Hello everyone! As you may know I've created this challenge to help revive the langblr community. It's a three week challenge designed to get you back into learning languages and (hopefully) give you ideas on how to study and share your knowledge of them. It is completely optional to do, but try to reblog other people's posts if you aren't participating.
The challenge is designed to be done daily, however if you miss a day, you can go back and do it later or continue from where you left off. I do encourage you to do your best to keep up with the challenge though. Tag your posts with #langblr reactivation challenge so that others can find your posts.
If you have any questions, please send me an ask or a message and I'll do my best to answer it.
I'll put the prompts under a read more so this post isn't ridiculously long. Good luck to everyone participating! Remember the best way to promote the langblr revival is by reblogging other people's work.
Week 1
Day 1: Create an introduction post about yourself. What's your name? What languages are you studying? What languages do you hope to study? What do you hope you'll get out of this challenge? Add whatever else you’d like to your introduction post!
Day 2: Write a list of goals you have for your target languages. Make both long term and short term goals. An overall goal could be to have the ability to talk with native speakers with ease and a smaller goal would be to finally learn that difficult grammar point that's been plaguing you for ages. How will you achieve them?
Day 3: Create a list or a Mindmap of vocabulary topics. Start with a broad topic and narrow down to more specific topics. An example could be bedroom - furniture - closet - clothes or travelling - languages - study words - school supplies. Keep a hold of this because you'll use it later to create vocab to study. Some broad topics to start with: house, school, work, travelling, friends and family, nature, city. Feel free to use these or think of your own. Share your mindmap so others can get some ideas if they need it. Here are some mind map creation tools (x) (x) (x).
Day 4: Create a vocab list for one of the topics you created yesterday, if you want to make more, feel free to make as many as you like! Share your list and reblog other people's lists. And most importantly, make sure you study these words!
Day 5: Find a video in your target language and watch it as many times as you need to in order to understand it. Make a post about the video. What was it about? Did you like the video? Was it difficult to understand? Make sure you link the video. Try to write your answers in your target language, but if you can’t that’s okay!
Day 6: Look up 3 idioms in your target language and explain what they mean and how you use them in a sentence (with an example!).
Day 7: Send asks to other langblrs (bonus points if it's in a shared target language!) asking them about whatever (for example, ask how their day was, ask questions about their target languages, or share some of your thoughts with them). If you receive one, answer it! You can ask more than one person and it can be on or off anon.
Week 2
Day 1: Over the next week, create a playlist/playlists of songs in your target language(s), they can either have a specific mood or genre or they can be a collection of songs you've discovered. When you feel like you're done with your playlist, share it so others can find some new songs. If you already have a playlist, you can add songs to it and update it.
Day 2: Write an explanation on a grammar rule in your target language (such as verb tenses, exceptions, word order, etc). Include sentences to show how and when it is used.
Day 3: Either make a vocab list or find a vocab list you like and make sentences using those words. You can make them as long or as short as you like. This is a good way to contextualise vocab words and learn them in context. Share your sentences and highlight the vocab word.
Day 4: Record yourself reading an article, short story, or passage (basically anything written in your target language). Listen to it and see if you can point out any areas you can improve with your speaking and any areas that you're doing well. You can post your recording if you wish.
Day 5: Post at least 2 songs that you like in your target language. Make sure you add a link to them so people can go listen to them.
Day 6: Share a study tip you have. This can range from how you organize your notes to playlists that help you study to apps you use to review. Just something that you find makes studying easier (and more fun).
Day 7: Share with everyone some langblrs you enjoy seeing on your dash, try to put at least 5 people (and make sure you @ them!).
Week 3
Day 1: Remember that playlist you made/are making? Take a song you really like and make a vocab list of words you don't understand, learned from the song, or recognize but don't quite remember. Post so others can see and link the song. If you have extra time and/or want a bit more of a challenge, translate the song as well, either into English or another language.
Day 2: Write about a festival or holiday that is celebrated in a country that speaks your target language. This can be either something you’ve celebrated yourself, have wanted to participate in, or have never heard of before. You can write this in any language you’d like.
Day 3: Make another vocab list from the list you made at the beginning of the challenge. If you are learning two or more languages, make the vocab list in 3 languages (meaning for example: French, German, and English or Japanese, Arabic, and Ukrainian).
Day 4: Find a recipe written in your target language and translate it into your native language (or another language of your choice) or find a recipe in your native language and translate it into your target language. Bonus points if you actually make it (share pictures if you do)!
Day 5: Create a collection of resources you use to study/learn your target language. Add links to them if possible so others can also use them.
Day 6: Create a post explaining a grammar rule that you had/are having difficulties learning. If you’re currently having difficulties, do your best to explain and ask others to help you understand it better. Include example sentences in your explanation.
Day 7: How do you feel at the end of this challenge? Did you meet any goals while doing this? Do you feel more confident in your language abilities? Where do you think you'll go from here? Answer these questions either in your native language or your target language.
Hopefully you guys enjoy/enjoyed this challenge. After you've completed the challenge, I encourage you to continue your studies in your target languages and support others in theirs.
Working on expanding my artstyle pool. These are of me, @kimsbian (@evil-milfs) and @mistalintu
Will take 10 requests in this style. The only requirements are to follow me and to reblog this post (because I desperately want people to see the comics I spend so much time on)
"Se kuuluu asiaan." = That's just part of it. (Literally: It belongs to the thing)
"Kenelle tuo kirja kuuluu?" = To whom does the book belong?
2 - Kuulua = to be heard (DO NOT CONFUSE WITH KUULLA)
"Ei kuulunut linnun laulua" = The bird's song was not heard.
