Eurolinguiste
Category

  • Language Learning Strategies | #clearthelist July 2017

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    It’s July and tomorrow is Independence Day, so to all of my American friends, I wish you a Happy 4th of July! 

    If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Jul 2, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    None this month – I focused on language learning. 

    Language Learning

    5 Things You Can Do When You Don’t Have Time to Learn a Language // A post to help you find a little bit more time to fit language study into your routine.

    How to Get Stuff Done When You Study a Language // Tips for having more productive language studies.

    100+ Ways to Make Language Learning a Part of Your Day // An epic post that sorts everything by skill – reading, writing, listening and speaking.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // I worked on this a tiny, little bit. It counts, right?

    Read one more language related book. // I read Lingo by Gaston Dorren and it was really good. Highly recommended!

    Transcribe the dialogues from Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese that I currently have saved. // I did! Feeling so good getting back on track with everything.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Yes! I’m finally ahead again and I hope to keep it that way.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Yes. I realized that most of the videos in my queue weren’t things that I cared about watching. They were things I cared about listening to. When I realized this, I was able to set my queue to play automatically and listen to them in my car. Don’t worry – my phone was in my center console, so I wasn’t distracted! Realizing this made a huge difference for me.

    Read something in Chinese // I started up using LingQ again. I had to take a break while I was finishing up Language Learning Accelerator, but I’m back at reading the Hunger Games in Chinese.

    Keep adding words from Chinese readings into my Memrise Chinese deck AND THEN STUDY THEM. // I started studying these at the very end of the month, so I suppose it counts.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Yes! El Nombre del Viento for the win. Seriously, LingQ is my favorite tool ever.

    Keep working through my language podcasts. // I actually finished ALL of the lessons I had in my queue. This probably means I drive way too much, but hey. I can’t complain if it means I get to study languages uninterrupted, right?

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // Like I keep saying, this will be a never ending project. And it’s wonderful.

    Read the next Language Reading Challenge book on my list. // If you haven’t already, you can join us on Goodreads!

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // I still have a long way to go.

    Read something in Chinese, French, and/or Spanish. // At the level I’m at for these three languages, this is one of the best ways I can continue to improve them.

    Study my dang Chinese Memrise deck! Sheesh. // Even though I started this at the end of June, it wasn’t as much as I wanted. I seriously need to get on this.

    Finish distilling my old Russian notes. // I decided to start over with Russian, so  I’m working through all of my old notes to start.

    Record my first video(s) in Japanese. // I finally started to learn this beautiful language and I’m excited about it. Plus, Little Linguist likes me speaking it, so that’s encouraging.

    Little Linguist really likes the sound of Japanese. I think it’s a sign…

    — Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 18 juin 2017

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • LingQ
    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other videos in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    What I’m Using to Learn Japanese:

    • The One Minute Japanese podcast from the Radio Lingua network
    • JapanesePod101

    What I’m Using for Little Linguist

    Resources That Aren’t Language Specific

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    I seriously love Russian.

    I do. I had a really tough time with it the first go (same as Korean), but I just couldn’t stay away from it. Every time I hear Russian, I marvel at how beautiful it sounds and it just stirs up this incredible desire to sit down and learn it.

    I psyched myself out a bit too much with the grammar the last time, so I want to approach it a little differently this time. Hopefully my teachers will work with me (is it just me or do Russian tutors all really seem to want to focus on grammar?). I hope to persevere this time and finally learn this language that I so adore. 

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheList
    An InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    July 3, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 45

    Read More

  • Language Learning Strategies | #clearthelist June 2017

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    Friends, I am so very excited about this coming month and the month after. I have some really exciting stuff in store and I can’t wait to share it with you!

    If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on May 31, 2017 at 2:06pm PDT

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    The Citadel Zoo in Besançon, France // An old citadel in East France with an incredible view of the city.

    Doors in the Caribbean // Some doors with great personality from our Caribbean cruise.

    Glasgow, Scotland // A few photos from my rainy misadventure to Glasgow, Scotland.

    Language Learning

    My 3 Day Italian Language Refresh // Plus a free worksheet with 100+ Conversational Words and Phrases in Italian.

    Applying the Minimalist Approach to Language // Why I believe less is more when it comes to language study.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // First time ever I can say that I really didn’t do this. 

    Read one more language related book. // Yes! I read some great stuff that I plan on sharing as a part of the Language Reading Challenge.

