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When I started consuming more native Chinese content, I quickly discovered an area in which my knowledge was lacking: single-character verbs. In my experience, it’s very easy to focus on learning words consisting of two or more characters and overlook single-character words.

Driven by curiosity, I went through my Anki deck (and also wracked my brain) to generate a list of characters/words that I have learned over the past couple years (roughly). Then I selected 75 verbs that are fairly common and important to know. They skew towards intermediate and advanced vocabulary.

Definitions are from MDBG. For characters with additional meanings that I am not yet familiar with, I have bolded the meanings I want to share.

(1) 抢 qiǎng - to fight over / to rush / to scramble / to grab / to rob / to snatch

(2) 救 jiù - to save / to assist / to rescue

(3) 扶 fú - to support with the hand / to help sb up / to support oneself by holding onto something / to help

(4) 催 cuī - to urge / to press / to prompt / to rush sb / to hasten sth / to expedite

(5) 夹 jiā - to press from either side / to place in between / to sandwich / to carry sth under armpit / wedged between / between / to intersperse / to mix / to mingle / clip / folder / Taiwan pr. [jia2]

(6) 咬 yǎo - to bite / to nip

(7) 砸 zá - to smash / to pound / to fail / to muck up / to bungle

(8) 毁 huǐ - to destroy / to ruin / to defame / to slander

(9) 嚷 rǎng - to shout / to bellow / to make a big deal of sth / to make a fuss about sth

(10) 塞 sāi - to stop up / to squeeze in / to stuff / cork / stopper

(11) 贪 tān - to have a voracious desire for / to covet / greedy / corrupt

(12) 拆 chāi - to tear open / to tear down / to tear apart / to open

(13) 掏 tāo - to fish out (from pocket) / to scoop

(14) 跪 guì - to kneel

(15) 摘 zhāi - to take / to borrow / to pick (flowers, fruit etc) / to pluck / to select / to remove / to take off (glasses, hat etc)

(16) 拎 līn - to lift up / to carry in one’s hand / Taiwan pr. [ling1]

(17) 扛 káng - to carry on one’s shoulder / (fig.) to take on (a burden, duty etc)

(18) 拽 zhuài - to pull / to tug at (sth)

(19) 愣 lèng - to look distracted / to stare blankly / distracted / blank / (coll.) unexpectedly / rash / rashly

(20) 搂 lǒu - to hug / to embrace / to hold in one’s arms

(21) 垮 kuǎ - to collapse (lit. or fig.)

(22) 撑 chēng - to support / to prop up / to push or move with a pole / to maintain / to open or unfurl / to fill to bursting point / brace / stay / support

(23) 甩 shuǎi - to throw / to fling / to swing / to leave behind / to throw off / to dump (sb)

(24) 围 wéi - to encircle / to surround / all around / to wear by wrapping around (scarf, shawl)

(25) 愁 chóu - to worry about

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Historical Fiction

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : High Middle Ages & Renaissance

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1600s

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1700s

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1800s

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1900-1939

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1940-1969

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1970-1999

Resources For Writing Royalty

Procedural/Scientific

Resources For Crime/Mystery/Thriller Writers

Resources For Writing Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Stories

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

Resources For Writing The Mafia

Resources For Writing Injuries

By Genre

Resources For Fantasy/Mythology Writers

Resources For Writing Science Fiction

Resources For Romance Writers

Other

Resources For Plot Development

Resources For Describing Physical Things

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Creating Characters

Resources For Worldbuilding

Resources For Describing Emotion

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Masterlist | WIP Blog

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Disclaimer: I’m currently writing an honors thesis in the department of political science for my undergrad in university. so i dont know everything

gather your sources

I like physical books, so after I’ve found some sources through my library, I request 3-5 at a time. to get more resources, check out the notes/citations in the book to see where they got their info. and repeat. 

stickies 

i love sticky notes. when initially combing through a book for info i will write down the first and last word of a quote that supports my thesis on a sticky and stick in on the page (so you dont have to underline/deface the book itself)

a dedicated notebook

it can be a physical notebook or a virtual one. here you can write down all the page numbers / chapters / quotes / key ideas that you want to dive back into. this lets you skim through a lot of material pretty fast and see what you have before really analyzing the texts.

