3 Key Aspects of Learning a Foreign Language

Learning Swedish recently moved to the top of my language "to do" list. We'll be spending some time in Stockholm in the fall and that's excellent motivation for me.

Besides, I've always loved the sound of Swedish, in the Bergman movies, and most recently watching the three Swedish movies based on Stieg Larsson's popular novels, "Män som hatar kvinnor" (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and its two sequels.

So, I signed up for one month to learn Swedish with an online language program. Besides getting a good grasp of Swedish basics, I again experienced the advantages of learning a new foreign language online.

For me, three key aspects drive my language learning: 1. motivation, 2. figuring out how the language works, and 3. building vocabulary.

These three aspects apply to all four language skills: reading, listening comprehension, writing, and speaking. The Swedish online course that I followed did a nice job with all four.

Motivation

This is the engine that drives learning. To truly learn something, you've got to love your subject, and find ways, again and again, to stay crazy about it.

There's a lot of talk about "addictive" programs for learning. I'm not sure that's the answer. You've got to be addicted to the subject - in this case, the language itself. Then, at best, a good program will make learning the language a pleasure.

Figuring Out How the Language Works

Our brain is wired for language and we are definitely capable of figuring out how a language functions. Kids do this all the time. By listening to a language, and reading, writing, and speaking it, we become aware of grammatical patterns.

In addition, some of us like to check with a grammar book, to see if there's a rule that makes things clear. I, for one, don't memorize grammar rules. My favorite grammar books are very thin ones. The one I use for Swedish is a slim booklet called "Essential Swedish grammar."

Building Vocabulary

Some people like to start a language by memorizing lists of words, or even just practicing all the sounds of the alphabet. I find that boring.

I prefer to start with everyday phrases or short sentences, and to add relevant lists a little later. I want to see the spelling, hear the words spoken, say them myself, and even write out some of them.

That way, my language learning brain is fully engaged. Whatever vocabulary I learn has to be part of a context or a setting that is meaningful to me.

So far, I've spent one month learning Swedish. I'm definitely still motivated and yes, I've figured out how the Swedish language works.

The program confirms that I've learned 380 basic words and phrases. That's a good start! In a later blog post, I'll talk about what program I used and how it specifically helped me build the four basic skills. 

La Paloma Lyrics – Learning Spanish With a Song

Very likely you've heard “La Paloma” sung in your native language. It's a very popular song.

In this YouTube video of “La Paloma”, Victoria de los Angeles, one of the great voices of the 20th century, sings the original Spanish lyrics, and the video shows the English translation. (There is also a wonderful Spanish version by Nana Mouskouri here, but without the text, you could listen to later!)

Did you know?

“La Paloma (meaning “the dove”) was composed and written by the Basque /Spanish composer Sebastián Iradier (later Yradier) after he visited Cuba in 1861. (You can read in this Wikipedia entry that the motif of “La Paloma” dates back to an episode that occurred in 492 BC!)

And the many different versions in many of the world's languages and performed by many famous singers are a testimony to its popular appeal across cultures and centuries.

The Original Lyrics

The original Spanish lyrics of the first verse are below. (Note that you will find other Spanish versions as well.)

Cuando salí de la Habana,

¡Válgame dios!

Nadie me ha visto salir

Si no fuí yo.

Y una linda Guachinanga

Allá voy yo,

Que se vino trás de mi,

Que si señor.

Si a tu ventana llega

Una paloma,

Trátala con cariño

Que es mi persona.

Cuéntala tus amores,

Bien de mi vida,

Corónala de flores

Que es cosa mía

Ay chinita que sí ,

ay que darme tu amor

Ay que vente conmigo,

Chinita, a donde vivo yo.

Typical Spanish Constructs

Some of the lyrics of the original version may be difficult for a beginner, but, with the translation provided in the video, you'll be able to decipher the meaning quite easily.