    Transcribe the dialogues from Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese that I currently have saved. // Nope.

    Once again get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Nope.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Yes. But the number of videos is still way too high.

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Nope.

    Keep adding words from Chinese readings into my Memrise Chinese deck AND THEN STUDY THEM. // Nope.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Yes.

    Start to work through all those podcasts taking space on my phone. // Yes! I made significant progress with this.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // Since I didn’t do this last month.

    Read one more language related book. // I bought some fantastic stuff at the used book store I can’t wait to read.

    Transcribe the dialogues from Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese that I currently have saved. // Again, since I didn’t do this last month.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Because I like being on top of things.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Since the number of videos in it is just getting out of hand.

    Read something in Chinese // I need a break from Winnie the Pooh. The book I was reading is around 200 pages, and I need to change things up so I don’t burn out.

    Keep adding words from Chinese readings into my Memrise Chinese deck AND THEN STUDY THEM. // Since again, I didn’t do this last month.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // I want to keep this up because I really feel it’s helping me.

    Keep working through my language podcasts. // I made incredible progress with this last month and I hope to maintain it this month.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • LingQ
    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other videos in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    What I’m Using for Little Linguist

    Resources That Aren’t Language Specific

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    Good time management. 

    This month was really tough for me for a variety of reasons. I have a big project that I’m working on and it ate into the majority of my study time. I didn’t get all the things I wanted to get done, done. But I still managed to study language every day because I listened to a ton of audio in my car. 

    I also lost my grandfather this month and I needed to take some time to emotionally come to grips with it. It’s still really tough for me to think about, but I’m healing. 

    I’m super excited to share something that I’ve been working on for you this month. It’s a free 7-day email course that’s starting on June 19th called “The Busy Language Learner”. You can sign up here.

    Join the free Busy Language Learner Email Course from Eurolinguiste

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheList
    An InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    June 5, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 54

    Read More

  • Language Learning Strategies | #clearthelist May 2017

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    Welcome to this year’s 5th (jeez!) #clearthelist. 

    If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Apr 21, 2017 at 11:43am PDT

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    A Tour of the Jameson Whiskey Distillery in Dublin, Ireland // I absolutely love doing this tours and learning about the history and process that goes into creating different products. Plus, when you do the tour in your target language, it’s a great learning hack!

    The Royal Saltworks in France // This was a fascinating museum I had the chance to visit while in East France.

    Language Learning

    10 French Books, Songs, TV Shows & Films to Help You Learn the Language // An excellent guest post from French Affliction.

    A Review of LingQ // One of my (now) favourite language learning resources.

    Why Games are an Important Language Learning Tool // I teamed up with Clozemaster to share just how you can use games to learn a language.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // I found a really cool way to do this using LingQ and Memrise. I shared how to do it in a video as a part of my review.

    Read one more language related book. // I finished that Spanish Grammar book – yay! Getting through all the rules about the subjunctive, the difference between para and por, the differences between ser and estar, and verb use exceptions was brain melting.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // Nope.

    Stay ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Sort of. I kind of did that thing again where I am in the middle of 20+ books because I’m weird like that. 

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Yes! For the record, since someone asked last month, my YouTube Queue are all the ‘watch later’ videos that I saved. They range from Steve Kaufman’s updates on his 90 day Korean challenge to lessons from RussianPod101 to the Easy Languages series for Spanish, Croatian, and Russian. I currently have more than 700 videos in this queue. At one point I had it down to 400, but everyone just keeps putting out such great language learning content!

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // I did, but my pace slowed down quite a bit. I only got through a few pages per week. 

    Add words from Chinese readings into my Memrise Chinese deck. // Yes! Now I just need to start studying the deck. Ha.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // I am still working through the books from last month, so as long as I make sure I spend time reading, this is an easy one.

    Do the last 15 Pimsleur Chinese V Lessons. // Yes! I’ve officially finished all five Pimsleur Chinese courses.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As long as I’m still speaking to Little Linguist in Chinese, this one is here to stay. And it will always be a priority.

    Read one more language related book. // I have some ideas what this might be, but haven’t firmly decided yet.

    Transcribe the dialogues from Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese that I currently have saved. // Since I probably won’t play this game this month, I can, at the very least, transcribe what I’ve already saved.

