360Trendic

36OTRENDIC

Category: How-to (Page 1 of 3)

20 things you must have in your romantic relationship

20 Things You Must Have in Your Romantic Relationship

October 15, 2023 / / 1 Comment

All relationships are unique. Each couple has its own identity, which each half builds. There are those who can’t stand being one without the other, those who are more independent, those who go very fast, others who take their time… In short, each couple is different and that’s what makes it special.

There are, however, some things that you absolutely must have or experience with your partner. First of all, because before you are two, you are you, but also because these things will allow you to have a solid relationship!

1. Respect: It’s THE basis of a couple. If your partner doesn’t respect you, what’s the point? Being belittled by the person, criticizing or mocking, it’s not a life. You deserve so much better.

2. Trust: Having the assurance that your partner, the one who sleeps next to you every night, is trustworthy, is paramount. Every woman deserves to be able to rely on her man and vice versa. Trust is built little by little, thanks to the gestures that partners make to show their other half that there is only them in the world. Trust is a mark of love and allows the relationship to grow, without it being stifled by jealousy.

3. Admiration: Of course, your other half hasn’t climbed Everest but still, you have to admire it a little, right? His little feats should make you proud, that’s the important thing! One small step for humanity, one big one for your couple!

4. Fun: That’s right, fun isn’t just for your Saturday night moments! With Jules too, you have to laugh. Why be afraid to share your (rotten) jokes with him? After all, if he’s determined to spend his life with you, it’s because he loves you just the way you are. Complicity is a part of the romantic relationship that you must preserve absolutely at the risk of ending up in a boring relationship…

5. Spontaneity: With fun comes spontaneity. A touch of madness, from time to time, is appreciable! You don’t ask for him to charter a private jet to take you to Brazil every weekend, but a little impromptu dinner, an outing that will cut you off from the stress of work, that’s what we call spontaneity!

6: Giving of gifts: A small virtue that can spice up a relationship.

7. Tolerance: A man trying to change you, there’s nothing worse. You are who you are and he has to respect that. Sneakers rather than heels? Frozen dish than small dish? That’s just the way it is!

8. Surprises: Sometimes you’d like him to surprise you. A bouquet of flowers, a pretty ring or a scratch ticket: it doesn’t matter, as long as he thinks of you.

9. Security: Being with the person with whom you feel that nothing can happen to you is what every woman is looking for. You don’t have to be a Terminator, just let him soothe and protect you.

10. Tenderness: To tell the truth, we rectify: kisses by the thousands, as if it were raining.

11. Acceptance of the OtherYou have flaws, that’s what makes you who you are. Reckless, capricious or noisy? This is how he should love you and not otherwise!

12. Attention: Receiving attention from the person you love is something that every woman deserves. That doesn’t mean you want to control it or that you’re an attendee! Simply, knowing that he is there, that he is listening to you, is essential. Talking to a wall has never made anyone happy…

13. SupportFeeling supported by your man when the going gets tough is essential! Whether you have a problem at work, with a friend or even your mother-in-law, knowing that Jules is 100% by your side is reassuring.

14. Priority: You have to be the most important person in the eyes of your significant other and that’s non-negotiable.

15. InterestAll women deserve to be valued by their man, never let anyone belittle you and not recognize you for what you are: a good person.

16. Honesty: It is often said that honesty is one of the pillars of a relationship and it’s not for nothing. Sincerity is paramount. Who would want to be with someone who doesn’t have the guts to tell them the truth. We like to be with someone who knows how to tell us when something is wrong without falling into gratuitous criticism.

17. Personality: Don’t hide your true self from your loved one or from others. It doesn’t matter what they think. That’s also why your man fell in love with you!

18. Pride: You are certainly not a trophy that he would have won, however, it is important that your significant other is happy and proud to be by your side.19. ReciprocityAny romantic relationship must be reciprocal. Love cannot be stronger on one side than on the other, otherwise it will cause instability in a relationship.

20. Happiness: The goal of finding someone to share your life with is to be happy. Of course, you will sometimes encounter difficulties that will have to be overcome, but you will always have to remember one essential thing: the happiness of being one with your other half.These 20 things that we wanted to comment on are essential for us to make your relationship as strong as possible.

How To Find Trending Top Selling Products On Aliexpress (2022)- 360trendic

June 18, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Have you been looking for a way to identify the top trending products on Aliexpress? If yes, then this post is for you.

Aliexpress is a fast-growing Chinese shopping platform and has expanded its reach to over 200 countries. One notable and interesting thing about the platform is the extremely cheap prices of goods, with most suppliers (sellers) offering free shipping.

It is important to have a good idea of how the platform works to avoid getting fake or counterfeit goods.

It is also important to note that a huge percentage of customers who have used the platform returned positive reviews. I have used the platform for over 3 years and have no negative reports so far.

How to Find Trending products on Aliexpress.
Finding trending products on Aliexpress is a very simple exercise but requires a PC. Aliexpress offers additional options on the Desktop (PC) version of their website. If you don’t have a PC relax as this post also explains how to view the Desktop (PC) version of Aliexpress on your mobile phone.

To find trending products on Aliexpress;

visit the Aliexpress website- Aliexpress.com

Choose the category you wish e.g “Womens’ fashion” you can also select a subcategory e.g “dresses”

You’ll notice many filter options, to get the highest purchased products, click “by order”

Immediately after this is done, the most ordered products will display.

How to Find Trending products on Aliexpress Using your mobile phone
If you use a mobile phone, the steps are the same but require just a few tweaks.

  1. Open your web browser (chrome/edge/opera mini)
  2. Visit the website, “aliexpress.com”
  3. Click on the options bar of whatever browser you use and select “desktop mode/ desktop version”

The PC version of the website will display and you can follow the steps mentioned above.

How to Pronounce-5 Things You Must Know to Understand All English Pronunciation Guides

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

When you look in an English dictionary, you probably only look at the word and its definition.

But did you know that dictionaries also give you a guide on how to pronounce the words?

Next to a word in the dictionary are some strange-looking symbols. These letter-like symbols are a pronunciation guide!

For example, here is how to pronounce the word dictionary:

\ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē\

Wait, what? That doesn’t look like the word dictionary at all! How does this work?

Learning how to use the dictionary’s pronunciation guide is not as difficult as it looks. Once you understand the rules, you will be able to check the dictionary for the definition of a word, and you will know how to read it correctly.

But first, you need to understand…

Why Dictionaries Use Symbols

Letters are symbols—they are small drawings that represent sounds. So what is the point of creating a whole different way of writing these same sounds?

Try reading these words out loud:

pit

pie

Both are three-letter words with the letter i as the second letter. The letter i is read very differently each time, though! In each word, the letter i makes a different sound. Now try these two words:

garage

vision

In these words, the second g in the garage makes the same sound as the letter s in vision. We bet you never noticed that before!

As you can see, letters have different sounds, depending on where they are in the word or the sentence, or even which country the speaker is from. Some letters have many sounds. Some sounds don’t have their letter.

The International Phonetic Association

People who study language, called linguists, have come up with a pronunciation guide called the International Phonetic Association, or the IPA for short. Most dictionaries use a version of the IPA for their pronunciation guide.

The IPA on its own is not very easy to understand—it is mostly for scholars and linguists, people whose job it is to figure out sounds and how to write them down.

Dictionary pronunciation guides are a little different though. They are meant for anyone to use, so you can learn to read them too! They use some simple symbols, and they are not as complicated as they seem. You just need to learn what sounds the symbols stand for.

Why Should I Learn to Use the Pronunciation Guide?

Good question!

When you learn a new word, you learn what it means and how it is used in a sentence. You might even learn the different forms of the word. For you to use this word while speaking, though, you need to know how to pronounce it.

There are a few ways you can learn the correct pronunciation of a word.

You could ask someone to say it for you, or find an example of the spoken word in a video. 

However, a dictionary will still be very helpful to you while you learn English.

First of all, a dictionary allows you to look up a huge diversity and quantity of English words. Even if you have apps on your phone, there may be times when you need to use a dictionary. For example, you may be in a classroom or meeting where you cannot use your cell phone, or maybe your phone’s battery just died.

Maybe you do not like using apps, and prefer to have a paper dictionary!

