Itty Bitty Language Courses

First Conversation in Sanskrit - Part II (f)

2007-03-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ashok makes an inquiry as to how you are doing:

Bhavatyaah kushalam asti va? – Your welfare is (taken care of)?

There’s bhavatyaah – your for a woman – again. You answer:

Mama kushalam asti – my welfare is, to indicate you are fine.

You ask Ashok, in turn, using bhavatah because he is a man:

Bhavatah kushalam asti – your welfare is? He answers:

Mama kushalam asti – my welfare is.

You realize that Ashok might have other obligations, and that you might as well. So, though you do not rush, but are calm, still you take leave with a standard closing:

Punar milaamah. – Until we see each other again.

Punar milaamah, he answers.

Ashok smiles, turns, and disappears down the path. You sense that it is time for you to return as well, and head back along your path.

As you go, you replay the conversation in your mind, first translating the ideas, if not the words, to keep it straight in your mind:

Namo namah – Greetings

Bhavatah naama kim? – What is your name? (to a man).

Mama naama Ashok. – My name is Ashok.

Bhavatyaah naama kim? – What is your name? (to a woman).

Mama naama… your name. – My name is…

Bhavatyaah kushalam asti va? – How are you? (to a woman).

Mama kushalam ast. – I’m fine.

Bhavatah kushalam asti va? – How are you? (to a man).

Mama kushalam asti. – I’m fine.

Punar milaamah. – Goodbye.

And as you keep walking, you replay it one more time, just in Sanskrit:

Namo namah.

Bhavayaah naama kim?

Mama naama Ashok. Bhavatyaah naama kim?

Mama naama… your name.

Bhavatyaah kushalam asti va?

Mama kushalam asti. Bhavatah kushalam asti va?

Mama kushalam asti.

Punar milaamah.

And just now, you are getting back to where you started, and your lesson is just about over. So smile. You have just had your first conversation in Sanskrit. And now you are ready to resume your day on the count of 1… and 2… and 3.

First Conversation in Sanskrit - Part I (f)

2007-03-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

You want to greet Ashok, and without thinking, you greet him by saying:

Namo namah – Greetings.

Namo namah – Greetings – he answers in kind.

You want to know his name for certain, so you inquire:

Bhavatah naama kim? – Your name (is) what?

Because he is a man, the question starts with bhavatah.

He takes in the question, Bhavatah naama kim? and answers,

Mama naama Ashok – My name (is) Ashok.

You are processing this, and realize that to give your name, you would say,

Mama naama, followed by your name.

You wonder if you should say it, when he warmly asks,

Bhavatyaah naama kim? = Your name (is) what?

Because you are a woman, the question started bhavatyaah. You make a mental note…

To ask a man’s name, you say:

Bhavatah naama kim?

To ask a woman’s name, you say:

Bhavatyaah naama kim?

As you’re taking this in, you realize you should answer the question, so you say:

Mama naama… and finish with your name.

Ashok waits patiently for you to process what you have learned, and you take advantage, by replaying the conversation so far in your mind:

Namo namah.

Bhavatah naama kim?

Mama Ashok. Bhavatyaah naama kim?

Mama naama… end with your name…

Ashok waits patiently for you to process what you have learned, and you take advantage, by replaying the conversation so far in your mind:

Namo namah.

Bhavatah naama kim?

Mama naama Ashok. Bhavatyaah naama kim?

Mama naama… end with your name…

Click here to keep talking

First Conversation in Sanskrit -f

2007-03-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

To be read aloud, or sounded out in your mind:

Learning Sanskrit is both a challenge and an adventure. Its structure is different from English, which means you can’t just translate word by word. But when you’re exposed to it, if you just let the words come, you will see intuitively how the phrases you are learning come together.

Learning languages is an exciting thing to do. It’s also something you’re good at. Because language is merely making sounds and putting them in the right order. In this short program, you are going to get your toes wet, like dipping them into a vast pool of language. But when you are done, you will have had an imaginary conversation in perfectly good Sanskrit, one that you will be able to have again in real life should you choose, and should you find a Sanskrit speaker, of course. So now let’s count to three, then have our conversation.