    Once again get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Because I like being on top of things.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // At least one video for every day of the month. Some are as short as 30 seconds. I can manage this.

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // As much as I love Pooh Bear, I’m kind of tired of it and want to work on something different. I started reading Hunger Games in Chinese with LingQ and I’d like to focus my attention on this, but I can’t when I feel guilty for not having finished this book.

    Keep adding words from Chinese readings into my Memrise Chinese deck AND THEN STUDY THEM. // It’s great that I’ve been making all these lovely flashcards in Memrise, but it’s kind of silly that I haven’t started studying them. So, there’s an obvious next step for me.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // I am still working through the books from last month, so as long as I make sure I spend time reading, this is an easy one. For the record, The Name of the Wind is really long, so I hope you don’t get bored with the fact I’m probably going to take months to read it. 🙂

    Start to work through all those podcasts taking space on my phone. // This includes Melnyk’s, ChineseClass101, Slow Chinese, and a few other podcasts that I’ve been waiting to get to while I work through Pimsleur.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • LingQ
    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other videos in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    What I’m Using for Little Linguist

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    Studying with a baby can be fun. I get to practice speaking by reading to him out loud in the different languages I’m learning. It’s interesting to see which languages he doesn’t like the sound of (or maybe just my accent) and which he does. 

    The performance aspect of it also adds an interesting dynamic to when I just read aloud on my own. Finding the time to learn a language with a little one can be tough – they need attention (and deserve it!) so finding the time to focus for long periods has been pushed back to after bedtime (if I still have the energy for it). It’s forced me to be pretty creative with how I study and try out things that I wouldn’t have before he joined us. 

    There are some things I miss about how I learnt before, but I wouldn’t change any of it. Honestly. 

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheListAn InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    April 24, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 56

    Read More

  • Language Learning Strategies | #clearthelist April 2017

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    Are you all ready for this month’s #clearthelist? For once, I definitely feel like I am!

    If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Mar 30, 2017 at 8:36am PDT

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    Mad Dumplings // This delicious new food truck I discovered in my area in Southern California.

    Language Learning

    10 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Learn a New Language // Even when you don’t feel like studying.

    How to Break Through a Language Learning Plateau // Tips for overcoming those brick walls in your study.

    When You Hate Studying // How to fall back in love with language learning after experience burnout.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // Yes, I did! I learnt all sorts of words about Dory.

    Read one more language related book. // Still working on my Spanish grammar.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // Nope, not really. Why? This…

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Yes! I’m one month ahead.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // I kept at this diligently, but because many of the videos are long, the number of items in my watch queue is higher than it was last month (again) because new lessons I want to work on are posted faster than the lessons that I complete.

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Four chapters down.In addition to reading four chapters of Winnie the Pooh, I also started reading the Hunger Games in Chinese and worked through and entire Finding Dory book for Little Linguist so he and I could read it together.

    Finish adding in my sticky notes to the first Pooh Bear Book. // Yes! This was tough, but I did it.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // I read a book about the history of Brittany in French and am reading my language reading challenge book in Spanish.

    Do at least 15 Pimsleur Chinese V Lessons. // I did my 15 lessons, but didn’t get to Melnyk’s.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As long as I’m still speaking to Little Linguist in Chinese, this one is here to stay. And it will always be a priority.

    Read one more language related book. // Actually finish that dang Spanish grammar book.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // Probably won’t happen. So I’ll count this one if I at least work on transcribing the dialogues from what I’ve already played since I’m backlogged on this, too.

    Stay ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Because I like being on top of things.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // At one point the videos were in the 400+ range. I’m at almost 800… Arg. So much good language content to see.

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // This is probably the longest Pooh Bear book ever.

    Add words from Chinese readings into my Memrise Chinese deck. // It’s one thing to make notes of the words you don’t know in your readings, it’s another to actually convert them into flashcards so you can learnthem.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // I am still working through the books from last month, so as long as I make sure I spend time reading, this is an easy one.

