6 awesome Youtube channels for learning Spanish!

Learning a foreign language is a long journey, both exciting and tiring at times. It’s easy to fall into a routine and lose all joy of a learning process.   Who can save the day if  we do? Variety, since it makes things fun and interesting again! Myself, I love adding video materials into my learning plans. My video Wonderland’s Youtube – you could find anything you want there and it’s all free! That’s why I would love to present to you my ultimate list of 6 awesome Youtube channels for learning Spanish! 

1. Butterfly Spanish

Butterfly Spanish is probably my favourite Youtube channel for learning Spanish! Her bubbly personality and “i-will-explain-you-everything-step-by-step-without-making-you-feel-stupid” attitude is everything I need to love the language even more. She covers material both for beginners and more advanced learners. Grammar, phrases, vocabulary – Butterfly Spanish gives you everything you need! 🙂

         2. French & Spanish with LanguageComics

Short comics in Spanish (and French too!) every week are a great way to learn new words in an interesting way. Most of them are either funny or sarcastic, sometimes both. I would definitely recommend you to subscribe to it, especially if you’re learning French, too! Two birds with one stone. 😉

        3. Senor Jordan

Songs to make you memorise words, muppet videos, catchy phrases to get stuck in your  head… Senor Jordan has it all! Domingo, Lunes, Martes… Catchy, isn’t it? 🙂

        4. Spanish lessons Paco

This channel’s all about comics, but they also make you repeat phrases at the end of the video, which I find really helpful. Sometimes a direct request from somebody works better than our self-discipline, right? At least it works better for me! I believe it’s a great way to indulge more Spanish into our daily lives. 4 minutes may not be much, but it’s still better than nothing!

        5.  Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com

I really love this channel – particularly because it’s full of great listening exercises. As much as it’s relatively easy to find channels full of vocabulary finding listenings is harder. When I started learning English I was afraid of listenings because I couldn’t understand much, but I know I’ve learnt to understand language more thanks to them.  Anyway, weekly vocabulary videos with Rosa are also something to look forward to!

       6. Telemundo

Telemundo is an American broadcast television network, who produces TV shows and telenovelas in Spanish.  On their official Youtube channel, there are lots of Spanish TV shows to get used to the language more! They have subtitles in English, so you could understand the plot before you are fluent in Spanish. 🙂 I watch “Bajo el Mismo Cielo”  and I really like it, but there are plenty other shows to choose from too, so explore and explore because there’s always more.. 😉

These are all  Youtube recommendations I have for you now. When it comes to indulging in the culture of the Spanish-speaking world I would definitely recommend you to visit My heart of Mexico by Fabiola. She’s a Mexican blogger, and thanks to her I definitely know more about Mexico than I did before!

 

If you want to follow my journey in learning languages, reading books and becoming a bit smarter every day then I would be more than happy if you subscribed to my blog! More Spanish, French and other languages too… this is what I have in store for you! Thanks for reading and supporting me. You’re awesome!

For everyone who would like to save the list for later here’s a little infographic. It’s my first one, so I hope I will get better with time. Enjoy! 🙂

Adiós mis amigos,

Jessie

 

TV alert: The Magicians

Hello, my dear readers! How are you doing? Myself, I’ve been doing quite fine. It basically means that I’ve been obsessing over things and daydreaming a lot more than I should.  Nothing better than that in my dictionary, so no worries! Today I would like to introduce you my latest TV show crush! I know, I have lots of crushes, but shhh… each and every of them is my one and only… for an hour or two. 😉  Coming straight to the point: I have a pleasure to introduce you to “The Magicians”.  Don’t walk away please, I want you to become friends… Will you take this chance? 3, 2, 1…

First things first – “The Magicians”  is a Syfy TV show, which premiered on 25th January 2016. It is based on Lev Grossman‘s book under the same title, and its TV creators are Sera Gamble and John McNamara. It is definitely classified as a fantasy TV show, as it is full of magic. The plot revolves around the group of young adults, who happen to enter the world of magic. The main character – Quentin is an introverted young man, who is obsessed with the books about the magical land of Fillory. He is often depressed and doesn’t fit with his peers quite well. His childhood friend Julia doesn’t seem to hold onto childhood fantasies as much as Quentin and they are slowly drifting apart, as they’re getting older. Everything changes when they take an entry exam in the REAL MAGIC SCHOOL – The Brakebills. While Quentin gets accepted, Julia doesn’t have as much luck. Their magical journey begins – different for each of them, but equally interesting and dangerous. You can see for yourself what they have in store for you in the trailer below!