You'll also notice a number of typical Spanish constructions, e.g. valgame, trátala, cuéntala, corónala, darme, in which the object is added to the end of the verb. (You can also start paying attention to the spelling of words like "si" [if] and "sí" [yes]) 

By watching the YouTube video with its translation several times you can start memorizing the Spanish lyrics and their English meaning. Not only will the song sound even more beautiful now that you understand it, you'll remember the object constructs next time you see them in other contexts. 

And when you hear other versions in Spanish (or in other languages) you may also recognize the changes in the lyrics.

Postscript: 

(1) We also have posts about French, German, and Italian songs that are fun to listen to – and, when memorized, can remind you of some key aspects of the respective language.

(2) In a January 2015 post, La Paloma - Carmen - Cuba: Spanish Language Connections, we described some interesting connections between Bizet's opera Carmen and La Paloma's author Iradier.

(3) We recently discovered a Spanish language site which uses Spanish songs a their lyrics as part of their program. You won't find "La Paloma" but many contemporary songs on Language Zen. Also read our "Language Zen" - Learning Spanish - A Review

5 Quick Ways to Boost Your Foreign Language

Does your day look really busy, but you would hate missing your language learning fix?

Are you looking to boost one or the other of your new foreign language skills? (Even the Shuttle, left, needed some boosters!)

Learning a foreign language as an adult requires you to find those methods and routines that work best for you and that allow you to apply them - ideally - on a daily basis.

5 ways to create a quick language learning moment

1. READ 3-4 sentences ALOUD - preferably from an ongoing book you've been following. Reading aloud (or even in a whisper) gets you to work on your "mouth mechanics" - the way you need to move your mouth in order to produce the correct sounds. In the meantime, your brain is registering word order and an idiom or two.

2. Type or WRITE out (copy) a few interesting sentences from a book, magazine, Internet site, etc. Writing out a language is very different from reading it. You become much more aware of structure, spelling, endings, etc.

3. Take a useful sentence from a book or story, MEMORIZE it, and then write it out from memory. It can also be a famous saying. The sentence can be as short or long as you wish. Do this with 2 or 3 sentences, checking back to see if what you wrote was correct.

4. Doodle or DRAW 4-5 objects, such as furniture, clothing, fruit, items on your desk. Then write the name of each item in your new language. Maybe you'll have to look up the words. No-one has to see your drawing, unless you're a Picasso. But the act of creating images and labeling them is a great way to engage your brain.

5. LISTEN for a few minutes to your favorite foreign language song and follow the lyrics closely. Music is a compelling way to experience the rhythm and intonation of a language. (We had posted suggestions for French, German, Italian, and Spanish.)

Any of these 5 quick boosts will keep you learning. For steady progress, nothing can beat a regular learning routine, and these brief techniques can keep you going even in busy times.

6-Day Language Learning Statistics

(Updated: Our site is free for all learners. You can play all Quick Games and Podcasts by just clicking on the link.

To play our courses, you do need to register. That way you can continue where you left off, once you return to the site. We don't run Ads.)

This month, GamesforLanguage ran a 6-Day Trial for any (or all) of our four languages: French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

All our users come to our site “organically,” either through a translation search of the indexed words or phrases of our program, by “word of mouth,” or through other site referrals.

We also sprinkled a few questions among our various games, and here are the results:
How would you rate your language Fluency?      
                           Beginner: 63%    Intermediate: 25%    Advanced: 12%

How do you rate “Word Invaders”?  (a word-order game)
                           Too Easy: 44%    Just right:16%   Challenging: 36%   Too difficult: 4%

Learning for me with Scene 1 was:                           
                           Easy: 39%             Hard: 3%             Right On: 58%                                                                         

As the “language fluency” question appeared with the first game, it received the most answers. The “Word Invaders” question appeared in the middle, and the final question at the end of the first Scene.

Some users either did not complete the first scene or skipped right to the next Scene after meeting their score goal, other players skipped the first game, all of which makes correlating the answers a little difficult.

We are somewhat surprised by the split in the Word Invader question, but are reassured that the majority felt our Scene 1 was “easy” or “right on.”