    Do the last 15 Pimsleur Chinese V Lessons. // So then I can finally work through Melnyk’s.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • LingQ
    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other videos in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    What I’m Using for Little Linguist

    • Pooh Bear and Baby Bear
    • Little Pim
    • Finding Dory
    • YouTube
    • Day-to-day interaction
    • His Chinese lullaby is from Mantou Riji, I also sing him “You are my Sunshine” in Chinese, and his French is Une Souris Verte

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    In working through Pooh Bear, I found that I’m not really patient with parts of the process. When I come across Chinese characters I’m unfamiliar with, I don’t always know how they’re pronounced (some I’m able to guess based on the components), so the easiest way for me to translate them and learn their pronunciation is by using the Google Translate camera tool. By the way, this particular tool has been a godsend in learning Chinese. Regardless of it’s convenience, however, it’s a bit annoying to take photos, wait for the the text to scan, then click through for the pinyin. At least in my opinion.

    But then I realized if I tapped the characters I was unfamiliar with, but didn’t actually click through for the full translation and pinyin that it saved those words in my history. So I started scanning full pages, clicking on the words, then going to my search history. The process was so much faster.

    So what I learnt is that sometimes accidents become the catalyst for making your learning routine more efficient if you aren’t too quick to dismiss them. If anything like this has every happened to you, I’d love to hear about it!

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheListAn InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    March 30, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 61

    Read More

  • Language Learning Strategies | #clearthelist March 2017

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    Hello, hello! It’s time for this month’s #clearthelist! 

    If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Feb 25, 2017 at 7:17pm PST

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    Guinness Storehouse // Things to Do In & Around Dublin, Ireland

    Antica Sacrestia // Things to Do In & Around Venice, Italy

    Language Learning

    Getting the Most Out of Your Language Lessons // How to maximize the money and time you invest into working with a language tutor.

    There are No Shortcuts to Learning a Language // Why you shouldn’t believe the hype about learning a language fast and why you need to commit for the long run.

    How to Use Chunking to Fire Up Your Language Learning // An inspiring post by Fiel Sahir in which he applies his experience as a musician to language learning.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // Yes! I learnt a bunch of new vocabulary this month that has been really helpful.

    Read one more language related book. // Yes! I’m making nice, steady progress in my Spanish course book.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // This is one of those things that I didn’t really do, then remembered that I said I was going to do it and then did a bunch of it at the end of the month. So, still counts, right?

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // I’m both ahead and behind. I am in the middle of several of the books for the challenge, but haven’t actually finished any of them. An odd place to be.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // I’ve worked through it, but I also added more to it this month than I got through, so my number of ‘to watch’ videos is higher than it was last month. I’ll still count this as a win because I did technically watch some of the lessons.

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Yes. I kind of procrastinated and didn’t do this until the end of the month, but I still got in my four chapters.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Yes! I’m re-reading one of my favorite books in Spanish.

    Finish Pimsleur Chinese IV // Done! This was hard because I was really sick and didn’t go to work for a while, and thus, didn’t spend as much time in the car as I normally would. Thankfully I only had about 15 lessons left, so I was able to squeeze them in on the days I did drive.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As long as I’m still speaking to Little Linguist in Chinese, this one is here to stay. And it will always be a priority.

    Read one more language related book. // Keep working through my grammar book in Spanish.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // It’s all about making language a part of my day-to-day life.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Since I’m all over the place with this one.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Because there still are just so many language lessons in there I need to do!

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Since I did four chapters this past month, my goal is to do yet another four chapters this month.

    Finish adding in my sticky notes to the first Pooh Bear Book. // I’ve been putting this off because Mini M was being a bit nosy and went through my notes. He ended up mixing them all up so they were completely out of order. It’s been a nightmare trying to figure it out and put it all back together so I’ve kind of avoided this task. But I really want to read this book with Little Linguist, so I’m going to stop procrastinating.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Since I completely slacked on this one this past month.

    Do at least 15 Pimsleur Chinese V Lessons. // And then if I get through that, get through some of the Melnyk’s lessons I’ve put on hold.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other videos in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    What I’m Using for Little Linguist

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    That I really need to work harder at keeping things in Chinese with Little Linguist. Particularly because I was sick and traveling quite a bit this month, and then he was sick, I was just too tired and kept slipping back into English. I know it’s not the end of the world, but I am his only source for Mandarin so I just need to persevere a little more. 

    He’s at the stage now where his babbling has consonants, so it’s interesting watching how things change in his speech. He says gah, geh and deh a lot and he has really long conversations with some of his toys that probably make sense to him but just make me giggle.

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheListAn InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    February 27, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 53

    Read More

  • Language Learning Strategies | #clearthelist February 2017

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    On to month two of this year’s #clearthelist! 