3 - Kuulua = to be heard (of) - metaphorical meaning
"Hän pohti, miksi lasta ei kuulunut." = He wondered why there was no sign of a child.
[To explain further the article title was: "Ensin lasta ei kuulunut, sitten toive adoptiosta kariutui – nyt Juska Salminen, 45, on tuore isä" = "At first there was no sign of a child, then hope of adoption fell apart - now Juska Salminen, 45, is a new dad" ... so the phrase "ei kuulunut lasta" is meaning that even though they were trying for a baby, they didn't "hear" of one - i.e. there was no signs a baby was coming]
"Hänestä ei ole kuulunut mitään." - Nothing has been heard about him. [Or perhaps more natural in English: We/I haven't heard anything from him.]
4 - Mitä kuuluu? = How are you?
5 - Se ei kuulu sinulle. = It is none of your business.
...
DO NOT CONFUSE WITH THE VERB KUULLA (TO HEAR):
Kuulla = to hear
"En kuullut herätyskelloa aamulla." = I didn't hear my alarm clock in the morning.
This expression has two meanings in French.
1. Lit. translation : To wipe [a surface] with a sponge.
"Passe l'éponge sur la table de la cuisine quand t'as fini, s'il te plait ! " // "Please, wipe the kitchen table (with the sponge) when you're done ! ".
Note : You can also say "passer un coup d'éponge" if you're not talking about deep cleaning your kitchen.
2. Passer l'éponge : to forgive and forget / to let bygones be bygones
"Il a tué toute ma famille ! C'est impossible que je passe l'éponge, je ne lui pardonnerai jamais !" // "He killed my entire family ! There's no way I'm going to let it go, I'll never forgive him !"
On your phone, go to Settings> Security and Privacy> Privacy> Other Privacy Settings> Ads> Delete Advertising ID
Then go back to Other Privacy Settings> Google location history> Turn off Location History &/or Turn-on Auto-Delete (you can set a time period of how long to keep it)
Then, staying on Other Privacy Settings, go to ’+ See all activity controls’> Web & App activity> Turn off (you can also turn-on Auto-Delete for here too)
Then Scroll down to Personalized ads> My Ad Center> Turn Off Personalized Ads.
Google has no business knowing/storing everything you do online, and knowing/storing where you go everyday. Turn it off.
These instructions are for an Android phone, IOS might be different. If you have IOS or another operating system feel free to add on with your own map to where they’ve buried these settings in your phone to help others.
Hey :) i just found your blog and saw that you're learning Czech too! I've just started learning Czech, so i wanted to ask whether you maybe have a Czech language learning book you can recommend that teaches basic grammar and vocab
Hi! I actually have several textbooks that I've been given/lent:
Chcete Mluvit Česky? Do you want to speak Czech? vol.1 -
This an older book which might not be in print anymore from what I hear, but it is very detailed in both grammar and vocabulary: it has vocab lists, good grammar explanations, and texts and dialogues with comprehension questions.
It is not as pretty to look at as other options but it does its job very well.
2. Krok za krokem vol. 1
This one is the one I use for my online Czech course, it is very learner-friendly but takes it slower on the vocabulary and on the grammar too, and we use it especially for the listening comprehensions as most exercises come with the read-out-loud version.
3. Čeština pro cizince (úroveň A1 a A2)
I havent actually been using this one at all, simply because I have too many resources already. From what I've gathered looking at the index it covers pretty much all of the things one might need, and it comes with a lot of audio tracks as well.
One unique exercise that separates this textbook from the rest is the inclusion of diktáty (dictations) exercises.
I hope this helps a bit! Good luck in your Czech learning journey
As a Québécoise, I have strong feelings about our swearing system and it’s fun to try to explain to people who aren’t from here, and even to France French speakers because we just do not have the same expletives. Pretty much every Québécois swear is a direct or twisted up reference to something you’d find in a church or that’s related to the Church. I haven’t actually looked into it but that may be because of the wave of secularisation that happened here in the 60’s. Keep reading for a list of common swear words, how you can string them together, and some other expressions that stem from Québécois expletives! Useful for writing Québécois characters, or just for fun if you’re into languages.
The verb ‘to swear’ in Québécois French is ‘sacrer’ which in and of itself is a reference to the Church (‘sacrer’ = ‘to make sacred’).
*OSTI or ESTI (less explicit alternatives are ‘esprit’ or ‘osprit’): originally referenced the communion wafer (l’osti). Translated, it can kind of mean ‘fucking’ as an adverb when you add ‘de’ after, ex: ‘C’est un osti de gros banc de neige’ = ‘That’s a big fucking snow bank’ or ex: ‘Il est un osti d’idiot’ = ‘He’s a fucking idiot’. ‘En osti’ is another expression that translates to the adverb ‘fucking’, ex: ‘Ça faisait peur en osti’ = ‘It was fucking scary’. ‘Osti’ can be used on its own or in a string of swears.
*CÂLISSE or CÂLICE (less explicit alternatives are ‘câlique’ or ‘câline’): originally referenced the chalice (le calice). Used on its own (when your dad breaks a glass and yells this, he’s real mad) or in a string of swears.
*TABARNAK (less explicit alternative is ‘tabarnouche’): originally referenced the cabinet that holds the ciborium which in turn holds the communion wafers (le tabernacle). Used on its own (when your mom is yelling at you to get in the car and yells this, she’s real impatient) or in a string of swears.
what if i just decide that life is beautiful even with the horrible things in it and that to be alive is magical even when i feel like shit and to let go of the beliefs that limit me and return to love always. and i’m sexy. what then
