Saying Hello in Hindi

Namaste (नमस्ते)!

Remember how I promised that I would go over Hindi greetings? Well today I’m going to take a break from the Hindi alphabet and teach you several Hindi greetings. Ideally this post should have probably been the first lesson on Hindi. Regardless of whether you can read or write Hindi, I think that knowing Hindi greetings will be useful in your day-to-day interactions with Hindi speaking people.

Let’s start with the basic and most common known Hindi greeting, Namaste (नमस्ते). This greeting is known even to non-Hindi speakers and you can frequently hear it being used in a typical American yoga class. That being said, the namaste (नमस्ते) in a yoga class differs slightly in meaning than perhaps a namaste (नमस्ते) in a conversational setting. I’ll get to that in more detail later. First, let’s cover the Namaste (नमस्ते) used to mean hello in Hindi.

As I’ve said in a previous post, namaste (नमस्ते) literally means, “I bow to you,” and is a way for Hindi speakers to greet each other. When Indian people greet each other with namaste (नमस्ते), the greeting is usually accompanied by a gesture that foreigners might find puzzling. The gesture involves two hands pressed together palm-by-palm in front one’s chest, with a slight nod of the head. The nod of the head and the pressed hands are carried out simultaneously with the greeting namaste (नमस्ते). The cool thing about this gesture is that you can just nod your head and press your hands together without the namaste (नमस्ते) greeting. It’s almost like sign language where you can convey a simple greeting without exchanging any words.

When you use namaste (नमस्ते) in a yoga setting, it means something quite different from “hello”. It’s hard to translate into English, but it can mean something like, “The light within me honors the light within you” or “That which is of the divine in me greets that which is of the divine in you”. It’s kind of amazing how one little word like namaste (नमस्ते) can imply a long wordy phrase in English.

Now if I want to say goodbye in Hindi, all I have to do is press my palms together without verbalizing the namaste (नमस्ते). Here’s how I will exit this post, namaste (नमस्ते) (wordless gesture).

How to Speak Japanese

How to say hello in Japanese largely depends upon when you say it. This is very much like different greetings and salutations used in English at different times of day or night. There are set rules to use "Good Morning!", "Good Afternoon!", "Good Day!", "Good Evening!" and "Good Night!". In Japanese culture, the rules also differ depending upon whether you are on phone or meeting somebody personally or whether you have only formal relations with the addressee or is he a close friend of yours. You see, there is nothing strange or new in it. We too follow the same rules. We don't get formal with our pals. We seldom greet them with "Good Morning!" or "Good Evening!" A mere "Hi!" is enough. Let us see what greetings are to be used when.

Although the most popular and most well known translation for "Hello!" remains "Konnichiwa!" it is not exactly how to say hello in Japanese. Perhaps it is not the most suitable for it. Actually, the correct greeting in English to which "Konnichiwa" is closest in sense, is "Good Day!" or "Good Noon!" and I am sure you won't like greeting a person with a "Good Day!" at any time, more so when you actually want to say "Hello!" whose meaning is very close to "Hi!" or "How do you do?" or "What's up?", and neither do Japanese like saying "Konnichiwa" when they want to say "Hello!"

So, What to do? The problem still remains how to say hello in Japanese. Let's do it the way Japanese do. Use "Ohaiyo Gonzaimasu!" for "Good Morning!" or use "Konnichiwa!" when its noon or use "Konbanwa!" to greet somebody when its afternoon, which is same as "Good Afternoon!" Things differ when you are on phone. Just say "Moshi, Moshi!" which is actually similar to saying "Hello!" over the phone, because one seldom uses "Good Morning!" or "Good Afternoon!" or "Good Evening!" right after one picks up the phone. It is invariably the sweet old "Hello!"

As in many countries greetings are very important in Japan. In the morning your co-workers will greet you with a very genki "O ha yo go za i ma su". It's the "gozaimasu" which makes it polite, just like the super polite "Thank you" is "A ri ga to u go za i ma su".

Then in the afternoon the greeting changes to the familar "Kon ni chi wa".

Then if you meet your friends in the evening it will be "Kon ban wa".

"O ya su mi na sa i" is "good night", but only just before you go to bed, so it's mainly used in families. If you leave work late at night you'll have to say "shi tsu re i shi ma su" - "Sorry for being rude and going home before you all"!

How to Speak Chinese

What is pinyin?

Pinyin is the most widely-used system of writing Mandarin Chinese and uses the Latin alphabet. It is a great tool to help you learn the accurate pronunciation of Mandarin words.

First, you need to learn how to read pinyin, as Mandarin contains some sounds which do not exist in English.

Have a look at our guide, listen to the voices in Real Chinese and our tone and character games to hear how native speakers pronounce the sounds.