    If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    My #clearthelist post goes up on Monday so I am sharing my instagram recap now. This was a great month! #goalsetting #goals #languagelearning

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Jan 28, 2017 at 8:06pm PST

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    TaiChi in Beihai Park // Things to do in and around Beijing, China.

    12 Things to Do In & Around Beijing China // The round up of my posts from my trip to China.

    The Riverwalk and The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas // Just in time for my current trip to San Antonio!

    Language Learning

    How to Learn a Language from Scratch // My experience learning the Spanish language.

    Don’t Compare Yourself to Other Learners // A post on why you should focus on your own studies rather than those of the others around you.

    Getting the Most Out of Your Language Lessons // How to fully maximize your time with your language tutor.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // Yes! I went out of my way a few times this past month to have conversations in Chinese. The family who owns the business next to my mom’s hair salon speaks Chinese and their grandson is eight days younger than Little Linguist, so I get to pick up quite a bit of new vocabulary every time I stop in to say hello.

    Read one more language related book. // Yes! I read my language reading challenge book on the Spanish language and I also read a book about Latin.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // I worked on these transcriptions but didn’t get much play time.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // I’m not ahead, but I’m not behind either.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Slowly…

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Yes! All four chapters!

    Actually order that new resource for Spanish. // Done and one chapter down.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Nope. Can’t win them all.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As long as I’m still speaking to Little Linguist in Chinese, this one is here to stay.

    Read one more language related book. // Get through at least three chapters of my grammar book that I started.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // It’s all about making language a part of my day-to-day life.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Since I’m only on schedule for this one.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Because there still are just so many language lessons in there I need to do!

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Since I did four chapters last month, my goal is to do yet another four chapters this month.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Since I completely slacked on this one this past month.

    Finish Pimsleur Chinese IV // I’m already several lessons in.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other video in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    What I’m Using for Little Linguist

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    That motivation really counts.

    My progress in Spanish has been so much quicker than any of the other languages I’ve recently studied for two reasons. One is that it’s similar to a language I already speak (French) but the other is that I’m really motivated to learn it (the sooner I get to a comfortable level in Spanish, the sooner I can get back to Russian). 

    Plus, because I am motivated to work on the language, study sessions just go that much more smoothly.

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheListAn InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    January 30, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 88

    Read More

  • Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | January

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    I’d like to welcome you to #clearthelist. If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages, Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, and Angel Pretot of French Lover.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Jan 1, 2017 at 1:14pm PST

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    Tiananmen Square // Things to do in and around Beijing, China.

    Language Learning

    Why You Should Record Yourself Speaking Your Target Language // Because this is an incredible way to improve across the board.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // My list of words is slowly building. My WeChat account is constantly buzzing with answers about the words and phrases that I’ve asked friends for help with.

    Read one more language related book. // Started one. It’s a grammar book, so there just wasn’t anyway I was going to finish this in a month since I’m actually doing all the exercises.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // Yup.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // I started working on my reading for this, but I wouldn’t say I’m ahead.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Slow and steady.

    Start reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // I’m on Chapter 4!

    Find a new resource for Spanish. // I found one and now I just have to order it. The holidays have got me like *wait… where did the month go*.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Yes and yes. But I can’t tell until I start sharing the Language Reading Challenge posts. 😀

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // As long as I’m still speaking to Little Linguist in Chinese, this one is here to stay.

    Read one more language related book. // Get through at least six chapters of my grammar book that I started.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese. // It’s all about making language a part of my day-to-day life.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // I’ve been reading too many other things that were on my Want to Read list. It’s time to focus, now.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Because there are just so many language lessons in there I need to do!

    Keep reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Since I did four chapters last month, my goal is to do another four chapters this month.

    Actually order that new resource for Spanish. // Maybe I’ll have an Amazon gift card I can use from Christmas. 🙂

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // There’s this science fiction book I’ve been reading in French and I decided I don’t like it, so I need to stop trudging through it and either hurry up and finish it so I can read something I like better or just stop reading it and read something different.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other video in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    I just really love languages. I love everything about them – the learning process, speaking them, meeting new people. Sometimes it’s just good to soak that in and appreciate that love so that it doesn’t burn out. I’m finding the more that I invest into my language learning, the more rewarding it is and the more I love doing it. Even the dreaded grammar exercises. And even if I’m not a professional translator or interpreter, sometimes it’s nice to just spend time working on things that make you happy BECAUSE they make you happy.

