congratulations the fact you clicked on this video is a clear sign to me that you are taking your
language learning seriously this year so today in order to build on this momentum i'm gonna share
some of my top language learning tips i've had quite an intense language learning journey myself
i speak seven languages with varying degrees of fluency i'm fluent in four and then the remaining
three getting there and one of those three is spanish and that's the language i really want to
focus on this year i am going to be participating in a lingoda sprint i don't know if you've ever
heard of lingoda or their sprints before but basically they are a two-month challenge and here
is the cool part if you go to every single one of your classes you will get a money back if you opt
for lingo to sprint which is the smaller package of 15 classes per month or 30 classes in total
you will get 50 of your money back pretty cool but if you are feeling ambitious and you really want
to challenge yourself you can opt for the lingoda super sprint which is 30 classes a month or 60
classes in total and if you go to every single one of your classes you will get all your money
back it will be free the entire thing will be free and to sweeten the deal i actually managed to get
a code from lingoda to give you a discount the code is right here it's also in the description
and in the pin comment if you want to go check it out you will get 25 off or 20 years off my first
step is to set goals language learning can get challenging and when you don't have that structure
it's really hard to stick to it so set goals and make sure that they are smart okay so yes it's
a fun acronym this is exactly why i'm excited to do the lingoda sprint because it has a time limit
on it i 60 days it keeps me on track with daily classes and it is a very specific project that i'm
working on tip number two know your why what is the reason you're studying this specific language
and i will say some wise are better than others for example anything that's intrinsically
motivated anything that is a big passion of yours for example oh i'm learning japanese
because i really like their cinematography that's a great reason uh less good reason is
um i'm learning french at school and it is what it is i don't really want to learn it but here
we are number three set a specific learning plan we already talked about setting goals and this
is something a little bit different when i talk about your learning plan what i mean is find ways
that you're going to fit it into your daily life when are you going to find those pockets of time
where you can really devote yourself to language study and also make sure that as you're developing
your learning plan you already have some materials in place that you are going to be using to learn
the language but i do want to warn you against a tendency i have noticed among beginner learners
and that is to commit far too much money up front to a course of study that might not be
super relevant to their learning style something like a two month taster like the lingoda sprint is
absolutely perfect but anything that is gonna take you on a long expensive journey um i would caution
against tip number five speaking of saving money did you know that your local library
probably has a lot of language resources available completely for free tip number six intensity of
study trump's duration it is far more valuable to sit down for an hour really get your head down and
focus on the material in front of you than it is to spend four hours blankly staring at your notes
scrolling on your phone and not really engaging with the material in fact the former is gonna
make you feel really energized while the latter is gonna make you feel like a bit of a failure
right because you have just spent four hours and you haven't really gained much tip number seven
one language at a time if you're someone who's quite experienced in this field then by all means
disregarded i personally have disregarded it many times but sometimes to my detriment when you are
learning multiple languages you are constantly forcing your brain to switch between them and
that leads to a bit of a lag in your brain and it leads to sometimes confusing different terms
and can just make the whole thing a little more complicated than it necessarily needs to be tip
number eight prioritize language learning i get it we're all short on time like i have this youtube
thing i have a job i have other things and hobbies and sometimes i want to see my friends what um
so it can feel like i don't really have enough hours in the day to focus on language learning
but then i look at my screen stats on my phone and i realize that i spend three
hours every day scrolling through tick tock so i clearly do have time i'm just not disciplined
enough tip number nine learn in small chunks a lot of us myself very much included can be
extremely self-critical when it comes to our own learning so we can look back at a session we've
done and feel like we just haven't made enough progress and the next time we sit down we want to
punish ourselves by saying okay but by the end of the session i need to memorize the entire chapter
and look in that session we might actually achieve it by the end of that session if we drill enough
we might have committed those words to memory but guess what's gonna happen they're gonna disappear
because your brain just can't keep up with that much demand so instead focus on manageable chunks
of vocabulary grammar whatever you're focusing on that day and really repeat them enough times
so that they stick in your head tip number 10 fill empty pockets of time with learning look it
takes five minutes to do a bit of vocab revision it takes five minutes to conjugate a new verb
and those five minutes can actually really boost your learning i know it can feel like five minutes
is not enough but it is when done consistently and repeatedly over a long period of time tip
number eleven be consistent study every day this is exactly why i'm participating in the lingoda
sprint because it's going to force me to be on top of my learning and to really commit to showing up
every day which is probably the hardest part the one added benefit of programs like the lingoda
sprint is the fact that you are accountable to somebody else tip number 12 study in the morning
studies show that our brains are freshest after we wake up maybe not immediately after we wake up
we might need that morning coffee but that is the best time of day to be devoting yourself to study
tip number 13 stay true to your learning style if you physically recoiled at the thought of waking
up early to study that is absolutely fine because when you are creating your study plan you need to
