need to speak with a native English speaker. Also learning from a local person may not give you the business English lessons that you need to do international business. To learn the proper English for your needs you should probably consider another way to get the training you need.

English can be taught effectively by a computer program. The tools are all there to give you the knowledge you are paying hand over fist for. The real drawback to using computer software is that it can sometimes not give the focus that you are looking for. Also there is no real feedback system that lets you know you are doing well or poor in specific areas. If you decide to go with computer software to learn business English lessons you should be prepared to pay a considerable amount. English can be learned with programs but is better suited to human interaction.

With the power of the internet learning to speak English through video chat with a person living in an English speaking country can be simple. The prices are for one person's concentrated time that they give directly to you each time you call. The service will provide feedback and relevant information about the English language. With a proper English tutor business English lessons can be at your finger tips and not for an exorbitant price. If you are considering learning English for your business needs make sure to choose the best option for you. The options are out there for your choosing.

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Basic Spanish Lesson Or Beginner Spanish Lesson

Today we are going to take a look at a very basic Spanish lesson or beginner Spanish lesson. It's the type of lesson that you would have in your first day of school. Is a typical introduction scenario between two persons.

In Spanish the pronoun " Tu" is used to speak in an informal way (young people or friends) and " Usted" is used as a formal way (used with older people or authorities). So, in this lesson you will learn both, the informal way (tu) is to the left and the formal way (Usted: Ud.) is to the right). Also, incorporated are different ways to ask the same thing.

Luis- Hola, ? Como te llamas/se llama? (How do you call yourself?) ? Cual es tu nombre/ cual es su nombre? (What is your name?)

Cynthia- Me llamo Cynthia. (I call myself Cynthia)/ Mi nombre es Cynthia. (My name is Cynthia)?Y tu/Ud.? (And you?)

L- Me llamo Luis. (I call myself Luis)

C-Mucho gusto (Nice to meet you)

L- Encantado. (You have to say "encantado" if you are male or "encantada" if you are female)

C-?De donde eres/es? (Where are you from?)

L- Soy de Inglaterra./ Soy ingles. (I'm from England. / I'm English)

C- ?De que parte? (What part?)

L- De Manchester. ?Y tu /Ud.?, ?De donde eres/es? (From Manchester, and you? Where you from?)

C- De Estados Unidos. Colorado. (From USA, Colorado)

L- ?De que parte? (What part?)

C- Denver. ?Donde vives/vive? (Denver. Where do you live?)

L- Vivo en Manchester. (I live in Manchester)

C- Ah, yo soy de Denver pero vivo en Aspen. (Oh, I'm from Denver but I live in Aspen)

L- ?De que trabajas/trabaja? (In what do you work?) / ?A que te dedicas?/ ?A que se dedica? (To what do you dedicate your life?)/ ?Que haces/Que hace? (What do you do?)

C- Soy estudiante de economia y trabajo en marketing. (I'm an Economics student and I work in marketing).

L-? Cuantos anos tienes/tiene? (How old are you?)

C- Tengo 36 anos. Y tu/Usted? (I'm 36. And you?)

L-45.

If you are just beginning to learn Spanish, this lesson should be a great way for you to learn basic Spanish. And as I have already said, this lesson is an introduction to the Spanish to help you as a beginner students begin learning the basics of the language. I hope you enjoyed it and that you will begin to interact with speakers of Spanish.

Anna Rivera is a native Spanish speaker from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also a Spanish instructor and the author of 2 learning Spanish books. If you would like to get FREE instant download access to the MP3 audio and PDF transcripts to her Spanish lessons absolutely free AND read her reviews of the most popular learning-Spanish products, then visit her web site now in order to: learn Spanish online That's http://LearningSpanishProductsReviews.com/

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Skype Online English Lessons - Learning a Language With Video Chat

Learning English is now more accessible than it has ever been for people in countries all over the world. With the internet the opportunity of learning English online is only a matter of finding the right company to be taught by. Skype is a common type of video chat system that many people use. There are a few, clear cut reasons for trying Skype online English lessons with a reputable business. They are learn English from the same native English speaker every lesson, spend money on the actual lesson instead of on software, and learn conversational English through role-playing and one-on-one chats.

There are two ways to learn a language which are from someone who speaks English and someone who is a native English speaker. There are pros and cons to each approach, but if you are learning conversational English, learning through a native English speaker will guarantee correct pronunciations and word usage. There are businesses that will provide you with the same teacher for every lesson. With the same teacher you do not have to concentrate on filling in a new teacher each lesson or telling them that you already learned something. Skype online English lessons bring native English teachers within your reach.

Many companies will sell you expensive software that you have to install on the computer. With Skype online English lessons the software you need is online for free. You pay for an actual live person who can tailor your lesson specifically to how you learn. Software can do that, only live people can. Online English lessons should not be complicated. You pay for the time of the teacher you are working with. Never pay for an expensive computer teaching system again, when your time and money could be better spent learning from a live person via video chat through the internet.

Spending time focusing in writing English or spelling English when what you need is conversational speaking skills can be a waste of time. Get lessons focused on your needs through a variety of techniques taught by a live teacher. If all you need is conversational English you can do that easily through one-on-one dialogue. Skype online English lessons are designed to give you the training in English that you are willing to pay for. English is not difficult but can be challenging without the proper instruction. Learn to speak English from a professional native English speaker over the internet and see how quickly you can learn.

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Good Ways To Learn French

French is spoken by over 110 million individuals globally. The language is spoken in many nations including France, Canada, and a few others. A number of U.S. citizens within the states of Maine and also Louisiana are actually native French speakers. The language is also a standard for many global organizations such as the United Nations. If you're thinking about learning another language for a profession or simply for personal enrichment, give some thought to learning French. French is the most beautiful spoken language and also suggests class and distinction. Mastering this language could be a great asset in your own profession and may also improve your experience when you visit French speaking countries.

If you choose to learn this language, you have a number of options. You might earn a degree in French from a university or college. A degree gives you expert knowledge of the language, both written and verbal. You might have already established yourself as a professional, and believe that understanding the language may help augment your career. If so, you may learn French online using a course, such as Rocket French, which is certainly a great way to study in your own convenience. They provide a free six day trial for their study course. Learning French this way will be a quick and easy way for you to master the language.

Of course, if you have time, another great way is an immersion program. In this manner, you have an opportunity to experience French culture. You will actually be residing in France and experience the daily life and culture of the French people. This really is the quickest option to learn French. You can expect to communicate with native French speakers each day. Most of the people will not be able to speak in English. For that reason, you must communicate with these people in French. You will be completely absorbed into French everyday living. You will take classes that can help you to write and speak in French. An immersion program is the most effective method for learning French fluently.

Being fluent in a second language offers benefits as a professional. For instance, you may attain certification to be a foreign language translator. This particular career opportunity presents lots of challenges and benefits. There are a lot of foreign language agencies that provide full-time jobs to translators. A translator ordinarily helps a company translate their particular business files and also company websites. You may want to work as a freelancer, taking care of your individual workload, and may set your own schedule. Another possibility may be to teach English in French speaking nations. Just by knowing French and English, it's possible to succeed in any French speaking country.

