Logophile101

DISCLAIMER: This is in traditional Chinese!

可__ : __able

可 attached to a verb more or less lets you turn it into an adjective of the able to (verb) kind. That was a terrible explanation here have a vocab list

可愛  kě'ài  lovable, cute (where kawaii comes from) 

可憐  kělián  pitiable

可靠  kěkào  reliable (kào is to depend on)

可惜  kěxí  unfortunately, regrettably

可疑  kěyí  suspicious 

可笑  kěxiào  laughable, ridiculous

可氣  kěqì  frustrating, exasperating

可怕  kěpà  terrifying 

There are more (because there are always more) but now you get how great a name/transliteration 可樂 kělè is for “coke,” it looks like happy-able! Coca-cola is specifically 可口可樂, so like “can drink, can happy” but really “good to drink, makes you happy.” (supposedly shop keepers at one point transliterated as 蝌蝌啃蠟 kē kē kěn là, “bite the wax tadpole,” but that was never official. Reasons to pay your translator well.)

Chinese - 空房间  (kòng fáng jiān)

How do you say “an empty room” in your native language or the language you are learning?

Learning a foreign language is intimidating to many students, so I though I’d share some of my best tips for effective language studying!

MEMORIZE SMARTLY

Be selective about vocabulary. If you’re learning a language for class, you most likely won’t have much control over the material you learn. However, if you’re self-studying and you do have a choice, invest your time and energy wisely by prioritizing vocabulary to memorize based on what is significant and relevant.

Significant words are the ones that are the most common in the language. Learning these core words and phrases will give you a bigger return by allowing you to sooner start comprehending more things. For example, studies show that 0.5% of the English language, or the 3000 most common words, makes up 95% of the content in any given conversation or written text (source). You can search online to find lists of the words that appear most frequently in your target language. I used this list of the top 1000 French words to get me started.

Relevant words are the ones that pertain to your unique needs and interests, such as vocabulary to describe yourself, your career, and/or your family members. If you’re traveling to another country, you may need phrases for introducing yourself, asking for directions, or buying things. If you’re a gourmand, you may want to learn the names of different types of food. You’ll be more likely to retain and use words that are interesting and relevant to your own life.

Use spaced repetition to memorize faster. I explain how to use the spaced repetition method in this post, although you can also achieve the same effect without using Anki.

Apply the vocabulary you’ve learned. You can engage with new vocabulary by doing the following:

Make it a goal to incorporate the word you’ve just learned into your next three conversations.

Learn phrases and idiomatic expressions that include the new word (ex: if you’ve just learned the English word green, learn green thumb and green with envy next).

Research the context the word is usually used in– is it formal? casual? vulgar? specific to one particular use or topic?

Write funny, creative sentences or stories using your new word(s) to help them better stick in your memory. This is especially important for verbs, so you can see the conjugations in action instead of merely memorizing a table of endings.

Don’t neglect memorizing correct spelling, accent marks, or the genders of new words. These often seem like trivial details to beginning language learners, but slacking off on these will come back to bite you down the road. Even small mistakes can change the entire meaning of what you want to say. Genders, especially, are hard to memorize but imperative to know for making adjectives and object pronouns agree.

AVOID TRANSLATING

Most language learners will hear/read something being spoken/written in their target language, mentally translate it to their native language and formulate a response in their native language, then translate their response back to their target language. This direct translation will slow down your rate of comprehension and expression, make you unable to speak naturally and fluently, and increase your chances of making mistakes with idiomatic expressions (ex: incorrectly writing Je suis 12 ans instead of J’ai 12 ans). Aim to avoid internally translating as much as possible.

Instead, learn to think in your target language by using the following methods:

Connect new vocabulary and phrases with images and ideas, not translations or definitions in your native language.

Draw doodles that represent new vocab words you receive. This doesn’t work for all words, but I try to draw a picture for all the words on my weekly French vocabulary list, and I’ve found it very helpful.

When making flashcards, put the new word on one side and an image to represent it (as opposed to the translation in your native language) on the other.

Look around you and describe items you see in your target language (color, size, use, etc.)

If you’re reading and you come across a word you don’t know, attempt to ascertain its meaning through context clues instead of immediately looking it up.

Once you’ve reached an intermediate/advanced level, use a monolingual dictionary so definitions for all new vocabulary will be in your target language instead of your native one.