No matter the situation, reading the dictionary pronunciation guide can be an incredibly useful tool for English learners. You will know at a glance that the two g’s in the garage make two different sounds and that the o in the boot is not the same as the o in the boat.

Take a little time to figure out the pronunciation guide, and you will be saving yourself a lot of time (and effort) in the future as you improve your English speaking skills!

British or American?

This guide will cover the American dictionary pronunciation guide. The American and British guides are slightly different—they use different symbols for the same sounds. The British guide uses more actual symbols (instead of letters) or old Greek letters, so it can be a little harder to learn.

If you are interested in British pronunciation, check out the Oxford English Dictionary’s guide to British vs. American symbols and sounds.

5 Things You Must Know About All English Pronunciation Guides

Before you start learning the pronunciation guide, here is a quick outline to help you understand how the IPA works:

  • Consonants: Consonants are all of the letters that are not vowels. The English language might have 21 consonants, but there are fewer consonant sounds. Letters like c and k, and c and s can have the same sound depending on where they are in the world. Other sounds are a combination of consonants, like ch and sh. These make different sounds too. There are not that many consonant symbols to learn, and they are mostly easy to understand—so that is a relief!
  • Vowels: The vowels in the English language are a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. Vowels can be combined with other letters, and each other, to create new sounds. There are a few different ways of pronouncing each vowel, and a symbol for each of those pronunciations.
  • Diphthongs: Even if you have heard of vowels and consonants, you probably have never heard this word! Diphthongs are the sounds made by two vowels put together. Sometimes this is just one sound, like the oo sound. Other times the sound starts in one vowel and moves into the next, like the oa in soak.
  • Syllables: Along with pronunciation guides for the letters, dictionaries break up words into syllables. These make it easier to spell and speak the word, since they turn one word in a few easy to say parts.
  • Stresses: Words in the English language uses stresses. Where you put the stress is important to pronouncing the word right, and can even change the meaning of the word. For example, “when you addRESS the Internet, do not give out your ADDress!”. These two differently stressed versions of address mean two different things, just because of the stress! Dictionary guides show you where the stress goes, and they let you know when a different stress will change the meaning of the word.
  • Advanced Sounds: Linguists define vowels as sounds made without placing anything in the way (like your tongue or teeth). Syllables are also created around them—you can’t have too many voiced (non-silent) consonants without a vowel in between, or it is impossible to read. Consonants, on the other hand, are sounds made by partially blocking your breath when you speak. Some sounds, like p, b and g, are actually made by completely stopping your breath! (In case you are wondering, these are called plosives).

Now you are ready to start!

Pronouncing Consonants

You will recognize many of the letters in the guide. Most of the consonants are read exactly the way you would read a letter, and there are not that many of them.

Here are the consonants found in the pronunciation guide, which sound exactly the way they look:

  • b like in bed
  • d like in done
  • g like in grow
  • h like in hat
  • l like in lamp
  • m like in mat
  • n like in nice
  • p like in pat
  • r like in run
  • v like in view
  • w like in wet
  • y like in yes

All consonant symbols stand for just one sound, but some sounds can be made in more than one way.

When you see these letters in the guide, just remember the sound they make—even if the word doesn’t have that letter at all! It might help to read these words out loud, so you can hear how similar the sound is:

  • f like in fire, rough, or phone
  • j like in jump or dodge
  • k like in make, quit, pick, or cat
  • s like in stop or cent
  • t like in top or some -ed endings like mopped
  • z like in zebra or xylophone
  • zh like in vision or garage

There are some consonants that make a different sound when they are put together. These sounds are also mostly written the same way in the guide as they are in a word. They are:

  • ch like in chat
  • wh like in white
  • ng like in thing (this sometimes looks like this: ŋ) 
  • sh like in ship
  • th like in thin
  • th like in this

Say the last two words out loud to hear the difference.

The first th (in thin) sounds “soft,” and is made by placing your tongue between your teeth. The second th sound (in this) is “hard,” and is made by putting your tongue between your teeth but then moving it away. It is a very slight difference—most native speakers don’t even realize there are two different sounds.

A quick note about the wh sound. If you are confused about the difference between w and wh, don’t worry, you are not alone. These days, many people pronounce wine and whine the same way. The wh sound is supposed to be more stretched out, as though you are saying the letter h very slightly before the letter w. According to this blog, if you put your hand in front of your mouth, you can feel a puff of air for the wh sound, but not the w.

That is all for consonants. You are about halfway to being a dictionary pro!

Pronouncing Vowels

Vowels are a little tougher to read than consonants because they have so many different sounds. If you can learn all the different sounds, you will find it much easier to pronounce English words correctly. So it is worth the effort!

Some of the differences are very slight, and some are big. Also keep in mind that some dictionaries have different symbols for vowel sounds.

Below are the different pronunciations of English vowels. We have included one or two of the most common symbols for each sound. Which symbol you see will depend on the dictionary you use.

Here is a quick rule of thumb: A line above a letter means you say its name. A small v or nothing above a letter means it is a short sound. Two dots above a letter means it is a long sound.

The letter a

  • ă or a like in cat or apple. This is a short ah sound.
  • ā like in stray or vacation. This is pronounced like the letter’s name, ay.
  • ä like in father or calm. This is a longer uhh sound, like the sound you would make when you show the doctor your throat.

The letter e

  • ĕ or e like in pet or person. This is pronounced like a short eh.

The letter i

  • ĭ or i like in pit or hitch. This sounds like a grunt, a short eeh sound made in the back of the throat.
  • ī like in pie or bye. Say this the way you would say name of the letter i.

The letter o

  • ŏ or ä like in mop or bother. This is a similar sound to the a in father, a long “uhh” sound. (Some dictionaries see it as the same sound).
  • ō like in toe or go. Say this as you would say the name of the letter o.
  • ô like in paw or caught. This is the kind of sound you would say if something is cute, “aww.”

The letter u

  • ŭ like in cut or grunt. This is a short uh sound.
  • yü like in youth or cute. Say this as you might say the letter u.

All the vowels

There is one sound all the vowels make. Here it is:

  • ə like in about, item, edible, gallop, circus. This is a sound somewhere in between ŭ and ă. It is a short uh sound. It might be difficult to hear at first, so practice saying these words out loud and try to see the difference between these and other words using these letters.

Does this look like too much information to take in? Here is a quick cheat that usually works when you are not sure how to pronounce a letter:

  • If the word has a vowel, consonant, vowel pattern (like cute—u is a vowel, t is a consonant, e is a vowel), say the first vowel’s name. In the example of cute, this means you pronounce u like the letter u. 
  • If the word has a vowel, consonant pattern (like cut—u is a vowel, t is a consonant) or a vowel, consonant, consonant (like cutting), use one of the other pronunciations.

Of course there are exceptions and other rules. If you look at the pronunciation guide for new words, you will start to see the different rules and patterns.

Diphthongs

Don’t let the strange name scare you. Diphthongs are just sounds made by two vowels placed together.

Here is what they look like:

  • a like in out or about. This sounds like you just got hurt, “ow.”
  • ē like in bee or feet (or easy). This sounds like you are saying the name of the letter e.
  • oi like in noise or boy. This sounds like the letter o’s name followed right away by ee, or like you are saying “Oy vey!”
  • ū like in loot or boot. This is an oo sound made by making your lips into an o shape.
  • ʊ like in foot or could. To make this oo sound, don’t move your lips!

You can hear and see the difference between the two oo sounds in this video.

R-controlled Vowels

Vowels have a slightly different pronunciation when they are followed by the letter r. They are called “r-controlled vowels” and they sound like the letter’s non-name sound getting cut off by the letter r.

It is easier to hear than explain: say the word abound out loud, then the word around. Do you hear the difference? It is a very small difference!

This is such a slight difference in most cases, that some dictionaries don’t have a special symbol for it. One symbol that does get used by many, though is this one:

  • ər like in butter or further. This is an er sound made in the back of your mouth with your tongue right in the middle of your mouth, not touching any sides.

And that is all for pronunciations!

You now know how to read the pronunciation guide for vowels and consonants.

If this seems like a lot of information, we recommend that instead of memorizing this right away, you use it as a guide. Whenever you are not sure how to pronounce a new word you just learned, look at the dictionary’s pronunciation guide and keep this page open.