Mastering French offers you a chance to begin a new job or further build up your job just by working abroad. Additionally, you will enhance your trips in the French speaking nations. Learning another language will be a rewarding achievement. It is easy to learn French online right now by going to Rocket French.

Read related articles here: Rocket French Review

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Speaking and Writing Grammar Errors to Avoid in English - The Short List

However acceptable some English grammar usages have become, synesis (notional concord), split infinitives, ending a sentence in a preposition and the improper use of who and whom will cause problems in some circles. It is always wise to get these right, at least as they are perceived to be correct by many. It never hurts to use acceptable grammar unless you want to give the impression of one whose grammar is lacking.

Commonly condemned usages are:
Synesis defined as "A construction in which a form, such as a pronoun, differs in number but agrees in meaning with the word governing it, as in If the group becomes too large, we can split them in two."
Splitting an infinitive. To boldly go where no man has gone before.
Ending a sentence with a preposition. That is the sort of nonsense I will not put up with.
Using "none" as a plural noun. None of them were quite ready to be displayed in the curling club locker room.
The use of "who" as the object of a verb or preposition where "whom" is correct. Who did the provost direct to remove the badger from the auditorium? Who did you receive the holiday collection of industrial adhesives from?
A pronoun in the objective case after a comparative with "than" or "as" (sometimes called an elliptical reference): He is even more scrofulous than me. She is just as revolting as him.

A learned audience will not be impressed by correct grammar but may well be swayed by errors -- real or perceived -- which are regarded as non-standard. It is far more important to make sure that subjects and verbs agree, that parallel constructs are truly parallel and that all words are correctly used. If one's purpose is to offend and shock, however, the above should be ignored.

Other common errors are:
Verb pair confusion: lie/lay, rise/raise, sit/set and fall/fell.Sentence fragments and run-on sentences.Mass nouns and count nounsSubjunctive usageLists and coordinationMisplaced modifiersDangling participles

The exercises in SAT, ACT, TOEFL College Prep English practice text explains these at length with many examples and quizzes. The examples used are never prosaic or quotidian.

Examples:

1. Would _____ever the statuary director designated, please replace Prometheus' sword and remove the kangaroo?

2. Would _____ever put the Jello on the table of the last supper tableau please return the fish?

SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice (http://abacus-es.com/cpep/) by K. Titchenell covers the practical aspects of what language to use for a particular audience. Press release page: http://abacus-es.com/cpep/pressrelease.html. The Amazon.com page has the search-inside feature enabled.

About the author:
After ten years as a writer, editor and translator, K. Titchenell taught community college for many years, published several textbooks and edited numerous papers for publication in scholarly journals.

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American English V British English

I was recently asked by a financial services sector client to review about 50 pages of content on their U.S. website and edit this so that it was suitable for a British audience.

I thought that this would be a fairly straightforward task involving making all the obvious spelling changes...making sure that words like "color" and "flavor" had a "u" in them, changing "center" to centre, "toward" to towards, "program" to programme and amending words like "organization" and "specialize" to the UK spelling.

The work actually turned out to be rather more time-consuming than I had anticipated. It was easy enough to go through the text and amend the American spellings of particular words, but what surprised me was the amount of additional work required to amend some of the grammar, vocabulary and punctuation.

You don't very often come across words which have completely different meanings on either side of the Pond but you do have to take into account things like different noun usage, different verb patterns and use of tenses, and different use of prepositions and adverbs. Until I did this work I had never really appreciated the amount of divergence which exists today between American and British English.

In terms of the spoken word we're so familiar with American English usage over here, through TV, music and films, that we rarely misunderstand what Americans are saying. We take American English for granted and new examples of American English usage are creeping into the way we speak over here all the time.

Look at the written word on pretty much any American website though and the divergence between the two forms of English is quite apparent. It would have been easy for me just to let many of the differences go, because at the end of the day a British audience will have little difficulty in understanding the content on an American website.

As a professional copywriter I wanted to do the job properly of course - my brief was to edit the content so that it looked like it had been written by a Brit. On each page of content I had to make perhaps 10 to 20 edits. In this type of work edits have to be done manually - as far as I'm aware there is no software available which can flawlessly amend American English to British English.

The key learning point for me from doing this, and one that I would like to pass on, was....don't underestimate how much work is required to amend American English web content to British English.

Steve Shaw, Bishopsgate Copywriting

Bishopsgate Copywriting are based in Sevenoaks, England and specialise in financial and business copywriting and copyediting for websites and print media.

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What Is the Best Way to Learn a Second Language?

What is the best way to learn a second language? This subject can have many opinions and views, mine are as follow:

Learning a second language can be very frustrating but yet extremely rewarding... as of my personal experience to learn a second language; I started first by nailing the alphabet down, and then moved to learn some vocabulary (meanings). It takes a little while to memorize and a lot of patience. I guess it depends on the learner and how fast can they absorb the information. I had students that learned how to speak, read and write a second language in matter of few weeks...others took longer. The methods of teaching a second language play a big role in making student's comprehension more effective.

There are some language programs and CD's out there can be very helpful, however, learning a second language of a live tutor is very important because it gives students the opportunity to ask about anything they desire on the spot, something videos and CD's cannot provide.

Here are a few tips to consider along the way of your language leaning journey.

‧ Choosing your language teacher is essential; make sure they can "speak" English clearly and comfortably so you don't feel nervous around them.
‧ Write down every note you can get in YOUR language so you know what you wrote without forgetting.
‧ Ask about anything you like don't let anything go without understanding it.
‧ Use the few words and sentences you learned in a conversation and let the natives correct you as this is one of the best methods to master a language.
‧ You have to be inquisitive and detailed about the structure of the sentences of the foreign language, the earlier you get the bigger picture the simpler the details become.
‧ Use some helpful software, they are all over the internet, I will be recommending some programs in a later article
‧ Always learn the proper version of the language, not a dialect.
‧ Have an exchange buddy- someone who you can help learn English, Spanish,...ect and in return he help you learn the target language.
‧ Find and download a free dictionary to keep on your desktop, and research the verity usage of the words in the language structure.
‧ Make a plan and goals to what you want to accomplish first, this was my plan; ALPHABET> MEANINGS +PRONOUNCIATIONS> SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS> DIGGING DEEPER.

I hope you benefit from these tips and I wish you good luck with everything.

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How To Use Flashcards For Advanced French

Flashcards are a well-known and popular study aid for many subjects and especially languages. Although cards are often electronic today, the basic principle is the same. One side of the card has a question and the other side the answer. In the case of languages, flashcards are really useful for memorizing vocabulary, with the words and phrases in the target language on the front and the translation on the back.

If you want to take your French up to an advanced level, you should seriously consider putting flashcards into your toolbox. I'll give some tips on how to best use them.