Don’t worry if you don’t get it right first time, learning pinyin needs a fair bit of practice.

chá

- ch in chá, tea, is a bit like ch in 'cheap' but with the mouth in a round shape.

érzi

- i as in érzi is very different from i in nǐ hǎo. Say z like ds and then keep the mouth shape unchaged when saying i.

Gěi nín

- g in gěi nín, here you are, is pronounced like g in 'girl'.

The tones

- In Mandarin Chinese, there are four tones. Each syllable in isolation (e.g. ma) has its tone, and the same syllables with different tones can mean different things. For example, mā with the first tone means 'mum', má with the second tone 'linen', mǎ with the third tone means 'horse' and mà with the fourth tone 'to swear'. The first tone, represented by ¯ , is high but remains level. The second tone, represented by ´, goes up and is abrupt (raise your eyebrows while saying it). The third tone, represented by ˇ, is a falling-rising tone (drop your chin onto your neck and raise it again). The fourth tone, represented by ˋ, is a falling tone (stomp your foot gently).

nǐ hǎo

- i in nǐ sounds like ee in 'need'. When a third tone is followed by another third tone, it changes to a second tone in real speech although it is still marked as a third tone. So, nǐ in nǐ hǎo is pronounced with a second tone ní.

nǚ'ér

- ü in nǚ'ér, daughter, is like the u sound in French. But when j, q, x and y precede ü, ü is written without the two dots. For example, u in júzi zhī, orange juice, is still pronounced as ü.

qīngcài

- q in qīngcài, vegetables, is pronounced a bit like ch in 'cheese', but with the tongue further forward.

ròu

- r in ròu, meat, is like r in 'roll' but with the tongue rolled loosely in the middle of the mouth.

shì

- sh in shì, to be, and shuō, to speak, is similar to sh in 'shut'.

xìng

- There is no sound in English which is similar to the sound x in Chinese. Place the front of your tongue behind the lower front teeth, then let the air pass through. It's a bit like sh in 'sheep'.

zàijiàn

- In zàijiàn, goodbye, the sound z is a bit like ds in 'heads' and the sound j is similar to g in 'gentle'.

Programme 1 : Greeting people and saying your name

People are saying greetings.

Group 1:	Nǐ hǎo!	Hello!
Group 2:	Zàijiàn!	Goodbye!
Group 3:	Zǎoshàng hǎo!	Good morning!
Group 4	Nǐ zǎo!	Good morning!
Children are saying their name.
Mu Tong:	Wǒ jiào Mù Tóng.	My name's Mu Tong.
Bao Yuqin:	Wǒ jiào Bāo Yǔqín.	My name's Bao Yuqin.
Sun Yiping:	Wǒ jiào Sūn Yīpíng.	My name's Sun Yiping.

People are saying their name.

Chen Zhixin:	Wǒ xìng Chén, wǒ jiào Chén Zhìxīn.	My surname is Chen, and my full name is Chen Zhixin.
Qian Sainan:	Wǒ xìng Qián, wǒ jiào Qián Sàinán.	My surname is Qian, and my full name is Qian Sainan.
Qiyang Yushu:	Wǒ xìng Qíyang, wǒ jiào Qíyáng Yùshū.	My surname is Qiyang, and my full name is Qiyang Yushu.
Zhu Bing:	Wǒ xìng Zhū, wǒ jiào Zhūbīng.	My surname is Zhu, and my full name is Zhu Bing.
Wang Lanjun:	Wǒ xìng Wáng, wǒ jiào Wáng Lánjūn.	My surname is Wang, and my full name is Wang Lanjun.
Zhang Hao:	Wǒ xìng Zhāng, wǒ jiào Zhāng Hào.	My surname is Zhang, and my full name is Zhang Hao.
Wang Zhen:	Wǒ xìng Wáng, wǒ jiào Wáng Zhēn.	My surname is Wang, and my full name is Wang Zhen.

People are saying greetings.

Group 1:	Jiérì kuàilè!	Happy holiday!
Group 2:	Wǎnshàng hǎo!	Good evening!

How to Speak Italian

Speaking Italian: Before You Begin

1. Figure 1: BBC Languages Cool Italian

   First look at why you're learning Italian and how much time you have. Learning a new language can be a big time commitment, so consider how much time you can spend learning Italian.
2. If you're going to Italy for a vacation, a few key phrases that you study phonetically for ten minutes a day may suffice.
3. Knowing how to say just a few words will help you communicate, and understand what others are saying to you.
4. To speak, read, or write on a higher level, lessons with audio and written elements are necessary.
5. To get the best return on these lessons, studying regularly is important.
6. No matter what your level of Italian is, take advantage of any chance you get to practice your Italian, however the occasion arises.
7. Speaking (and understanding what is said to you) may be hard at first, but it will get easier with every word.