And 1) sit back, relax, and let the words go by and before you know it they’ll be sinking in. Just keep reading, but as you are reading, you can take a little stroll along a garden path. And maybe you should perk your ears to hear fountains trickling in the background. And let your mind open to an expanse of green in front of you. You can learn wherever you want, of course, but learning in a nice, lush, lovely garden would be a nice place to learn, wouldn’t it.

And 2) Let the words go by, and enjoy the nice lovely garden, and take a nice walk along the path that goes through that garden. As you are walking amongst the bushes, and the flowers, walking along the path, you will come to a place where the path forks. If you follow the path to the left, you will meet a nice young lady.

And 3) Once you have turned left, and have walked about twenty feet, you meet Ashok. His face is kind, and welcoming, and you are glad to be meeting him. And now, something magical will happen. When you meet Ashok, you will speak Sanskrit with him. And because you are ready, the time to talk to him is now.

Click here to start talking

First Conversation in Sanskrit - Part II

2007-03-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Devi makes an inquiry as to how you are doing:

Bhavatah kushalam asti va? – Your welfare is (taken care of)?

There’s bhavatah – your for a man – again. You answer:

Mama kushalam asti – my welfare is, to indicate you are fine.

You ask Devi, in turn, using bhavatyaah because she is a woman:

Bhavatyaah kushalam asti – your welfare is? She answers:

Mama kushalam asti – my welfare is.

You realize that Devi might have other obligations, and that you might as well. So, though you do not rush, but are calm, still you take leave with a standard closing:

Punar milaamah. – Until we see each other again.

Punar milaamah, she answers.

Devi smiles, turns, and disappears down the path. You sense that it is time for you to return as well, and head back along your path.

As you go, you replay the conversation in your mind, first translating the ideas, if not the words, to keep it straight in your mind:

Namo namah – Greetings

Bhavatyaah naama kim? – What is your name? (to a woman).

Mama naama Devi. – My name is Devi.

Bhavatah naama kim? – What is your name? (to a man).

Mama naama… your name. – My name is…

Bhavatah kushalam asti va? – How are you? (to a man).

Mama kushalam ast. – I’m fine.

Bhavatyaah kushalam asti va? – How are you? (to a woman).

Mama kushalam asti. – I’m fine.

Punar milaamah. – Goodbye.

And as you keep walking, you replay it one more time, just in Sanskrit:

Namo namah.

Bhavayaah naama kim?

Mama naama Devi. Bhavatah naama kim?

Mama naama… your name.

Bhavatah kushalam asti va?

Mama kushalam asti. Bhavatyaah kushalam asti va?

Mama kushalam asti.

Punar milaamah.

First Conversation in Sanskrit - Part I

2007-03-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

You want to greet Devi, and without thinking, you greet her by saying:

Namo namah – Greetings.

Namo namah – Greetings – she answers in kind.

You want to know her name, so you inquire:

Bhavatyaah naama kim? – Your name (is) what?

Because she is a woman, the question starts with bhavatyaah.

She takes in the questions, Bhavatyaah naama kim? and answers,

Mama naama Devi – My name (is) Devi.

You are processing this, and realize that to give your name, you would say,

Mama naama, followed by your name.

You wonder if you should say it, when she warmly asks,

Bhavatah naama kim? = Your name (is) what?

Because you are a man, the question started bhavatah. You make a mental note…

To ask a woman’s name, you say:

Bhavatyaah naama kim?

To ask a man’s name, you say:

Bhavatah naama kim?

As you’re taking this in, you realize you should answer the question, so you say:

Mama naama… and finish with your name.

Devi waits patiently for you to process what you have learned, and you take advantage, by replaying the conversation so far in your mind:

Namo namah.

Bhavatyaah naama kim?

Mama naama Devi. Bhavatah naama kim?