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! 

    Clear The List Linkup Rules:

    1. Share your goal post whether it includes your aspirations for the month or year. Submissions unrelated to the theme or links to your homepage will be deleted.

    2. Link back to this post. You can use our button if you wish.

    3. Follow the hosts: Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages, Shannon from Eurolinguiste, Kris from Actual Fluency, and Angel from French Lover.

    4. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Please visit the site of the person who linked up immediately before you and leave them an encouraging comment! By hosting this linkup, we’re hoping to create a positive community where we can all share our goals. If you do not do this, you will be removed from the linkup.

    5. Share on social media using #ClearTheListAn InLinkz Link-up

    Get the Button:

    Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency #clearthelist
    <div align="center"><a href="http://eurolinguiste.com/tag/clear-the-list" title="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency"><img src="https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.68/0pl.7ab.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/clear-the-list-sidebar-1.jpg" alt="Set your language learning goals as a part of the Clear the List Link Up hosted by Shannon Kennedy of Eurolinguiste, Lindsay Dow of Lindsay Does Languages, Angel Pretot of French Lover, and Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    January 2, 2017 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 100

    Read More

  • Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | December

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    I’d like to welcome you to #clearthelist. If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself and Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Dec 2, 2016 at 9:57am PST

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    The Forbidden City // Things to do in and around Beijing, China.

    Military Museum // More things to do in and around Beijing, China.

    Language Learning

    8 Ways to Learn a Language without a Teacher // For those of you who aren’t interested in learning with a tutor or feel you aren’t quite ready yet.

    Making Language Learning a Habit // How to make language learning something you do every day as easily as brushing your teeth.

    How Long Do I Need to Study to Learn a Language? // My thoughts on how much time per day you should be studying your target language.

    Last Month’s Goals

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // I am working on this. My friend brought me back these adorable little sticky notes from Taiwan and I’ve been using them in my reading for words I don’t know so that I don’t write in my books. I’m also constantly making notes about words I need. I learnt ‘shopping cart’ but I still need to know ‘why are you making that face?’ if anyone knows how to say that in Chinese. 🙂

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Nov 27, 2016 at 7:36am PST

    Read one more language related book. // Yes! I got this really fun book that I plan on sharing soon.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese.. // Again, yes. I’ve really started to enjoy this project and all the transcribing. It’s helping my character writing a ton.

    Read my language reading challenge book for this month and next month.// Yes!

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Yes!

    Start reading The Lion King in Chinese // It never came 🙁 and I ended up having to cancel the order. Boo!

    Finish working through one of the Language Hacking books. // Almost! I done scripting all my videos. I just have to finish sharing them. I also bought a second copy for my good friend who wants to start learning Spanish.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French. // I ended up reading in Spanish instead, so I will still count this as a win.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // This will probably be something I need to do from now until eternity. I need to prepare for when Little Linguist starts asking questions! Hopefully the few years head start helps.

    Read one more language related book. // Because language related books are awesome.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese.. // It helps a ton with grammar patterns.

    Get ahead reading my language reading challenge books. // Once I decide on next year’s books.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Because I still add videos faster than I can watch them.

    Start reading my other Pooh Bear book in Chinese // Since The Lion King is never coming.

    Find a new resource for Spanish. // Anyone have any suggestions?

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French or Spanish. // Hello, Patrick Rothfuss book translations that Little Linguist wants to steal.

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Nov 12, 2016 at 3:24pm PST

    My Language Learning Strategies and Updates

    No big changes for the month. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family
    • Watching movies and other video in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    Consistency is key. Really.

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! An InLinkz Link-up

    December 5, 2016 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 40

    Read More

  • Clear the List | Language Learning Strategies Update | November

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    Only two months left in the year! I hope those of you who went out or relaxed at home enjoyed your All Hallows Eve. It was our first with Little Linguist and that was just too much fun. He isn’t able to eat the candy he earned trick or treating but M and I certainly can. 😉

    So, as in the past, I’d like to once more welcome you to #clearthelist. If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Oct 29, 2016 at 11:38am PDT

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    Wangfujing Night Market // Things to do in and around Beijing, China.