Italian Pronunciation Tips

1. Figure 2: Indo-European Languages Italian Pronunciation Guide

   The first step to learning how to speak Italian is knowing how to pronounce the words. Once you know how to pronounce the vowels and certain consonants, you can say any word.
2. Indo-European Languages has a list of how to pronounce vowels and consonants here.
3. About.com includes practice words in its pages on how to pronounce Italian Vowels, Consonants, Double Consonants, and also General Word Pronunciation.
4. The "r" in words is always trilled.
5. Italians stress the second to last syllable in words, even if the word only has two syllables. So "Signore" would be pronounced "Seen-YORE-ay", and "Scusi" would be pronounced "SKOO-see".
6. For a fun, 10 minute video on pronunciation, go here.

Basic Italian Phrases

1. Visit the BBC's page of essential phrases.

   Figure 3: BBC Quick Fix Italian Phrases

2. Listen to the phrases being spoken as you read along.
3. Download the MP3s to listen to whenever you can.
4. Practice saying the phrases yourself.
5. Record yourself so you hear how you sound.
6. Print pages out to take with you!

Sample Italian Phrases MP3s

Fodor's has a great Living Language page that lists many helpful Italian phrases. Here are some samples:

• Fodor's: Hello - Salve
• Fodor's: Please - Per favore
• Fodor's: Good-bye - Ciao
• Fodor's: Excuse me - Mi scusi
• Fodor's: Do you speak English? - Parla inglese?
• Fodor's: Where...? - Dove...?
• Fodor's: The bill, please - Il conto, por favore

• • About.com also has an audio lab with many Italian phrases. Here are some samples:
• About.com: Do you have any vacancies? - Avete una stanza libera?
• About.com: I'm vegetarian - Sono vegetariana
• About.com: It's nice to meet you - Piacere di conoscerla

Introductory Italian Lessons

1. Go to BBC's Italian Steps, a great introductory 24 step course on Italian.
2. Listen to the online dialogues.
3. Watch the dialogue once with the text in English.
4. Watch again with the text in Italian.

   Figure 5: Italian Steps Lesson 1

5. Test your comprehension with the exercise Guess the Words.
6. If you've understood the vocabulary, go to Build Sentences.
7. Complete your half of a dialogue, both speaking and writing, at Speak and Write.

Intermediate Italian Lessons

1. The BBC offers lessons and transcripts about their 20-part TV series, Italianissimo.
2. Click on one of the topics listed on the page.
3. Study the Key Language for the topic.

   Figure 6: Italianissimo Key Language Lesson

4. Click on the words in dark green for detailed grammar explanations.
5. Watch or listen to the clip of the conversation for the topic.
6. Read the transcript of the conversation in Italian.
7. Read the English translation of the transcript.
8. Listen to the conversation again, and see how much you can understand.

Intermediate Sample Italian Phrases MP3s

• • Fodor's has some intermediate phrases for socializing.
• Fodor's: Shall we have a drink together? - Beviamo qualcosa insieme?
• Fodor's: Would you like to go with us to the theater? - Vuole venire con noi a teatro?
• Fodor's: It was nice to have met you - E stato un piacere aver fatto la Sua conoscenza
• Fodor's: Is there anyone here who speaks English? - C'e qualcuno qui che parla inglese?
• Fodor's: Make yourself at home - Faccia come a casa Sua

Advanced Italian Lessons

Corso di Lingua

1. RAI International Online offers an advanced course on Italian called Corso di Lingua.
2. On the first page, choose the language you want the course taught in - choose Italian if you're really advanced!

Figure 7: Corso di Lingua Page 1

1. On the next page, choose the style you want the information presented - either with cartoon drawings or real life pictures.

   Figure 8: Corso di Lingua Page 2

2. Then choose the curriculum, either "Situations", "Linguistic Function", or "Storytelling".

   Figure 9: Corso di Lingua Page 3

3. On the next page, click the blue "play" symbol on the top right corner of each box to start each lesson.

   Figure 10: Corso di Lingua Page 4

4. Once on a lesson, click the icons on the top left toolbar in order to listen, read, and study the phrases and words presented.

   Figure 11: Corso di Lingua Lesson 1

5. Finally, click the upper left pencil icon in order to practice writing and constructing phrases on your own!

BBC's Italian Journey

1. The BBC also offers advanced level transcripts of an Italian travel documentary, called Italy Inside Out.
2. Select an episode transcript to focus on.
3. Download both the Italian and English versions of this transcript.

   Figure 12: BBC's Italian Journey

4. Read the Italian version of first.
5. Then read the English version, and see how much you understood.
6. Study the phrases and sentence construction.
7. Select another transcript, and repeat!

