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Showing posts with label DuoLingo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DuoLingo. Show all posts

Friday, October 16, 2026

How to progress from basic to advanced in German or any language in ten simple steps.


1 Start with some loan words which are the same in both languages.

2 Learn 5 to 10 basic words, hello, goodbye, please, thank you, one, two, three, and, the. 

3 Add one simple sentence, such as my name is or where is the toilet, or  (I want/need) water, a sandwich.

4 Learn I you, he, she, it, we, you plural, they.

5 Learn the sentence structure. Is it subject, verb object, like English, or subject, object verb?

6 Learn plurals. Add s, as in English, x as in French, es, as in Spanish, or double (repeat) the word as in Malay, Indonesian and Chinese.

7 Learn some common first names or surnames.

8 Learn some common place names.

9 2 Take up an online course such as Duolingo. Do one exercise every morning, while waiting for breakfast, or coffee, or waiting for transport. 

10 Start a notebook with target language words and start talking to yourself in the target language and noting words you don't know and need.


  Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany


Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.


Flag of Liechtenstein.

A one week plan - beforehand

Learn ten words a day for 7 days and at the end of the week you have 70 words. 

During a one week holiday note ten words a day. that's another 70 words. 140 total. You will recognize people speaking your target language, and be able to identify magazines, newspapers and street signs in the target language.

On a one week or fortnight's holiday take a language course. Or organize a homestay with a family who speak the other language. A meal, a weekend, a long weekend, or whole week. You can invite them back to your place later the same year or another year. 

Aim to learn 1000 words in a year. If you learn only one word a day, most days, you have 300 or more words in a year. If you learn ten words a day, without breaks, and with revisions, you have 3,650 at the and of a year. 

A the end of five years you will be fluent in one language or get by in five languages.

Some online courses match you up with native speakers. 

Failing all else buddy up with a friend or new friend who wants to try the new language.

Buy or make sets of stickers for around the house in the target language, if you live alone or your family agree. 

Play songs in the target language and learn the words. 

Know clothes sizes, colours, the date, your favourite foods, favourite sports, or business words such as meeting, buy, sale, discount, entrance, exit, open, closed.

Know simple danger warnings such as stop, go, danger, fire, flood, river, airport, no parking, no smoking, no entry.


Advanced Language Learning

Know plurals, past, present and future, a statement and a question, 

1 Read bilingual labels on clothes, addresses on food and drinks and wine bottles.

2 Read a newspaper in the target language.

3 Watch a film with subtitles, twice.

4 Learn English from the target language in Duolingo.

5 Switch your Wikipedia to the target language. Have the other language on your phone or a second phone or another computer screen.

6 Switch your phone to the target language.

7 Switch your satnav to the target language.

8 Join a Toastmasters International or other social or sports group which speaks the target language.

9 Find a friend, marry somebody who speaks the other language, or work for a company which uses the target language.

10 Take holidays in the target language country, and other countries which speak dialects.

Useful Websites and books

duolingo.com

Useful |Books

First thousand words in (Usborne books)

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Friday, October 2, 2026

German Words Which Look the Same As English


Where can you use German? In Europe, Germany, Austria, Switzerland.

The word Bruck means bridge as used in the Austrian city of Innsbruck. Salzburg in Austria means salt city.

Furt means ford, as in the German city of Frankfurt.
Dorf, like the English word thorpe, means village. You see that is German towns like Dusseldorf, and in the English attraction, Thorpe Park. 

German nouns have capital initial letters.

