coffe & productivity

So you have decided to learn Korean, Mandarin or Japanese.  Where do you start? Well, you are in the right place! This is my list of resources to help you reach your goals!

Korean

Writing/typing ✍️

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~ Hangul Guide (Coming Soon!)

~ Practice your typing

~ How to write like a native

~ How to change your keyboard to Korean

~ Writing books

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Flashcards 🏷

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~ Anki- iOS// Android // PC

~ Quizlet-iOS// Android// Online

~ Tiny Cards- iOS//Android//Online

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Apps 📱

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~ Memrise- iOS//Android

~ Duolingo- iOS//Android

~ Lingodeer- iOS//Android

~ Talk to me in Korean-iOS// Android

~ Naver dictionary-iOS//Android

~Eggbun-iOS//Android

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Reviews 📒

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~ What I used to learn Korean

~ Textbook(coming soon)

~App (coming soon)

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Textbooks 📚

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~ Integrated Korean

~ Talk to me in Korean

~ Easy Korean for foreigners

~ Korean grammar in use

~ Korean for dummies

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YouTube channels 💻

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~ Kennie J.D

~ Whitneybae vlogs

~ Lindie Botes

~ Korean Unnie

~ Talk to me in Korean

~ Traveling Nat

~ Simon and Martina (a personal favourite)

~ Koreanclass101

~ Melody Alisa

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Make a friend 👭

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~ Hello Talk- iOS// Android

~ Hi Native-iOS//Android

~ Tandem-iOS//Android

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Websites 🖥

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~ Talk to me in Korean

~ Korean class 101

~ Fluent U

~ How to study Korean

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Listening practice 🎧

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~ Viki-iOS//Android//Online

~ Kiss Asian

~ Spotify- iOS//Android//Online

~Apple Music (iOS only)

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Basic info 📍

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~ Greetings and common expressions 

~ vocabulary- my vocabulary lists//Tag

~ Sentence structure 

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Mandarin (soon)

I have restructured the folders to make them easier to use and managed to add almost all languages requested and then some

UPDATE because apparently not everyone has seen this yet the new and improved version of this is a MEGA folder: https://mega.nz/folder/kQBXHKwA#-osWRLNCXAsd62ln8wKa8w

Hi! Here is a masterpost of my self-study tips. I'm going to copy one of my posts onto here.

Some general rules

Make language learning a habit.

Be consistent.

Have a plan and clear goals. Know which skills you want to focus on and how you want to study.

Make sure you have a solid foundation in vocabulary and grammar.

Store all of your notes in one place.

Use a variety of resources but not too many. One or two per skill is enough.

Focus more time on practicing than on learning vocabulary and grammar.

Get corrections. HiNative is good for this. Journaly is also good for writing. You could also get a study buddy.

Have fun!

How to start learning a language (A0 to A1)

Learn the alphabet! You can do this using flashcards. Make sure you practice writing the words and memorise the stroke order. For languages like Japanese or Mandarin Chinese that have characters, learn some of the most basic characters and their stroke orders.

Immediately start working on your pronunciation! Watch some pronunciation guide videos, and then start speaking and shadowing. Make sure a video has subtitles in the language, and try to say everything being said in the video (make sure it is beginner friendly) right after it is said.

Use an app! Duolingo, Lingodeer, HelloChinese and Memrise are just a couple of incredible ones. I highly recommend them.

Complete an online course or a beginners textbook! There are loads available for free online. Hell, there are loads available on this website. Make sure the approach is vocabulary based, not grammar based, as that will be more useful for you. Also, make sure that audio is available to you.

Start texting natives on apps like Tandem or HelloTalk! This gets very good results, as you can learn new vocabulary being texted to you, along with being able to look up new common greetings and phrases while you are texting.

Memorise basic vocabulary and grammar! Learn the basics of present tense, gender, adjective agreement, word order and some structures, along with a few vocabulary lists of necessary vocabulary (common greetings, animals, colors, family etc.). For grammar, I’d recommend just using a workbook, and for vocabulary, flashcards are very good.