Fun Italian Lessons

Italian Hand Gestures

1. Italians are known for using hand gestures while speaking, so if you really want speak like a true Italian, you'll need to learn some basic Italian hand gestures!
2. About.com has a lot of great drawings depicting common hand gestures.

   Figure 13: About.com's Italian Hand Gestures Guide

3. For a brief visual demonstration, check out this video.

BBC Cool Italian Lessons

1. Once you've mastered some basic phrases, learning Italian slang phrases can be a lot of fun.
2. Check out the BBC's Cool Italian page.

   Figure 14: BBC's Cool Italian Argument Lesson

3. Listen to the Cool Italian phrases (check out an "argument" BBC MP3 here).
4. Print out a transcript of the expressions, as you can here for the argument.
5. Practice saying the Cool phrases yourself - and don't forget those hand gestures!
6. Tape yourself to hear how Italian you sound!

Italian Podcasts

1. Podcasts like LearnItalianPod are another great resource.
2. This podcast is free to listen to.
3. Play each installment of the podcast either on the main page, or download and save it to your desktop.
4. Listen to every podcast until you feel you've understood what's going on.
5. If you want to do more advanced lessons, or read transcripts, then you must subscribe to this podcast for a small fee.

Resources for Studying Italian

1. While studying Italian, it is extremely useful to always reference the:
   • English-Italian Dictionary,
   • Italian Verb Conjugator, and
   • Italian Grammar Guide
2. Indo-European Language's Italian page has a wide range of lessons and vocabulary lists, from beginning to advanced. Without audio files, however, it's best used in addition to other lessons.

More Tips for Studying Italian

• • Check out Mahalo's Guide to the Italian language.

1. Read Italian magazines and newspapers, like La Repubblica. This will help you practice your comprehension skills, as well as giving you a window into life in Italy.

   Figure 15: RAI's Home Page

2. Also check out RAI, a great website that provides live streams of many Italian radio and tv shows.
3. Check out your local university to see if they offer Italian classes, or if there is a professor or student who can tutor you.
4. Create or buy flash cards to test yourself. Have pictures or English words on one side, and Italian words on the other. Flash cards are an excellent way to study Italian on the go.
5. Rent movies in Italian. Turn off the subtitles, or try to understand what they are saying before you look at the subtitles.
6. Listen to Italian music; try to understand the lyrics.
7. Go see an Italian opera; see how much you can understand without looking at the subtitles.
8. Visit Italian restaurants or delis where you live; if there are Italian speakers on staff, practice your Italian!

How to Speak Russian

Speaking Russian: Before You Begin

1. First look at why you're learning Russian and how much time you have. If it's for a vacation in Russia, a few key phrases you study for ten minutes a day may suffice. Even knowing just a few words will help you communicate and understand what others are saying to you.
2. To speak, read or write on a higher level, lessons with audio and written elements are necessary. And to get the best return on these lessons, studying regularly is important.
3. No matter what your level of Russian is, take advantage of any chance you get to practice. Speaking (and understanding what is said to you) may be hard at first, but it will get easier with every word. So don't worry about making mistakes. Take the plunge and start speaking Russian!

Basic Russian Phrases

(Creative Commons photo by Bart Everts)

• Many sites have basic Russian phrases, but the best have audio files so you can hear the words and practice saying them yourself. Don't worry about what you sound like!

BBC Russian Phrases

1. Visit the BBC's page of essential phrases.¹
2. Listen to the phrases being spoken as you read along.
3. Download the MP3s to listen to whenever you can.
   • Check out a BBC MP3.²
4. Practice saying the phrases yourself.
5. Record yourself so you hear how you sound.
6. Print pages out to take with you!³

Omniglot Useful Russian Phrases

1. Omniglot has put together a list of useful Russian phrases, showing the English phrase, the Cyrillic alphabet spelling and a phonetic spelling.⁴
2. Click on the Cyrillic word to hear an audio recording of the phrase.⁵

Instant Communication: Let's Talk Russian

• Instant Communication: Let's Talk Russian is divided into sections by situation.⁶ Each situation is preceded by a vocabulary list and includes practice exercises.

1. Select a situation.
2. Review the vocabulary list.
3. Do the practice exercises.

Wikitravel

• Wikitravel has a basic Russian phrasebook with pronunciation guide, but no sound files.⁷

Other Fun Stuff

• Middlebury College's Russia Today website contains over 100 Russian signs, with pictures and translations.⁸

• Hello-World is a fun interactive site, which includes games and a pictorial dictionary to introduce you to the Russian language.⁹

Reading and Writing in Russian

• Russian is written using the Cyrillic alphabet.¹⁰

1. Cyrillic has 33 basic characters.¹¹
2. Bucknell University has an exercise to familiarize you with Cyrillic while teaching you a few basic Russian words.¹²
3. If you're interested, Volga Writer has some background information on Cyrillic.¹³

Introductory Russian Lessons

(Creative Commons photo by ikon_vodka)

Way to Russia

• This online tutorial takes you through an overview of the Cyrillic alphabet, basic grammar and conversational phrases.¹⁴

1. There are seven online units, organized by topic, such as transportation, meeting people and shopping.
2. In each unit, the word or phrase is spelled out in English, Cyrillic and a phonetic spelling of the Russian word.
3. There's also an option to listen to the Russian pronunciation using Quick Time or Windows Media Player.

