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multilingualpotato · 2 years

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I’m back, again? For like the 4th time?

Hello, so I disappeared again for more than half a year. Sorry about that. But as usual life happened. I am currently living in France, finishing up my semester of Erasmus exchange (that sounds like it could be a good post) and I have been struggling with my mental health for like the past year, so that’s fun. I have like zero time for my tumblr, but I feel like it could actually help me feel better! Cause I love making posts and I love talking to you guys!

I would also officially like to thank you all for still following me even though I post three posts every six months.

But I’ll try to stay active this time!

I thought maybe we could do a little Q&A? You all probably forgot that I exist, cause I don’t post, but, if you have some questions you’d like to ask me anyway (about Erasmus, languages, maybe even my personal life... if it’s not too personal), you can send them into my inbox and I’m gonna try and respond.

Thank you all so much for sticking around!

Hope you are doing well today, and if you are not, that’s okay too <3

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Word Of The Day - SUN

태양

(Korean)

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soleil (m)

(French)

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słońce (n)

(Polish)

sol (m)

(Spanish)

.

slunce (n)

(Czech)

lā

(Hawaiian)

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slnko (n)

(Slovak)

.

sole (m)

(Italian)

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Please Let Me Know

Hey guys, so I had an idea for a post and wanted to ask you, if you would be interested in it. I thought about making a post about my journey with French, as I think you might find it interesting. Learning French literally changed by life and shaped my future plans. It could be interesting to share how I got from having to google how to ask if I can take a shower, to speaking French fluently on a daily basis.

I would talk about my exchange programme in France, DELF exams, working in France, my French boyfriend (not too much though, as it is too personal for tumblr), and my possible Erasmus+ in France next year. I would also like to discuss the struggle of speaking a language fluently but still feeling insecure when it comes to having an accent and making mistakes. And how we are often the ones being the most critical of ourselves (even though I thought about making this into a separate post maybe).

So, if this is actually something that you would find interesting to read and want me to share, let me please know in the comments!

#french #french langblr #multilingualpotato

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Czech Easter Traditions

Hello guys, as promised here are some Czech Easter traditions that I would like to share with you.

(photo source)

Barvení vajíček (egg colouring)

Traditionally, in the Czech Republic, we colour or paint eggs for Easter. Very often, we use hard-boiled eggs, or less often (because it is harder to do) we use eggshells (this type of Easter egg is called kraslice). Kraslice takes more practice and because the eggshell is empty inside, it is much more fragile and more likely to break while painting. The hard-boiled Easter eggs are eaten afterwards, while kraslice serve as decoration.

There are multiple ways of colouring Easter eggs – you can buy a colour powder (and mix it with hot water and vinegar), you can paint the egg with wax, you can use natural ingredients for colouring (such as onion peels, blueberries or beets), and much more.

Here is a video showing the different methods of emptying an egg to make kraslice.

Here is a video showing the process of colouring eggs with onion peels.

Here is a video showing the process of colouring eggs with natural ingredients. It’s in Czech, but even if you don’t understand you can at least see the final result.

Here is a video showing how to decorate Easter eggs with wax.

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Pletení pomlázky (braiding a whip made from pussywillow twigs)

(photo source)

Another Czech tradition is pletení pomlázky, or in English: braiding a whip made from pussywillow twigs. Pomlázka is then used in a way that may be shocking to some of you.

Here is a video showing how to braid a pomlázka.

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Koledování

(photo source)

Traditionally, on the morning of Easter Monday boys and men go around the neighbourhood with their pomlázka and a basket, stop at every house, whip the female residents and then receive some goods in return. This process is called koledování. It’s kind of like Halloween in the USA, just weirder. Boys often recite a poem while whipping the girls, and the girls then offer them the already mentioned Easter eggs, chocolates and candy in return. Girls also put a ribbon on the boy’s pomlázka. Very often a shot of alcohol is offered to the adults. The meaning behind the whipping of the girls is for them to stay young and beautiful.

