French Language Game: Sur la place
Quick French Language Game "Sur la place" - On the square.
Listen to a quick mini-story and practice the vocabulary with a quick and fun game.
Learn 16 easy French words and phrases in a meaningful context.
Our games and courses are a great way for mid-to-high Beginner learners to become familiar with typical French language Daniel and his cousin Julie stroll around Paris.
They walk across the square of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Julie explains the difference between the French words "une place" and "un lieu".
Our full French 1 course is made up of a series of mini-stories with which you learn and practice 750 basic words in context.
(You can play the course for FREE by registering HERE.)
Always say the answer aloud either before or with the speaker.
That helps you to improve your pronunciation and intonation of French sentences. It's also a good way to remember vocabulary.
If you like our games, please SHARE us with your friends.
Words in French Mini-Story Language Game
- le lendemain - the next day
- elle n'a pas - she doesn't have [avoir]
- les courses - the classes, courses
- elle veut - she wants [vouloir]
- montrer - to show
- ils se promènent - they stroll [se promener]
- sur la place - on the square
- un lieu - a place, spot
- où - where
- il y a - there is, there are
- souvent - often
- les marchés - the markets
- l'église - the church
- là-bas - over there
- vraiment - really
- un beau monument - a beautiful monument
Quick Grammar Points:
1. negation: "elle a" (she has) - elle n'a pas (she doesn't have).
Note: the negative particles, ne ... pas go around the verb.
2. reflexive verb: se promener (to stroll, take a walk) - ils se promènent (they stroll).
Note: "se promener" is reflexive in French but the English equivalent "to stroll" is not.
More Than a French Language Game
And don't forget: You can practice French online for FREE with our 36-Scene French 1 Travel-Story: "Daniel en France"
In it you learn and practice all the words, phrases and sentences you also hear in the podcasts.
Just login HERE.
"The Story" and easy games will let you forget that you're actually learning French!
If you have any language questions - don't hesitate to contact us!
Italian Language Game: La torre
Italian Language Game: "La torre" - The tower. Here you can learn and practice 16 useful Italian words and phrases in the context of a brief story.
In this mini-story, Marco's cousin Valeria shows him around Pisa and they have a look at the famous Leaning Tower.
The story is part of our Italian 1 course, which is made up of a series of brief stories that use everyday vocabulary. (You can play the full course for FREE when you register HERE.)
Say the words and phrases ALOUD along with or right after the native speaker. It's a great way to get a better pronunciation and improve your listening skills.
Note that in Italian, the words for "I, you, he, she" etc. are often dropped, unless they are needed for clarity or emphasis. In our mini-story, you'll understand from the context whether "non ha" means "she doesn't have" or "he doesn't have".
Words in Italian Mini-Story Language Game
- il giorno dopo - the day after, the next day
- la domenica - the Sunday
- lo zio - the uncle
- non ha - s/he doesn't have [avere]
- la scuola - the school
- vuole - s/he wants [volere]
- mostrare - to show
- stanno attraversando - they're crossing
- la piazza - the square
- la torre - the tower
- laggiù - over there
- il campanile - the bell tower
- quello - that (m)
- pendente - leaning [pendere]
- famoso - famous (m)
- in tutto il mondo - in the whole world
Our language games work best for learners at the mid- to high-beginner level.
In this game, you'll first hear the mini-story, and then practice and recall the individual words. At the end, you'll hear the brief story again.
Say the sentences along with or right after the speaker. Try not to translate and if you don't need to, don't roll over the sentences. When you click on each individual sentence you'll hear it again.
Learning words in the context of connected sentences helps you see how the Italian language is put together. At this point, it's not that important to learn the grammar rules.
As you practice with sentences in context, you'll start noticing typical language patterns. By listening and reading a lot, you'll become more and more familiar with the patterns.
Writing down some of the words and phrases will help you to remember them better.
But, you probably know by now that learning a language means forgetting and relearning words all the time. It's the way our brain puts them into our long-term memory.
For more easy games see also our post: 5 Easy Italian Language Games.
Or you can find ALL of them - over 60 by now - on the Italian Quick Language Games page.
If you like our Italian games, please SHARE them with your friends.
More Than an Italian Language Game
And don't forget: You can practice Italian online for FREE with our 36-Scene Italian 1 Travel-Story: "Marco in Italia".
In it you learn and practice all the words, phrases and sentences you also hear in the podcasts. Just login HERE.
And, if you have any language questions - don't hesitate to contact us!
Italian Language Game: Vorrei scrivere
Italian Language Game: "Vorrei scrivere" - I'd like to write.
With this quick game you'll practice and learn 19 Italian words and phrases as part of a mini-story.
In this brief story, Marco asks his uncle for family photos because he wants to write the story of the family.
The mini-story is part of our full Italian 1 course. The course is made up of a series of short stories that contain everyday useful words.
(You can play the complete course for FREE by registering HERE.)
Always say the words and phrases ALOUD after (or along with) the native speaker. You'll improve your pronunciation and sharpen your listening skills.
Words in Italian Mini-Story Language Game
- il pranzo - the lunch
- chiede - s/he asks [chiedere (a)]
- lo zio - the uncle
- hai - you have (familiar) [avere]
- le fotografie - the photos (f)
- delle fotografie - some photos (f)
- i nonni - the grandparents
- dei tuoi nonni - of your grandparents (familiar)
- perché - why
- vorrei - I'd like [volere]
- scrivere - to write
- la storia - the story
- la famiglia - the family
- della nostra famiglia - of our family
- una buena idea - a good idea
- ecco - here is ...
- il album - the album
- il nostro album - our album
- vecchio/vecchie - old (sing m/pl f)
Learning words as part of sentences helps you understand how Italian is put together.