Cornell University Russian Grammar

• Cornell University has an entire course in basic Russian grammar online.¹⁵ The site is organized like a textbook, which you can access either through the Table of Contents or by a Subject Index.^{16 17} Before using it however, you need to download the Cyrillic fonts, so that it displays correctly on your computer.

1. Download the required Cyrillic font here.¹⁸
2. Access the Beginning Russian Grammar course here.¹⁵

Russian Language Lessons

• Russian Language Lessons has an introductory course online, taking you from the alphabet to the finer points of case and tense.¹⁹

1. Read through the lesson.
   • Whenever you see a small green box, you can click on it for pronunciation help.
2. Use the exercises at the end of each lesson to reinforce what you've read.
3. Test your knowledge with the "Russian Language Training" quiz at the end of each section. It's an online multiple choice quiz, which gives you instant feedback as to whether your answer is correct or incorrect.
4. Move on to the next lesson after you've mastered the previous one.

Live Mocha

• LiveMocha is an online learning community.²⁰ You can follow their online courses, but also participate in the online community. You can ask fellow members for help with Russian and offer help to those who are learning English.

1. Go to Live Mocha's home page.²⁰
2. Click on "Get Started" to register for a free account.
3. Select that you want to learn Russian.
4. You will receive a confirmation email; when it arrives click on the included link to activate your account.
5. You have the option to upload a profile image; if you prefer click "Skip" to skip this step.
6. Choose the online course "Russian 101."
7. Begin with the section marked "Learn" on Unit 1, Lesson 1.
8. Each lesson has four sections:
   1. Learn: Listen to words and phrases. Repeat the words as you hear them.
   2. Reading: Read words and phrases you just learned and select the correct image.
   3. Listening: Listen to the same words and phrases and select the correct image.
   4. Magnet: Now you must re-create the words and phrases. Choose from the presented words and drag them into the answer box, in the correct order.

Wikibooks Russian Textbook

• Wikibooks has an online Russian textbook designed to teach basic conversational Russian.²¹ As with all wiki projects, it's a work in progress. Currently it has several lessons, but no exercises or tests. There are sound files available for some lessons, but not all. It's best used in conjunction with one of the more comprehensive courses listed above.

Intermediate Russian Lessons

(Creative Commons photo by Brady Wood)

• Verb tenses, more complex dialogues, perfecting pronunciation: these intermediate lessons will help you become a much more polished Russian speaker.

Russian Language Mentor

• Russian Language Mentor has a number of detailed lessons including a course in Intermediate Russian Grammar.²²

1. You'll need to download the software for the Russian keyboard before beginning.²³
2. After you've successfully installed the keyboard, select the lessons from the left side of the page, in the order you wish to complete them.
3. There are modules for Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, Grammar Review, Cultural Literacy and Scientific and Technical Literacy, as well as "Fun Stuff" like crossword puzzles.
4. The site recommends starting with the first four reading modules before advancing to the other sections.
5. Each module should take 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete.

George Washington University

• These videos, hosted by George Washington University, are entirely in Russian.²⁴ Although the instruction buttons are also in Russian, if you hover over them with your mouse, you'll get English help.

1. Read the outline of the video's important points before watching it.
2. Take the quiz after viewing the video.

Bucknell University

• Bucknell University has a detailed course on Russian grammar that you can access via their online Russian Reference site.¹²

1. Access each section through the Table of Contents.
2. Sound files are available to download for pronunciation assistance.
3. Each chapter ends with an interactive quiz. Type in your answer, and then check it by clicking on the "?" button.

Advanced Russian Lessons

(Creative Commons photo by Jim G)

• Here's where you put everything you've learned together. You'll see just how well you can really speak Russian!

1. Russian Language Lessons maintains an index of Russian language articles with side-by-side English translations.²⁵ You can hear the Russian spoken by clicking on the green icon.
   • Try listening to the article first, then test your comprehension by reading the English translation.
2. You can also test your comprehension by listening to Russian radio and television broadcasts.²⁶
   • These are more challenging as the pace of the speech is that of actual native speakers.
3. Reading Russian newspapers and periodicals will also help you refine your skills.²⁷
4. You can access the BBC News online in Russian here.²⁸
5. Master Russian has the complete text of Anna Karenina in Russian and English.^{29 29 30}
6. Here's a collection of Russian Tongue Twisters for fun!³¹

Russian Videos and Podcasts

(Creative Commons photo by Magnus Franklin)

• Russian videos and podcasts can deepen your familiarity with the language.