Flashcards can be effective because they are so flexible. You can sort them in various ways, take a few with you and study anywhere. It's also easy to identify those problem areas that may require more study. Those cards can be put aside for special attention.

Many people use the cards in a systematic way called spaced repetition whereby the cards are studied at fixed intervals. Electronic card systems are very good at this because the intervals can be easily programmed.

Digital flashcards are available on computers and on mobile devices. With software such as Anki you can make your own decks or even share decks with other users. One can also find commercial flashcard providers who sell decks or subscriptions to online decks.

Although digital flashcards are wonderful, there is something to be said for the lowly index card or plain paper product. It's inexpensive, quick and easy to make, does not require a device to run on, can be written on and takes up little space. Plain pieces of paper are fine but are not as durable as the heavier cards. Nothing prevents you of course from getting the best of both worlds and combining a digital system with a set of physical cards.

At the beginner French level, cards are used primarily for vocabulary study with a single word on one side and the translation on the back. At the advanced level, you should emphasize entire phrases and idioms in order to see how particular words are used in context. So, the front of the card could have a target word or expression, some conjugated forms if it is a verb and an example phrase or two. The translation goes on the back. Here is an example:

Front side:

Vouloir

tu veux - vous voulez - ils ont voulu - je voudrais

Que voulez-vous que je fasse?

Je veux bien vous aider.

Back side:

What do you want me to do?

I'm willing to help you.

Here is an example of a flashcard for an interesting use of the verb savoir in a reflexive form.

Front side:

se savoir

s'est su -- se sait -- se saura

Avec Internet, tout se sait.

Back side:

With the Internet nothing is secret.

In the course of your reading, you run across some interesting examples of this form. So, you take out your card and add the following examples to the front:

Tout se sait ou se saura un jour.

L'equipe se sait sous pression.

You now add the following translations to the back:

Sooner or later everything comes out.

The team knows it is under the gun.

These are very loose translations of course. You can put whatever you want.

Typically, you use flashcards by looking at the front and then turning them over. An interesting option is to go in the reverse direction. In other words, you look at the English translation and ask yourself how you would say that in French. This is really useful with idiomatic expressions where the French may not resemble the English translation.

Another use of flashcards at the advanced level is as a daily memory aid. Let's say you have identified one or two idiomatic expressions that you intend to use at least five times today. You carry the cards with you and look at them from time to time to remind yourself how the expressions are used. In a meeting you could even discreetly have a few cards in front of you and try to plug the expressions into the discussion.

When you are reading in French, keep some blank cards or pieces of paper handy. If you run across an interesting expression or phrase, jot it down. In a short period you will have a useful deck that you can later review and enhance.

For the advanced language learner flashcards are a very effective tool. Try them.

Stanley Aleong specializes in effective learning strategies for foreign languages. He believes that an effective strategy for achieving advanced proficiency is to work with many carefully selected authentic examples. To learn more about some very effective learning tools based on this principle, visit Advanced French/Spanish

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Economic Benefits of Learning Spanish

There is a probability that you come across someone who speaks Spanish in your daily life, maybe it's a colleague, or a neighbor. The number of Hispanics in the US is increasing so quickly that it has become the 4th largest Spanish speaking country. There are over 40 million Hispanics living here and there number is expected to increase in the future.

Learning Spanish in this scenario is extremely important. If you happen to live in California or Texas, then it is a must. Half of the Spanish people live in these two states so the need for studying Spanish is higher here. However, the hassle which is a part of learning a new language detracts people from doing so.

Considering the benefits which you can avail if you study Spanish, it sounds like a good deal. Here are some economic benefits of learning Spanish.

Employment

Believe it or not, but knowing Spanish in the US can help you obtain a better job. Employers consider it well of you to be able to speak up a whole language. Hence, you can spice up your resume by studying Spanish. Learning multiple languages is an 'in' thing when it comes to gaining good employment. There are many Spanish based companies operating here who require their employees to be fluent in English as well as Spanish. Therefore, you can open your doors to better employment by learning Spanish.

Raise

You can even obtain a raise in your existing job by learning Spanish. Companies are willing to provide incentives to employees who can speak Spanish. There is a scope for learning Spanish to improve your current employment regardless of where you are working.

Expand

In case you want to expand the consumer base of your business, learn Spanish and open up to the Hispanic population. They will feel much valued if you are going to communicate with them in Spanish instead of English. Expatriates long for acceptance and what better way to use it for your benefit than by learning their language.

Save Money

Yes, you can actually save money by learning Spanish. Spanish shop owners tend to treat all the people who don't speak Spanish as tourists and charge higher prices than they normally do. If you know Spanish, you can communicate and get through to them. They will bring down the price to where it usually is. Guides, especially those who speak English, charge good money. You don't need them when you know how to communicate with everyone you meet in the native language. You also eliminate the need for translators, who are equally expensive, by learning Spanish yourself. Imagine, you can order for yourself in a traditional Mexican restaurant!

These were some reasons why learning Spanish can be economically beneficial for a US citizen. If you want to study Spanish quickly and without hassle, Spanish Learning Factory is the best option for you. They offer private lessons as well as books and CDs so you have the option to choose a resource according to your budget.

SpanishLearningFactory provides online Spanish courses and online Spanish classes. for more details visit Website. SpanishLearningFactory.com

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French Grammar - Rule of THUMB and Pronouns

The majority of people, when they first dabble in learning a language like French, tend to acquire relatively easy phrases like the numbers or the alphabet as well as a few key expressions like "I love you" or "Good morning!"

This approach tends to make the learner immediately feel like they are part of the new language community. If they happen to know people who speak this target language, these initial baby steps at learning are certain to earn a few smiles and much approval!

When you decide to get serious about learning a language, this is when you tend to look at grammar. Quite simply, grammar is what allows you to create content in any language. You are no longer just reciting lines you learned from a website or a traveler's guide. Now you are able to produce something of your own. This is the key role that grammar plays and is the reason why it needs to be an integral part of any learner's language agenda.

Let's examine a simple topic in grammar - the subject pronouns. These are basically words that establish who's doing any given action.

I - je; You - tu, He - il, She - elle, We - nous, They - ils

At this point, you'd probably feel relieved. Whew, this looks just like English. It's a one-to-one match.

The word You = the word tu and so on and so forth.

But this is exactly one of the core underlying problems I'd like to address here. One of the very first realities you need to truly grasp if you're going to learn a language is that things don't quite work the same way in all languages. Language is like a trip to Wonderland. Things down the rabbit hole tend to get a bit unstable and weird.

For instance if we were to flesh things out a bit and present a more complete chart of the pronouns above, we'd have.

I - je; You - tu/vous, He/It- il, She/It - elle, We - nous/on, They/It - ils/elles???

And this is the point where people start feeling a really uncomfortable. What? How can the word You be two different things? How can an It also mean He and a She? Why are there two words for We? And I thought It was already il and elle. Now it's also the plural ils and elles? Is French grammar confusing you yet?