Don't worry about the grammar behind the typical Italian combinations.
These are language patterns that you'll become familiar with the more you listen and read.
Our games are for learners at the mid- to high beginner level.
It's at this stage, you want to start practicing full sentences as well as individual words and phrases.
Click on each sentence individually as many times as you want, to practice repeating after the speaker.
Note that in Italian, the words for "I, you, he, she" etc. are often dropped, unless they are needed for clarity or emphasis. In our mini-story, the context will tell you if "chiede" means "he asks" or "she asks."
After you've practiced and recalled the individual words, you'll hear the mini-story again.
Listen and say the sentences along with the speaker.
Try not to translate.
If you write out some of the words and phrases, you'll remember them better.
But don't worry if you keep forgetting them.
Learning a language means constantly forgetting and relearning, but each time words and phrases go deeper into your memory.
For more easy games see also our post: 5 Easy Italian Language Games.
Or you can find ALL of them - over 60 by now - on the Italian Quick Language Games page.
If you like our Italian games, please SHARE them with your friends.
More Than an Italian Language Game
And don't forget: You can practice Italian online for FREE with our 36-Scene Italian 1 Travel-Story: "Marco in Italia".
In it you learn and practice all the words, phrases and sentences you also hear in the podcasts. Just login HERE.
And, if you have any language questions - don't hesitate to contact us!
German Language Game: Er schläft
German Language Game: "Er schläft" (He sleeps).
A mini-story to practice 14 basic German words and phrases in context.
The setting is the home of Michael's aunt and uncle in Frankfurt.
Michael has just arrived on an overseas flight.
This mini-story is also part of German 1, our course especially for Mid to High Beginners.
In the course, you'll learn and practice 750 basic German words and phrases.
(You can play the full course for FREE by registering HERE.)
Always say the words, phrases and sentences ALOUD as you play.
You'll not only practice pronunciation, but you'll be able to remember the words much better.
Words in German Mini-Story Language Game
- er trinkt - he drinks
- der Orangensaft - the orange juice
- die Küche - the kitchen
- sie zeigt ihm - she shows (to) him
- das Zimmer - the room
- er bringt - he brings, takes
- der Koffer - the suitcase
- das Gästezimmer - the guest room
- müde - tired
- er schläft - he sleeps
- sie weckt ihn - she wakes him
- sie ruft - she calls
- wach auf! - wake up! (familiar)
- Zeit zum Mittagessen - time for lunch
Grammar Tips: Don't worry about the grammar, just be aware of some of the basic language patterns.
You'll start noticing certain patterns again and again when you read and listen more.
With time you'll automatically recognize such patterns and understand their meaning.
Grammar is best learned in context, gradually and in small doses. That's what works for me.
Regular present tense, 3rd person:
- trinken - er trinkt
- zeigen - sie zeigt
- bringen - er bringt
- wecken - sie weckt
- rufen - sie ruft
Irregular present tense, 3rd person (note the vowel change):
- schlafen - er schläft
Direct object, masculine noun (note the -n ending):
- der Orangensaft - Er trinkt seinen Orangensaft. (masc. noun)
- der Koffer - Er bringt seinen Koffer. (masc. noun)
Masculine Pronouns: ihn vs ihm
- Sie weckt ihn. - She wakes him. (direct pronoun object)
- Sie zeigt ihm .... - She shows (to) him ... (indirect pronoun object)
A good way to memorize new vocabulary is to learn the words in chunks (phrases) and in a context that you can remember.
Write them out by hand on a sheet of paper or in a small booklet helps you to learn the spelling and to remember the meaning.
And of course, say the words and phrases out loud whenever you can.
If you like our games, please SHARE us with your friends.
More Than a German Language Game
Don't forget: You can practice German online for FREE with our 36-Scene German 1 Story: "Michael in Deutschland" and our 72-Scene German 2 Mystery Story Sequel: "Blüten in Berlin?"
(The literal meaning of "Blüten," is blossoms in German. But the German word Blüten has another meaning that may surprise you.)
Just login HERE.
And, if you have any language questions - don't hesitate to contact us!
German Language Game: der + adjective + Noun
German Language Game: Practice: "der + adjective + Noun".
You'll use (and guess) 8 common masculine nouns and 8 adjectives in various combinations.
It will help you become familiar with a common German language pattern.
The key is to always say the German OUT LOUD!
Tips for guessing noun gender in German: Masculine
Male people and male animals; days, months, seasons; north, south, west, east.
Examples:
- der Mann - the man
- der Kater - the male cat
- der Montag - the Monday
- der Januar - the January
- der Frühling - the spring
- der Norden- the north
Nouns ending in: -ant, -ig, -ling, -us
Examples:
- der Praktikant - the intern
- der König - the king
- der Neuling - the novice
- der Sozialismus - the socialism
But that leaves a lot of other nouns that you just have to get familiar with.
Der + adj + masculine Nouns in German Game
- der junge Mann - the young man
- der nächste Tag - the next day
- der nette Besuch - the nice visit
- der kleine Schlüssel - the small key
- der gute Roman - the good novel
- der große Platz - the big square
- der schöne Garten - the beautiful garden
- der alte Freund - the old friend
If you like our games, please SHARE us with your friends.
More Than a German Language Game
Don't forget: You can practice German online for FREE with our 36-Scene German 1 Story: "Michael in Deutschland" and our 72-Scene German 2 Mystery Story Sequel: "Blüten in Berlin?".
(If you already know that "Blüten" means blossom in German - you'll learn that Blüten has still another meaning...).
Just login HERE.
And, if you have any language questions - don't hesitate to contact us!