I kinda like languages blog

NEW TOOL. Switchable Language Tracks on YouTube: A Hidden Gem for Language Learners

Linas — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:35:05 +0000

YouTube and other video websites increasingly have a new lesser-known feature that can make getting input in foreign languages even more effective: multiple audio tracks. For one thing, some creators now upload a single video with two (or more) language tracks built in – similar to how streaming platforms offer multilingual audio. But another thing is that even if there is only one default track, Youtube now sometimes generates a dubbed track in English itself using AI. Thus you can watch the video in your target language and quickly listen in English (or rewind if needed) to increase your comprehension! To help use this feature, I’ve built a dual language video player tool that lets you switch tracks quickly (or jump back a few seconds). Minimized friction means you spend more time listening and less time fiddling. How to use this tool? The easiest way is to upload the video without audio and then both the language tracks separately. Videos and language tracks can be downloaded separately from the platforms or the creators (check that it complies with relevant TOS of the platform and laws). Check out the tool.

Esperanto Text Converter (X-Sistemo)

Linas — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 10:25:23 +0000

Here we’ve built a new small tool to convert any Esperanto text written with the x-system (x-sistemo) to diacritical Esperanto letters.

This is a simple tool designed to make typing in Esperanto easier. Instead of struggling with special characters like ĉ, ĝ, and ŭ, simply type the equivalent letter followed by an “x” (e.g., gx, sx), and with a single click, your text is automatically converted to the correct accented characters.

This works seamlessly for both lowercase and uppercase letters, making it usable for quick and efficient Esperanto writing.

Please find the Esperanto x-sistemo konvertilo (x-system conversion) tool here!

100 Most Frequent Kanji with Translations

Linas — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 21:05:52 +0000

In this post, we’re taking a closer look at the top 100 most common Kanji characters. This list comes from a Japanese Kanji analysis website called called the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese that used to exist (currently it is not available online). Here they are, translations and Romaji added by me (thus they might not always be the most accurate but I tried).

人

Romaji: hito

English: person

一

Romaji: ichi

English: one

行

Romaji: iku

English: go

日

Romaji: nichi

English: day

出

Romaji: deru

English: exit

大

Romaji: dai

English: big

本

Romaji: hon

English: book

分

Romaji: bun

English: minute

年

Romaji: nen

English: year

書

Romaji: kaku

English: write

中

Romaji: naka

English: inside

時

Romaji: ji

English: time

的

Romaji: teki

English: -like; -ish

用

Romaji: yō

English: use

作

Romaji: saku

English: make

生

Romaji: sei

English: life

数

Romaji: kazu

English: number

私

Romaji: watashi

English: I; me

学

Romaji: gaku

English: study

言

Romaji: gen

English: say

文

Romaji: bun

English: sentence

定

Romaji: tei

English: decide

間

Romaji: aida

English: interval

合

Romaji: ai

English: fit

場

Romaji: ba

English: place

子

Romaji: ko

English: child

入

Romaji: iri

English: enter

思

Romaji: omou

English: think

自

Romaji: jiko

English: self

見

Romaji: mi

English: see

者

Romaji: mono

English: person

上

Romaji: ue

English: above

理

Romaji: ri

English: reason

実

Romaji: jitsu

English: reality

Romaji: jitsu

English: truth

方

Romaji: hō

English: direction

会

Romaji: kai

English: meeting

二

Romaji: ni

English: two

使

Romaji: tsukau

English: use

事

Romaji: koto

English: thing

力

Romaji: chikara

English: power

表

Romaji: hyō

English: table

前

Romaji: mae

English: front

成

Romaji: naru

English: become

業

Romaji: gyō

English: business

物

Romaji: mono

English: thing

手

Romaji: te

English: hand

要

Romaji: yō

English: important

動

Romaji: ugoku

English: move

変

Romaji: hen

English: change

示

Romaji: shimesu

English: show

関

Romaji: kan

English: relation

図

Romaji: zu

English: diagram

現

Romaji: gen

English: present

家

Romaji: ie

English: house

国

Romaji: kuni

English: country

内

Romaji: uchi

English: inside

代

Romaji: dai

English: substitute

三

Romaji: san

English: three

社

Romaji: sha

English: company

月

Romaji: tsuki

English: month

十

Romaji: jū

English: ten

記

Romaji: ki

English: write down

新

Romaji: shin

English: new

設

Romaji: setsu

English: establish

性

Romaji: sei

English: nature

気

Romaji: ki

English: spirit

何

Romaji: nani

English: what

画

Romaji: gaku

English: stroke (of a character)