    9 Interesting Facts About Serbian Culture // A continuation of my series with Kuperard.

    Language Learning

    What Should You Study to Learn a Language // A post about the types of materials and resources you should use to learn a new language

    Why You Shouldn’t Let Perfectionism Get in the Way of Language Learning // A post about why you shouldn’t wait until “perfect” happens for you in your target language.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Keep working on my vocabulary in Korean. // I ended up taking a break from Korean a bit earlier than I anticipated. I was really starting to enjoy the language, but then I started to study Spanish to review a product and my priorities for the month just completely changed. I think I am going to focus on Spanish for now and then pick Korean or Russian back up once I get to a comfortable level in the language.

    Fill the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // Yup! I started doing this. Did you know that peekaboo in Mandarin is 躲猫猫?

    Read one more language related book. // Yes! I finished Colloquial Chinese and started Language Hacking Spanish.

    Start watching that Korean show.// Yikes, no. Mini M has kind of taken over all our screen time with Jackie Chan films and movies about dogs.

    Keep watching that new Mandarin TV show that I had bookmarked. // Nope. See above.

    Start up Pimsleur Korean II. // Again, no. But I did listen to a ton of K-Pop this month.

    Read my language reading challenge book for this month// Yes! And I started the next two.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Yes, but not as many as I hoped.

    Start reading The Lion King in Chinese // It never came in the mail, but we read books about brushing our teeth and naps and things in Chinese.

    Work through one of the Language Hacking books // Working through the Spanish book.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French. // Yes and yes! I have another Pierre Bordage book even though I didn’t really like the first one and I also just got the second Wheel of Time book.

    This Month’s Goals

    Continue filling the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // This will probably be something I need to do from now until eternity.

    Read one more language related book. // Because language related books are awesome.

    Keep playing Zelda Ocarina of Time in Mandarin Chinese.. // I’m surprised how much more I understand than when I first made an attempt to start the game and it’s motivating to actually work through more than just the first dungeon now despite the fact that I’m literally writing out all the dialogue I come across by hand and so the going is so slow.

    Read my language reading challenge book for this month and next month.// Well, finish them.

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Because I add videos faster than I can watch them.

    Start reading The Lion King in Chinese // Hopefully it will come this month.

    Finish working through one of the Language Hacking books. // Since Spanish is now my focus.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French. // Since I have new material to work with this month.

    My Language Learning Strategies and Updates

    This month was a bit of a surprise for me because, in all honesty, I didn’t think that I would ever learn Spanish. But things change, so I decided to roll with it and here I am.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family that stayed with us all month
    • Watching movies and other video in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    What I am Using to Learn Spanish:

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    The biggest lesson I learnt this month is that sometimes you just need to go with your gut.

    I really wanted to learn Korean, but there was just something about it that didn’t click with me. So when I started studying Spanish, it was just so easy to give into the temptation of continuing on with it and setting Korean aside. In my gut, I knew that Korean wasn’t working for me (for now) and that Spanish was, so I went with that feeling.

    That being said, I want to return to Korean one day soon (and Russian, of course), but for now, my focus is español.

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! An InLinkz Link-up

    November 3, 2016 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 48

    Read More

  • Clear the List | Monthly Language Learning Strategies Update | October

    Clear the List - a language learning goal community

    Oh, ha! Hey there! Long time no see. Yup, I totally missed last month’s #clearthelist post and as one of the hosts, that’s pretty lame. :/ Sorry about that!

    But it’s a new month and I’m back!

    So, as in the past, I’d like to once more welcome you to #clearthelist. If you’re new around these parts, #clearthelist is a linkup where we share our monthly goals, and by we, I mean myself, Lindsay of Lindsay Does Languages.

    We’d absolutely love for you to a part of our community. You can join us by adding a link to your own goal post below.

    So let’s get started, sharing our goals and motivating one another to #clearthelist!

    Please feel free to tag your posts or photos with either #clearthelist on your favorite social media channels!

    Last Month’s Highlights on Instagram

    A photo posted by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Sep 26, 2016 at 2:15pm PDT

    Last Month’s Blog Highlights

    Travel

    30 Things to Do In Barcelona, Spain // Where I take you on a self-guided walking tour.

    9 Interesting Facts About Croatian Culture // I partnered with Kuperard to share these fun tidbits about Croatian culture.

    Tikka Masala Chicken Pizza // With homemade naan bread! Yum!

    Language Learning

    The Languages & Dialects of France // A subject close to my heart after having studied Breton music in school.

