Notes from the library.
Vocab drops, language deep-dives, and the occasional behind-the-scenes from how we build the catalogue.
30 Peruvian Sayings You Will Hear in Lima and the Andes
Peruvian sayings compress a whole worldview into a line, and half of them make no sense translated. Here are 30, with the literal translation, what they really mean and when people say them.
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Grammar25 German Proverbs About Life and Work with English Translations
German proverbs are blunt, practical and often about work, which tells you something about the culture that produced them. Here are 25, with literal translations, real meanings and examples.
Phrases20 Uruguayan Spanish Slang Words and Expressions
Uruguay shares a river and a grammar with Argentina, but not its whole vocabulary. Here are 20 pieces of Uruguayan Spanish slang, with real examples, and a clear note on which ones cross the river and which ones stay in Montevideo.
Phrases20 Spanish Food Idioms and What They Really Mean
Spanish builds a surprising amount of its everyday language out of bread, milk, pumpkins and cucumbers. Here are 20 Spanish food idioms with literal translations, real meanings, and examples so you never take them at face value.
Phrases20 Spanish Color Idioms and Expressions with Meanings
In Spanish you go blank in white, badmouth someone in green, and see the world in pink. Here are 20 Spanish color idioms, with literal translations, real meanings, and examples for each.
Phrases20 Spanish Body Part Idioms and Their Meanings
Spanish describes honesty with hair, expense with eyes, and mistakes with feet. Here are 20 Spanish body part idioms, with literal translations, real meanings, and examples you can use straight away.
Stop reading about the language.
Start reading in it.
Short stories with word-synced narration and tap-to-translate vocab.
Phrases20 Dutch Idioms and Expressions Locals Use Every Day
Dutch idioms are famously strange in translation: monkeys come out of sleeves, cats are bought in bags, and bad news is peanut butter. Here are 20 with what they actually mean.
Phrases20 Costa Rican Spanish Slang Words and Expressions (Pura Vida Guide)
Pura vida is only the beginning. Here are 20 pieces of Costa Rican Spanish slang, with what each one really means and when ticos use it, so the words you hear on the street stop sounding like a different language.
Phrases20 Bolivian Spanish Slang Words and Expressions Only Locals Use
Bolivian Spanish borrows heavily from Quechua and Aymara, which is why it can surprise learners who arrive fluent from anywhere else. Here are 20 slang words and expressions with real examples.
Phrases20 Salvadoran Spanish Slang Words and Expressions You Will Hear Daily
Salvadorans call themselves guanacos and their Spanish is fast, direct and full of words you will not find in a course. Here are 20 locals use every day.
Phrases20 Guatemalan Spanish Slang Words and Expressions Only Locals Use
Guatemalans call themselves chapines, and their Spanish has a vocabulary you will not find in a textbook. Here are 20 slang words locals actually use, with examples.
Phrases20 Andalusian Spanish Expressions You Will Only Hear in the South
Andalusian Spanish is not badly pronounced Castilian, it is its own thing. Here are 20 expressions from Seville, Cadiz and Malaga, with examples.
Phrases20 Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Words and Expressions
Wepa! Puerto Rican Spanish is fast, musical, and full of words you will not hear anywhere else. Here are 20 slang expressions locals use every day, with examples.