English speakers have to face another challenge when learning German: when to use the formal “Sie” vs. the familiar “du”. In English such differentiation does not exist.
(I'd like to acknowledge TalkinFrench.com's recent post on the similar topic “Tu” vs. “Vous”, as the inspiration for this German “guide,” as there are many similarities – but also differences – how both languages use the formal and familiar form of address.)
What also complicates the matter is that the internet and the influx of English into the German language has softened the clear du/Sie demarcation lines of the past. As we'll see later, it has also introduced new combinations of first name with the formal “Sie”.
Also, the “Sie” vs. “du” differentiation varies greatly not only at different levels of age and social connection, but also at different levels of society, community, and profession in German-speaking countries.
And as you interact socially with German speakers, you'll not only have to know whether and when to use “Sie” or “du”, but you'll also have to be able to adjust your speech by using the correct verb forms.
When to use the German “Sie” for “you”
There are some clear basic rules: You use “Sie” with: anybody you're meeting for the first time; a stranger on the street e.g. someone whomyou're asking for help/directions:
• “Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen/sagen...” ; at a ticket window buying a train ticket, at an airline counter, information booths, etc.; shopkeepers; and your co-workers when you start a new job (but note exceptions below). • Anybody quite a bit older than you. • Anyone to whom you want or need to be respectful - a teacher, a boss, clients, policemen, or other officials. • Any groups or audience you may be addressing in a speech – unless it's your sports team, or group of friends, when “Sie” becomes “ihr” (and those exceptions are also noted below).
In general, you're much better off erring on the side of using “Sie” rather than “du” when you meet somebody for the first time. (The young traveler Michael of our German 1 course does so in this MP3 audio clip, as he didn't know that German students “sich duzen” i.e. they use the familiar “du”.)
The “Sie” puts a distance between you and the other person, and in some circumstances this may be seen as aloofness.
But it's much better to be “invited” to use the familiar “du”, than to be somewhat embarrassed when the other person ignores your “du” and responds by using the “Sie”, thereby clearly pointing out your transgression.
When to Use the German“du” for “you”
• In general, all family members and close friends use “du”. • Classmates • Students and colleagues that you're on amicable terms with • Children up to their late teenage/early adult years • Members of sports clubs and political parties typical use “du” (although there again are hierarchical and age differences that may create exceptions). • Clearly, for animals, pets, inanimate objects, etc. you use “du” as well.
When you've offered or have been offered the familiar “du”: “Wollen wir uns nicht “duzen”? At social gatherings in the past, the invitation to use “du” was often accompanied by a kiss or peck on the cheek (sometimes reluctantly accepted as in the above photo).
It was also often done by linking arms while taking a sip from your drink, and called “auf Brüderschaft trinken” (drink to brotherhood). But I must confess I have not seen or experienced this old tradition for a long time – maybe because I haven't been at those type of parties for a while.
Sample Situations
The rules mentioned above may not be cut-and-dried, so let’s have a look at specific examples below.
Family members: Use “du”
Regardless of age, family members use “du” when talking to each other.
Each year we join a Dutch family reunion in the Netherlands. About 100 members now living in various countries get together for a weekend. Whether we're speaking, Dutch, German, or French – even with family members we may not have met before – we always use the familiar “je/jij”, “du”, or “tu”.
Strangers in the 15- to 25-year-old age range
Young adults in this age group who meet each other for the first time, often use “du”, especially if they come from a similar social group, are students, etc.
Co-workers or colleagues
It very much depends on the type of company and the policies and traditions established by the “old hands”. In hierarchical organizations such as banks, insurance companies, government, the military, as well as schools, universities, etc., it's better to start out using “Sie”.
Once your colleagues offer you the familiar “du”, you have been accepted as part of the group and can now choose when to do the same for any newcomers.
One interesting change is occurring in many multinational firms in German-speaking countries: Rather than using the family name with the formal “Sie”, as was the norm, now colleagues often interact by using their first name while still using “Sie”.
Business or professional contacts: use “Sie”
When meeting new contacts in your business or profession, you should always use “Sie”. Only when you start to interact socially or get close enough to offer/be offered the familiar “du” would this change.
Teacher to students:
I went to school in Bad Nauheim, Germany. I remember that at the beginning of the 11th grade, and for the last three years of high school, until the “Abitur”, our teachers addressed us with “Sie”.
A friend who is a high-school teacher in Freiburg, Germany, confirmed that the same is still true today in the high school, where she teaches.
In other parts of Germany, or Austria, Switzerland, South-Tyrol, Luxembourg, Alsace-Lorraine, etc. where German is spoken, the school rules may be different.
"Sie" + first name
German speakers typically address persons, with whom they have not agreed on using the familiar "du", with their last name. And it is not unusual, even for long-time acquaintances, to use both the formal "Sie" and their last names.
However, likely because of the influx of English in movies and on the internet, the use of the first name together with the formal “Sie” has become common in many companies, especially those with international connections.
We'd like very much to hear from residents in those areas about the use of “Sie” and “du”, so we can add a postscript.
“Sie” and “du” in other parts of speech
The formal “Sie” form (as well as “Ihre, Ihnen”) is capitalized, mainly to distinguish it from “sie”, which means both “they and “she”.
The written sentence: “Ich sehe, dass Sie gewonnen haben”. (I see that you have won.) can therefore not be confused with: “Ich sehe, dass sie gewonnen haben”. (I see that they have won.) When you HEAR a similar sentence, only the context will tell you who is meant by sie/Sie.
As you will know, using “du” and “Sie” directly affects the verb conjugations. But let’s look at the other “du” and “Sie” forms:
• Nouns: das “Duzen” (saying “du” to each other) and das “Siezen” (saying “Sie” to each other) • Verbs: “duzen” (to use “du”) and “siezen” (to use “Sie”) • Subject pronoun: “du” - Du bist jung; vs. “Sie” - Sie sind alt. • Direct object pronoun: “dich” - Ich sehe dich; vs. “Sie” - Ich sehe Sie. • Indirect object pronoun: “dir” - Ich gebe dir das Buch; vs. “Ihnen” - Ich gebe Ihnen das Buch.
If you find yourself really unsure whether the situation calls for “du” or “Sie”, don’t worry, it’s okay to ask. Here's what you could say in navigating the move from “Sie” to “du”: • Wir könnten uns doch duzen! (Surely we could say “du”! [to each other]) • Wir sollten uns duzen! (We should say “du”. [to each other]) • Darf ich Sie duzen? (May I say “du” to you?) • Stört es Sie, wenn wir uns duzen? (Does it bother you, if we say “du”? [to each other]) • Sagen wir doch du zueinander! (Let's say “du” to each other.)
