Little by little (TUR, DUT, ITA, FRE)

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/01/22
Italian 30 min
- Le preposizioni italiane

French
- 5 minutes linguno.com

Turkish
- I wanted to finish watching Do not disturb, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, so just another content fail. Netflix and I are still having a marital crisis.


2024/01/23
Dutch
- I finished unit 7, Hugo taking Dutch further.

Italian
- 1h conversation class italki
- listening: Fiori sopra l’inferno (about 30 min)
- I also finished the first chapter of Le preposizioni italiane.


2024/01/24
French
- reading: 2 chapters Maigret à New York
- 5 minutes linguno.com

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- 5 min Quizlet


2024/01/25
- travel day

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo

French
- reading: 4 chapters Maigret à New York


2024/01/26
Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo

French
- I read the last 2 short chapters of Maigret à New York.


2024/01/27
Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo

Italian
- I think I listened to 30 min of Fiori sopra l’inferno.


2024/01/28
French 30 min
- Practice makes Perfect - French Verb Tenses, infinitive

Italian
- reading: I started a new book, Carta bianca by Carlo Lucarelli, but only managed to read the first chapter.


I had neither a lot of money nor space in my luggage for big souvenirs from Turkey, so a lamp or tableware was out of the question. I managed to find these three cute children’s books that were dirt cheap. (Most things are really cheap in Turkey.) I guess I’ll put Momo on pause when I reach the end of the first part and read these first. Lately I’ve heard several people emphasizing how they dislike reading children’s books and that they are over-recommended in language learning circles. Personally I enjoy reading them, I don’t have a problem with them at all.

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/01/29
French 30 min
- Practice makes Perfect - French Verb Tenses, infinitive
This is starting to get a bit on my nerves. I started to work on this topic because it was one of the shorter ones in this very thick book, but I’m still not finished. It did not exactly lead to the instant gratification I was after.
I think I’ll go back to the “progressive” series afterwards.

Italian
- listening Fiori sopra l’inferno (about 1h)
I learned the general word for driver. It’s “conductor” in Spanish and Catalan, but “conducente” in Italian.

Turkish
- flashcards
- I prepared my italki conversation class for the next day. I knew that I wanted to talk about my trip.


2024/01/30
Italian
- reading: 1 chapter Carta bianca

Turkish 30 min
- vocabulary flashcards
- italki conversation class
Language-wise the class went better than I had hoped for, but in the end the teacher told me that she would recommend another approach for me, regular lessons structured by her. I noticed that I really balked at that. I love my freedom, and the italki classes for me are just a complement to work on the speaking part. I don’t want them to be the central element of my learning process, and I also don’t want to commit. So, I don’t know if I should just tell her that and go on with my speaking classes with her (knowing that she considers them ineffective), or change tutors or maybe even try it, even though I don’t feel like it. I’ll have to mull it over.
I think it is mainly an ego thing. I just feel disappointed that she brought it up.
But of course she neither knows the myriad of things I’ve done during the last four years, nor my usual language learning process.
First: I think I’ve seen enough grammar (and maybe even vocabulary) to keep me busy for years. It’s true, it’s not that I have really mastered it, but I’ve seen it all. Now it’s time to start applying it.
Second: I’m thinking back to the last language I started to speak actively, Italian. Even if it’s a relatively easy language for someone who already knows other Romance languages, I stuttered and suffered through my first conversation classes, whereas now I can chatter away merrily, although of course I make lots of mistakes.
Oh well, I notice that I’m starting to justify myself.
In summary: I still think my approach will work for me.

2024/01/31
French
- Practice makes Perfect - French Verb Tenses - I finally finished the part about the infinitive.

Italian
- listening Fiori sopra l’inferno (about 1h30)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- flashcards
- listening: two short fairy tales


2024/02/01
Dutch 30 min
- PONS Power-Sprachkurs Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1: I finished unit 5 and started with the first review unit.

French
- I listened to an episode of a podcast about food: Bouffons - Réussir la fête, et le lendemain de fête

Italian
- I listened to the last hour of Fiori sopra l’inferno.

