Learning Techniques Archives - Page 2 of 9

10Nov

10 Nov 2020

Listening Comprehension: An Important Language Skill

I believe that listening comprehension is an important skill in language learning. That is what you should drive for first of all. If you develop good listening comprehension, the other skills will come, the speaking will come, even your grammar, your accuracy.

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.

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”, […]

14Jul

14 Jul 2020

Tips to Help You Learn Mandarin

Learning Techniques

I studied Chinese in 1968. At the time I was working for the Canadian Government, the Ministry of Trade and Commerce’s Trade Commissioner Service to be exact. Canada was preparing to recognize the People’s Republic of China and decided that they needed to train some officials in Mandarin. I was sent to Hong Kong to […]

16Jun

16 Jun 2020

Create Your Own Dictionary

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When it comes to learning a new language, some learners like dictionaries. They read them. They treasure them. They worry about getting the best possible dictionary. I don’t like using dictionaries. Using them is like one-way love.

28Apr

28 Apr 2020

The Three Language Acquisition Stages

Learning Techniques

They say “you are what you eat”. In the global information age, maybe it should be “you are what you can say”. Language, in its varied manifestations, is mankind’s defining achievement, and it also defines us. Language can be social, political, technical, practical, entertaining, sensual, philosophical, and much more. At the banquet of life, each language is another course. The better you can [...]

28Jan

28 Jan 2020

Reading May Be the Secret of My Success in Language Learning

Learning Techniques

Breaking News –Special Report: A new way of recording and transmitting information has been discovered, even more convenient than mp3 technology. It’s called reading, yes, writing things down for others to read! Someone commented on one of my recent YouTube videos where I said, in Japanese, that Japanese people who are learning English might […]

24Sep

24 Sep 2019

Enrich Your Language Learning With Blogs and Podcasts

Learning Techniques

I want to talk about blogging and podcasts as a means of enriching your language learning content, variety and, particularly, as a step from beginner material to the more difficult, more demanding material. I recently did a “Streak with Steve” live stream video. We’re encouraging people to commit to maintaining a streak at LingQ, so […]

19Sep

19 Sep 2019

Want to Learn Languages Faster? Go Easy on the Grammar

Learning Techniques

For the last week I’ve been studying Serbo-Croatian. We have the Serbian mini stories at LingQ, so I’ve been at it for a week. I’m going to try to speak, obviously, when I’m in Croatia. I’m going to try to understand. That’s why I’m trying to learn as much of the language as I can […]

05Sep

5 Sep 2019

Listening Activity: How Do You Spend Your Time?

Learning Techniques

I have previously talked about whether people are vocabulary builders or vocabulary memorizers and I sort of said that memorizers spend a lot of time with Anki decks or lists and try to nail down vocabulary and that is a large part of their language learning. Vocabulary builders prefer to let the vocabulary accumulate through […]

I speak 20 languages

Learning Techniques