If you would like to set the level of familiarity during your conversation, here are some useful phrases: • Du kannst mich duzen. (You can address me with "du".) • Ich glaube nicht, dass wir “per du” sind. (I don't think we'vebeen using "du" [with each other]). • Ich möchte nicht geduzt werden. (I don't like being addressed with “du”.)
Frequently Asked Questions About “sie” and “du”
By now you probably have a good idea how to use “Sie” and “du”. All that remains is finding the opportunity to turn theory into practice. Here are some frequently asked questions with their respective answers.
Q: While you've pointed out that “geduzt zu werden” can be seen as impolite or even offensive by someone, could the reverse also be true: using “Sie” instead of “du”?
A: There are few instances in which someone would feel offended, but I can think of one: Let's say you and a younger person attend a social event, maybe an office party (and you are the person's boss). You have a few drinks together and you offer him or her the familiar “du”. The next day, however, either because you don't remember, or you've changed your mind, you again use “Sie”. The younger person may now feel bad and not dare to ask you why you've reverted back to “Sie”.
While addressing each other with “Sie” at work and with “du” at social interactions may be more the exception than the rule today, it may still be the code of conduct in hierarchical organizations.
Q: Is it okay to start a conversation with someone using “Sie” and later in the conversation switch to “du”?
A: Well, if the other person reminds you that you were already using the familiar “du” before, it's quite obvious that you should switch. Or, if you hear the invitation “Sagen wir doch du zueinander!” then it's a no-brainer either.
Also, if you're both of similar age, social status, etc. and the other person repeatedly used “du”, you could very well switch as well – at least that's what I would do.
Q: Is it all right if one person uses “du” while the other uses “Sie”?
A: As we have seen, this indeed is the typical situation between children and adults, students and teachers. It used to be quite normal in the past between aristocrats and commoners, bosses and workers, i.e. people of different rank and status etc., but in today's democratic German-speaking societies it would seem unusual between adults.
Q: Do the formal “Sie” and plural “sie” always have the same conjugation?
A: Yes, the conjugation of verbs with the formal “Sie” (you) and the plural “sie” (they) is always exactly the same.
Q: The conjugation of verbs is different for “du” and “Sie”, right?
Yes, the conjugation of verbs with the familiar “du” and the formal “Sie” is different as shown with these examples, while the English translation remains the same :
• “Du siehst mich.” - “Sie sehen mich. (You see me.) • “Du hörst uns.” - “Sie hören uns.” (You see us.) • “Du liebst ihn.” - “Sie lieben ihn.” (You love him.) • “Du bist schön.” - “Sie sind schön.” (You are beautiful.)
And, if there are any more questions about the use of “Sie” vs. “du”, just drop us a line. We'll be happy to answer them or find out.
We also welcome any comments or observations that are different from our experience and explanations above.
Bio: Peter Rettig is the co-founder of Gamesforlanguage.com. He is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact or below.
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Recently, we enjoyed a week's visit of family from French Switzerland. Since only Daniel, the young father, spoke any English, we were delighted to have our world dipped into French.
Focusing only on French - without resorting to translation - can give your language skills an enormous boost. But if you really want to stay only in French, you already have to have a decent level of comprehension and speaking ability in the language.
No surprise that I learned a lot from nine-year-old Michelle. She spoke fast, could only explain things in French, and relentlessly corrected my French, pronunciation and all.
I love those long, leisurely French-style mealtimes. Besides catching up on our lives and discussing current politics in Europe and the U.S., we talked of course, about language learning. We're always eager for new ideas and resources.
Daniel had a good suggestion for us, one that he uses to improve his English. It's just as useful for French, and I'm happy to pass the idea on.
French YouTube Videos
For anyone with a good basic knowledge of French, YouTube videos in French are a great resource.
I mean especially the ones that explain in French how to do things. These are excellent for broadening your vocabulary and tuning your ear so you'll understand various regional pronunciations.
Besides, you can learn (in French) anything you want: from fixing things, to cooking local French dishes, to philosophizing about life. There are computer tips, gardening tips, beauty tips, decorating tips, fashion tips. You name it.
YouTube: Cuisiner
If you're a budding chef, it's fun to watch and follow cooking and baking instructions on YouTube.
Michelle loves desserts, like all kids (young and old), and she's already acquiring all kinds of knowledge about how to make some of the famous French "patisseries."
Her favorite YouTube channel is called Commentfait Ton (a play on words, the host's name is "Ton"). But as you can imagine, there are countless easy-to-find YouTube cooking channels in French.
YouTube: Minecraft
If you (or your French-learning kids) are into Minecraft, there are lots of tutorial videos in French. Here's a link to an early one: Chambre secrète minecraft fr
You can search (countless) others by typing in something like: "tutoriel minecraft en français"
Wildly Popular French Channels:
The YouTube channels listed below are popular ones in France, and I'm sure with French learners too. They are definitely worth a look. • Cyprien - Humorous sketches about daily life, in French with English subtitles. • Norman - Funny videos in French, sometimes with English subtitles.
These are just a couple of possibilities. You can certainly look for specific tutorials, by putting in the French phrase for what you're looking for.
For do-it-yourself odd jobs, home-improvement stints, etc., the key word in French is "bricolage." • Pratiks ("des videos pour tout faire") is a also popular channel in French.
To really benefit, it's a good idea to write down any words that you want to learn and to review these a little later. It also doesn't hurt to watch the same video a couple of times.
PS: And if you are interested in other languages – just search for similar topics in that language – and: Have fun, and keep learning!
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact or below.
If you love music, songs provide a wealth of language learning possibilities for you. But not only that. Each culture has its own tradition, which makes it all the more interesting.
A simple word like the English “song” is a good example of how various languages may differentiate among alternative meanings (or not) for a basic concept.
And, as you get more familiar with the culture of the language you're learning, you'll also begin to appreciate different traditions of "songs".
When you google for the translation of “song” in the four languages of our Gamesforlanguage site, you'll get the following results:
French
English “the song” translates as “la chanson” (music with words) and “le chant” (song-like piece of music, song-like poem), from “chanter” (to sing).
The English language uses “chant” as a synonym for “song” or “singing,” often in connection with spiritual or religious singing. We talk about Gregorian chants, not Gregorian songs, and it's the same in French.
France has a strong tradition of “art songs,” which include not only beloved arias from operas by Bizet, Fauré, Gounot, and Massenet, but also poems, by Hugo, Verlaine, Baudelaire, set to music by Debussy, Fauré, Ravel, and others.
While the English “song,” may or may not include any lyrics, the French “chanson” is typically a lyric-driven song.
