Romance Language Learning

SCHOOL LIFE

classroom - el aula

library - la biblioteca

librarian - el/la bibliotecario/a

hall - el vestíbulo

staffroom - la sala de profesores

teacher - el/la profesor/a

primary teacher (m) - el profesor

primary teacher (f) - la profesora

cloakroom - el guardarropa

toilets - los lavabos

laboratory - el laboratorio

workshop - el taller

languages laboratory - el laboratorio de idiomas

gym - el gimnasio

sports field - el campo de deportes

headmaster - el director

headmistress - la directora

secretary - el/la secretario/a

dining hall - el comedor

corridor - el pasillo

caretaker - el guardián

school yard - el patio de recreo

SCHOOL SUBJECTS

English - el inglés

Mathematics - las matemáticas

Modern Languages - las lenguas modernas

French - el francés

Spanish - el español

German - el alemán

Greek - el griego

Latin - el latín

Physical Science - las ciencias físicas

Physics - la física

Chemistry - la quimíca

Biologie - la biología

Technology - la tecnología

Woodwork - el maderaje

Art - el arte

Computing (IT) - la informática

Music - la música

Geography - la geografía

History - la historia

Physical Education (PE) - la educación física

Religious Education (RE) - la enseñanza religiosa

SCHOOL LIFE

lesson - la clase

pupil - el alumno

boarder - el/la interno/a

bell - una campanilla

homework - los deberes

timetable - el horario

term / semester - un trimestre / un semestre

detention - la detención

study period - una clase de estudio

STATIONERY

Biro - un bolígrafo

fountain pen - la estilográfica

pencil - el lápiz

eraser - el borrador

chalk - la tiza

blackboard - el encerado

paper - el papel

sheet of paper - una hoja de papel

book - un libro

text book - un libro de texto

exercise book - un cuaderno

rough book - un libro de preparación

note book - un libro de apuntes

calculator - una calculadora

pen - la pluma

Lait (masculine word) | Milk | /lɛ/

Hey there! Sorry for the super late reply.

It depends on the function they perform in the sentence, but they’re mostly interchangeable, since ma and però are both congiunzioni avversative (adversative conjunctions in English). What adversative conjunctions do is express opposition, correct old information or add new details to what was previously said. In that sense, ma and però can translate to conjunctions like but and though.

Generally, it’s been noted that, because of its stronger adversative quality, però is used less frequently than ma.   

stavo per chiamarla, ma/però non ho soldi (I was going to call her, but I have no credit)

deve andare a Verona, ma/però non ha ancora comprato i biglietti (s/he has to go to Verona, but hasn’t bought the tickets yet)

l’ho chiamato, ma/però non ha risposto (I called him, but he didn’t answer)

è un’osservazione ovvia, ma/però non inutile (it’s an obvious observation, though not useless/but not a useless one)

vorrei un bicchier d’acqua, ma fredda (I’d like a glass of water, but [make sure it’s] cold)

Unlike ma, però can also follow the object that’s expressing opposition to, e.g. 

è molto calda, non tanto però da bruciarti (it’s very hot, but not too much as to burn you)

When used right at the beginning or at the end of the sentence, però expresses surprise and translates more or less to wow, e.g.

però, è stato un bel film! (wow, it’s been a good film!)

che bella citazione, però! (wow, what a nice quote!)

Adapted from “Lingua italiana, le 50 parole straniere che potremmo benissimo dire in italiano” (50 foreign words that we could perfectly say in Italian), an article about the superfluous increasing number of foreign words in the Italian language.

In an attempt to sound cooler, a fashion magazine is more likely to use words like make-up (trucco), fashion (moda) and lipgloss (lucidalabbra) instead of their Italian equivalent. Similarly, people working in business are more likely to use words like meeting (riunione/incontro), business (affari) and badge (tesserino). 

