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French irregular –IR verbs fall into three categories: ones that use regular –ER conjugations, ones that follow a second set of –IR conjugations, and ones that have their own unique sets of conjugations. The first two groups simply require learning the “new” rules of conjugation and which verbs fall into which category. There’s no shortcut…

The French imperfect (imparfait) is a relatively simple verb tense with many possible uses. A descriptive past tense, the imperfect expresses an ongoing state, a habitual action, or an uncompleted action. It can be used to describe repeated actions, physical and emotional responses, actions of an unspecified duration, and wishes or suggestions. It can also…

The French present participle is the French equivalent of the English present participle. Just as English present participles end in –ing, French present participles always end in –ant. French present participles can be used in many of the same ways as their English counterparts can. Present participles can function as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They…

Today we’re going to offer a few strategies for getting the most out of studying or working abroad. These strategies will help you to maximize your language learning experience while living in a country whose primary language is not English. Embrace Pop Culture in Your New Language Listen to music that is sung in the…

Today we’re going to discuss the Japanese counting system. Specifically, we’ll be looking at Japanese count words or counters. Counting in Japanese can be confusing for non-native speakers because virtually anyone or anything that you can count must be followed by the appropriate counter.  These counters typically (but not always) reflect some quality of what…

Test your Portuguese vocabulary with this new matching exercise containing an additional twenty-six words. Match each Portuguese word on the left with its English equivalent on the right. Watch out for false friends!   Check the answer key at the bottom of the quiz to see how well you did. If you’re struggling with vocabulary…

English adverbs are usually distinguished from their adjectival counterparts by the addition an -ly ending. “Normal” and “frequent” are adjectives, while “normally” and “frequently” are adverbs. The construction of most Spanish adverbs is very similar. Simply add ­–mente to an adjective that ends in a consonant or “e” to transform that adjective into an adverb.…

Spanish present particles, or gerunds, are the equivalent of English –ing verb forms. Present participles are used less often in Spanish than they are in English and are used somewhat differently than their English counterparts. One of the reasons for this is that the present tense in Spanish is already capable of conveying ideas such…

Spanish past participles are similar in origin, form, and function to English past participles. As in English, Spanish participles can function as both parts of verbs and on their own as adjectives. While English past participles are usually formed by adding –ed  or –en to the end of a verb, Spanish past participles are formed…

The Spanish el condicional (the conditional) or el futuro hipotético (the hypothetical future) tense helps express actions that have not necessarily happened or are happening. The actions that conditional verbs express are thus hypothetical in nature. Most uses of the conditional are equivalent to the English “would + verb” construction. In this role, the conditional…