#langref

me olvidé que existías // I forgot that you existed

el alquiler ("rent")

las palomitas ("popcorn")

tropecerse ("to trip")

verano cruel // cruel summer

tirar dados ("cast die")

poner los ojos en blanco ("roll eyes")

la cicatriz ("scar")

amante // lover

prestar ("to lend")

ser prestado ("to be borrowed")

terminar por ("to end up")

el macho // the man

estar harto de algo ("to be sick of something")

grosero ("rude")

reprobar ("condemn")

brindar ("to toast or praise someone")

el arquero // the archer

la presa ("prey")

cazar algo // "to hunt something"

afferarse a algo // "to hold on to something" (figurative)

creo que sabe // I think he knows

la huella ("footprint")

desechar // "to cast aside"

saltar // "skip"

bendecer // "to bless"

la chispa // "spark"

señorita americana y el príncipe rompecorazones // miss americana and the heartbreak prince

desvanecer (to fade)

susurrar (to whisper)

rompecorazones (heartbreaker)

moretón

pelear (to fight)

anillos de papel // paper rings

enterrar ("bury")

envolver alguien en los brazos ("to wrap someone in your arms")

la calle cornelia // cornelia street

alquilar ("to rent")

rellenar los espacios ("fill in the blanks")

el farol ("street light")

la flecha ("arrow")

con los pies descalzos ("barefoot")

el crujido ("to creak" as in a floor)

engatusar ("to trick" or "to con")

muerte por mil cortes // death by a thousand cuts

borracharse ("to get drunk")

el candalabro ("chandelier")

parparear ("to blink" as in eyes or "to flicker" as in lights)

tapiar // ("to cover something up")

el semáforo ("traffic light")

chico de londres // london boy

los vaqueros ("blue jeans")

el hogar ("home")

amenazar ("to threaten")

soon you'll get better

rezar ("to pray")

ponerse mejor o mejorarse ("to get better")

tratarse de ("to be about")

dios falso // false god

la fe ciega ("blind faith")

las caderas ("hips")

adorar o venerar ("to worship")

rogar por algo ("to beg for something")

necesitas calmarte // you need to calm down

un trago ("shot" as in a drink")

disparar ("to fire" or "shoot")

pisar algo ("to step on something"

calmarse ("to calm down")

arrebol // afterglow

sin guantes ("with the gloves off")

desgastar ("to burden")

lastimar a alguien ("to hurt someone")

yo // me

el arcoíris ("rainbow")

aburrar a alguen ("to bore someone")

deletrear ("to spell")

es agradable tener un amigo // it's nice to have a friend

la campana ("bell")

toque de queda ("curfew")

luz del día // daylight

el azar ("fate")

implacable ("ruthless")

confiar en ("to confide in")

enfurecido ("enraged")

atormentar ("to haunt")

Thanks for asking nonnie! There’s a lot of ground I could cover here, and a lot of it depends on your favorite study methods and how intensely you’d like to study. For learning Italian last year, I devoted a lot fewer hours per week than I am currently devoting to Arabic, and I used different strategies.

Consistency and repetition are key

As boring as it is, you do need to drill. Whether it’s flashcards, writing vocabulary over and over, constant phrase practice, or what, you’re gonna need to constantly activate the vocabulary and grammar you’re more passively learning.

Know the difference between recognition and production

The jump between being able to recognize a word when you see it and being able to recall the word from thin air is a large one, and it only gets better through that consistent use and drilling.

Vary up your techniques, but don’t try too many things and get paralyzed.

I like mixing up my routine and creating variety, but the fact of the matter is that I’m not going to learn as well by watching videos as I am writing/drilling/having conversations. Sometimes you get too caught up in the “ooh, shinyyyy” response to all the high-promising apps or complex study strategies. Once you find what works for you, you should step outside your comfort zone occasionally, but keep doing what works!

Take breaks

Like anything you learn, your brain needs a break to “digest.” Don’t drill non-stop, and have break days from a particular language. Doing a little first thing in the morning to refresh and then a little before I go to bed so I can sleep on it is my favorite strategy. It’s a little routine, much like brushing my teeth or eating. 

