Language Trainers Blogs

December 2021:

December 06 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

I remember when I used to overhear my parents’ work conversations as they spoke on the phone. They’d say things like “give me a ballpark figure,” or “all our budget is going down the drain,” and though I had no idea what those phrases meant, they sure sounded important. When you’re a speaker of English working in Portugal or Brazil, learning the jargon of business in a new language is a bit like being a child who tries to make sense of the way adults speak to each other. So, why should you learn to use Portuguese business idioms' Mastering the informal expressions that... (Read More).

November 2021:

November 24 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

Are you looking for a comprehensive English language exam that will boost your chances of getting a great job or a coveted position in a prestigious college' Then, IELTS is the test you’re looking for. Taken by over three million people every year, the IELTS exam is accepted by more than 12,000 universities, employers, and immigration bodies around the globe. If you’re being asked to reach a certain IELTS score to enrol in a university programme or to move to a new country, here’s all you need to know!   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial English Lesson With a Native Speaker... (Read More).

November 22 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

As a Spanish learner, it’s very likely that you will, sooner or later, have to write an email in Spanish. Whether you need to keep in touch with an online friend, close an important deal, or just send an email greeting Spanish-speaking coworkers, there are specific phrases and expressions that you need to learn. This post will cover both formal and informal messages so you can write the best emails in Spanish for every audience. Table of Contents How to Write a Formal Email in Spanish to a Colleague or Professor How Do You Start an Email in Spanish' How to End an Email in... (Read More).

November 10 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

The English language is full of expressions whose literal meaning can be a bit confusing for foreign visitors. While “cool as a cucumber” or “thick as thieves” make perfect sense for a Brit, non-native speakers might have a hard time trying to understand what we mean when we use these phrases. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we are the only ones who use this type of phrase! The Polish language is also full of colloquial expressions whose literal translation could be misleading.   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial Polish Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!←   Below, you... (Read More).

November 08 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

A huge thank you to one of our top Arabic teachers, May, for helping us write this guide! Have you ever stopped to think how many times we use numbers in informal conversations' Whether we are talking about age, prices, time, or even astrology, numbers are everywhere. Do you want to learn Arabic so you can have meaningful conversations on your next trip' Or maybe you will need to give a presentation in Arabic explaining the impact you have had in your company' Then, one of the first things you’ll need is a thorough guide to Arabic numbers.   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial Arabic Lesson... (Read More).

October 2021:

October 27 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

The Irish language, also referred to as Irish Gaelic or just Gaelic, is often mistaken as a dying language. But this is not quite true. The Irish language has constitutional status and is an official language of the Republic of Ireland. In fact, there is a collective name to refer to the modern-day areas of Ireland where Irish Gaelic is spoken as a first language —the Gaeltacht.   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial Irish Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!←   If you want to learn Irish and find out why it’s one of our favourite languages, read the fascinating facts that we have... (Read More).

October 25 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

If we could teleport you to Rio de Janeiro right now, would you be able to get by' Or would you be afraid of getting lost in translation' Well, we may not be able to take you to Rio (or to Lisbon, São Paulo, or Mozambique…) but we can help you nail Portuguese slang! These are informal expressions that Portuguese speakers use in everyday conversation. As you won’t find many of them in traditional textbooks, we thought it was a good idea to make a nice list of colloquial phrases for those who want to travel to Brazil or Portugal, whether for tourism, business, or family... (Read More).

October 13 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

According to recent estimates, almost 100,000 UK citizens have relocated to Germany in the last thirty years. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise. With an excellent quality of life, fascinating castles, and 74 symphony orchestras and 55 opera houses, it’s easy to see why Brits find Germany so fascinating. �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial German Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!← Are you thinking about moving to Germany from the UK' In this article, we’ll go over the things you should consider before booking your flight, so you’re fully prepared for your big international... (Read More).

October 11 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

In today’s globalized business world, English certificates have become an essential requirement. When you apply for a position at an international company, you will most likely need to have passed one of the different types of English tests. This will help you prove that you have the knowledge and communicative skills to navigate the challenges of working in an international environment.   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial English Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!←   Getting one of the industry-recognized English certificates might do wonders for your professional career, but... (Read More).

October 07 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

The smell of pumpkin spice is in the air, the leaves are changing colors, and classic horror films are making a comeback. It must be that wonderfully scary time of year that marks the celebrations for the dead, whether you partake in Halloween shenanigans, Day of the Dead traditions, or other similarly ghoulish practices. Ghosts and spirits form a huge part of most cultures and there’s nothing most of us love more than a tale featuring a good haunting. In celebration of the most ghostly time of the year, let’s take a look at 8 scary words that all mean “ghost”. �'Sign Up... (Read More).