Immerse! Try to listen to and read the language in your dead time, so you can get used to it. Turn the language of your phone to your target language. Read tweets in the language. Watch YouTube videos about fun subjects that you like. If the language you are learning is particularly difficult (like Japanese and Chinese), then try and read and listen to fun learners exercises. Generally just try to get used to the sounds of your target language, and reading the alphabet or familiar characters.

How to go from beginner to intermediate (A1 to B1)

Use a textbook or online course! Don’t skimp: get a dense one. Make sure that you don’t use a grammar based one over a vocabulary/practice based one. If you use a textbook, then make sure that it has audio with it. Also, make sure to learn all the vocabulary on the course, and also do all the exercises.

Work through a grammar book! You can do the exercises, turn it into a cheat sheet or something like that. Try focusing more on using the rule/structure than writing notes.

Expand your basic vocabulary! Try making a list of topics that you definitely need to be able to have a basic conversation with a native. The GCSE specification is a good guide for this. Add to that vocabulary about subjects that interest you (e.g. science, language learning etc.). You can learn this using a bunch of methods, but my personal favourite is flashcards.

Find a speaking buddy, and speak! This is simple, but it works. Try to find somebody to speak with and have basic conversations in your target language with. Do this however often you would like. You can also try having conversations with yourself without looking at your notes. Make sure to look up words that you don’t know but want to use. Also, you can try memorising set phrases and vocabulary around certain topics, and talk about them. You might also use a script, if you want. You can find a buddy on Tandem or HelloTalk, or maybe even HiLokal.

Immerse. Listen to music, change your phone's language to the language, follow people on social media and watch YouTube videos.

Read and watch content for native children. It is usually at the perfect level for beginners. I’m planning on watching a lot of Peppa Pig in Spanish to expand my vocabulary. It is difficult enough to strengthen your skills and simple enough for you to understand it. You’ll also learn a lot of widely used vocabulary.

Shadow native material. This is honestly the best way to practice your pronunciation. Get ahold of a video (Easy Languages is amazing for this!) and repeat what is said after it is said. Copy the intonation and imitate the sounds being made.

Text natives on Tandem or HelloTalk. This is just generally quite a useful way to practice your writing. Look up words that you do not know and write them down to memorise later. You can memorise set phrases to use in conversation, and also practice reading what they text you too. Also, it is just a nice way to meet new friends.

Engage with intermediate content in the language. I know it is difficult, but it will get you used to more complex language. Find intermediate podcasts with transcripts, and read along with what is said.

Read and listen to native material related to your interests! Personally, I like language learning, so I watch a lot of videos on that. Go for something where they do not use a lot of slang or jargon, and speak at a relatively normal speed. Videos and articles that explain concepts or offer advice are usually good for this.

How to go from intermediate to conversational (B1 to B2)

Listen to intermediate level podcasts and videos. There are loads of podcasts and youtube channels that offer intermediate material for learners, like InnerFrench, a piece of French, iyagi and dreaming spanish. Innovative languages also offer intermediate level podcasts. You should be able to understand a lot of it, though there will definitely be quite a bit that you don’t. Make sure to look at transcripts/subtitles, and note down words you don’t understand.

Shadow native material. I personally believe Easy Languages is the absolute best for this.

Watch TV shows and films. Make sure that they don’t use any jargon or time-period specific language. Choose something like a romance or coming of drama, that has common vocabulary. Don’t just watch an episode once either. Keep on repeating it until you can understand enough of it to get what is going on.

Keep a journal in your target language. Try and write about a range of subjects. Also, get corrections.

Speak. What I have advised earlier is applicable here. Also, learn how to talk around words when you don't know them.

Work through a grammar book. Do practice questions and make your own example sentences.

Read articles and books about subjects that interest you.

Read fanfiction in your target language.

Watch videos and the news in your target language.

Try writing short stories and essays. You can use vocabulary you learn from books here! Try memorising set phrases. Choose a topic/story that you're passionate about.

Ways to learn about culture, history and linguistics

Research dialects! Look into how languages change depending on the area, and how they adapt to the different needs of different cultures.

Cook popular recipes!

Subscribe to popular youtubers, magazines and newspapers.