A long list of little strategies and tips I can give you, rapid-fire ( I use most if not all of these, and I’ve bolded the ones I use the most )

Language bujo/journal

some tips from lovelybluepanda

some more from languagessi

phirana’s journey pt 1

phirana’s journey pt 2

Quizlet flashcards

physical flashcards

take practice quizzes

reach out to langblrs

introduce yourself! most of us are really friendly and want to practice or hook you up with resources

buy or find free workbooks online/in stores

Duolingo

Talk to native speakers

Online, in person, over text, via tumblr, IT DOES NOT MATTER, YOU NEED TO DO THIS! I know it’s incredibly scary and embarrassing, but it doesn’t have to be. And even if you get embarrassed, it’s important to persevere. I get really shy around my partner because I don’t want to butcher his language, but I have to practice and let him correct me if I want to improve.

Download HelloTalk, Speaky, etc in order to speak with natives if you don’t know any personally. I use both of them for Portuguese since I am shy about talking to my partner in his native language and it helps me get on-the-spot corrections and quick exposure to new vocabulary. I literally started when I didn’t know a WORD of Portuguese and just copy-pasted/typed whatever was said to me until I started to incorporate it into my vocabulary. For instance, most people start with hello and how are you. I would receive that from someone, retype it into a different chat, and then begin collecting new ways to say it and respond to it. Now I’m having half-decent conversations!

Drilling sentences

Drilling vocabulary

either of these can be done on paper or on a reusable surface like a tablet or a whiteboard (the latter is my favorite)

Writing journal entries (daily, preferably) is a great way to do this without feeling monotonous. Challenge yourself to write about something different every day.

Learn from Youtube

There’s always gonna be a concept you don’t understand, and there’s normally a YouTube video for it! It definitely depends on the popularity of your language, though.

Watch some TEDTalks or Youtube videos for polyglots

This I tend to be a little bit more skeptical about because, for personal reasons, I don’t subscribe to the idea of “learning language in 3 months” or whatever flavor is on the market at the moment. Language learning takes a lot of discipline and consistent practice, but becoming fluent is impossible in a short amount of time unless it consumes all your time, and that’s a quick recipe for burnout. See take breaks.

That said, here’s a couple I like.

The secrets of learning a new language

Consume media

This! Is! So! Important!

I learned SIX PAGES of new vocabulary from one 45m episode of a Portuguese drama. 

It’s a quick way to absorb colloquialisms and how the language is ACTUALLY used, because often the “Standard Version” taught in schools doesn’t reflect the many different cultures and evolutions of the language.

Download Language Learning with Netflix, an extension for Chrome. It has so many languages and a catalogue of which movies and TV shows it’s translated. Netflix doesn’t let you have two sets of subtitles otherwise, and I prefer to have a show on its native language’s audio because it’s REALLY important to hear the language.

Books, movies, TV shows, newspapers, magazines, ANYTHING!

Save foreign language playlists on YouTube, Spotify, etc.

Subscribe to a newsletter or language learning email of some kind. I get word-of-the-days in Spanish! I’m proficient, but it’s still helpful to expand or refresh my vocabulary.

Keep a journal/online organization (OneNote, etc), anything

I need a place to keep what I’ve learned. I prefer physical notebooks because associating words with the motor function of writing it is important, but if you can handwrite on an electronic device, that’s also great. And typing is better than nothing, but you might need to practice more!

Label things around your home in your target language.

An age-old trick I continue to use, hehe.

And on a last note...

Don’t forget to learn about the culture(s), too.I’d like to turn you toward a quote that has really resonated me since I found it a year or so ago:

"The person who learns language without learning culture risks becoming a fluent fool."

Si Thang Kiet Ho

You can’t hope to apply your language, or really even understand it, unless you know about the culture(s) that use(s) it. Culture influences language and language influences culture, they cannot be separated from each other. Add in history and you’ve got an even deeper connection. Don’t shy away from it! It’s part of the beauty of language learning.

Hi honey! I was very fortunate to grow up learning from a religious school, which offered me a Hebrew opportunity many don't get. Back when I was on my "I dont know enough I Must Know More" binge (before college came and robbed me of all free time), I used the book "Hebrew for Dummies," which is easy to access through Barnes & Noble or other sellers and very straightforward. I also used Youtube videos of Disney songs in Hebrew, and Pealim, which helps you decipher a lot of words, especially verbs, through their roots.