honor your personal learning needs and learning preferences i know that i'm a visual and audio
learner other learners are far more analytical there is no right or wrong way to learn a language
as long as you're learning it tip number 14 turn it into a game take your favorite computer game
and set it to your target language tip number 15 building rewards no matter how hard you try there
are gonna be patches of learning that you're just not gonna enjoy they're gonna be a slog
and that's okay because what i'm suggesting here is rewarding yourself treat yourself
tip number 16 rely on multiple methods it's important that your learning encompasses
several aspects it needs to focus on reading and writing and grammar and speaking and if you're
only focusing on one of those your language skills aren't going to be well-rounded tip number 17
acquire don't learn there are so many proponents of this learning style because it mimics early
childhood and how we acquire language as children that's all i'm going to say on it today but there
are loads of resources on youtube if you want to learn more and be a bit more scientific about your
approach to language learning tip number 18 learn the 100 most common words not all words
are created equal they're different words that just get used far more frequently than others in
everyday speech and if you're at the beginning of your learning journey this is a really good way to
speed up your progress tip number 19 learn phrases not words once you move past the initial stage of
memorizing those hundred words you should turn your attention to phrases and sentences rather
than standalone terms it improves your speed when you're speaking instead of trying to say
um what's the word for blue okay blue i've got that now let me search my brain for car okay car
and then drive what was the verb for drive again you're gonna have that sentence ready made in your
brain tip number 20 don't be a perfectionist is this an aspect of language study that i
struggle with yes it is it's very hard not to be a perfectionist because none of us want to sound
stupid if someone who speaks english as their second language makes a mistake do you judge them
no right you're impressed that they can speak it as well as they do so assume that the same
is going to happen to you people are really patient and really kind if anything they're
just glad that you're learning their language tip number 21 be creative if you're talking
about something and you don't know a word instead of getting frustrated and feeling inadequate
try being creative okay so you want to say the word carrot carrots on my mind carrot
but you don't know how to say it for example i don't know how to say that in spanish but i do
know how to say long i do know how to say orange and i do know how to say vegetable so if i say
can i get the long orange vegetable i'm gonna sound silly but i think i'm gonna get my point
across tip number 22 cultivate a positive mindset i know this is starting to sound a lot like a
self-help video and it's not but i will say that your mental state is a huge part of your learning
science time there are many studies on the topic of anxiety and how that changes the workings of
our brain for example if you're really nervous if you're really stressed if you're really anxious
your adrenaline levels go up what that results in is the blood flow and the energy being redirected
to your limbs so you can go into fight or flight mode okay how is that related to language learning
well if you're rerouting energy from your brain to other parts of your body your brain isn't going to
be honest a game is it tip number 23 habit stacking this is a really common and super
simple productivity hack that i totally recommend to everyone all you have to do is take things that
you do on a daily basis and combine them to form these habits or habit stacks so for example if
you go jogging every day which kudos to you you might want to listen to a playlist in your target
language and because exercise increases your blood flow it also improves your brain's functioning so
it actually really helped me commit new vocabulary to memory and it made it more fun tip number
24 study pronunciation patterns it's really important that you understand how pronunciation
works in your target language because without it you're going to struggle with even the most
simple of tasks like reading a menu right you're going to be looking at it you'll be like okay i
see this word but i have no idea what it sounds like tip number 25 make a playlist music is fun
and it makes language learning more fun it helps you appreciate the local culture and some cultures
especially have really good music so you're going to expand your horizons and this leads me to tip
26 which is to translate lyrics try and transcribe what they're saying then um just translate it back
into your mother tongue and um you know pick any vocabulary you didn't understand tip number 27
watch netflix what a fun tip you can just sit down in fact you don't even need to sit you can
lie down and watch your favorite netflix series or ideally you would pick one from the country where
that language is spoken so you're also learning about the culture and then of course put the
subtitles on depending on your level you can put english subtitles on if you're a beginner so you
just get the sound of the language or if you're more advanced keep the subtitles in that language
tip number 28 use native materials when you reach a certain level it's really important that you
start using native materials and what i mean by that is newspapers magazines books that locals
actually use and read because if you don't do that you run the risk of sounding a little bit robotic
tip number 29 listen to the radio when you're listening to that or a podcast you can't see the
speakers and believe it or not that actually makes up a huge portion of our comprehension so if you
take away the visual side of it and all the visual clues about what they're talking about it can
be more challenging but also more rewarding tip number 30 slow it down if you're watching netflix
or you're listening to youtube video and you're really struggling to comprehend what's being said
there is a really useful tool you can actually control the speed of the playback tip number 31
travel personally i love travel it's one of my favorite things to do but if you aren't able
to travel to a country where that language is spoken that's okay you might be able to find it
locally and i know i'm biased because i live in london which is one of the most cosmopolitan
cities in the world um but if i was learning pretty much any language in the world i could find
people in my city who speak it and who might be willing to interact with me tip number 32 use the