Turkish
- I started going through The Delights of Learning Turkish a second time.
- flashcards


2024/02/02
French 30 min
- I wrote a text that I would like to go through with my tutor during our next class.
- 5 min linguno.com
- 1 mini-topic CLE Conjugaison progressive du français A2B1

Italian
- listening: 2 episodes podcast Elisa True Crime
- reading: 1 chapter Carta bianca


2024/02/03
Talking with my boyfriend, today I learned a new word in Catalan: a person who is “tòtil /tòtila” is a bit stupid in an infatuated, dazzled way.

Dutch
- watching: Loft
Dutch is weird in the sense that I can find books and audiobooks that I enjoy, but I’m having a hard time with series, films, youtube channels, podcasts and even music. (I’m always open to recommendations.) I found this movie on prime, and I liked that it wasn’t one of the typical Dutch relationship comedies netflix is so fond of. But the fact that this thriller took itself so seriously made it a bit ridiculous.
- I finally managed to finish the list of examples I wanted to make for nationalities.

French
- 5 min linguno.com

Italian
- listening: 1 episode podcast Elisa True Crime
- reading: 1 chapter Carta bianca

Turkish 30 min
- watching 15 min Peppa Pig
- listening: fairy tale
- flashcards
- I took an italki class with another teacher I know from my early days of Turkish studies.
The idea was on the one hand to talk about the same topic - my trip to Istanbul - with another person and thus review the vocabulary, and on the other hand get over my frustration after the last class.
It went superwell, I was much calmer and spoke much more fluently. I’m very happy. I’m going to do a third class about this topic with another person and will probably alternate between those three during the rest of the year.


2024/02/04
French
- 5 min linguno.com

Italian
- listening: 1 episode podcast Elisa True Crime
- reading: 1 chapter Carta bianca

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo

[DaveAgain]

Dutch
- watching: Loft
Dutch is weird in the sense that I can find books and audiobooks that I enjoy, but I’m having a hard time with series, films, youtube channels, podcasts and even music. (I’m always open to recommendations.) I found this movie on prime, and I liked that it wasn’t one of the typical Dutch relationship comedies netflix is so fond of. But the fact that this thriller took itself so seriously made it a bit ridiculous.

There's two Flemish series I liked, Code 37, Black-out and two Dutch ones The Adulterer, and Black Widow.

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/02/05
Dutch
- PONS Power-Sprachkurs Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1: I finished the first review unit.

Italian
- listening: 1 episode podcast Elisa True Crime (ep. 06)

Turkish 30 min
- transcription youtube video fairy tale Tatlı lapa
- review The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook, unit 1
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa
Let’s see if this apocalyptic show about a pandemic works for me. That’s not a genre I’m usually into, but at least it’s really well made.


2024/02/06
Italian
- listening: 1 episode podcast Elisa True Crime (ep. 07)
- reading: 1 chapter Carta biancha

French 30 min
- conversation class online: We corrected my first text (which was about 400 words long).
- watching: I watched the documentary about immigrants learning Québécois French in six months that Granrey had shared here on the forum.

Turkish
- I rediscovered duostories.org, a collection of short, easy unofficial stories in duolingo-style, and worked on set 1.


2024/02/07
French
- 5 min linguno.com
- I started a new book, La quête d’Ewilan, and read the first two chapters.

Dutch
- I looked up the shows in Dutch that DaveAgain recommended, but I can’t get any of them on the platforms I’m using.
So I decided that I would try again to find some youtube channels in Dutch that work for me, did some searching and watched quite a lot of videos. So far, I’ve only found one channel that I really liked: ONEYEARONWHEELS about a couple’s life in camper van.
The was also a couple called The Dutch, which I enjoyed watching, although their topics weren’t especially interesting to me.

Italian 30 min
- I worked half an hour with Nuova grammatica pratica della lingua italiana A1-B2.
- I practised conjugation for a couple of minutes with linguno.com.
- listening: 2 episodes podcast Elisa True Crime (ep. 08 & 09)
- I read the last four chapters of Carta biancha.

