Mango Languages

It’s a Mango social: now share your progress on Facebook and Twitter

Earn social badges and share your language learning progress with friends when you access Mango through your library.

Show off.
You can now let you friends and followers know when you’ve finished a Mango lesson or chapter by posting to Facebook and Twitter from within the course.

Game on.
Don’t let your hard work go unnoticed.  With every chapter you complete, you’ll unlock a new Mango badge as a reward for your progress. Post your badges to Facebook and Twitter to strike up some friendly competition with fellow Mango users.

So, go ahead. Shout your progress from the mountaintops, rally a support group, find a study partner or heck, just show off a little.

Want to learn a new language free through your library? Head to findmango.com to find Mango Languages in a library near you to get started.

Learn Castilian Spanish with Mango Languages

Our language list has just become a little bit more caliente with our most recent release: you can now learn Castilian Spanish through your library and Mango Languages.

I would be lying if I didn’t say that I have been counting down the days until the release of Spanish Castilian. My love for the language and culture has started with my choice to study Spanish to fulfill my foreign language requirement in high school. My high school teacher was originally from Valencia, Spain and this was when I first learned the differences between Spanish of Spain and Latin American Spanish. She shared many fascinating stories about the history and culture of Spanish (a lot of which you can find in cultural notes in the new Mango Castilian Spanish course). I realized I wasn’t done with Spanish after I graduated and decided to keep learning and majored in Spanish in college.

To this day, that was one of the best decision I have ever made since it lead me to choose a study abroad program in Madrid, Spanish for a summer. From making the perfect paella, to quickly realizing how important futbol is for the Spaniards, the culture of Spain is beautiful to say the least. Being surrounded by native Castilian speakers, I slowly started to pick up the differences.

So what exactly are the differences between the Spanish of Spain and the Spanish of Latin America? A good example is to compare it to the differences between British English and American English. Most people in the Spanish-speaking world can communicate and understand each other, however there are differences that are noticeable if comparing the two.  Some of the common differences is that many Spaniards often pronounce the z and the c before i or elike the “th” in “things.” As far as grammar goes, the biggest difference is the leísmo (the use of the indirect object pronoun le in place of the standard direct object pronoun lo) of Spain and that Spaniards use vosotros as the plural of tú (the singular word for “you”), while in Latin America ustedes is usually used.

There you go, a little lesson and you haven’t even started the course.

Planning on traveling? Not to worry. Whether you’re looking to climb to the top of  Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (pronounced “Bar-THe-lona”), run with the bulls in the San Fermin festival, or dance the night away in Ibiza, Mango is ready to accompany you on your adventures. Through your library and Mango Languages, not only do you get access to Castilian Spanish, among 40+ foreign languages, but you also get access to our free mobile apps, available on iPhones, iPod Touch and Android devices.

Whether you walk, run or flamenco dance* to your public library, make sure to check out our new Castilian Spanish course!

Buena suerte (good luck)!

*We here at Mango consider flamenco dancing incredibly impressive, videos are welcome. 

Learn Tagalog with Mango: New Course Launches to Libraries and Institutions

Learn Tagalog online for free through your library!

To celebrate the recent release of Mango’s Tagalog course to libraries, I sat down with our resident Tagalog-speaker, Eon Rodrigo, for a little chat about the language and his native country, the Philippines.

Originally from Batac, Eon joined Mango’s creative team in 2011.  During our conversation, Eon offered up his advice to learn Tagalog, indulged us in his recommendations for top-notch Filipino food, and even provided insight into his favorite Tagalog word (you’ll never guess what it is!)  Read on below for more on my conversation with Eon.

learn tagalog

Tiffany Neumeyer:  Hi Eon, thanks for sitting down with me today.

Eon Rodrigo:  No problem.

TN:  For starters, could you tell our readers a little bit about your background?

ER:  Sure.  I was born in Batac, which is in the northern Phillipines.  Growing up, I spoke Ilocano at home, but both Tagalog and English were taught at school.  When I was three, my Dad emigrated to the United States in order to offer our family a better life.  Nine years later, my Mom and I were able to join him.

TN:  So you were 12 years old when you moved.  Were you completely fluent in English at that time?