mind maps

these aren’t for everyone, but if you’re juggling a complex topic it might be helpful to organize your ideas after going through your source material. You can do this with mind map websites, a white board, or simply a piece of scratch paper.

index cards

this is a trick my mom taught me (she has a masters in political science). if you’re struggling to organize your ideas in a manner that flows nicely and builds off itself, try writing down the topics you’ll discuss / the titles of graphs or charts / section titles on index cards. you can then move them around to outline how you want to approach the paper before you begin writing.

talk to your advisor

they are smart, talk to them.

take a break and reflect

after absorbing a ton of info, i like to talk a short walk to gather my thoughts and reflect on what i’ve gathered and exactly how i should apply it. this really helps me process my ideas.

Hey loves! I just finished reading “The Great Gatsby”- and was really inspired by the main character, Gatsby. As a young boy he worked hard to improve himself, and became a self-made person. So here’s my advice!

Start learning a new language

Create a workout routine and stick to it

Have hope for the future

Fake your confidence until you make it

Have self discipline

Start meditating

Read more often

Write down all your thoughts into a journal

Work on consistency, not intensity

Hair

Invest in a natural hairbrush- Some of them are hundreds of dollars, but there are plenty affordable options! They’re good for your hair and the environment

Get a silk pillowcase- Might have to save up for this one, but it’ll help your hair and skin!

Stop using hair ties- Claw clips and scrunchies are WAY better for your hair

Gently tie your hair at night- Whether it’s a low, loose bun or braids, protect your hair at night

Use hair oil anytime your hair gets dry

Make sure to get trims to get rid of dry ends

Skin

Use a gentle cleanser and unscented moisturizer- Literally a basic routine with cerave or cetaphil will do WONDERS to your skin

Exfoliate once a week- Don’t over exfoliate!

Stay away from harsh products that might irritate your skin

Use SPF to prevent early aging and skin damage

General

Have a nail routine!- I love to use a nail growth oil, it does wonders!

Make sure to clean under your nails- Some people have really dirty nails and it’s not cute-

Always have a good fragrance- Like a signature scent!

Use a body scrub once a week for soft skin!- Also vanilla lotion smells so good, and lotion helps perfume stick to the body

믿기 힘들겠지만 it might be hard to believe but • 믿다 believe, trust • -기 changes verb into noun • 힘들다 hard, difficult, tough • -겠다 will do (be), probably do (be) • -지만 but, even though

Dom & Hyo Learn Korean e-books

Moms Diary 

Korean Typing Game - Direct Link to Hancom Taja

Children’s Newspaper

Bible in Korean

Talking to Koreans Learning and teaching materials

Daum Korean English Dictionary

Childrens Book in Korean

Past TOPIK Test Papers

TOPIK Guide

TOPIK mock tests

KLAT Korea Educational Testing Service

You just have to do it right.

Can you reach a C1 level just by watching TV and doing nothing else? No.

But can you build a great foundation and learn a whole LOT? Yes!

Click the link below to find several academic studies that prove we can incidentally (i.e passively) learn vocab, pronunciation, grammar, etc., all by watching TV shows or movies.

The evidence is actually overwhelming, haha.

Even though just watching a show will help, there are lots of methods you can use to make this passive way of studying a bit more active and learn a bit better.

Pick one or all and go ham!

- Take notes (new vocab, recently learned vocab you Heard- and understood, grammar points, weird pronunciation, etc)

- Watch with subtitles in the language you are watching in. Best if you are already an intermediate + learner, but by far the best way to learn the most while watching TV

- Watch at least 1 hr per day if you can spare (studies have shown great results at this level)

- Mimic! This is the best way to train pronunciation too. Repeat everything you can clearly hear (and drive your neighbors insane… haha)

- Focus on a goal. Focusing on vocab? Combine it with taking notes and then make Flashcards sanfter. Grammar? Coming it with subtitles and really concentrate on how sentences are formed. Pronunciation? Combine with mimicry and repeat the words and phrases as you hear then (pitch, intonation, inflection, and all). Etc.