Turkish
- duostories.org, set 2


2024/02/08
Dutch
- watching: 1 episode Modern Love

French
- listening: I’m starting with a new podcast, which (I think) has been recommended here on the forum: La Fabrique à Polyglottes (ep. 01)
- reading: 5 chapters La quête d’Ewilan

Italian
- listening: 1 episode Elisa True Crime (ep. 10)

Turkish 30 min
- review The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook, unit 1
- I also wrote some sentences about what I usually do each day of the week, because I have a hard time remembering the names of the days.
- 30 min conversation class italki with a third teacher: It was great, I’m very happy.
- duostories.org, set 3
- listening: I’m relistening to the biographies of famous Turks.


2024/02/09
Today I’ve done a bit of research regarding reading material on histo-couch.de and krimi-couch.de. I’ve found some novels that interest me in Dutch, French and Italian.
These German websites don’t allow you to search novels by the original language, but by the region they are set in. When I see a novel set in the Netherlands and an author with a Dutch-sounding name, the first thing I do is to look them up, just in case. Many German writers decide to create a series set in a certain place and then use a pseudonym, like “Enie van Aanthuis”, which are actually Martina Sahler and Hendrik Gruner.

Dutch
- 1 episode Modern Love
After watching two episodes, I can say that I’m pleased with this show I’ve found on prime.
It has turned out to be not a continuous series, but a collection of stories about different forms of love in our times. The topics so far have been rather serious. The first episode was about a woman whose long-term relationship has ended because she can’t have any children. The second one was about a mature couple adapting to the fact that one of them isn’t as healthy as before. The first one was a bit lighter in tone, the second one slower and more melancholy. That one really touched me. If someone had told me it was a short film by an independent filmmaker, I would definitely have believed it.

French
- reading: 2 chapters La quête d’Ewilan

Italian
- listening: 2 episodes podcast Elisa True Crime (ep. 11 and 12)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- listening: biographies famous Turks
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa


2024/02/10
Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- watching: 1 episode Easy Turkish
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa
- flashcards

French
- reading: 3 chapters La quête d’Ewilan


2024/02/11
Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo


I have to say that I’m rather impressed by myself. I’m doing a lot of stuff lately, even if it’s often just input.
But I’m enjoying very much having several languages to work on at the same time.
The 2023 challenge for Turkish was supereffective, but to some extend it sucked the joy out of language learning. This year, having the option to chose every day between the different languages is giving me a bit of a boost, I think.
But ... I’m on the fence about Modern Greek. At the end of 2023, I was motivated to start it this year, but right now I think I would have to really concentrate on it. And that would take away time from both Turkish (which desperately needs time) and the other three I’m having so much fun with right now.

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/02/12
Dutch 30 min
- I started with lesson 8 in Hugo - Taking Dutch further.

French
- reading: 3 chapters La quète d’Ewilan

Italian
- 2 episodes podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 13 & 14)
I learned that “campione” can mean “sample, swatch”, as in “campione di sangue” = “blood sample”.


2024/02/13
French
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes (ep. 02)

Turkish 30 min
- I finished the review of unit 1, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook, and started with the review of unit 1 of the workbook.
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa


2024/02/14
Italian
- 2 episodes podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 15 & 16)

Turkish 30 min
- I finished the review of unit 1, The Delights of Learning Turkish, workbook
- transcription fairy tale Tatlı lapa (youtube)
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa


2024/02/15
Dutch
- I finished unit 8 in Hugo - Taking Dutch further.

French
- 1 minitopic CLE Vocabulaire progressif du français A2B1
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes (ep. 03)
- reading: 6 chapters La quète d’Ewilan

Italian 30 min
- Nuova Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana A1B2
- vocabulary work with Hueber - Italienisch alltagstauglich
- 1 episode podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 17)
I learned the word “pugilato” for boxing as a sport, which first surprised me. But then it turned out that you can also say “pugilism” in English, although the word seems to be outdated now.

Turkish
- flashcards
- duostories.org, set 4
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa


2024/02/16
Dutch 30 min
- conversation class


2024/02/17
French
- 1 topic CLE Communication progressive du français A2B1
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes (ep. 04)
- reading: 3 chapters La quète d’Ewilan

Italian
- listening: 2 episodes podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 18 & 19)

Turkish 30 min
- 30 min conversation class
- reading: Momo
- watching: 1 episode Sıcak kafa
Shoot, this was the penultimate episode, we seem to be steering towards an open ending or a cliffhanger.