Most of the 63% of the users who came to our site in May and who are beginners found it easy to play and learn with our games.

We also realize that very few users are able to commit the time to learn and practice on a daily basis.

The maximum score reached during the six days for one language was 2,355 points in Italian, which brought the player to Scene 4, in Level 2.

We continue to invite feedback on our programs and games.

Automatic Subscription Renewals – Good or Annoying?

(Update: We wrote this post before our decision to make GamesforLanguage a free site for all. Our 300 Quick Games in French, Spanish, German, and Italian can be played online just by clicking on the link naming the language. For our 36 lesson travel-story Courses, you need to register. That makes sure you can continue where you left off when you come back to the site.)

Recently I subscribed to an online language course that uses an automatic subscription renewal.

I subscribed for one month to try out a new language and I set a reminder to cancel the subscription a few days before the automatic renewal.

When my reminder alerted me, I started looking and got annoyed when I could not find a place to cancel.
I finally found the answer in the FAQs: write an e-mail to sales@company or send a short note via “Feedback” while logged-in to the site.

I was promised a confirmation within 48 hours, which indeed arrived just before the automatic renewal date. This experience was similar to ones I had at other automatic renewal sites: Quite easy to subscribe, but time consuming and often annoying to cancel!

Good for the Company

I have always been wary of automatic renewals, except for certain services, e.g. subscriptions to news, magazines, investment, or other services you need and value on an ongoing basis.

Although I understand full well the benefits of automatic renewals - FOR THE COMPANY - I believe users of an online language learning service should at least be given the option at the start. It should not be made obligatory.

(I love the picture above, which is part of the automatic renewal plan of the rockymountainrider.com monthly magazine.)

Motivation for the Learner?

But maybe automatic renewals are a good thing for a learner. Learning a foreign language as an adult requires ongoing motivation and encouragement.

Could it be that the automatic renewal charge that appears on your monthly credit card or Paypal statement provides another motivational push to log in again and continue learning?

We'd love to hear some comments and opinions on this question: Are obligatory automatic subscription renewals for online language programs a good thing or do they annoy you?

Cool German Idioms 3 - das Dach

das Dach - the roof

mit offenem Dach fahren

to drive with the top down
Literal: to drive with an open roof

jemandem eins aufs Dach geben

to show someone what's what
Literal: to give someone a smack on the roof

etwas unter Dach und Fach bringen

to complete something, settle it
More literal: to bring something into safety

Die Spatzen pfeifen es von den Dächern.

That's common knowledge.
Literal: Sparrows whistle it from the roofs.

Da ist bei ihm gleich Feuer im Dache.

He flies into a passion.
Literal: He right away has fire in his roof.

Du hast nicht alles unterm Dach.

You are crazy.
Literal: You don't have everything under the roof.

I always wondered whether other cultures and languages have as many idioms using the "roof" as German.
We'd be interested in any feedback and would welcome comments to info@gamesforlanguage.com or via our contact page.

A little Grammar:

• Mit offenem Dach fahren: the preposition "mit" always takes the dative case. So "das offene Dach" (the open roof) becomes "mit offenem Dach"

• Jemandem eins aufs Dach geben: the dual preposition "auf" takes the dative here. Note: "aufs Dach" is a contraction of "auf das Dach" (dual preposition "auf" + accusative of neuter noun).

• Etwas unter Dach und Fach bringen: "unter Dach und Fach" is set expression for something that's settled, where "Fach" literally means "a compartment or shelf".

• Die Spatzen pfeifen es von den Dächern: the preposition "von" always takes the dative case. Note: das Dach (singular) - die Dächer (plural), which becomes "von den Dächern" ("von" + dative plural of neuter noun).

• Da ist bei ihm gleich Feuer im Dache: the dual preposition "in" takes the dative here; "in dem" contracts to "im".

• Du hast nicht alles unterm Dach: the dual preposition "unter" takes the dative here; "unter dem" contracts to "unterm".

What are German Dual Prepositions?