Why have I mentioned all of these examples? Because I want to make absolutely sure that you're going down the right path when it comes to learning French grammar - and that path is definitely NOT rote memorization. This is one of the major problems I see many people who learn a second language stumbling over. Consequently, they quickly get flustered and give up before they've really even started.

When you learn a grammar rule, it is to be taken as a guideline but almost NEVER an absolute.

This is especially true when it comes to French grammar because French is notorious for being the language of exceptions even more nefarious than English.

The right idea is to look at everything as if you were putting together the pieces of a puzzle. See how things blend together. Appreciate the differences and how nothing is ever 100%, and above all else, give yourself time! Learning French isn't going to happen overnight, but your brain will eventually be able to absorb all of the finer points and compartmentalize them so that make a bit of sense!

Now let's resolve these apparent paradoxes above:

How can the word You be two different things?

You is both tu and vous because the word You in English is both singular and plural. Tu is the singular You, and vous is the plural You (guys) as well as being the singular formal form of You.
You is also both tu and vous because in the singular form, tu and vous are the informal and formal way (respectively) to say You to people. If you just met somebody, you wouldn't use tu. That would be rude. English doesn't have these differences for the word You.

How can It also mean He and a She?

Because all nouns (people, places, things, and ideas) are masculine or feminine. Yes, a chair actually has a gender in French

So instead of saying It is green if you were referring to a green chair, in French, you'd say Elle est verte(She is green).

Why are there two words for We?

Yes, We in writing or formal situations tends to be nous but when we are talking it's usually translated as on. This is because conjugations with nous are a LOT more complicated than on, so just to save time and make life easier, we tend to stick with on when speaking.

I thought It was already il and elle. Now it's also the plural ils and elles?

Sometimes words that are singular in English are plural in French. Take the following sentence.

The information was useful - Les informations etaient utiles.

So then if you replaced the word information in both languages by a pronoun, you'd get:

It was useful - Elles etaient utiles.

The Elles in this case now translates into It. Thus, this final conundrum has been resolved.

For your FREE eBook on the powerful TOP French resources I used to go from speaking zero French to being SUPER fluent in no time, please visit - http://www.charliesfrenchfactory.com/welcome.html

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When Languages Collide: Denglisch In Germany

Denglish, a hybrid form of English and German, has seen a rapid rise in popularity not only in Germany, but also throughout the German speaking world. Whether or not this can be seen as a good thing, however, is an issue of extreme importance.

With advances in computer technology and, therefore, pan-global communication methods, the English language has been at the forefront of almost every linguistic issue of the last twenty years. It is the lingua franca of cyberspace as well as of the business and advertising worlds. Many companies now demand a high level of English from their employees when considering them for their teams and as such, many groups have begun to spring into existence in order to defend their mother tongues. Germany is no exception, with the German Academy for Language and Poetry (GALP) and the Institute for the German Language (IGL) being two of the most prevalent guardians for the mother tongue of Schiller and Goethe in modern Germany.

What is most concerning the GALP and IGL is the influence the English language is currently having on scientific circles, with both groups claiming that the German language stands to be undermined and debased. GALP believes that English poses a genuine threat to the validity of German as a scientific language, and that having a preference towards English in scientific reports and papers will serve only to uproot German and re-label it as nothing more than a dialect.

The president of the GALP, Christian Meier, has expressed concerns that the increasing use of English in economics, mathematics, natural science and technology will have a detrimental effect on the experts in those fields, causing them to be taken less seriously at an international level, simply for preferring to use German as the language for their publications.

What is worse, is that with the increasing number of international courses offered by German universities in order to attract foreign students, Meier believes that the level of English used in the lecture theatres and classrooms simply isn't good enough. He has also explained that it is because of the use of BSE, or bad simple English, that the German language is not able to fully develop in innovative fields.

It simply cannot be denied that English is having an ever-increasing influence on language in Germany, and although the desires to quash such linguistic pressure are not new in Germany, they are not nearly as fastidious as the French, whose pilots and air traffic controllers still complain at having to use English when communicating instructions to each other.

Today, many people will simply ignore the growing use of English in Germany, not giving a second thought to the president of the IGL, Wilhelm Kramer, who commented that English is nothing more than "pseudo cosmopolitan drivel." These are, after all, the days of globalisation and internet collaboration; words are bound to seep into other languages simply because of their extremely common current usage.

Ian Stephenson is a final-year student of Modern Languages (French, German and Russian) and Linguistics at the University of Sheffield, UK. An aspiring EFL teacher, Ian has worked with several secondary schools in his local area to promote the study of foreign languages at advanced levels.

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History Of The Ukrainian Language And The Development Of Ukrainian Translators

From the beginning of its identification as an important and individuated area of the world the Ukraine has been a real melting pot of different cultures. The country is uniquely positioned in such a manner that it stands close to a few different powerful and influential cultures. Most notably the Ukraine is in direct contact with the Slavic nations of the north and directly accessible to the modern Middle East more to the south. These two different cultures formed the earliest influences on the region, which congealed influences from Turkey, Iran and the Slavic nations of the north. This conflicted space was eventually claimed and held by the Slavic nations and the language during this period connects clearest to older Russian. This Slavic language was really set into place by the fact that the written work of the region adopted it.

Ukraine then deviated from the Russian-flavored influence for a time when the region fell under Lithuanian and Polish rule. Both of these nations imparted a large degree of influence on the Ukrainian language and in time on Ukrainian translators, especially the Polish who made it all but necessary for higher ranking Ukrainians to learn and primarily adopt the Polish language. This was further strengthened by the widespread adoption of the Polish Catholic religion during these years, which helped spread the Polish language throughout both the religious and educational orders within the Ukraine.

As the Polish empire and its influence on the Ukraine began to fail the Russians reasserted their influence upon the region. There was even a linguistic split where a significant number within the country spoke Polish while the rest spoke Russian, imagine the effect this would have on Ukrainian translation services in the future. Traditional nationalism didn't play a large part in the Ukrainian character during this time. Such nationalism began to rise later in the nineteenth century, but was subjugated by the Russians fiercely, as they eventually incorporated all of the Ukraine into their empire.

Russian subjugation of the Ukrainian state and its language continued throughout the Russian Empire, and the language primarily existed within the rural regions of the nation until the Soviet Union rose and allowed the Ukrainian language to spread once more. While there was a regular back and forth throughout the years of the Soviet Union, in general the Ukrainian language was allowed to be used by a significant amount of people, and after the fall of the union the Ukrainian state instituted the Ukrainian language as the official tongue of the now-sovereign nation from where several Ukrainian translators are sourced today.

As you can see from this the Ukrainian language was developed over a long time under a wide variety of competing influences. Due to the fact that Russian was the strongest of these influences throughout the life of the region it's unsurprising that to this day Russian and Ukrainian are often considered to be near interchangeable languages, where understanding one usually results in the ability to understand the other.

Charlene Lacandazo is a marketing executive for Rosetta Translation, an international full-service translation company in London, UK.