October 06 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

When it comes to learning a language, it’s easy to get bogged down in the bookwork, memorising grammar and vocabulary, and forget that language is primarily something to be listened to. This is even more so with Italian. If you’re not actively listening to it spoken or sung, you are not doing the language justice. While Italy certainly has a long and proud history of opera, it can be difficult for the modern listener to find the attention span for hours of arias. If you’re looking for some contemporary artists to serenade you through your Italian lessons, you’re in luck because Italy... (Read More).

October 01 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

Spanish is a very important global business language and currently, over 500 million people speak it. In fact, there are 390 million native speakers dispersed throughout 21 different countries where Spanish is natively spoken. So, as a business professional, it is likely you may need to tap into some business language. Spanish employers will really appreciate your efforts to conduct a business meeting in Spanish. Here are ten expressions that might help you out. �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial Spanish Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!←   Image by 드림포유 via Flickr 1. Talking to... (Read More).

September 2021:

September 22 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

Did you know that Turkish is the most widely spoken of the Turkic family' With almost 80 million speakers, it has more speakers than Vietnamese and almost as many as Korean. It was first spoken in Mongolia and has been influenced by languages like Arabic and Persian. Apart from being the national language of Turkey, it has a considerable number of speakers in Syria, Iraq, Germany, Bulgaria, Austria, Greece, and other European and Asian countries. Looking for motivation to learn this beautiful language' Read the fascinating Turkish facts below and see why Turkish is one of the richest... (Read More).

September 20 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

Tamil is considered a classical language of India. Its ancient origins and substantial body of literature put it in the same league as Ancient Greek or Latin. However, unlike these languages, Tamil is far from being dead. Today, it is spoken by more than 66 million people in the world. It is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and it is widely spoken in two sovereign nations, Singapore and Sri Lanka.   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial Tamil Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!←   Would you like to visit any of these wonderful places or be able to interact with... (Read More).

September 11 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

Photo via Pixabay Are you someone who has only just begun to come to terms with words like “LOL”, “meme” and “YOLO”' Does the sight of strange, internet acronyms make you want to “facepalm”, or “headdesk”' Do you ever wonder why people do not write online as they speak “IRL”' Then you are not alone. “Tbh”, using too much slang in writing just makes something even harder to read. “JS.” “IMHO”, young people these days really do spend far too much time online, “smh”. And if... (Read More).

September 08 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

A huge thank you to one of our top Korean teachers, Min-Jong, for her valuable contributions to this article! You’ve been studying Korean for years but you still don’t pass for a local' Don’t sweat it. Most probably, it has nothing to do with your pronunciation or the correctness of your grammar. In fact, what gives you away is most probably the fact that you sound too formal! Sure, you know the names of every member in BTS and Black Pink, but your textbook vocabulary sounds definitely foreign! If you truly want to speak like a Korean, you need to add a few slang expressions to your... (Read More).

September 06 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

If English is your first language, you know that there are as many accents as English-speaking countries, regions, and even social groups in the world. One could even argue that the way in which every English speaker uses language is unique and unrepeatable. But is this true about every language' What about Polish' Is it as heterogeneous as English' Let’s find out below! Table of Contents Polish Accents and Dialects – An Overview A Brief History of Polish Lesser Polish Masovian Silesian Kashubian Greater Polish Polish Accents and Dialects – An Overview Let’s start off by... (Read More).

August 2021:

August 27 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

With almost 5,000 kilometers (or, as the Americans themselves would say, 3,000 miles) between New York and San Francisco, the United States is a big place. And with some 350 million inhabitants, the United States is the third most populous country on earth and contains a whopping 70% of the world’s native English speakers. Despite this popularity, American English is not commonly taught in EFL classes, where the Received Pronunciation of England still reigns supreme.   �'Sign Up Now: Free Trial English Lesson With a Native Speaker Teacher!←   Still, it’s important to learn... (Read More).

August 25 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

Until very recently, Portugal was Europe’s unsung destination. Eclipsed by larger and flashier neighbours, it has remained in the dark for too long. But not anymore. Make room, Spain and France, for Europe’s most vibrant and eclectic country is ready to take centre stage! So, what makes Portugal so great' Mild climatic conditions and a variety of natural spots will make your visit to Portugal warm, interesting and exciting. By now, it’s no secret that Lisbon, with its rugged hills, iconic trams and lovely architecture, is an old-world charm at its best. But Portugal’s biggest surprise... (Read More).

August 23 2021 (Language Trainers USA)

Where is Dutch spoken' The answer is not as simple as you might think. Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, where it’s spoken countrywide. Outside that, it’s the most widely spoken language in Belgium and the first language of most people in Suriname. Plus, it is widely spoken in the Dutch Caribbean municipalities of Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Marteen. As you can imagine, the fact that there are so many Dutch-speaking countries around the world means that there are a lot of Dutch dialects out there. If you’re learning Dutch, you have to get acquainted with all the... (Read More).