Podcasts

1. A Taste of Russian has podcasts you can download along with written transcripts of their contents.³² In these podcasts, you'll be listening to native Russian speakers having conversations about daily life.
2. UCLA Center for World Languages has excerpts from famous Russian writers for the Intermediate to Advanced student.³³
   1. Launch iTunes.
   2. In the Advanced menu, select Subscribe to Podcast.
   3. Enter the url http://www.international.ucla.edu/languages/technology/podcasts/russianliterature/rss.asp in the text box and click OK.
3. UCLA has Business Russian Podcasts.³⁴

Videos

1. Expert Village has a video series encompassing basic Russian phrases that are needed when traveling.³⁵
2. Here's a humorous video blog introducing the Cyrillic alphabet.³⁶

Additional Resources for Studying Russian

(Creative Commons photo by Lyn Gateley)

1. Indo-European Language's Russian page has a range of lessons and vocabulary lists, from beginning to advanced.³⁷ It doesn't have audio files, however, so it's best used alongside other lessons.
2. You can build your Russian vocabulary at LanguageGuide.org.³⁸
   1. The index is in Cyrillic, but you can hover over commands with your mouse to see English translation.
   2. Select the section you'd like to work on, and click on the section to reveal the detail page.
   3. Each page has an illustration with buttons corresponding to the picture.
   4. Hover over the button to see the word.
   5. Click on the button to hear it pronounced.
3. You can listen to a Russian word of the day care of Declan Software's Foreign Language Learning Software.³⁹

More Tips for Studying Russian

(Creative Commons photo by Luciano)

1. While studying Russian, you'll find a Russian-English Dictionary to be helpful.⁴⁰
   1. If you don't have a print one, you can access an online dictionary like RusUSA.com.⁴¹
   2. If you just need to translate a few words or a website from Russian to English, or from English to Russian, visit Alta Vista's Babel Fish Translation.⁴²
2. Check out your local university to see if they offer Russian classes or if there is a student or professor who can tutor you.
3. Create or buy flash cards to test yourself. Have pictures or English words on one side and Russian words on the other. You can download flashcards to print for free at Flashcard Exchange.⁴³
4. Rent movies in Russian. Turn off the subtitles (or cover the bottom of your TV set).
5. Listen to Russian music; try to understand the lyrics.
6. Visit Russian restaurants where you live; if there are Russian speakers on staff, practice your Russian!
7. Check out Mahalo's Guide to the Russian language.

References for How To Speak Russian

1. ↑ BBC: Quick Fix
2. ↑ BBC: Quick Fix MP3
3. ↑ BBC: Quick Fix Pages
4. ↑ Omniglot: Useful Russian Phrases
5. ↑ Omniglot: History and Development of the Cyrillic Alphabet
6. ↑ Instant Communication: Learn How to Speak Russian Quickly
7. ↑ Wikitravel: Russian Phrasebook
8. ↑ Middlebury College: Russian Signs
9. ↑ Hello World: Hello-World Learn Russian online: Games, activities and songs!
10. ↑ Wikipedia: Cyrillic Alphabet
11. ↑ PBS: Face of Russia: Cyrillic Alphabet
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Bucknell University: An On-line Russian Reference Grammar
13. ↑ VolgaWriter: Cyrillic History
14. ↑ Way to Russia: Russian Language Online Tutorial
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Cornell University: Beginning Russian Grammar
16. ↑ Cornell University: Beginning Russian Grammar Table of Contents
17. ↑ Cornell University: Beginning Russian Grammar Subject Index
18. ↑ Cornell University: Beginning Russian Grammar Cyrillic Fonts
19. ↑ RussianLessons.net: Russian Language Lessons
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Live Mocha
21. ↑ Wikibooks: Russian
22. ↑ RussianMentor.net: Russian Language Mentor
23. ↑ RussianMentor.net: Russian Keyboard
24. ↑ George Washington University Videos: Golosa
25. ↑ RussianLessons.net: Russian Language Articles
26. ↑ Broadcast Live: Live Radio and Television from Russia
27. ↑ MIT: Russian Language News and Magazines
28. ↑ BBC News: BBCRussian.com
29. ↑ ^{29.0 29.1} Master Russian: Leo Tolstoy
30. ↑ Master Russian: Anna Karenina, English
31. ↑ Uebersetzung: Russian Tongue Twisters
32. ↑ A Taste of Russian: Educational Podcasts
33. ↑ UCLA: Russian Literature Language Podcasts from the UCLA Center for World Languages
34. ↑ UCLA: Business Russian Podcast
35. ↑ Expert Village: Basic Russian for Travel & Getting Around
36. ↑ YouTube Video: RL101 - 1 :Some Enchanted Evening to Learn Russian! (Time: 9:57)
37. ↑ Indo-European Languages Tutorials: Russian I
38. ↑ LanguageGuide.org: Russian: Vocabulary Guide
39. ↑ Declan Software: Audio Word of the Day
40. ↑ Amazon.com: Russian-English Dictionary
41. ↑ RusUSA.com: English-Russian Dictionary and Russian-English Dictionary Online
42. ↑ Alta Vista: Babel Fish Translation
43. ↑ Flashcard Exchange: Russian Flashcards