Mama naama… end with your name…

Click to keep talking

Sanskrit Conversation - Preparation

2007-03-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

To be read aloud, or sounded out in your mind:

And 3) Once you have turned left, and have walked about twenty feet, you meet Devi. Her face is kind, and welcoming, and you are glad to be meeting her. And now, something magical will happen. When you meet Devi, you will speak Sanskrit with her. And because you are ready, the time to talk to her is now.

Click to start talking

First Conversation in Sanskrit

2007-03-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

This program will teach you to have a very short conversation in Sanskrit. When you are done, you will be able to exchange greetings, ask how someone is doing, exchange names and take your leave of someone.

The program may seem somewhat unusual in its language and structure. It is intended to put you in a frame of mind where you can sort of pick up the language, as opposed to making a conscientious effort to learn. The key is not to study, but to read the passage, out loud, two or three times over the course of one or two days.

The program is not hypnotic language learning, per se, but it does make use of elements of self-hypnotic induction, so that you can treat the language as something to live, rather than as an object to study.

Because Sanskrit makes extensive use of vocabulary that varies according to the gender of the speaker or the person being spoken to, there are two versions:

In one version, the subject of the lesson (you) is a male, and the other character, Devi, is a female.

In the other version, the subject of the lesson (you) is a female, and the other character, Ashok, is a male.

Both versions will expose you to the masculine and feminine forms, but with the emphasis slightly shifted so that male and female visitors will know what to listen for when being spoken to.

Click to begin (males) - Click to begin (females)

Sources for Learning Azerbaijani

2006-06-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

This Itty Bitty Azerbaijani Course is, of course, light years from a complete program. But it should have given you a few words to drop should you find yourself in that neighborhood. The pronunciation guide, it should be clear, is intended to help an English speaker get the words out, not to become native fluent.

We hope this course has been helpful and that the opening notes connecting Azerbaijani and other languages broadened your horizons a little bit more still. Nonetheless, this course is barely a beginning.

To learn more, and hear the language spoken, click immediately to byki.com, where there is free flashcard program with 17 lessons, including audio. And if you decide to go further, by all means purchase the whole course – which includes a free audio for your MP3 player.

The information in this course was drawn from byki.com’s Azerbaijani, resources.net.az/phrase.htm, Lonely Planet Central Asian Phrasebook, Lonely Planet Turkish Phrasebook, the Turkmen Dictionary and Phrasebook (Awde et al), Language/30 Turkish and our own previously published resources for Turkish, Uzbek, Dari, Arabic and about the languages of Islam. In order to keep resources like these available, we ask that those with a serious interest in Azerbaijani patronize the enterprises that produce them, using our courses as a starting point.

Azerbaijani Menu

Understanding in Azerbaijani

2006-06-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Finding some understanding

Do you understand? Siz başa düşürsunuz? (seas bah-shah doo-shoor-su-nuz)

I understand: Mən başa düşürəm (men bah-shah doo-shoo-rem)

I don’t understand: Mən başa düşmürəm (men bah-shah doosh-moo-rem)

Please write it: Zəhmət olmasa, yazın (zeh-meht ol-mah-sah yah-zihn)

Good: yaxşi (yahk-shee)

Finally, a look at sources for further study…

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Beverages

2006-06-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Restaurant and Beverages

Restaurant: restoran (reh-stoh-rahn)

I would like… Mən isterdim… (men easter-deem)

A cup of coffee: bir fincan qəhve (beer fin jan keh vey)

A cup of tea: bir fincan çay (beer fin jan cheye)

A glass of water – bir stəken su (beer steak an sue)

A glass of beer – bir stəken pivə (beer steak an pee-veh)

A bottle of wine – bir butilka çaxir (beer boo-till-ka chah-hear)

In the homestretch… do you understand?

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Hotel Words

2006-06-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

At the hotel

Hotel: mehmanxana (mehh-mahn-hah-nah)

Bath: vanna otaği (vahn-na oh-tah-ee)

Shower: duş (doosh)

Room: nömrə (nerm-reh)

What’s the rate? Sizin haqqınız? (see-zeen hahk-kih-nihz)

Next, time for tea… or something more interesting…

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Where is?