English - German

balloon - Ballons

bus - Bus

chocolate - Schokolade

creative - kreativ

engineer - Ingenieur

garden - Garten

guest - Gaste (double dot over the letter a)

often - oft

pizza - Pizzen

poster - Poster

Rome - Rom

Spanish - Spanisch

young - Jung


German - English

Ballons - balloon

Bus - bus

Garten - garden

Gaste (double dot over the letter a) - guest

Ingenieur - engineer

kreativ - creative

oft - often

Pizzen - pizza

Poster - poster

Rom - Rome

Schokolade - chocolate

Spanisch - Spanish

Jung - young


Useful Websites for learning German

duolingo.com

wikitravel German phrasebook

translate Google

-ends- 

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Saturday, September 5, 2026

Different Ways Of Learning German For Visits To Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Theme Parks

Flag of Germany. 

Next year I plan to visit German-speaking Switzerland on a hiking holiday. I have been learning German daily using Duolingo in anticipation. Where else can I practise my German? I might fly or drive via another German-speaking country such as Austria or Germany. I might visit a theme park such as Europa in Germany, one of the biggest theme parks in Europe. When I visit websites, I can look at the English, then the German, then the English, switching backwards and forwards, occasionally using Google translate for words I don't know.

 I am learning German daily using Duolingo, first thing in the morning, last thing at night, whilst waiting for a bus or train, on the bus or train.

A friend of mine from Toastmasters, after I gave a talk on learning languages, told me that he is learning German. To obtain German citizenship you have to achieve a moderate, level 3, level of German understanding, speaking, listening reading aloud and silent sight reading, if you are of German descent on one or both sides of your parentage (maybe grandparents?), and higher level A on the language test if you have no parentage, eg if you have lived there or worked for a German company overseas and want to apply for citizenship, which would give you financial benefits, rights to stay, help overseas, as well as kudos and pride and sense of belonging. 

Phone and Laptop Setting To German

My friend was using various methods of immersion. These included setting his phone and laptop to the German language. 

Wikipedia

I found it useful with Spanish and Italian once I reached a higher level, to run Wikipedia articles in the other language after reading an article in English.

German Language Stickers

My friend was also using stickers.

 I can also use sticky labels in the middle of my copy of the book German in 10 minutes a day. ISBN 0-916682-99-4.

When I could not find my book yesterday, I looked up stickers on Amazon. I had to be careful with what my search words found, I nearly clicked on cheap 'German stickers' which were not German words but German landmarks.  

My German stickers are in German only, not bilingual with English. So I had to look up some of the words.

Easy Obvious German - English Words

die Garage - the garage

der Garten - the garden (as in kindergarden)

das Haus - the house

die Kamera - the camera

die Lampe - the lamp

das Papier - the paper

das Sofa - the sofa


Useful Websites for learning German

amazon books

German in 10 minutes a day, by Kershul, Bilingual Books Inc ISBN 0-916682-99-4.

amazon stickers

duolingo.com

wikipedia language settings

wikivoyage phrasebook German

Wikipedia has a huge list of  German Theme Parks

Germany

Baden-Württemberg

Bavaria

Brandenburg

Hessen

Lower Saxony

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

North Rhine-Westphalia

Bottrop

Köln

  • Kölner Tivoli
  • Tobiland

Rhineland-Palatinate

Saxony

Saxony-Anhalt

Schleswig-Holstein

Thuringia

Euopa

-ends-

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Monday, August 24, 2026

Practising Thinking And Speaking In German

 When I go to bed I lie awake thinking in German. Instead of counting sheep I count the words I know. The Duolingo system tells me I know more than a thousand. 

Listening Exercises

People used to complain that online courses, or book courses, taught them to read but they could not speak a new language. Duolingo has added in the last couple of years listening exercises where they check whether you have heard a specific word, a choice of three of a set of about six words, or which of two similar spoken words.

Speaking Exercises

There are also speaking exercises where you repeat a sentence which is both spoken and written and the system gives you a tick and congratulations or asks you to repeat it twice more until you get it right, or it says, let's move on from now. Every now and then you get asked to repeat exercises from the previous half hour or set of a certain number of exercises which were not right first time.

Practising Useful Vocabulary

When others are asleep I can't practise speaking aloud, but I can think through the names of items in the room, the house, an imaginary hotel, and requests at an airport, hotel or restaurant. 