Next: pick a good show!

A good show for learning a language (not necessarily the most interesting, but the best to learn from) is:

- realistic

- authentic

- clear and easy to understand

- „everyday“ situations

- modern

Reality or variety shows are best not only for language learning, but also some cultural learning too!

Click on the link below to read about more methods, where to find good shows, tips and tricks, and more! 💜

It’s one of the best language resources out there, as it’s 100% customizable!

You can find professional or community tutors for and price point, for any topic, and for any time and date!

The community feature is helpful, italki has language tests you can take too, and they have a language challenge where you can „compete“ to achieve a number of lessons per month for prizes!

I think italki is one of the most valuable resources for a language learner and these tips will help even more:

Record the meeting if you let your teacher know beforehand and they consent! Keep it just to track your progress or, better yet, use it to catch things you missed, review pronunciation, mistakes you’ve made, etc.

Take notes! Don’t just passively attend the meeting if you really want to make progress! I separate my journal page into four parts. One for new vocab, one for new grammar features, one for topics or things I need to research more, and the main part: what the lesson is about, what we do, how we do it, etc.

Find a teacher who gives you homework and do it! I love homework from my italki teachers. Put into practice what you learned in your lesson and keep studying it all, even after the lesson is over! With a recording and/or notes, you can easily plan an entire weeks+ worth of studying in-between lessons.

Make goals and tell your teacher so they can help you! Your teacher can act as an accountability partner, in a way. Tell them your goal (make sure your chosen teacher matches your goal - i.e pick a teacher who specializes in a certain exam if you wanna pass it!) and ask them to schedule your lessons in a way that helps you achieve your goal! They are generally always more than happy to help.

Check out this post for more info: https://plurilingualism.com/all-about-italki-how-to-use-it-best/

I wanted to share a resource for reading practice that I stumbled across recently. It’s called the Chinese Reading World, and it was a project led by the University of Iowa.

The site was put together from 2005 to 2008, so it’s not super up to date. However, there is a ton of content! Everything is sorted into 3 levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. 

Each level has 30 units, and each unit has 10 lessons. The lessons begin with a vocab pre-test, then there is a reading with some comprehension questions. Lastly, there is a vocab post-test, which is the same as the initial test (at least for the lessons I’ve done so far). There’s audio for each lesson text, but unfortunately it can’t be streamed—you have to download it. There is also an achievement test at the end of each unit.

My experience has actually been that I already know all the words on the vocabulary tests, but the reading passages contain other words that I’m not familiar with.

So far, the readings I’ve encountered are not very long. This is nice since reading longer pieces can be frustrating at times. With shorter readings, you can just read 1 or 2 on some days and read more when you have more time/patience. I believe the readings are taken from Chinese newspapers.

Also, every unit has a theme. With 90 units total, there are bound to be themes that interest you. Example unit topics:

Directions and Asking Direction 方向和问路

Sports and Outdoor Activities 体育和户外运动

Chinese Music and Musicians 中国音乐和音乐家

Chinese Minorities and Local Customs 地方习俗和民族风情

Chinese Sports and Olympic Games 体育和奥林匹克

Contemporary Chinese Literature and Writers 中国当代文学和作家

The 3 levels also each come with 5 proficiency tests. They seem to be based on vocabulary knowledge, so expanding your vocab is clearly a huge focus of this site. The only thing I’m unclear is about is I’m not sure exactly when the proficiency tests are meant to be taken. After completing all units? Or are they spaced out so you are supposed to take test 1 after the first few units, test 2 after the next few, etc.?

This master post is WELL over 100 Korean specific resources!!

From Hangul guides to grammar sites to apps to books to podcasts to every single possible resource I have ever found that was made just for Korean ✨

I really hope this helps you!

Please give me more if I missed anything! I’m always looking to update and grow my resource lists.

