How to be a Polyglot (meaning multilingual) - learn Chinese, Dutch, Hebrew, Spanish, Swedish

I am learning several languages on Duolingo. When I get tired or bored, I open another language. I read the introductory page, why I should learn it, a couple of grammar rules.

Why should you take advice from me? Because, according to Duolingo's end of the year summary, I am one of the top 4% of learners of several languages, maybe all.  

Where do I get the time? I am retired, although very busy with Toastmasters International, often grammarian or language evaluator at meeting. (Plus managing inherited property, seeing friends and family, tidying, writing poetry, writing blogs, writing books, travelling.)

I spend a minimum of just 5 minutes a day. We all take breaks from other activities. Over coffee. After coffee. If I get up early. If I can't sleep. If I want a break from upsetting news, to de-stress, clear my mind, bore myself with repetition. Instead of reciting mantras, I practise vocabulary.

A few words from each language. 5 minutes a day on each language? At least five minutes a week on each language. And five minutes a day on one language. Usually two. Here's what I learned today.

Flag of Republic of China

CHINESE - ENGLISH

gong xi (she) fa tai (tie) - Happy (Chinese) new year

hau (how) - good  (reply to how are you)

ma - (question word)  really? / is that right / is that so?

ni (pronounced knee) - you

Ni hau + literally you good  = how are you ? / hello

shan - hill / mountain

ENGLISH - CHINESE

happy (Chinese) new year - gong xi (she) fa tai (tie)

Hill / mountain - shan

hello / how are you - ni hau

good - hau

really? is that right? / is that so? - ma?

you - ni

Flag of the Netherlands.

DUTCH

boterham - sandwich, not necessarily ham

brod - bread

de - the

en - and

een - a/an (just change the vowel and it is almost the same as English)

het - the or it

ik - I

jullie - you

krant - newspaper

melk - milk

menu - menu (the same word, how easy is that!)

of - or

rijst - rice

vrouwen - women

water - water

we - we

Words  which are the same in both Dutch and English, menu, water, we.  However, like German, the written w is pronounced v. 

Confusion Cleared

Je is not I but you, prnounced more like yay. Jullie is not Julie but you. I remember, Jullie, it's you. The month of July is juli. Een is a but en is and.

Flag of Finland

FINNISH - ENGLISH

ja - and

kiitos - thank you

kippis - cheers

no - well

paljon onnea - congratulations

tervetuloa - welcome

ENGLISH - FINNISH

and - ja

cheers - kippis

congratulations - paljon onnea

thank you - kiitos

welcome - tervetuloa

well - no

FRENCH - ENGLISH

(un) accord - an agreement

aire de joux pour enfants - childen's playground/ play area

acheter - buy

acompte - deposit

agent immobilier - property agent (US) estate agent (UK) (property - something immobile)

(un) bail - a lease

bilan - survey

caution - gurantee/security deposit

flcons de neige - snowflake

frais - fees

locataire - tenant

logement - accommodation

(le) loyer - the rent

mensuel - monthly

moulin rouge - red windmill (note that the adjective is second place)

non - no

oui - yes

piscine - swimming pool

ENGLISH - FRENCH

accommodation - logement

activities - activités

buy - acheter

children's playground

children's swimming pool / paddling pool

condo - co-ownership - co-propriete

family friendly - conviviale et familiale

a lease - un bail

fees - frais

Jacuzzi ' spa bath - baignoir/bain balnéo

monthly - mensuel

red windmill - moulin rouge

the rent - le loyer

rent - louer

security deposit - caution

serviced apartment - appartement avec services

shop - magasin

shop on site - boutique sure place

swimming pool - piscine

swimming pool for children - children's pool - piscine pour enfants

survey- bilan

Flag of Israel.

HEBREW - ENGLISH

baruch - bless(ed)

ben is son, as in the name Benjamin.

Beth lehem, means house of bread, or bakery.

ha - the

Shalom, meaning peace, is hello and goodbye, as in the city name Jerusalem, city of peace. 

ma? - what

ma zeh - what is this?

sheve/shiva - seven (as in 7 nights of mourning for post-funeral prayers, and Beer Sheva the town, probably originally an oasis of seven wells)

tov - good

ENGLISH - HEBREW

bless(ed) - baruch

bread - lehem

good - tov

hello/goodbye/peace - shalom

house - beit (beth)

son - ben

the - ha

this - zeh

what? - ma?

what's this - ma zeh?

In Duolingo, you don't have to worry about clicking on the wrong word becuase nothing happens until you click on submit. When you clock on the forign language word, either it automatically pronounces it for you, and you can repear it aloud, or you can click on the microphone or loudspaker symbol. So you can click on the four alternatives offered and learn four words, four vowels or consonants, per question, instead of just one.