対

Romaji: tai

English: opposite

同

Romaji: dō

English: same

体

Romaji: karada

English: body

名

Romaji: na

English: name

目

Romaji: me

English: eye

発

Romaji: hatsu

English: emit

知

Romaji: shi

English: know

部

Romaji: bu

English: part

法

Romaji: hō

English: law

最

Romaji: sai

English: most

後

Romaji: ato

English: after

報

Romaji: hō

English: report

面

Romaji: men

English: surface

利

Romaji: ri

English: benefit

通

Romaji: tsū

English: pass through

当

Romaji: tō

English: right

来

Romaji: rai

English: future

化

Romaji: ka

English: change into

取

Romaji: toru

English: take

意

Romaji: i

English: meaning

開

Romaji: kai

English: open

持

Romaji: mochi

English: hold

高

Romaji: kō

English: high

情

Romaji: jō

English: feelings

立

Romaji: tachi

English: stand

能

Romaji: nō

English: ability

心

Romaji: kokoro

English: heart

明

Romaji: mei

English: bright

字

Romaji: ji

English: character

下

Romaji: shita

English: under

世

Romaji: yo

English: world

多

Romaji: ōi

English: many

Differences between ar and arba in Lithuanian

Linas — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 23:33:09 +0000

These two words are different, so let’s talk about the differences (or: skirtumas tarp ar ir arba lietuvių kalboje).

Arba:

Arba denotes things that exclude each other, similar to either, or. E.g. either you go or we will force you – arba eini, arba tave priversime.
Arba refers to an alternative name for something: E.g. a state, or a country in which you live. Šalis arba valstybė, kurioje gyveni.
Not used in questions.

Ar:

Is used in front of a yes/no question. For example: Ar tau patinka ši vieta? Do you like this place?
In the place of ‘whether’: tell me whether he is coming – pasakyk, ar jis atvyksta.
In a non-exclusive choice: I want this or that or that other thing – aš norėčiau šito, ar šito, ar šito.
[It can be used interchangably with arba for things that exclude each other sometimes – confusing, I know.]

The Difficulty of Ancient Languages Compared to Modern Ones

Linas — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 15:37:07 +0000

Here’s an interesting discussion about this on the r/askscience subreddit on Reddit.

I personally like the theory supported by John McWorther: as languages are left to their own devises (mainly lack of interaction with speakers of different languages or dialects), they tend to outgrow quite a bit in complexity. That is mainly because children have a seemingly nearly infinitive capacity to learn difficult structures in a language, and this proceeds over generations, with each subsequent generation just picking up all the structures that the previous generation had invented naturally and adding to it – be it excessive grammatical forms, superfluous context-adding phrases and so on.

However, if languages are exposed to second language speakers, those speakers tend to simplify the language so as to facilitate interaction, and native speakers do too in order to be better understood. Thus, in those scenarios, languages drop a lot of their complexity that is not necessary for communication and become much simpler. An extreme example of this is found in pidgins – the first stage of such development, which later develop into creoles when children start speaking them, but the creoles are much simpler than the original languages – compare English to Tok Pisin or Dutch to Afrikaans.

Language Transfer: feels like rediscovering Michel Thomas again, but better!

Linas — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 22:39:59 +0000

I’ve been listening to the Turkish course by Language Transfer, and I must say it’s really well though out. It reminds me of courses in the Michel Thomas method, but it’s ~~visibly~~ audibly improved beyond that:

the pace is a lot quicker (which is a clear positive)
there are fewer mistakes made by the people in the audio
most importantly, one can also sense there’s an underlying structure beyond the course that was only sometimes present in similar Michel Thomas method courses.

That was especially visible as I also listened to their course for Arabic, which I have also learned in the Michel Thomas Method. While Language Transfer covered, in absolute terms, less than the Michel Thomas Arabic course did (for example, no present tense verbs, less vocabulary), it did so in a surprisingly shorter time than the Michel Thomas Method course took. Moreover, Language Transfer explained things like word origins much more clearly, as Michel Thomas method had not in some places (for example, where words like ‘giden’ or ‘min faDlak’ come from), and it just made clearer connections within the language. (Edit: it is also worth noting that, as pointed out by the author of the courses, the Language Transfer course is only introductory rather than a complete one).

It is no secret that we have been trying to do something similar with our introductory courses, but we use text (except for our Japanese course by Carl Kenner) and we are mostly intended for beginners, whereas Language Transfer has been doing it in a more though-out, sustained and thorough way, and is therefore like a breath of fresh air in the language learning world. Recommended!