Is this tradition perceived as sexist and weird nowadays? I would say that by some people (mainly the younger generation) yes. I personally quite dislike this tradition, it’s weird and I find it to be quite humiliating. What changed in the last few decades is that in most cases not all the boys visit all the houses anymore, as naturally villages and towns grew bigger and not everyone knows everyone anymore. Now, you would only visit your family members, friends or people you know well. Still, this tradition remains quite shocking to most foreigners... and I don’t blame them. It should be also mentioned that the whipping should be gentle, and if the boy is not gentle then he’s an asshole, sorry not sorry.

Here is a Spanish (you can put English subtitles on) video talking about Czech Easter and you can see how koledování looks, you can also see some traditional Czech kroj or folk costume, which is quite cool.

Another video of koledování. Watching this video, I find this tradition so fucking weird, please don’t judge us ok? Czech people are actually quite normal.

A poem that the boys would say while whipping the girl:

Hody hody doprovody,

Dejte vejce malovaný,

Nedáte-li malovaný,

Dejte aspoň bílý,

Slepička vám snese jiný

Loose translation: Give me a coloured egg, if you don’t give me a coloured one, give me at least a white one, your hen will lay another one for you.

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Polévání vodou (ice bucket challenge but make it Easter)

There is, however, an opportunity for the girls to get their revenge. Traditionally, after noon (so 12am) or on Tuesday morning, the girls would pour buckets of cold water on the boys. The meaning behind this is also to stay young. However, this part of the tradition is not very present in the Czech Republic, and I have personally never seen anyone doing this (at least not where I come from, I am sure there are some regions where this happens).

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Velikonoční beránek (Easter lamb)

(photo source)

A traditional sponge cake baked in a cake pan in the shape of a lamb. I think in the context of Easter it has a religious meaning, as Jesus is often called God’s lamb.

A baking video here.

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Mazanec

(photo source)

Sweet bread, round, often with almond flakes on top.

A baking video here.

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No Easter egg hunt

It may come as a surprise to some of you, but the Easter egg hunt does not exist in the Czech Republic.

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Decorations

For Easter, Czech families often decorate their homes. Typically we use colours representing spring such as yellow, green and pink. We make sure to have a lot of flowers at home such as daffodils, tulips or golden rain (laburnum anagyroides). You would also find a lot of bunny, chicken or lamb decorations, as these animals are closely tied with Easter and spring in the Czech Republic.

(photo source)

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This may be the longest post I have ever made in my life, so I hope you like it!

PS: I would like to point out that there are more Czech Easter traditions in the Czech Republic, I mentioned just a few (those that I find to be the most present and traditional), but of course as everywhere, each family’s traditions can be different. The traditions can also differ based on the location (Moravia has slightly different traditions than West Bohemia for example). So if you are a Czech person and don’t feel happy about the traditions I chose, feel free to correct me or add more.

Veselé Velikonoce!

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Easter Vocabulary in Czech

Hey guys,

Easter is here, so I thought I would share with you some Czech Easter vocabulary. Some of these words may not make sense to you (in connection to Easter) if you are not familiar with Czech Easter traditions... but you are lucky, because I plan on doing a post about Czech Easter customs tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Veselé Velikonoce to all of you <3

Velikonoce (n) - Easter

Veselé Velikonoce - Happy Easter

Zelený čtvrtek (m) - Maundy Thursday (lit. Green Thursday)

Velký pátek (m) - Good Friday (lit. Big Friday)

Velikonoční neděle (f) - Easter Sunday

Boží hod velikonoční (m) - also Easter Sunday (lit. God's Easter Feast)

Velikonoční pondělí (n) - Easter Day (lit. Easter Monday)

ukřižování (n) - crucifixion

zmrtvýchvstání (n) - resurrection

pomlázka (f) - braided whip made from pussywillow twigs

velikonoční vajíčko (n) - Easter egg

kraslice (f) - painted eggshell (a specific type of Easter egg)

velikonoční zajíček (m) - Easter bunny

beránek (m) - lamb

mazanec (m) - Easter sweet bread

mašle (f) - ribbon

čokoláda (f) - chocolate

bonbón (m) - candy

básnička (f) - poem

* f = feminine, m = masculine, n = neuter, lit. = literally

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Czech for French speakers

FUN MOOC

Hello everyone,

I would like to share with you a recommendation for all the French speakers trying to learn Czech. There is this great website called Fun MOOC, that proposes free online courses teaching various subjects. Currently they also propose a course of Czech language and culture taught in French. My boyfriend is French and trying to learn Czech and it’s his 3rd week of taking this course and he is more than happy with it. He’s doing Duolingo at the same time and he is progressing very well.