Rosetta Translation specialises in Ukrainian translation, as well as interpreting services all over the world.

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How to Hire the Right American Sign Language Tutor

After 16 years of tutoring American Sign Language students, I have realized that there is not enough assistance available to signing students.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the native language of approximately 2 million Deaf and hard of hearing people in America. ASL is a natural language with its own grammatical rules and is the second most frequently used non-English language in the United States.

Now that more schools are providing ASL classes, it has become clear to me that many ASL students struggle to master fluent ASL. As with most foreign languages, what you don't use, you lose. So the question is, aside from an often overcrowded ASL classroom, where can an ASL student practice with native or fluent signers (Level 4 or higher according to the American Sign Language Proficiency Interview)?

Is it wise to pick just any deaf person? The answer is no. Most deaf people are not well trained or like to teach ASL. Just like any other foreign language, ASL teachers need certain skills to teach the language effectively.

Also, we must be aware of several factors when signing with different deaf or hard of hearing people. There are all different kinds of signers. For example, many elderly Deaf people have their own signing styles from their generation. There are different regional signs. And younger generations invent their own "slang" as well. If I were to walk into a Deaf school in another region, I would have to ask students or staff to explain what some of their signs mean.

In addition, there are deaf, hard of hearing, children of deaf adults, and hearing signers who don't know how to fluently use ASL. They instead, use Signed Exact English (SEE) or Contact Language, which are very different ways of expressing oneself. In fact, SEE and Contact Language are considered modes rather than languages. They are a combination of some ASL signs and English grammar. The result is long-winded and not easy on the mind or eyes. ASL is quicker, conserves energy, and accurately conveys abstract and concrete concepts in a visually stimulating manner.

Many ASL beginners unwittingly learn SEE or Contact Language first, not knowing that they're not learning ASL. Then later they wonder why they cannot understand a single thing from fluent ASL native signers. SEE was invented by hearing teachers in the 1970's who thought that they could teach English for deaf students who struggled to learn English grammar, spelling, writing skills, and reading skills. Now it's been proven that deaf students learning ASL first, and then learning English through ASL, master English skills fluently.

So, sign language enthusiasts and students wonder where to find an expert Deaf ASL Tutor. Go to the yellow pages? Good luck with that! I have yet, to this day, to find any certified ASL tutors in the yellow pages.

This is the most challenging step. Since ASL is in its pioneering stage, the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) just recently started requiring all ASL teachers to earn a certificate proving they are qualified and ethical instructors. This is great for ASL teachers all across the nation.

But what about ASL Tutors? The expectation is that they have taught classes at a school with a curriculum. For now though, there are no screenings for ASL tutors, so anyone can just claim they are qualified to tutor. But a genuine concern arises inside me as I see far too many frustrated and tired ASL students who have wasted their time, money and energy with ineffective ASL teachers or tutors who misled them.

The way I became a skilled ASL tutor was I took these following steps:

1) Mentored with various ASL teachers (both hearing and deaf) for seven years, and studied what worked and what did not work for the students.

2) Took courses to learn about better teaching strategies for learning-challenged students.

3) Studied to become a Master Tutor at a community college, and learned to ethically tutor students as well as teach others how to properly tutor students.

4) Attended many ASLTA workshops and conferences to keep up with research on ASL linguistics.

5) Studied with two fluency native language hunters - Where Are Your Keys - and

Studied the guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), which dramatically improved my observation and assessment skills for fluency levels.

6) Learned fun game-like tutoring techniques that are much more fun and effective than standard lecture-type models.

7) Always believed that there was room for improving my tutoring skills.

So where are the skilled ASL tutors? They are out there! Start interviewing as many ASL teachers locally or over the internet as you can to see who they refer you to. Also check out the sign language interpreting programs for referrals.

Here are some traits to look for in an ethical ASL tutor. Check to see that the tutor is personable, patient, flexible, and cooperative. You also want someone who packs in a lot of useful tips in a session to save you time, energy and money. I also highly recommend finding a tutor who does NOT voice, as ASL is a visual gestural language. It would be like asking a Spanish tutor to speak English and Spanish at the same time. It creates unhealthy confusing habits which make it harder to unlearn in the long run.

Investing in a compatible and effective tutor will reward you many times over throughout your educational journey.

To hire a culturally Deaf American Sign Language tutor, visit: http://www.aslmastertutor.com/

Culturally Deaf American Sign Language certified Master Tutor of 16 years. To hire an ASL tutor online via web-cam, visit: http://www.aslmastertutor.com/

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The Importance of Learning Spanish

Now is not the time to be a monolingual. People are learning Spanish in numbers which were once considered unimaginable. Spanish has gained importance as being one of the most widely spoken languages of the world. In the West, Spanish is considered secondary to English.

As a result, many native Spanish speakers have moved to other countries. They learn the language of that land but remain loyal to Spanish. This is true of the Hispanic population in the US. There are over 40 million Hispanics in the United States and there number is always on the rise. The dilemma is that they have shorn monolingualism while the Americans haven't. Most of the Spanish people are able to speak English but a majority of English speakers don't understand even a word of Spanish.

There is no doubt that Spanish is the best choice for anyone who is looking to add to his repertoire an exotic language with a rich history. Not only is Spanish of cultural importance, but is the official language of four of the seven continents.

Easy to Learn

The phonetics and vocabulary make Spanish probably the easiest language to learn for an English speaker. Spanish is written in a way that an English speaker will be able to read a word and ascertain its pronunciation easily. Even basic grammar of the Spanish language is simple and clear-cut. When you begin to learn it, you will be able to converse fluently in Spanish in just a few days.

Understand English Better

Did you know that a large portion of the English vocabulary we commonly use is derived from Latin? Well, this was a gift from the French, but the interesting thing is that Spanish is a Latin language as well. So, what I am trying to say is that you can understand English grammar and language better when you start to learn Spanish.

Become a Linguist

He who learns one language can learn a hundred! Got a bit of the Schindler's List hangover! Seriously speaking, learning Spanish can be the first step on your journey to picking up the important languages spoken in the world today. Spanish is one of the easiest to learn, and is therefore a good one to start off with. Once you have learned Spanish, you can move on to French or German or any other language which you prefer.

However, learning Spanish isn't a walk in the park. You will have to put in much effort and time to be able to master it.

Spanish Learning Factory can help you learn Spanish in a way that you will be speaking it like a native in no time at all.

SpanishLearningFactory Provides Online Spanish Courses and Spanish classes from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced. for more details visit website SpanishLearningFactory.com

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Spanish Vocabulary Learning Using Mnemonics

Foreign language acquisition is a mammoth task for anyone serious about it. According to some estimates, a person has to learn 3,000 words before they can read and speak at a high school level.

Luckily, there are established psychological techniques that can make the task of foreign language acquisition easier.

A mnemonic is an artificial memory device that facilitates recall of a unit of information. Most people are familiar with the mnemonic ROY G. BIV for the colours of the rainbow, but mnemonics can be used for almost anything.