You will learn the guide quickly this way, without even realizing that you are learning it.

Bonus: Dashes and Lines

When you look at a pronunciation guide you will notice that the words are broken up into parts with dashes and lines in between them. What do all these mean?

  • The pronunciation of a word is usually written between forward slashes: / Or backward slashes: \
  • Words are usually split up into syllables with dashes: –
  • The stressed syllable (the one that you say more strongly) is marked with an apostrophe: ‘
  • The secondary stress (a slightly stronger syllable, only found in longer words) is marked with a comma: ,

Now you try!

Whew that was a lot! Let’s see how well you can use the information in this guide. Can you figure out what words these are?

  1. \ˈdik-shə-ˌner-ē\
  2. \ˈal-fə-ˌbet\
  3. \vō-ˈka-byə-ˌler-ē\

Here are the words spelled in the guide above:

  1. Dictionary
  2. Alphabet
  3. Vocabulary

How did you do?

Practice reading the dictionary’s pronunciation guide with words you know, and then words you don’t know.

Before long, you will find it much easier to pronounce new words, even if you have never heard them before!

How to write a comment-Top ten tips for writing a great comment

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

F1 Fanatic welcomes comments from readers old and new alike. The best comment received each day is featured as the Comment of the Day in the daily round-up.

To get the most out of commenting on F1 Fanatic, here are ten quick and easy tips on how to write a great comment.

Read the article

It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many comments can be answered with the words “it says in the article”.

Respond to the article

…rather than just the headline.

Read the other comments

Admittedly this isn’t always easy, especially if there are several hundred of them. But if you’ve got a question to ask you may find someone’s already answered it.

Make it clear who you’re replying to

On F1 Fanatic you can address your comments to registered users. This notifies them that they have been mentioned in a comment. For information on how to do this, see here:

Use the return key

Nothing puts readers off like a wall of text. If you’re putting effort into a long comment, take a moment to ensure it is spaced out into paragraphs to increase its chances of being read.

Avoid sarcasm

Sarcasm is easily detected in speech but harder to use in writing. If you don’t point out when you’re being sarcastic there’s a good chance others will take it seriously.

Avoid unnecessary acronyms

You can take it for granted everyone will know what ‘F1’ stands for. But beware of confusing people by using acronyms when they aren’t needed or when it’s not obvious what they stand for.

Use facts

When used in the context you’ll find statistics, quotes, examples, and relevant links to credible sources that will make it easier for others to appreciate your point of view.

Don’t confuse facts with opinions

Not everyone may share their opinion. Complaining that other people don’t agree with you won’t get you very far. But explaining why you disagree is a great starting point for a discussion.

Don’t be Captain Caps Lock

No one likes being shouted at.

How to Train Your Dragon

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments
This is Berk. It’s twelve days north of Hopeless, and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It’s located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. My village. In a word, sturdy. And it’s been here for seven generations, but, every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have . . . dragons.”
 — Hiccup’s opening narration 

How to Train Your Dragon is a computer-animated comedic fantasy adventure film loosely based on the first book in a series by Cressida Cowell of the same name. The film was directed and written by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois and stars Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Craig Ferguson. The film was released on March 26, 2010, by DreamWorks Animation/Paramount Pictures. It grossed an estimated $43.3 million in its opening weekend.

With the success of the film, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg formally announced in The Hollywood Reporter that How to Train Your Dragon will be further developed as a major media franchise for the company. DreamWorks announced a 2014 sequel named How to Train Your Dragon 2, a television series, an online interactive simulation, and a live touring show.

Contents

·   1 Plot

·   2 Transcript

·   3 Voice Cast

·   4 Dragon Characters

·   5 Dragons

·   6 Animals

·   7 Awards and Nominations

·   8 Trivia

·   9 Differences From the Novel

·   10 Videos

·   11 References

·   12 External Links

·   13 Site Navigation

Fandom Trivia

Quiz

How well do you know the first ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ movie?6 questions

Plot

How to Train Your Dragon is centered around a teenage Viking named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who lives on the island of Berk with the rest of his tribe. Over the course of seven generations, Berk has been continuously raided by dragons of all different species, prompting a war between them and the tribe. Like every other young Viking on Berk, Hiccup is expected to fight and kill a dragon in order to be considered a true Viking. However, he is very small for a Viking of his age, and can hardly lift and use traditional Viking weapons and even has a tendency to cause accidents. His father is Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler), who is also chief of the tribe, and tries to keep Hiccup indoors as often as possible.

During one particular attack on the village, while working his post in Gobber’s (voiced by Craig Ferguson) smithy, Hiccup decides to prove himself as a Viking and capture a dragon using his own methods rather than standard Viking brutality. Using a bola shot from a cannon he designed and built himself, Hiccup is overjoyed when he hits a dragon in mid-air, thinking it’s the rare and dangerous Night Fury. Having not paid attention to in the chaos, no one else in the village believes him because no one ever even saw a Night Fury, let alone brought one down. Hiccup goes to the forest at Raven Point to bring back the dragon’s heart as proof to Stoick. Meanwhile, Stoick and Gobber discuss Hiccup’s behavior, after a meeting is held in the Great Hall, and how to make him into a proper Viking. Although initially hesitant, Stoick agrees to enlist his son into Dragon Training in the hope it will toughen him up and give him survival skills before preparing to lead an expedition to take out the Dragon’s Nest.

Despite being told to go home, Hiccup disobeys his father and heads out to the forest. He searches for some time but can’t find where the dragon went down. Luckily, Hiccup finds a broken tree and churned up ground, leading him to the downed dragon which is tied up in the bola shot. He psychs himself up in preparation to cut out the dragon’s heart with his belt knife, but after seeing the fear in the helpless dragon’s eyes as it looks back at him, he can’t bring himself to kill it. After cutting it free from the ropes, the Night Fury pounces on him and the situation is now reversed: Hiccup is clearly afraid and the dragon stares intently into his eyes for several moments. When it rears up, Hiccup cringes as he thinks it’s going to kill him, but it instead roars angrily in his face before attempting to fly off into the trees. Hiccup attempts to walk away but faints from the encounter.

On the first day of Dragon Training, Snotlout, (voiced by Jonah Hill) and Ruffnut and Tuffnut (voiced by Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller) continue to mock Hiccup. He nearly gets killed by a Gronckle, but is saved in the nick of time by Gobber. As Gobber stows the beast away, he mentions a dragon “will always go in for the kill”. Hiccup returns to where he found the Night Fury, wondering why it hadn’t attempted to kill him. Following the path the dragon flew off to, Hiccup notices half of the Night Fury’s tail was torn off in its crash and can’t exit the small cove which it became trapped in. Attempting to finally record actual information about Night Furies, Hiccup drops his pencil and alerts the dragon to his presence, but the Night Fury only stares at him. Later that night, Hiccup reads the Dragon Manual in hopes to learn more about the creature, but it only says the Night Fury is extremely dangerous.

After barely surviving a Deadly Nadder in Dragon Training shortly afterward, Hiccup attempts to get closer to the Night Fury by offering a fish. The dragon’s attitude, on guard after spotting his belt knife, greatly improves after Hiccup tosses it away in the cove pool to prove his intentions. It cautiously takes the offering of fish using its retractable teeth and regurgitates some of it to share with Hiccup. To stay on good terms, Hiccup takes a bite of the raw fish (now covered with dragon’s drool), and is forced to swallow with some disgust as the dragon watches expectantly, and is surprised to see the dragon attempt to imitate a smile. However, his attempts to touch the Night Fury cause it to fly off to the other side of the cove. Later that same day while attempting to sleep, the Night Fury is curious Hiccup hasn’t left and walks over to see the boy drawing an outline of the dragon’s head in the dirt. Curious about the drawing, the dragon snaps off a large tree branch and attempts to do the same, making deep impressions in the ground of random scribbles to try to draw Hiccup’s head. Hiccup is amazed by it and when the dragon growls when he steps on it, takes care not to stand on the drawing before finally getting close enough to the Night Fury to touch it. It still doesn’t allow him to do so, but when he only holds his hand out, palm open and leaves it to the dragon to decide, it presses its nose into it.

