Theblogofwildfellhall

German is not that difficult as we think. Learning a new language is always a struggle in the beginning but with practice, it starts to become natural as our native language. In this post, I’ll give you some tips to start learning or improve your German.  

Phonetics: start with learning the vowels and consonants. The vowels and consonants sound way different in German. Learn how to read the words, especially the ones with the umlaut: ä, ö and ü. They have an especial pronunciation and, if you want to be understood, learn them. For example, schon means already while one of the meanings of schön is beautiful. 

Basic words and expressions: ja, nein, danke, bitte, auf Wiedersehen, ich, du and etc. This is a good start and they are very useful words. Move on to basics like ich bin, ich heisse…

Vocabulary: I would this is the most important thing in learning a new language. There’s no point knowing every grammar rule if you have nothing to say. Read texts and write every word that you don’t know. If it’s a substantive, also look for the articles (der, die or das) and the plural. You can use flashcards to help to memorize those words.

German cases: this is what people are afraid about learning German. I’m not gonna lie because this shit scared me as hell. Stop seeing it as a bad thing, because it’s not. First of all, you need to know the gender of the words so you can actually use them. If you don’t know the articles, you are going to use the cases wrong. Second, we use wich case after certain verbs and prepositions, so you also need to know how to use that stuff. Maybe soon I’m going to do a post explaining the four cases…

Listen: get used to the language. Music, tv shows, movies, podcasts, everything is very useful in this process. You might catch yourself while you are studying: hey, I remember this word from that song.

Don’t give up: stop thinking that you won’t learn German, because you will! Push yourself and study, because no one else will do that for you. It always seems impossible until it’s done. I’m here with you!

Classic Horror Novels That Are NOT Frankenstein Or Dracula

The Vampyre by John William Polidori

Carmilla by J. Sharidon le Fanu

The Flowers Of Evil by Charles Baudelaire

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer by Patrick Suskind & translated by John E. Woods

The Strange Case Of Doctor Jekyll & Mister Hyde by John Louis Stevenson

Complete Stories & Poems by Edgar Allen Poe

The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wild

The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James

The Island Of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells

The Hounds Of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan le Fanu

Melmoth The Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin

The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins

*Note these are all novels published BEFORE the 1900s -- I've got a whole other list of those. If you're interested, hmu.

beautiful french words ✿

ange – angel (masc.)

baleine – whale (fem.)

bisou – kiss (masc.)

brindille – twig (fem.)

brûler – to burn

brume – mist (fem.)

câlin – hug (masc.)

chaleur – heat (fem.)

chatoyer – to shimmer

chaussettes – socks (fem.)

chouchou – my little cabbage, said as a term of endearment (masc.)

citronnade – lemonade (fem.)

citrouille – pumpkin (fem.)

coquillage – seashell (masc.)

croquis – sketch (masc.)

dépaysement – the feeling of being in another country, the weird feeling you get from things being different from what you’re used to.  (masc.)

doux – soft

écarlate – scarlet

éclatant – brilliant, dazzling, gleaming

effleurer – to touch or brush against

empêchement – something that keeps you from doing something (masc.)

épanoui – blooming, joyful, radiant

éphémère – ephemeral

étoile – star (fem.)

feuilles – leaves (fem.)

flâner – to stroll aimlessly

floraison – bloom (fem.)

grelotter – to shiver

hirondelle – swallow (bird) (fem.)

libellule – dragonfly (fem.)

loufoque – wild, crazy, far-fetched

luciole – firefly (fem.)

myrtille – blueberry (fem.)

noix de coco – coconut (fem.)

nuage – cloud (masc.)

orage – thunderstorm (masc.)

pamplemousse – grapefruit (masc.)

papillon – butterfly (masc.)

parapluie – umbrella (fem.)

pastèque – watermelon (fem.)

piscine – swimming pool (fem.)

plaisir – pleasure (masc.)

pleuvoir – to rain

plonger – to dive

retrouvailles – the feelings of seeing someone again after a long time (fem.)

sirène – mermaid (fem.)

soleil – sun (masc.)

sortable – someone you can take anywhere without being embarrassed

tournesol – sunflower (masc.)

french linking words 🌿

Ainsi – Thus, In This/That Manner

La fée transforma ses jambes en queue de poisson, et ainsi, la princesse devint une sirène. The fairy transformed her legs into a fish tale, and thus, the princess became a mermaid.

C’est Ainsi Que – It’s This Way

Elle a travaillé dur pendant dix ans. C’est ainsi qu’elle a gagné la compétition. She worked hard for 10 years. She won the competition that way.