Essentially what a mnemonic does is minimise the amount of brain space that has to be used to store a piece of information. This is achieved by creating an associative link between the information that has to be remembered and some information that has already been committed to long-term memory.

Mnemonics are especially useful for memorising foreign language vocabulary.

To give an example, the Spanish word for the emotion 'bitter' is 'amargado'. If you image Marge Simpson biting into a lemon and making a bitter face, you have created a visual associative link between these two words.

Then, to recall the Spanish word for 'bitter', it's simply a matter of recalling the image and then decoding it.

This sounds like a lot of work, but the beauty of mnemonics is that they mostly work on a subconscious level, so that after a few repetitions the learner does not need to recall the context of the word to recall the word itself. Your conscious mind creates the link; your unconscious mind stores and recalls it.

If this sounds unbelievable, just try recalling the Spanish word for 'bitter' in a few days, or even weeks. I bet you can do it.

The power of mnemonic learning can be applied to other elements of foreign language learning. People in the Western world are conditioned to associate the colour blue with masculine and the colour red with feminine. This can be applied to learning the gender of words in Spanish.

For example, the Spanish word for 'ear' is 'la Oreja'. Imagine a ray from the Sun striking a person in the ear, turning it red. Red and ray equals la Oreja.

A third way that mnemonics are useful for foreign language learning is to encode suffixes as part of the visual image.

For example, many Spanish words begin with the suffix 'des-'. If you know someone named 'Des', that's perfect, but otherwise you can imagine one. I like to imagine a shady character with dark eyes and a pencil moustache.

If you want to remember that a word begins with the suffix 'des-', just imagine the character Des as part of the mnemonic. The Spanish word for 'unknown' is 'desconocido'. Just imagine Des looking at a coconut with a face painted on it, and Des says "This coconut is unknown to me."

Using mnemonics in the matter described in this article can slash the amount of time needed to learn an adequate foreign language vocabulary.

Vince McLeod runs a database of spanish mnemonics that aims to give language students an easy way to learn the thousands of words needed to become fluent.

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Another Language Learning Method?

In a recent article published in a French daily newspaper, an argument was made that some foreign languages can be learnt by association. For instance languages of Romance, Slavic or Scandinavian origin are so close, at least in their written form, that their similarities make them easy to understand for the speaker of one of them. The example given in the article draws a comparison between Romanian and French.

This phenomenon is known as 'intercomprehension' in French, which could be translated as Inter-linguistic Understanding.

The article follows on by putting forward some unusual ideas (well, unusual to me): for such language combinations and their learning, pronunciation is not essential, at least not at the beginning, and knowledge of grammar is not necessarily a prerequisite for learning a language. This new way of understanding the language would rely on intuition and natural responses. As you can imagine, it is not highly regarded in academic and conservative circles.

A few years ago I tried to learn Welsh for 9 months on an Adult Community Education evening course, and I'm afraid I failed. Our teacher's methods relied, in the first six months at least, on endless repetitions and chanting of sentences, or monotonous association games, and this did not work for me at all. Only in the last couple of months did we actually look at the mechanics of the language, but I had lost all motivation by then. I need to understand the grammar of a language, i.e. what role each word has in the sentence. I see grammar as essential, not for 'grammar's sake' but as a tool to give me the confidence to build my own sentences and to expand my understanding of what I read or hear. As for pronunciation, starting with approximate sounds is, in my opinion, a mistake. The longer bad habits are entertained, the longer it takes to shift them. Therefore, spending time reproducing foreign sounds at the beginning goes a long way. It also helps with recognising words which are close across two languages. Take the words 'qualite' in French and 'quality' in English - very easy to understand on paper, not so when they are pronounced out loud. And yet, once it has been understood that the French 'qua' is pronounced 'ka', it becomes a lot easier, doesn't it? The only thing I really like about this method is the intuition aspect. Although it can and does lead to mistakes (with the so called 'false friends'), it also helps develop a more natural affinity with the language studied, taking away some apprehensions and inhibitions, and making the whole process less daunting.

Having said this, we all have different learning styles and a good teacher should always endeavour to find out how a student learns best.

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Advanced French - How To Approach Informal Spoken French

When they are first exposed to spontaneous conversations, learners of French often express surprise and frustration. "It's so fast", "It's not the French I was taught" and "I don't understand the accent" are typical comments.The problem comes from the fact that most people learn formal French through written materials in classrooms, books and software. The recordings associated with most teaching materials are made in studios from written materials and with professional voices. Although the language used on television, radio and in movies can be quite realistic, it is still not what you will hear on the streets.

If you aim to speak at an advanced level with native speakers, it's important to be aware of how spoken French differs from the written form. Here are some key things to watch for:

The sounds of the voice

The sounds of the language tell a lot about the speaker. You can usually tell the approximate age, level of education and gender of the speaker. Older voices are often more difficult to decipher than younger ones. Female voices are usually easier to understand than male voices.

There is of course the accent. Is it a sort of neutral broadcast accent that one hears in the media or a strong regional accent? Is the speaker from a certain region of France, Belgium, Africa, Quebec or Acadia?

One of the biggest differences between spoken and written language is how meaning is communicated by the sound of the voice. By articulating in certain ways, speakers can convey surprise, scorn, irony, anger, questioning, doubt, affection and all sorts of emotions that cannot be easily communicated in written form. Often we can detect if someone is lying just by the tone of voice. Or we might even say something like "Don't speak to me with that tone of voice."

Linguistic features of informal spoken French

Informal spoken language includes small talk or chitchat, casual conversations, telephone dialogues, pep talks, question and answer sessions and interviews. On the other hand, formal language is found in prepared speeches, lectures and conferences, movie and theater dialogs and radio and television announcements.

Let's say that you are overhearing a spontaneous conversation of friends sitting around a dinner table, what are you likely to notice from a linguistic viewpoint?

1. Slang, non-standard forms and colloquial expressions, many of which are rarely found in print. This can include coarse or extreme language.

2. Lots of body language with gestures, head movements and facial expressions.

3. Constant interactivity between participants in a question and answer format.

4. Simplified question forms. A very common pattern is to put the interrogative pronoun at the end, as in:

C'est quoi? vs Qu'est-ce que c'est? (What is it?)

C'est qui? vs Qui est-ce? (Who is it?)

Il arrive quand? vs Quand est-ce qu'il arrive? (When does he arrive?)

4 Short sentences with simple structures, often subject verb object. Simple tenses. No fancy subjunctives or literary tenses.

5. Plenty of repetition and rephrasing to ensure the other person understands, often starting with Autrement dit (otherwise said)

6. Interjections like: zut, merde, flute, hein, ho, c'est pas vrai, dis-donc

7. Abbreviations and clipped vocabulary. This may be professional jargon or shared terminology

8. Repeated forms: oui, oui,oui, non non non, absolument absolument

9. Systematic usage of pronoun ON instead of NOUS for "we"

10. Systematic usage of TU instead of VOUS for "you".

11. Incomplete sentences. Users may switch subject or change sentence structure in midstream. This is a big difference between ordinary users and professional speakers such as broadcasters, actors and teachers.