2024/02/18
Italian 30 min
- I started to do the control test for units 11-15 in Nuova grammatica practica della lingua italiana A1B2.

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/02/19
This weekend I’ve not been a responsible adult. I already had a sore throat on Friday morning, and I know perfectly well that his is how a cold usually starts for me.
But I had lots of plans this weekend, a calçot-barbecue with friends that we do not see very often on Sunday, and special blues dance events on both Saturday and Sunday evening.
Of course, the biggest problem were the blues events. Nobody who’s fighting off a cold should be dancing until nearly midnight. But I really didn’t want to miss those wonderful events, and I had so much fun.
I walked into this with open eyes, yet I’m amazed at how very, very bad I feel today.
So, this week is probably not going to be super-productive.

Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (episode 20)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- I watched the last episode of Sıcak Kafa, which, as I had already imagined, ended with a cliffhanger. Hm, I’m not happy about that at all.


2024/02/20
Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (episode 21 & 22)
- I finished the control test of units 11 - 15 in Nuova grammatica pratica della lingua italiana

French
- 1 minitopic CLE Grammaire progressive du français A2B1

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo


2024/02/21
Dutch
- watching: Modern Love (episode 03)
- watching: 2 episodes of the youtube channel ONEYEARONWHEELS, which is actually easier to find as EENJAAROPWIELEN

French 30 min
- I started to write my next text.
- I started working on one topic (Le caractère) in CLE Vocabulaire progressife du français A2B1.
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes (epis. 05)
- reading: 5 chapters La quête d’Ewilan


2024/02/22
Finally feeling better!

French
- I finished the topic in CLE Vocabulaire progressife du français A2B1 and writing the text.
- 5 min linguno.com
- reading: 2 chapters La quête d’Ewilan

Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (episode 23)

Turkish 30 min
- 30 min conversation class
You might remember that, some time ago, I was a bit crestfallen because an italki teacher had told me that according to her I needed longer and more structured lessons. So, today I wanted to book another conversation lesson with her for next week and discovered that she no longer offers 30 min lessons. So that was the actual reason! I know it’s silly (an ego thing), but it was a bit of a relief. Unfortunately, now I have to look for another teacher if I still want to rotate three different tutors.
- watching: video on youtube channel daire: Daire Turu: Yıldız'ın Moda'daki 3+1 Evi (first round, with English subtitles)
I had the idea that I could go through the youtube channel Daire three times, watching all the videos first with English subtitles, then with Turkish subtitles and a third time without subtitles.
There are about a hundred videos of between 10 and 30 minutes.
I think this project might be a bit too ambitious, because I might get bored, but I will at least try. And it will also be useful to learn things about decoration and interior design, as we really, really need to renovate our flat.


2024/02/23
French
- online class: We corrected my text.
- 5 min linguno.com
- I read the last 6 chapters of La quête d’Ewilan.

Italian 30 min
- Nuova grammatica pratica della lingua italiana
- listening: Elisa True Crime (episode 24)

Turkish
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: Daire Turu: Ege'nin Nişantaşı'ndaki 2+1 Evi (first round, with English subtitles)


2024/02/24
Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (episode 25 & 26)

Turkish 30 min
- review unit 2, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: The Flat: Merve's 3 Bedroom House in Kalamış (first round, with English subtitles)


2024/02/25
Dutch 30 min
- I started with unit 6, PONS Power-Sprachkurs Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1.

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/02/26
Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (epis. 27 & 28)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: İstanbul Houses: Efe's 2 Bedroom Nordic Flat (first round, with English subtitles)
The first three videos on this channel were house tours that were kind of relatable. The flats actually looked as if someone was living there, there was stuff lying around. This was the first super-stylized, instagrammy flat, so less relatable. But at least the guy spoke very slowly and clearly.
- I also received two books that I bought, both by Margarete I Ersen-Rasch, published by Harrassowitz: Türkische Grammatik A1-C2 and Türkisch Übungsgrammatik A1-C1.
They aren’t “fun” books, more of the thick, dry kind with small font. Because the Übungsgrammatik also has explanations, I wonder if maybe that one would have been enough.
I started to read a bit in the Türkische Grammatik and liked it so far.