abstract: astratto/sommario/riassunto

appeal: attrazione

audience: pubblico

backstage: dietro le quinte

big: grande

brand: marca/marchio

break: pausa

weekend: fine settimana

business: affari

buyer: compratore

cash: contanti

coach: allenatore

concept: idea

community: comunità

copyright: diritto d’autore

device: dispositivo

display: schermo

dress code: regole d’abbigliamento

fashion: moda

flop: fiasco

fitness: allenamento

gossip: pettegolezzo

hotel: albergo

jobs act: legge sul lavoro

light: leggero

look: aspetto

mail: posta / e-mail: posta elettronica

make-up: trucco

master: specializzazione

match: partita

meeting: riunione

mission: missione

news: notizie

lipgloss: lucidalabbra

partner: compagno

party: festa

premier: primo ministro

relax: riposo

trend: tendenza / trendy: di tendenza

show: spettacolo

selfie: autoscatto

sexy: seducente

snack: merenda

staff: personale

teenager: adolescente

team: squadra/gruppo

ticket: biglietto

weekend: fine settimana

web: rete

In Italian, the infinitive ESSERE “to be” derives directly from the regularised Vulgar Latin form of Classical Latin ESSE. The term “regularised” refers to the fact that Latin ESSE was one of those verbs made regular in Vulgar Latin.

Why did the regularisation of the infinitive happen and how?

Generally, verbs in Latin ended in -re proceeded by one of the three thematic vowels (a, e, i), forming endings like -are, -ere, -ire, still preserved in Italian. But ESSE was entirely irregular and lacked any infinitive ending. What Vulgar Latin did was even out the differences and make ESSE, by analogy, a Class III verb ending in -ere, like any other Class III regular verb.

What happened in the other Romance languages?

French went through *ESSERE > *ESTRE > Modern French ÊTRE, whereas Spanish and Portuguese went through *ESSERE > *SERE > Modern Sp. and Port. SER.

Some, though, hypothesise that the Spanish and Portuguese infinitive form SER derives from a combination of *ESSERE “to be” and *SEERE (and this from SEDERE, originally “to sit”).

Catalan ESSE > *ESSERE > ESSER or SER. 

Outcomes of the Latin conjugation in Italian

1st person singular SUM and third person plural SUNT converge to Old It. *SON > SONO, with final -m converging to -n (both are nasals), whereas the addition of the final -o mirrors, by analogy, other regular conjugations. Compare to Lat. VIDERE > It. VEDERE “to see”, 1st p. singular Lat. VIDEO > It. VEDO. Something similar happens to Romanian too, where the 1st person singular and the 3rd person plural converge both to SUNT.

2nd person singular and 2nd person plural SEI and SIETE derive from a reconstructed Vulgar Latin form *SES and *SETIS, from an obsolete infinitive *SERE, which justifies Old It. SENDO > ESSENDO “being”, and Old It. SUTO > ESSUTO “been” (now obsolete). Final -E comes from etymological -IS > *-E(S) > -E.

3rd person singular È derives directly from EST, probably realised as [ε] in Vulgar Latin after the final -t dropped. Compare to French EST [ε], Romanian E [e], Asturian YE, Galician É, Portuguese É.

This is something that frustrates even me as a native English speaker…

Ertu ekki frá Frakklandi? Nei (ég er ekki frá Frakklandi) Jú (ég er frá Frakklandi)

Irish and Welsh also avoid the confusion because they have like 9846513 ways to say “yes” and “no”: Nach bhfuil tú tuirseach? Táim (Tá mé tuirseach) Nílim (Níl mé tuirseach)

Wyt ti ddim yn hoffi coffi? Ydw (dw i’n hoffi coffi) Nac ydw (dw i ddim yn hoffi coffi)

Btw, I’m a beginner in those three last ones so if I made a mistake, please, tell me!

Most Common Surnames in Europe.

Being a polyglot, I decided to make a post about how to study any language, Without further ado, here it is:

1) TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM ENGLISH

This is the most crucial step to studying/learning a new language. In order for your brain to pick up the new words and ideas, it needs to be more immersed in the language you’re learning. Now for most of us who are learning languages in school, that’s kind of hard, especially since most language classes do most of the work in English until you build a level of fluency. This is the primary reason why immersion programs or immersion schools are so much more successful in teaching a language: you’re forced to talk, write, speak, and think in the language you’re learning. Your brain makes connections faster and thus learns faster to understand and process the language. I would suggest that when you’re learning the language, whether it’s in class time or homework, try to work only in that language. Don’t automatically translate things into English because that’s only going to inhibit your process. Even if your knowledge of the language is limited, practicing thinking in the language, reading the language without translating, and speaking will greatly improve your progress. You’ll find yourself become more fluent and the language will flow rather than be halting because your brain is trying to translate things instead of thinking fluently.

