Language Exchange User Posts

The idea of learning French can feel like starting a difficult climb up a steep mountains. Words with feminine or masculine articles for no rhyme or reason? Piles of verb conjugations? It’s understandable to be wary about diving in. French, like any language, is a bit challenging to learn and takes some serious dedication, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t fully capable of mastering it with some work!

As a native English speaker who speaks French as a second language, I know that everyone learns differently. Because of this, everyone has pieces of the language that they are more comfortable dealing with. For example, as a visual learner, I find that reading French and working with writing really helps me remember difficult details. This also means that I tend to find myself neglecting the auditory aspects of the language more than I should. That’s where watching French videos with subtitles becomes helpful.

Not only are these videos perfect for learners like me because they have the visual elements along with the auditory, they are also valuable to heavily auditory learners since you get to hear the spoken French along with seeing the video. The more ways you learn a topic, the more likely it will stick. With videos, you get to learn the material both visually and auditorily, making the information more likely to stick in your memory.

There are tons of different options on the web that offer videos with French subtitles to help you learn. These include videos made specifically for beginning learners, videos for more advanced speakers, French music videos, films (and film trailers), and news broadcasts. These "natural" French videos can be found easily on YouTube, and most videos have an option to view captions, just click on the little "cc" on the bottom right hand side of the video and turn click for French subtitles.

French About offers a whole list of video-based beginning French lessons. You can learn basic expressions, adjectives, and verb tenses here. Each of the videos has the option to watch with English subtitles. The lessons are straightforward and easy to work with so you’ll be sure to keep pace and really learn the material.

Frenchteacherforkids YouTube user has compiled a playlist of some awesome children’s stories spoken with French subtitles. This is perfect for beginners of any age, and allows you to pair words with not only their written form but also with illustrations for you visual learners put there.

BBC French is by far my favorite of these resources. The site offers a ton of interactive French videos (with subtitles) in 24 lessons. Not only is the material top notch, but the design of the site and lessons themselves is well-done and makes for an enjoyable time learning. Seriously, if you check out any of these, check this one out.


Photo Credit: Victoria Bouchard

Korean has been on your list of things to learn for ages, but you just haven’t had the time to dedicate yourself to it, right? Well this is the end of that excuse, because you can learn Korean by simply dedicating one hour each day to your studies, and that hour can be far from boring.

Think of learning Korean as being like a workout for your mind. Instead of spending one day on abs, one day on legs, etc. try spending one hour each day working on a different aspect of Korean. Need help figuring out how to do that? Take a look at this weekly Learn Korean "workout" schedule. It only takes up one hour each day.

Work with a Language Exchange Partner
Start off your week right with an hour-long session with your language exchange partner. Let them guide you through your topics of study and help them pick out tools for you to use later in the week. Your language exchange partner can help you outline which parts of the language you should focus on and make sure that you are keeping a good pace with your learning. This is also the time to work on your growing conversation skills, so chat with your partner in Korean about what you learned throughout your last week. You can connect with your partner in person or online via video chat, making it easy for you to meet up from anywhere.

Interested in finding a language exchange partner but don’t yet have one? Check out LRNGO, a site that offers a free platform to search for a language exchange partner. Simply input what you can teach and what you’re interested in learning and barter knowledge instead of spending money on a tutor!

Use Online Exercises
Since your partner outlined the basics for you, now is your time to practice them on your own. Practice grammar, listening, and vocabulary by working through online exercises so you can test how much you really know.

Listen to Podcasts
Enhance your listening skills by spending your study time listening to Korean podcasts! Be sure to listen to podcasts that match your skill level, be they beginner or more advanced (in which case you could even listen to real Korean radio shows). Podcasts are great to listen to while cleaning, working out, or driving, being the perfect way to multi-task. Check out Weekly Korean for great podcasts along with other resources such as grammar, news, and music lyrics.

Start Reading
Enhance your reading skills by surfing the web for Korean books, comics, and news sites. You can take a look at Naver’s webtoons and you can even read newspapers such as Chosun Ilbo or some of these others for free online.

Watch YouTube Videos
Practice your skills by watching YouTube video Korean lessons such as Korean Class 101 or SEEMILE Korean Class or simply watch Korean clips (be they music videos, film trailers, etc.) on YouTube with Korean subtitles to practice your listening skills.

Get Writing
Download a free Korean keyboard (for Mac or Windows) and start writing! Work on journal entries, opinion articles, or ask your language exchange partner to pick a topic for you. Use tools like Google Drive or Dropbox to interact with your exchange partner and have them check over your work.

Take a TV Break
Since you’ve worked so hard this week, take a break and watch some television shows or movies you’re already familiar with supplemented with Korean subtitles, or watch popular Korean shows. You can find some at Viki.

By spending simply focusing each day on one of these topics, you’ll gain a well-rounded Korean education by working for only one hour each day!


Photo Credit: Luke Ma

Maybe you’re taking a short trip to a Spanish-speaking country or you’re often around Spanish speakers. You may not have time to take a class on the language, but it sure would be useful to know some of the basics in order to communicate. When that’s the case, take a look at this list of English-to-Spanish vocabulary, which is really all you need to know in order to communicate.

Yes  >>>  Sí.

No  >>>  No.

Maybe  >>>  Tal vez

Please  >>>  Por favor

Thank you  >>>  Gracías.

You’re welcome  >>>  De nada

What’s your name?  >>>  ¿Cómo se llama usted?

My name is  >>>  Hola, me llamo…

Nice to meet you  >>>  Mucho gusto.

Excuse me  >>>  Con permiso.

I’m sorry  >>>  Lo siento.

How are you?  >>>  ¿Cómo está usted?

I am well  >>>  Estoy bien

I don’t speak much Spanish  >>>  No hablo español bien

Please speak more slowly  >>>  Por favor, hable más despacio.

Could you write that down?  >>>  ¿Puede escribirlo, por favor?

Could you repeat that?  >>>  ¿Puedes repetirlo?

Where’s the bathroom?  >>>  ¿Dónde está el baño?

Why you shouldn’t stress about knowing more

Think of these basic phrases as a doorway to the language. Nobody’s asking you to speak fluently, all you have to do is be able to communicate. Knowing these phrases shows that you have made an effort to break down the language barrier and will help you establish relationships with people on the get-go. If you’re a bit lost travelling, introducing yourself and saying that you don’t speak much Spanish will aid you and the person you’re trying to communicate with establish grounds on which to help you by.

Other resources are available to you. Just because you don’t know the language doesn’t mean you can’t have access to it. Carry an English-Spanish dictionary with you so that you can look up basic words you don’t know.

Think about when you listen to someone speak without conjugating verbs, such as saying "I to be thirsty". Sure, they may sound a little silly, but in the end you know what they’re getting at. The dictionary won’t be much help when it comes to grammar, but it will provide you with the basic vocabulary that you need in order to get your point across, which is all you need in most situations.

Immersion is a thing. Granted, this will not happen during a short vacation or with occasional attempts at Spanish conversation. But when you need to learn a new language in order to communicate with others effectively 24/7 over a few months length of time, you will pick up on the language if you are genuinely putting in an effort to.

So don’t stress about not knowing more than the basics, they are ultimately all you need in order to get basic communication underway. Remember to be friendly. People are generally willing to listen to you if you’re wearing a smile and are being sincere!


Photo Credit: Felipe Gabaldon