2024/02/27
Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (epis. 29)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: İstanbul House Tours: Musician's Eclectic and Colorful House in İstanbul (first round, with English subtitles)


2024/02/28
French
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes (epis. 06)
- watching: I watched a youtube video in French about language learning by a young Belgian lady called Gaëlle Tacal. It started out nice, but at some point she began to interject more and more English, not only short expressions, but whole long sentences. Weird. Do young people really speak like that or is it a youtube thing?
- 5 min linguno.com

Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (epis. 30)
- vocabulary work: 2 topics Hueber Italienisch alltagstauglich A1-A2

Turkish 30 min
- 30 min conversation class
- I finished the review of unit 2, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook.
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: House Tour: Young advertising couple's apartment with mezzanine (first round, with English subtitles)
- Today during my afternoon nap I dreamt in Turkish for the first time!


2024/02/29
Dutch 30 min
- I finished unit 6, PONS Power-Sprachkurs Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1
- reading: I started a new novel, De duiker by Mathijs Deen, and read the first 3 chapters.

French
- 3 topics CLE Communication progressive du français A2B1

Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (epis. 31)

Turkish
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: İstanbul House Tours: Boho Style and Botanical Spacious Flat in İstanbul (first round, with English subtitles)
This is the second person of the series who absolutely loves anything brass, so I know the word by now: pirinç. Also, her dog is either called Rachel or Reçel, which means “jam”.


2024/03/01
French
- 2 topics CLE Conjugaison progressive du français A2B1

Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (epis. 32 & 33)
- vocabulary work: 2 topics Hueber Italienisch alltagstauglich A1-A2

Turkish 30 min
- I reviewed unit 2, The Delights of Learning Turkish, workbook.
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: İstanbul House Tours: Historical and Modern Flat Right Behind the Famous Galata Tower(first round, with English subtitles)
Since I started this little project, this has been the eighth video I’ve watched in a row. Similar expressions and vocabulary are used in most videos, and I already feel like I start to understand more.


2024/03/02
French
- 1 topic CLE Grammaire progressive du français A2B1

Italian
- listening: Elisa True Crime (epis. 34)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: İstanbul House Tours: Young couple turned this office building into a living space (first round, with English subtitles)


2024/03/03
Dutch 30 min
- I started working on unit 9, Hugo Taking Dutch further.
- watching: 1 episode Modern Love
I still highly recommend this, but be warned: So far, every episode has been more heartbreaking than the one before.

Italian
- listening: I started a new audiobook La salita dei geganti, mainly to wean myself off the real crime podcast.
(about 30 min)
- watching: Linea 7000
This documentary about hiking in Italy while using public transport started out interesting. But (Sorry, borderline political topic!) I ended up really pissed off. This is a 45 minute documentary from 2021 featuring maybe a dozen interviews with different experts, other hikers, climbers, historians, geologists etc., among them not ONE SINGLE WOMAN. It seems to have been shot in “the land with no women”.

Turkish
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: The Flat: Ersin's 1 Bedroom Penthouse in Bursa (first round, with English subtitles)

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/03/04
Dutch
- I finished unit 9 in Hugo Taking your Dutch further.
- I watched a youtube video that had been recommended here on the channel about the “zachte g”.
- reading: 5 chapters De Duiker

French
- I watched another youtube video about languages by Gaëlle Tacal, but her mix of French and English really doesn’t work for me.
- listening: Podcast Bouffons (epis. 04)

Italian
- 1 topic Nuova Grammatica pratica della lingua italiana A1B2
- vocabulary work: 2 topics Huber Italienisch alltagstauglich A1A2
- listening: Podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 35 & 36)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: Daire Turu: Efe'nin Moda'daki 3+2 Dubleks Evi (first round, with English subtitles)


2024/03/05
Turkish 30 min
- I started reviewing unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook.
- watching: videos on youtube channel Daire:
The Flat: Pınar's High Ceilinged Flat in Beyoğlu
The Flat: Barış's 1 Bedroom Flat with 1 Dog, 3 Birds and 100 Plants in Izmir
(first round, with English subtitles)


2024/03/06
French
I watched some youtube. A short reportage about batch cooking led to discover the cooking channel Isadora et Marisa, which might be something for me.
I also found a channel called Saturne, on which a very young lady talking about language learning. She speaks really, really fast, which is good listening training.