Later that night, Hiccup learns from Gobber a dragon without its wings can’t fly, explaining why the Night Fury can’t leave the cove. Hiccup attempts to get the Night Fury, which he names Toothless after the dragon’s retractable teeth, to fly again through the use of an artificial tail fin. It soon becomes clear after a test run the design needs improvements and Toothless can’t fly on his own. Through testing new versions of the fin, Hiccup learns things about dragons from experiences with Toothless. He pushes a Hideous Zippleback into its cage through learning the dragon’s distaste for eel, incapacitates a Gronckle using knowledge of Toothless’ love of garlic grass, or “Dragon Nip“, leads a Terrible Terror into its cage by having it chase a beam of light like a cat, and incapacitates a Deadly Nadder by scratching it below the chin. The Viking adults see these feats of “subduing” dragons without actually harming them as a sign of greatness. The other Vikings teens watch in awe as Hiccup improves his skills, but Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera) her rivalry turns into extreme jealousy. As Hiccup becomes popular with his technique of incapacitating dragons rather than killing them, Astrid notices his strange behavior of leaving after every session. Stoick returns from his unsuccessful attempt to find the Dragon Nest and is surprised to hear how well Hiccup does in Dragon Training. Shortly after, Hiccup perfects his design of the prosthetic fin and helps Toothless take a successful flight around the island. After taking a lunch break with several wild Terrible Terrors, Hiccup realizes everything the Vikings know about dragons is wrong.

Hiccup is given a helmet for his triumph in the ring.

Stoick sees Hiccup and tells about his surprise of him succeeding in dragon training. Stoick gives Hiccup a helmet as a reward. In the arena, Astrid loses out on the right to kill their first dragon in the final test: a Monstrous Nightmare. An angry Astrid follows Hiccup to the small cove where he plans to leave Berk with Toothless to avoid taking part in his final exam. While she interrogates Hiccup about his skills, Toothless, thinking Astrid is a threat, attempts to attack her and subsequently exposes Hiccup’s relationship with the dragon. In an attempt to keep Toothless a secret, Toothless pulls Astrid onto the top of a tree, and Hiccup offers her a ride on the dragon’s back to show her he means no harm. Astrid reluctantly accepts Hiccup’s offer, but a cautious and annoyed Toothless fakes extreme attempts to throw her off. After Astrid admits she’s sorry for what she tried to do, Toothless stops his acrobatics and takes them on a calming romantic flight above the clouds. Astrid’s view on dragons is changed and she comes to think Toothless is amazing.

Hiccup and Astrid are both surprised when Toothless changes course and flies alongside other dragons that carry food to their Nest. Toothless follows them and hides as Hiccup and Astrid discover the dragons aren’t eating their kill themselves. Instead, they feed it to the Red Death, a gigantic titan wing dragon. The dragons are forced to feed the Red Death with what they steal from Berk or else they will be eaten by it instead, as proven with an unlucky Gronckle and a Hideous Zippleback.

After they escape the Nest and return home, Astrid wants to tell Stoick and the village about the Nest, but Hiccup is adamant that she does not do so, otherwise they would kill Toothless. Shocked, she asks in disbelief if he would go that far to “protect his pet dragon”. Unlike the uncertain and hesitant Hiccup she’s always known, Hiccup looks right at her and tells her “yes”, causing her to see him in a new light. Astrid promises to keep Toothless a secret and punches Hiccup in the shoulder for “kidnapping” her before kissing him on the cheek for “everything else”.

Hiccup attempts to tame the Nightmare.

The final test begins. Instead of killing it, however, Hiccup tries to tame it to prove the dragons aren’t dangerous creatures. His father’s insistence on stopping the test makes the Monstrous Nightmare revert into its regular state into attacking Hiccup. Toothless hears his human friend’s cries of fear and help from the cove and rushes to save him, climbing out of the cove by himself and running through the forest. Astrid enters the battle arena in an attempt to save Hiccup but fails to fight off the Monstrous Nightmare. Stoick helps Astrid get out of the arena but Hiccup is stopped short when the dragon blocks him from escaping. Toothless arrives in the nick of time and saves Hiccup by fighting away the Monstrous Nightmare. The other Vikings are in awe at the Night Fury and jump into the arena to capture him. In defense, Toothless attacks the Vikings, including Stoick, to stop them from harming his human friend. Hiccup tries to order Toothless to leave before he is captured, but Toothless’s strong devotion to protecting Hiccup causes him to stay put. Hiccup barely stops Toothless from using his fire on Stoick before the Vikings eventually overwhelm him. Hiccup tries to explain to his father dragons are nowhere near as harmful as they think they are and why the Dragons were so fierce when they took the Viking’s livestock, but Stoick refuses to listen, outraged at his son for befriended his enemy. During his attempt to explain, Hiccup accidentally mentions the Dragon’s Nest, the Red Death, and its treatment of the dragons and says only a dragon can enter the Nest, giving Stoick the idea to use Toothless as the ticket to get there. Hiccup tries to explain again to his father about the Red Death but Stoick still refuses to listen and simply says to Hiccup that he is no longer his son and accuses him of siding with the dragons.

Hiccup talks to his dad about the Dragons’ innocence and the Red Death.

The Vikings prepare themselves and leave to fight the dragons, keeping Toothless chained up aboard one of their ships. Hiccup watches them leave from the village’s harbor just as Astrid comes to him and talks about his situation. Hiccup rants about being the first Viking in 300 years who wouldn’t kill a dragon, prompting Astrid to ask him why he didn’t kill Toothless. Hiccup explains he saw Toothless was as afraid as he was. Astrid encourages him to take action and get Toothless back. He teaches the other teens how to ride the arena dragons, then flies their way to the Dragon’s Nest.

The Vikings reach the Nest using a shackled Toothless as a guide, then use catapults to blow a hole in the Nest’s lower base. Upon doing so, the dragons flee from the enraged Red Death, causing it to break through the side and attack the Vikings, setting all of the longboats on fire, including the one Toothless is chained up on, leaving them with no escape. Stoick realizes the scale of the fight Hiccup tried to tell him and curses himself as a fool. He, along with Gobber, decide to sacrifice themselves to let the others escape. However, both them and the Red Death are halted in their efforts when Hiccup and his friends arrive on the dragon’s back and shoot at the back of the Red Death’s head. Hiccup instructs Snotlout, (riding the Monstrous Nightmare), and Fishlegs, (riding the Gronckle), to go to the Red Death’s blind spot and make noise to keep it confused while Ruffnut and Tuffnut, (riding the Hideous Zippleback), exhaust the Red Death’s shot limit and Astrid, (riding the Deadly Nadder), drops off Hiccup so he can free Toothless. However it turns out Fishlegs and Snotlout can’t find a blind spot due to multiple eyes on the side of its face but they continue to bash the shields, this works on the Red Death but also works on Fishlegs’ Gronckle and Snotlout’s Monstrous Nightmare. The Nightmare flings Snotlout onto the head of the Red Death while the Gronckle drops altitude. Fishlegs, before crashing, throws Snotlout his hammer which Snotlout uses to hit the Red Death’s eyes so it doesn’t step on Fishlegs. In the Red Death’s thrashing about in steps on the boat Hiccup and Toothless are on and Toothless sinks a few feet below water. Hiccup still tries to save him but passes out from lack of air. Stoick, amazed at what Hiccup and his friends did, dives down and saves them both. After apologizing to his son, he tells him he doesn’t have to face the dragon, but with a smile, Hiccup replies, “We’re Vikings: it’s an occupational hazard”, something Stoick said early in the movie. Telling Hiccup he’s proud to have him as his son, Stoick watches as Hiccup climbs aboard Toothless and heads toward the Red Death. Astrid instructs the twins to get Snotlout off the Red Death’s head which they do. However, Astrid is almost sucked in and eaten by the Red Death until Toothless and Hiccup stop it with a plasma blast. Astrid falls off her Nadder due to the force of the plasma explosion but Toothless catches her. After dropping her off, Astrid silently says “go”.

