
The Truth About Language Immersion
We hear the term language immersion all the time—it’s a favourite among learners and teachers alike. But what does it actually mean to be immersed in a language? After trip to Poland…
We hear the term language immersion all the time—it’s a favourite among learners and teachers alike. But what does it actually mean to be immersed in a language? After trip to Poland…
What is the hardest language to learn? It’s a question I’m asked often. Here I reveal the answer from my experience and give advice and tips on how to get the most out of your language learning, even if that language is a tough one.
Have you used ChatGPT for language learning? It’s an interesting idea, and I’ve found some different examples of how to use artificial intelligence to fuel your studies. I recently stumbled across a…
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.
When deciding how to go about learning a language, it’s logical to turn to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Given the institution’s ample experience in language instruction, one can’t help but…
Good language learners notice what is happening in a language. They notice the sounds of the language, and the structure and the vocabulary. They notice as they listen and read. They notice when they use the language. How can we train ourselves in the ability to notice, in order to become good language learners?
Over the years, I’ve heard the same question over and over again: “Do we all learn languages the same way?” The quick answer? Yes. However, this is worth further explanation. In this…
I decided to give Pimsleur a solid try while learning Romanian. Pimsleur is quite popular with many learners. I myself have Pimsleur courses for Portuguese and Russian. However, in both cases, I…
Language learning is a personal journey. But over time — and across more than 20 languages — I’ve noticed certain habits that consistently waste time or drain confidence. Confidence is critical to…
Today I want to share how I approach the very beginning of learning a language. First, let’s make an important distinction. The goal should not be to learn a language in three…