The course is well made, fun, sometimes a little bit silly (thanks to the marionettes) but also very effective. It is also informative about the Czech culture, which is always a must when learning a new language. So, I could not recommend it more.

Here is the link to the site: https://www.fun-mooc.fr/courses/course-v1:Inalco+52006+session05/about , I checked and you can sign up until April 19.

Hope this could help someone <3

Bye ~

#czech #czech language #czech langblr #learning czech #czech course #czech culture #french #french language #french langblr #studying #languages #studying languages #language learning #langblr #recommendation #courses #learning courses #multilingual #multilingualpotato

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Pepeke ‘Aike He

The indefinite article ‘he’ in the Hawaiian language

Hey guys,

For anyone interested in learning Hawaiian (and looking for some online resources and explanation videos) I would like to introduce you to Ke Aloha No Hawaiʻi.

Yesterday I was searching for an explanation of how does ‘he’ act in a sentence and I came across this great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIYoJvpqiC8&ab_channel=KeAlohaNoHawai%CA%BBi&fbclid=IwAR1k58dfarthhaK2fXpFi0AY-0vxMh8gB3aX88Gyxt_OTIyKkx6XqbDesxI

If you are confused about what exactly ‘he’ is, how it is used and placed in a sentence, this video will save you!

Everything is explained - the function of ‘he’, the correct form of using it in a sentence, the plural indefinite article, the placement of an adjective and even the negation of the sentence.

It helped me a lot to to be able to understand the exact use of ‘he’, so if you are interested in Hawaiian, surely check it out!

#hawaiian #hawaiian langblr #Hawaiian language #learning hawaiian #hawaii #grammar #grammar explanation #hawaiian grammar #langblr #languages #language learning #multilingualpotato

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multilingualpotato · 3 years

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Czech Christmas Carols

Hey there,

Christmas is near and it’s time to get into the right Christmas spirit, so let me share with you some classic Czech Christmas carols.

But first some vocabulary:

Vánoce - Christmas

Koledy - Carols

Vánoční koledy - Christmas carols

Koledníci - Carolers

Veselé Vánoce - Merry Christmas

Půjdem spolu do Betléma (Let’s go to Bethlehem together)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moFy1FvYHf4&ab_channel=SerialUlice

Pásli ovce Valaši

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpO64qgfu0Q&ab_channel=SerialUlice

Vánoce, Vánoce přicházejí (Christmas, Christmas is coming)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSrbmTYC3Wk&ab_channel=V%C3%A1clav%C5%98eh%C3%A1k

Nesem Vám noviny (We are bringing you news)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPxJSLId7ik&ab_channel=SerialUlice

Narodil se Kristus Pán (Christ is born)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGQR2VRvW_8&ab_channel=SerialUlice

Rolničky (Jingle bells)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps4p-PuD8zg&ab_channel=LuckaApalovi%C4%8Dov%C3%A1

Veselé vánoční hody (Merry Christmas feasts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQS9fXIqEB4&ab_channel=SerialUlice

Tichá noc (Silent night)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtiVJsyqTw&ab_channel=frenkycz

Jak jsi krásné neviňátko (How beautiful you are innocent child)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ggCJWmkmeA&ab_channel=JaroslavP%C5%A1eni%C4%8Dn%C3%BD

Štědrej večer nastal (Christmas eve has come)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bwHdBKbhb0&ab_channel=SerialUlice

#czech #czech language #czech langblr #christmas #carols #christmas carol #christmas vocabulary #vocab #vocabulary #czech vocabulary #czech vocab #songs #czech songs #languages #language learning #langblr #polyglot #multilingualpotato

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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update

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I would like to apologize for not being active for so long. I think my last post was about four months ago. There were lots of things going on in my life and I really had no time to spare.