Hiccup and Toothless go to confront the Red Death

Hiccup angers the Red Death into following him with Toothless using a powerful plasma blast. After leading it up high enough into the dark clouds, they hide among them and while diving past at high speed, repeatedly blasting hole after hole into the Red Death’s wings. In pain and anger, the giant blasts a long stream of fire all around it, setting Toothless’ prosthetic tail-fin alight when the Night Fury can’t avoid the flames. Knowing they have little time left, Hiccup dives nearly straight down, the Red Death in hot pursuit. When he hears the sound of the Red Death heating its gasses to fry them, he waits for the last possible moment, then shouts to Toothless; Toothless spins around and fires a plasma blast directly into the Red Death’s mouth, prematurely igniting the gas and setting its insides on fire. Toothless twists away and slips past its head, as it realizes it’s about to hit the ground. However, when it spreads its wings to stop itself, all the holes in its wings tear into even bigger holes, rendering its wings useless.

As the huge dragon crashes at full speed and explodes, Hiccup is knocked off unconscious when Toothless is unable to turn away from hitting the Red Death’s tail after his prosthetic fin burned. Seeing Hiccup fall towards the flames beneath, Toothless dives into the inferno of the Red Death’s exploding body to save him. After the smoke from the battle clears, it is shown Toothless survived, with his prosthetic fin destroyed and his saddle empty and burned. Everyone believes Hiccup was killed in the explosion, reducing Stoick to tears. He apologizes, saying how sorry he was for not listening to his son. Toothless sees this and unfurls his wrapped up wings, revealing he has an unconscious Hiccup clutched to his body: his fire-proof dragonhide saved Hiccup’s life.

Hiccup after Astrid kissed him.

After about three weeks, Hiccup wakes up in his bed, which has been placed on the main floor at home, surprised Toothless is in his house to joyfully greet him. As he gets out of bed, after being licked by Toothless, he discovers he lost his left foot and lower shin (as Toothless was unable to fully enwrap those parts with his wings), which was replaced by a prosthetic made by Gobber. After taking a moment for the feelings of sadness and loss to pass by, Toothless helps him walk outside and where both of them are surprised to see the Vikings invited the dragons to live in the village. Hiccup is welcomed back as a hero and Astrid punches him for “scaring her” and gives him a kiss on the lips. After Toothless is fitted with a new fin and saddle that Gobber built, Hiccup, Astrid, and the other Viking teenagers ride their dragons through Berk as the new age of a Viking and dragon alliance begins.

Transcript

·        English: How to Train Your Dragon (transcript)

·        German: German transcript by AddyD

·        The transcript for the HTTYD Filmmakers Commentary is here.

Voice Cast

·        Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

·        America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson

·        Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast

·        Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch

·        Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson

·        Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman

·        T.J. Miller as Tuffnut Thorston

·        Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut Thorston

·        David Tennant as Spitelout Jorgenson

Dragon Characters

·        Toothless

·        Stormfly

·        Meatlug

·        Hookfang

·        Barf and Belch

·        Red Death

Dragons

·        Deadly Nadder

·        Gronckle

·        Hideous Zippleback

·        Monstrous Nightmare

·        Night Fury

·        Terrible Terror

·        Red Death

·        Boneknapper (mentioned and pictured)

·        Changewing (mentioned and pictured)

·        Scauldron (mentioned and pictured)

·        Skrill (mentioned and pictured)

·        Thunderdrum (mentioned and pictured)

·        Timberjack (mentioned and pictured)

·        Whispering Death (mentioned and pictured)

·        Snaptrapper (pictured)

·        Speed Stinger (pictured)

·        Grapple Grounder (possible statue)

Animals

·        Cat (mentioned)

·        Deer

·        Eel

·        Fish

·        Hippopotamus

·        Horse (mentioned)

·        Mouse (mentioned)

·        Mosquito (mentioned)

·        Parrot (mentioned)

·        Seagull

·        Shark

·        Sheep

·        Sparrow (mentioned)

Awards and Nominations

Main Article: List of Awards and Nominations for How to Train Your Dragon

Trivia

·        In the first battle with dragons, a Viking comes to Stoick, to tell him which Dragons are attacking. Stoick then asked: “Are there any Night Furies?” and the Viking responded: “None so far.” This could mean that Toothless wasn’t the last Night Fury at the time. It is possible that Stoick was only asking about the Night Fury fire shots, so Toothless was the only one already.

·        However, in the third film, Grimmel the Grisly was revealed to have hunted the Night Furies to extinction, also proving what Hiccup said in the film that no one ever killed a Night Fury was false (although Hiccup was unaware Grimmel killed off the Night Furies).

·        There are only seven species of dragons seen throughout the whole film.

·        The number of seven Dragons is very similar to the first Jurassic Park film where there were seven Dinosaurs.

·        Although based on the children’s book by Cressida Cowell, the film adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon has many fundamental differences in the setting and the way the characters are portrayed. It is said to be the prequel to Cressida Cowell’s books, since the books have Vikings and dragons friends already, thought the differences in dragon types between the books and movie (EXP: Book version Monstrous Nightmares are only about the size of a leopard, though in the movie they are large enough to ride) are too drastic for some fans to accept this answer, as well as the fact that movie-version Hiccup is repeatedly called Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, while, if this had been a prequel he would be Hiccup Horrendous Haddock I.

·        The Terrible Terror dragon was a tribute to the original Toothless by DreamWorks.

·        Toothless appears briefly in the DreamWorks opening logo.

·        Throughout the film, there are several cool details that may seem unnoticeable.

·        In the Downed Dragon scene, when the camera was panning across Toothless’ body, we can see his eyes were closed for a split-second but after the wing passes in front of it, his eyes are open. This was a mistake by the animators but they kept it because it looks creepy.

·        When Hiccup was reading the Dragon Manual in the Great Hall, a lightning bolt scared him. He continued reading the manual and if you look closely, we can see the dragon pictures moving. This is to show the fear Hiccup is experiencing.

·        After the Romantic Flight scene ended, Toothless takes Hiccup and Astrid to the Dragon Nest. Along the way, we see several dragons carrying food. But, if you look closely, you may notice that a Monstrous Nightmare was holding Gloria the hippo from another DreamWorks’ film, Madagascar.

·        Both Hiccup and Stoick said “I did this”, with their actions making Toothless and Hiccup forever crippled. Hiccup said it at the Downed Dragon scene, resulting in Toothless losing one of his tail fins. Stoick said it after the defeat of the Red Death, resulting in Hiccup losing one of his legs. It should also be noted that Toothless was lying in a state of semi-consciousness when they both said the line.

·        At the first Dragon Training, Gobber saved Hiccup from the Gronckle that is about to blast him and said to him that “a dragon will always go for the kill”. In the next scene, we can see Hiccup say, “So why didn’t you?”, similar to how Astrid said the same line to Hiccup when the Vikings are sailing to the Dragon Nest. Both Toothless and Hiccup are similar, neither could because they’re not monsters. When raiding Berk, Toothless only destroyed catapults and doesn’t steal food or kill Vikings. He spared Hiccup, while other dragons would kill him. Hiccup also has the same reason, he can’t kill a dragon. However, other Vikings would if given the opportunity.

Differences From the Novel

·        In the book, Toothless has no teeth, hence his name. In the film, he gets his name from his retractable teeth.

·        In the book, Toothless is a Common Dragon who is small enough to fit on Hiccup’s shoulder. In the film, he is a Night Fury, the rarest and most intelligent dragon, who is large enough to allow Astrid and Hiccup to fly on him.

·        In the book, it is part of the tradition to train a dragon or become exiled. In the film, it is part of the tradition to kill a dragon.

·        Astrid and Ruffnut don’t exist in the books.

·        In the book, Fishlegs is Hiccup’s best friend and is skinny. In the film, he isn’t friends with Hiccup until around the end of the movie and is chubby.

·        Common Dragons are replaced by Terrible Terrors.

·        In the film, the Green Death, a Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, is replaced by the Red Death.

·        In the books, dragons can breathe underwater. In the film, Toothless nearly drowns, meaning they don’t have gills as in the series.

·        In the books, dragons are noted to be selfish and ungrateful, but this does not appear to be the case in the movie.

·        In the movies Hookfang is Snotlout’s dragon while in books he belongs to Stoick.

