The Drops Blog

Shannon Kennedy

Where to Travel During COVID and Tips to Stay Healthy!

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Sep 2, 2021

Learn how to stay safe as travel begins to open back up with suggestions for staying healthy as well as with relevant vocabulary in other languages.

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Get Ready to Go Back to School: 5 Tips for Foreign Language Prep for the New School Year

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Sep 23, 2021

Learning a new language at school? Here are five things you can do to get school-ready in your language studies.

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Summer Mode On! 5 Ways to Enjoy Learning and Summer Fun with Drops

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 19, 2021

Learn how to talk about your favorite summer activities in another language. Learn words related to sports, camping, and visiting the beach.

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A List of Spanish-Speaking Countries and How Many People Speak the Language

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 4, 2021

Wondering how many people speak Spanish around the world and where Spanish is spoken? This post answers your questions about Spanish.

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How to Talk About Competitive Sports in Another Language

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 22, 2021

Learn how to discuss competitive sports in 45+ languages, English sports metaphors, how to cheer your team on in a new language, and other sports words.

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Goodbye in Japanese: 9 Ways to Say Bye in Japanese

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 15, 2021

How do you say goodbye in Japanese? Learning how to say goodbye in Japanese is a must if you’re starting out with the language so you can wrap up your chats.

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The 3 W’s and the 3 R’s: Tips from Memory Champion Yänjaa Wintersoul

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 1, 2021

Systems are a proven way to effectively learn a language. And Memory Champion Yänjaa Wintersoul has two she’s found to be effective. Here's what they are.

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12 Language Learning Tips from a Memory Champion

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 8, 2021

We teamed up with 4x memory champion Nelson Dellis to share his tips for learning a new language and making it stick. 

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Test Your Knowledge of Japanese & Japanese Culture

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Mar 25, 2021

Learning Japanese? Test your knowledge of the Japanese language basics and Japanese culture! 

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Test Your Knowledge of Spanish & Mexican Culture

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 8, 2021

Learning Spanish? Test your knowledge of the Spanish language basics and Mexican culture! 

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Test Your Knowledge of Portuguese & Brazilian Culture

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 15, 2021

Learning Portuguese? Test your knowledge of the Portuguese language basics and Brazilian culture! 

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How Spring is Celebrated Around the World

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Mar 18, 2021

Spring is right around the corner – are you ready to celebrate the season? Test your knowledge of the spring holidays celebrated around the world.

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Learn to Say “Bull” in 41 Languages to Celebrate the Year of the Ox

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Feb 11, 2021

With Drops, you can get ready for the Year of the Ox by learning to say “ox”, or “bull”, in more than 40 languages.

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 12: What's the best way to learn a language when no one near you knows it?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
May 20, 2021

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the twelfth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Hello in Korean: 11 Ways to Say Hi in Korean

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jan 21, 2021

How do you say hello in Korean? Learning basic greetings in Korean is a must if you’re starting out with the language and will help you in Korean conversation

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Take Your Language Learning Further with #90DayswithDrops

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 31, 2020

This year, we're getting ready to kick off our third ever 90 Days with Drops language learning challenge, a 90-day challenge to accelerate your learning.

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Zoom Your Way to Holiday Fun in Lockdown

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jan 7, 2021

Finding new ways to connect with family is important this holiday season. Explore how to host a fun, seasonal virtual get together with friends and family thi

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 8: How much time do you spend a day to learn a language fast?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jan 14, 2021

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the eighth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 10: What are the most essential verbs in any language?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Feb 25, 2021

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the tenth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot 11: What is the best method to learning a new language?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Mar 11, 2021

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the eleventh episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 9: Why can’t I focus on one language and find almost all languages interesting?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Feb 4, 2021

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the ninth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 6: How do I Improve My Listening Skills?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 4, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the sixth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 7: How do you reactivate a language you haven’t used for a while?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 24, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the seventh episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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How to Say Hello in French: 12 French Greetings

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 17, 2020

Learn how to say "hello" in French and 11 other ways to greet someone in the French language.

