Travel is much more rewarding if it involves something more than getting sloppy drunk on a beach. Even small experiences, like learning to make Mexican mole, dance samba, or string together a few words to tell a joke in a marginalized language, can make a vacation into an enriching, memorable experience.
A guide to audio learning options for Italian, quick reviews, and suggestions for how to build an effective learning plan that makes the most of time spent driving and in other tasks
How to Best Learn Italian While Commuting, Doing Housework, or Exercising Read More »
A guide to fascinating Italian podcasts that also help with learning and maintaining the language
The Best (Most Intriguing, Fun, Informative…) Italian Podcasts that I Listen to Read More »
My takeaways from reading in Spanish, Italian, and French on a Kindle to maintain and build vocabulary. Plus how I’ve used the built-in flashcards, exported them to a better app (Anki), and then made foreign-language vocabulary my own through quick online classes.
Reading in Foreign Languages: The Kindle as an All-Powerful Language-Learning Tool Read More »
European Portuguese is infamously quite different from the Brazilian variety. Here is what you need to know if you’re hoping to transition from speaking one to speaking or understanding the other. Your Language Guide Mose Hayward Luso-curious I’ve been speaking Brazilian Portuguese regularly for more than a decade, but have recently been spending more time
Brazilian vs. European Portuguese: Key Differences to Learn in Grammar and Vocabulary Read More »
The lyrics for Magnifico’s tune “Ubiću Te” can tell us some things about Serbian grammar.
Learn to speak languages without pesky bullshit like comprehension or communication.
Get Fluent in Any Language in Just 20 Minutes! Read More »
All about the science behind “speaking better” after a bit of alcohol and what this really means for language learners
Science Shows Why Drinking Helps with Language Learning—Up to a Limit Read More »
Key phrases that can make you sound like an American
11 Ways to Fake Fluent American English Read More »
What are the cheesiest things that Catalans say in the pursuit of love/banging?
Flirting in Catalan: Pickup Lines that Are Ridiculously Cliché, Stupid, and Fun Read More »
How does Portuguese handle forró body parts, forró quivering and wiggling, and a female perspective on the dance experience? A look at the lyrics of Nosso Xote.
A Secret Brazilian Body Part — And More Wisdom from “Nosso Xote” Read More »
The horrors of Serbian/Croatian/Bosian hit you one after another: cases, verb aspect, and conjugations… And then at some point, probably later in the process, the bizarre and seemingly random distinctions between više and još will also start to get on your nerves. These words can be translated, variously, as “more”, “even more”, “yet”, “any more”, “still”, etc.
Više vs. Još in Serbian/ Bosnian/ Croatian: The Differences and When to Use Each One Read More »
How to find gifts for someone learning a language that will actually go to good use
I’ve been going to Brazil frequently for more than a decade. When people ask why I keep going back, I invariably give my very top reason (of the many possible): to go dancing. There are calculated to be upwards of 300 styles of Brazilian music and they are just fantastic—not surprising since Portuguese is the
Go to Brazil Just for the Dancing — How, What, & Where: Complete Planning Tips Read More »
How forró suffers from gender norms, and why the dance is poorer because of it
Women recount their experiences with one of Brazil’s more sensual dances
Dançar Gostoso! Europeans Tell of their Sexiest Forró Dances Read More »
Is it random luck that so many of the world’s great songs are in Portuguese, or does the language itself have something to do with it?
Why Portuguese is the Best Language for Music Read More »
An investigation of the many Catalan cultural traditions involving poop
Catalonia: Behold the Most Shit-Obsessed Culture on the Planet Read More »
Learn some informal Brazilian Portuguese with the lyrics to one of the greatest samba rock songs ever
A few quick tips that can completely change your language learning adventures
Sound just like a perfect French speaker with a few filler words and cultural tidbits.
Bosnian is uniquely rich among its Slavic brethren in shortened informal expressions. Here’s a quick guide; master these few words and you’ll sound like a local.
Learn Just Enough Bosnian Slang to Toast, Gripe, and Propose Marriage Read More »
Learn the basic, funny, and very useful expressions for a bit of partying, complaining, and joking in Neapolitan
Neapolitan in 20 Minutes: Learn Just Enough for Any Conversation in Southern Italy Read More »
The language learning methods that actually work best according to science—and how to harness them
What Scientists Know About Learning Languages that You Probably Don’t Read More »
My review of “Fluent Forever” and the key takeaways for those who want to learn languages efficiently
My “Fluent Forever” Results: Review and Key Takeaways for Language Learning Read More »
It seems like a BIG challenge, but we’ll help you slip right into fluent Spanish with enticing phrases and sexy situational learning. You’ll be pumping out correctly conjugated verbs and smokingly precise vocab, and the hot hot HOT Spanish you learn this way will be lodged in your animal brain forever. Our sizzling Spanish-learning app
Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary Are So Hard!!! Read More »
Do people in São Paulo actually know how to dance samba at all?