How to Take a Screenshot on your PC, Phone or Tablet

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Taking a screenshot is an important skill for young people and parents to have. This article will show you how to Screenshot an image on your mobile phone, computer and tablet. Not only are screenshots useful for demonstrating computer programs and accessing online resources when you don’t have an internet connection, but they are essential for recording evidence of cyberbullying.

It must be acknowledged that screenshots can be used to instigate bullying, as they allow the taker of the screenshot to copy incriminating photos and messages. However, in order for a young person to be prepared to handle cyberbullying situations, he/she must know how to record evidence of cyberbullying by taking screenshots.

What is a Screenshot?

But first, what exactly is a screenshot? A screenshot or screen capture is a picture taken by a computer, mobile, or tablet user, using the device in question, to record the visible items displayed on the screen. The image is stored as a graphics file. Screenshots can be taken using various programs or by using particular keyboard/button shortcuts.

How to Take a Screenshot on a Computer

Windows

  • Hit the PrtScn button/ or Print Scrn button,  to take a screenshot of the entire screen: When using Windows, pressing the Print Screen button (located in the top right of the keyboard) will take a screenshot of your entire screen. Hitting this button essentially copies an image of the screen to the clipboard. Where does it go? Well, you have to open Word, Paint, or some other image editing program to view, edit or save the image. For example, open Word and click Ctrl and v. This is a shortcut instead of right-clicking the mouse and selecting paste. If you’d like to capture only the active window press the Alt and PrtScn buttons together and paste them into your document like above.
    How to Screenshot
  • Use the Snipping Tool program to take and edit screenshots: If you’re having difficulty locating or using the Print Screen key you might prefer to use Snipping Tool. Snipping Tool is a program that is included for free with Windows 7,How to ScreenshotWindows Vista, and several other Windows products. It allows you to take screenshots easily by clicking New and then selecting the area that you’d like to screenshot. You can then edit the screenshot, using highlighter and pen tools. Snipping Tool is just one of the numerous tools available to assist you in taking screenshots.

Some laptops, in particular, mightn’t have a PrtScn key. The user manual that came with your machine should have instructions on different key combinations that can be used for taking screenshots.

Mac

  • Hit the Command, Shift, and 3 keys together to take a screenshot of the entire screen: When using Mac, pressing the Command, Shift and 3 buttons together will take a screenshot of your entire screen. This screenshot will be automatically saved to your desktop. Press the Command, Shift, and 4 keys together to take a screenshot of a selected area.
How to Screenshot
  • Use the Grab tool to take a screenshot: An alternative to the keyboard shortcuts on Mac is to use the Grab tool. Grab is a program that is included for free with Macs. It allows you to take screenshots easily by clicking Capture and then selecting the type of screenshot that you’d like to take. Grab is just one of the numerous tools available to assist you in taking screenshots.

How to Screenshot

How to Take a Screenshot on a Smartphone/Tablet

How to take a screenshot on a smartphone or tablet varies depending on the operating system and device used. The easiest way to find out how to screenshot on your device is to search online. The following videos, available on Youtube, show how to take screenshots with some of the most popular phones and tablets. Generally speaking, to take a screenshot on a phone or tablet, you press the power key and the home button at the same time. Your screenshot will add itself to your gallery.  

Android

View the video here: youtube.com/watch?v=Eirs0kCo7qs

iOS (Apple)

View the video here: youtube.com/watch?v=hDkyqLgyBkE

How to Take a Screen record on a Phone

Screenrecord

Please be aware that many phones nowadays can screen record, meaning that they can record videos on the screen. A third-party app is needed for Android phones or older IoS phones. The Apple iOS 11 or later, has built-in screen record capabilities. These can be turned on by going to Settings/ Control Centre/ Customise Controls/ Screen Recording. You can access the screen recording feature in your control panel by swiping up on the home screen. Recordings are saved onto the camera roll. For details on how to set up screen record on iOS: View the video

How to Order Food in German: What You Need to Know to Get Fed Right

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

One of the most exciting things about adventuring around a new country is getting to taste all the great regional specialties that you might never have even heard of.

In Germany, that includes a lot of hearty meat dishes and regional variations on comfort food classics.

Even if you aren’t jetting off to Germany anytime soon, learning how to order food is still a really necessary part of language to have. 

So, with all that in mind, here’s our guide to ordering food in Germany.

Arriving at the Restaurant

If the restaurant is popular, it may be a good idea to call ahead or pop in beforehand to reserve a spot.

  • Kann ich einen Tisch reservieren, bitte? (Can I please reserve a table?)
  • Haben Sie Platz für zwei/drei/vier? (Do you have room for two/three/four?)
  • Wir sind zu zweit/dritt/viert. (There are two/three/four of us.) — In German, when you’re saying how many people you are, you need to use a different form of the number.

Reading the German Menu

Once you’re all sat down, it’s time to open the menu. Here’s the vocab you’ll want to know:

  • die Speisekarte (menu)
  • das Menü (set meal) — This is one can really baffle native English speakers who at first think the Menü option means ordering the entire menu! It’s actually a set meal. You’ll see this mainly in fast food takeouts—there’ll be a set price for ordering a meal plus a drink and/or side.
  • das Essen (food) — The word for “food” is exactly the same as the verb “to eat.” Just remember it needs a capital letter because it’s a noun.
  • das Hauptgericht (main course)
  • die Vorspeise (starter)
  • der Nachtisch (dessert) — Literally, “after table.”
  • das Frühstück (breakfast)
  • das Mittagessen (lunch)
  • das Abendessen (dinner)
  • vegetarisch (vegetarian)
  • Zum mitnehmen, bitte. (To take away, please.) — Almost all restaurants will offer their dishes to take out.

das Fleisch (Meat)

  • das Rindfleisch (beef)
  • das Schweinefleisch (pork)
  • das Lamm (lamb)
  • das Hähnchen (chicken)
  • die Pute (turkey)
  • das Wildfleisch (game)
  • der Fisch (fish)

das Obst (Fruit)

  • der Apfel (apple)
  • die Banane (banana)
  • die Orange (orange)
  • die Erdbeeren (strawberries)
  • die Trauben (grapes)

das Gemüse (Vegetables)

  • die Kartoffel (potato)
  • die Karotte / die Möhre (carrot)
  • der Pilz / der Champignon (mushroom)
  • der Kohl / das Kraut (cabbage)
  • die Bohnen (beans)
  • die Erbsen (peas)

das Getränk (drink)

  • das Wasser (water)
  • die Milch (milk)
  • das Bier (beer)
  • der Tee (tea)
  • Der Kaffee (coffee)
  • das Cola (Coca-Cola)
  • die Limo (lemonade)

German Specialties

If you aren’t so familiar with famous German dishes, this list will keep you right.

  • die Bratwurst — A grilled sausage, often served in a crispy bread bun with a dollop of Senf.
  • der Senf — A German-style mustard. You can also get Süßsenf (sweet mustard) which is traditionally eaten with Weißwurst (white sausage) and Bretzeln (pretzels).
  • die Kohlroulade — Cabbage roll. Cooked cabbage leaves are rolled around different fillings. Popular fillings include beef or pork.
  • das Schnitzel — Technically an Austrian specialty rather than German, but this is still widely eaten across Germany. It’s a thin slice of meat (traditionally veal but usually pork) that is covered in breadcrumbs and fried. You can usually have it as it is or with a sauce.
  • die Bratkartoffeln — A side dish of fried potatoes, often served with bacon and onions.
  • das Sauerkraut — Fermented cabbage, another very popular side dish.
  • die Schweinshaxe — Grilled knuckle of pork. If you also see Eisbein on the menu, it’s also a knuckle of pork but boiled instead of grilled.
  • die Käsespätzle — A popular vegetarian dish, especially in southern Germany—handmade noodles topped with cheese.

How to Order in German

The conditional tense is used in language to explain that something might happen. If there is a possibility something will occur, and we want to get that across, then we use the conditional.

In English we generally do this by using the verb “would.” This is also the case in German, and the verb is würden. 

Ich würde den Rock kaufen. (I would buy the skirt.)

Er würde nach Mexiko. (He would go to Mexico.)

We need this tense when ordering food because we want to say we would like something. However, we don’t use würden because there are two set phrases for “would like.”