How to Speak Spanish

Before You Begin

1. First look at why you're learning Spanish and how much time you have before you must speak the language properly. If it's for a vacation, a few key phrases you study for ten minutes a day may suffice. Even knowing just a few words will help you communicate, and understand what others are saying to you.
2. To speak, read, or write on a higher level, lessons with audio and written elements are necessary. And to get the best return on these lessons, studying the language regularly is important.
3. No matter what your speaking level is, take advantage of any chance you get to practice your Spanish, however the occasion arises. Speaking (and understanding what is said to you) may be hard at first, but it will get easier with every word.

Basic Phrases

BBC Essential Phrases

1. Visit the BBC's page of essential Spanish phrases.
2. Listen to the phrases as you read along (listen to some BBC MP3s here).
3. Download the audio so you can listen to the phrases as often as possible.
   • Import them into your iPod or MP3 player so you can learn the language on the go!
4. Say the phrases along with the audio as you listen.
5. Record yourself to hear how you sound.
6. Print out the page of key phrases so you can take them with you!

LanguageGuide.org's Los Saludos

1. Visit this page to hear greetings in Spanish.
2. Hold your mouse over any word in Spanish and you'll hear the word.
3. Or you can press play and listen to all the words and phrases being said one after the other.
4. Practice saying the words, both along with the audio and on your own.

Indo-European Languages Basic Phrases

1. Check out this page for a comprehensive list of basic phrases.
2. Although there are no audio files, you can use the provided phonetic pronunciation to learn how to speak them yourself.
3. Print the page out to take with you; having the pronunciation in front of you could come in handy!

Fodor's Sample Phrases

• Hello: Hola
• Good-bye: Adiós
• Please: Por favor
• Thank you: Gracias
• How much does it cost?: Cuánto cuesta?
• Where is...?: Dónde está...?
• Do you speak English: Habla usted inglés?
• Would you bring me the bill, please?: Me da la cuenta, por favor?

Pronunciation Tips

1. Indo-European Languages has some Spanish pronunciation tips.
2. Also visit BBC's Spanish Steps sounds of Spanish page
3. Remember:
   • "QU" is said as "K"; ex. qué - keh
   • "LL" is pronounced "Y"; ex. llamo - yah-moh
   • "Ñ" sounds like "NY"; ex. español - eh-spahn-yol

Introductory Lessons

BBC's Spanish Steps

BBC's Spanish Steps Front Page

1. BBC Spanish Steps is a six stage course set up to teach beginners important speaking and language lessons.
2. Dialogues cover common speaking situations, like taxi rides, going out to eat, and shopping.

   • BBC's Spanish Steps Night Out Section

3. First choose and listen to a dialogue.
4. Study the key words from that dialogue.
5. Go through the activities to reinforce what was just said:
   • Activity 1 has you rearrange lines of dialogue into the proper order.
   • You guess the meanings of key words from the dialogue in Activity 2.
   • Activity 3 involves listening comprehension based on words you just learned.
   • In Activity 4 you actively participate, by saying and then writing responses to the dialogue.
6. Need to refresh your memory? Go to the course's vocabulary list!

Expert Village: Learn How to Speak Spanish

1. This video series is a way to review common phrases.
2. Choose a topic, such as airport travel, dealing with money, or romantic phrases.
3. Click on the topic. The video will play (occasionally prefaced by a short ad).
4. Listen to Mixitxu Etxeberria, a fluent speaker, say the phrases. She will first state the phrase in English, then in Spanish.
5. After her second reading, she will say the phrase more slowly. Repeat after her. The phrase is written on the screen in Spanish to help you!

BBC's Talk Spanish

1. The BBC has another great learning and speaking resource in Talk Spanish.
2. Choose one of the 12 topics.
3. Watch the video(s) on that topic.
   • A column on the right of each video has the dialogue written out in Spanish, with an English translation as well.

   • BBC's Talk Spanish Greetings Section

4. After watching the video, test yourself with the activities in the second section.
5. You can then download a worksheet and practice your written comprehension of the words you've just heard and read.