Putting characters on the map

Characters can make or break a good storyline. How’s it with “the Magicians”? First, we have Quentin (played by Jason Ralph) . Let me say that as a geeky outsider, I can totally relate to him. He’s painfully introverted and awkward, and can get so annoying and extra sometimes that I can admit he’s 100% human. Even 150% human at times!

Source: Tumblr. That’s me at every single party I happen to attend! (Happens once in a blue moon, but still)

Some of other main characters would be obviously Quentin’s friend – Julia (Stella Maeve) . She’s ambitious and confident but gets a bit lost in who she is and what she wants, as many young adults do. Nevertheless, she never shies away from a challenge. She faces it and does her thing anyway. She’s not perfect, but she has her moments, and as you can probably say, I like her quite a lot.

Source: Tumblr. Who wouldn’t love to fly? I would like to be the flying ninja!

The number one hilarious boy of Brakebills  is definitely  Penny (Arjun Gupta). He mostly doesn’t care about anything and anyone, with a few exceptions. He’s a master at ironic comments, shutting Quentin down and being totally bitchy, yet likeable. Whose team I’m in? Penny’s!

Source: Tumblr. Penny really loves to… shut Quentin down! 😉

 

Source: Tumblr. Caring hurts!

Then we have Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley)... At first glance, she’s your typical perfect girl. Best grades? Checked. Can be never seen looking messy? Checked. Ambitious and never does anything reckless? Checked. At first glance, of course, because she has her own problems and can be witty and funny with her know-it-all attitude, especially when she gets drunk!

Source: Tumblr

Last, but not least: Margo and Elliot. They’re a BFF duo everyone wants to be in. Seriously, they are fun to be around and have lots of hilarious moments together. BFF goals anyone? Maybe a bit!

Source: Tumblr

Summing up – each and every character seems to be quite relatable. Characters in “The Magicians”  mess up all the time. They are mostly funny, rarely completely boring and their interactions are mostly hilarious. Real talk here.

VERDICT: HIT OR MISS?

The show’s definitely not perfect. Sometimes it’s boring and actors do less than their best. Sometimes it’s just ridiculous. It is also full of sex scenes and cursing, so at best it’s like Harry Potter… for adults. Nevertheless, it’s also hilarious and quotable. Every episode has its own golden lines that get me laughing. Sadly the show is still not wildly popular, so there’s a serious shortage of gifs to prove my point.  All in all, I would definitely recommend you to watch this show if you’re okay with nudity and don’t mind disturbing scenes. Once you enter the Brakebills you might want to stay there! 

That would be all for today. Thanks for reading! You’re absolutely amazing. If you want to stay connected with me don’t forget to follow me on Instagram – @papercoffeestore (I post a lot,  shout out to my fellow Instagram addicts! ❤ ), Facebook  and Twitter. It would be awesome if you did! 🙂

What is your favourite TV show? Have you started watching any new TV shows lately? I would love to know, so let me know in comments, please!

Have a lovely day,

Jessie

Me before you – Jojo Moyes

Hello, my dear readers! How are you doing? Today, I have read one of the loveliest books I’ve happened to come across for ages. I shouldn’t give my opinion away at the beginning of the post since it’s obviously a review, but rules were made to be broken and bent… at least sometimes. For whom have I just broken rules? Few words:  “Me before you” by  Jojo Moyes. Let the bookish journey start! I would be happy if you joined me in this one…

SHOW ME  A BIT OF YOUR WORLD

Louisa Clark is a 26-year-old English girl, whose life has been perfectly steady for years. She lives with her family in a small house, has a long-term boyfriend, and a job in a cafe, which she really likes. Aside from that, she’s an ordinary girl. She doesn’t challenge herself and asked what her dreams are she has no idea. She lives from day to day: goes to work, comes back, does home chores, watches TV, meets with her boyfriend sometimes, repeats the cycle. Everything changes, when she loses her job in the cafe and has to look for something else to pay the bills of herself and her financially struggling family. She becomes a caretaker of Will Traynor. Will is everything Lou is not. Before a terrible accident, he lived his life as fully as possible, challenging himself in  every possible occasion. Their outlooks on life are drastically different, and as their lives come into fusion, the world changes in thousand of shades…

