Actually Using My Target Languages

Week 3 of the Language Bingo Board Challenge

Happy Spring, and welcome to the week 3 recap of the Language Bingo Board Challenge! 🌸🌼

The tasks this week actually got me using my target languages. Whether it was reading, practicing exams, or playing games, I encountered new words each day.

I hit my first and second bingos this week! There are only a few tasks left, which means if all goes to plan, I should be able to complete the entire board next week!

Columns A and E have been completed!

🤔 Task 13: Play a Round of Akinator (D4)

This one was fun! I started with an object because I couldn’t think of a person. I chose a bed, and surprisingly, Akinator took quite a while to guess it. After that, I played another round with a snake, and it guessed anaconda.

Finally, I thought of the character Malcom from Malcom in the Middle after seeing the trailer for the upcoming reboot. It took a few tries, but Akinator got it in the end.

🎮 Task 14: Play a Video Game (A1)

I played The Sims 4, which I already have set in French. Since it’s a life simulation game, it uses a lot of everyday vocabulary. I’ve played the franchise for over a decade, so I can get by without reading everything, but I still came across some new words.

📕 Task 15: Read a Book (A4)

I had grand plans for this task. I’ve been looking forward to it since the challenge started.

The task suggests 15 minutes for beginners and 45 minutes for intermediate and advanced learners. My plan was:

• French (45 minutes)

• Japanese (15 minutes)

• Icelandic (15 minutes)

In reality, I only read in French, splitting it into two sessions of 22 and 23 minutes. Sometimes I overestimate how much energy I have in a day.

That said, I did finish the second story in Le Café du temps retrouvé (the book you all voted for!), and I’m now at the 67% mark.

🖋️ Task 16: Write a 10-sentence review of a form of media (E2)

I had no idea what to review at first. I didn’t feel like doing a book review since I’ve been having the worst luck with the books I’m reading lately.

Side note: I’m currently reading Project Hail Mary, and the movie just came out. Have you read it or seen it?

I ended up reviewing a show called Blue Therapy. My boyfriend and I had just reached the final episode, so I wrote about what we had watched so far.

One thing I noticed is that I tend to write long sentences. Because of this, I had assumed I was already at 10 sentences when I was only at 6. When I write my newsletters, I try to keep my sentences concise, but I am, in fact, a yapper.

I actually really enjoyed this task and might start using it as a regular writing exercise since journaling hasn’t been working that well for me.

📖 Task 17: Practice a Grammar Point (A2)

This task was to focus on a grammar point I’ve been avoiding. Unless I’m following a textbook, I don’t usually study grammar directly.

Last month, I finished a French grammar workbook, which helped me feel more confident overall.

Since I didn’t have a specific grammar point in mind, I went to Lawless French and picked a random one. There was a short quiz at the end, and I only got 1 wrong. I call that a win!

💻 Task 18: Watch a YouTube Video & Leave a Comment (C4)

I rarely leave comments on YouTube videos.

This time, I clicked on a video from my feed, watched a few minutes, and left a comment about a gallery wall in the creator’s office.

It actually gave me a small sense of community while reading other comments. I even got a reply back! I might start doing this more often, especially in my target languages. It’s a simple way to practice and engage at the same time.

💯 Task 19: Work On a Mock Test (A5)

I was not looking forward to this task at all. I initially searched for the C1 DALF exam and read through some of the reading sections… but I didn’t attempt the questions.

Instead, I switched to an N5 Japanese test and completed it. I scored 60%. I was quite excited to see a vocab word (えらぶ) from my Mikagu deck pop up! I usually fail that card when I’m doing my reviews, but the multiple-choice options helped me remember.

✨Language Wins of The Week

• 🍜 Japanese: I can feel Japanese slowly becoming a bigger part of my routine. I played video games and watched interior design videos in Japanese.

  The easiest way for me to stay consistent is by integrating a language into my hobbies, and I can feel that starting to happen.

• 🥐 French: I watched Abbott Elementary with French subtitles while listening in English. It turned out to be a great way to encounter new words:

  • cartonner¹ - to do extremely well/succeed

  • une canalisation - a pipe (as in water pipe)

  • un pactole - a jackpot/gold mine

How did your past week of language learning go?

Thanks for being here, see you next week!

1. As I was writing this, I just learned that this has another vulgar meaning 🫠