12. Fillers ("eh") and pauses marking time after words like "de...", "que...","je pense que..."

Often users will search for the right word, as in: Comment dire?, Qu'est-ce que je veux dire? disons...

13.Verbal tics: "si vous voulez", "si vous permettez", "vous savez", "tu sais" "voyez-vous", "permettez-moi", "comme on dit". This is similar to "you know" or "if I may" in English.

14. Uncorrected speech. Mistakes, confusion of similar forms, as in:

solidaire / solitaire

audition / addition

15. Usually a very limited vocabulary using the most common words in the language.

Stanley Aleong specializes in teaching foreign languages and believes that an effective strategy for achieving advanced proficiency in French or Spanish is to work with many carefully selected authentic examples. To learn more about some very effective learning tools based on this principle, visit Advanced French / Spanish.

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Situations When You Wish You Knew Spanish!

Spanish is one of the fastest growing languages in the world. It has a rich history, embroidered in royalty. Spanish is a Latin language and shares its origins with English and French. This is why, it is considered to be the ideal second language for a person who is an English speaker.

However, learning a language isn't a walk in the park. This is why many people are apprehensive about taking on the challenge. Truth is there are several times in life when you wish you would know Spanish. It is better to learn it rather than regret it later on. Here are some examples from real life regarding the situations I am talking about. Maybe some of these will sound familiar to you.

Marriage

Yes, marriage has compelled several people to take Spanish lessons. The reason is that they are getting married to a latino/latina. Their spouses can speak English alright, but their families can't. So when things get intimate, you cannot avoid talking to their familia. This is why people learn up Spanish so that they can talk to their in-laws.

Business

You have a business and it is thriving. All your staff is native English speakers who don't know any other languages. One day, you get an order from a Mexican client. The only catch is that he doesn't understand a word of English. You and all your staff don't know Spanish. So, learning Spanish can help you expand your client base. In fact, people have studied Spanish because all their clients were Spanish!

Moving to Mexico

People do move to Mexico for some reasons or the other. There, finding a person who speaks English is a tough job. All the natives are glued to Spanish and they don't like talking in any other language apart from their own. In case you have any plans to move to Mexico or any other Latin American Spanish speaking country, make sure that you learn Spanish beforehand.

Interacting with Hispanics

There are over 40 million Hispanics in the US. You just cannot avoid running into them. Some people have a lot of Hispanic friends so they decide to learn Spanish so that they can interact with them in their own language. This gives them a chance to explore their culture as well. Some people just like Latinos/Latinas and want to approach them so they learn Spanish in a bid to impress them.

The best resource for you to learn Spanish is the Spanish Learning Factory. They provide private lessons, software and books which would have you speaking Spanish like your ancestors came from Chihuahua.

SpanishLearningFactory Provides affordable Spanish books and cd's from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced to learn Spanish, sitting at home. Visit website SpanishLearningFactory.com to listen and watch testimonials about online Spanish classes and programs.

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Comparing English and Spanish: How Are They Different?

Are you planning on learning a new language? Why not study Spanish? Many say that Spanish is not a very difficult language to learn. In fact, Spanish ranks among the top languages spoken in the whole world, next to English. But before starting on your endeavor to learn this language, you should know that there are major differences between Spanish and English. In fact they are two very distinct and dissimilar languages.

Difference in roots

Spanish is a true Romance Language. It is closely related to Latin, Italian, French, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and Provencal of the Indo-European language family. The English language, on the other hand, originated from the Germanic language family. It is closely connected to Dutch, modern-day Low German, Flemish, Afrikaans and Frisians. The difference in origins may explain why there are plenty of dissimilarities between the two languages.

Difference in alphabet

Whereas the English alphabet has twenty-six letters, the Spanish alphabet use the Latin alphabet. It has an extra letter, n. Acute accents on top of letters also characterize the Spanish vowels.

Difference in vocabulary

Spanish is less complex when it comes to vocabulary since it has remained pure. English, meanwhile, is a combination of words from various languages. In other words, while most words in the Spanish vocabulary are truly of Spanish origin, many English words are actually foreign. Many English words are borrowed from Latin, French, Arabic, Russian and even Spanish. This does not mean that Spanish has not a lot of words, too. But most of them are of Latin origin.

Difference in grammar

In the Spanish language, nouns have gender - the masculine and the feminine. Unlike in the English language where nouns do not take gender roles; it is only the personal pronouns, such as she, he, her, his, hers that indicate gender. When learning Spanish you need to use the appropriate gender of the noun and use the corresponding adjectives and article as well. This means that the article or adjective should take the gender of the noun. The masculine noun typically ends in "o", while the feminine noun is indicated by the ending letter "a."

Furthermore, the adjectives must be in plural forms when the noun is plural. This is different from English where only the verb needs to follow the form of the noun. In Spanish, there is typically an "s" added to the adjective to make it plural. Moreover, while the adjective precedes the noun in an English sentence, in Spanish, the adjective comes after the noun.

With verbs, English seems to be a bit simpler. In Spanish, the verb takes different forms in every tense, depending on the subject. For example, the word work/works, it could be trabajas, trabajo, trabaja, trabajamos or trabajan in Spanish. The word "you" can also be expressed in many ways in Spanish. For singular forms, there is the "Ud" the formal form and "tu" for casual use. Their plural forms are "Uds" and "vosotros."

Whether you want to learn Spanish as a beginner or you want to improve your mastery of the language, know that every language has its own complexities. So just persevere and reap the benefits of speaking another tongue.

Daniel C Howard is a language teacher living in Asia. He has over a decade of experience teaching all ages a variety of subjects. For free info and lessons on Spanish, please visit his blog here.

You can also sign up for a newsletter full of free language tips from Daniel's many hours in a class. And as a bonus, stay updated on all the new information on http://www.learnsuperspanish.com/.

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The Story of the Italian Language

The Italian language is spoken by approximately 2.7 % of the world's population, where it counts for 14% in the European Union; it is a language known as romance or Romanic. According to Wikipedia, Dante Alighieri a major Italian poet was the person who eventually simplified Italian in that he combined the Sicilian and Florence dialect through his works and formalized what would become the standard and the official language of Italy. Because it was a language picked up and understood by all educated Italians. He is still to this day credited for 'making' the first official Italian language.

Until Dante came around there wasn't an exact basic Italian language, every region or city had its own dialect. The cities were known for being city-states and therefore the variation of the Italian spoken in said cities had their own variation of the language. There are still variations from region to region in Italy, but the standard language of Italian is now used by most of Italy. And although schools were declared compulsory in 1861 it wasn't until 1923 more than 50 years later, that the illiteracy was halved. Many children in the southern and rural areas weren't sent to school it would take more than 70 years before 90% of children received education.