 

QUEENS AND KINGS OF THE STORY

Main characters of the book are realistically created. Lou is an honest portrayal of a small-town girl. She doesn’t know anything aside from her hometown, and as she feels safe there, she doesn’t want to change anything. She’s relatable in her struggles and fears, and she’s by no means perfect. She has her flaws, but she is funny, quite cheerful and her loyalty to those, who she loves is truly charming. Will makes an interesting example of somebody, who lost his identity, and everything he was and was proud of. As a disabled man, he can be ironic and simply mean to those around him, but this is his way to deal with the pain of loss. After all, he is still an intelligent, witty young man, who used to be a top entrepreneur and did everything from bungee jumping to climbing Kilimanjaro. Rest of the characters are also well portrayed.  Lou’s family is a good representation of a small-town family with all their hopes and problems. Will’s parents and his nurse – Nathan – also make a nice addition to the story and give it some more depth. Summing up: I believe all characters are relatable and  not even single of them made me think “Oh no, get out of this story”.

VERDICT TIME

Taking everything into consideration, I would give this book A+. It is not 100% predictable though it’s definitely not the other way round, too. As a small-town girl, I could relate to many of Lou’s struggles, which may make me more biased than usual, but the book is truly remarkable. The writing is  pretty plain, but not in a bad way. It’s just easy to read it and get hooked. The characters are funny and very human, and the story itself is gripping. I loved it from very first page to the very last. I would definitely recommend you to read it.  The picture below is Will’s advice, and I thought it was a quite smart thing to share with all of my female readers. Will knows what he’s saying!

For all of you who love movies more… there’s a movie coming in June! I absolutely adore Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin so I can’t wait! Actually… I decided to read a book after watching a trailer. Nevertheless, it gives away quite a lot of what’s going to happen, so if you want to read a book without spoilers… don’t watch it! If it doesn’t matter to you… watch it as soon as you can! Yes, I am writing this as I’ve seen this for 8 times just today. Obsessed? Oh, maybe. Definitely. YES! 

Thanks for reading guys! You are the best. 🙂 

Yours truly,

Jessie

10 top apps I can’t live without!

Hello, my dear readers! How are you doing? Myself, I’ve been quite fine. As I’m quite into  websites and apps way too much – as you might have already noticed – I decided to share with you the list of my top 10 apps! Some of them are obvious choices, some of them are still quite unknown, so I hope I’ll help you find something great you haven’t known about before! 3…2…1… Let the game begin!

1. Endomondo
   

   This app is  a total must-have for everyone wanting to track their fitness achievements! I use it to measure how many kilometres I run/walk, but it can be used for a variety of other sports, cycling and swimming included. A price: free. My verdict: I’m loving it, and you might too!

  2.  Instagram

    Okay, this app is probably the most famous app right now, but I couldn’t omit it. It seems to be all about selfies, but it’s so much more. In fact, it’s a great  place to connect with people.  I frequently look for photos under hashtags I like and come across like-minded people, whose pictures and descriptions I just adore.   Hashtag “book” says hi – so many photos of books to look at!   A price: free. My verdict: Useful in more ways  than it seems!     

3. Podcast Addict

 Who doesn’t love podcasts? They are internet audio and video publications – mostly audio – and they are perfect for everyone who spends much time in buses in a way to work/school/university/insert anything else here. They are thousands of them, and you can either download them or stream them. My favourite ones are BBC documentaries – they are a perfect mix of educational content and an interesting subject. A price: free. My verdict: A great option for everyone, especially those who learn faster by listening, since you can learn languages too!

4.  AnkiDroid

It’s an app for learning with flashcards. It’s designed to optimise your learning as much as it is possible. You can create your own flashcards or download flashcards of other users. My friend recommended it to me a long time ago, and I must admit it’s definitely an app to remember about! Especially if you’re learning new words in your target language. A price: free. My verdict: I found a superhero in this app, and you might too. It’s a learning Batman of the year!

5. Clearfocus

        Something for those wanting to improve their productivity. Clearfocus is based on the interval method. 25 minutes of workflow with no interruptions and 5-minute break. You can change both of these numbers, but they’re said to be the most effective according to science. Of course, trying everything out is always the best option, since everyone’s different. For me, 25/5 works the best.  A price: free. My verdict: it could be the one!

