Language Learners

Making sure you’ve understood

If you do not understand what someone has said, use I don’t understand. Sorry, I don’t understand. I didn’t understand what you said. Please could you repeat that? I didn’t understand. You can also express any uncertainty about what someone has said by using I’m not sure … Sorry, I’m… Read More

French word of the week: bref

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French word 'bref'. Read More

Saying goodbye

In most circumstances, you can use Goodbye when you leave a person or a place, such as a shop or bank, etc. If it’s nighttime, you can use Good night. Goodbye, Helen! Thanks for coming. Thanks for all your help. Goodbye. Good night. See you in the morning. Goodbye is… Read More

Spanish word of the week: cometa

In another in our series of blog posts on Spanish nouns whose gender varies according to meaning we look at cometa. You can listen to the pronunciation of cometa in the audio clip below: You’re most likely to see un cometa (masculine) at night, since it… Read More

Learning German: Saying what you like, dislike and prefer 

Whether you’re visiting galleries and museums, sampling German cuisine or simply chatting to your German-speaking friends, you’ll probably want to talk about what you like and dislike. There are several different ways to do this in German. To say what you like, use ich mag (I like) and ich mag…… Read More

French word of the week: élever

This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French verb 'élever'. Read More

Making a phone call

Making a phone call in English can be intimidating, so here are some phrases to help you. Once you’ve made the call and someone answers, you will need to tell them who you are. Use Hello, it’s … (here). Hello Mr Hall, it’s Alex Ronaldson here. Hello, it’s Marie. Can… Read More
collinsdictionary