Study with Alex

How to learn a language with few resources

July 15, 2021Polyglot Secrets

We learn all kinds of languages. Many people learn languages like Chinese, which has over one billion speakers. Others learn something like Swedish with over 10 million speakers. Both are valid. There is no optimal number of speakers to learn…

How to use “over” correctly in English

July 13, 2021English

I've gotten a lot of questions about over in English. It has so many uses, but they are all so different. It can change part of speech, and with each change it has an unpredictably different meaning. What are those…

Accidentally or inadvertently: what is the difference?

July 6, 2021English

These two words, accidentally or inadvertently, are really similar, so I completely understand if you get confused by them. After explaining the differences between so many words, I can tell when learners will have trouble understanding nuances. Most likely these…

How to self-study a language

July 1, 2021Polyglot Secrets

Usually, I answer a lot of questions from learners about particular difficult points in English. Sometimes, I get a lot of questions from my close friends about how to self-study a language. They think I'm some kind of genius. I'm…

Apporter vs amener: What is the difference?

June 29, 2021French

This pair, apporter or amener, is the bane of plenty of French learners, myself included. According to the dictionary, they are the same thing, but they are used very differently. However, there are some patterns you can notice that helps…

A friend of mine vs my friend vs one of my friends

June 22, 2021English

This group, a friend of mine, my friend and one of my friends, is a little different from the words I’ve talked about before. I usually talk about the difference in meaning based on vocabulary nuance. The difference between these…

stop by / come by / drop by / swing by: What is the difference?

June 15, 2021English

Do I come by? Should I stop by? If you have been learning English for a long time, you will know there are MANY groups of phrasal verbs that have a very small difference in nuance. In your native language,…

Fight vs fight with: What is the difference?

June 8, 2021English

Fight vs fight with is confusing. I will admit it as a native speaker. This pair gets used incorrectly a lot. I've noticed many learners use "fight" when they meant "fight with," and "fight with" when they meant "fight." What…

Worth, value, cost, and price: What are the differences?

June 1, 2021English

These four nouns seem to be very similar. If you are an English learner, your dictionary might even translate these the same depending on your language. Even for native English speakers' dictionaries, they use one to describe the other. However,…

Believe vs. believe in: What is the difference?

May 25, 2021English

I believe in you, my love! "Believe" and "believe in" are really close but different. A native speaker intuitively knows when to use which, but this is a nightmare for learners. As you may know, phrasal verbs have no connection…