Singers that we enjoy include Edith Piaff, Jacques Brel, Mireille Mathieu, Charles Aznavour, Joe Dassin, Georges Moustaki, and Québec's “chansonniers” Félix Leclerc, Claude Léveillé, Raymond Lévesque, and more.
The traditional French “chanson” has a long and colorful history, dating back to the Middle Ages. “Chanson” differs from other French “pop” music by reaching back to French traditions of lyrics and music (rather than following British or American trends).
Songs in French are a wonderful way to acquire the sounds and the rhythm of the French language, and to learn words and idiomatic expressions.
By listening over and over to a French song you really like, you'll even pick up some typical grammar structures.
We are especially fond of Edith Piaf's Non, je ne regrette rien, which let's you pick up a number of grammatical clues.
Check out the “Chanson française du moment” and see if you can find one that you like. If it gets into your head, your French will surely improve.
German
The German translation of “the song” is “das Lied.” This may be a little confusing as the verb “to sing” translates to “singen,” and for “the singing” and you'll get “das Singen” and “der Gesang.”
“Das Lied” is similar to the French “la chanson,” and “Gesang” is the equivalent of the French (and English) “chant.” In German, for example, we talk about the “Gregorian Gesänge” (der Gesang; pl: die Gesänge).
German music lovers will also be familiar with “Lieder” (das Lied; pl: die Lieder). These are often poems put to music by composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Strauss, etc.
An English translation for “Lieder” may be “art songs,” as these are poems set to classical music. Their tradition goes back to the 12thCentury and the German “Minnelieder” (courtly love songs).
From the 1960s on, German singer-songwriters liked to call themselves “Liedermacher” (makers of songs).
In modern German, “songs” may also translate as “Schlager,” the popular German songs of the Hit Parade.
Songs performed by Marlene Dietrich and Lale Andersen (Lili Marleen) went around the world; Peter Alexander, Catharina Valente, Freddy Quinn, Udo Jürgens, and many others all had “Schlager” hits in their time.
One of our favorites is Jürgen von der Lippe's Guten Morgen liebe Sorgen.... It topped the Hit Parade list for several weeks in the 80's.
Every week, the Offiziellen Deutschen Party & Schlager Charts are updated. Take a look and see if you can't find a song that you like, and – by memorizing the lyrics - you will improve your German.
Italian
The Italian translation of “the song,” is “la canzone.” “The singing” translates as “il canto,” derived from “cantare” (to sing). All Romance languages trace the equivalent for “song” back to the Latin word “cantio” (singing).
The Italian “canzone,” (which derived from the Provençal “canso,” a troubadour's love song) traditionally referred to a song of 5 to 7 stanzas with a particular rhyme scheme. The form was later made famous by the Italian Renaissance writers Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio.
Italian opera, born in the 17th century and fashionable in the 18th and 19th centuries has been a rich source of “art songs” that are popular to this day.
Just think of the great Luciano Pavarotti singing exquisite arias from the operas of Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, or Puccini.
In the late 1950s and 1960s emerged the “cantautori” - the singer songwriters, who wrote and sang their own songs, often in protest against the more traditional “canzone.” This was an interesting and important development.
Starting out as an imitation of sorts of the French “chanson” at the time (Brassens, Brel, Ferré, etc.), the Italian “cantautori” soon succeeded in creating songs about Italian everyday life and reality. It's a trend that's strong even now.
A smash hit from 1962 that has 55 versions is “Quando, quando, quando.” We featured it on one of our blog posts, "Dimmi quando..." - An Italian Song for Language Learning. Italian Pop and Rock music is often characterized as “musica leggera” (light music).
Songs by contemporary singers such as Eros Ramazzotti, Mina, Ligabue, Javanotti, Laura Pausini, and many others are good for learning and practicing Italian because the lyrics are relatively simple. The music is great and many of the songs get under your skin, which boosts language learning.
Check out the Canzoni del momento and see whether there is one you can memorize. It will certainly help your Italian.
Spanish
The Spanish translation of “the song” is “la canción” (music with words, song-like music) and “el canto” (song-like poem). “To sing” translates as “cantar.” Spanish music combines a wide range of cultures that were part of Spain's past, most notably Arabic culture.
During the 17th and 18th century a Spanish form of light opera, or operetta, called “zarzuela” developed and became popular. It was a kind of music theater that combined spoken and sung storytelling, and included regional and folk elements. The Spanish full opera was much slower to develop.
Well-known Spanish “art songs” are by the composers Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados, Fernando Obradors, though this genre did not become quite as popular as its French and German counterparts.
After the Spanish Civil (1936-1939) and during Franco's repressive government which followed, regional culture and its music were banned. Rock and roll and pop music found its way into Spain only towards the end of Franco's regime.
After Franco's death in 1975, and as part of the new countercultural movement Movida Madrileña, there emerged a new, energized style of music. It resembled the British new wave and the Neue Deutsche Welle, but added flamenco passion and rhythms.
Since then, the Spanish music scene, with its centers in Madrid and Barcelona, has been nothing but innovative and exciting.
Latin Music opens a new world of diverse and beautiful sound. Check out this Latin Music History. Croonersinclude Jose Jose and Juan Gabriel, Mexico; Jose Feliciano, Puerto Rico; Leo Dan, Argentina; Jose Luis Rodriguez 'El Puma', Venezuela.
Maybe you'll also like “El Perdón", the subject of a recent post. And, if you like to learn Spanish with songs, Language Zen, has a number of Spanish songs with lyrics to do just that!
If music turns you on, songs are a fantastic tool for getting the sound, the rhythm, vocabulary, and grammatical structures of a new language lodged deeply in your mind. And singing along in a foreign language is just fun and a pleasure – so why don't you find one in the language you are just learning?
Bio: Ulrike & Peter Rettig are co-founders of Gamesforlanguage.com. They are lifelong language learners, growing up in several European countries before moving to Canada and the United States. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Italian is a language that is relatively easy for native English speakers to learn, because it also has Latin roots like English.
The sentence and grammar structures of Italian are not totally similar to English, but they are not difficult to understand and remember.
Plus, English and Italian share many cognates. If you're thinking of working in a translation services company, Italian is a great language to learn and master.
Italian used to be widely spoken in the U.S. Until the year 2000, there were more than one million Italian speakers in country, but the language is losing ground. In 2010, the number of speakers went down to just over 700,000. Other languages such as Vietnamese, Russian and Chinese have overtaken the Romance language.
Based on the latest data from Ethnologue, there are 63.4 million first language (L1) speakers of Italian in 13 countries around the world. Italian is still a favorite among language learners. In fact, according to the British Council, it is the fourth most studied language in the world.