One thing I will warn against is homebrewed websites like Hebrew for Christians--I notice they tend to do things like put letter pairs together as only one letter, and other things that really confuse new learners. Stick to websites and textbooks that have good reviews and recommendations, both on the site they're being sold on and off of it. Immersing yourself in cultural things, such as cartoons and recognizable songs like Disney songs, is also really helpful because you pick things up subconsciously just from exposure.

Hi! I’m sorry this is so late, I had to recover from surgery and now my house is in chaos trying to clean and prep before I go back to uni lmao.

I relate deeply. I’m going to try to keep this concise, but the first is SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Relevant, Time-based. Keep your goals small, specific, and on-point to what you want. If you want to “get better at Spanish” you should take a good look at where you are and where you want to be, and how far you can realistically get in the time that you have. 

Then decide how much time you’re going to devote to it. My rule of thumb is at least half an hour, three days a week, for a single language. And then don’t just say “I’m going to do a half hour of Spanish.” Assign a specific focus, whether it’s the alphabet, greetings, 30 basic nouns, conjugating 5 verbs, whatever it may be. I’m not sure where you are in terms of “beginner,” but this applies higher up the scale as well. You cannot expect yourself to learn 100 words that you drill over the course of 3 days. 30-50, however, is definitely reasonable.

I always go by amount of words. My goal for 2020 is 1500 new words in Portuguese, which means studying 10 new words every 3 days. At this point, I‘m at almost 800! And in between, I study grammar, of course, because you need that to link them together. 

I also go by level. I’m trying to move from beginner to mid-conversational, hence the 1500 new words in a year. You might be trying to move from mid-conversational to strong conversational, and you’ll only need, like, a couple new verb grammar lessons and 200 specialized words. You have to decide what you want to glean from it!

Thanks for coming to me with this! It was a really interesting ask to wake up to. I wish I knew whether or not I have reblogged it? It feels like I have when I think about it but I’m not sure. 

I found STUDIES on it, unfortunately no posts. 1 2

 HOWEVER I did find an article that really reminds me of the post that I think we’re both thinking of. Check it out? It’s referring to the intermediate plateau, which is a big struggle for many language learners. It’s been reposted on a ton of different non-tumblr blogs, so I keep finding it. 

hi nonnie!! vocabulary can be both easy and hard, because there is SO much of it that it may be easy to find, but if you reach a certain point, it can be hard to find new vocab. My suggestion is to seek out vocab you know you lack. If you have a conversation with someone on an app like HelloTalk, and you get to a conversation you don’t have the words for, don’t shy away from it! Take notes, or ask them if they would be willing to help you learn these words. Ask them to translate, even! I talk in Spanglish and Portuglish when I can’t find my words, because only saying 50% of it in my target language is better than saying 0%!

Well guys, it’s starting to get serious. IB exams start in two weeks, and Spanish B SL (my level) exams are May 15 and 16. Just a month from now!

So, because the studyblr and langblr communities are all about sharing and helping each other learn, here is just some of the numerous vocabulary words and phrases I have collected in preparation for the Spanish B SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 IB exams I hope you find it useful. Please notify me about any mistakes that you see, and reblog if you find this useful so others can use it too!

Vocabulary In Prompts And Articles

(el) anuncio | advertisement

(el) argumento | discussion, plot (movies or books)

(la) beca | scholarship, grant

(la) campaña | campaign

(la) carta de solicitud | letter of intent, application

(la) crítica | critique, criticism, review

demostrar (o:ue stem-change) | to demonstrate

(el) desarrollo | development

destacar | to emphasize

(el) discurso | speech

(la) disponibilidad | availability

enfocarse | to focus (on)

(la) entrevista | interview

(el) folleto | brochure

fomentar | to increase, boost, or encourage

(el) fondo | background

(el) fracaso | failure

imprescindible | indispensable, imperative

(el) informe | report

(el) lema | slogan, motto

(el) puesto | job position, military post, physical place in terms of objects

representar | to represent

(la) reseña | review

reseñar | to review

solicitar | to request, solicit

subrayar | to underline

Essay and Linking Vocabulary

a menudo | often

a partir de | as of, since, beginning with, starting, from ... on

a pesar de | despite

a través de | through, by way of

a veces | sometimes

además | besides

además de | as well as, in addition to

al contrario | on the contrary, on the other hand

aún | still

aún no | not yet

aunque | even though

bastante | enough, quite, rather

creo que | I believe that

desafortunadamente | unfortunately

en cuanto a | with regard to

en mi experiencia | in my experience

enseguida | immediately, right away

entre | between

mientras | while

muchas veces | many times

no ... sino ... | not ... but rather ... (used in a phrase/sentence structure)