August 11 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

Everyone who’s been to Brazil knows that it has an incomparable festive atmosphere. Its carnivals, parades, street dances and tropical mood are surely things to remember. But Brazil is much more than that. It is also one of the most historically rich countries in Latin America, as well as a natural paradise full of interesting people, wild animals, and tropical oceans. Why visit Brazil, then' Simply because it has it all! What you take from it will depend on what you are into. Below, we’ll tell you about why you should visit Brazil and a few of its most exciting destinations. Table of... (Read More).

July 2021:

July 21 2021 (Language Trainers UK)

Writing about the Chinese alphabet is a difficult task. In order to explain how Chinese people write in their language, we have to start by setting the record straight. You probably know that the English language uses 26 letters, and (less probably) that Russian has 33 characters in its Cyrillic alphabet. Now, when it comes to Chinese, things get a bit more complicated. Why' Because there isn’t such a thing as a Chinese alphabet. Of course, Chinese has a writing system. A very complex one at that. But the way in which Chinese symbols are put together is very different from how we connect... (Read More).

May 2020:

May 15 2020 (Language Trainers Germany)

Bis eine Heilung entdeckt wird, wird das Coronavirus weiterhin Auswirkungen auf unsere Gesellschaft haben: wie wir miteinander interagieren, wie wir arbeiten und sogar wie wir Sprachen lernen. Wir bei Language Trainers wissen, dass beispiellose Probleme kreative Lösungen erfordern. Deshalb passen wir unser Unterrichtsmodell an eine Welt an, die sich von der Pandemie erholt.   Aus diesem Grund sind wir gespannt, was die Menschen zu sagen haben, wie sie sich vorstellen, dass Meetings stattfinden werden, sobald die Sperren beendet sind und diese beschließen, den persönlichen Kontakt... (Read More).

February 2020:

February 26 2020 (Language Trainers Germany)

Für den letzten November hatte ich einen Urlaub in Thailand geplant. Singapur war am Anfang nicht auf meiner Besuchsliste. Weil einer meiner Freunde nach Singapur umgezogen ist, habe ich ihn spontan auf meinem Weg nach Thailand kurz besucht. Ich hatte also keine großen Erwartungen oder Pläne, was die kleine, zauberhafte asiatische Insel betrifft. Nach einem 20-stündingen Flug bin ich erschöpft auf Changi, den beeindruckendsten Flughafen der Welt gelandet. Außer hunderten von Geschäften, gibt es da einen entzückenden Wasserfall und ein Indoor – Gartenparadies. Übrigens hat die... (Read More).

April 2019:

April 17 2019 (Language Trainers Germany)

Phänomene, die vermutlich nicht nur die Leute betreffen die beschließen auszuwandern, sondern möglicherweise auch den ein oder anderen Backpacker, Digitale Nomaden oder Langzeittouristen treffen. Wann es Zeit ist wieder nach Hause zu kehren oder gänzlich zu bleiben oder auch meine 12 persönlichen Steps, um sich zu integrieren – und nein hierbei geht es nicht um das Tragen von stilistisch unakzeptablen Elefantenhosen… 1.Du suchst auf Toiletten vergeblich den Mülleimer, um das Toilettenpapier zu entsorgen… In Thailand ist das Rohr- und Abwassersystem noch nicht so ganz... (Read More).

November 2018:

November 02 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

  Ein Leben als Digital Nomad in Südostasien klingt für die meisten Leute nach Kokosnüssen am Strand, surfen und gelegentlich in Strandbars am Laptop sitzen. Natürlich besteht mein Businessoutfit aus Bikinis und bunten Elefantenhosen. Meine Armbanduhr musste bunten Armbändern und Fußkettchen weichen und statt am Schreibtisch zu sitzen liege ich in der Hängematte, während ich darüber sinniere wo ich meinen nächsten Drink herbekomme. Wie so häufig ist das in der Realität jedoch anders. Mein Leben ist kein Rosamunde Pilcher Roman, bei der ich an jedem neuen Ort einer weiteren... (Read More).

October 2018:

October 08 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

Wenn wir einen Einblick in eine andere Kultur möchten, dann gelingt uns das auf die Schnelle leicht über die Sprache und traditionelle Gerichte. Wenn wir Glück haben, dann dürfen wir auch noch an den großen und wichtigen Ereignissen des Lebens teilhaben. Diese sind in fast jeder Kultur gleich. Die Geburt, Hochzeit und Beerdigung gelten weltweit als einschneidende Erlebnisse. Ich hatte das Glück – das klingt irgendwie nach schwarzem Humor – bei einer traditionellen Beerdigungsfeier in Ghana dabei zu sein. Von außen betrachtet war das auf den ersten Blick eine Mischung aus Karneval,... (Read More).