German has 9 "dual prepositions": an (on, at); auf (on), hinter behind); neben (beside, next to); in (in, at, to); über (over, above, across, about); unter (below, under, among); vor (in front, before, prior to); zwischen (between, among).

Dual Preposition + Accusative case:

When the preposition answers the question "Wohin?/Wo ... hin?" (Where?/Where to?), i.e. motion/a change of location, you use the "accusative case".

• An den Strand. (I'm going) to the beach
• Auf den Tisch. (I put the book) on the table.
• Hinters Haus. (He's going to look) behind the house.
• Neben den Lastwagen. (I put my car, over there) beside the truck.
• Ins Haus. (She's walking) into the house.
• Über die Brücke.  (He's driving) across the bridge.
• Unters Kissen. (I put my book) under the pillow.
• Vors Fenster. (Please move my bed) in front of the window.

Dual Prepositions + Dative case:

When the preposition answers the question of location/where something is: "Wo?" (Were?), you use the "dative case".

• Am Strand. (I am) at the beach
• Am Tisch. (My book is) on the table.
• Hinterm Haus. (Our shed is) behind the house.
• Neben dem Lastwagen. (That's my car over there) beside the truck.
• Im Haus. (She's) in the house.
• Über der Tür.  (The picture hangs) above the door.
• Unterm Kissen. (My book is) under the pillow.
• Vorm Fenster. (My bed is) in front of the window.

Is Gamesforlanguage.com Too Steep a Climb For Beginners?

Recently, I started a somewhat traditional online Swedish course and was surprised by how difficult the first few lessons were for me. And that was even though there were only 7 or 8 new words/expressions in each lesson.

Swedish is a Germanic language – and I speak Dutch and German fluently – but getting started with a new language (even if it's related to a language you know) is best done with small steps at first.

Learning Swedish made me a language learning beginner, again. It made me think about how beginners can best learn.

As readers may recall from an earlier blog post: my husband and I had used our Spanish 1 course in preparation for our stay in Spain last year. Spanish was a new language for both of us, and at first the going was slow.

But, the similarity of Spanish to French and Italian (languages we know) soon took us out of the “beginners” rank. What seemed to help was learning language in context, something we've built into our all of our courses.

I expect that I'll experience the same with Swedish: Yes, I'll find the language difficult to learn at first. But by practicing Swedish in context, and with "comprehensible input" (a notion popularized by the linguist Stephen Krashen) I'll soon no longer be a beginner. Besides, knowing other Germanic languages - English, Dutch, and German - will eventually boost my progress.

Early Feedback

Based on the feedback from users who responded to a questionnaire about our GamesforLanguage courses, we had concluded that our first few lessons were too easy.

Maybe some players had come to this conclusion because our games made the beginning lessons indeed seem easy. “I was learning, but it didn't feel like learning” was an early, typical comment.

Expanding Lesson 1

We therefore began expanding the first lesson ("Scene") of our German 1 and our Spanish 1 program, which initially consisted of three foreign dialog lines with about 16 new words.

The additional six dialog lines, however, stopped many beginners from progressing to the second Scene. Did they feel that learning a new language was too steep a cliff to climb? We decided to wait for more feedback before expanding the French and Italian scenes.

What makes Gamesforlanguage.com different?

By learning a language (Swedish) that at first seemed to have fewer similarities with languages I already know, I put myself again into a beginner's shoes (for the 5th time, actually).
I experienced first hand the difference between a typical language program and GamesforLanguage:

Rather than teaching and drilling lists of words and short expressions (hello, good-bye, thanks, how are you?, I am fine, thanks, etc.) GamesforLanguage deconstructs, practices, and reconstructs the dialog of a story beginning with Scene 1.
Words and expressions, as in the examples above, come up as well, but later and always within the context of "The Story."

Indeed, the learner is immersed in real life, every-day language right from the start.
While those with some background in the language will find the program easily accessible, beginners may need to slow down and add an online course like Duolingo to get momentum.

We invite your feedback

We love comments and feedback! So, if you have tried our course or have experience with other language courses, just add your comment below!