According to the General Assembly of the Italian Language in the World, the number of foreigners studying the language in the academic year 2015-2016 is 2.2 million, compared to the previous academic year's 1.7 million.
The United States, Australia, Germany and France are among the countries where the increase in Italian language learners is most remarkable.
While British citizens are known for their lack of foreign language skills, the British Council stated that Italian is very important for business. According to their study called Languages for the Future, it is the fourth most requested language by employers from prospective hires.
Now, if you're one of those students who are learning Italian and you want to improve your speaking or reading skills out of the norm, here are a few tips:
1. Listen to Italian Music
Much of Italian music is timeless. Italian songs are romantic and beautiful just like Italian culture.
Learning a language through music is advantageous because in this way the brain retains the words quicker and longer.
Pay attention to the lyrics, or better yet, download the lyrics so you can sing along and learn the pronunciation as well. It will help you greatly to remember the words and enhance your Italian accent.
There are several amazing singers from Italy. Who can forget Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti? Listen to the songs of Andrea Bocelli, Eros Ramazzotti, Mina, Patty Pravo, Umberto Tozzi or Laura Pausini.
They actually make good language teachers because they are trained to enunciate very well. You'll not only enjoy some great songs, you'll boost your speaking abilities as well. (See also "Dimmi Quando..." - An Italian Song For language Learning.)
2. Use Phone Apps
Supplement your formal Italian language classes with an Italian language app for your phone or tablet. Besides free language apps, there are those that you can buy. Apps can help you learn the basics – expressions, phrases and words that are commonly used by travelers.
It's like having a phrase book, something that you can take with you anywhere.
The good thing about a language phone app is that it lets you practice the language you're learning wherever you are, at a time that's most convenient for you.
There are also programs that you can download on your PC or laptop; or you can just visit and bookmark a language learning website, where you can read lessons and listen to recorded audio at the same time.
A fun way to learn is by signing up for Duolingo. Or, check out these crowdsourced software recommendations on alternativeTo: MindSnacks Italian, the game-based Learn and Play Italian, Learn Italian (Hello Hello), Learn Italian – Molto Bene, 10,000 Sentences, and the game-based app, Xeropan.
3. Listen to Podcasts
Whether you're a beginner or at an advanced level, you can improve your Italian with dedicated podcasts in the language. Here are a couple that are quite popular and helpful:
• News in Slow Italian. This is wonderful for beginners as the hosts speak very slowly while reporting international news.You learn about the nuances of the language and how it's used in the context of regular speech, while getting up to date in what's happening around the world. • Italiano automático. This podcast is for intermediate, or B-level studies. Earlier episodes are available on iTunes. You can also visit their website if you favor watching videos on a larger screen. • Italy made Easy. Interesting podcasts that specifically designed as a learning tool and come with a downloadable PDF file. • Veleno. A real life crime story set in Italy, in seven episodes.
4. Find a Language Buddy
Another way to improve your Italian is to find a language buddy, someone else who can share the journey of fumbling about the language, especially when you're just starting!
Preferably, team up with another student who doesn't speak your native language, as this will force you to speak in Italian and improve your fluency. You'll also feel that the pressure to speak faultlessly in Italian is reduced, because you'll both be making mistakes and improving your skills together.
5. Watch Videos in Italian
Learn and enjoy. That is what you get when you watch videos in Italian. You can find Italian channels on YouTube or go to movie streaming sites to look for Italian movies, dramas and other shows.
Turn off the subtitles so you do not get distracted from listening to the words, phrases and sentences.
Of course, the actors may speak with a regional accent, but the main point is you're listening to the dialogue in Italian.
You can also watch the films again with subs, just to check if your understanding of the dialogue is right. When learning a language, the most important things to remember are patience and dedication.
You should love and have particular interest in the language, otherwise you'll not strive to fully learn it when you encounter difficulties. You have to listen, practice, talk and make it a part of your life.
Write down unfamiliar words you encounter when listening to podcasts and music and when watching videos. Review what you've learned at the end of the day and think in Italian as much as you can.
Author Bio: Sean Patrick Hopwood, MBA, is founder and President of Day Translations, Inc., an online translation and localization services provider, dedicated to the improvement of global communications. By helping both corporations and the individual, Day Translations provides a necessary service at the same time as developing opportunities for greater sympathy and understanding worldwide. You can follow Sean on Twitter.
Language learning experts continue to discuss the relative benefits of auditory versus visual learning. This is not about "learning styles", the theory - debunked by cognitive psychologists - that you're born with a way of learning that's best for you.
Young children learn their first language(s) by listening to and repeating the words, phrases and sentences they hear their parents, caregivers, siblings and friends speak.
They can't read and write yet, but they do get a lot of feed-back from others in the form of explanations, corrections, etc.
In most cases, foreign language learning by older children and adults occurs somewhat differently. They already have a native language which they can read and write. This gives them an additional learning tool that can, however, both help and interfere.
Clearly adults can learn a new language just by listening. At the beginning it helps to hear the translation in their native language.
This is the method used by audio-only programs such as Michael Thomas and Pimsleur, the latter being the one we are most familiar with. (See also our reviews of Pimsleur German and Russian)
Language learning also occurs visually. One way is by using a combination of images and written words. Language books and dictionaries are the backbone of that approach. Apps and online learning programs typically combine audio, images, and words in written form. Some use a “teaching language,” others don't (such as Rosetta Stone, Lingualia, and others.)
Most other programs, including Duolingo, Memrise, Babbel, GamesforLanguage, etc. rely on reading (and writing) the foreign words, sometimes also together with images.
This works well when the foreign and teaching language use the same alphabet and have similar pronunciation rules. Language learning becomes more challenging when those are different.
Different Alphabets
For English speakers learning to read and write languages that don't use the Latin alphabet is quite a challenge.
A few years ago, in preparation for a trip to Japan and China, we used the Pimsleur method to learn some basics. Learning Chinese characters was not even one of our goals.
As we reported elsewhere, we did not progress much beyond the usual greetings, please, thank you, etc. However, we drilled the Chinese numbers quite a bit and found knowing them very useful.
Learning other alphabets, e.g. Cyrillic (see picture above), Arabic, and others is easier for English speakers, than learning Asian writing systems.
In either case, you have to know the new writing systems before you can acquire “comprehensible input” through reading. Until then you can only learn though listening (or using transliteration, as is often done with Japanese, Chinese, and others).
Different Pronunciation Rules
English speakers sometimes forget how difficult it is for foreigners to learn the often inconsistent pronunciation rules of the English language.