Ich möchte (I would like)

Ich hätte gern (I would like)

It’s super easy to construct sentences using these phrases. You simply start your sentence off with either of these phrases. Here are a few (food related!) examples.

Ich hätte gern zwei Brötchen bitte. (I would like two bread buns please.)

Ich möchte einen Apfelsaft. (I would like an apple juice.)

Ich hätte gern 200 Gramm Käse. (I would like 200 grams of cheese.)

Ich möchte einen Tisch um 20 Uhr reservieren. (I would like to reserve a table at 8 p.m.)

Notice that, while these two phrases are almost interchangeable, hätte gern cannot be used with another verb. Thus you cannot say ich hätte gern einen Tisch reservieren (I’d like to have a table reserve), but you can say ich möchte einen Tisch or ich hätte gern einen Tisch (I’d like a table).

Making Special Requests in German

Here are some really useful German phrases if you have any special dietary requirements:

  • Ist das Gericht glutenfrei/nussfrei? (Is the dish gluten free/free from nuts?)
  • Gibt es etwas Veganes? (Is there a vegan option?) — Etwas is usually shortened to was and the entire phrase would usually be pronounced “Gibt’s was Veganes?”
  • Ich möchte es lieber ohne scharf. (I’d prefer it not too spicy.) — You might sometimes be asked “mit scharf?” (Would you like it spicy?) This is actually not “proper” German, but you’ll hear it at fast food kiosks in Berlin, for example. If you prefer, you could use the more grammatical phrase nicht scharf at a restaurant.
  • Ist es möglich, das Gericht ohne das Spiegelei/die Pommes/die Bratensoße zu haben? (Is it possible to have the dish without the fried egg/french fries/gravy?)

German Phrases for During the Meal

In Germany, it’s usual to greet everyone at the beginning of a meal.

  • Guten Appetit! (Enjoy your meal!)
  • Mahlzeit! — This word literally means “mealtime” and comes from the archaic phrase gesegnete Mahlzeit (blessed mealtime). Nowadays it’s used as a salutation, so if you bump into someone around lunch or dinner—especially if you’re on a lunch break from work—then you would greet them by saying “Mahlzeit” rather than “hallo” or “guten Tag.”

To respond, you can either repeat “Mahlzeit” or just say “danke” (thank you). Mahlzeit can also be used as a negative term; if two people see something that might put them off from eating, they may sarcastically say “Mahlzeit!” to one another. In Northern Germany this salutation can be used even when there is no connection to food or mealtimes, however in Southern Germany and Austria it’s only ever used when there is an obvious connection to food.

  • Kannst du mir das Salz geben, bitte? (Can you please pass me the salt?)
  • Schmeckt es dir? (Do you like it?) — This can also be translated as “Is it tasty?”
  • Entschuldigung! (Excuse me!) — To be really formal you can also say “Entschuldigen Sie bitte” (Excuse me).
  • Können wir mehr Wasser haben, bitte? (Can we have more water, please?)

At the End of the Meal

When you’re all done, it’s time to wrap up.

  • die Rechnung (the check)
  • das Trinkgeld (the tip) — To tip in Germany, you just need to round up your bill to the nearest euro.
  • Ich möchte zahlen. (I’d like to pay.)

Useful Resources for Learning How to Order Food in German

Here are some additional websites that provide a lot of extra information about ordering food in German. Check them out and see how many of the above words and phrases you see!

  • YouTube. There are quite a few videos in which actors role play a restaurant or cafe scenario. This one from “Get Germanized” offers a lot of great vocab and grammar tips.
  • FluentU. This language learning program uses authentic German web videos like travel guides and recipe videos to teach you the language the way native speakers use it. The videos on FluentU can be searched and sorted by topic, letting you easily find content about food and restaurants. There are also themed flashcard sets that will let you review key vocabulary about food and related topics.
  • WikiHow. This WikiHow on ordering food in Germany has handy pictures to help guide you through the steps.
  • Food blogs. German food blogs can inspire you to get into the kitchen. While you’re working through their wonderful recipes, you’ll also be picking up a lot of vocabulary you’ll be able to use when eating out.

If you want to practice ordering at home, one great idea would be to set up a scenario and role play with some friends or classmates. Role play is a great way to practice your speaking in real-life scenarios, while keeping it fun and laid back.

Now you can impress any German waiters you may come across on your travels! Is anyone else’s tummy rumbling? This post has got me hungry… time to pull out my best German cooking skills in the kitchen!

How to Open Task Manager in Windows 10/ windows 11

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Windows Task Manager is an advanced utility tool that helps you manage your apps that are running.

Task Manager lets you see which apps are open and which you’re using. You can also see which apps are running in the background that you didn’t open yourself.

One important reason that you might want to open Task Manager is to stop apps that are making windows unresponsive.

There are a few different ways to open Task Manager. So in this article, I will walk you through 7 ways you can open Task Manager on Windows 10.

1. How to Open Task Manager with Windows Search

The easiest way to find anything on a Windows machine is to search for it. Task Manager is not an exception.

  • Click on the search icon then type “Task Manager” in the search bar.
  • Task Manager will pop up as a search result, and you can open it from there.
search

2. How to Open Task Manager with Keyboard Shortcuts

Some apps might go rogue and stop Windows from responding, so you might not have access to Windows Search in such situations.

Windows has two different key combinations with which you can open up Task Manager in case you want to see running apps or stop an app.

  • You can open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc all together. This opens Task Manager straightaway
  • You can also open Task Manager from the GINA screen by pressing and holding Ctrl + Alt + Del.

Some apps might prevent you from accessing Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, but pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del will always open up the Graphical Identification and Authentication (GINA) screen for you so you can select and open Task Manager from there.

gina-screen

3. How to Open Task Manager through the Control Panel

You can use the Control Panel search option to open Task Manager.

Type “Task Manager” in the search bar and you will see a link to Task Manager under “System”.

ControlPanel

4. How to Open Task Manger through the Start Menu

A lot of people prefer opening apps from the start menu. You can open Task Manager from there too.

  • Click on the Windows icon, or press the WIN Key on the keyboard.
  • Scroll to the bottom and open up the Windows system folder
  • Task Manager will be shown alongside some other apps – just select it there to open it.
startMenu

5. How to Open Task Manager with the Run Command

Many apps and folders can be opened with the run dialogue on Windows 10. There’s a command for opening Task Manager from there too.

  • Press the WIN + R keys on the keyboard to open the run dialogue
  • Type “taskmgr” and click “Ok” to open the Task Manager.
runCommand

6. How to Open Task Manager from the Taskbar

You can open the Task Manager from Taskbar too.

Right-click on an empty space in the taskbar then select “Task Manager”.

taskbar

7. How to Open Task Manager from the Windows Power User Menu

In addition to the 6 methods we’ve already seen, you can open Task Manager by right-clicking in the Windows logo and then selecting “Task Manager” from the menu that pops up.

You can also get there by pressing and holding the Win + X keys on the keyboard and then selecting “Task Manager” from the menu.

powerUser

Conclusion

Windows Task Manager is a very powerful tool that can greatly increase your productivity. With it, you can see which apps are running and stop those that are causing issues.

In this article, you’ve learned about several ways to open Task Manager on Windows 10 so you can have a better experience using it.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice time.

How to Open RAR and ZIP Files on a PC, Mac, or Mobile Device

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

If you’ve ever gotten a mail with a rar or zip file attached, and have not been sure how to open it, then this guide can help clear up your doubts. These are two popular compressed file formats, which are used to reduce the number of space files take up – very handy when you want to send a mail, or are keeping data for long-term storage.

Even if you know how to open them on your computer, you might find it a little more difficult on your phone or tablet, but with the right software, it’s easy to do, no matter what device you’re using. On the Mac and PC, software like WinZip and WinRAR easily open all kinds of archives, but they’re not the simplest tools we found. Read on to find out the easiest way to unpack an archive:

Windows

Opening zip files is easy on Windows. If you have Windows 7 or 8, the OS can open zip files without any software. Opening RAR files will require a free tool called 7-Zip. Once you install 7-Zip, follow these steps to open rar files:

1) Right-click the rar file to be opened.

2) Select “7-Zip > Extract files”.