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Goodbye in Korean: 16 Ways to Say Bye in Korean

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 17, 2020

Learn how to say goodbye in Korean with these 15 words and expressions.

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 4: How long does it take to learn language?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Nov 5, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the fifth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 5: How do you practice speaking your different languages?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Nov 12, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the fifth episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 3: Can you attain fluency with Drops?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Oct 15, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the third episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 2: How Do You Keep Up Languages When You Have Other Things Going On?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Sep 24, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the first episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Ask the Polyglot Episode 1: Do You Ever Mix Up Languages?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 13, 2020

Join Drops' Resident Polyglot and Language Expert as she answers your language learning questions in the first episode of "Ask the Polyglot".

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Learn Persian with Our Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 28, 2020

Follow along as our Resident Polyglot learns to speak Persian with Drops over three months.

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Language Proficiency Levels: How to Figure Out Your Language Skill Level and What to Put on Your Resume

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 3, 2020

A description of the language proficiency levels and how to determine your language skill level according to the different language proficiency scales.

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Hello in Japanese: 13 Ways to Say Hi in Japanese

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jun 25, 2020

Interested in learning Japanese? Start by learning how to greet native speakers with these ways of saying “hello” in Japanese. 

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Goodbye in French: More Than 13 Ways to Say Bye in French

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jun 25, 2020

Know how to say “goodbye” in French? Learning how to say farewell in French is a good way to end your conversations naturally. Here are 13 ways to say bye.

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The 10 Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 23, 2020

Want to find out what the top ten hardest languages to learn for English speakers are? Here’s the full list.

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The 10 Easiest Languages to Learn for English Speakers

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 23, 2020

Want to find out what the top ten easiest languages to learn for English speakers are? Here’s the full list.

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Top 10 Most Spoken Languages in the World

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Feb 24, 2020

What are the most spoken languages in the world? Here's a list of the top ten languages in the world in terms of native speakers.

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Goodbye in German: 13 Ways to Say Bye in German

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Nov 27, 2019

Learning German? Knowing how to say farewell in German is a good way to smoothly end your conversations in the language. Learn how to say “goodbye” in German.

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Hello in German: 9 Ways to Say Hi in German

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Nov 25, 2019

Learning German? Starting with a greeting like “hello” in German will help you make a good impression and get the conversation rolling with native speakers. 

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Top English Phrases You'll Use Again and Again

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 6, 2019

Are you learning English? If so, you might be looking for phrases to help you gain confidence in conversation. Here are the English phrases you should know.

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136 Terms of Endearment in Different Languages

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 5, 2019

When we have a special someone in our lives, we often call them by pet names or nicknames. Here are terms of endearment used around the world.

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How to Say Hello in 30 Different Languages

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 31, 2019

Want to learn to say hello in different languages? “Hi” is one of the first things you’ll want to know in a new language. Here's how to do it.

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12 Samoan Words and Samoan Expressions You Should Know

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 25, 2019

Learn these 12 Samoan words that capture the spirit of the language and offer insight into Samoan culture.

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An Interview with a Translator: How Spanish Translator Berenice Font Works

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
May 2, 2019

A peek behind the scenes at how the Spanish translator at Drops works--her favorite tools, how she spends her day, and what it takes to be a translator.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: The Final Mission

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 28, 2019

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, reveals her secret Hungarian language project to the rest of the Drops team by surprising the founders.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 7

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 18, 2019

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, talks about how she used practicing Hungarian around Budapest to build her confidence in the language.

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Learn a Language Before You Travel: Is Studying on the Plane Too Late?

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jun 7, 2019

In this post, our resident polyglot Shannon Kennedy tests if waiting until you're on a plane to learn a language is too late. Learning Icelandic with Drops.