Turkish 30 min
- review unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook
This is going a bit slow, because it’s the first unit with a lot of vocabulary I have not mastered yet.
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: The Flat: Gözde and Cihan's Colorful 3 Bedroom Flat in Teşvikiye (first round, with English subtitles)

Italian
- conversation class
- listening: Podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 37 & 38)
(The “weaning off” isn’t going as well as expected.)


2024/03/07
French
- I started to work on 1 topic from CLE Vocabulaire progressif du français A2B1.
- watching: some youtube

Italian 30 min
- 1 topic Nuova grammatica pratica della lingua italiana A1B2
- I also reviewed the prepositions related to places (again!), because I notice in every conversation class that I haven’t mastered them yet.

Turkish
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire: The Flat: Karahan's 2 Bedroom Flat in Beşiktaş (first round, with English subtitles)


2024/03/08
Dutch 30 min
- I started unit 10, Hugo Taking Dutch further. Nearly finished now!

Italian
- listening: Podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 39)
- I was reviewing yesterday’s notes about the prepositions and finally had a light-bulb moment. I could never remember for which places “in” had to be used, and for which places “a”.
And I finally found a very simple mnemonic:
“Big places” (continents, countries, regions and big islands) -> in
“Small places” (cities and small islands) -> a
That’s it. While writing it down, I’ve just noticed that even the vowels coincide, at least in English: big/in, small/a.
Maybe it won’t be superhelpful for other people, because “big” and “small” are rather vague categories. But if any grammar book had given me this simple hint, I think I might have been able to remember the list earlier.

Turkish
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire:
Özlem ve Rıdvan'ın Bursa'daki 40 m² Minimalist Evi
Daire Turu: Kübra'nın Kozyatağı'ndaki 2+1 Evi
(first round, with English subtitles)


2024/03/09
Recently, my way of note-taking has changed. Especially when I started my last new language, Turkish, I took a copious amount of notes, because it helped me to process and resume the new information. To make a neat copy later was a great way of reviewing.
But recently, I’ve noticed that taking detailed notes for four different languages isn’t actually useful for me. I never go back to review them or write a fair copy, because it’s just too much.
So here’s my new method: I use smaller (DIN A5) sheets of paper instead of my usual A4 ones and take notes when I go through a text or unit in a book or take a conversation class. The smaller format makes it easier for me to handle the sheets: I can just put a couple of them between the pages of a book, I can have them lie around without taking up too much space and they look more like notepad paper, like a temporal solution. The reduced space for writing also means that I will limit the amount of notes I take.
From time to time, I’ll take a couple of these and read through them for a review. If there are some words or expressions that I consider especially important, I might copy them again to a new piece of paper. But usually, after this one review, I will just throw them away. It’s not the most efficient strategy for memorisation, but both my time and my space are limited.
Today, one of my language learning activities was going through the little stack of notes that had accumulated lately.

Dutch
- reading: 4 chapters De duiker

French
- I finished the topic from CLE Vocabulaire progressif du français A2B1 that I started on Thursday.
- watching: some youtube

Italian
- listening: Podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 40)

Turkish 30 min
- 30 min conversation class online + preparation for it
Today I wasn’t very sharp and the class felt a bit more dragging.
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire:
The Flat: Aslıhan's 2 Bedroom Flat in Riva
The Flat: Mehmet's 5+1 House in Bodrum
(first round, with English subtitles)


2024/03/10
Dutch 30 min
- Hugo Taking Dutch further: I finished unit 10 and thus the book. Yay!
- I started unit 7, PONS Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1.

Italian
- listening: Podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 41)

[Sonjaconjota]

2024/03/11
Dutch
- reading: 3 chapters De Duiker

Italian
- listening: podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 42)

Turkish 30 min
- working on the review of unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook
- watching: videos on youtube channel Daire:
Daire Turu: Özgü ve Ailesinin Datça'daki Evi
Ceyda ve Özkan'ın Ege Köyündeki Ahşap Evi
(first round, with English subtitles)
- Today I looked up a word that I had heard repeatedly on the channel, “tezgah”. In these videos of private homes, it usually means “work top”, but I can also refer to a bar or a shop counter. I was wondering why it sounded so familiar, and finally remembered that “tezgahtar” is a sales person. So, I guess it’s means “the person who stands behind the counter”?