BUT! The good thing is that I actually succeeded! I passed my graduation exams and got into my dream college! Soooo one big yaaay for me – egoist much?

I am currently working in France – since the middle of June till the end of August, so I'm not really sure I'll have a lot of time for posting, but I can at least try. It would be cool to make some posts about the new words I learned in French.

I mainly just wanted to let you know, that I am still alive and doing better than ever... and that hopefully, you'll be getting some posts from me soon.

PS: I gained many followers without even being active... so thank you so much and welcome! I have over 2 000 followers now...

Love you!

#multilingualpotato #update #langblr #languages #language learning #polyglot #multilingual #french #spanish #korean #czech #i'm back #hello

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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Czech Music

Hey guys, just saw this video and thought it’s kinda cool and might help some of you, who would like to discover some Czech music they maybe never heard before...

youtube

#czech #czech music #czech language #czech langblr #learning czech #czech republic #music #languages #language learning #langblr #polyglot #multilingual

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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Coffee Vocab

I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting that much lately.. No excuses :(

Flashcards

Coffee- 커피

Coffee beans- 커피 원두

Caffeine- 카페인

Cafe- 카페

Barista- 바리스타

Iced [coffee name]- 아이스 [coffee name]

Espresso- 에스프레소

Latte- 라떼

Cappuccino- 카푸치노

Macchiato- 마끼아또

Americano- 아메리카노

Mocha- 모카

Vienna- 비엔나

Frappuccino- 프라푸치노

Drip coffee/Brewed coffee- 드립커피

#korean #korean language #learning korean #korean vocabulary #coffee #langblr #languages

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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Family in Italian

una famiglia - family

genitori - parents

una madre - mother

una mamma - mom

una matrigna - stepmother

un padre - father

un papà - dad

un patrigno - stepfather

una figlia - daughter

un figlio - son

una sorella - sister

una sorellastra - step sister

un fratello - brother

un fratellastro - step brother

una nonna - grandmother

un nonno - grandfather

una zia - aunt

uno zio - uncle

una moglie - wife

un marito - husband

#italian #italian language #learning italian #italian langblr #italian vocabulary #italian vocab list #italian vocab #vocabulary #vocab #vocab list #langblr #languages #language learning #family #polyglot #multilingual

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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Can i ask you something? I know it will probably sound stupid but i tried the test you wrote about ( cactus ) to learn my foreign language level. I got 37 /40. In the scale, it shows that i am in the middle of the last level which is proficient. But it says that 'You are ready for advance ( C1 ).' So i didnt understand if i am in the beginning of C1 or in the middle like between C1 and C2. I thought maybe you can help me its the first time ive done this test :)))

Hey, if I remember it right you only get C2 when you have 40/40. So, with 37 I’d say you are the latter for sure (somewhere between C1 and C2).

Hope this helped.

#inbox #inbox me #inbox open #ask #ask me anything #ask me #languages #language learning #langblr #polyglot #multilingual

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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how do you find out which level you are on for a language?

I usually just search for some online tests to be honest… of course… the best way to be sure is to actually try and take an official exam…

but I find this one, to be quite reliable

#inbox #inbox me #inbox open #ask #ask me anything #ask me #languages #language learning #langblr

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multilingualpotato · 5 years

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I watnt to learn French but most people say it is a very hard language. Should i learn it? In how many months can i be like b1 level ?

Well, I’d say that if you want to learn French, learn French. Learning any language is hard. Of course there is difference between the difficulty in grammar or pronunciation in some languages… but learning any new language is always challenging in some way. But if you are really worried about it, you don’t have to be, according to FSI French belongs to the first level of difficulty.

I can’t really tell you how long it’ll take for you to reach the level B1 because that really depends on you and the intensity of your studying. But once again according to FSI it should take approximately 23 weeks to be somehow proficient.

So, my advice… you wanna learn it, then do so. The more you actually like the language and really want to know it, the easier it is.

(also you could watch Cyprien without subtitles... just saying...)