Learning Languages Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-16-2024

Polish is a unique and immensely rewarding language to learn. This Cheat Sheet gives you a quick run-down of the Polish alphabet, Polish numbers, and handy Polish phrases to make you feel more confident speaking Polish in no time.

Article / Updated 05-30-2024

Knowing some common French greetings and good-byes will be indispensable when traveling in French-speaking countries. Saying hello and good-bye in French will quickly become second nature because you'll use them day in and day out with everyone you come across. In most French-speaking countries it's considered good manners to greet everyone. So, whether you're speaking to a clerk, a waiter, or just bumping into someone on the street, take the time to say a polite bonjour before you proceed. This also means that when step on the bus or train you should say a quick bonjour to anyone within hearing distance. The most common conversational ways to greet someone in French are: Salut. (Hello; Hi. [Informal]) Bonjour. (Hello; Good morning.) Bonsoir. (Good evening.) You might think that you can use good afternoon (bon après-midi) as a greeting the way you can in the United States, but in most French-speaking countries, bon après-midi should only be used to as a form of goodbye. Greeting with a cheek kiss Cheek kissing is another common type of greeting in most French-speaking countries. However, the rules for cheek kisses can be complicated matter. The rules change depending on the country you're in and even the region of the country. For example, in Belgium, it's customary to greet everyone in your generation or younger with one kiss, but anyone that's a generation or more older than you should be given three kiss (right cheek-left-then right again). In Paris, most people stick to a four-kiss rule, but in most of the rest of France, two kisses is the norm. If you think that's confusing, you're right. The good news is that when you meet someone for the first time, you can usually just shake hands. Then just watch how other people interact. Because it's such a common practice, you should quickly be able to determine what the standard is where you're staying. How are you? How's it going? Asking how someone is doing is a common greeting in the U.S. How many times a day do we hear or say these brief greetings at the beginning of our conversations? So many times, in fact, that half the time, we don't even pay attention. These pleasantries are common in French-speaking countries as well. The most common ways to ask how someone is doing are: Comment ça va? (How’s it going?) Comment vas-tu? (How are you? [Informal]) Comment allez-vous? (How are you? [Formal]) Ça va? (How’s it going? [Informal]) As you'd expect, when someone asks you how you're doing, there are many possible responses. Ça va bien. It’s going well.) Tout va bien. (Everything is going well.) Je vais bien, merci. (I’m fine, thank you.) Je vais très bien. (I’m very well.) Je ne vais pas très bien. (I’m not doing very well.) Je vais comme-ci, comme-ça. (I’m so-so.) Once you've said that you're fine, or good, or so-so, it is customary to ask how the other person is doing. You can do this easily by saying Et toi? (And you? [informal]) or Et vous? (And you? [formal]). Saying good-bye As many ways as there are to greet someone, you'll find plenty of ways say goodbye, as well. Au revoir. (Good-bye.) Salut. (Good-bye. [Informal]) À bientôt. (See you soon.) À tout de suite. (See you in a minute.) À plus tard. (See you later.) À la prochaine. (Until next time.) À demain. (See you tomorrow.) À la semaine prochaine. (See you next week.) À lundi. (See you on Monday.) Bonne journée! (Have a good day!) Bonne chance! (Good luck!) Bonne nuit. (Good night. Used only when someone is going to sleep or retiring for the evening.) Aside from a few exceptions, final consonants aren’t pronounced in French. Pronounce a final consonant only if it’s followed by a vowel.

Article / Updated 05-30-2024

The French indefinite article is the equivalent to a/an and some (but English often skips it). Do you ask about one thing, describe a couple of things that happened, and make plans for an outing that hasn’t yet been defined? If so, you’re an indefinite article kind of person, like the French! And as such, you should treat the article indéfini as the default article in French grammar. French Indefinite Articles French Article Usage in French English Equivalent Example un Before masculine singular nouns a/an un chat (a cat) une Before feminine singular nouns a/an une maison (a house) des Before masculine or feminine plural nouns some des enfants (some children) de, or d’ before nouns beginning with a vowel or a mute -h Instead of any indefinite article, after a negative verb no or not any pas d’ordinateur (no computer) Use the indefinite article when you talk about one or several individual things that you can count, as opposed to an entire category of things. Il y a un livre sur la table. (There is a book on the table.) Tu as mangé une banane. (You ate a/one banana.) Il a vu des lions au zoo. (He saw (some) lions at the zoo.) You also can use the indefinite articles un and une before an expression of quantity, like une tranche de (a slice of), un morceau de (a piece of), and un peu de (a little bit of). In a sentence with a negative verb, un, une, and des are replaced by de, even if the noun it introduces is plural. Here are some examples. Il n’y a pas de souris dans notre garage. (There is not a mouse in our garage.) Elle ne veut pas d’enfants. (She doesn’t want any children.) This rule has one exception. Don’t use de when the negative verb is être (to be). Just use the indefinite article as if the sentence was affirmative. Here are some examples: Cet animal n’est pas un chien. C’est un renard. (This animal is not a dog. It’s a fox.) — C’est une voiture rouge, n’est-ce pas? — Non ce n’est pas une voiture rouge! C’est une voiture noire. (— It’s a red car, right? — No, it’s not a red car! It’s a black car.) Choose between the definite article (le, la, l’, les) and the indefinite article (un, une, des, and de) to complete the sentences. Check a French-English dictionary if you need help with the vocabulary.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-20-2024

