The Seven Secrets to Language Learning Success
People often ask me how I learned 20 languages. I will tell you what works for me; you’ll have to decide if this can work for you. Here are the first four secrets to language learning success…
The Best Way to Learn Spanish (And Actually Become Fluent)
TL;DR The best way to learn Spanish is not through drills or memorization, but through understanding. Prioritize listening and reading, let speaking develop naturally, keep stress low, and connect Spanish to your…
How to Speak Better in Any Language: 7 Key Tips
TL;DR To speak better in any language, stop worrying about perfection. Build vocabulary, focus on speech patterns and natural phrasing, visit old material to reinforce your knowledge. Finally, speak a lot without…
3 Tips to Power up Your English Learning
TL;DR Once an English learner reaches an intermediate level, it’s common to get stuck. How do you break through the plateau? Focus on improving comprehension, pronunciation, and natural phrasing. Through meaningful input,…
How to Learn Vocabulary Naturally
TL;DR Extensive reading and listening is the best way to learn vocabulary, not memorization. High-frequency words are useful, but real progress comes from absorbing low-frequency words through interesting content, consistency, and patience….
Avoid These 3 Mistakes to Become Fluent
TL;DRMost learners struggle to reach fluency due to unrealistic expectations. They compare themselves to native speakers, fear mistakes, and expect their target language to feel like their native language. To achieve fluency,…
How to Expand Your Vocabulary Without Memorization
Accumulating words is the fundamental task in language learning, in other words it is very important to acquire new words. Many learners are under the impression that this is done through memorization. This is not, however, the most effective way to grow your vocabulary. I’ve never been able to learn new words by deliberately trying to memorize them. The more effective way to learn new words is simply through exposure to the language.
How I Learned German (and How You Can Too)
TL;DR Summary German took me a while to get used to. In the beginning, I just listened a lot and tried to get a feel for it. I didn’t bother much with…
The Definition of a Polyglot
As people who speak multiple languages, polyglots like to use those languages; we like to see how we do. But there is an element of performance. Are you better than me? Am I better than you? For some people that’s fine. I think a lot of us are very happy, in fact, when we hear somebody speak better than we do.
Comprehensible Input: How It Helps Language Learning
What is meant by comprehensible input in language learning? Stephen Krashen uses this term, as well as the term compelling input, to refer to the kind of language exposure we need in order to learn a language. The term CI, in language learning, can apply to both. What do they mean?
A Polyglot’s Guide to Learning Languages with AI Tools
TL;DR SummaryAI accelerates language learning by giving you unlimited customized input and targeted feedback. Explore your interests and complex topics more easily with AI-generated listening and reading material. Generate audio, summarize books,…
How Long Does It Take to Learn Spanish?
How many hours a day will you spend with Spanish? This is perhaps the most important consideration and does not refer to how many hours do you spend in a Spanish language classroom. It means how much time do you spend listening, reading, speaking or writing in Spanish. It can be listening to podcasts while walking the dog, reading, watching movies, listening to songs in Spanish or being engaged in a conversation in Spanish. In some ways, exposure to Spanish outside the classroom can be more intense than exposure inside the classroom, unless you are lucky enough to have one-on-one instruction.
