Learning cognates - Deepstash
Joining A New Team

Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection

How to establish a positive team culture

How to collaborate effectively

How to build trust with a new team

Joining A New Team

Discover 73 similar ideas in

It takes just

9 mins to read

Learning cognates

Cognates are “true friends” of words you recognize from your native language that mean the same thing in another language.

For instance:

  • Words like Action, nation, precipitation, solution, frustration, and thousands of other -tion words are spelled exactly the same in French, and you can quickly get used to the different pronunciation. Change that -tion to a -ción and you have the same words in Spanish. Italian is -zione and Portuguese is -ção.
  • Many languages also have words that share a common (Greek/Latin or other) root.
  • Even languages as different as Japanese can have heaps of very familiar vocabulary.

1.99K

5.19K reads

MORE IDEAS ON THIS

The best resources for a foreign language are free

  • A completely free course that keeps getting better is DuoLingo.
  • The Foreign Service Institutes
  • The Omniglot Intro to languages
  • BBC languages
  • About’s language specific posts
  • The huge database on Forvo
  • Rhinospike
  • Google Translate....

2.51K

5.3K reads

Adults can learn languages

Research has confirmed that adults can be better language learners than kids.

Studies have found that under the right circumstances, adults show an intuition for unexplained grammar rules better than their younger counterparts.

1.64K

4.35K reads

Learning languages: embrace mistakes

You can’t ever truly “learn” a language, you get used to it. It’s not a thing that you know or don’t know; it’s a means of communication between human beings. Languages should not be acquired by rote alone—they need to be used.

One of the best things you can do in the init...

1.69K

3.06K reads

Learning a new language: knowing the most used words

In English, just 300 words make up 65% of all written material. We use those words a lot, and that’s the case in every other language as well.

Use flash cards of the most frequently used words (or words themed for a subject you are more likely to talk about)

2.27K

7.76K reads

Using mnemonics when learning a new language

Rote repetition isn’t enough.

Coming up with mnemonics about your target word helps glue the word to your memory way more effectively. Basically, you tell yourself a funny, silly, or otherwise memorable story to associate with a particular word.

1.73K

3.81K reads

Sounding more native in a new language

  • Accent. Time with a native, a good Youtube video explaining the sounds, and practice for a few hours may be all that you need!
  • Intonation. The pitch, rise, fall, and stress of your words. When you repeat sentences, you have to mimic the musicality ...

1.79K

2.75K reads

Create SMART learning goals

To start developing your SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) in a language, become familiar with the European Common Framework that defines language levels.

  • Know how well you want to know the language.
  • To...

1.81K

3K reads

Conversational to Mastery

  • From the start, speak at least an hour a day in the language. Have varied conversations.
  • Ensure that your conversation is improving—not just “general language skills” through some vague list of words.
  • Lots of practice and study to improve those spok...

1.86K

2.88K reads

Learning a new language: Skype for daily spoken practice

You must speak the language right away if your goals in the target language involve speaking it.

  • Learn some basic vocabulary.
  • Do this for a few hours, and then set up an exchange with a native speaker—someone who has spoken that language their whole life.

1.74K

3.55K reads

Interact in your new language daily

  • To hear the language consistently spoken, you can check out TuneIn.com for a vast selection of live-streamed radio from your country of choice.
  • To watch the language consistently, see what’s trending on Youtube in that country rig...

2.2K

4.98K reads

Become a polyglot

Focus on one language at a time until you reach at least the intermediate level. Take each language one by one, until you reach a stage where you know you can confidently use it. And then you may just be ready for the next ones!

1.74K

3.54K reads

CURATED FROM

IDEAS CURATED BY

leverett

Improving myslef every day.

Related collections

Other curated ideas on this topic:

4. Say Thanks in a Foreign Language

4. Say Thanks in a Foreign Language

Your "Thank You" doesn't have to be given in English.

Consider adding to the fun by expressing your thanks in a foreign language. For example:

  • French - merci
  • Spanish - gracias
  • Hawaiian - mahalo

The hardest language to learn

People often think that languages like Russian, Arabic or Japanese are harder to learn, but it is subjective.

Words from different languages have the same etymological origin, such as 'brother' in English and 'Bruder' in German. But languages with different phonetics will be harder to lear...

The Language Everyone Uses Is Weird

The Language Everyone Uses Is Weird

The English language is a universal tool for communication and is mastered even by non-native speakers. The many inconsistencies, quirks and complexities found in English can be confusing and highly frustrating for millions, both in verbal and written formats.

Other languages like French m...

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Personalized microlearning

100+ Learning Journeys

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates