I never know what to respond, I am not from Texas, but I live here now, what would you normally respond to that? Even my Praktika tutor can't really answer that. It's a very particular question and I'm still trying to figure out the answer!
Every once in a while you visit somewhere that just sticks with you forever. The kind of trip where everything clicks. The scenery feels unreal, the food is incredible, the people are welcoming, and the overall atmosphere makes you wish you had more time there.
I’m talking about the destination that genuinely blew you away and still crosses your mind long after coming home.
Where was it, and what made it so unforgettable? Also, would you actually go back or was it more of a one time experience?
I told a group of people at the bar "devo scopare" instead of "devo scappare" and I’m mortified
A month ago I decided to stop randomly googling language learning tips and just asked Reddit instead. I posted in a few language-learning subs and got a ton of advice, and a lot of it was actually pretty solid.
The biggest theme from the replies was basically: stop trying to find the “perfect” method and just do stuff every day. People kept saying to use easy content, start speaking earlier than you think, and not stress so much about memorizing endless vocab lists.
A few replies that stuck with me:
Honestly the biggest thing I took from it was that consistency matters way more than motivation. I used to jump between apps and videos and flashcards, but the advice on Reddit made me simplify everything.
I’m still nowhere near fluent, but after a month I can already tell I’m improving. I understand more, I freeze up less when I try to speak, and it feels way less overwhelming now.
Reddit can be a mess, but sometimes the comments are weirdly better than the actual post.
When you work remotely, people can’t rely on your presence, body language, or small face-to-face moments. What they do rely on is your language. In that setting, English becomes a stand-in for clarity, reliability, and seniority. How to learn it well?
Hey! I feel like I always say it wrong and I need a clear answer, because whatever I say people would look at me in a weird way. Is it "on Slack" or "in Slack". What sounds better?
Earlier this year, I spent two months fully immersed in learning French. I started as one of the weakest students in my class, but by the end, I had advanced a level and ranked among the top, while also working full-time in another country.
I documented the strategies I used to accelerate my learning. These same approaches helped me learn Chinese years ago. Below is a condensed version of nine key techniques that can benefit learners at any stage.
Using these methods, I progressed from basic sentence construction to holding extended conversations in just a few weeks. These strategies can help anyone learn a language more effectively.
Well, yes, you will be uncomfortable. This is the whole point.
I force myself to adjust to new time zone the second I’m at the airport.
What are some common mistakes english speakers make when trying to speak Italian that make native speakers roll their eyes/wish they would just fix?
Be brutal please! Vi ringrazio!
Im trying to learn Italian, but Duolingo is very basic and I would like any pointers or anything to help aid my knowledge of speaking Italian. I have currently changed my Disney plus to Italian Dub and English subtitles. And same with Netflix. are there any resources or apps to help me? Something that genuinely worked for you?
I love the way English is widely spoken all of the world! I can literally go almost everywhere and speak English. I am so glad I made that decision and started learning it! And that's my superpower now!
Like logically you know it’s not late at all and people do it all the time, but your brain keeps insisting you should’ve started earlier? Trying not to let that mindset stop me from starting now.
I’m a 34-year-old American living in the middle of nowhere in Hill Country, Texas, and realistically I don’t think I’ll ever have the money to travel to Europe.
That said, I really love Italian movies and the language itself. I’m also super into Italian food and wine. My family has been growing grapes here in Texas for generations, and it’s kind of a dream of mine to go to Italy someday and learn more about winemaking, but honestly, that might never happen.
I haven’t even managed to get a passport yet. The nearest place to apply is in the capital, which is a long drive for me, and the whole process feels like more than I can handle right now.
So I guess my question is: is it still worth learning Italian, even if I might never actually go to Italy?
Hey guys, I moved to Austin, Texas and I need a good bikini that would hold the waterfall, not float away and be durable. Do you know any good bikini brands? I am wearing Seashell Killa for months now, wearing it almost every day and it still looks like new. I am waiting for their new collection to come out, meanwhile I want something as durable as this one I already have. What do you guys wear?
I took one look at Dutch and thought: I speak English, I took German in high school, I am BUILT for this.
Well, not quite, I moved to the NL few months ago and yes, I can even watch a Netflix show in Dutch (well, I can actually read the subtitles), I am able to read EVERYTHING, but speaking and understanding is a different thing.
And yes, the title of this post might be right, but my question is: how to start actually understanding what people are saying. When it's spoken it's still sounds like a gibberish to me. English speakers, any tips?
True story: I learned Mandarin. MANDARIN. Four tones and the characters that look like something fell on a keyboard. Took five years of my life.
The doors it opened:
- A job in Shanghai (incredible)
- The ability to argue with my GPS in two languages
- Understanding what the aunties at dim sum are saying about me
- One marriage proposal from a man who thought my accent was "charmingly chaotic"
We are not married. But the door was opened. That's the point.
10/10 would suffer again.
We all have that one language we've always been secretly obsessed with, maybe it's the way it sounds, the culture behind it, or just the idea of starting completely fresh as a new version of yourself. Mine would be french, I think EVERYTHING SOUNDS GOOD IN FRENCH! I actually downloaded Praktika and started learning so I'm on my way to Paris, baby!
Hola a todos!
I've been to a trip to Spain recently and really enjoyed my experience and was also excited to put my language skills again into practice (I plan on taking the B2 exam in June, well I've been doing a lot of private classes and Praktika conversations).
But I noticed that some/many staff are answering in English in spite of me initiating the conversation in Spanish. And I speak fluently, it's not like that people would gain anything in speaking English with me (or would lose time talking to me in Spanish, on the contrary actually). For example, I was asking a person working in a mall where another store is. They switched immediately to English, struggled, asked their colleague next to them to find the right words, and then answered me. I appreciate the effort, but it was not necessary.
Probably, the fact that I was in a rather touristic place (Barcelona) in the city center didn't help. In Zaragoza, e.g., this didn't happen as frequently. On the bright side, there were also many instances where no one switched to English like in the book store, the hotel reception, the pharmacy or the ice cream parlor... But generally in restaurants, people would not answer immediately in Spanish. But after some time being stubborn and only answering in Spanish, they switch to their mother tongue.
At some point I was tempted to just pretend not knowing any English (I have an Eastern European accent when speaking and English is my L2). But I didn't follow through with that plan, especially because I was travelling with my partner who doesn't speak any Spanish (and we talk English with each other).
How do you feel about this when people switch to English? Do you give in? Do you ask them kindly to speak Spanish with you? Or do you pretend to not speak any English?
And now a little bit in Spanish:
Primero que todo, quiero dar mi definición de lo que significa hablar un idioma con fluidez. Para mí, no se trata de haber alcanzado el nivel C1 y parece que esta es una opinión bastante impopular. Para mí simplemente significa ser capaz de hablar sin (o casi sin) vacilaciones en cualquier contexto de la vida cotidiana y no de la vida académica. Después de todo, también hay hablantes nativos que nunca han ido a la escuela secundaria o a la universidad.
Estoy convencido de que hablo español con fluidez porque tomo clases de conversación con dos profesores españoles y hablo con ellos sobre una gran variedad de temas como la historia, la cultura o la política. Obviamente, no lo hablo perfectamente: cometo errores y a veces no encuentro las palabras adecuadas, pero en esos momentos parafraseo. En cuanto a mi acento, en mi opinión, no es tan malo, es decir, lo tengo y seguramente se nota, pero no debería ser incomprensible. Para estar seguro, la próxima vez les preguntaré a mis profesores qué opinan.
Creo que ya he escrito suficiente. Ha sido una buena oportunidad para practicar un poco mi español escrito. :)
We all have that word. Mine is "jewellery". I pronunce it so bad, nobody can ever understand me!
We all have that one dish we fell in love with while traveling… and then never found again back home.
Mine is definitely Mapo Doufu from Sichuan cuisine from China. Translated literally as "pock-marked grandmother's tofu," its totally apocryphal origin story is identical to a half dozen other food origins: it starts with hungry crowds and a cook with few ingredients but plenty of creativity. The result is an inexpensive stew that uses simple ingredients, it's soft tofu, ground meat (beef or pork), fermented chile bean paste, a handful of sichuan peppercorns, and plenty of red-hot chile oil to create simple, soul-satisfying fare. I just love it so much, I had it every single day in China.
I very rarely get visibly excited about anything, but I am excited even thinking about Mapo Doufu!
What’s yours? 👇