primero | first

también | also, as well

tampoco | neither

todavía | still

todavía no | not yet

ya | already

The lovely @studywithbyu​ came to looking for some help with Spanish grammar, so here is a little masterlist! (warning, not so little - long post ahead!) I highly suggest checking out both resources because they cover different things and one may provide the information in a better format for you.

Grammar with SpanishDict

A great resource with reliable translations and instruction! I go here instead of to Google Translate because I know it’s much more helpful and accurate. It also has forums for individual questions. 

Here is a list of all its lessons:

Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives (regular and irregular)

Adjective placement

Nationalities as adjectives

Short form adjectives (apocopation)

Possessive adjectives

Cardinal numbers (0-100)

Cardinal numbers (101+)

Ordinal numbers

Negatives and negation

Asking questions: interrogatives

Comparisons of inequality

Comparisons of equality

Superlatives - the best, worst, most, & least

Using adjectives as nouns

Relative adjectives (cuyo)

Demonstrative adjectives

Exclamatory words

Adverbs

Adverb forms and placement 

Articles

Definite article forms (regular and exceptions)

Definite Article Uses

Indefinite article forms (regular and irregular)

Indefinite article uses

Neuter article

Conjunctions

Conjunctions 

Gender

Masculine and feminine nouns

Professions and other nouns with both masculine and feminine forms

Number

Plural forms of nouns (regular and exceptions) 

Prepositions

Basic Prepositions

Basic por vs. para (motion vs. destination)

Contractions

Advanced por vs. para (DREEMS vs. PRODDS)

Advanced expressions with por and para

Pronouns

Subject pronouns (personal pronouns)

Spanish "you" - (tú, vos, usted, vosotros, ustedes)

Object pronouns (pronouns after prepositions)

Direct Object Pronouns

Direct object pronoun placement

Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronoun placement

Possessive pronouns

Neuter possessive pronouns

Using direct and indirect object pronouns together

Demonstrative pronouns

Relative pronouns (que, quien, el que, el cual)

Neuter relative pronouns (lo que, lo cual)

Impersonal se

Impersonal se vs. passive se

Passive se

Pronunciation

Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation

Spanish vowels

Spanish syllables

Word stress

Written accents (tildes)

Spanish punctuation

Verbs

Infinitive forms and finding stems for regular verbs

Other uses for infinitives

Present Participles

Other uses for the present participle (gerundio)

Past participle regular forms and uses

Irregular and stressed past participles

Present perfect - Using haber with past participles

Present Tense Forms

Present tense spelling changes

Stem Changing Verbs

Irregular present tense

Verbs like gustar

Basic ser vs. estar - D.O.T. vs. Lo.Co.

Uses of ser: descriptions

Uses of ser: origins

Uses of ser: time

Uses of estar: Location

Uses of estar: condition

Informal future (ir + a + infinitive)

Imperfect Tense Forms

Spanish Preterite Tense Forms

Spelling changes in the preterit

Stem changes in the preterit

Verbs that change meaning in the preterit

Preterit vs. Imperfect - differences and signifier phrases

Affirmative informal (tú) commands

Negative Tú Commands

Formal Affirmative and Negative Commands

Subjunctive vs. Indicative

Wishes & wants in the subjunctive

Emotions with the subjunctive

Impersonal expressions with the subjunctive

Recommendations & requests with the subjunctive

Doubts & denial with the subjunctive

Ojalá with the subjunctive

Uncompleted or prospective actions with the subjunctive

Present Subjunctive Regular and Irregular Forms

Present Progressive Forms

Saber vs. Conocer

Pedir vs. preguntar (to ask)

Reciprocal verbs and pronouns

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

Active vs. passive voice

Nosotros commands

Indirect commands

Imperfect progressive

Simple future regular forms and uses

Simple future irregular and stem changing forms

Hacer with expressions of time

Conditional regular and irregular forms and uses

Imperfect Subjunctive

Future subjunctive forms and uses

Past perfect forms and uses

Preterit perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Future perfect

Conditional perfect forms and uses

Past Perfect Subjunctive Forms

Future perfect subjunctive forms and uses

Verb structures (transitive, intransitive, pronominal)

Ir vs. irse

Verbal periphrasis

Indicative mood

Imperative mood

Copular Verbs

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Spanish Grammar @ StudySpanish.com

Nine units full of very useful grammar! I plan to use this one myself for a bit of self-instruction before I go to Catalonia. My favorite part is it gives you flashcard ideas and has review.

