More tips on languages, plus we look more into how to get to the ‘alpha state’ which is the state in which the brain learns best. Read also the fascinating research into the effect of being bi-lingual and its influence in slowing down mental decay.

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Spanish Tip: Is this of ANY use?
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‘Any’ in Spanish is cualquiera , (and can also be used the sense of ‘it doesn’t matter which one’). Before a noun the word drops the letter ‘-a’.

Remember this one by imagining a QUAIL saying, “What would ANY QUAIL CARE about this!”

Useful derivatives of this are:
en cualquier momento , means ‘at any time’;
cualquier cosa is anything;
cualquier persona is anyone;
cualquier lado means anywhere;
en cualquier caso - in any case.

The plural is cualesquiera...
for example:
cualesquiera que sean tus razones;
– Whatever may be your reasons.

Let’s go to any restaurant!
¡Vámanos a cualquier restaurante!

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French Tip: Fishing for peaches while on form! Also about sinning and making mistakes…..
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La pêche in French means fishing. It sounds like la PESH.

So to remember this one we have Mrs Peach going fishing and catching a PEACH as the memory trigger.

La peche without a circumflex over the letter ‘e’ is a PEACH.

There is also an expression “j’ai la pêche” which translates along the lines of “I’m feeling great, I am in top form…”

Or one might say, “Il a la pêche…” referring to someone who is full of energy. For example the footballer who was running all over the field during a match might earn such a comment.

There are more homonyms yet! Note the difference:

Pécher is (1) to sin. or (2) to make a small mistake, as in not being quite perfect.

Note the accent rather than the circumflex, but the pronunciation is identical.

So ‘vivre dans le péché’ means to live a sinful life.

…so a sinner is un pécheur while a fisherman is un pêcheur! while a un pêcher is a peach-tree!

To differentiate between the two spellings remember the sinner has the accent – which looks a bit like a whip – so he may flog himself to cleanse himself of his sins; and the fisherman has the Chinese hat because he is sitting in the sun fishing!

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German Tip:
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The word PRIMA is a common one meaning ‘great, super, fantastically well.’ Another word used in a similar is TOLL.

Das ist prima!

Das ist toll!, both mean the same thing – ‘that is great!’

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Sample words from 200 Words a Day courses*
- Spanish, French & German
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Spanish tip: The Spanish for beer is cerveza which sounds like SERVESA.

Imagine a lady in a bar says to the barmaid, "SERVE US a beer barmaid."

The French for 'Goodbye' is AU REVOIR.

Imagine someone saying, "Goodbye OH RIVER," to his favorite river.

So imagine a smoking ape at the ALTER being asked his age. The smoking animal is our tool for learning neutral words in German.


That is it for this newsletter. See you next time.

Hasta la vista...À bientôt...Bis bald.

Kevin Crocombe & the 200 Words a Day Team
https://www.200words-a-day.com/main-page.html
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The Team
Tom White; Odette; Nigel; Dominic; Albin Vidal; Maud Wojcik; Germain Tottet; Mariana Averza; Julia Watson; Eduardo Aceto; Maria Llorente; Chris White; Alan White.

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School Programmes are available worldwide. Words in our courses cover the syllabus in most English-speaking countries.

UK Schools qualify for e-Learning Credits.
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Trade enquiries are welcome.
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200 Words a Day!
32 Alverton, Great Linford, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK14 5EF, United Kingdom.
Tel: (+44) 1908 676 873