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Kissing Culture in France
From the famous and formal greeting to "rolling a shovel", here is everything you need to know about the language and culture of kissing in France
Andrew Wenger
1 day ago5 min read


Collective nouns: Un meurtre de corbeaux? / un asesinato de cuervos / ein Mord von Krähen
Collective nouns are quaint and expressive, often bizarre. Here's an overview of how they originated and how they are used in modern English
Andrew Wenger
Nov 29, 20244 min read


France has a new dictionary
The Académie Française has published a new dictionary. Here are a few selected highlights of new French words
Andrew Wenger
Nov 20, 20242 min read


As camp as a mushroom
Camping, campaign, champagne, and champignons all derive from the same etymological place, but it doesn’t stop there...
Andrew Wenger
Oct 11, 20243 min read


How to order your language file
How to order your language-learning folder. A few basic tips on getting yourself more organised and becoming more effective
Andrew Wenger
Sep 16, 20243 min read


Le h apsiré ou le h muet?
The French h: The letter that cannot decide whether to act like a vowel or a consonant. The difference between the h apsiré and the h muet
Andrew Wenger
Aug 22, 20243 min read


A few German idioms
Peppering your speech with idiomatic phrases is "next level". Here are some quirky phrases that are good to recognise, maybe even use
Andrew Wenger
Jul 25, 20244 min read


The present continuous and the present simple
Do you know the difference between "What are you doing?" and "What do you do?" This is a guide: present simple vs present continuous tense
Andrew Wenger
Jul 18, 20246 min read


On learning Polish
Learning Polish is not easy, but is extremely rewarding when you get it right. And it's informative for teacher to be on the receiving end
Andrew Wenger
Jul 17, 20243 min read


Language proficiency: how good can you get?
If you're learning a language, you might want to know how to measure your progress, and what you are aspiring to. What is "proficiency"?
Andrew Wenger
Feb 3, 20243 min read


Word origins: the animal kingdom
Learn the etymology behind some animal words. Some are surprising, at least one can be debunked and a couple stump even the experts
Andrew Wenger
Jan 13, 20248 min read


Where does the English language come from?
English is a Germanic language, right? Yes, but... it's more complicated than that. Read a brief summary of the origins of English
Andrew Wenger
Dec 26, 20235 min read


Festive word explanations (English language)
Singing carols, eating turkey and mince pies, decorating the tree with tinsel... Where do these words come from? Find out here
Andrew Wenger
Dec 16, 20231 min read


Weihnachten in Freiburg
Freiburg: the coolest and the warmest city in Germany. Fun and relaxed in the summer, magical in the Christmas Markets season. Join me...
Andrew Wenger
Dec 15, 20231 min read


Abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms
FYI, RSVP is not an acronym, it's an initialism. LOL, however, appears to be making the change. Are you confident to tell which is which?
Andrew Wenger
Jun 27, 20222 min read


Comparing two aspects of German and English grammar
English is a hybrid of Germanic and Latinate languages. This applies not only to the vocab but also the grammar. 2 good examples here...
Andrew Wenger
Jun 5, 20223 min read


Question tags
Question tags are tricky in English, aren't they? Some great news: They are dead easy in other languages ¿no? Read on for reassurance
Andrew Wenger
May 31, 20223 min read


Le Covid ou la Covid?
It was decreed: Covid is a feminine word, but there are plenty who disagree, ignore the ruling. Gender fluidity in French? Yay, boo or huh?
Andrew Wenger
Apr 28, 20222 min read


8 Facts about the Spanish Language
Learning about the language is great, but is just the warm-up for the real thing. Contact us for more info about our brand-new Spanish class
Andrew Wenger
Apr 16, 20225 min read


Free Ukraine - learn Ukrainian
Ukrainian is not a dialect of Russian, but its own language, since 858CE. It was once voted the second most beautiful language in the world
Andrew Wenger
Apr 11, 20224 min read
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