Austrian German is not only the main language spoken in Austria; it’s also the only variety of German recognised by the EU other than the one spoken in Germany. This shows the importance that this variety has in the European scene! Now, the fact that Austrians speak German does not mean that you won’t have to do(…)

The Listen & Learn team is incredibly diverse and heavily multicultural. But there is one thing we all have in common: We love languages. Since you’re visiting our blog, it’s very likely you love languages too! However, this doesn’t mean languages can’t scare us from time to time. Scary languages might haunt us with impossibly complex grammatical rules,(…)

We recently looked at the various forms of German, from standard German all the way over to Swiss. Now, we’d like to take a further look at Frisian; a language often accused of being merely a dialect of German instead of a language in its own right, and one that is one of the closest(…)

Since not all of us are lucky enough to have access to a TARDIS or Bill and Ted’s telephone booth (…what is it about time travel and booths?), the rest of us mere mortals will simply have to use another method to traverse the passage of time. And for that, we can turn to languages.(…)

In the bleak midwinter… What’s bleak about the middle of winter when you have a carol in your heart and a mulled wine in your hand?! Come, all ye faithful, let’s take a look at some Christmas carols from around the world! Silent night ‘Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht’, Vienna Boys Choir/Die Wiener Sängerknaben 1967/Youtube Silent(…)

Ah, the cognate. The language learner’s friend, the link between learning and limbo. There is something very reassuring about coming across a familiar word that doesn’t already taste foreign on your tongue: one less word to learn, leaving more capacity for taking on that tongue-twister you’re having trouble pronouncing in your head, let alone out(…)

The bible is said to be the most translated book in the world. Translated from the alleged original languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Koiné Greek, there are thought to be at least 530 full translations of the bible, and over 2800 partial ones from revered passages. So if you are stuck for something to read(…)

For some people, all it takes is hearing a snippet of sultry French spoken to make them weak at the knees. Others love a crisp British accent or a lovely Irish lilt. Meanwhile the exotic exuberance of Brazilian Portuguese does it for other people. It’s a funny thing how accents can turn us on (and(…)

Ever hear about medical students’ disease? It’s when medical students develop hypochondria during medical school, convinced that they have contracted each new disease they learn about. It seems to stem from a phenomenon that once we have a name for something, we are more prone to suffer from (or simply feel) it. That might then(…)

Congratulations! You’ve decided to give in to your wanderlust and journey to another country for a life changing study abroad experience. After looking into all the options, you’ve settled for the land of Oktoberfest, wurst, autobahns and the Bundesliga. Before you head off to Germany and its amazing universities, it’s time to deal with the(…)