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

11Aug
Chinese Grammar is Not Difficult
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 […]
Read more Chinese Grammar is Not Difficult
04Aug
Ser Vs Estar in 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. […]
Read more Ser Vs Estar in Spanish
28Jul
Learning Japanese Verb Endings
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 […]
Read more Learning Japanese Verb Endings
22Jul
How Many Words Do We Need to Speak a Foreign Language?
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”, […]
Read more How Many Words Do We Need to Speak a Foreign Language?
14Jul
Tips to Help You Learn Mandarin
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 […]
Read more Tips to Help You Learn Mandarin
07Jul
Learning Languages is a Subconscious Process
Learning languages is essentially a subconscious process. I saw these words in a LinkedIn post from a group I belong to that includes language teachers. The topic of discussion was how grammar instruction and error correction don’t have as much impact on language learning success as is traditionally imagined. This is a concept that leading […]
Read more Learning Languages is a Subconscious Process
02Jul
5 Astuces Pour Vous Aider À Apprendre Le Japonais
Si vous allez apprendre le japonais, vous devez décider pourquoi vous voulez apprendre la langue. J’ai appris le japonais car mon travail m’y a emmené en 1971. J’y ai vécu pendant 9 ans, principalement pendant les années 70. J’ai appris au Japon, immergé dans la langue, seul, surtout en écoutant, lisant et utilisant le japonais […]
Read more 5 Astuces Pour Vous Aider À Apprendre Le Japonais
30Jun
Comprehensible Input and Compelling Input (CI)
What is CI? 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? Comprehensible […]
Read more Comprehensible Input and Compelling Input (CI)
25Jun
Кто такой полиглот
Будучи полиглотом, т.е. человеком, который говорит на многих языках, мне нравится пользоваться этими языками: мне нравится сам процесс. Но тут присутствует элемент шоу. А ты лучше меня? Или я лучше тебя? Некоторым людям нравится этот элемент в процессе изучения языка. Мне кажется, многие из нас, на самом деле, очень рады слышать, когда кто-то говорит лучше […]
Read more Кто такой полиглот
23Jun
English Grammar 101
In order to speak English well you need to learn how words are used and how they come together to form phrases and sentences. Only a lot of listening and reading can help you learn this. You need to train yourself to notice how the words are used when you listen and read.
Read more English Grammar 101