Train your Arabic, Greek, Russian or other alphabets

Linas — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 19:32:09 +0000

If you are interested in training your alphabet skills a bit, check out this Alphabet training tool we just launched.

It allows you to learn (or just improve) a foreign alphabet by slowly typing them in in the Latin alphabet. Here’s a small sample:

You get immediate feedback from the tool and can improve as you go. We hope to make this available in more languages later on, and especially if there is interest (please get in touch if you would like to help). Check the new tool out, and please share news about it!

German Interlinear translation: Peasant and the Devil by the Brothers Grimm

Linas — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 19:52:40 +0000

Today we are publishing a story from InterlinearBooks.com: the Peasant and the Devil by the Grimm Brothers. This Interlinear translation allows you to learn German by reading an interesting story in it and looking up the words you do not know below. There are more short and a whole German Interlinear book available – check it out.

Der
The

Bauer
Peasant

und
and

der
the

Teufel
Devil

Es
There

war
was

einmal
once upon a time

ein
a

kluges
clever

und
and

verschmitztes
cunning

Bäuerlein,
peasant

von
of

dessen
whose

Streichen
trickeries

viel
much

zu
to

erzählen
tell

wäre,
there was;

die
the

schönste
most beautiful

Geschichte
story

ist
is,

aber
however

doch,
still,

wie
how

er
he

den
the

Teufel
devil

einmal
once upon a time

dran gekriegt
tricked

und
and

zum Narren gehabt
made a fool of

hat.
has.

Das
The

Bäuerlein
peasant

hatte
had

eines
one

Tages
Day

seinen
his

Acker
soil

bestellt
tilled

und
and

rüstete
was preparing

sich
himself

zur
for the

Heimfahrt,
trip home,

als
when

die
the

Dämmerung
twilight

schon
already

ein getreten war.
had stepped in.

Da
Then

erblickte
saw

er
he

mitten
in the middle

auf
on

seinem
his

Acker
field

einen
a

Haufen
pile

feuriger
of fiery

Kohlen,
coals,

und
and

als
as

er
he

voll
full (of)

Verwunderung
bewilderment

hinzuging,
was walking towards it,

so
so

saß
was sitting

oben
on the top

auf
on

der
the

Glut
heat

ein
a

kleiner
little

schwarzer
black

Teufel.
devil.

“Du
‘You

sitzest
are sitting

wohl
well

auf
on

einem
a

Schatz,”
treasure,’

sprach
said

das
the

Bäuerlein.
peasant.

“Jawohl,”
‘Yes of course,’

antwortete
answered

der
the

Teufel,
devil,

“auf
‘on

einem
a

Schatz,
treasure

der
which

mehr
more

Gold
gold

und
and

Silber
silver

enthält,
entails

als
than

du
you

dein
(in) your

Lebtag
life’s days

gesehen
seen

hast.”
have.’

–
–

“Der
‘The

Schatz
treasure

liegt
lies

auf
on

meinem
my

Feld
field

und
and

gehört
belongs

mir,”
to me,’

sprach
said

das
the

Bäuerlein.
peasant.

“Er
‘It

ist
is

dein,”
yours,’

antwortete
answered

der
the

Teufel,
devil,

“wenn
‘if

du
you

mir
me

zwei
(for) two

Jahre
years

lang
long

die Hälfte
one half

von
of

dem
that

gibst,
shall give,

was
which

dein
your

Acker
field

hervorbringt:
will bring upon:

Geld
of money

habe
have

ich
I

genug,
enough,

aber
but

ich
I

trage
carry

Verlangen
a desire

nach
for

den
the

Früchten
fruits

der
of the

Erde.”
earth.’

Das
The

Bäuerlein
peasant

ging
entered

auf
to

den
the

Handel
deal

ein.
in.

“Damit
‘So that,

aber
however,

kein
no

Streit
dispute

bei
at the time

der
of the

Teilung
division

entsteht,”
arises,’

sprach
said

es,
he,

“so
‘so

soll
shall

dir
to you

gehören,
belong

was
what

über
over

der
the

Erde
ground

ist
is

und
and

mir,
to me

was
what

unter
under

der
the

Erde
ground

ist.”
is.’

Dem
The

Teufel
devil

gefiel
pleased

das
that

wohl,
well,

aber
but

das
the

listige
cunning

Bäuerlein
peasant

hatte
had

Rüben
turnips

gesät.
sown.