internet you're obviously doing it right now so check um but do remember just how many resources
are available to you and many free of charge tip number 33 make flash cards call me old school i
still really like the classic pen and paper method but i have slowly been warming up to more modern
methods of creating flashcards like the anki app which is often mentioned by language youtubers
and for good reason it is really helpful it has a unique algorithm that helps speed up your learning
tip number 34 get a study buddy they don't even need to be studying the same language as you are
they don't even need to be studying a language at all it's just someone who is going to be willing
to check in with you and make sure you've done your work for the day tip number 35 be cultured
really fully immerse yourself in the culture of the country where your language is spoken
focus on the food or the film the cinematography the art that makes me want to communicate with the
locals even more and gives me an additional topic to speak about install the toucan chrome extension
this extension really seamlessly helps you learn new vocabulary it basically translates random
words on any given web page into your target language which you can set in a drop down menu
and then when you hover over them it gives you the pronunciation and the description
tip number 37 get a native teacher this is yet another reason why i'm doing the lingoda sprint
they work with more than 1500 certified native teachers who will help you build
really good habits they will help improve your accent because you're going to be hearing
that native language spoken from the get-go and they will understand all the nuances and all the
intricacies of their language because they use it day in day out and they have been doing so
from the moment they were born tip number 38 get a pen pal find someone whether it's a friend you've
met in person or someone you meet online who you communicate with in your target language
if you already find yourself in a country where that language is spoken and you're dating
bingo absolutely incredibly helpful my first ever boyfriend was russian and guess what my russian is
a pretty good tip number 39 speak speak speak even if it is just hello thank you how are you you can
have these salted conversations it's still better than nothing because what you're creating is a
habit of speaking of saying these words out loud and also you're building your comfort levels which
is possibly the most important thing tip number 40 try scriptorium this is a method developed
by an american linguist whose name ironically i am not sure how to pronounce but i think it's
alexander argwell but also maybe it's not anyway this method is really straightforward and what
it really helps you with is understanding how the written language corresponds with spoken language
and it's also a good memorization technique tip number 41 focus on repetition is it repetition
is the mother of wisdom is that the saying something like that whatever it's a good
thing to do just do it do it do it do it do it you get it tip number 42 talk to yourself when
you're going about your everyday life narrate what you're doing yes it's bonkers it's a really weird
thing to do but it's hugely going to help you with useful vocabulary acquisition tip number 43
record yourself i know most of you are not going to feel comfortable doing this but as you do it
and i do think you should do it remind yourself that this video is not for public consumption
you can talk about anything you can set yourself a topic for that five minute speech or you can just
free talk just sit down and see what comes out but really try and talk talk talk talk tip number 44
improve your accent speaking from personal experience insecurities about my pronunciation and
my accent have probably been some of the biggest obstacles i've had to overcome on my language
journey there are so many resources out there that can help you improve also friends who speak that
language might be even eager to help you improve like i love teaching people the czech sound
like the word it's really hard to say try it let me know how you got on tip number 45 balance the
four skills the four main skills are listening reading speaking and writing and we've already
talked about this earlier when creating your study plan make sure that you are focusing on all four
aspects equally tip number 46 use mnemonics and association as i was doing research for this
video i came across a great example of this and it uses the spanish verb gabe which means to fit
okay and i think it was on mark mance's website hopefully i'm attributing this to the right person
and apparently the way he memorized this word is by imagining a bear fitting into a cab tip number
47 learn cognates words shared by different languages for example if you speak english
you might notice that a lot of english words are borrowed from romance languages say a lot of words
that end in shin t-i-o-n how is tion pronounced shin you see what i mean about english being crazy
but a lot of those words are literally spelled the same way in french just pronounced differently
and then in spanish you just slightly change the suffix to cion tip number 48 you're not too old
a recent study from the university of haifa found that adults actually um showed a much bigger
propensity for picking up on grammatical concepts than children there's also some proof that
adults tend to be better at pronunciation than children to be fully fair yes our mental capacity
somewhat you know reduces for example professional chess players peak in their early 20s and as they
age their ability decreases so yes to to a minor degree you can't use this excuse but it's not a
super valid one tip number 49 if you're learning a language that is quite similar to a language
you already know there are some false friends as they're called so for example the word embarrassed
in english and then there's the word embarrassada in spanish you'd think they'd mean the same thing
right well wrong this one means pregnant so you can imagine a few awkward conversations arising
out of that confusion tip number 50 don't wait as the saying goes the best time was a year ago
but the second best time is today so just commit yourself to learning and give it your best shot
i want to highlight the lingoda sprint that i'm doing one more time in case you
are really interested in improving your skills this year because that two-month crash course
is gonna really make a difference let me know if you're joining me otherwise i really hope
you enjoyed these tips and found it helpful i know this was a long video so congratulations
for making it through to the end and i will see you next friday don't forget to subscribe bye