September 2018:

September 21 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

  Man bleibt nicht lange allein. Ich kann allen Frauen, die auf der Suche nach einem Mann sind, nur raten: packt eure Koffer und reist los! Ihr lernt dann vermutlich mehr kennen, als euch lieb ist und damit meine ich nicht nur andere Kulturen, euch selbst, sondern auch viele neue Männer und deren merkwürdig getarntes Dating Verhalten. Eigentlich bin ich nach Bali geflogen um allein zu sein. Fast sechs Wochen lang wollte ich mich nur um meine Bedürfnisse kümmern und mit so wenig Menschen wie möglich kommunizieren. Ist schon auf dem Flug nach Bali gescheitert. Um mich nicht... (Read More).

August 2018:

August 31 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

Du wolltest schon immer mal den Mount Pitchu besteigen, dein Spiegelbild in der glatten Oberfläche des Königssees bewundern oder dich in allen Wegen, die nach Rom führen verirren, aber findest keine Reisebegleitung' Deine Freunde wollen woanders hin, dein Partner bekommt keinen Urlaub und Reisegruppen schrecken dich ab' Dann lass dich nicht aufhalten und fahre einfach allein los! „Allein, wirklich' Das ist doch nichts für mich!“, denkst du dir jetzt vielleicht, besonders dann ist es an der Zeit dir unsere fünf Gründe durchzulesen, warum jeder mindestens einmal in seinem Leben... (Read More).

August 10 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

Alle deine Freunde und Kollegin plantschen im Meer, relaxen in den Bergen oder reiten auf Elefanten durch die Gegend, nur du armes Ding musst zu Hause bleiben, weil du die Urlaubskasse entweder zu früh geplündert hast, noch nie eine hattest oder einfach keinen Urlaub bekommst' Unsere 10 Tipps & Tricks helfen dir dabei, Urlaubsfeeling in den Alltag zu holen 1. Erkunde die Stadt wie ein Tourist Sicherlich musst dafür nicht aussehen wie einer. Die Cargohose kannst du getrost im Schrank lassen, aber nimm dir Zeit und erkunde deine eigene Stadt. Arbeite sämtliche Sightseeing Spots ab,... (Read More).

July 2018:

July 27 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

Raus aus deiner Komfortzone Runter von der Couch und rein ins Flugzeug! Na gut, du musst nicht direkt ins Flugzeug steigen. Bus, Zug oder Auto tun es auch. Beim Reisen müssen wir häufig unsere Komfortzone verlassen, aber warum sollten wir das tun' Das klingt doch erstmal ziemlich unbequem. Weil es deinen Horizont erweitern wird, ganz einfach. Du hast beim Reisen nicht nur die Möglichkeit ein neuer Mensch zu sein, sondern auch neue Dinge auszuprobieren. Vielleicht lernst du dich beim Water Rafting von einer neuen Seite kennen und entdeckst ein neues Hobby für dich' Vielleicht merkst du... (Read More).

July 13 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

Wenn wir als Kind eine Sprache lernen, dann haben wir keine Scheu, sondern machen bedingungslos Laute und Geräusche nach, ja häufig sogar Mimik, die unsere Eltern uns vorleben. Stück für Stück entwickeln wir mehr und mehr ein empfinden für unsere Muttersprache, bis wir irgendwann klar und verständlich Wünsche und Bedürfnisse äußern können. Später, wenn wir in die Schule gehen, erlernen die meisten von uns weitere Sprachen.  Als erwachsene Menschen verstehen wir dann, dass fremde Sprachen lernen nicht nur aus Vokabeln pauken und Grammatik lernen besteht, sondern uns auch fremde... (Read More).

June 2018:

June 29 2018 (Language Trainers Germany)

Für dein Hipster Wochenende in Berlin solltest du gut vorbereitet sein. Wer als echter Hipster durch die Hauptstadt laufen will, sollte nichts dem Zufall überlassen. Um deine zahlreichen Erlebnisse zu dokumentieren solltest du auf gar keinen Fall deine Fotokamera vergessen. Nein, bitte keine hochmoderne Spiegelreflex sondern eine auf alt gemachte. Falls du die nicht hast packe zumindest eine Polaroid Kamera für deine schönsten Hipster Erfahrungen in Berlin ein, um sie später mit dem Handy abzufotografieren, damit du all deinen Freunden zeigen kannst was für ein cooler Weltenbummler du... (Read More).