Even children learning English as a native language have a tough time. We see it with our young grandchildren, as they are sounding out words like “through,” “though,” “tough,” “eight,”“height,” “weird,” or try to spell them.
On the other hand, German, Spanish, Italian, and French (the other four languages on our GamesforLanguage site) do have rather consistent pronunciation rules, or as linguists may call it, more or less "phonetic spelling."
This is certainly true for German. Once English speakers can get past the American “r” and “l”, get the vowels and umlauts correctly, figure out the “ch” and end “g”, there is not much mystery remaining in German pronunciation.
Among the Romance languages, Italian and Spanish may be even easier, as long as you remember the spelling of the “k” sound at the beginning of words, and a few others.
For example: “when?” translates to “quando?” in Italian and “¿cuándo?” in Spanish; but “what?” is “che cosa?” in Italian, and “¿qué?” in Spanish. Aside from that, there's a strong correspondence between sound and spelling in both languages.
And yes, French has a lot of accents and letters that are not pronounced, which may make writing more difficult, but reading not that much.
Once you learn a few of the basic rules, you can figure out how to pronounce the words, even if you may not always succeed. In our experience to date, this is not at all the case with Danish.
Our Danish Language Learning Experience
In preparation for a trip to Denmark later this year, we have started to learn Danish. Because it's a Germanic language, we thought learning Danish would be quite easy.
For the last few weeks we have been using Duolingo and Memrise (and lately also Pimsleur). On Duolingo, we are on a 52-day streak doing between 2-4 lessons every day. Peter's fluency is shown as 41%, and with Ulrike ahead in the lessons, her fluency lists as 49%.
But we both don't feel at all even close to those percentages and don't feel that we have made much progress in understanding and speaking Danish. Why? Because we have not (yet) figured out most of the correlations between written and spoken Danish.
Different from the four languages (besides English) on our GamesforLanguage site, the Danish pronunciation rules are not so obvious to us.
While we are continuing with Duolingo and Memrise at a somewhat reduced speed, we're experiencing something interesting as we're doing the Pimsleur Danish course. Again, it's not about the persistent myth of learning learning styles.
Simply, with Pimsleur, we can concentrate fully on listening, understanding, and speaking – without having to also consider the correlation between spelling and pronunciation.
Language Learning Insights and Conclusions
The experience with Danish gave us a few insights into the difficulties language learners can have with different pronunciation systems (in addition to different writing systems).
Growing up with or learning German, Dutch, English as children, later adding French, Italian and Spanish, (and trying a few other languages), we had never experienced such a disconnect between the written and spoken language as with Danish.
We both don't find it difficult to do the Duolingo and Memrise lessons and exercises. However, remembering the pronunciation AND spelling of Danish words remains a hit-and-miss affair.
We now find we are making more progress with Pimsleur. Maybe because we only have to remember the translation and pronunciation of words and phrases. Our Danish language learning experience is giving us this important insight: There are clear advantages to focusing on listening/understanding FIRST, when sound and spelling systems are different from the ones we are used to.
Once we have mastered basic vocabulary and with it the Danish pronunciation system, we'll then go on to consciously work on our reading and writing skills.
Have you had similar experiences learning foreign languages with spelling systems quite different from the one(s) you're familiar with? And if so, what tips can you give us?
Bio: Ulrike & Peter Rettig are co-founders of Gamesforlanguage.com. They are lifelong language learners, growing up in several European countries before moving to Canada and the United States. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact.
Visiting the South of France? Then try to include Aix-en-Provence and make your own travel memories there - maybe in the Cours Mirabeau.
As you play our travel-story based language courses, you'll follow a young traveler through several main cities in each country. And – if you visit these cities yourself – you'll discover that the travel-stories' street names, places, restaurants, hotels, etc. all exist. We visited many of them and took pictures.
Our French traveler Daniel flew into Paris, which was the topic of our first French Travel Memory post. After Paris, Daniel's next stop is in Aix-en-Provence, a picturesque city located in the south of France, about 20 miles north of Marseille. In Aix-en-Provence, Daniel looks up a French friend he had met earlier during his studies in Boston.
In our travel-story course, you learn daily conversational language. The vocabulary listed here is a combination of some words taught in the course as well as other useful terms. Often referred to as a city of art and history, Aix sports beautiful gardens, picturesque fountains, historic buildings, and the remains of Roman baths.
You can find specific events for your travel dates on the Tourist Office website, and more information in books and travel guides. We'll just mention a few quick facts and list some basic terms in French that will help you in your travels.
A FEW QUICK FACTS ABOUT AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Aix-en-Provence is a city-commune (or, incorporated municipality) located in the region of Provence, in the department of Les Bouches-du-Rhone. In 2014, it counted a population of 142,149.
The region of Provence gets its name from the Romans. By the end of the second century BC, the region of Provence was part of the first Roman "province" beyond the Alps. Aix-en-Provence had its beginnings in 122 BC as a Roman town. During the breakdown of the Roman Empire and beyond, the town survived numerous battles, periods of occupation, and repeated plundering.
From 879 until 1486, Provence was a semi-independent state ruled by the Counts of Provence. During that time, Aix-en-Provence became its capital and an artistic and intellectual center. In 1487, Aix-en-Provence passed to the crown of France, together with the rest of Provence.
1. Useful terms for Travelers
• le Midi - the Midi, South of France (colloquial) • les jardins - the gardens • les fontaines - the fountains • les ruines romaines - the Roman ruins • la commune - the town, municipality • la capitale - the capital • ville d'art et d'histoire - city of art and history
RUE MAZARINE
Daniel's friend Pierre lives in the Mazarin district on rue Mazarine, a street that runs parallel to the popular and lively Cours Mirabeau (more below). The "quartier Mazarin" was developed in the 17th century by the then ruling archbishop Michel Mazarin.
Located in the south of Aix-en-Provence, this elegant neighborhood is known for its numerous "hôtels particuliers" (grand townhouses), built for the nobility, army officers, politicians, and the newly wealthy merchant class.
FRENCH TRAVEL MEMORIES WITH PAUL CÉZANNE
The painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was born and grew up in Aix-en-Provence. His father, co-founder of Banque Cézanne et Cabassol, was a successful banker. For several years the young Cézanne studied law and worked in his father's bank.
At the same time, however, he was also enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Aix and envisioned a career in the arts. At age 21, Cézanne left for Paris and for the life of a struggling artist. Read more about Cézanne's struggles and artistic development.
Throughout his life, Cézanne came back to Aix frequently and finally settled there again during his later years. Café Clément, where Cézanne often went to meet friends, was at 44 Cours Mirabeau.
The bank Cézanne's father founded, Banque Cézanne et Cabassol, was on 24, rue des Cordeliers. It is now the location of a property management company.