Alors – Then, So, Hence

Jean Noël ne pouvait pas supporter le bruit dans le club, alors il est sorti. JN couldn’t bear the noise in the club, so he went out.

Alors Que – While, Whereas, When

Alors que Sophie aime le jazz, Marie déteste ça. Whereas Sophie loves jazz, Mary hates it.

Aussitôt Que –As Soon As

Aussitôt que la chatte s’est endormie, les souris se sont montrées.

As soon as the cat fell asleep, the mice showed themselves.

D’autant Plus – All The More

Il partageait sa passion de la danse. Elle l’aimait d’autant plus. He shared her passion for dance. She loved him all the more.

D’autant Plus Que – Even More So Since

Je suis vraiment déçue. D’autant plus que je lui avais dit de venir chez nous. I am really disappointed. Even more so since I told him to come to our house.

Bien Que – Even Though (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Elle l’a fait, bien qu’elle n’en ait pas eu envie. she did it even though she didn’t feel like it.

Si Bien Que – Hence

Ils parlaient à demi-voix si bien qu’elle ne pouvait pas les entendre. They spoke softly, hence she couldn’t hear them.

Cependant – Nevertheless, Meanwhile, However

Je ne suis pas de son avis. Cependant je le suivrai. I don’t share his opinion. Nevertheless I will follow it.

Dès – Since, From

Dès ce moment, il a refusé de parler d’elle. From that moment, he refused to talk about her.

Dès Que – As Soon As

Je te téléphonerai dès qu’elle arrivera. I’ll call you as soon as she gets here.

En Tant Que – As (A)

En tant qu’ingénieur, elle est très précise. As an Engineer, she is very precise.

Lorsque – When

Ils ont cueilli les cerises lorsqu’elles étaient mûres. They picked the cherries when they were ripe.

Malgré – Despite

Malgré son effort, cela n’a pas suffi. Despite her efforts, it wasn’t enough.

Même Si – Even If

Il ira même si elle n’y va pas. He’ll go even if she doesn’t.

À Moins Que – Unless (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Vous ne pourrez pas voir la directrice à moins que vous ayez un rendez-vous. You will not be able to see the director unless you have an appointment.

Néanmoins – However, Nevertheless, Nonetheless

Elle avait peu d’argent néanmoins elle lui a tout donné. She had little money, but she gave all to him nonetheless.

Pendant Que – While, As

Marc étudie la chimie pendant qu’il écoute la radio. Marc studies chemistry while he is listening to the radio.

Pour Que – So That (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Il a couru pour qu’elle ne l’attende pas trop longtemps. He ran so that she wouldn’t wait for him too long.

Pourtant – Although, Still, Nevertheless

La femme a plus de quarante ans, mais c’est pourtant une beauté. The woman is over forty, but she is nevertheless a beauty.

Puisque – Since, Because, As, Seeing That, For That Reason

Puisque sa maman ne voulait pas jouer au Monopoly, le petit garçon est sorti jouer dehors. Since his mother didn’t want to play Monopoly, the boy went to play outside.

Quand Même – Even Though, All The Same, Nevertheless

Ce n’est pas lui qui chantait le mieux, mais il a gagné la compétition quand même. He wasn’t the best singer, but he won the contest all the same.

Quant À – As For

Quant à lui, il préfère ne pas discuter de ce sujet dangereux. As for him, he’d rather not talk about this dangerous topic.

Quoique – Though, Although (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Quoiqu’elle ne sourie pas beaucoup, en réalité elle est très contente. Although she doesn’t smile much, in fact she is really happy.

Quoi Que – Whatever, No Matter What (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Quoi qu’il dise, elle ne le croit pas. Whatever he might say, she won’t believe him.

Sinon – Except, If Not, Otherwise, Except That, Unless

Ne sors pas sans manteau, sinon tu vas attrapper froid. Don’t go out without a jacket, otherwise you’ll catch a cold.

Tandis Que – Whereas, While

Il préfère aller à la plage pour les vacances, tandis qu’elle préfère aller à la montagne. He likes to go to the beach for vacations, whereas she prefers the mountains.

LINDSEY STIRLING TIME

@almondmilks’ archive

things to do when you’re bored:

filling a notebook with random conversation phrases overheard from strangers

writing 100 poems in one week (inspired by @alwaysbringabookwithyou)

creating moodboards for your friends

learning lyrics in a foreign language

reading challenges of any kind

creating playlists for different moods, seasons, times of the day

turning an unused notebook into an art journal

writing short stories on words from a random dictionary page

learning everything about a certain year or historical period

listing 100 places you want to visit

imagining the best version of yourself and jot down first steps to become them

trying and rating new skincare/beauty products