Northern Italian language became influenced by the French bards introduction by Franco-Occitania in the middle ages. The Occitan Valleys is a region in the Southern Alps of Italy. Italian is derived from the Vulgar (the common peoples language) Latin language with a strong Germanic influence. There are still many dialects present in Italy today. Each region still declares theirs as being the real Italian language. The Latin influence has become less distinct in modern times; Latin was the language of the educated Italians. Italian is the language closest to Latin in its vocabulary.

In the United States the largest Italian-speaking population (counting 1mill. according to the 2000 census) is found in 5 different cities, where New York wins first place with close to half of the total number. Italian is the fifth most common language in the world, after English, Spanish, French and German

Should you plan on going to Italy on a vacation learning the Italian language can only enhance your stay. Mussolini's minister of education Giovanni Gentile introduced the Gentile Reform in Italian schools in 1923. The reform among other things; abolished all foreign languages from the schools. Therefore there are still many of the older generation, who do not speak any foreign languages.

And although both the English and the French language are taught in Italian schools today, it can only make you enjoy your vacation more if you are able to speak and understand the older generation as well.

Susanne Hojgaard's background for writing about the Italian language is that she is married to an Italian-American. For more information and lessons in Italian, please visit her website http://learnhowtospeakitalianquick.com/

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ESL Programs: Learning English As a Second Language Made Easier!

Should you say "award" or "reward"? Should you write "advise" or "advice"? If you study English, you know one thing for sure - English can sometimes be confusing! Thanks to good ESL programs around, you get all the help you need to start learning and perfecting your skills.

ESL or English as Second Language online programs are designed to teach students to write and speak the language, guiding them through each lesson. They give you the opportunity to practice your communication skills in many varied ways and in your own space and time.

There is a number of innovative English language software around; Most of these may actually offer the same thing but if you are looking for the best there is, then here are the features you should be looking for:

Video Listening Section
This is step one, where a student is presented a "pre-listening" question that will serve as a guide while watching a dramatized video clip. The clip comes with a transcript and a set of main-idea questions and comprehension questions.

Vocabulary Section
This is where specific words related to the video clip will be discussed in greater detail. Definitions, synonyms and antonyms are included here, which should help students understand the trickier words with greater ease.

Speaking Section
This is where the student can role-play one or both characters in the video by simply reading the transcript or speaking freely from memory. The dramatization in the video clip plays a major role here, as it will serve as the impetus for the use of English in role-playing.

Grammar Section
This section involves taking out a section of the video appropriate to the student's level of knowledge, while a "Grammar Coach" program focuses on the proper use and placing of words in the extracted video segment. The student will then work with two grammar exercises to apply what was taught.

Task Listening Section
This is where a student simply listens to a set of instructions, advertisements or interviews. The student will then answer a set of questions related to the recording they listened to.

Reading Section
This is like the video listening section, except that the student reads related news articles on the video. This is followed by a comprehension activity to test how well the student understands what he or she just read.

Most other English software - or even English teachers for that matter - focuses on the word-for-word understanding of English. One example of this is the rote memorization of commonly used English words and phrases, which is then followed by the application of said words and phrases.

A good ESL program works by integrating information with the language. It immediately immerses a student in a contextual situation, where the words are not taught but actually used. The student is then expected to "connect the dots" between the words and the situation they are used in.

This is much like how a baby learns language, wherein the child is not taught the language word for word but simply picks them up as their parents use it on a day to day basis.

Learning is a process and it needs to be approached logically and strategically. Proper sequencing of essential lessons makes learning a lot easier and less stressful. Developers of excellent programs know this and so they take time to develop a curriculum that is effective and well-structured.

The "English Interactive" Program will make it easy for people to learn English as a Second Language, Anywhere, Anytime. Read more about "English Interactive" at http://www.eslonline.us/ which is one of the few Online English Language Programs that can be effective for those who want to learn by practical application instead of rote memorization.

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Chinese Language Learning Software: 3 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Chinese Language Course

Want to learn Chinese online? Great! There are lots of wonderful programs to choose from. Unfortunately, lots of not so wonderful programs have also been thrown into the mix. There are also programs that may be good for some but not so good for others, including you. So, how do you weave your way through the mess and find the program that's right for you? Ask the 3 questions below and you will find the Chinese language learning program that's best for you.

Question 1: Does it Offer a Free Trial?

This is pretty straightforward, but it's important. Never purchase a program that doesn't offer a free trial. All reputable programs have them. Plus, to get the information I am going to outline below, you need to get inside the actual program.

Question 2: Does it Cover the 4 Core Language Learning Components?

A good Chinese language learning program will cover each of the four core language learning components, which are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Even if your main goal is to speak the language, you can't neglect the other three components. Why? Because together they greatly improve the quality of your learning. For example, it would be very difficult to learn how to pronounce Chinese tones if you didn't first learn to read pinyin.

Learning to write? That's a great way to master Chinese grammar, which is something you'll need to understand if you want to speak in a fluent and natural way. Perhaps most importantly, your brain learns in different ways, and if you stick to just one learning style, you will become fatigued and bored. If you mix things up, on the other hand, you will stay fresh, and you will retain information much better, when compared to focusing on just one core learning component.

Why have I made this point? Because I have seen, lately, a flood of new web-based programs that focus, almost exclusively, on audio programs. It's Podcast this and Podcast that all over the place! Don't get me wrong. The audio component of any online Chinese language learning system is the bread and butter of the program, so it's fine that companies focus on it. Before putting your hard-earned money on the table, though, make sure you're getting a complete program, one that offers reading, writing, listening, and speaking instruction, not just a bunch of MP3 audio files.

Question 3: What's the Price Structure

There is something that drives me absolutely crazy, and it will drive you crazy too--tiered pricing. I found a program like this just the other day. It was a subscription-based program that was just a few dollars per month. Pretty reasonable, it seemed. But then I logged into the classroom and found that I could access only the audio programs. I was blocked when I tried to download the dialogues. I was denied when I tried to access the learning games. The door was slammed in my face when I tried to enter the forum.

Those things were only for "Premium Members." Well, some of those things, anyway. Other things were open only to "Gold Members." To access the full course, I learned, you had to pay $25 per month, or $400 a year (if you didn't pay annually the price was higher). That's absurd! The best Chinese language learning software programs on the market can be purchased outright for about a hundred bucks.

Am I saying to avoid all subscription-based services that have tiered pricing? No, but here is what I am saying. When looking at these programs, look only at the most expensive option. That is the only one you can use. All other options are just teasers.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right Chinese language learning program is important. Choose a good one and you'll have a successful learning experience. Choose a bad one and you'll wind up confused and frustrated. To ensure that you choose a good one, take advantage of free trials, use programs that cover the four core language components, and be suspicious of tiered pricing schemes.

Looking for Chinese software? Read my Rocket Chinese Review. I take you with me step-by-step as I learn with the software (lots of screen shots).

Have a great day!

Ryan Wiley
Founder
The Live in Asia Blog

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