2024/03/12
Dutch
- watching: Modern Love, epis. 05
- some youtube
- reading: 4 chapters De Duiker

French
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes, epis. 07

Italian
- 1 mini-topic Nuova gramatica pratica della lingua italiana A1B2
- vocabulary work: 2 topics Hueber Italienisch alltagstauglich A1-A2
- listening: podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 43)

Turkish 30 min
- One of the topics of unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, is to talk about time and the hour.
I looked up this topic in Türkische Grammatik by Margarete Ersen-Rasch.
I went to google to see if I could find a nice mnemonic for the four key words used to express the hour - and the second website that came up was my own log here on the forum. But that’s actually great, because it made me remember a little mnemonic I had already developed some time ago and completely forgotten.
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire:
The Flat: Betül's Boho-Minimalist Flat in Erenköy (first round with English subtitles)


2024/03/13
French
- 2 topics CLE Grammaire progressive du français
- listening: La fabrique à polyglottes, epis. 08
- 5 min linguno.com
I have rather neglected my conjugation training lately, time to get back to it.

Italian
- listening: podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 44)

Turkish 30 min
- 30 min conversation class
- vocabulary work:
At the end of unit 3, there is a list of about 40 words describing people’s characters. There were a few that I already knew, but I wanted to get creative with the rest, so I made myself some exercises for 36 of them. I found a crossword puzzle generator online and made a crossword puzzle.
Then I remembered a stack of magnetic post-its I had bought some years ago. Their adhesiveness is much weaker than I had hoped for at that moment, and they actually start to lose it quickly. But I thought I might at least use them for a manual “drag and drop exercise”. This way the little pieces of paper would not fly around at the smallest breeze.
- watching: video on youtube channel Daire:
The Flat: Sena's 2 bedroom House in Trabzon (first round with English subtitles)
It’s so interesting to notice people’s idiolect, how some repeat certain words over and over again, which is great for language learners. In one of the last episodes, one woman called everything “incredible”, “inanılmaz”. The lady in today’s video loves the word “piece”, “parça”, as in “this mirror is the most classic piece in the room” etc.

2024/03/14
French
- 5 min linguno.com

Italian
- listening: podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 45)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo
- I finished reviewing unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook. One of the topics was numerals, so I read a bit about numbers in Türkische Grammatik by Margarete Ersen-Rasch.
- I reviewed the vocabulary list from unit 3 again and made a quizlet set for the words I don’t remember yet.

- watching: video on youtube channel Daire:
The Flat: The Flat: Zero Waste Eco Village House in Northern Turkey
The Flat: Dilay and Cem's 2 Bedroom House in Kurtuluş
(first round with English subtitles)
The English subtitles of the first video were so bad that they didn’t help a lot. I guess they were autogenerated.


2024/03/15
Dutch 30 min
- Working on unit 7, PONS Power-Sprachkurs Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1

French
- 5 min linguno.com

Italian
- listening: podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 46 & 47)

Turkish
- vocabulary work
- I started unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, workbook.


2024/03/16
Italian
- listening: podcast Elisa True Crime (epis. 48 & 49)

Turkish 30 min
- reading: Momo


2024/03/17
Dutch 30 min
- I finished unit 7, PONS Power-Sprachkurs Niederländisch für Fortgeschrittene A2-B1.

[Sonjaconjota]

I’ve watched a couple of videos about Middlebury Language Schools. Although it’s a bit sect-like, I find their approach so, so fascinating, and I would really love to go once in my life. It would be such a great kickstart for Japanese, for example.
But the price, I mean ... It’s not that it’s “a bit expensive”. It costs more than I earn in half a year, and that’s without counting the flights. I guess it will remain a dream.