2006-06-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Where is…?

Where is…? …haradadir? (hah-rah-dah-deer)

Telephone: telefon

Toilet: tualet (tu-ah-let)

Luggage: yük (yook)

Bus: avtobus (ahv-toe-booss)

Next, at the hotel…

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Please and Thank you

2006-06-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Mind your pints and quarts… or at least be polite.

Please: Zəhmət olmasa (zeh-meht ol-mah-sah)

Thank you (informal): Sağ olun (sah oh-lun)

Thank you (formal): Təşəkkur eləyirəm (teh shake kur ey-leh-yee-rehm)

Your welcome: Sağ olun (sah oh-lun)

Next, finding your way around…

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Introductions

2006-06-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Now that you can say “Hi, how are you?” it’s time to learn to say “Who are you?” and give an answer.

What’s your name? Senin adın nədir? (seh-neen ah-din neh-deer)

My name is… Mənim adım… (meh-neem ah-dim)

Pleased to meet you: Çox güzel (chalk goo-zehl)

Goodbye: Xuda hafiz (who da ha-fizz)

Next, being polite…

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Greetings

2006-06-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

The next seven pages offer around thirty-five words and phrases for the most basic communication in Azerbaijani. Those who wish to go further should check out the resources mentioned on the previous page. This course is intended to give those who are curious a little insight into how things are said in Azerbaijani while making the language seem a little more familiar and a little less imposing to the student about to undertake more serious study. By memorizing a list every one to three days, you will pick up a useful stock of phrases for survival and conversation within a couple weeks. Please note that our pronunciation guide is very loose. Here is the first list, opening the way for conversation whether it be morning, noon or night:

Good morning: Sabahınız xeyir (sah bah huh nuhs hey er)

Good day: Yaxşi gün (yahk shi goon)

Good night: Axşamınız xeyir (ahk shah muh nuhs hey er)

How are you? Necəsiz? (ney juh siz)

Thanks, fine: Sağ olun, yaxşıyam. (sah oh lun, yahk shi yahm)

Next page, introductions…

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Vocabulary

2006-06-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Right from the start of our course, the Arabic influence pops out. “Sabahınız xeyir” (“Good morning”) is almost identical to the Arabic “sabah il-xeyr.” The phrase for “Good night” is in the middle – Turkish “akşamlar” (night) and Arabic “xeyr” – “Axşamınız xeyir.” Notice that so far, we’re using the Arabic word for “good” or “fine.” Our next phrase uses the more standard Central Asian word, yaxshi. “Yaxşi gün” means “Good day.” Turkish itself goes with another word for good – the phrase is “İyi günler,” which means “Good days,” like Spanish “Buenos diás.”

There is only one straight Persian phrase in this little guide, “Xuda hafiz” – identical to one Farsi goodbye, but other Persian terms (like “xanim” for “Mrs.”) are scattered through the language.

International vocabulary comes up as well: “duş” = French “douche” (“shower”). “Tualet” and “avtobus” should be clear enough. And “pivə” corresponds to the word for beer in the Slavic languages. Finally, “qahvə” (“coffee”) and “çay” (“tea”) are about as international as it gets.

Azerbaijani is, in the end, a Turkic language, however, and while Arabic, Persian and international elements are present, the Turkic base is quite evident. Those who know another Turkic language will recognize a lot. Those who wish to learn one likewise won’t be making a bad start in picking up a few words in Azerbaijani. A few highlights, then the course:

Adın (Az) = Adın (Tk) = Your name

Adım (Az) = Adım (Tk) = My name

Çox güzel (Az) = Çok güzel (Tk) = Very beautiful (used for “Pleased to meet you.”)

Sağ olun (Az) = Sağ ol (Tk) = an informal “Thank you”

Təşəkkur eləyirəm (Az) = Teşekkur ederim (Tk) = formal “Thank you”)

…harada? (Az) = …nerede? (Tk) = Where is…?