SPANISH - ENGLISH

angeles - angels, plural. Note the letter s for plurals, like in English. As in the Californian city, Los Angeles, meaning the angels.

camarero(s)- waiter(s)

dos - two

el - the (masculine, singular)

ensalada - salad

feliz navidad - happy Christmas

Los - the, plural, as in Los Angeles, the city in California, USA

mes - table

una - a/one

para - for

pescado - fish

por favor - please

ENGLISH - SPANISH

chicken - pollo

for - para

Happy Christmas - feliz navidad

please - por favor

salad - ensalada 

table - mesa

Flag of Sweden. From Wikipedia.

Swedish looks like simplified, shortened English.

SWEDISH - ENGLISH

April - April

dag - today

det - it

eftermiddag - afternoon

i - in

Ja - yes

juni - June

jag - I

kall - cold

November - november

somrarna - summer

vi - we

vintern - winter

ENGLISH - SWEDISH

afternoon - eftermiddag

April - april

cold - kall

I - jag

June - juni

in - i

it - det

November - november

summer - somrarna

today - dag (very similar to the English word day)

we - vi

winter - vintern

yes - ja (same as German)

Useful Websites

duolingo.com (Languages include Dutch, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Swedish

wikivoyage phrasebook 

https://swissfrenchschool.ch/blog/en/french-vocabulary/real-estate-vocabulary

Please bookmark and share links to your favourite blog posts.

Chinese and Japanese Menu language, food and toilets

 Japan

What to Eat

Sushi

Sashimi

Wagu Beef

What Not To Eat

Poisonous puffer fish

What to drink

Sake. You could try one from country's oldest brewery.

UK Sushi restaurants

Singapore

Wat to eat

Chicken Rice (in a hawker centre or food court, usually served with the chicken soup). 

Useful Websites

Follow Me JAPAN
enquiry@followmejapan.com.sg

tel +65 6507 3900

Was promoting Ibaraki area of Japan, which has flowers and food and drink.

Taiwan's national bird, the blue magpie

Please share links to your favourite posts.

I like the blue wings, the red beak, and the red feet. This charming picture appears in the huge advertisement for Taiwan along the walls of the Linkway in Bugis station, Singapore. The blue magpie is in the mural on both sides, so you see it on your outward journey and on the return. the blue magpie eats snakes. That meets with my approval.

Wiki says

The Taiwan blue magpie^[2] (Urocissa caerulea), also called the Taiwan magpie, Formosan blue magpie

 (Chinese: 臺灣藍鵲; pinyin: Táiwān lán què), or 

the "long-tailed mountain lady" (Chinese: 長尾山娘; pinyin: 

Chángwěi shānniáng; Taiwanese Hokkien: Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû), is a bird species in the crow family. It is endemic to Taiwan.

I can recognize the Chinese symbol for mountain in the bird name, Shan, a pitchfork pointing up ith no handle, reperesenting a mountain peak in the middle.

I have always wanted to visit Taiwan and to see the gold treasures in their national musuem. Let's look at Taiwan, starting with the flag.

The flag of Taipei has the blue sky, white sun, and red earth.

 "Blue Sky with a White Sun flag" (青天白日旗; qīngtiān báirì qí)

qīng blue

tiān sky

bái white

rì Sun

qí)

The central characters, sky, white, and sun, are common, frequently used signs,  known as radicals.

If you are tempted to plan to visit Taiwan, the capital, Taipei, is in the north.

The foods which I look forward to eating in Taiwan include

eggs stewed in soy sauce.

Useful Websites

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

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Albanian flag

The Albanian flag is an orangy red with a central black double headed eagle.

You see the flag everywhere, flying from public buildings, hotels, castles. Also on souvenir stands. Large. Towels. Flags. 

Third set of Albanian words - simple spelling. Five easy words for hotel, restaurant, museum, tourist, visitor

Post under construction. come back soon

THE SAME WORD!

1 The word hotel is the same in both languages. 

SMALL CHANGES In Spelling

Simplest Change  - S to Z

2 Museum, change the s to z and drop the um end. Muze.

3 Visitor, change the s to Z. Vizitor.

SLIGHTLY HARDER CHANGES in spelling

Change by dropping o or inserting o

4 Tourist - simplify the spelling by dropping the o, turist

5 Restaurant in Albanian is spelled similarly to the English, but with simplified spelling. Change the au to o. Restorant.

We can now read and recognize 5 words.