ER:  Yes, but I spoke it with a very heavy accent, so I was extremely shy around other kids to begin with.  It actually took almost two years until I was able to completely drop my accent.  Watching TV – especially music videos – really helped me.

TN:  Since moving, have you had the chance to go back and visit the Philippines?

ER:  Yes, once, in 2005 – but I’m hoping to go back again sometime this year.

TN:  What is your favorite thing to do or see when you’re over there?

ER:  Obviously, catching up with family and friends is the most exciting and important thing.  But in my free time, I love spending time outdoors or going to the beach.  My family lives 30 minutes from the Pacific, so it’s an easy drive.  Plus, living in Michigan now – where it’s relatively flat – makes me appreciate the beautiful mountain landscape that surrounds my hometown in the Philippines.  Oh – and the food!  I can’t forget the food.  It’s awesome.

TN:  I bet.  Do you have a favorite dish?

ER:  It’s really hard to pick just one.  Given a few, I’d say chicken adobo, arroz caldo, and Ilocano empanadas.  The empanadas sold by the street vendors there just can’t be beaten.

TN:  Shifting gears to a completely random question: what would you say your favorite word or phrase in Tagalog is?

ER:  That is a random question!  I guess I would have to say “pare” (PAH-reh), which means “buddy” or “friend”.  It’s a pretty common word that you’d hear a lot on the streets.  Another word that I love is “kili kili” (kee-LEE, kee-LEE).

TN:  What does that mean?

ER:  Armpit!  I know it’s a strange word to like, but it just sounds so funny in Tagalog!

TN:  Haha, I have to agree with you there.  So Eon, what advice would you give to students learning Tagalog?

ER:  First of all, I would encourage them to try to think in the language as much as possible.  Just like with most foreign languages, it’s almost impossible to directly translate phrases from English into Tagalog.  So I would encourage students instead to focus on learning the rules and structure of the language – and then try to formulate sentences while thinking in Tagalog.  It’s much more effective than trying to directly translate from English.

Also, don’t be afraid to pronounce something incorrectly.  Most Tagalog words are written exactly as they sound – but even if you do make a mistake, that’s just part of the learning process!

TN:  Agreed 100 percent!  I’ve just got one final question, Eon.  What’s your favorite part of Mango’s Tagalog course?

ER:  There’s so many great features, but I personally like the Cultural Notes.  It’s a feature that I’ve enjoyed in all of Mango’s courses, not just Tagalog.  For me, to learn a foreign culture provides you with greater insight and understanding into the language.  For example, when is it appropriate or not appropriate to say certain things?  When should a formal or informal case be used?  These are all things that are important to consider when learning a foreign language.

TN:  Eon, thanks so much for giving up some of your time to sit down with me today.  I really appreciate it!  And readers – don’t forget to check out Mango’s newest library course and learn Tagalog!

To find a library near you that offers Mango, click here.

Eon’s favorite Mango feature is the Cultural Notes.  What do you like best about learning with Mango?

Learn Icelandic with Mango Languages: New Language Release

Dreaming of traveling to Iceland? Looking to finally be able to pronounce the name of the famed Icelandic volcano of 2010, Eyjafijallajökull?

You can now learn Icelandic for free online through your library and Mango Languages.

Judging just by its name alone, Iceland seems like the home of nothing but frozen tundra, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A hotel made of ice, sunshine at midnight, natural hot springs, a prime view of the Northern Lights and active volcanoes all attest to the fact that Iceland is a place of excitement and energy. In fact, you might say that visiting Iceland is as epic as its proud Norse sagas.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll see in the Icelandic course.

For example, to say, “Hello, how are you?” in Icelandic, you literally say, “Blissful. How do you have it?”

learn icelandic

Cultural notes like this one throughout the course teach you about Icelandic culture and reinforce what you’re learning in the chapter.

learn icelandic

 
Mango teaches you the most relevant information you need to know to start to speak Icelandic right away. Most importantly, you’ll have some fun in your new language by learning things like this:

learn icelandic

Already use Mango Languages through your library? Check out the course list to see these new additions.

Want to see if your library offers Mango? Visit findmango.com to find out and start learning!