6. Daily curiosity 

     New interesting facts delivered to you every day – that’s daily curiosity! It helps me to learn something new even during a busy day, and it has never let me down. A price: free. My verdict: Irreplaceable as Beyonce would sing! 

7.  Evernote

  It’s probably the best noting app I have ever downloaded, and I’ve tried a few of them out. You can save there anything – music, text notes, handwritten notes, photos. If you save too many photos you may need more space and, therefore, a premium account, but text notes don’t take much place, and the basic version is enough. I have most of my blog and writing ideas on Evernote and thanks to that amazing app I still remember about ideas I would easily forget about! A price: free. My verdict: Everything you want Evernote will give you. Magic!

 

8. 1 second everyday

   It’s an app for recording short videos every single day. In a process, you are documenting your life. As days pass so quickly it’s a great way to make some moments immortal, before everything’s said and done. I use it to talk to my future self and remind myself that no matter how bad I feel… I will make it through. A price: free. My verdict: A+!

9. Duolingo

 Learning languages in a fun way! Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Swedish – whatever you like! I have been using it for quite a long time, and I made my brother use it, too. It is an excellent learning tool and its app can make your learning possible anywhere… where you have your phone with you. 😉 A price: Free. My verdict: the best I ever had!

10. Memrise

   It’s another amazing flashcards app! Languages, history, geography, physics, chemistry – whatever you need to learn Memrise will probably help you with it! A price: free. My verdict: one of the greatest and nicest tools for free education. 

Summing up: each and every of these apps is free. They are all, however, very useful and I believe they could possibly help you, too!  Everything in moderation, of course, but apps can make life a lot easier.  Thanks for reading, it means a lot to me.  Ending with a quote would be my style, so here we go… 🙂 

“Kindle the candle of intellect in your heart and hasten with it to the world of brightness.”
― Nasir-i Khusraw

Yours truly,

Jessie

 

The ultimate FREE website to make your language learning easier!

Salut friends! How are you doing? You might be wondering why I’m so overdramatic with titles now, but there’s one simple explanation: the website is truly cool. Also, being overdramatic is kind of my thing, and if this is my scarlet letter, I might as well make it my little paper trademark and ignore the existence of millions other drama queens. Duh, at least, this kingdom’s mine. Until the power goes off. I hope they won’t cut me off. Anyway, let’s get back to the subject: language learning!

No matter what kind of language you are learning you might know the struggle of not knowing if you wrote your text just right. If you are still in school, then maybe your teachers will check it. If you have your own tutor or study buddy more advanced than you are, well, you’re a lucky fellow. What happens if you don’t? You have to make it work, too, and you can. For free and from your cozy room. That’s completely true.  Let me introduce you to… Lang-8! Here are 5 things to know:

 

• It teaches to write like a pro in your target language! That’s the entire idea behind Lang-8. You write your text, and  native speaker checks it for you, often offering useful insight into errors you made and how to avoid them. In return, you check works of people learning your native language. Win-win since two sides are happy, kindness multiplies, and money’s safe in your wallet. Plus, your writing gradually improves.
•  It is completely free! Of course, there’s a premium version, as in almost every other website/app out there, but the basic one can be more than enough for effective language learning. If you want to learn more than two languages at the same time then you need to buy the premium version. As two foreign languages are already quite much, I guess the basic version should be a good option for many of us.  I’ve been using it for quite some time, and I believe it can fulfill the most important learning desires well enough. Here’s to that extra cash to spend on coffee and books… or something else out of this world!
• It creates a sense of community! By correcting mistakes of other people, and being corrected yourself, you support others in their journey and you are supported, too. It makes the whole experience a lot more meaningful because it bonds people. In result, it can make the learning process more exciting and inspiring.  Plus, you can meet some pretty awesome people. Never enough of those, right?
• It gives you lots of options! Unlike like many other websites, Lang-8’s learning offer is truly the definition of variety.  You can learn one of 90 languages available on the website. Pretty impressive, isn’t it? Finally, those of us, who are learning  unpopular languages have a chance to take advantage of everything internet can give in 100%.  

• If you take, you give. Maybe it seems like a little thing but I believe that the fact that you have to help somebody else to be helped is a brilliant idea. Too often we take everything for granted and want it all… not giving anything to the world itself. A small attitude lesson along with language learning will never go out of style!

That would be everything I want to tell you today. Thanks for reading, and remember that…

Forever and always! May Force be with you!

Yours truly,

Jessie