Bir (Az) = Bir (Tk) = one

And now, having encountered a little Arabic, a little Persian, somewhat more Turkish and just under twenty Azerbaijani words, it’s time to begin. As with all the Itty Bitty Courses, this course offers Azerbaijani in small bites. By memorizing a few phrases a day, you will learn just enough to get yourself in trouble – or maybe get yourself out of trouble! Serious students should investigate the free demo Before You Know It Azerbaijani program (at byki.com) and probably purchase the full program. For those content to add a few phrases to what is here, check out resources.net.az/phrase.htm.

Ready? Next comes the course, with greetings...

Azerbaijani menu

Introduction

2006-06-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

From Turkey to Western China, there exists not so much a family of languages as a continuum of languages. Bits of Turkic, plus Arabic and Persian – from the Muslim expansion – crop up all the way along the Old Silk Route. On the western side, one stop along the continuum is Azerbaijani.

Azerbaijani is spoken in Azerbaijan, a former Soviet Republic, and much of Iran. Azerbaijanis, in fact, are the leading minority in Iran. Lately, it’s the Azeris of Iran that are in the news (this in being written in June of 2006) as ethnic unrest has led to violence in some parts and some Turkmen have grabbed the chance to advocate for greater respect for all Turkic peoples – not just Azeris.

On this site, Persian/Farsi is represented by the variant spoken in Afghanistan, Dari. On the Turkic side, we have Uzbek and Turkish. Now we’re going to connect a few dots between Turkish and Uzbek with this Itty Bitty Course on Azerbaijani. The main course, as with all the courses, consists of little chunks of the language to be learned and played with. However, we’re going to start with an introduction to about half the items in the course in terms of what other languages you can use them with.

Click to find out more about Azerbaijani vocabulary...

Azerbaijani Menu

Azerbaijani Main Menu

2006-06-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is the Itty Bitty Course for Azerbaijani. Below is the table of contents.

1. Introduction
2. Sources of Vocabulary
3. Greetings
4. Introductions
5. Please and Thank You
6. Where is...?
7. Hotel vocabulary
8. Beverages
9. Do you understand?
10. Sources for further learning

Making a Start in Mandarin

2006-04-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Chinese can be an incredibly difficult language to make a solid start in. To start with, there's the question of characters: Are you going to learn them or not? If you just want to speak the language, reading pinyin - although tricky - is probably good enough. At the same time, knowing a little bit about the characters can open up "word families" of an unlikely sort that may offer enough interest to make the learning go more quickly.

My own efforts at Mandarin Chinese include Pimsleur Level 1 and one on one instruction. Below are a few of the resources I've used and why they were or weren't helpful. While this list won't actually get you started learning Chinese, it's a place to start.

ChineseHorizon.com
The headline says, "Speak Chinese Rapidly..." Maybe not. But there is a fairly good introduction to what you're in for and the lessons expose a lot of information. For around $30/month, it's not a bad deal if you make consistent use of it. And you can take demonstration lessons at several levels to see what it's about.

Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone teaches only in the target language, using pictures, sound and text - in the language you're learning - to help you associate first short and simple, then longer and more complex thoughts with images. The probelm is that Chinese doesn't necessarily relate human experience precisely the same way English, for example, does. Thus picture sequences ideal for illustrating structures in English don't always work so well in Mandarin.

Were Rosetta Stone to use a different sequencing depending on the language, it could be great for Mandarin, highlighting deeper into the lessons the subtler distinctions Mandarin makes here and there. Instead, they start popping up early on. If you're learning with something else, Rosetta Stone isn't bad for drilling. But it falls short as a primary resource.

When you finish Pimsleur Mandarin Level 1, you are amazed at all the things you can say as you work through the lessons. Then you start trying to think of how to say the things that are on your mind in Mandarin and are flabbergasted by how much you have to learn. Bottom line, this will not make you fluent in a month. But it will give you confidence and familiarity with using Mandarin, and a hint as to what's going on with tones. Better learn (a whole lot) less with the conversation set, in order to get your stride, then move on to another resource with the pennies you've saved.