3) In the pop-up box that shows up, choose the folder where you’d like to extract the compressed files and click “OK”. If you choose “Extract Here” instead, then the files are saved in the folder where the archive is stored.

OS X

To open RAR files on Mac OS X, install a free rar extractor app such as RAR Extractor Free. Once installed, follow these steps:

1) Right-click the RAR file and select “Open With”.

2) Now choose RAR Extractor Free from the list of programs. This automatically extracts the contents of the archive in the directory the rar file is in.

After you’ve opened an archive with “Open With” once, future archives can be unpacked by double-clicking on the file.

iOS

Due to iOS’s restrictions on access to the file system, opening compressed files is not straightforward. Most apps will ask you to pay for access to cloud storage services such as Dropbox. However, there are ad-supported free apps such as Zip & RAR File Extractor Free that let you open compressed files. Here’s how to do it.

1) Open the app which has your rar file. If it was sent over email, then open the email app. If it is in a cloud storage app, then open that.

2) Tap the zip or RAR file you want to open.

3) Depending on the app, you will either see a menu pop up, asking you which app you want to open the file with, or you will see an error saying the app can’t open the file.

4) If you see the latter, hit the share button (a box with an arrow pointing upward).

5) This will show you the menu mentioned in step 3. Here, select Open in Zip Extractor to open your compressed file.

6) Tap Extract to see the files that were in the rar file.

Android

Extracting compressed files is very easy on Android. Here’s how you can do that quickly.

1) Install the free RAR for Android app.

2) Open the app and navigate to the folder that has your rar file. To find your SD card, tap the “three books” icon on the top left.

3) Once you’ve found the rar file, simply tap on it to open it.

BlackBerry 10

While there are a lot of apps to open RAR files on the BlackBerry App World, two of the free ones we tried didn’t open the files. Luckily, BlackBerry 10 users can install Android apps – we’d recommend installing the Amazon Appstore to simplify the process.

1) Head to Amazon and follow the instructions to download and install the Appstore.

2) Now, from the Appstore install Easy Unrar and open the app.

3) If you get a RAR file as an email attachment, tapping the file will open it in Easy Unrar.

4) If the file is on your phone, open Easy Unrar and go to the folder which has your file.

5) Check the RAR file you want to open, then tap “Open Archive”. Now select the files you want to extract and tap “Extract”.

Windows Phone

Microsoft’s Windows Phone has a free app to help you open RAR files. Go through these instructions to open them.

1) Install Archiver from the Windows Phone store.

2) Once the app is installed, it will open all year files in email attachments as soon as you tap those.

3) You can also open the app to open downloaded rar files. Swipe left to sign in to SkyDrive and open RAR files stored in the cloud.

That is how you open RAR files on any device for free. Did you find this useful? Is there any other app that you prefer to open RAR files? The comment section is open to all, feel free to speak up.

How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love-logan ury

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

A “must-read” (The Washington Post) funny and practical guide to help you find, build, and keep the relationship of your dreams.

Have you ever looked around and wondered, “Why has everyone found love except me?” You’re not the only one. Great relationships don’t just appear in our lives—they’re the culmination of a series of decisions, including whom to date, how to end it with the wrong person, and when to commit to the right one. But our brains often get in the way. We make poor decisions, which thwart us on our quest to find lasting love.

Drawing from years of research, behavioral scientist turned dating coach Logan Ury reveals the hidden forces that cause those mistakes. But awareness on its own doesn’t lead to results. You have to actually change your behavior. Ury shows you how.

This “simple-to-use guide” (Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone) focuses on a different decision in each chapter, incorporating insights from behavioral science, original research, and real-life stories. You’ll learn:

-What’s holding you back in dating (and how to break the pattern)

-What really matters in a long-term partner (and what really doesn’t)

-How to overcome the perils of online dating (and make the apps work for you)

-How to meet more people in real life (while doing activities you love)

-How to make dates fun again (so they stop feeling like job interviews)

-Why “the spark” is a myth (but you’ll find love anyway)

This “data-driven” (Time), step-by-step guide to relationships, complete with hands-on exercises, is designed to transform your life. How to Not Die Alone will help you find, build, and keep the relationship of your dreams.

Click to get book

Tags:

how to not die alone,how to not die alone pdf,how to not die alone pdf free,how to not die alone logan ury,how to not die alone audiobook,how to not die alone ebook

How to negotiate Salary- How to Negotiate Salary After You Get a Job Offer

April 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

It’s not surprising that many people aren’t comfortable asking for more money once their job search has ended and they have an offer in front of them. If the salary is reasonable, they don’t want to jeopardize the opportunity now that they’ve gotten this far.

But as the 2022 Salary Guide From Robert Half points out, hiring has reached or even exceeded pre-pandemic levels in many markets. On top of that, there’s a shortage of skilled professionals, which is increasing competition for top talent and driving up salaries.

If you have specialized skills and an impressive resume, you could be leaving money on the table if you don’t negotiate a salary offer.

Most hiring managers will allow you to do some thinking about the offer and won’t expect an immediate answer. So, do it! Here are eight tips for how to negotiate the salary that can help you tactfully and confidently ask for what you want.

1. Become familiar with industry salary trends

You need to enter a salary negotiation as informed as possible. Information is your strongest ally. To get a current, realistic view of the compensation landscape in your field, consult the Robert Half Salary Guide. You’ll find the going rate for your position and experience level and can adjust national figures for your geographic area.

Pay particular attention to the “hottest jobs” and “most in-demand skills” sections of the Salary Guide. You can respond more confidently if you find you’re in the running for one of those hot jobs. The employer may be having a tough time finding someone with enough skills and experience, and that opens the door to negotiating higher pay.

2. Build your case

Once you receive the salary offer, don’t just counter with a higher number. Even if your research supports it, you’ll be more successful if you explain why you feel you deserve more. Highlight your strengths, detailing all the extras the firm would get from someone with your track record.

Before negotiating, jot down concrete examples of how your skills and experience will benefit your new company’s bottom line. Possessing certifications or specialized technical skills, for example, can enhance your ability to do the job, so don’t fail to mention them. By tying your strengths to the role you’ll be taking on, you’ll make a solid case for why you should be paid more than the initial offer.

3. Tell the truth

Complete honesty is paramount when negotiating salary. There’s no better way to see your offer withdrawn than having a hiring manager find out you invented a competing job offer or inflated your salaries from past jobs.

4. Factor in perks and benefits

Salary negotiations often include some give-and-take on employee perks and benefits. It may be less costly than a bump in salary for the employer to give ground on extra vacation days, flexible hours, or, especially today, a work-from-home schedule.

Consider what’s valuable to you and what would make an offer more attractive. If you’re considering multiple offers, remember to directly compare health insurance coverage, retirement savings plans, and other benefits to make an informed decision. Also factor in perks such as professional development opportunities with the potential employer.

5. Practice your delivery

This may sound like overkill to some people, but it’s a good idea to ask a friend or mentor to practice with you the conversation you’re likely to have with the hiring manager. The ideal partner is someone from the corporate world — a business-savvy person who can coach you on projecting confidence and answering unexpected questions. Running through your delivery several times can make you feel more sure of yourself heading into the salary discussion.

6. Know when to wrap it up

A reasonable employer won’t withdraw an offer just because you tried to negotiate. But dragging out the salary negotiation can frustrate the hiring manager and start your relationship on a sour note. If the company can’t meet your requirements after a few discussions, respectfully withdraw and focus on opportunities that better match your compensation expectations.

7. Get everything in writing

Once you and the hiring manager settle on a compensation package, ask for written documentation. Besides the salary amount, it should include any special arrangements, such as a signing bonus or allowance for moving expenses, and a job description and a list of responsibilities for your new role. Ensure the document is signed by both you and the employer. Some companies may provide this automatically as part of an employment contract, but if not, request some type of informal documentation.

8. Stay positive

Remember that most managers don’t love negotiating, either. Your future employer is not your adversary. Keeping your tone positive while negotiating salary and perks will help you more effectively navigate these discussions.

If you’d like to get a better starting salary offer, you have to ask for it. Job seekers too often accept the first number that’s put on the table. But whether the economy is strong or uncertain, employers are eager to bring on team members with specialized skills and expertise that can help them the most. Homework, tact, and confidence are the keys to your success.

« Older posts