QUICK TIP German: "holen" vs "abholen"

With this post, we are starting a Quick Tip series with which to explain certain aspects of the languages we cover

Quick TIP: holen - TO GET, to fetch

• Er holt die Zeitung. [He's getting the paper.]
**German simple present tense often translates into English "progressive" (is getting).

Quick TIP: abholen - TO GET, to pick up

• Er holt mich später ab. [He's going to pick me up later.]
**ab- is a "separable prefix. In a simple sentence, "ab" goes at the end.

• Toll, dass du mich abholst. [Great, that you are picking me up.]
**After a conjunction: "dass" etc., the full verb goes at the end.

CONJUGATION of abholen

• ich hole ab - I pick up
• du holst ab - you pick up (familiar)
• er, sie, es holt ab - he, she, it picks up
• wir holen ab - we pick up
• ihr holt ab - you (all) pick up
• sie holen ab - they pick up
• Sie holen ab - you pick up (formal)

You Want to Learn German Fast?

With our German 1 and 2 courses you'll learn practice German for FREE - with stories of a young man traveling through Germany and - its sequel - solving a "Blüten"-mystery in Berlin. "The Story" and easy games will let you forget that you are actually learning German! 

Not everyone will agree with Benny Lewis', the Irish Polyglot, that learning languages is easy. But, if you are serious about learning German, you may want to learn more about Benny's approach by clicking on his explanation of "Why German is easy!"

We recently discovered a very effective app for learning German: MosaLingua. There currently are iOS and Android apps, with a MosaLingua Desktop App for PC, Mac and Linux just out. You can also try out the "Lite" version for FREE! We like the apps a lot and are currently using them ourselves. Read Ulrike's Review HERE.

Disclosure: Some of the links above is to a partner's program with revenue sharing, if you decide to buy or subscribe.

The GamesforLanguage Program - Part 2: Games Summary

In our blog The GamesforLanguage Program - Part 1, we describe the key points, approach, and methods of our program. Part 2 describes the various games, the players' activities and how you'll learn with the games.

Memory Game

In the “Memory Game” (left), you'll first see key words and phrases of “The Story.” You then pick a red (English) card and click on the matching  foreign word. With this game, you'll acquire new vocabulary for your understanding of “The Story.”

Listening Games

In these games, you'll hear a foreign word (from “The Story”) and then - choosing among 3 similar looking words -  click on the word you just heard. Such games (e.g. "Moon Landing," right) train the ear. Your brain is normally tuned to the sounds of your native language. The listening games teach you a new and different correlation between sound and spelling.

Say-It Game

In this game, you'll hear and are asked to repeat select phrases of “The Story” before the text appears briefly on the screen. When learning a language, you are challenged to recognize new letter combinations, to pronounce new sounds, and to get the timing of the intonation right.

The Say-It games allow you to focus on hearing and reproducing the melody of the foreign language without worrying about meaning. Then, to help you correlate the sound and spelling of a new foreign phrase, it appears briefly before you hear the next one. (This we always felt was missing from audio-only courses!)

Word and Phrase Games

These games, e.g. "Snap Clouds" (left), require you to identify the correct story words in different types of games and settings. By switching between native and foreign translation, you are challenged again and again to produce the right answer. At the same time, you'll assimilate the meaning, spelling, and essential grammar of the foreign words and phrases that you're practicing.

Pronoun, Verb, Number, et al. games

Here, e.g. "Balloon Shoot" (right), you'll learn and practice particular word categories and/or forms. Each language has its own challenge if you want to master pronouns, gender, verb conjugations, noun endings, etc. These games recall vocabulary as well as the special features of each language.

Translation Games

In these games, e.g. "Deal no Deal" (left), you are asked to choose the correct translation of each of the sentences that form a segment of “The Story.” Quick tips explain relevant points of grammar or culture, providing you with further insights into the new language.