Research how religion affects the countries where your target language is spoken.

Read books on the linguistics and history of your target language.

Listen to podcasts in the language.

Read classic and influential literature. You can use a translation if you aren't at that level.

Read wikipedia pages about topics that interest you.

Ask native speakers questions.

Watch the most popular TV channels in countries where your target language is spoken.

Watch films, documentaries and TV shows. This can give you a taste of the culture AND the language.

Subscribe to YouTube channels by immigrants who have moved to countries where your target language is spoken (or vice versa). This provides a unique perspective, and can be helpful for learning about some of the bigger cultural nuances.

Research famous art and artists that spoke your target language. I really like Stromae (a french artist), so my fangirl habits have led to me making some pretty interesting discoveries about French music and slang.

9.1.21

Happy new year! 

I hope you’ve had a good one so far 😊 I’m so excited to finally start sharing content across my blog and YouTube channel that I’ve been creating behind the scenes. I talk about all things thrifting, sustainable fashion, hair care, self care and wellbeing. If any of that sounds interesting to you then check out my blog and latest YouTube videos below:

Blog post: Life update and 2021 goals and plans

YouTube: Where I’ve been and YouTube goals for 2021

YouTube: Mini Thrift Haul and Styling Tips

You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool your own mind. —David Allen

🎧Clean by Taylor Swift

🏷To do: workout, review French lessons, work on application essays

leo sun + sagittarius moon + capricorn rising + leo venus + pisces mars

hi! if you’re looking for some ways on how to spend your time and engage with subjects you really love, or learn something new, or just distract yourself with art and literature, i’ve got you!! please share with others if it’s helpful <3

Language

how I study languages on my own

free online language courses

language challenges

Art, Music and Photography

582 met ebooks for free

visit the louvre, vatican museums, and many more virtually

stage shows, operas, musical theatre streams for free

free online art courses

free online design courses

free online music courses

free online photography lessons from nikon (april only!!)

Philosophy, History, Law & Literature

100+ legal sites to download literature

complete works of shakespeare

free online ivy league literature courses 

free online ivy league philosophy courses

free online ivy league history courses

6 cute ideas on how to fill your empty notebooks

free online ivy league law courses

Sciences

free online computer science courses

free online chemistry courses

free online medicine courses

free online physics courses

I’m currently learning Mandarin (Chinese) at school and self-taught for Spanish. At first, I found that teaching myself a language is very tricky because I struggled and didn’t know where to start. Here are 30 topics that you can get start to learn a new language. Hope this can help!

1. Basic vowels, diphthongs, and consonants (different languages have different ways to pronounce them)

2. Greeting phrases (hello, how are you, what’s your name, how old are you)

3. Polite phrases (thank you, nice to meet you, i’m sorry, you’re welcome, excuse me, please)

4. Basic people (girl, boy, child, adult, he, she, I, me, you)

5. Number (1-1000, 1 million, phone number, house number)

6. Time (morning, afternoon, evening, night, o'clock, weekdays, months, years)

7. Basic verbs (drink, eat, speak, say, work, study)

8. Family (grandparents, parents, siblings, form sentence to introduce members in the family, where do you live)

9. Sentence structure (learn how to form one independent sentence)

10. Negative sentence structure (i’m not, i don’t have, i don’t know)

11. Question phrases (what, when, where, why, who, how, do you…)

12. Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, brunch)

13. Food (vegetable, meat, fruits, noodles, rice, dessert, fast food, adjective related to food like delicious, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy)

14. Drinks (tea, milk, coke, juice, smoothie, soda)

15. Colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, grey, black, white)

16. Emotions (happy, angry, sad, bored)

17. Transportations (bicycle, walk, bus, car, motorcycle, subway, train)

18. Clothing (accessories, shirts, t shirts, pants, jeans, shorts, dresses)

19. Directions (around, left, right, front, back, north, south, east, west)

20. Basic animal (dog, cat, cow, chicken, bear, fish)

21. Traveling (countries’ names, hotels, culture, customs, traditions)

22. Weather (sunny, rainy, snow, temperature, hot, cold, cool)

23. Seasons  (spring, summer, fall, winter)

24. State of being (i’m sick, i’m uncomfortable, i’m hungry, i’m thirsty)

25. Hobbies (drawing, singing, dancing, reading, writing, watching movies, listening to music, playing musical instrument)