Espacios públicos

1. Also visit Espacios públicos, a 20 hour, introductory open-learning course.
2. A free registration lets you participate in online forums on this course.
3. Read the Introduction for each lesson.
4. Click through the pages, reviewing lessons and listening to the provided audio files.
5. Work on the activities throughout the course, then check your answers to see what you've understood.

Intermediate Lessons

Colby College's Spanish Grammar Exercises

1. Choose one of the listed exercises in a language subject area you want to learn or review.

   • Colby College's Spanish Grammar Exercises

2. Fill in the blanks for the lesson.
3. You can check your answers by choosing the ? or correct buttons.
4. The study modules on the left also provide more learning opportunities.
5. Watch videos or listen to songs that relate to the daily life and culture of people in the Spanish-speaking world.
   • Many of these exercises let you click on a word to learn its meaning.
6. Test what you've learned with the practice exercises after each module.

LanguageGuide.org's Grammar Section

1. This site provides a means to study verb conjugations.
2. Click on the speaker button to hear audio files of the conjugations.
3. There are sections for irregular verbs and different verb tenses.
4. In the practice section test how well you know the conjugations!
5. You can also review your understanding of Spanish grammar here.

Con mis propias manos

1. Con mis propias manos is an easy-to-follow intermediate course.
2. Free registration lets you participate in online forums for this open-learning course.
3. Learn about Spanish and Latin American arts and crafts as you explore each section and listen to the audio files.
4. Study them in order, working on the exercises as you go along.
5. Check your answers at the bottom of each page to see what you've learned!

Advanced Lessons

Centro Virtual Cervantes

1. Go to lecturas paso a paso to read different texts in the original language.
2. Choose a level of difficulty: inicial, intermedio, or avanzado (beginning, intermediate, or advanced).
3. Choose a text to read.

   • Centro Virtual Cervantes Lecturas Avanzado

4. Review the antes de leer page before reading the selection.
5. Read the text.
6. Then visit the despué s de leer section and use the activities to check your reading comprehension.

   • Centro Virtual Cervantes: Una música tan triste

BBC Better@Listening

1. The language you learn in a classroom does not always match up with how native speakers talk. Sentences are spoken faster, words are elided, and accents can vary in day-to-day speaking.
2. If you know the words for numbers, time, and food, test your comprehension with these presentations in "real life" Spanish.
3. You have up to three chances to listen to each person and fill in the correct information.
4. If you didn't get everything right, use the "Improve Your Score" option. Some pieces of information are provided now so you can concentrate on hearing the key words.

CALL Project - Juan Manuel Soto Arriví

1. These exercises test your ability with more complex tasks in the language: verbs, pronouns, prepositions, and translation.
2. Choose an area you need to learn or review.
3. Use the drop-down menu to select an exercise.
4. The instructions are entirely in Spanish, so make sure you understand enough to take advantage of the materials!

Fun Lessons

BBC Cool Spanish

1. The BBC's Cool Spanish has tips on how to argue, talk about technology, discuss religion, and many other more complicated speaking situations-- all using informal words.
   • Note that while some of these expressions may translate to Latin America, they are mostly from Spain.
2. Listen to the audio files while reading along.
   • Follow the helpful codes to learn when something is familiar, very familiar, vulgar, or just plain rude.
3. Download the MP3s and listen on your own whenever you can.
4. Review meanings with a print-out of phrases from each section.

The Alternative Spanish Dictionary

1. To learn more slang phrases, check out this dictionary.
2. Browse the definitions to learn what words not to say!

BBC Spanish Crosswords

1. Have fun with the BBC's interactive Spanish crosswords.

BBC Costa Amor

1. In the BBC's Costa Amor, you can immerse yourself in the flow of the language by watching an online soap opera!
2. There are 32 "action-packed" dialogues, which you can read along with (or understand with the English translations!).
3. Don't wait to find out if Dave and Carmen manage to find true love!

Spanish Podcasts

Spanish Survival Guide

1. Switchpod has Spanish Survival Guide podcasts.
2. Each podcast includes key phrases in the language.
3. The podcast pauses after introducing each word and phrase, so you can repeat them and either learn or practice proper pronunciation.
4. You can listen to these podcasts online, or you can download them to review your new speaking skills as often as possible!

Coffee Break Spanish

1. This podcast offers lessons on proper language for use in brief conversations.
2. You can listen online or download the MP3s.
3. You have the option to subscribe, for a fee, to access more course materials.

Rojas Spanish Language

1. These podcasts are entirely in Spanish, so they are appropriate for intermediate or advanced speakers.
2. Download the PDF files so you have a transcript of the podcast.
3. Then listen to the podcast, either online or by subscribing to the podcast.
4. Review the transcript to check what you've already understood or newly-learned.