Word Order Games

Here, you are asked to build sentences from “The Story” by clicking on individual words in the correct order. An English translation and specific word choices guide this task (see "Word Invaders," right). Once you've selected a correct word, you'll hear it again.These games draw attention to idiomatic expressions and highlight the difference between English and foreign word order.

Writing Games

Considered often the most difficult task in any foreign language (besides speaking), writing here becomes a fun game. In a race against the clock, you'll translate and write out first simple foreign words, then in later levels, short phrases.

Recall Games

In the recall-games, you'll practice the vocabulary and short phrases you learned in an earlier scene. For example,  "Word Hero" (right) lets you review the words and phrases of the previous SCENE, while "Recall and Record" has you recall and speak the words, phrases, and sentences from a scene in the previous LEVEL.

Games Summary

The table below summarizes how you learn from each Game/Screen screen and Player Activity. In order to keep you, the learner, both engaged and challenged, the sequence and configuration of the games changes throughout the six levels of each course.

We invite any questions about or comments to our program and games!

Zorro: 1 (big) Thing to Learn Spanish

A recent guest blog for us by Lizzie Davey made me realize that in addition to the many small things that help you learn a language, there is clearly one big thing that helps your new language: READING.

As some may recall from earlier blogs, Spanish was a language I started to learn last year; first with our 36-lesson Spanish 1 course, then during our 2 month stay in Spain, reading newspapers, watching TV shows, talking to the locals in shops and restaurants.

And now, I continue to read Spanish articles online and sometimes even watch a soap on our local Spanish TV station.(A great app and Chrome extension is Lingua.ly, which not only lets you look up words you don't know, but also places them in a list you can later review and practice!)

Reading Zorro

A few months ago, my wife gave me two books for my birthday: the original Spanish version of Zorro by Isabel Allende and its English translation. (According to Wikipedia, Allende's book represents a prequel to the original Zorro story, Johnston McCulley's 1919 novella "The Curse of Capistrano.") 

I have been reading two to three pages most nights and I am enjoying the book tremendously. Reading a novel is quite different from reading newspaper articles, which often deal with familiar topics. The language of news reports is also easier to comprehend than the literary and sometimes abstract language of a novel.

A handy Spanish-English dictionary would help me translate the many new words I encounter. However, having the excellent English translation of the text has several benefits: You start to understand the story much faster; you pick up on the Spanish idioms and expressions as well as their English equivalents; you often experience the "aha" effect that makes learning both fun and effective.

English First

When I started to read the Spanish version first, I quickly became discouraged. There were many words I did not know and I became lost in the events of the story.

But then, when I began reading the English translation, the history of Zorro's beginnings - which I certainly did not recall from the movies and which, I assume, Isabel Allende invented - became interesting and intriguing.

And, when I went back to the Spanish version, words and phrases became clear and obvious and became further proof of one of our gamesforlanguage key credos:  Once you understand the context, you can more easily decipher sentences and structures.

For several chapters I continued with this approach: I read a paragraph or two first in English, then I switched to the Spanish version. 

Spanish First

After several chapters, I experimented reading the Spanish version FIRST. Not surprisingly, I was already able to read much further along before starting to "lose it" and having to switch to the English version for a quick "context refresher."

As I continue to read about Diego de la Vega's early life - his childhood, his travel to Barcelona, and his life in Spain - his later life as "Zorro" starts to make sense. I discover, for example, the significance of the name "Zorro", meaning "fox" in English, as well as his reasons for wearing a mask!

The narrator tells us: "... era todavía un mozalbete de orejas salidas, ..." (he was still a stripling with protruding ears). 

"... El problema de las orejas fue la razón por la cual se le ocurrió la idea de usar un máscara,..."  (The problem of the ears was the inspiration for wearing a mask).

Isabel Allende was able to create an image of the young fictional Zorro in which is both plausible and fun to read!

A (Big) Language Tip

There are "Easy Readers" and "Dual Language Readers" that work quite well for many learners. But, if you have already mastered some of the basics of your new language, want to expand your vocabulary, and challenge yourself, get the foreign and English versions of books that interest you. Your new language will grow in leaps and bounds!