French grammar is all about using French words in the correct way so people can understand your meaning. You can learn a lot of French words by browsing an English-French dictionary, but to make sense, you need to know the rules of French grammar. Some of the basics include making nouns plural, adding description by pairing adjectives correctly to nouns, and using pronominal verbs to talk about actions done to you or someone else.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-01-2023

Whether you’re planning to visit East Africa for a few days or stay long term, it’s a good idea to have some basic phrases up your sleeve to help you manage conversations in Swahili smoothly. In this cheat sheet, you’ll find useful phrases to use in greetings, asking questions, dealing with numbers, and understanding the calendar days.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-02-2023

As you're studying Italian, either on your own or in a course, keep this Cheat Sheet handy for a quick reference on articles, personal pronouns, tenses, and more.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-02-2023

Si tienes planeado viajar a un país que habla inglés, de vacaciones o por negocio, vale la pena aprender algunos saludos, frases de cortesía y preguntas de carácter general.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-13-2023

Keep this Cheat Sheet handy as you're learning French. It's a great quick reference when you need to check definite, indefinite, and partitive articles; personal pronouns, identify être verbs, and need help with other particulars of French grammar.

Article / Updated 09-07-2023

When you’re eating out at a Spanish-speaking restaurant, knowing some basic Spanish vocabulary can make the ordering process a little easier. Placing your order basically consists of two parts: ordering a beverage and ordering food. But first you need to get the attention of your server. Calling a waiter over to your table If your waiter is a man, the appropriate way to address him depends on where you are. A waiter in Argentina is a mozo (moh-soh) or “young man.” But, calling someone mozo in Chile is offensive. In Chile, you say, garzón (gahr-sohn), which is derived from the French word for “young man.” If you call the waiter by either of these terms in Mexico, he may not react. You can better get his attention by saying joven (Hoh-bvehn), meaning “young,” even if he isn’t so young. In Spain, a waiter is a camarero (kah-mah-reh-roh). When a woman is serving you, call her simply señorita (seh-nyoh-ree-tah), meaning “Miss,” no matter where you are. Ordering a beverage Credit: PhotoDisc, Inc. Many people like to order an aperitif, or cocktail, before dinner. One popular local liquor is aguardiente (ah-gooahr-deeehn-teh), which translates as “fire water,” and is made out of grapes, tequila (teh-kee-lah), and mezcal (mehs-kahl). In Chile and Peru, people like “pisco (pees-koh) sour,” a cocktail made with pisco (another liquor made from grapes), sugar, and lemon juice. Agua (ah-gooah) in Mexico can mean “water,” which is its exact translation, but it can also be a beverage made with water, fruit, and sugar. All fruits, and even some vegetables, make refreshing aguas. In Chile, aguita (ah-goo-ee-tah), meaning “little water,” can be an herb tea served after a meal. Following are a few more phrases you may hear or want to use when ordering beverages: Escoger un vino (ehs-koh-Hehr oon bvee-noh) (choose a wine) ¡Salud! (sah-lood) (Cheers!) Tomar un refresco (toh-mahr oon reh-frehs-koh) (drink a soda pop) Tomar un trago (toh-mahr oon trah-goh) (have a drink [alcoholic]) Un vaso de agua (oon bvah-soh deh ah-gooah) (a glass of water) Un vaso de leche (oon bvah-soh deh leh-cheh) (a glass of milk) Ordering a main course In order to make a selection, you may want to ask questions about various dishes on the menu. Here are a few helpful phrases: ¿Qué nos recomienda? (keh nohs reh-koh-meeehn-dah) (What do you suggest?) ¿Con qué está servido? (kohn keh ehs-tah sehr-bvee-doh) (What does it come with?) ¿Qué ingredientes tiene? (keh een-greh-dee ehn-tehs tee eh-neh) (What are the ingredients?) ¿Qué más trae el plato? (keh mahs trah-eh ehl plah-toh) (What else is in the dish?) Your server may have occasion to use the following phrases: ¿Están listos para ordenar? (ehs-tahn lees-tohs pah-rah ohr-deh-nahr) (Are you ready to order?) Está caliente. (ehs-tah kah-lee ehn-teh) (It’s hot [temperature].) Está picante. (ehs-tah pee-kahn-teh) (It’s hot [flavor/spicy].) Está frío. (ehs-tah freeoh) (It’s cold.) Lamento, no tenemos . . . (lah-mehn-toh noh teh-neh-mohs) (Sorry, we don’t have any . . .)