English - Albanian

boat/plane varkë/aeroplan

cheap/expensive e lire e shtrenjte

hotel/restaurant hotel/restorant

How much Sa shumë

museum/shop muze/dyqan

one, two, many një, dy, shumë

tourist/visitor turist/vizitor

Albanian - English

varkë/aeroplan boat/plane hotel/restorant hotel/restaurant muze/dyqan museum/shop turist/vizitor tourist/visitor një, dy, shumë one, two, many Sa shumë How much e lire e shtrenjte cheap/expensive

Short phrases paired

I want it/I don't want it

I like it/I don't like it

too hot/too cold

I am/You are

I am worried/tired

I am relieved/grateful

I am well/happy/fine/good

how are you?/that's good

let's go

let\s start

that's all

it's done/finished

is that okay?

is that enough?

How do I pay?/Here is the money/

Questions

are you

where is

shkojme

le të fillojmë

kjo eshte e gjitha

është bërë/mbaruar

A eshte ne rregull?

mjafton kaq?

Si të paguaj?/Këtu janë paratë/

Pyetje

jeni ju

ku është

e dua/nuk e dua

më pëlqen/nuk më pëlqen

shumë nxehtë/shumë ftohtë

Unë jam/Ti je

jam i shqetësuar/i lodhur

Unë jam i lehtësuar/mirënjohës

Unë jam mirë / i lumtur / mirë / mirë

si jeni?/kjo është mirë

e dua/nuk e dua

më pëlqen/nuk më pëlqen

shumë nxehtë/shumë ftohtë

Unë jam/Ti je

jam i shqetësuar/i lodhur

Unë jam i lehtësuar/mirënjohës

Unë jam mirë / i lumtur / mirë / mirë

si jeni?/kjo është mirë



shkojme

le të fillojmë

kjo eshte e gjitha

është bërë/mbaruar

A eshte ne rregull?

mjafton kaq?

Si të paguaj?/Këtu janë paratë/

Pyetje

jeni ju

ku është

Useful Websites

Translate Google

Wikipedia

Wikivoyage

Yiddish - juicy words to learn and flashcards

Duolingo Yiddish lessons

Their symbols for the Yiddish course. Currently the letter Aleph (A). Previously a menorah in a flag.

Proposed Yiddish flag for Duolingo.

Early design for Yiddish - golden peacock

Yiddish flag outside synagogue

Yiddish Book Centre (museum)

National Yiddish Book Centre, Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA.

Juicy words in this little video.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly51nuMNpkU

Here's a longer video. Skip to the middle to learn Hebrew from flashcards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDmuEyN-c70

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

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

https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/

Singapore national day - August 9th - what is everybody doing?

 

The Singapore flag. I have chosen a version with a black border so that you can see it against a white background.

a

Some people are picnicking by the riverside. They are wearing red shirts and white shorts, or red shorts. 

Shorts? Yes, it is hot. Singapore is in theory the same temperature all year.

Singapore has the same time all year for sunset. It gets dark around 7 to 7.30 all year. When it starts getting dark I know it is time for my online Toastmasters speakers' club meetings.

The organized displays included the National Day Parade, and a descent of parachutes, plus a display of defense by the armed services.

WhatsApp is awash with messages and images and videos of singing of the national anthem and inspirational songs.

Useful Websites

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ndp-2022-a-night-of-celebration-at-singapores-first-full-parade-since-pandemic

The fireworks and song. Expand to fill your screen.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ndp-2022-live-updates-2866506

Tamil song or anthem celebrating with English translation subtitles.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/shabir-singai-naadu-tenth-anniversary-singapore-2863906

How to remember the words for countries in Chinese (Mandarin)

The flag of China. 

Written Chinese uses many symbols. That was how our alphabet evolved. Think of the word Taurus, for bull, and the letter T comes from the initial. In Chinese some symbols still stand for the object drawn in a simplified form. For example, 'one' is just a horizontal line. Two is two parallel horizontal lines. A river is a couple of vertical parallel lines, one being a bit wavy.

  In Chinese the word for a country is guo.  I bought a set of flashcards in the form of a book for toddlers. 

Flag of America
 

The flag name I learned first was the sign for America, mei guo, which means beautiful country. The symbol for beautiful is sheep, with several horizontal lines like a woolly coat sticking out. A beautiful sheep or coat, beautiful. America is a beautiful country. I want to go to there, to that country Guo is a country. May I go to America? Mei Guo.

Guo is the country or land you go to. Here is another easy to remember flag name in Chinese. For Thailand.

Thailand is Tai guo.

country

The symbol for land or country is a square, like the borders. Inside the square is the sign for the king. He has a throne and a crown and welcoming arms. Three horizontal lines and an upright linking them. By his foot is a little diagonal sign, his bag of money, or a jade decoration on his shoe. (A rich king with jade.) A land or kingdom.

China  ( Chinese : 中国;  pinyin :  Zhōngguó ),

The sign is easier to remember than the sound. The sign is a slightly flattened square or horizontal oblong, meaning central, with a vertical line through it, big country north to south, in fact a continent. In Hong Kong you will see lots of signposts with the sign for China. The first sign you see repeatedly and recognize is the simple bisected square.