After you've done a little Pimsleur Mandarin, you might look for some more vocabulary to plug into the structures you've learned. The Talk Now game show vocabulary learning format isn't bad for learning isolated vocabulary, though you need to play early and often if you want to retain what you've learned. High scores in the game indicate that you have learned enough to quickly catch on to material you've seen before. Continued high scores are needed if you want assurance that the words will be there when you want them though.

This is one of the most thorough grammar and workbooks out there. But serious work is involved. And while you can learn alot about Chinese grammar from it, it won't teach you to speak. What it will do is give you many ahas about things you've learned elsewhere but couldn't get your head around. A good reference once you've been at it awhile.

This is actually a pretty good guide to basic phrases and basic grammar. Many other works tell you way more than you want to know - or realistically will have the patience to learn - and are thus useless, despite their deceptive thoroughness. With a language like Mandarin, the fundamentals are simple. It's the details that get you. This is light on detail and thus worthwhile for learning enough to speak understandably, as opposed to having the perfect phrases for three occasions and little to contribute otherwise because you gave up before finishing the book.

My memories of Teach Yourself Chinese are of confusion, boredom and irritation. What was easy was obvious. What wasn't was lost. Other experiences may vary, but I found it the opposite of the Chinese for Dummies phrasebook - there was too much to learn. By contrast, the Teach Yourself Mandarin Conversation CD set isn't half bad. You learn to work through elementary conversations, then on disc three learn a little about what to listen for. After Pimsleur Conversation, it's worth a listen to firm up what you've learned and put some meat on the worthy but skeletal understanding of Chinese conversation that the preliminary Pimsleur lessons provide.

Ordinarily, I'm appalled by the Learn in Your Car listen and repeat cycle. For the Romance and Germanic languages, I've found it painfully tedious and often boring, such that when I put on a CD, rather than learning I go to sleep. But that's me. With Chinese, however, I'm sufficiently out of my element that the set has kept me listening. However, I like to follow along with the transcript, not listen in the car. In the transcript, words are put in different colors if you're learning a new structure or unusual word, and this makes it easy to see what's going on in the Chinese. It's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it works pretty well. Again, it helps to have a little Chinese before making use of this set.

For figuring out, well, what character you're looking up, this is a darn good book. The organization by English named radicals makes it easy to start deciphering short bits of Chinese to get an idea what characters and concepts are involved. Not much help with the many two-syllable words in Chinese, though.

This is my favorite Chinese-English dictionary. The entries are thorough, offering good coverage of two and three syllable words. And you can look up words by pinyin, radical, stroke number and Zhuyin fuhao (what Chinese schoolkids use to look up words phonetically). If you're serious about putting together written and spoken Chinese in your studies, this is highly recommended.

The list above doesn't, alas, feature any silver bullets for learning Chinese in four hours with no work. If you know of such a series or have any recommendations for getting started, please e-mail. And if you're just getting started yourself, I hope these suggestions will get you off to a better start.

Geoffrey Barto
multilingua.info Creator

On Tolerance for others' beliefs

2006-02-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

multilingua.info has - and for some time has had - a page on the languages of the Islamic world. That page includes links to numerous editions of the Koran, including a free online edition. We encourage checking these out, as we should be aware of, and respectful of, the beliefs of others.

This belief in tolerance and understanding is a luxury those of the West enjoy. It is also, ultimately, an essential for the fullest realization of the human spirit. At multilingua.info, we believe it is good and worthwhile, even necessary, to have access to as many cultures as possible, and that one be free to make one's own decisions about what to believe.

In many parts of the world, this luxury, ultimately a necessity, is absent. During the Cold War, there was a joke that went like this:

An American tells a Russian, "In the United States, we are free. If we want, we can stand outside the White House and say, 'The President of the United States is an idiot.'"

The Russian smiles back and says, "This is no great thing. In Russia we could just as well stand outside the Kremlin and say, 'The President of the United States is an idiot.'"

This is the state of things today with the West and the Islamic world. And the Islamic world is the poorer for it.