(P.S - if you are learning German, check out THIS master post. If you are learning Spanish, check out THIS one!)

hi! sure!

textbooks

dropbox folder with 4 Greek textbooks (actually there’s 5 but one of them is Ancient Greek so you can ignore that)

Routledge Modern Greek Reader —  greek reading practice for a variety of levels

courses

FSI Greek (honestly im not a super huge fan of the FSI courses because I feel like they’re not very current but i know a lot of people find them helpful! anyway there’s like 75 audio lessons here)

Memrise Greek courses

Learn Greek from kypros.org, they have beginner to advanced courses

other resources

Lexilogos — Modern Greek dictionary

bab.la — Another Greek-English dictionary

Wordreference — Another Greek-English dictionary (my personal favorite, I haven’t used it for Greek personally but I use it for French a lot)

Cooljugator ; Verbix —2 different sites to choose from but they’re both for verb conjugations

Greek keyboard from typeit.org

Easy Greek Stories —podcast for intermediate learners, i linked to spotify but you can also listen on other podcast sites

Language Transfer Greek — series of 120 podcasts about 10 minutes long each

Peppa Pig in Greek on youtube

Easy Greek also on youtube, part of the “Easy Languages” youtube channels

GreekPod101 Youtube channel

Ask Greek — forum for Greek learners to ask questions

Website with a bunch of free Greek books

National Library of Greece (would be good for reading practice)

Some news sites for you (for reading practice): Kathimerini, Efsyn, LiFo

Days, Months and Seasons in Turkish

günler - days

haftanın günleri - the days of the week

pazartesi - monday

salı - tuesday

çarşamba - wednesday

perşembe - thursday

cuma - friday

cumartesi - saturday

pazar - sunday

ay - month

ocak - january

şubat - february

mart - march

nisan - april

mayıs - may

haziran - june

temmuz - july

ağustos - august

eylül - september

ekim - october

kasım - november

aralık - december

mevsim - season

ilkbahar - spring

yaz - summer

sonbahar / güz - fall

I'm going to post the famous "FluentForever" 625 common words list in Turkish. I will also try to add example sentences whenever it's possible and some bonus vocabulary so final list might be longer than 625 words. I'm planning to post the whole list in parts and this post will act as a "table of contents" page.

* I've already posted Days, Seasons and Months so I'm not going to post them again, you can click above to see that post.

Animals (Hayvanlar)

Ulaşım (Transportation)

Konum (Location)

Kıyafet (Clothing)

Renkler (Colours)

İnsanlar (People)

Meslekler (Jobs)

Toplum (Society)

Sanat (Art)

İçecekler (Beverages)

Yiyecekler (Food)

Ev (Home)

Elektronik Aletler (Electronics)

Vücut (Body)

Doğa (Nature)

Maddeler / Materyaller (Materials)

Matematik/Ölçü (Math/Measurement)

Diğer adlar (Misc Nouns)

Yönler (Directions)

Mevsimler (Seasons)

Sayılar (Numbers)

Aylar (Months)

Haftanın günleri (Days of the week)

Zaman (Time)

Eylemler (Verbs)

Sıfatlar (Adjectives)

From sites with full courses, to sites to watch Telenovelas, to worksheets, to apps, to TONS of podcasts, and so much more!

I collected every single resource I could find that was made just for Spanish 💜

I really hope this helps you!! And if you have any more to add, please let me know!

(PS - if you are learning German, check out THIS master list. If you are learning Korean, check out THIS one!)

Check it out here!

Self-studying a language is an amazing way to learn, if you’re careful to avoid the pitfalls! Here are the steps I go through when making a study plan:

Step 01: Decide what you want to do and what you can offer (what language(s), how much time/money/energy/etc)

Step 02: Gather resources (decide what type you like best and then research and test)

Step 03: Make S.M.A.R.T goals (follow the guidelines and make good goals that will encourage you)

Step 04: Create your plan (using the 3 steps above and some prompting questions on the guide, form a schedule. Be organized, but stay loose and adaptable)

Step 05: Add some back-up or pressure (find an accountability or tandem partner, add the pressure of a scheduled exam, etc)

Check out the link for more Info on each step + tons of tips and links to resources and other guides!! 💪