For people who love languages, or would but were discouraged.
- Believe in yourself and have the right attitude
- Put in an hour a day
- Use a system that works... like LingQ

13Oct
Learning Languages in the Moment
I'm driving up here with my wife and we're listening to a podcast about the Byzantine Empire. So I'm enjoying the drive. I'm enjoying listening to the Byzantine Empire podcast. Why am I listening to a podcast about the Byzantine Empire? Because I've been learning Arabic, Persian and Turkish, so I'm kind of exploring that part of the world. I've read books now on the history of Persia or of [...]
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08Oct
Want to Learn English? Stay Positive like Gabby of Go Natural English
So, I'm very happy to have with me today Gabby of Go Natural English because very often we talk about learning languages other than English, although English, of course, is the language that is the most widely studied in the world. In fact, many of my viewers, I know many of you out there, like to listen to me speak English. You can even import from YouTube. Study it from LingQ if you want. [...]
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29Sep
Passive Vocabulary: Why it Matters in Language Learning
Today, I want to talk about passive vocabulary. At LingQ, for example, we say a word is known if you can recognize that word in a context. So if I'm working on LingQ, I see a word. I know what it means in the context. I can say I know that word. I can also say I don't know that word. In other words, I decide if I know that word. But if I understand the word in that context, typically, I will [...]
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22Sep
A Guide to French Pronunciation
French was the first language where I was able to transform myself into a fluent speaker of another language, other than English. I love listening to French when it is spoken well. I think acquiring good French pronunciation is one of the challenges that French learners face, and so I would like to offer a […]
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18Sep
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 […]
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15Sep
Should You Try Learning Two Languages At Once?
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.
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08Sep
Introverts Vs Extroverts in Language Learning
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 [...]
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01Sep
How Long Should it Take to Learn a Language?
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...
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25Aug
5 Reasons to Learn 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 […]
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18Aug
Experience Is The Best Teacher
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 […]
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