Als
When

nun
only

die
the

Zeit
time

der
of the

Ernte
harvest

kam,
came,

so
so

erschien
emerged

der
the

Teufel
Devil

und
and

wollte
wanted

seine
his

Frucht
fruit

holen,
to receive,

er
he

fand
found,

aber
however,

nichts
nothing

als
but

die
the

gelben
yellow

welken
withered

Blätter,
leaves,

und
and

das
the

Bäuerlein,
peasant

ganz
quite

vergnügt,
cheerfully

grub
dug out

seine
his

Rüben
turnips

aus.
up.

“Einmal
‘Once

hast
have

du
you

den
the

Vorteil
advantage

gehabt,”
had,’

sprach
said

der
the

Teufel,
devil,

“aber
‘but

für
for

das
the

nächstemal
next time

soll
shall

das
that

nicht
not

gelten.
apply.

Dein
Yours

ist,
is

was
what(ever)

über
over

der
the

Erde
ground

wächst
grows,

und
and

mein,
mine,

was
what(ever)

darunter
under it

ist.”
is.’

–
–

“Mir
‘To me (that)

auch
also

recht,”
is alright,’

antwortete
answered

das
the

Bäuerlein.
peasant.

Als
As,

aber
however,

die
the

Zeit
time

zur
for the

Aussaat
sowing

kam,
came,

säte
sowed

das
the

Bäuerlein
peasant

nicht
not

wieder
anymore

Rüben,
turnips,

sondern
but

Weizen.
wheat.

Die
The

Frucht
fruit

ward
became

reif,
ripe,

das
the

Bäuerlein
peasant

ging
went

auf
to

den
the

Acker
field

und
and

schnitt
cut

die
the

vollen
full

Halme
stalks

bis zur
up to the

Erde
Ground

ab.
down.

Als
As

der
the

Teufel
Devil

kam,
came,

fand
found

er
he

nichts
nothing

als
but

die
the

Stoppeln
stubble,

und
and

fuhr
drove

wütend
angry

in
in

eine
a

Felsenschlucht
canyon

hinab.
downwards.

“So
‘So

muß
must

man
one

die Füchse
foxes

prellen,”
cheat,’

sprach
said

das
the

Bäuerlein,
peasant,

ging
went

hin
up there

und
and

holte sich
got

den
the

Schatz.
treasure.

And, as mentioned, for more, see the Interlinear German book.

Common European Languages Framework (CEFR) and Vocabulary Size

Linas — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:23:55 +0000

The Common European Languages Framework does not provide a clear vocabulary size for any of its levels, so we do not know how many knows words are expected at each level.

Milton and Alexiou have attempted to do that in 2009.

Here’s their table for English and French, with the addition of Greek from them too.

Vocabulary size and the CEFR (Milton and Alexiou 2009)

CEFR level	Vocabulary size: English	Vocabulary size: French	Vocabulary size: Modern Greek
A1	<1500	1160	1486
A2	1500 – 2500	1650	2237
B1	2750 – 3250	2422	3288
B2	3250 – 3750	2630	3956
C1	3750 – 4500	3212
C2	4500 – 5000	3525

This does have to be taken with a grain of salt, however, especially in light of the fact that not only does this not take grammar into account, but also that vocabulary is such a fluid thing, and it is not clear where words begin, end, or where word forms morph into other words.

Sources:

source: Milton J and T. Alexiou (2009). Vocabulary size and the Common European Framework of Reference in Languages. In B.Richards, H. Daller, D. Malvern, P. Meara, J. Milton and J. Treffers-Daller (eds), Vocabulary studies in first and second language acquisition. Palgrave: Macmillan, 194-211.
James Milton* and Thomaï Alexiou** in Developing a vocabulary size test in Greek as a foreign language (Advances in Research on Language Acquisition and Teaching: Selected Papers, © 2010 GALA

How To Learn Russian through Interlinear translations

Linas — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 00:46:58 +0000

Those who know about this blog, possibly also know that I have been involved in trying to write about ways to learn Russian. I have also made a short Russian course and a Russian alphabet course. I would now like to present to my readers another way for one to learn or improve Russian – reading a Russian Interlinear translation of Tolstoy.

The translation includes the entire story “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” in the Interlinear format, where each phrase or expression is translated to English right below it. Here’s an example of the translation:

Example of the Russian Interlinear Translation by InterlinearBooks

While there is also a lot of information on the page, there is also a blog-post detailing the translation and the story.

If your level of Russian is sufficient to understand basic Russian, and if you want to improve it, do check the translation out.

If you’re not learning Russian, InterlinearBooks also have books to learn Lithuanian, Swedish and German, and they’re making more.