Here are the units and their topics:

UNIT ONE

1. Gender of Nouns I

2. Gender of Nouns II

3. Numbers: 1-10

4. Plural Forms of Nouns

5. Def. & Indef. Articles

6. The Verb Form "hay"

7. Subject Pronouns

8. Reg. Verbs I

9. Reg. Verbs II

10. Reg. Verbs III

11. Adjectives I

12. Adjectives II

13. Days of the Week

14. Numbers: 11-30

UNIT TWO

15. Ser and Estar I

16. Ser and Estar II

17. Ser and Estar III

18. Ser and Estar IV

19. Negation

20. Questions

21. Poss. Adjectives

22. Tener, venir

23. Tener que / Hay que

24. Exp. with "Tener"

25. Weather Expressions

26. The Personal "a"

27. Contractions

UNIT THREE

28. Stem-Changing Verbs: o:ue

29. Stem-Changing Verbs: e:ie

30. Stem-changing verbs: e:i

31. Estar, Ir, Dar

32. "Ir a" + infinitive

33. Acabar de

34. Volver a

35. Ordinal Numbers

36. Months, Seasons, and Dates

37. Comparisons of Inequality

38. Comparisons of Equality

39. Superlatives

UNIT FOUR

40. Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions

41. Dir. Object Pronouns I

42. Dir. Object Pronouns II

43. Dir. Object Pronouns III

44. Ind. Object Pronouns I

45. Ind. Object Pronouns II

46. Ind. Object Pronouns III

47. DO and IO Pronouns Together

48. Verbs Like Gustar

49. Present Progressive

50. Verbs with Irregular 1st Persons

UNIT FIVE

51. Saber vs Conocer / Pedir vs Preguntar

52. Numbers: 31-1000

53. Telling Time

54. Por and Para

55. Irreg. Comparatives

56. Demonstratives

57. Time Expressions With Hacer

58. Possessive Pronouns

59. Reflexive Verbs I

60. Reflexive Verbs II

61. Definite Article II

UNIT SIX

62. Pret. vs Imp. I

63. Preterite I

64. Imperfect I

65. Preterite II

66. Imperfect II

67. Pret. vs Imp. II

68. Preterite III

69. Imperfect III

70. Preterite IV

71. Preterite V

72. Preterite VI

73. Pret. vs Imp. III

74. Pret. vs Imp. Review

UNIT SEVEN

75. "Hace ..." to mean "ago"

76. Formation of Adverbs

77. Subjunctive I: Introduction

78. Subjunctive II: Conjugating regular and stem-changing verbs

79. Subjunctive III: Verbs that change orthographically

80. Subjunctive IV: Irregular verbs

81. Subjunctive V: Desire

82. Subjunctive VI: Ignorance, doubt

83. Subjunctive VII: Impersonal Expressions

84. Subjunctive VIII: Actions not yet completed

UNIT EIGHT

85. Rel. Pronouns - que

86. Rel. Pronouns - quien

87. Rel. Pronouns - el que and lo que

88. Rel. Adjective - cuyo

89. Rel. Pronouns and Adjectives - Review

90. Formal Commands

91. Inform. Commands - tú

92. Irreg. Commands - tú

93. Using Object Pronouns with Commands

94. Commands Review I

95. Informal Commands - vosotros

96. 1st Person Commands - nosotros

97. Indirect Commands

98. Commands Review II

UNIT NINE

99. Future

100. Past Participle

101. Present Perfect

102. Past Perfect

103. Future Perfect

104. Conditional

I hope this helps! 

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Some other good websites:

121Spanish

PracticingSpanish

Rocket Languages

And if you plan to practice writing and don’t have a native speaker or proficient learner to help, here’s a Spanish editor!