In late 2005, a Danish newspaper printed some cartoons - most of which were neither terribly cutting nor terribly funny - which tested whether the West still enjoyed free speech and inquiry once engaged with the Islamic world. The results have not been promising. Western governments and news organizations alike have made assertions about the cartoons without allowing free individuals to draw their own conclusions. This is like making assertions about the Koran while banning its reading - something that a less advanced West did here and there as little as a century ago. We're beyond that. We should certainly be beyond suppressing cartoons.

On a sister site, we have a somewhat more fiery editorial about freedom of the press and ideas and what the West should do to protect them. On that site, two of the cartoons are reprinted, and a link is provided for the others. Please click here to see them.

At multilingua.info, we believe that Islam and its texts and traditions are worthy of study and understanding, with much to offer even non-believers. We abhorr the notion that one could pronounce upon it without even a cursory glance and its founding text and its traditions. But understanding must go in all directions. Part of understanding Islam as practiced today is looking at where the culture of its adherents intersects with other cultures. So please look at the Koran. And please look at the cartoons. From there, you can draw your own conclusions - and your own understanding. Which, from our perspective, is what multilingua.info is all about.

Really Itty Bitty Finnish Lessons

2005-02-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Introduction to Phrase Lessons
Phrase Cards

Phrase Lessons:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7-10

Introduction to Noun Lessons
Noun Cards

Noun Lessons:
1 2 3 4 5 6-10

IB Finnish Nouns 6-10

2005-02-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Here is the sequence for reviewing nouns, now that you’ve encountered all the vocabulary:

Lesson 6: NC 2,6,7,8
Lesson 7: NC 3,4,5
Lesson 8: PC 6,7 NC 9
Lesson 9: PC 7, NC 3,4,5
Lesson 10: PC 1-10, NC 1-10

Run through the cycle from time to time to remember what you’ve learned.

IB Finnish Nouns Five

2005-02-23T16:39:00.000-08:00

PC 3
Ole hyvä (o-lay hew-va) - Please
Kiitos (key-toss) - Thanks

PC 7
Haluaisin... (hol-why-sin) - I would like...
Missä... on? (mees-sa... ohn) - Where is...?

NC 1,2,9
Card 1
Huoneen (hwoh-nayn) - Room
Kylpyhuone (kewl-pew-hwoh-neh) - Bathroom

Card 2
Valintamyymälä (va-lin-tah-moo-ma-la) - Supermarket
Kahvila (kah-vee-lah) – Café

Card 9
Lääkäri (lack-airy) – Doctor
Lack a reason for feeling ill? See the doctor.
Poliisi (po-lee-see) – Police

IB Finnish Nouns Four

2005-02-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

Haluaisin... (hol-why-sin) - I would like...
Missä... on? (mees-sa... ohn) - Where is...?

NC 6,7,8
Card 6
Apteekkiin (ap-tay-keen) – Pharmacy (Apothecary)
Kirjakauppaan (kir-ya-kowp-pahn) – bookstore

Card 7
Uimaranalle (wee-mah-rah-nal-leh) – Beach
We may run along the beach.
Ravintola (rah-vin-toe-lah) – Restaurant
Go to the ravintola for ravioli.

Card 8
Rautatiesasema (routa-tee-eh-sa-say-mah) - Train station
Lentoasema (len-toe-ah-say-mah) – Airport
Think of –asema as meaning “station” and this will be easier.

IB Finnish Nouns Three

2005-02-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

PC 7
Haluaisin... (hol-why-sin) - I would like...
Missä... on? (mees-sa... ohn) - Where is...?

NC 3,4,5
Card 3
(Sooda)vettä - (Soda) water
Kahvia (kah-vee-ah) - Coffee

Card 4
Teetä (tay-ta) - Tea
Jääteetä (yeah-tay-ta) - Iced tea

Card 5
Maidon kanssa (my-don kahn-sah) - With milk
Sokerin kansaa (so-car-in kahn-sah) - With sugar
kansaa = with