I can tell the hotel or restaurant everything was perfect.

German - English

perfekt - perfect


English - German

perfect - perfekt

During the day I note useful, similar words from my activity, which today was reading jewellery-making instructions.

German - English

Armband - bracelet

elastische - elastic

hier - here

Informationen - information

klarer Nagellack - clear nail polish

Knoten - knot

Kordel - cord

Minuten - minutes

optional - optional

Schere - scissors (shears)


English - German

bracelet - Armband

clear nail polish - klarer Negellack

cord - Kordel

elastic - elastische

here - hier

information - Informationen

optional - optional

knot - Knoten

minutes - Minuten

scissors - Schere


  Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany


Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.


Flag of Liechtenstein.

-ends-

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Thursday, August 20, 2026

Quick way to learn German Quickly And Easily

 I am learning German ready for a trip to German speaking Switzerland next year. Their accent is different from German speaking Germany and Austria, but I hope to understand German speaking tourists in my group and to read signs. I should be able to understand local people speaking Swiss German by asking them to speak slowly, or by using my mobile phone to help out. Goodness, that's a modern change in the English language. When I was a child you helped. Nowadays you help out. What is the difference?

Never mind that. I must stick to the subject of how I am learning German effortlessly.

Every morning I take a pill. Thyroxine. I have to wait half an hour before eating breakfast. As a distraction, so that I am not tempted to shorten the time, I do a couple of Duolingo lessons in German. That reinforces what I have already learned, and keeps me either ahead or on par with others in my league who are getting points in the games of being paired, or competing in the 30 person weekly contest.

By the time I eat breakfast, I have already ticked one item off my to do list and feel in charge of my day. Duolingo done.  And I have taken my pill at the right time. Two wins. Breakfast, number three. 

How about some words for what I have done? Start translating my everyday thoughts. I shall type out my thoughts and translate them using Google translate. You can do the same. Next time I shall translate my blog into German. After reading it in English, you can read the translation and see how many words are the same.

I shall make a list of my thoughts, and conversations first thing in the morning. I shall translate them at odd moments through the day.

German  

LEARNING GERMAN - ENGLISH THOUGHTS TO TRANLATE

I am learning German. 

I am winning.

I am doing well.

You are winning.

You are doing well.

This is what I do.

Please speak slower.

I can help you.

Let's call it a day

German translation of  everyday thoughts



Ich lerne Deutsch.


Ich bin auf der Gewinnerstraße.


Ich mache mich gut.


Du bist auf der Gewinnerstraße.


Du machst dich gut.


Das ist es, was ich tue.


Bitte sprich langsamer.


Ich kann dir helfen (My memory aid is, 'I can help you, dear')

für heute Schluss machen

However, Duolingo translates 'Were you able to call it a day, then,' as

Konntet ihr (can you plural) dann (then) Fierabend machen.

(I shall have difficulty saying this but might recognize it if somebody says it. I can now put the two phrases into AI and ask it to explain the difference. You could also ask QUORA, but I used QUORA a lot and then they started asking me for money, so I stopped. Maybe after a hiatus the system will let me join for free, or let me search for previous answers to similar questions.)


BREAKFAST

Have you had breakfast?

What time is breakfast?

I have had breakfast.


TO DO LIST

You can do the same.

 I have a lot to do today.

I have started.

I have finished.

I have already started.

I have already done it.


THE DAY'S ACTIVITIES

What next?

Where shall we go?

What shall we do, today?

Have you any suggestions?

What are your thoughts?


EATING OUT

Let's go out.

Let's have lunch in a restaurant.

Can you suggest a restaurant?

Any preference?

That sounds good.

Tell them one o'clock.

I have already booked it.


GROUPS

Who else is going?

I don't know.

I don't have a list.

I have a list.

How do you know?

They told me.

Our friends.

Nobody we know.