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An Interview with a Translator: How Spanish Translator Anna Suades Vall Works

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 18, 2019

A peek behind the scenes at how the Spanish translator at Drops works--her favorite tools, how she spends her day, and what it takes to be a translator.

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An Interview with a Translator: How German Translator Christiane Hesse Works

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jun 14, 2019

A peek behind the scenes at how the German translator at Drops works--her favorite tools, how she spend their day, and what it takes to be a translator.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 6

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Apr 4, 2019

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, shares how she kept up her motivation for learning Hungarian after missing one of her milestones.

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An Interview with a Translator: How Drops' Italian Translator Viola Librenti Works

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Mar 28, 2019

A peek behind the scenes at how the Italian translator at Drops works--her favorite tools, how she spend their day, and what it takes to be a translator.

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Learning to Read and Write in a New Language

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:

At first glance, learning a different writing system can seem like a big barrier to picking up a new language. Here's how to do it.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 5

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Mar 21, 2019

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, shares clips from her first lesson in Hungarian and shares how she creates scripts to build confidence in a language.

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10 Maori Words and Expressions You Should Know

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Feb 21, 2019

These 10 words capture the spirit of the Maori language. Learn these Maori words and others with Drops in just 5 minutes a day.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 4

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Feb 7, 2019

There are a few different ways to get feedback on your language skills, but the one that I find most effective is studying with a tutor. Why?

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 3

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jan 24, 2019

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, shares her first ever video chat in Hungarian and the script she used to prepare for the conversation.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 2

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jan 17, 2019

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, shares the steps she took to reach her second Hungarian language learning milestone - scheduling a chat in the language.

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The Ultimate Language Learning Guide Part II: Foundations

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Sep 18, 2018

You know why you want to learn a language, but you're still having trouble getting started. Here's what you can do to kickstart your language studies.

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Why You Should Learn Languages to Use at Home

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Nov 2, 2018

We often learn a language to connect with people abroad or to have better travel experiences, but here's why you should learn a language to use at home.

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8 Best Language Learning Apps to Download This Holiday Season

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 14, 2018

Looking to learn a new language this holiday season? Here are 8 of the best language learning apps you can download to get started.

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Get in the Holiday Spirit with these 25 Words

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 20, 2018

We’re in the midst of the holiday season and it’s filled with celebration. Around the world, this time of year has a rich collection of words to go with it.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Language Project Introduction

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 6, 2018

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, introduces her two month language mission, learning Hungarian to surprise the Drops founders in Budapest, Hungary.

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Learning Hungarian with Drops: Milestone 1

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Dec 27, 2018

Resident Polyglot, Shannon Kennedy, shares the steps she took to reach her first Hungarian language learning milestone - getting into the Drops Dojo.

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11 Hawaiian Words that Capture the Spirit of the Language

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Oct 4, 2018

Learn these 11 Hawaiian words that capture the spirit of the language and offer insight into Hawaiian culture. Includes audio and where to learn more.

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21+ Halloween Words in Spanish: Keep It Spooky with these Spanish Words

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Oct 29, 2020

Learn these 20 Spanish words to keep things spooky this fall. Learn Spanish vocabulary for Halloween and Día de los Muertos.

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The Ultimate Language Learning Guide Part III: Commitment

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Oct 29, 2018

You know why you want to learn a language, but you're still having trouble sticking with it. Here's what you can do to build a language learning habit.

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How to Keep Up Your Summer Language Learning Efforts in the New School Year

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Aug 21, 2018

Summer is the perfect time to build a new language skill, but keeping it up during the school year can be tough. Here are tips to keep your language fresh.

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How to Learn a Language Like a Memory Champion

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jul 13, 2018

Have you ever wondered how memory champions do what they do? In this article, we share their tricks and show how you too can use them to learn a language.

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The Ultimate Language Learning Guide Part I: Your Blueprint

Written by:
Shannon Kennedy
Published:
Jun 29, 2018

In this article, we take a look at a few of the myths we tell ourselves about language learning and share tips for how to overcome them.

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