How To Expand Your Vocabulary When Learning A Language

When we learn a new language the most important thing to learn is vocabulary! You can argue that grammar is very important, too, but if you know lots of grammar and don't know many words, you won't be able to express yourself.

In order to help you expand your vocabulary, today I am going to teach how to build vocabulary lists.

The first thing you should do is get a notepad, a small one that you can take it with you anywhere you go. Rule number one of having vocabulary lists is that you have to review the lists over and over again, otherwise you won't learn the words, so you must have your notepad at hand to be able to study anytime, anywhere. (you can use your cell phone if you don't want to carry a notebook)

The second thing you should do is think about why you are learning the language. Is it because of your work, because of a trip, because of an exam or just because you like the language?

This information is going to help you choose the topics of your lists. Say you are learning the language because you work with logistics and you need to speak the language at work. Then, you should make lists of words that are related to logistics, such as "talking to a supplier about an order", "giving a presentation"... you know what you need, so you are the best person to organize your lists.

You can organize your list in adjectives, verbs, nouns, adverbs, but try to be more specific, for example, verbs used to talk about routine, adjectives used to describe feelings…

Each list shouldn't have more than 10 words. If a list is too long, you might have a hard time learning them.

Third, once your list is ready you have to organize your schedule to study it. The day you make it, spend a few minutes studying their pronunciations and meanings, also write sentences with each word. (Clicking here, you can access an online dictionary, choose the language you are learning, check the meaning of the words and also listen to their pronunciations.)

Set up an alarm on your phone for you to review the words one week later. This time, create new sentences and read them out loud. Set up a new alarm to review them one month later. Check if you still remember them. If not, set up a new alarm to review them next week. If you do, excellent work, they will be a part of your active vocabulary!

If you are an upper-intermediate or advanced student, read articles about topics you know nothing about and create lists with the new words you learn from those articles. When you reach this level, your goal is to be able to talk about anything in the language you are learning, not just the things you know and like.

Hope this tip is useful and it helps you acquire new vocabulary!

Expressions with the word Deus in Brazilian Portuguese

8 out of 10 Brazilians are religious and 87% of them are Christians, so God and Christ play a major role in our culture.

Though the bible says You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in Vain, in Brazil everyone uses the word "Deus" which means God more often than we'd like.

So, I thought it would be nice to teach you some expressions with the word "Deus" in Brazilian Portuguese.

*Deus me livre - we use it when we don't want a certain thing to happen to us.

Example:

A: Sai da chuva, você vai pegar uma pneumonia! (Get out of the rain, you are going to get pneumonia)

B: Deus me livre! (God forbid!)

*Graças à Deus (I use it all the time) - we use it when we are grateful for something.

Example:

A: Como foi a viagem? (How was your trip?)

B: Foi ótima, graças a Deus! (It was great, thank God!)

*Vai com Deus - we use it to say good-bye and wish the person who is leaving that all goes well.

Example:

A: Tchau, mãe, eu já vou. (Bye, mom, I'm leaving)

B: Vai com Deus, meu filho! (May God be with you, son) We can also say "que Deus te acompanhe".

*Valha me Deus - we use it when we want to express that we are surprised, sad or frustrated about something.

Examples:

A: Você viu a notícia do acidente de ônibus que matou 30 pessoas? (Did you see the news about the bus accident that killed 30 people?)

B: Valha me Deus, que tristeza! (Oh my God, that's so sad)

A: A Cláudia tá indo morar na França. Ela viaja hoje. (Claudia is moving to France. She is traveling today)

B: Valha me Deus, ela nem me disse nada! (Oh my God, she didn't tell me anything about it.)

*Pelo amor de Deus - for the love of God, for Christ's sake

A: Pelo amor de Deus não faça isso. (For the love of God don't do that.)

*Ai, meu Deus - It means Oh my God and it's mostly used when someone is worried or surprised.

Ai meu Deus, acho que não vou conseguir passar na prova, tá muito difícil. (Oh my God, I think I won't be able to pass the test, it's very difficult.)

*Se Deus quiser - If it is God's wishes. We use it when we wish for something to happen, like saying "I hope so".

Se Deus quiser eu vou passar as férias na Europa. (If it is God's wish, I'll spend my vacation in Europe.)

A: Você vai pro jogo amanhã? (Are you going to the game tomorrow?)

B: Se Deus quiser. (I hope so/ If it's God's wish)

Now, click here to listen to all the examples. Pronunciation is key when we are learning a new language.

Se Deus quiser esse artigo vai te ajudar a entender melhor os brasileiros! 😃

How To Learn A Foreign Language As An Adult

Learning a foreign language as an adult is definitely harder and much more time-consuming. I learned Spanish as an adult and today I want to share with you, my experience in the hopes it will help you with your learning process.

I first started learning Spanish on a website called Spanishdict.com. They offered mini video lessons, flashcards, and online activities. I loved learning through that website because I could see the new vocabulary over and over again and that helped me retain the new words.
However, after a couple of months, I got bored of learning the same way every day. There was no room for flexibility or creativity, I would watch the videos, do the online interactive activities and that was it. Besides, I had no one to answer my questions, so it was very frustrating.

I know there are apps nowadays, such as Duolingo, that connect their users in a community and people help each other out. This is an awesome tool because you don't feel alone in your learning process and it's a lot more entertaining.

My second step was to find a Spanish course that I could afford in my town. I took 4 months of classes in a group and I had such a great time learning along with my classmates. We would meet on the weekends to practice conversation. I did all the homework my teacher assigned and I studied at least 3 times a week, even if it was just for 10 minutes.

When my trip to Argentina approached, I thought it was important to improve my Spanish level in a short period of time, so I hired a private teacher and started having 2 classes a week of 2 hours each. We usually had conversation classes and at home, I studied grammar and did several exercises related to verb tenses, conjugation, and vocabulary. If I had questions, I made notes about them and asked my teacher during our lessons. Though I was working at the time, I would always find time to be in contact with Spanish. When I was driving to work, I would listen to songs in Spanish or to the CD that came with my Spanish book. In my head, I created dialogues that I thought I might have when I arrived in Argentina. I would dissect song lyrics in order to learn pronunciation and acquire vocabulary. Spanish was my life!

I got to Argentina for a 4-month Spanish course and I was placed in an intermediate group. My teacher was one of the best teachers I've ever had. She was extremely committed, was always on time and ready to teach wonderful lessons. All our learning process was based on Argentina's culture. We studied through their breath-taking Tango songs, their clever films and lots of news from magazines and newspaper.
Of course, it's much better to learn a language where it is spoken and I took advantage of that. I would not miss an opportunity of speaking to native people. A simple visit to a drugstore was worth 1 hour of class :-)
I met my now husband in Argentina and being with him and his family has definitely helped me a bunch, I even picked up his accent, but if you aren't as lucky as I was, don't worry, you can still learn.

In summary, I believe all the steps I took helped me achieve fluency in Spanish and if you want to be fluent in any language you can't do things halfway, you must commit 100% to your learning process. Keep in mind your brain is not the same as it used to be when you were a child, you have to work harder, if a child studies 2 hours a week, you have to study 6.
You will certainly feel frustrated at times, but don't give up, it's totally worth it. You will be jumping up and down like a child when you are finally able to understand what's been said in a song or a film or when you can carry on a conversation.
Now, go get started, there is no time like now!