Nobody you know.

Nobody I know.

I like meeting new poeple.


ALLERGIES

I am allergic to shellfish.

I forgot to tell them.

I'll tell them.

I'll phone them.

Thanks.

Looking forward to it.

See you later.

Goodbye.

-ends-

Please save.


  Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany


Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.


Flag of Liechtenstein.


Wednesday, August 19, 2026

German words which are like English

 

I am learning German on Duolingo. I reached the top of the top league. That means I need to put in more hours than anybody else.  Any time I want a brief break, I do an exercise.


Easy German-English Words

Chefin - boss
Dokument - document
frustriert - frustrated
Hunger - hunger
Job - job
Kollegin - colleague
perfekt - perfect
die Situation - the situation
stressig - stressful
und - and


  Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany


Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.


Flag of Liechtenstein.


Monday, February 23, 2026

Spanish and Italian - 23 words which are the same - and often the same as English


 I learned Italian one year, Spanish the next. I am now keeping up my Italian using Duolingo, but get confused. When reading either, I find it easy to translate back into English. But going the other way, from English, how do I remember which is which? I made a list in an A5 size notebook. 

At the top of each page I listed words which are the same in all three languages. I then looked them up in google and AI.

The technical term is perfect cognates, words which have the same spelling and meaning. Here they are in alphabetical order. You can also find lists in Wikipedia

Words which are the same in English Spanish and Italian

English - Spanish - Italian

agenda - agenda - agenda

arena - arena - arena

banana - banana - banana

bar - bar - bar

blog - blog - blog

diva - diva - diva

gas - gas - gas

hotel - hotel - hotel

idea - idea - idea

Internet - internet - internet

judo - judo - judo

karaoke - karaoke - karaoke

ketchup - ketchup - ketchup

no - no - no

opera - opera - opera

or - o - o

patio - patio - patio

piano - piano - piano

pizza - pizza - pizza

puzzle - puzzle - puzzle

radio - radio - radio

solo - solo - solo

stop - stop - stop

taxi - taxi - taxi

video - video - video

yes - si  - si

Useful Search Words

cognates, loan words


Useful Resources on Spanish and Italian

Duolingo

Wikivoyage phrasebooks: Italian; Spanish

Wikipedia in Spanish

Wikipedia in Italian

Wikipedia articles on loanwords Spanish, Italian.



Earworms Rapid Italian from Berlitz Vol 1 and 2 CD pack on ebay

Linguaphone Spanish

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Friday, February 6, 2026

How to learn both Spanish and Italian on Duolingo


 I learned Italian on Duolingo, the online language learning system, which has a large number of languages for those with English as a first language. Then I started learning Spanish. 

I looked at my notebook which had pages of Italian and pages of Spanish. I thought, a pity I don't have the Spanish and Italian side by side. I ought to go back to Italian and revive it.

I thought about Spanish speakers learning Italian. They can do it on Duolingo. Then I thought, why don't I learn either Italian for Spanish speakers, or Spanish for Italian speakers. 

I decided to learn Italian for Spanish speakers.

I found several useful things.


Words which are identical

Spanish - Italian - English

o - o - or

Words which are the same except for the accent

te te - tea


Spanish té

Italian tè 

If you are familiar with any Italian coffee shop chain, such as Caffè Nero, you will be able to see that the accent on the letter e is sloping backwards, the opposite of the French word for café.

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

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Monday, February 2, 2026

Learning Italian when you speak Spanish - and vice versa

 I learned Italian last year. This year I am learning Spanish.

Today I decided to speed up both languages by learning Italian for Spanish speakers. That way I learn one language whilst reviving the other. I also am less likely to confuse them because each time I can see the word in both languages.

Spanish - Italian  

Spanish - English

correcto - correct


Useful trilingual books





If you go to a bookshop, look for multi-language books.

I like to buy books with large clear print.

Some books print one of the languages in another colour, paler, which is hard to read if you don't have good lighting and study late at night at home.

The more languages you have in a book, sometimes the smaller the print.

Books aimed at children tend to have larger print.

A book with very large print might have fewer words.

Useful Website For Learning Spanish & Italian

Duolingo.com

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Happy to start Hindi



Hindi is the language. Hindu means the people or their religion. 

Most will understand the greeting namaste with hands held together as you bow as if in prayer.

 Jungle is a Hindi word.

I thought I should look at Hindi again, one of the languages I have signed up for in Duolingo. I thought I should spend five minutes a day on the languages which are not my language of the year. (This year until mid year, June, it's Spanish.)

I looked at my previous posts and found that Amma mean s mother. Ji is added to a name as a sign of respect, such as Ghandhi-ji.

 An easy to remember often used word in Asia is jungle.

A
Avatar
From Hindi अवतार, from Sanskrit, descent of a deity from a heaven

B
Bandanna
from bandhna (बांधना) to tie.
Bangle
from bāngṛī बांगड़ी, a type of bracelet.
Blighty
"Britain" (as a term of endearment among British troops stationed in Colonial India): from Hindi-Urdu vilāyatī (विलायती, ولايتى) "foreign", ultimately from Arabo-Persian ولايتى "provincial, regional".
Bungalow
from बंगला banglA and Urdu بنگلہ banglA, literally, "(house) in the Bengal style".[1]

C

Cashmere

soft wool from goats in Kashmir

Cheetah
from cītā, चीता, meaning "variegated".
Chit
from चिट्ठी Chitthi, a letter or note.
Chutney
from चटनी chatni, meaning "to crush"
Cot
from Khāt, खाट, a portable bed.
Chowkat
from Shokat, Urdu, a door frame.
Cummerbund
from kamarband , cf. कमरबन्द - Urdu کمربند, meaning "waist binding" [ultimately from Persian کمربند]
Cushy
probably from khushi, cf. Hindi ख़ुशी - Urdu خوشی "easy, happy, soft" [ultimately from Persian];[2] but some sources prefer an origin from "cushion"[3]


D
Dacoit
from Daku, meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder. Hence also dacoity(banditry)
Dekko
(UK slang for 'a look') from देखो Dekho, the imperative 'look', (دیکھو देखो ) meaning look at or study something.
Dinghy
from Dinghi, small boat
Dungaree
Heavy denim fabric, also referring to trousers made thereof, from Hindi डूंगरी (ḍūṅgrī, “coarse calico”), the name of a village.


G
Garam masala
from Hindi and Urdu गरम मसाल‌ा گرم مصالح garam masālā, literally "hot ( = spicy) mixture",[4] from Persian گرم garm 'warm, hot' and Arabic مصالح maṣāliḥ 'benefits, requirements, ingredients'.
Guru
from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Sanskrit गुरुः guruḥ "one to be honored, teacher," literally "heavy, weighty."[5]
Gymkhana
A term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place and referred to any of various meets at which contests were held to test the skill of the competitors. In English-speaking countries, a gymkhana refers to a multi-game equestrian event performed to display the training and talents of horses and their rider [-khānā from Pers. khānāh خانه "house, dwelling"]

J
Jaconet
modification of Sanskrit jagannaath, from Jagannath (Puri), [India], where such cloth was first made.[6]
Jodhpurs
Full-length trousers, worn for horseback riding, that are close-fitting below the knee and have reinforced patches on the inside of the leg. Named after Jodhpur , where similar garments are worn by Indian men as part of everyday dress.
Juggernaut
from Jagannath (Sanskrit: जगन्नाथ jagannātha), a form of Vishnu particularly worshipped at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha where during Rath Yatra festival thousands of devotees pull temple carts some 14m (45 feet) tall, weighing hundreds of tons through the streets. These carts seat three images of the deity, meant to be brothers for a 'stroll' outside after the ritual worship session. They are fed by thousands and thousands of worshipers with holy food, as if the icons were living. Early European visitors witnessed these festivals and returned with—possibly apocryphal—reports of religious fanatics committing suicide by throwing themselves under the wheels of the carts. So the word became a metaphor for something immense and unstoppable because of institutional or physical inertia; or impending catastrophe that is foreseeable yet virtually unavoidable because of such inertia.
Jungle
from जङल् jangal, another word for wilderness or forest.