In Aix-en-Provence, you can visit Cézanne's atelier: 9 avenue Paul Cézanne. It's about a 30-minute walk to the north of the town. That's where he worked every day from 1902 until his death in 1906.
2. Useful terms for Travelers
• l'atelier - the atelier, artist's workshop • le peintre - the painter • le tableau - the painting, picture • la peinture – the paint, painting • la banque – the bank • le banquier - the banker • travailler - to work
LE COURS MIRABEAU
The Cours Mirabeau is a wide boulevard built in 1649 along the southern ramparts of the city. To the south of this lively street lies the quartier Mazarin (see above). The Cours Mirabeau is lined with restaurants, cafés, stores, bookshops, movie theaters, and beautiful fountains. (see picture)
The popular café "Les Deux Garçons" - frequented by the writer and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, the philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, as well as Paul Cézanne - is at number 53 Cours Mirabeau. It was built in 1660 and is the oldest café in Aix-en-Provence.
3. Useful terms for Travelers
• le cours - the long avenue • l'écrivain - the writer, author • le cinéaste - the filmmaker • le philosophe - the philosopher • le dramaturge - the playwright
CATHÉDRALE SAINT SAUVEUR
The cathedral in Aix-en-Provence was first built in the 12th century on the site of a pre-Roman pagan temple and later Roman temple of Apollo. In the following centuries, the cathedral underwent several more phases of construction.
Now a national monument of France, the building is an interesting combination of Roman, Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, and Neo-gothic architectural styles.
Noteworthy are the Gothic portals, the Bell Tower (started in 1323), the Romanesque Cloister, as well as the interior of the church.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT
Besides strolling through the streets of old Aix-en-Provence with its stunning architecture, its markets and shops, the Hotel de Caumont centre d'art is worth a visit (located in a "hôtel particulier").
Also of interest are short tours into the surrounding countryside. First on the list may be the neighboring Montagne Sainte-Victoire, a frequent subject of Cézanne's paintings.
And, if you are visiting during the summer months, don't miss a tour to Provence's lavender fields.
SOME ADVICE
As you're making your travel memories, you'll notice that Aix-en-Provence has an atmosphere that is reminiscent of Paris.
In the summer you may enjoy "Musique dans la rue" or one of the many "Festivals" and art exhibitions; or join the fashionable Aixois sipping an expresso or an apéritif on one of the terraces of the Cours Mirabeau cafés.
The old town center of Aix-en-Provence is now a pedestrian zone with large parking lots around the perimeter. So, if you travel by car – use one of those lots and don't even try to drive into the town center!
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her travel memories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact or below.
When Summer’s here, kids should be having fun. But as a parent, you don’t want your child to lose all the (foreign or native) language skills he or she learned during the school year.
Whether they’re studying in school or taking lessons, without consistent practice, children can experience learning loss during the summer.
While they may dread actual academic assignments, it's easy to find some creative ways to help them practice. Here are seven ideas to reinforce your child's language learning during the summer.
Keep a Summer Journal
Journaling is a great way for kids, especially teenagers, to write down their thoughts and feelings, remember things and develop their language and writing skills.
A journal is also a great tool to help them practice their foreign language skills.
Challenge your son or daughter to journal. He or she can do so in their native language, or in Spanish, French or another language they’re studying. This gives them an opportunity to work on grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure.
“Writing practice is the ultimate way to really learn new vocabulary and practice verb construction,” according to Jane Smith from Omniglot. “Practicing new words in writing is a perfect way to ingrain them in your mind and remember how to use them again. You will also understand how to integrate them into full sentences.”
Remind your kids to write in their language journal every day and look up any words they need that they don’t know. It doesn’t have to be a long entry. Just a little bit of daily practice can make a big difference.
If your child is a older, you may want to consider finding an online pen pal. Sites like Global Penfriends pair kids from around the world to communicate via email. Regular correspondence can be a great way to develop language-writing skills.
Plan a Day Trip
It's very likely that there's a cultural center or community of Spanish, French, German or Japanese speakers near your home. This provides a good opportunity for foreign-language practice.
Take your son or daughter there to interact with people in their native language. With your supervision, allow him or her to speak and listen to others.
Grab a bite to eat in the neighborhood and encourage your child to practice his or her language skills while ordering.
If there’s a cultural center, you can find shows and events to go to during the summer. Your child will have an opportunity to hear the language and learn a little more about the culture.
Read
Hopefully, your child’s school has some sort of reading program to encourage reading during the summer.
To reinforce a child's foreign language studies, encourage him or her to pick up an age-appropriate book in the language they’re learning. Reading is one of the most underrated tools when it comes to learning a language.
“Like reading in one’s native language, reading in a foreign language helps us become more comfortable with the words and grammatical rules that enable us to express our own thoughts,” according to BrainScape.
“Seeing the text of new words and concepts visually helps to reinforce our memory of them, while having the ability to stop, think, or look up words in a dictionary allows for more individualized pace of mental absorption.”
Best of all, urge them to read books for pleasure. For kids it’s a great activity to cool down after playing outside in the summer heat. Or, read to them. No surprise: 83 percent of children across all age groups say they love it when their parents read aloud to them.
Cultural Cuisine
Many children love to help with cooking. Make it a special project to prepare a foreign dish together with your son or daughter. Your child can research the recipe and culture and share fun facts, traditions and vocabulary with the rest of the family.
Not only will your child get to practice his or her language (and cooking) skills, your family will get to try and enjoy a new dish.
Games and apps are great to make sure your child gets consistent language practice.
Even if you want to limit the amount of time your child spends on electronic devices, you can let him or her have a limited time to practice with language apps or games.
Games and apps are a low-pressure way for your child to avoid learning loss.
Music and Podcasts
Download foreign-language songs your child likes, and stream stories or podcasts. Your child may not be able to understand everything, but hearing the language will help to reinforce the skills and vocabulary he or she has already learned.
Write down words your child doesn’t recognize so you can look them up later. Summer drives are perfect for listening. Keep music or story CDs handy whenever you head out.
Watch a Movie
Pick an age-appropriate foreign language movie. You can leave the subtitles on to follow along, or turn them off for an added challenge.
Just like listening to music, watching movies can help to reinforce your child’s language skills. It's especially good for picking up on sentence structure and other language patterns. Again, write down unfamiliar words to look up.
Some of these ideas may work better for your child than others. The key is finding the activities your child enjoys. How do you help your kids practice a language during the summer months ? Let us know in the comments below.
