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Can I Learn Korean Online?

November 3, 2019 by Ana Martín Leave a Comment

Can I Learn Korean Online?

Yes of course you can learn Korean online!

As you progress you may want to move to some offline methods just so you’re getting greater exposure but there’s no reason you can’t practise your speaking, writing, reading and listening all online while picking up new vocab and grammar at the same time.

You just need to know how to do it. So here are some handy tips of things you can do online to help you learn Korean.

Use A Korean Website Instead Of A Textbook

There are loads of great learn Korean websites available online with explanations, activities and exercises. You can use them in a similar way to how you would use a textbook but the best thing is most of them are free. At your own pace you can work your way through the exercises and check your progress as you go.

Some of these websites have forums as well so you can chat to other Korean learners and ask any questions that you might have.

Practise Speaking Korean Online

There are lots of websites available that are set up to help you find partners for language exchanges. Italki, HelloTalk and CoversationExchange are just a few examples of these. The websites have a huge database of all of the people with profiles that indicates what language they already speak and what language they’re trying to learn. When you put in what language you’d like to learn, the website pairs you with options of people who speak Korean and are looking to learn your native language.

You then simply message them introducing yourself and arrange a date and time to conduct your language exchange. During the exchange you speak for part of the time in your language and the rest in theirs meaning you both get practise. It’s a simple and free way to practise speaking Korean online.

Watch Korean Dramas On Youtube

Another super fun thing you can do to learn Korean online is to watch Korean dramas. There are so many of these available on places like youtube that you should be able to find some to watch that you enjoy while learning. The best thing about using Korean dramas to help you learn Korean is that you’re engaging with the culture at the same time. For all the jokes people might make about Korean dramas, there’s no denying that they’re a huge part of Korean culture and watching them will help you to start to gain insights into this culture.

Even more so if you’re from the west where Asian culture isn’t something that you’re often exposed to. The culture is so different that it’s important to expose yourself to that side of Korea as well as the language itself.

So Can You Learn Korean Online?

We think that yes you can and there are ways you can learn Korean for free. You can definitely get to quite a high stage of fluency but if you want to take it further you’re probably going to need to adopt some none online methods.

Should I Use An Italian Textbook?

November 1, 2019 by Ana Martín Leave a Comment

Should I Use An Italian Textbook?

The simple answer to this is of course your should! (If you’re learning Italian)

There is a lot of debate in the language learning community over textbooks. Some peopler think that textbooks are out dated and not useful anymore, others believe that they are everything. Here at Lingo Press Books we’re somewhere in between.

An Italian textbook is a great accompaniment to other methods of learning.

We believe that an Italian textbook shouldn’t be the only way you study Italian as it wouldn’t give you any chance of getting speaking practise and limited listening practise. To get a fully rounded learning experience you need to be learning through lots of different mediums.

However, if you are doing other things like watching movies in Italian, talking to Italian people, reading books and so on, then an Italian textbook can be incredibly useful.

The textbooks are set up to take you through a natural progression to proficiency. You can follow the material in a similar way that you would do in a classroom setting. Then you can do the practise exercises to check your progress and to make sure you’re understanding everything as you go.

There are also certain ways to make the most out of an Italian textbook and ensure that your learning is being optimised.

Reasons Not To Use An Italian Textbook

There are some reasons that you might not want to get an Italian textbook but in our opinion they aren’t strong enough to not actually get one, just some of the reasons we’ve heard other people put forward that have put them off.

You have to spend money on them
They can be heavy to carry around
They don’t give you a chance to practise speaking
They require self motivation

Our responses to these reasons not get an Italian textbook would be:

They’re not expensive and once you’ve bought one it can last you months. And it’s much cheaper than a course of classes
Leave it at home and designate a specific time of the day to studying
You can practise speaking in other ways, one resource isn’t going to match all of your learning needs
This last reason is very true, they DO require self motivation and this can make a huge difference. If you’re someone who self motivates then a textbook can be a great option for you. If you’re not the kind of person who can self motivate then you may want to consider a class instead. Although even if you go to a class, a textbook can still be incredibly beneficial.

We hope we’ve managed to convince you that yes you should get an Italian textbook and if we haven’t then don’t worry, there are plenty of other resources that might be more suited to your personality. You might be someone who is more suited to an app, a podcast, learning through reading, but no matter what learning style, there will be Italian resources to help you get there.

