The Linguist - For people who love languages, or would but were discouraged...

18Sep

18 Sep 2020

Learn English Without Studying Modal Verbs

Learn English Without Studying Modal Verbs I want to briefly cover modal verbs because very often I get asked the following: How can I get better, more accurate in my use of modal verbs? I get other very specific questions related to aspects of English or other languages. Well, my advice is you […]

15Sep

15 Sep 2020

Should You Try Learning Two Languages At Once?

Learning Techniques

I am asked this question regularly from my YouTube and blog viewers. if I would recommend learning two languages at the same time or not. Well, first of all, a person who is learning one language and wants to learn another language or even a third language is something that I fully understand and fully endorse.

08Sep

8 Sep 2020

Introverts Vs Extroverts in Language Learning

Motivation

The myth is that there exists a battle in language learning: introverts vs. extroverts, and that extroverts are the better language learners. I do not believe at all that you need to be an extrovert to learn a language. Language learning comes down to the three keys: number one, attitude. You have to be interested in the language. You have to like the language. You have to believe you’re [...]

01Sep

1 Sep 2020

How Long Should it Take to Learn a Language?

Learning Techniques

Language learning depends mostly on three factors, the attitude of the learner, the time available, and learner's attentiveness to the language. If we assume a positive attitude on the part of the learner, and a reasonable and growing attentivenes...

25Aug

25 Aug 2020

5 Reasons to Learn Greek

Learning Greek

There are many reasons to learn a language. Some people learn a language for professional reasons, because they need the language for their job. Some people learn a language because they have a relative or special person who speaks that language. Sometimes, though, we need to take the time to learn a language simply for […]

18Aug

18 Aug 2020

Experience Is The Best Teacher

Learning Techniques

At the age of 55, I decided to learn Cantonese. I had studied Mandarin and could read Chinese characters, but I needed to develop the ability to understand how Chinese characters were pronounced in Cantonese. I went through a period of six months of intensive listening. That was when I discovered the minidisk player. For […]

11Aug

11 Aug 2020

Chinese Grammar is Not Difficult

Learning Chinese

The first thing about Chinese is that it’s not as difficult as people say. It has certain difficulties. I would say difficulty number one is the characters. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a matter of staying with it and doing it every day; finding a system that works for you. I think […]

04Aug

4 Aug 2020

Ser Vs Estar in Spanish

Learning Spanish

Every language has some issues, often grammar issues, that cause learners difficulty. In the case of Spanish, one thing that gives people special trouble is the existence of two forms of the verb “to be”. Both ser and estar translate into English as “to be”. Ser vs estar, here’s how to get them straight. […]

28Jul

28 Jul 2020

Learning Japanese Verb Endings

Learning Japanese

Today I want to write about Japanese verbs and Japanese verb endings, but first I want to make a confession. I write these blog posts based on topics that cross my mind for whatever reason. I write them without an awful lot of planning because I find that, when it comes to language […]

22Jul

22 Jul 2020

How Many Words Do We Need to Speak a Foreign Language?

Learning Techniques

It is tempting to believe that we can just acquire a small number of very useful words and sort of get a jump start in a language. I have never found that to be the case. Of course we need to learn key words like “I”, “you”, “he” and “she” and the like, or “where”, […]

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