    Does Learning Another Language Make You a Better Speaker of Your Native Language? // Why I think the answer is both “yes” and “no”.

    Language Immersion at Home VS Language Immersion Abroad // This is a post that I’ve had on my mind for some time and was glad to finally have the chance to write it.

    Last Month’s Goals

    Keep working on my vocabulary in Korean. // Yup! My notebook is slowly (very slowly) filling up and I cranked through quite a few resources during my month off of work in September.

    Do at least four lessons in Russian. // I think I actually only did about two… Studying Russian and Korean at once might not be the best idea right now.

    Read one more language-related book. // I read language course books, but not a book about language or culture, so nope.

    Find a Korean TV show that interests me and start to watch it. // Yes and no. I picked out a show but didn’t start watching it. I’ve decided I’m going to listen to Lindsay and watch Boys Over Flowers, which she recommended highly to me.

    Start watching that new Mandarin TV show that I had bookmarked. // Yup! I really like it too.

    Finish up Pimsleur Korean I. // Finally can check this one off!

    Read my Serbia Culture Smart book. // Yup!

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // Yup!

    Pick a new children’s book to start reading in Chinese // I am going to read The Lion King in Chinese.

    This Month’s Goals

    Keep working on my vocabulary in Korean. // I’m giving myself until November to take Korean seriously and if I don’t see the progress I’ve mapped out for myself then I’m thinking of shifting my attentions. If I’m unable to make the kind of progress I’m hoping for in this time, then maybe I’m not as dedicated to the language as I should be to spend time with it right now.

    Fill the gaps in my Mandarin vocabulary I’ve noticed since Little Linguist’s arrival. // I’ve been keeping notes on these, but haven’t filled them yet.

    Read one more language related book. // Pick a number, any number.

    Start watching that Korean show.// At least I picked it this last month.

    Keep watching that new Mandarin TV show that I had bookmarked. // I really like it, but with family visiting, didn’t get to watch as much of it as I would have liked.

    Start up Pimsleur Korean II. // It’s loaded up on my phone and ready to be put into play.

    Read my language reading challenge book for this month// No excuses!

    Keep working through my YouTube Queue.  // As per usual, I’d like to get through yet another 50-100 videos this month.

    Start reading The Lion King in Chinese // I find I need to work through it alone first (so I can learn the characters I don’t yet know) so that I can then read it to Little Linguist.

    Work through one of the Language Hacking books // I picked up all four of Benny Lewis’ new Language Hacking books. One is intended as a gift for someone but the other three are mine. All mine.

    Have something I’m reading that’s in French. // I’ll talk about this more in this month’s Language Reading Challenge.

    My Language Learning Strategies and Updates

    No summary for this month other than I’d like to be a bit more serious about Korean than I have been. Up until now, I think it’s kind of served as a fun side project for me and I think it’s time for me to decide whether or not it will be more than that.

    Resources I Used This Month

    A quick recap on the materials I am using.

    What I Am Using to Learn Chinese

    What I’m Using to Brush Up/Improve My French:

    • Immersion (we speak franglais at home)
    • Reading books written by French authors
    • Listening to French radio/podcasts
    • Chatting with family that stayed with us all month
    • Watching movies and other video in French

    What I am Using to Learn Russian:

    What I am Using to Learn Korean:

    The Biggest Lesson I Am Taking Away from This Month

    I recently started a new job – no not one to replace what I already had, but one in addition to it. It’s definitely manageable for me, but it did take me a couple weeks to settle into the new schedule. Plus, with family here from France for the entire month, a ton of birthdays and the arrival of Little Linguist… Well, you get the point.

    There has definitely been some settling in and adjusting going on, but I think things are at the point now where everything just kind of fits into place. My three most important languages (English, French and Chinese) all get regular, natural use so now it’s a matter of choosing which of my other languages I want to focus on for learning. I’m giving Korean a set time to see if it is the right one, and if not, then I’ll do the same for Russian.

    So I suppose, to make a long story short(er), my biggest takeaway from this month is all about prioritizing. When juggling work, a family life, and hobbies, prioritizing is definitely an important thing to give attention to and I’ve been honing my skills at doing just that.

    Don’t forget that I would love to hear all about your goals for this month! Please join us by adding your post to the linkup below! An InLinkz Link-up

    October 3, 2016 • Eurolinguiste • Views: 52

    Read More