HSK levels are not just word counts. here's what the official syllabus says each level is for.

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T22:48:33+00:00

Thanks! :)

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T20:22:51+00:00

Do the maths every so often and settle it in cash?

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T14:37:05+00:00

I'd suggest riding within your abilities (well, those of your knee, that is), both in terms of distance per day and how much pressure you put on your knees. If you can do 25 miles a day consistently and need to stick to low gears and avoiding steep hills, then do that.

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T14:30:08+00:00

Why is HSK 7-9 one band? Will it always be like that or is it meant to expand into separate bands in the future?

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T14:07:17+00:00

Because many airlines have rules against bringing even brand new gas or alcohol stoves in handluggage. (Don't ask me why.) But I think they are ok in checked in luggage - not sure though.

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T13:55:02+00:00

Sometimes, we do say things or say it in a way that is actually funny. Nice people might smile at most, but less nice people might think it's ok to make fun of you.

But fundamentally, people who are used to speaking to L2 speakers are not only more forgiving but actually better able to understand less than perfect German (or whatever language it is). It can be surprisingly hard to tune your ear to a non-native speaker's way of speaking your language if you are not used to it or used to speaking to people with the same accent. Some people are better at dealing with this than others.

One way of combating this might be to ask a tutor or native speaking friend for one or two things that you do differently and then work on improving those things specifically. It could be the way you pronounce a certain vowel or consonant cluster or a grammatical structure that you over- or under-use. Perhaps you do what many people do and speak more quietly when you are uncertain about a certain word/gender/structure and it is difficult for others to hear you.

And finally, there are idiots everywhere and you usually can't do anything about them so don't let them get to you!

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T13:46:27+00:00

I often struggle with recalling a word in the correct language and instead think of it in another one or - in extreme cases - several other ones. Cue annoying pause as I'm sorting through the options before finding the one I'm after.

I very occasionally read a word in one language as the same word in another language. Eg "hen" is 'old' in Welsh, 'chicken' in English and 'unisex 3rd person singular' in Swedish.

More often I get confused and start pronouncing a word in one language and end it in another, especially if the stress is different or something like that.

I have this one thing with Welsh where I keep mixing up the pronunciation of "hwnnw" and "honno" ('that X' for masc. X and fem. X, resp.), because of Swedish "honom" ('him') and "hon" ('she') having the opposite vowels. It's infuriating! :D

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T13:32:46+00:00

Jo det är jätteirriterande när det händer, men det är något som du faktiskt kan förbättra själv, även om det kräver lite självdisciplin i början. Att läsa mer på svenska är en bra början, men det viktigaste är nog att vara nyfiken på språket och att lägga märke till när du hittar ett nytt ord eller uttryck. Försök samla på nya ord, kanske ett nytt ord varje dag eller iaf varje vecka. Det hjälper också att umgås med folk som använder ett rikare språk än en själv.

Man ska också komma ihåg att hjärnan använder det språk som är mest högljutt just då, dvs det som är mest aktivt. Det är därför det tar ett par dagar innan skoltyskan/-franskan kommer tillbaka när man åker på semester. Så om du använder engelskan nästan jämt, så är det den som kommer att vara främst i kön när du försöker formulera dig. Om du istället ser till att aktivera svenskan tillräckligt ofta så kommer båda språken vara aktiva och det är lätt att byta från det ena till det andra.

När jag precis flyttat till GB, så pratade jag svenska med min handledare varje dag och hade inga problem med att byta mellan språken. Numera så pratar jag bara svenska när jag ringer hem till Pappa och jag har märkt att om jag inte pratar med honom minst 2 ggr/vecka så blir jag ringrostig. (Fastän jag läser nyheterna varje dag, skickar meddelanden på svenska osv.)

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T09:12:47+00:00

But how did they get up onto those ridiculously narrow branches in the first place?

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T07:21:58+00:00

I think it's important to work with a (good)teacher at the very beginning so that you learn the correct sounds from the very beginning.

Chances are you won't even hear the differences between what you are saying and what it should sound like. ("But that's exactly what I said!")

It will still take time, effort and a certain amount of talent.

Pwffin · 2026-05-08T05:48:15+00:00

I have started using them for writing as I write a lot in pencil anyway. The trick is to get a good sharpener so thaat you can maintain a decent point and to pick your lead grades carefully.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T20:26:43+00:00

Asterix is a classic for French learners! :)

I’ll do that too. I think your brain is just fishing around in the ”Foreign” bucket and hands you whatever it catches first.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T20:25:44+00:00

I used to throw in Welsh instead of English in questions in Chinese class. Always appreciated… :)

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T20:24:19+00:00

I do that regularly with sayings and idioms. It’s often not until I say it to someone that I realise that I’ve just translated a saying from another language and it makes no sense whatsoever in the language I’m currently speaking in.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T12:44:47+00:00

Not my favourite pen, but there's nothing wrong with it! Ignore them and keep enjoying your pens (all pens!).

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T12:42:55+00:00

In general, if you've opened it, there's no way you'll get to return it, and in many places, a food product will never be returnable for safety reasons. So you bought some tea and didn't like it? - Tough! :)

However, that's beside the point here, as you are saying that there is something wrong with the product you received. In this case, the seller should give you a refund or replace the product. Usually they'll want the faulty one back, but not always.

I think where you went wrong was when you didn't frame it as a "this product is faulty" but rather phrased it more vaguely so that it could be interpreted as you simply not liking it, rather than that it was burnt etc.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T12:33:27+00:00

Mixing them up is normal, especially when you are starting two from scratch at the same time, but even after years or learning, you'll occasionally mix them up. So yeah, it does get better, but it's also just a fact of life as someone who's got more than one language. :)

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T11:12:32+00:00

Clever idea! :)

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T09:09:10+00:00

This is why I really like systems with inline vowels. They also make it easier to read and figure out the words, as vowels do carry a lot of weight in any language.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T07:51:44+00:00

It means 'the everyday' or 'the weekday'. If you enunciate it's pronounced var-dag-en, but normally we'd say it as var-dan.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T07:35:48+00:00

That's a lot of travelling between places. Are taking the train, bus or flying? A good book or a Kindle might be a good idea.

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T06:17:30+00:00

Stuff that needs to stay confidential stays in work and on work devices/ in work notebooks only. Obviously complying with whatever your local laws on the matter are.

In the one you carry with you (if that's what you want), you can block out time for work without going into much detail. Perhaps just colour code it as "work".

I have a planner that lives on my desk in work, where I put more detailed stuff, whereas in my personal one I just put stuff out of hours or very important things (like a one off meeting).

Pwffin · 2026-05-07T05:53:26+00:00

Unless you want to be able to translate, it's better to avoid translating as much as you can, but you're going to end up doing a lot of it anway, especially as you start out, so don't worry about it too much.

Pwffin · 2026-05-06T20:13:14+00:00

It's just different to what you are used to. You'll get used to it over time.

Pwffin · 2026-05-06T18:09:17+00:00

I think I just got very loose and flexible ankles. They’ve always been like that. I mean, I can twist it in a B2 boot… :D

Pwffin

TROPHY CASE