Where To Find Korean Resources

November 1, 2019 by Ana Martín Leave a Comment

Where To Find Korean Resources

Korean is a great language to learn but the problem with it can be that resources are sometimes a bit more difficult to find. We’ve taken a look and compiled a list of places you can look to find some great Korean resources.

Most of our recommendations are going to be online but there are a couple of suggestions that we can give you of where to find Korean resources without having to go on the computer.

University Library

This one depends on what country you’re from and what city you live in, but some university libraries are also open to members of the public. This is fantastic because the chances are your usual city library won’t stock Korean books but a uni library is much more likely to do so.

You should check if the university library in your city is open to members of the public and also if they offer Korean as one of their courses. If they do this could be a great place to find Korean books and magazines to help you study.

Find A Great Website

There are loads of fantastic Korean language websites that you can use to help you learn. They work a bit like textbooks but they’re online. So you work your way through material and then do exercises to check your understanding. They’re not the only way you should be studying Korean but they can definitely make a difference to your learning. And the best thing about them is that you can use them no matter where you are, you just need internet access and you’re good to go.

Find Them On Youtube

Youtube is a vault full of valuable videos. You might watch vlogs or funny videos on youtube but it’s also a great place to find videos in foreign language. There is an enormous amount of Korean language videos available on youtube from cooking channels to clips from the best Korean dramas.

Watching these videos will not only help with your listening skills but it’s also free. You can end up spending hours working your way through all of the different Korean videos available on youtube. You’ll also find tonnes of K-pop videos on youtube, which if you’re going to learn Korean you really need to make the effort to get in to them as K-pop is the most famous thing to come out of South Korea (aside from their dramas.)

Order Textbooks Online

You can also use websites like Amazon to find great quality Korean textbooks to help you study. Obviously check out your nearest bookstore first but chances are their options are going to be limited. So why not jump online and find some great textbook recommendations then order one right to your door?

So see it might not be obvious at first but there are many materials that you can find, you just need to know the right places to look and you can use all of these fantastic resources to improve your Korean.

How To Make The Most Out Of An Italian Textbook

November 1, 2019 by Ana Martín Leave a Comment

How To Make The Most Out Of An Italian Textbook

An Italian textbook can be a fantastic resource to help with your Italian studying. There are lots of benefits of using an Italian textbook but there are certain things you can do to make sure you’re optimising your use of the textbook and making the most out of the resource.

Use Your Italian Textbook Every Day

To get the most out of your Italian textbook you really need to be using it every day. A great way to do this would be to set aside half an hour, either in the morning, on your lunch break or in the evening and make this the same time every day so that you build a habit.

Then sit down and complete one section. So if you learn one thing and then complete a set of exercises about it to test your understanding, this will set you off for success.

Do The Exercises

Make sure you’re not just reading the material in the textbook but engaging with it as well and a great way to do this is by doing the exercises in the book. Doing the exercises is a great way to not only practise what you’ve just learned but to also check your understanding.

So when you’re buying a textbook be sure to check that there are exercises for you to do along the way which leads us onto our next point…

Mark The Exercises As You Do Them

It’s very easy to do an exercise, shut your book and think you’ll mark it tomorrow but it would benefit you so much more if you picked your book up and marked the exercises as soon as you’ve done them. That way you can check your understanding and see what you need to work on.

Where as if you leave it for next time you might not remember why you answered a question in a particular way, you’ll just know that it’s incorrect.

Make A Note Of New Words

You’re going to come across new words as you work your way through the textbook. Make a note of these words as you go and then you can study this list later and learn the new vocabulary.

Acquiring new vocabulary can make a huge difference to how much you’re able to talk and communicate so each time you come across something new in your textbook make sure you look it up and see if you can find a way to commit it to memory.

Don’t Use It As Your Only Means Of Studying

A textbook is a fantastic learning resource but it shouldn’t be the only thing you use to study. If you’re only learning a foreign language with a textbook then you’re not going to get very far. As well as using a textbook, ensure that you are practising your speaking and listening skills. It’s important not to let these fall behind because once they’re behind it’s harder to catch them all up again.

Now you know how to use one you just need to find out where to buy an Italian textbook.

