The Language Learning Specialists
It’s not a wind-up if someone in Rwanda, Africa looks at a clock face reading seven o’clock and tells you it’s one o’clock. It’s because speakers of the local language, Kinyarwanda, measure daytime from sunrise, which they call 12 o’clock in the morning, through to sunset, which they call 12 o’clock in the evening. … Read more
This colour hasn’t got an exact name in English but it has in Japanese – it’s called mizu which translates as water. (We’d probably bundle it under the umbrella term of light blue.) A study published in The Journal of Vision discovered that the word mizu has been adopted by Japanese speakers over the last 30 … Read more
Newly-wed Megan Markle touched our hearts when she called Prince Harry “my love” at a recent gala performance. But how much more fun would it have been if she’d used one of these quirky terms of affection from another tongue? Here’s our top ten suggestions: French: ma puce meaning my flea. Portuguese: chuchuzinho meaning little squash (the vegetable). Persian: … Read more
The everyday potato has anything but an everyday past, notching up thousands of miles – and dozens of names – in a voyage that has taken it around the world. In this post, uTalk’s Language Guru, Brian Loo Soon Hua, charts the potato’s epic journey. Starting out in Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia, where potatoes … Read more
Learn Ancient Greek as it was spoken more than 2,500 years ago with the newest addition to the uTalk language learning app – and discover why there’s no word for socks! London-based language learning company uTalk made the app, in consultation with Classics experts, to recreate how hundreds of authentic Ancient Greek words and phrases … Read more
English speakers should be wary of receiving ein Gift from a German! That’s because Gift just happens to be the German word for “poison”! And more incredibly, both the English and German meanings stem from the exact same Proto-Germanic root – giftiz! Our friend and language guru Brian Loo Soon Hua explains all: The word … Read more
Why every language in the world uses the same two words for “tea” and why in fact, that assumption is wrong! (There’s actually only one word for tea!) Our friend and language guru Brian Loo Soon Hua explains all: The word “tea”, in almost every language in the world, is ultimately of Chinese origin. Whoever … Read more
By our multi-lingual friend Brian Loo Soon Hua aka uTalk’s Language Guru Did you know that Canada was almost named Efisga? Or, even more unusual, Hochelaga? Imagine the jokes Americans would have been making about their Efisgan or Hochelagan neighbours to the north! Thankfully, “Canada” came into official use in 1791 when the Province … Read more
Try out 40 languages free as part of uTalk’s Great Language Adventure We’re off on a round the world trip by (virtual) planes, trains, boats and automobiles to meet and talk to people in 40 different countries celebrating the fact that uTalk goes to more places than any other languages company. Our mascot has started his tour in … Read more
Valentine’s day – a day for declaring your love in any way you can. But love can often be more tortured than a simple declaration. As Alfred de Musset said in his book “On ne badine pas avec l’amour”: “We are often deceived in love, often wounded and often miserable; but we love, and when … Read more