England, France, Germany, and China also end with the symbol for land or kingdom. 

Flag of France

England is ying Guo. Think of ENG land go. You go. Ying Guo.

The name France is abbreviated to Fa. France is fa guo.

Flag of Germany

The name  for Germany, which the Germans call Deutchland, is abbreviated to De Guo.

The name for China is Zhong Guo.

Pronunciation

Wiki gives this handy table

The four main tones of Standard Mandarin, pronounced with the syllable ma.

0:06

Examples of Standard Mandarin tones

Characters	Pinyin	Pitch contour	Meaning
妈/媽	mā	high level	'mother'
麻	má	high rising	'hemp'
马/馬	mǎ	low falling-rising	'horse'
骂/罵	mà	high falling	'scold'
吗/嗎	ma	neutral	question particle

Standard Cantonese, in contrast, has six tones. Historically, finals that end in a stop consonant were considered to be "checked tones" and thus counted separately for a total of nine tones. However, they are considered to be duplicates in modern linguistics and are no longer counted as such:^[74]

Examples of Standard Cantonese tones

Characters	Jyutping	Yale	Pitch contour	Meaning
poem / poem	si1	this	high level, high falling	'poem'
history	si2	Yes	high rising	'history'
kill	si3	and	mid level	'to assassinate'
hour / hour	si4	sìh	low falling	'time'
city	si5	síh	low rising	'market'
Yes	si6	sih	low level	'yes'

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

https://www.duolingo.com/enroll/zh/en/Learn-Chinese

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

Chinese flags board book

ISBN 978-7-80704-787-2

The biggest, best, most, highest, tallest - what has your country got? Here's Tanzania.

Flag of Tanzania.

Map of the world showing Tanzania on the East African Coast.

From Tanzania I received this message:

 Tanzania has the highest mountain in Africa, the Kilimanjaro.

Elephant and snow-capped Kilimanjaro. 

My husband did this climb, once. (I exercise daily, by climbing out of bed.)

A climber on Kilimanjaro.

Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa the three largest lakes in Africa are also largely in Tanzania.

Serengeti, the world largest game reserves and many other national parks are available in Tanzania.

What does your country have? Or your favourite country?

More on Tanzania

Art. Tingatinga painting.

Wikipedia reveals:

Tingatinga (also spelt Tinga-tinga or Tinga Tinga) is a painting style that developed in the second half of the 20th century in the Oyster Bay area in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and later spread to most East Africa. Tingatinga is one of the most widely represented forms of tourist-oriented paintings in Tanzania, Kenya and neighboring countries. The genre is named after its founder, Tanzanian painter Edward Said Tingatinga.

The Tingatinga school of painting sold their work in Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam. Picture from 1973

Tingatinga is traditionally made on masonite, using several layers of bicycle paint, which makes for a brilliant and highly saturated colors. Many elements of the style are related to requirements of the tourist-oriented market; for example, the paintings are usually small so they can be easily transported, and subjects are intended to appeal to the Europeans and Americans (e.g., the big five and other wild fauna).

A feature of the art, which was probably inspired by murals on the outside of houses in Tanzania, is the filling of the entire canvas.

In visual art, horror vacui (UK: /ˌhɒrə ˈvækjuaɪ/, US: /- ˈvɑːk-/; Latin for 'fear of empty space'), also referred to as kenophobia (from Greek for 'fear of the empty'), is the filling of the entire surface of a space or an artwork with detail. In physics, horror vacui reflects Aristotle's idea that "nature abhors an empty space."

The tallest land Animals - giraffes

(Where next? The famous Giraffe Manor hotel is in Nairobi, Kenya. Costing over 600 dollars a night if you can get a room. It has 12 bedrooms. Next door is a giraffe sanctuary where you can meet giraffes.)

Monuments

Arusha Declaration Monument, has murals around the plinths of the arches.

If you climb Kilimanjaro, you will have ample opportunities to buy tee-shirts with the word Kilimanaro on them.

However, if you don't want casual clothes but something special and national look for a Kanzu for men.

The male costume, especially for formal occasions, is a white or cream coloured kaftan or Kanzu or robe or floor-length tunic. The kanzu is worn with a cap called a Kofia. (Other African countries wear the same or similar). 

the female common costume is a kitenge, a wax print, brightly coloured, oblong sarong, edged on the long side. It can be wrapped around the body, used as a baby sling, a head-dress, a table cloth or wall hanging.

Useful Websites

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Arusha_Declaration_Monument_mural_B.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tingatinga_(painting)

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

https://www.facebook.com/kitengeclothing/

https://www.businessinsider.com/giraffe-manor-center-travel-advice-kenya-instagram-famous-2019-4

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/

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

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=471680081168487

About the author of this blog post

Angela Lansbury

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When