Article / Updated 08-07-2023

What better way to enjoy what you are going to eat than to start with an empty stomach. Then you can say, "J'ai faim" (zheh fan) (I'm hungry) or "J'ai soif" (zheh swaf) (I'm thirsty), and the glorious world of French gastronomy is yours! French food is probably the most famous and the most praised in the world. And you don't have to go to Paris to enjoy it. In the United States, French restaurants and specialty food shops are often very expensive. But just across the border, you can find total satisfaction at reasonable prices in Montreal. In the United States, people eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Wouldn't it be simple if only three words designated les repas (lay ruh-pah) (the meals) in all French-speaking countries? Well, it simply isn't so. Québec has kept some of the seventeenth-century French of its first settlers and uses the words that were used then (as do the people in some parts of the French countryside): The word for "breakfast" is: le déjeuner (luh day-zhuh-nay) in Québec le petit déjeuner (luh puh-tee day-zhuh-nay) in France Le déjeuner (in Québec) is probably a remnant from the days when farm workers ate a big hearty meal in early morning, another big meal at midday, and only hot soup with bread at the end of the day. Then breakfast was more a déjeuner (meal) than a petit déjeuner (little meal). Also, the Quebecois are North Americans and thus more used to a big breakfast than the French are. So, if you're meeting someone for le déjeuner in Montreal, don't wait until lunch time! Unless your hosts invited your for le brunch — no explanation necessary, right? — they won't be expecting you. The word for "lunch" is: le dîner (luh dee-nay) in Québec le déjeuner (luh day-zhuh-nay) in France The word for "dinner" is: le souper (luh soo-pay) in Québec le dîner (luh dee-nay) in France These nouns are also verbs; to have lunch or dinner is déjeuner, dîner, or souper. After coming home from school, children enjoy le goûter (luh goo-tay) (mid-afternoon snack), which usually consists of bread and butter, jam, or chocolate. If you suddenly find yourself hungry between meals, you can always have un casse-croûte (kahs-kroot) (a snack, literally: break the crust) like a crêpe at a stand in Paris, a hot dog sold by a street vendor in Montreal, or anything in between. Even out in the middle of the country, you may be lucky enough to find a café where you can get une omelette (ew-nom-leht) (an omelet) or un sandwich (aN sahn-dweesh) (a sandwich). A note about breakfast As we mention earlier, a Canadian breakfast looks much like its American or British counterpart. The French breakfast, on the other hand, is more like what hotels call a continental breakfast. Many French don't even eat the famous croissant (krwa-sahN) with their morning coffee; they're often satisfied with just a quick espresso before boarding the train or the subway. Nowadays, like North American children, many French children have cereal and milk, les céréales et le lait (lay say-ray-ah-lay luh lay) for breakfast. Still, the traditional French breakfast is usually made up of the following: le café (luh kah-fay) (coffee) le café au lait (luh kah-fay o leh) (coffee with hot milk) le café crème (luh kah-fay crehm) (coffee with a little milk) le thé nature (luh tay nah-tewr) (plain tea) le thé au lait (luh tay o leh) (tea with milk) le thé au citron/le thé citron (luh tay o see-trohn/luh tay see-trohn) (tea with lemon) le pain (luh pahN) (bread) le pain grillé (luh pahN gree-yay) (toast) les tartines (lay tahr-teen) (slices of bread with some kind of spread) le beurre (luh buhr) (butter) la margarine (lah mahr-zhah-reen) (margarine), not as popular as butter but used nevertheless la confiture (lah kohn-fee-tewr) (jam) le croissant (luh krwa-sahN) (croissant — crescent-shaped) le pain au chocolat (luh pan o sho-ko-lah) (same dough as a croissant, but a different shape and with a chocolate bar inside) le chausson aux pommes (luh sho-sohN o pohm) (applesauce-filled danish) le pain aux raisins (luh pahN o ray-zan) (a sort of raisin bread) You can find all of these mouth-watering goodies in any pâtisserie (pah-tees-ree) (confectioner's shop) or boulangerie (boo-lahn-zhree) (bakery) throughout France. If you aren't sure what something is, you can always simply point to it in the window and be delightfully surprised at whatever delicious confection you discover! A note about lunch Until the mid-1960s, lunch was the big meal of the day in France. Fathers came home from work and children came home from school to sit to a four- or five-course meal prepared by the mother. After a two-hour break, everybody went back to their activities. Children still have a two-hour break from lunch, and many of them still go home. But with many women working outside the house, most active people spend much less time on their lunch break and don't have time to come home. They also eat more lightly at midday.