However, don’t feel discouraged if you find yourself frequently translating in your head. The way most schools teach foreign languages focuses on translating, not thinking in the target language, so you’ll likely have some tendencies and habits that are hard to break. Practice, practice, practice, and you’ll get better!

IMMERSE YOURSELF

Obviously, the fastest way to learn a new language is to travel to a foreign country where you’ll be forced to use it. But if you don’t have the resources to take a trip, there are many ways to get the immersion effect from the comfort of your own home.

Consume a variety of written and spoken language though television, movies, music, news, blogs, poetry, comics, podcasts, audiobooks, YouTube videos, and/or children’s books.

If you’ve already completed your Duolingo course, try doing it backwards.  Instead of the native language to target language course, do the target language to native language course. If you know 3+ languages, do the Language 2 to Language 3 course for an extra challenge!

Speaking of Duolingo, the immersion feature is a great way to find articles in your target language that are both appropriate to your skill level and relevant to your interests. I tend to avoid the translation aspect for reasons stated in the previous section, but I still think reading the articles is useful.

Find a pen pal who’s a native speaker. You can communicate through email or online chat, but snail mail could allow you to also send each other trinkets and souvenirs from your respective countries/cultures. HelloTalk is a great app that allows you to connect with native speakers of your target language who are learning your native language, so you can teach and help each other.

Change the language on your phone, laptop, and/or browser to your target language. You can change the language in your device settings, and I personally use the extension Language Immersion for Chrome for my browser. Just make sure you know how to change it back!

Lastly, have confidence and take risks! Make an attempt to say something even if you’re not 100% sure it’s correct. I know how embarrassing mistakes can be (I once used “un baiser” as a verb and I still cringe thinking about it. Yikes!), but ultimately it’s all part of the learning process and leaving your comfort zone is the only way to improve. Trying to learn other languages is admirable in itself, so take pride in that and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask.

+Click here for the rest of my original reference posts!

—Sophia :)

两个人之间最坏的距离就是误解。

The worst distance between two people is misunderstanding.

23.10.2020

Apologies for this very text heavy infographic-thingy, I am still trying to get the hang of making better graphics ^^ There was a lot of information I wanted to include in this one and it ended up this way! I did not at all expect my first post to get as much love as it did but I’m glad it was helpful :)

Read under the cut for some additional resources!

Keep reading

being a responsible adult (or even college student) in chinese

appliances：

洗衣机 xǐyījī washing machine

烘干机 hōnggānjī dryer

洗碗机 xǐwǎnjī dishwasher

吸尘器 xīchénqì vacuum cleaner

冰箱 bīngxiāng refrigerator/fridge

炉子 lúzi stove

烤箱 kǎoxiāng oven

热水器 rèshuǐqì hot water heater

微波炉 wēibōlú microwave

加湿器 jiāshīqì humidifier 

热水壶 rèshuǐhú kettle

面包机 miànbāojī toaster

chores：

洗衣服 xǐ yīfu to wash clothes

烘衣服 hōng yīfu to dry clothes

叠衣服 dié yīfu to fold clothes

挂衣服 guà yīfu to hang clothes

打扫 dǎsǎo to sweep

收拾房间 shōushi fángjiān to tidy up a room

吸地 xīdì to vacuum the floor

擦地 cādì to mop the floor

铺床 pūchuáng to make the bed

摆桌子 bǎi zhuōzi to set the table

擦窗户 cā chuānghu to clean the windows

洗碗 xǐwǎn to wash the dishes

喂狗／猫 wèi gǒu/māo to feed the dog/cat

other stuff：

脏 zāng dirty

乱 luàn messy, sloppy, disorderly

干净 gānjìng clean

整齐 zhěngqí neat, tidy, in order

正式 zhèngshì formal, official

随便 suíbiàn casual, informal

简单 jiǎndān simple

不行 bùxíng won’t do, be out of the question, be no good

洗衣房 xǐyīfáng laundry room

用 yòng to use

铺 pū to spread, to extend

愿意 yuànyì to be willing to, want to

想象的力量，给予我们无限可能。 The power of imagination makes us infinite.

我会在伤痛中找到力量并改变我的方法。

I’ll find strength in pain and I will change my ways.

自信 (zi4 xin4) - self confidence; literally: 自 = self 信 = believe

Ex. You can increase your 自信 over time. It is something I try to improve everyday.