Maile Proctor is a professional blogger and content editor. She writes articles on lifestyle and family, health and fitness, education, how-to and more. Maile earned her Bachelor’s in Broadcast Journalism from Chapman University. When she’s not writing, she enjoys hiking in San Diego, California.
Disclosure: Gamesforlanguage has no business relationship with any of the linked sites (except Gamesforlanguage.com) and Maile Proctor, other than publishing Maile's article.
Learning a language generally involves learning four skills: listing/comprehension, reading, speaking and writing. We typically learn our first, native language by listening and speaking and then add reading and writing later in school.
When we learn other languages as adults we typically do so with "comprehensible input," by listening and reading, and we practice some writing early on as well (unless we use audio-only methods like Pimsleur).
When we learn a new language, we often neglect to truly develop our writing ability in that language.
Our language-learning efforts often focus only on trying to understand what others are saying and trying to be understood when we speak. As we advance, many of us strive to be able to read the newspaper in our target language.
When it comes to writing in another language, though, we often only reach the level where we are comfortable writing text messages, emails and short notes.
The Writing Challenge
There is a lot a language learner can gain by taking the time to practice writing. Obviously beginners will not be able to practice writing essays and articles yet. At the early stages, it is best to focus on writing simple sentences and paragraphs.
It is easy to receive feedback on short writing samples by using the app or website Hi Native for single sentences or the website Lang-8 for entire paragraphs.
When you are at the intermediate level, you can start to write longer texts. Composing an entire article requires a lot of thought. The task becomes less daunting when you start with an outline. One of the drawbacks of writing in a foreign language is that it is harder to find native speakers to offer quality feedback.
Native speakers themselves are often not highly skilled at offering constructive feedback on long texts, because they themselves may not have studied essay-composition skills and article-writing and editing skills. That means you may need to rely on a professional language teacher for feedback.
Your Language Learning Motivation
It is a good idea to consider your motivations. Some language learners will be more motivated to become skilled writers in their target language, while others will not.
Those who wish to study at a university in a foreign language, work at a professional level in a foreign language and integrate into society in a different language will be highly motivated to reach the highest level possible in their writing abilities.
Although those who do not have such ambitions will be less inclined to spend the time to improve their writing skills, that doesn’t mean that they should ignore writing practice altogether. After all, there is a lot to gain from writing practice.
The Benefits of Writing Practice
When you practice letter writing and article writing in a foreign language, you get a clearer picture of your limitations in grammar and vocabulary. As you revisit the texts you’ve written in a foreign language, it is easy see the progress you make.
Your past mistakes get cemented in time and you see at what point you learn to overcome certain mistakes that you habitually make. There may be a certain word that you continue to misspell, or a particular verb that you never seem to conjugate correctly.
Perhaps you notice a common trend of mixing up two words that sound alike or sound similar, such as it’s and its or affect and effect. By conquering these differences, you build a stronger grasp of the language you are learning.
Writing also allows you to focus on how to organize your thoughts and how you seek to logically draw arguments and conclusions. This is a challenge enough in our native language(s).
The extra challenge of doing so in a different language helps build up your skills in that language in ways that can spill over to your other abilities in the language, such as improved conversational skills and better reading ability.
Bio: Dimitris Polychronopoulos is the founder of yozzi.com, where he welcomes guest posts and guest interviews in his eight strongest languages: English, French, Greek, Italian, Mandarin, Norwegian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Yozzi is a platform where you can offer feedback to help others improve their writing skills in their target languages.
A recent post about German expressions that you may hear in Germany during the summer months includes the word “Affenhitze.” (Literally, it's “monkey heat,” or very hot, you get the picture.)
Talking about the weather is always a good conversation topic, especially when traveling. For many travelers from the U.S. to Europe (or vice versa), being able to correlate the Fahrenheit scale to the European Celsius is a mystery.
There are conversion charts, thermometers often show both scales as on this picture, and your smartphone will have an app for conversions of areas, weights, temperatures, etc. (And yes, there is the simple approximation: deduct 30 from ºF, divide by 2 to get ºC, or double ºC and add 30 to get ºF.)
But after reading this post, "approximate" won't do for you any longer and you can also impress your friends, by NOT using a mobile gadget. You'll now be able the make all conversions quite easily in your head by just remembering a few key numbers. And, feel free to forward the post to anyone who could use it! But first a little history.
Fahrenheit
The Fahrenheit scale was proposed in 1724 by the Danzi/Gdansk born, Amsterdam-based physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit. Today Fahrenheit is used as the official temperature scale only in the United States, a few Island states in the Pacific, the Bahamas, Belize, and the Cayman Islands.
The scale is defined by two fixed points: • 32 ºF as the temperature when water freezes, and • 212 ºF as the temperature when water boils at sea level and a defined atmospheric pressure.
Just remember: On the Fahrenheit scale, water freezes at 32 ºF.
Celsius
The Celsius scale, which the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius proposed in 1742, was actually the reverse of the scale we are using today: • 0 ºC as the boiling point and 100 as the freezing point of water, and • 100 ºC as the boiling point of water.
Read about the Celsius history, and how the reversal to 0 ºC as the freezing point and 100 ºC as the boiling point of water came about, in this Wiki entry. Just remember: On the Celsius scale, water freezes at 0 ºC.
But enough of physics.
The Fahrenheit/Celsius Correlation
We now know: Water freezes at 32 ºF and 0 ºC. Water boils at 212 ºF and 100 ºC.
The difference between freezing and boiling is therefore 180 ºF and 100 ºC on either scale. Dividing both differences by 20 (180:20=9; 100:20=5) gives you the first easy relationship to remember: Each 5 ºC correlates to 9 ºF
If 0 ºC = 32 ºF, then 5 ºC = 9 ºF + 32 ºF = 41 ºF You got the idea?
What would then 20 ºC be in Fahrenheit? Easy! Remembering that 4 x 5 ºC = 20 ºC, you apply the same logic to the Fahrenheit conversion: 4 x 9º + 32º = 68 ºF This leads you to the second correlation you may want to remember: 68 ºF correlates to 20 ºC Once you remember this one, it's not difficult either to calculate and even remember the next one 50 ºF correlates to 10 ºC
How do I know? Well, remembering that 5 ºC correlates to 9 ºF, you can either add 2 x 9º = 18º to 32º, or deduct 18º from 68º, both result in 50 ºF.
In the last few weeks European temperatures have often exceeded 30 ºC, and the 90s ºF are not unusual for many parts of the U.S. these days.
What are the ºC/ºF equivalents of higher temperatures? Easy! Just add 2 x 9º = 18º to the 68 ºF (= 20 ºC) that you remembered from above and you'll get: 30 ºC correlates to 86 ºF.