How To Practise Korean Online

November 1, 2019 by Ana Martín Leave a Comment

How To Practise Korean Online

Gone are the days when the only way to learn Korean was by spending hours poring over textbooks or having to sign up for a class because now you can learn Korean online.

Whether it’s using an app, finding a kickass website or listening to a podcast, there are plenty of different ways to practise Korean online, it’s just about finding the one that works for you.

Practise Speaking With Language Exchange Websites

There are lots of websites like conversation exchange, hello talk and italki where you can search for language partners to practise with. Just say what your language is and that you’re learning Korean and you’ll be presented with people who speak Korean and are learning your language. Then it’s up to you to message those people privately and organise a time and way to have a language exchange that would work for you.

This would be one of the most effective ways as active conversations challenge not only your speaking skills but your listening skills as well.

Download Fun Apps To Learn Korean On The Go

There are loads of great Korean apps that you can use to help you learn. And they’re often more helpful than a website or other methods because you just download them to your phone and you’re good to go no matter where you are. A great one you can use is Duolingo. Duolingo is an incredibly popular language learning app that has a Korean course as one of the courses it offers. If you download the Korean course then working your way through exercises is a great way to kill time on a commute.

Find A Great Korean Website

Find a great website to work your way through Korean exercises. There are plenty of amazing websites to learn Korean available online that have great explanations and exercises. You can work your way through the material at your own pace and do the practise exercises to check your progress.

Some of the websites are so good that you’re pretty much replacing a traditional textbook with a Korean website instead. They do the same function but a website is a lot more practical and fits more easily into the modern world.

Improve Your Listening With FluentU

FluentU is a fantastic resource that can help any language learner improve their listening skills. It’s an enormous database of videos and audio in different languages that you can listen to to practise your listening comprehension. You do have to pay for the service which is different to the fact that most internet resources tend to be free but so many people swear by it and how much it’s helped improve their language skills. It’s definitely worth a try. And you can use the free trial to see if you like it first before commuting to paying a monthly amount.

Now you’ve got the necessary means to practise Korean online you just need to work out how often you should be studying Korean.

How To Improve My Korean

November 1, 2019 by Ana Martín Leave a Comment

How To Improve My Korean

There comes a time for all language learners where your rate of progress slows down and you don’t feel yourself moving forward anymore. Don’t worry, there are things you can do to help overcome this and continue with your learning.

Here are some handy tips that you can use to help you improve your Korean.

Learn Korean Online

There are loads of ways you can practise Korean online and even some that you can find for free. There is a great collection of learn Korean websites that you can use to whatever level you need. You can work your way through the material at a pace that works for you and the best thing about learning online is that you can do it pretty much wherever you are. You simply need an internet connection.

Find A Korean Language Partner

Another thing you can do to improve your Korean is to try and speak as much as possible and a great way to do this is to find a Korean language partner. Using websites like italki or hello talk you can search for Koreans who want to learn English and organise language exchanges with them so you practise your Korean and English at the same time.

Start A Korean Diary

One of the things people often have trouble with is writing. People can normally read much better than they can write. This is common and there’s nothing wrong with it, but to get over that intermediate plateau and to improve your Korean you will need to improve your writing skills. And a great way to do this is by keeping a diary. If you write in a diary every single day then even if you’re not talking about anything interesting, you’ll find that your writing improves dramatically.

Watch Korean Dramas

Korean dramas are famous worldwide and watched in many countries outside of Korea. They’re dramatic, fun, filled with beautiful people and most useful for you, they speak Korean. Start watching Korean dramas every day even if just for ten minutes and your Korean skills will slowly start to improve, at least your listening skills will. You’ll also get to immerse yourself in Korean culture while you’re learning which is an incredibly important part of language learning.

Find A Book You Love And Read It In Korean

If you’re not quite ready to read Korean books yet why not find a book that you already love and know the story of and read it in Korean. That way you’ll know what’s happening and you’ll be able to work out what a lot of the words mean based on the context and your knowledge of the story. This is a really useful way to improve your comprehension skills and you’ll also find that you enjoy revisiting these stories that you know and love so much.

No matter where you are with your Korean it can be common to get to a stage where you feel like you’re not moving forward anymore but don’t worry, you can still improve you Korean, you just need time and persistence and sometimes to try something new.