2024/03/18
Turkish 30 min
- working on unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, workbook
- watching: youtube channel Daire:
The Flat: Pınar's Colorful House in Ulus
(first round with English subtitles)


2024/03/19
French 30 min
- 1 big topic CLE Conjugaison progressive du français A2B1
I’ve looked up how much of this book deals with just the present indicative - it’s the first 45 pages, which I find a tad demotivating. I guess it’s because with many of the other tenses, you can just refer to the irregularities of the present.

Turkish
- watching: youtube channel Daire
The Flat: Walk-in Store Transformed to a House
(first round with English subtitles)


2024/03/20
I’ve cancelled my netflix membership for the time being. I had been debating it for a long time, and today I just went for it.

Dutch
- I watched the last episode of Modern Love.
- reading: 3 chapters De duiker

Italian 30 min
- 1 topic Nuova grammatica pratica della lingua italiana A1-B2
- vocabulary work: 2 topics Hueber Italienisch alltagstauglich A1-A2

Turkish
- I finished the review of unit 3, The Delights of Learning Turkish, workbook.
- watching: youtube channel Daire
The Flat: Elif's Simple and Spacious 2 Bedroom Flat
(first round with English subtitles)


2024/03/21
Dutch
- I had a look at some grammar in the PONS coursebook. There are several rules about when to add an “e” at the end of an adjective, and I find the topic very confusing.
So I put a couple of extra big post-its in the front of the novel I’m reading and copied those rules. My idea is to note down any examples I come across while reading.
- reading: 3 chapters De duiker

Italian
- listening: podcast Delitti invisibili, 3 episodes Chi ha ucciso Annalaura Pedron?

Turkish 30 min
- 30 min conversation class
This was my tenth conversation class this year. The good news: I’ve overcome the fear of speaking and the feeling of being blocked. The bad news: I still really suck.
I’m starting to wonder if I should have waited even longer, until a point where I have more vocabulary and have internalized the structure of the Turkish language more. I guess I’m going to go on with my personal challenge of doing 35 classes this year, but I’m curious to see if I will really improve noticeably from now on.
- watching: youtube channel Daire
The Flat: The Colorful Apartment of Pınar and Her Daughters
(first round with English subtitles)
Today I learned that “skateboard” is “kaykay” in Turkish.
- I also worked a bit with The Delights of Learning Turkish, coursebook, starting with the review of unit 4.


2024/03/22
Dutch
- reading: 5 chapters De duiker

French
-1 topic CLE Communication progressive du français A2B1
- watching: some youtube

Italian
- listening: podcast Delitti invisibili, 3 episodes Guerrina e Padre Gratien

Turkish 30 min
- review unit 4, The Delights of Learning Turkish
One of the topics of this unit is the imperative, so I looked that up in Harrassowitz Türkische Grammatik A1-C2.
- watching: youtube channel Daire
The Flat: Aslı and Her Family's House in Tuzla
(first round with English subtitles)
- Today I discovered that the lindy hop community in Ankara has a great youtube channel with some classes and interviews in Turkish. That’s something I’ll definitely look into at some point.


2024/03/23
Dutch
- reading: 4 chapters De duiker

Italian
- vocabulary work: 2 topics Hueber Italienisch alltagstauglich A1-A2
- listening: podcast Delitti invisibili, 3 episodes Il collezionista di ossa

Turkish 30 min
- review unit 4, The Delights of Learning Turkish
One of the topics in this unit are adjectives with “li” and “siz”, so I looked up the part about adjectives in the grammar by Harrassowitz. So far I liked this book very much, but the chapter about adjectives was weird. I expected a list of endings with their meaning, but it was more about theoretical linguistics, with explanations like “some adjectives can be used in an attributive and a predicative way, but others only in an attributive way”, with just a couple of examples. Too abstract for my taste.
- watching: youtube channel Daire
The Flat: From a Factory to a House, Elif's Loft
(first round with English subtitles)


2024/03/24
Dutch
- reading: 3 chapters De duiker

French
- -1 topic CLE Communication progressive du français A2B1
- listening: podcast La fabrique à polyglottes, epis. 09

Turkish 30 min
- online conversation class 30 min and preparation
- watching: youtube channel Daire
The Flat: 2 Floor House on the Asian Side in İstanbul
(first round with English subtitles)
This was the second place where I noticed black candle figures. The lady from yesterday’s video collected them. I didn’t know this was a thing.