K
Khaki
from खकि khākī "of dust colour, dusty, grey", cf. Hindi ख़ाकी - Urdu خاکی [ultimately from Persian].
Karakul
A hat shaped like a fez but made of real or imitation karakul and worn by Pakistani Muslims on occasion.[7] It is called a "Karakulli topi" (Topi meaning cap).
Karma
from Sanskrit, the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect.


L
Loot
from LooT लूट, meaning 'steal'. Robbery


M
Multan
from Multan, Pakistan: A kind of rug prevalent there.[8]
Mogul
from Hindi and Urdu: An acknowledged leader in a field, from the Mughal rulers of India like Akbar and Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal.
Maharaja
from Hindi and Sanskrit: A king.
Mantra
from Hindi and Sanskrit: a word or phrase used in meditation.

N
Nirvana
(in Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.
Nehru jacket
a kind of sleeveless jacket that worn buttoned up to neck - formal and often worn by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.


P
Pashmina
from Hindi पश्मीना, Urdu پشمينه, ultimately from Persian پشمينه.
Poori
from Hindi poori, from Sanskrit पुर (pura) or "cake".[9]
Punch
from Hindi and Urdu panch پانچ, meaning "five". The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.[10][11] The original drink was named paantsch.
Pundit
from पण्डित Pandit, meaning a learned scholar or Priest.
Pukka
(UK slang: "genuine") from Pakkā पक्का,پکا cooked, ripe, solid.
Pyjamas
from Hindi, पैजामा (paijaamaa), meaning "leg garment", coined from Persian پاى "foot, leg" and جامه "garment" .[12]

R
Raita
from Hindi and Urdu रायता ریتا rayta.[13] yogurt based dish, some add sliced/chopped/diced, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, pineapples, pomegranate or other salads to complement rice or roti meals.
Roti
from Hindi and Urdu रॊटी روٹی roti "bread"; akin to Prakrit रॊट्ट rotta "rice flour", Sanskrit रोटिका rotika "kind of bread".[14]


S
Shampoo
Derived from Hindustani chāmpo (चाँपो [tʃãːpoː]) (verb imperative, meaning "rub!"), dating to 1762.[15]


T
Thug
from Thagi ठग, meaning "thief or con man".
Toddy (also Hot toddy)
from Tārī ताड़ी, juice of the palmyra palm.
Typhoon
from Urdu طوفان toofaan.[16] A cyclonic storm. 


V
Veranda
from Hindi baramdaa बरामदा or another Indian language, but ultimately probably from Portuguese or Spanish.[17]


Y
Yoga

I tried this exercise once before and wrote a blog post about Indian words, using 33.
See my post:
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/33-indian-words-used-in-english-and.html

Useful Websites on Hindi

duolingo.com

preply.com/en/blog/colors-in-hindi

mantrawordscoach.com/blog/hindi

https://www.duolingo.com/enroll/hi/en/Learn-Hindi

https://www.duolingo.com/characters

https://www.amazon.sg/Essential-Hindi-Words-Phrases-Travelers/dp/

https://wikitravel.org/en/Hindi_phrasebook   Many useful words, to print out when travelling. Several words are the same as English, pencil, police, tampon, taxi.

https://wikitravel.org/en/Devanagari_phrasebook (Showing charts of vowels and consonants written in the pretty, squiggly Devenagari characters)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_English_words_by_country_or_language_of_origin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Hindi_or_Urdu_origin

Please share links to your favourite posts.