language Archives | No Geraniums

How Well Do you Understand your Everyday Communication?

February 17, 2022 by Tom van Oosterhout

The older I get the more aware I am of the peculiarities in my everyday communication. After all these years I think I understand everything and do not need to explain too much.

For most of the time that is true. But on some occasions, my ears are tuned to what I want to hear and my partner asks where I am with my head.

These are the moments that I become aware that nothing is more complicated as good communication. In this article, I will try to explain what makes good communication so difficult.

How to Effectively Write with Confidence

January 7, 2022February 19, 2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The other day someone asked me whether I write a lot. I said I don’t know. What’s a lot? I write once a day a post on facebook. Sometimes two or three. And an article for our websites a couple of times a week. Such as this one. Writing is important for me because it keeps the grey matter fit. Which is one of our goals.

The person who asked me the question would love to write, but felt insecure. So I explained how he could overcome this insecurity. This article is an extended version of my explanation: How to effectively write with confidence.

Given our experiences, the most important tip is to write a lot. The more the better. No writer is born a star-writer. Every single one of them became better in time after writing thousands of words.

2018.04.10 !Hombre!

November 20, 2021April 10, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

As a feminist, I have a hard time with the Spanish language. A group of boys is addressed as chicos, a group of girls as chicas. But as soon as there is just ONE boy in this latter group it is chicos again. It gets really funny if you eardrop a group of women like … Read more

2018.01.30 Learning a language

November 21, 2021January 30, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

If ever someone tells me Spanish is easy – as a lot of Spaniards do – I think I am going to hit him or her. Spanish is not easy at all. Learning vocabulary is just doing your best, but the fact that Spanish has 3 different ways of the past tense, makes it really, … Read more

2018.01.08 ¿Hablas español?

June 12, 2022January 8, 2018 by Hannie Mommers

I had a Spanish trial lesson today. The school in La Herradura only offers individual classes or group conversation lessons. My other courses all were group lessons and I wasn’t sure whether I would like a one on one lesson, hence the trial. As a present from the school, I not only had my trial … Read more