Add another 5 ºC or 9 ºF and you get: 35 ºC correlates to 95 ºF.
The Fahrenheit – Celsius Table
Here is the table for the easy 5 ºC increments, and you can obviously interpolate among those. But as long as you remember the key relationships (5 ºC ~ 9 ºF, 0 ºC ~ 32 ºF and 20 ºC ~ 68 ºF) , you can always figure it out again easily.
It's summer now, but you may also want to know in the winter how cold -10 ºC is in Fahrenheit? No problem, right?
Here is a good one to remember as well: -40 ºC correlates to -40 ºF
By now, I'm sure you are able to figure out why this is correct.
The Fahrenheit – Celsius Formula
For the more mathematically inclined readers, here are the two conversion formulas which the mobile apps are using: ºC = [(ºF – 32 ) / 9] x 5 and ºF = ºC x 9 / 5 + 32
Some Final Thoughts
For those readers who use European cook books that include ºC temperature recommendations, it's worthwhile to know that 200 ºC is 328 ºF and 250 ºC is 418 ºF.
I've written these two conversion sets in each of my European cookbooks. Of course, as with anything, you have to practice a bit. And, if you are learning a foreign language, why not practice the conversion numbers in your new language?
To brush up on the numbers, just click on the French, German, Italian and Spanish number posts and games! As the Germans would say: You could “zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen” - which converts easily to “kill 2 birds with one stone”...
And please, forward this post to anyone for whom the Fahrenheit/Celsius relationship has always been a mystery!
Bio: Peter Rettig is the co-founder of Gamesforlanguage.com. He is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact or below.
Conjunctions join words, groups of words, clauses, or sentences, and show how actions, events and ideas are connected. They are essential for conversations and are the staple of any speech or argument.
Memorizing French conjunctions individually is not that difficult, but using them correctly in sentences takes some practice. Most of them occur in our French 1 travel-story course, where you can practice them in various games.
French, like English, has two types of conjunctions: coordinating and subordinating.
French Coordinating Conjunctions
These join words or groups of words that are of equal value. The most commonly used French coordinating conjunctions are: et (and), ou (or), mais (but), ni...ni (neither...nor), car (because, as), donc (therefore, so).
Our Quick French Language Game, Basic French Conjunctions, will let you practice the most common ones. Click on the link or one of the images below.
et (and)
• De rien, et bon voyage. (You're welcome and have a good trip.) • Il est fatigué et dort un peu. (He is tired and sleeps a little.)
ou (or)
• Vous pouvez prendre les bus 3, 4 ou 6. (You can take the buses 3, 4 or 6.) • Aller simple ou aller-retour? (One-way or return trip?)
(And don't confuse the conjunction “ou” with the acverb “où”, which is pronounced the same, but has a grave accent on the “u” and means “where” and in some cases “when.”)
mais (but)
• Oui, mais c'est mon premier voyage en France. (Yes, but it's my first trip to France.) • Je ne suis pas certain, mais je crois que c’est ça. (I'm not sure, but I think that's it.)
ni (neither... nor...)
• Je n'aime ni la glace ni le chocolat. (I like neither ice cream nor chocolate.) • Ni moi ni la police ne pouvions te joindre. (Neither I nor the police could reach you.)
car (because, for, as)
• Je suis inquiet car elle n'est pas encore rentré. (I'm worried because she isn't back yet.) • Je reste à la maison car je suis malade. (I'm staying at home because I'm sick.)
donc (therefore, so)
• Je pense, donc je suis. (I think, therefore I am.) • Je n'ai rien vu, donc je ne sais pas. (I didn't see anything, so I don't know.)
French Subordinating Conjunctions
These connect a dependent clause to a main clause, showing a relationship of time, place, or cause and effect between them. When using a subordinating conjunction, you'll have to think about which tense or mood of the verb to use.
The most commonly used French subordinating conjunctions are: quand (when), si (if), que (that), comme (as, since), quoique (although)
quand (when)
• Quand je me suis réveillé, il était midi. (When I woke up it was noon.) • Julie m'a fait visiter la ville, il ne faisait pas beau. (When Julie showed me around town, the weather wasn't nice.)
si (if)
• Tu peux leprendre si tu veux. (You can take it if you want.) • S'il fait beau, on ira se promener. (If the weather's nice, we'll go for a walk.)
que (that)
• Je crois que c’est ça. (I think that's it.) • Je suis content que tu nous rendes visite. (I'm glad that you're visiting us.) • Il faut que tu reviennes bientôt. (You have to come back soon.) • Dommage que je parte demain. (Too bad that I'm leaving tomorrow.)
Note: With expressions such as “je suis content(e) que”, “il faut que”, “dommage que”, you would use the subjunctive mood for the verb. This will be the subject of another post.
comme (as, since)
• Elle est partie comme j'arrivais. (She left as I arrived.) • Comme il arrive demain, il faut préparer une chambre. (Since he's arriving tomorrow, we have to get a room ready.)
quoique (even though, although)
• Je veux l'acheter quoique ce soit très cher. (I want to buy it even though it's very expensive.) • Quoiqu'il soit pauvre, il est très généreux. (Even though he's poor, he's very generous.)
Conjunctive Phrases
French also has a large number of phrases that function as conjunctions. They usually end with “... que” and mostly require the subjunctive. Here are just a couple of examples:
avant que (before)
• Il n’attend pas longtemps avant que le train arrive. (He doesn't wait long before the train arrives.) • Avant que la réunion ne commence, le Directeur veut vous parler. (Before the meeting starts, the manager wants to speak with you.)
parce que (because)
• D’accord, mais c’est bien parce que c’est vous. (All right, but only because it's you.) • Je suis en retard parce que mon réveil n'a pas sonné. (I'm late because my alarm didn't go off.)
jusqu’à ce que (until)
• Juste le premier chapitre, jusqu’à ce que je me souvenais. (Only the first chapter, until I remembered.) • Reste ici, jusqu'à ce que je revienne te chercher. (Stay here until I come back to get you.)
Maybe next time you read a French article or listen to a French podcast, you'll pay special attention to the conjunctions. Reading and listening to French will help to internalize how conjunctions work and how they are used by native speakers.
Our easy language games will give you a good start by teaching you the individual basic conjunctions and how to build short sentences with them.
Bio: Ulrike Rettig is the co-founder of GamesforLanguage.com. She is a lifelong language learner, growing up in Austria, the Netherlands, and Canada. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and leave any comments with contact.
English speakers have to face another challenge when learning German: when to use the formal “Sie” vs. the familiar “du”. In English such differentiation does not exist.
you're asking for help/directions: 
• In general, all family members and close friends use “du”.