26. Sports (swimming, soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, badminton, tennis, baseball, softball)

27. School (subjects like art, science, literature, math, classes, courses, when school starts/ends, classroom, exam, tests, book, pens, calculator, notebook)

28. More verbs (wake up, go to sleep, go to school, cook, play sports, buy)

29. Technology (phones, laptop, social media, app, benefits, disadvantage, internet, TV, chat, video call, call)

30. Occupations (doctor, nurse, architect, businessman, accountant, chef)

31. Past tense (i did…, i was…, i traveled…., yesterday, last week, last year)

32. Future tense (i will, i am going to, tomorrow, next week, next year)

33. Complex sentence structure (if…,then…; besides…, also…;however..,.;but)

34. Locations (school, building, office, cinema, shop, shopping center, library)

35. Body parts (eye, nose, mouth, ear, head, hair, arm, hand, leg, foot, teeth)

36. Description (tall, short, long, thin, fat, skin/hair/eye color, adjective like funny, intelligent, beautiful, handsome)

37. Environment (earth, environment, trees, trash, turn off light/electricity, plastic bags, pollution, recycle, climate change)

38. Cooking (add, stir, boil, grill, fry, chop, mix, bake)

39. Festivals (new year holiday, Christmas holiday, easter, halloween)

stereotypical delightful classical music:

battalia a 10 in d major (biber)

brandenburg concerto no. 5

brandenburg concerto no. 3

symphony no. 45 - “farewell” (haydn)

if you need to chill:

rondo alla turca

fur elise

anitra’s dance

in the steppes of central asia (borodin) (added by viola-ology)

if you need to sleep:

moonlight sonata

swan lake

corral nocturne

sleep (eric whitacre) (added by thelonecomposer)

if you need to wake up:

morning mood

summer (from the four seasons)

buckaroo holiday (if you’ve played this in orch you might end up screaming instead of waking up joyfully)

if you are feeling very proud:

pomp and circumstance

symphony no. 9 (beethoven; this is where ode to joy came from)

1812 overture

symphony no. 5, finale (tchaikovsky) (added by viola-ology)

american (dvořák)

if you feel really excited:

hoedown (copland)

bacchanale

spring (from the four seasons) (be careful, if you listen to this too much you’ll start hating it)

la gazza ladra

death and the maiden (schubert)

if you are angry and you want to take a baseball bat and start hitting a bush:

dance of the knights (from the romeo and juliet suite by prokofiev)

winter, mvt. 1 (from the four seasons)

symphony no. 10 mvt. 2 (shostakovich)

symphony no. 5 (beethoven)

totentanz (liszt)

quartet no. 8, mvt. 2 (shostakovich) (added by viola-ology)

young person’s guide to the orchestra, fugue (britten) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

symphony no. 5 mvt. 4 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

marche slave (tchaikovsky) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to cry for a really long time:

fantasia based on russian themes (rimsky-korsakov)

adagio for strings (barber)

violin concerto in e minor (mendelssohn)

aase’s death

andante festivo

vocalise (rachmaninoff) (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

if you want to feel like you’re on an adventure:

an american in paris (gershwin)

if you want chills:

danse macabre

russian easter overture

egmont overture (added by shayshay526)

if you want to study:

eine kleine nachtmusik

bolero (ravel)

serenade for strings (elgar)

scheherazade (rimsky-korsakov) (added by viola-ology)

pines of rome, mvt. 4 (resphigi) (added by viola-ology)

if you really want to dance:

capriccio espagnol (rimsky-korsakov)

blue danube

le cid (massenet) (added by viola-ology)

radetzky march

if you want to start bouncing in your chair:

hopak (mussorgsky)

les toreadors (from carmen suite no.1)

if you’re about to pass out and you need energy:

hungarian dance no. 1

hungarian dance no. 5

if you want to hear suspense within music:

firebird

in the hall of the mountain king

ride of the valkyries

night on bald mountain (mussorgsky) (added by viola-ology)

if you want a jazzy/classical feel:

rhapsody in blue

jazz suite no. 2 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to feel emotional with no explanation:

introduction and rondo capriccioso

unfinished symphony (schubert)

symphony no. 7, allegretto (beethoven) (added by viola-ology)

canon in d (pachelbel)

if you want to sit back and have a nice cup of tea:

st. paul’s suite

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

l’arlésienne suite

concierto de aranjuez (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

pieces that don’t really have a valid explanation:

symphony no. 40 (mozart)

cello suite no. 1 (bach)

polovtsian dances

enigma variations (elgar) (added by viola-ology)

perpetuum mobile

moto perpetuo (paganini)

pieces that just sound really cool:

scherzo tarantelle

dance of the goblins

caprice no. 24 (paganini)

new world symphony, allegro con fuoco (dvorak) (added by viola-ology​)

le tombeau de couperin (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

carnival of the animals (added by shadowraven45662)

if you feel like listening to concertos all day (I do not recommend doing that):

concerto for two violins (bach)

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

violin concerto in a minor (vivaldi)

violin concerto (tchaikovsky) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

violin concerto in d minor (sibelius) (added by eternal-cadenza)

cello concerto in c (haydn)

piano concerto, mvt. 1 (pierne) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

harp concerto in E-flat major, mvt. 1 (added by iwillsavemyworld)

and if you really just hate classical music in general:

4′33″ (cage)

a lot of these pieces apply in multiple categories, but I sorted them by which I think they match the most. have fun exploring classical music!

hey guys!! so many of us want to do well in our education but we don’t have the motivation to do it so we end up procrastinating but here i’ll give you some reasons why you should get off your butt + start working!!!

why should i study?

100 reasons to study

so you can get the job u want when you’re older

to help other people

stop finding excuses not to

that tv show/film/game/whatever can wait till your exams are over

to get the $$$$$

to grow

for success

to be the best you can be + a little effort will lead you to it

to continuously make progress

for more confidence

the result will be worth it in the end

studying doesn’t suck as much as failing

important quote

some nice positive stuff

keep trying

your current situation is not your final destination

you will get there

believe in yourself

you can do it

i believe in you

so far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days; you’re doing great!

quitting is not an option

don’t keep thinking about that mistake you made, be kind to yourself. after all, you’re human too!

you’re making progress. keep it up!!!

you are valid

stop comparing yourself to others and be the best you can be

stay determined + positive

everything will be very good so soon so hang in there + don’t worry about it too much!

calm down + focus

you’ll be surprised how much work you can get done in half an hour if you just focus

keep moving forward

you can do anything you want to

what you are going through right now will be over soon just remember to take care of yourself first

your imagination is wonderful!

you can + you will

shout-out to you for trying your best!!

+more

what if i fail?

it’s okay, you can always retake the exam

my love chris evans’ words of wisdom

failure is simply the opportunity to begin again; this time more intelligently.

doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will

failure is your teacher, not your judge

don’t confuse a single failure with a final defeat

self care for when you don’t feel motivated

have a bath

light some candles [be careful]

go flower picking

tidy your desks

write in a journal

listen to some nice music [take a look at my 8tracks]

go outside and just breathe

do some exercise

climb a tree

find a free local event + go to it

visit an animal shelter

pets some pups

doodle

call a friend

take a nap

watch some animal videos

eat some chocolate

head to toe self care

talk to me if you want to??

other links

what am i going to do with my life?

my motivation tag

my positivity tag

+ my masterposts

notes, studying, and self-study resources

self-study resources

supplies

igcse resources

literature masterpost

organisation

aesthetically pleasing notes

annotating

studying a foreign language

really great apps

math

college + uni

biology

space!!!!

chemistry

physics

summary writing

the discursive/argumentative essay

the narrative essay + the descriptive essay

the ultimate english masterpost!!

stress relief

what i’ve learnt throughout my years of being a student

how to stay productive during holidays

bullet journals

melodic studying

philosophy

stay sated whilst you’re motivated

shakespeare

summer productivity

+ more