2) LEARN AS MUCH VOCABULARY AS YOU CAN

Vocab is one of, if not the, most important aspect of learning a language. I would even go as far as saying it’s about 70-80% of effectively knowing a language. Think about it this way, if you’re at a restaurant and you’re asked to read the menu or if you’re out and you’re reading signs and advertisements, will knowing hundreds of verbs and their conjugations help you get by? Most likely not. Vocab on the other hand will make the difference between understanding and being totally clueless. If that example didn’t do it for you here’s another one: when you’re speaking to someone how can you express yourself if you don’t know the words? Chances are even if you know no grammar but know key words in the language someone will understand you. Most people don’t pay that much attention to grammar anyway when you’re speaking. As long as you have a basic understanding of it, you’ll be understood. I’m not saying that grammar isn’t important, far from it, but so many people underestimate vocab and focus on grammar and that hinders your learning. Try to learn as much vocab as you can because it will bring you one more step to being fluent. The key to knowing a language is to understand it to a high degree. You can’t understand if you don’t know the words. Find a list with the most common words in the language you’re learning and try to learn them all. Have a goal to learn 10-20 new words per day and you’ll go a long way. If you’re trying to learn vocab I would recommend to have a sheet with all the words you’re trying to learn and their definitions. Hide the words and try to write the vocab by seeing only the definitions. Writing down helps you remember and this method is foolproof. I’ve used it for 6+ years in French and it’s never failed me.

3) LEARN BASIC GRAMMAR

When I say basic grammar, I mean the typical verb tenses and some basic structures. This doesn’t mean learning every single verb conjugated in every single tense, but rather learning the patterns of grammar and how to apply them. Work smarter not harder. Learning the patterns makes it easier to recognize them when you’re reading and remember them when you’re writing. In my opinion, one fault with the way languages are taught in school is the way they teach grammar and how much time they spend on it. Most native speakers don’t worry as much about grammar as non-native speakers do. Again, I’m not saying grammar isn’t important because it is and  you have to know it, but the way it’s taught ruins it. Try to make a chart with all the verb tenses and the patterns that go with the different types of verbs and then a list with the irregular verbs/exceptions. This should be enough to help you gain a basic mastery of grammar. If you know the basic rules, it will become second nature as you speak, write, and read more.

4) READ, LISTEN, AND SPEAK

The language you learn at school is very very different from the language actually spoken in its native country. Most of the language you learn is very formal while in real life, formality is disregarded to a degree and slang is prevalent. In order to build a fluency, you need to read and listen to the language in its natural form to pick up the slang and words that are actually used and not the archaic words that nobody ever says. Listen to music from that language, watch the news in that language, read a book or magazine in that language etc. This will again help your brain learn and process the language better. It will also help with vocabulary and general understanding. Children’s books are the best when you’re starting out. The language is simple and the grammar isn’t to complicated. Start with children’s books and then work your way up to novels and other forms of literature. Listening to the language is also crucial. Try to find mediums where the language is spoken and just listen. Don’t translate or stress yourself out trying to understand it all because you won’t the first couple of times. Just let it sink in. Gradually, you’ll find yourself understanding more and more and you’ll improve. With the speaking aspect, speak as much as you can. Don’t be embarrassed if you stumble, can’t express yourself as much as you would like, or have an accent. I also find that watching/reading/listening to translated works is helpful. Find your favorite book and read it in the language you’re learning, it will help you understand and learn more because you already know what’s going on and can focus on the vocab and grammar. Find your favorite movie and watch it in the language you’re learning. Again, it will help you learn more vocab. The more you practice the better it will get. If you distance yourself from speaking you’ll never improve. Balancing reading, listening, and speaking is the key to being successful.

5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO MESS UP

Nobody becomes fluent over night. Cliche but true. Don’t expect to instantly know everything. It’s normal to struggle and have trouble. Failing is part of the learning process and if you stop practicing because you’re afraid, you’re never going to learn anything. Let go of your fears and insecurities and go for it. If you fall down, pick yourself up and start again. Don’t be embarrassed if you mess up but rather learn from your mistakes and grow. The things we remember most are usually the things where we’ve messed up or had a negative experience with. So use the hiccups as a learning experience and your language skills will improve.