How is samba danced in Brazil’s business capital, São Paulo? Read More »
A complete catalog of traditional Catalan dances from a century back that are done while drunk or drinking
How to drink while dancing: Traditional Catalan wisdom for prancing drunks Read More »
The best adventures in foreign lands usually involve locals who have a couple of generations on me. They didn’t learn to dance from MTV, and they haven’t taken up the lowest-common-denominator drinks wrought on the world’s youth by globalization (Heineken, absolut, mojitos, cosmopolitans). These are the locals with stories to tell, cultural wisdom to share. The lame cell-phone photos above and
On the road: Why I party with elderly locals Read More »
Good video examples of samba de gafieira
A Great Video of Samba de Gafieira Read More »
Are you pretentious, angry, well-known, a coward, or a worrywort? These and dozens of other things can and should be expressed in Catalan with equivalents of “shit”.
You Can’t Speak Proper Catalan without These 53 Expressions Involving Excrement Read More »
These are the best books—out of the many I have tried—for learning Turkish on my own
My Favorite Books for Learning Turkish Read More »
The key phrases in Mexican Spanish for expressing love, lust, and other slang related to your sexual and romantic escapades.
Important Phrases for Boinking Your Lover(s) in Mexican Spanish Read More »
I’ve tried out all of the best learning books for Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian—here’s what to use and to avoid.
The Best Books for Learning Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian Read More »
If you want to joke, flirt, and gripe with the locals in Sicily, you could do so in Italian. But if you manage to do so in Sicilian you’re going to have way more fun. Sicilian is the language of the island of Sicily. Some refer to it as a “dialect” — but, prior to
Minchia ch’è beddu! 20 Minutes to Feigning Fluent-ish Sicilian Read More »
Key slang in Serbian / Croatian / Bosnian for sex and romance
Effortless, fluent, minimally communicative Serbian with our minimalist language learning method
Fluent Serbian in 20 Minutes — Fake Your Way Through Any Rakija-Soaked Conversation Read More »
Russian gestures are weird and tell you a lot about the language; don’t attempt to speak it without them!
The Outstanding Russian Gestures that Should Be Adopted by Everyone Read More »
Today we’ll learn to count in Serbian / Bosnian / Croatian. But this South Slavic linguistic shitshow is crazy, so all we’re really going to understand is the number one. If we get really masochistic, we may cover the numbers two, three, maybe even four and more in some other article. This is a grammar
Can You Count to One in Serbian? It’s Fucking Harder Than You’d Fucking Think! Read More »
Forró has both some inherent advantages and disadvantages, according to top world teachers
Forró vs. Other Dances Read More »
How can you take a dance style that is unknown in your area and create a thriving community with parties, workshops, and classes?
A guide to forró and its place on the world stage, for newbies and experts alike
What is forró, and how is it taking over the world? Read More »
A minimalist language method for gringões for sounding fluent and aware in Brazil with just a few phrases and gestures
You Can Sound Faux-Fluent in Brazilian Portuguese with Just These 14 Words and Phrases Read More »
A very nerdy way to hack your term searches as a language learner and get the best definitions and contextual images and texts for a single word
How can you turn a noun into a possessive adjective? A guide to the Serbian / Bosnian / Croatian equivalent to English’s apostrophe-S.
All about the clichéd French equivalents of “Do you come here often?”
What Are the Tackiest French Pickup Lines? Read More »
The ways that world languages discuss the hangover are pure poetry. Do you have howling cats, rats, or hammers in your brain?
How Do the World’s Languages Evoke the Misery of a Hangover? Read More »
An essential gesture for communicating in Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilians Even Have Their Own Finger Snap: Here’s How to Do it and Why Read More »
A quick guide to backward slang commonly used in France
Verlan: French Slang for Sex, Drugs, and, of Course, Complaining Read More »
You can’t speak French without knowing about the sounds that boom, toot, and bop from French stuff.
French Noises: How Do Inanimate Objects Communicate in French? Read More »
Galician seems to have a unique obsession with jokey, sex-obsessed pickup lines, somehow involving especially farm stuff.
“Marry Me, Darling, for I Have Cows!” — Picking Up Girls in a Disappearing Tongue Read More »
Things in Catalan make their own unique sounds for bops, bangs, farts, and plops.
How Do Catalans Speak to Inanimate Objects? Read More »
You can’t speak Portuguese without moving your hands. Brazilians have a grand repertoire of unique gestures; here are the top 25.
The 25 Most Important Gestures in Brazilian Portuguese Read More »
Catalan is one of the best languages to raise a glass and toast in—here’s what you should say while out drinking in Barcelona and other Catalan lands.
The Germans have an efficient way of leaving the party without making a fuss.
Saying Goodbye in German: Leaving the Party Efficiently Read More »
I just got back from my sixth extended stay in my beloved Brazil, and this time I kept careful notes on the most annoying phrases one hears in this lush, goofy land of samba rock, beaches, and murder. Does listing such uniquely Brazilian language misuse serve any purpose? Probably not, other than to help me
The Most Annoying & Useless Shit Brazilians Say Read More »
Trains often have outlets but can your device plug in? Check out our recommendations for universal travel adapters.
Hang any bag anywhere with a carabiner/travel hook.
Using e-tickets? Carry a backup phone battery in a wallet to ensure you can access them.
Using train WiFi? We strongly recommend a good, travel-ready VPN.
