![]() ![]() This means that rather than go through the same list of vocabulary in the same order every time, you see words at strategically spaced intervals, just before you would forget them. Good flashcard methods implement a spaced repetition system (SRS), which Anki automates. You can find pre-made flash card “decks” of these most frequent words (or words themed for a subject you are more likely to talk about) for studying on the Anki app (available for all computer platforms and smartphones) that you can download instantly. We use those words a lot, and that’s the case in every other language as well. Of course, many people cite a bad memory for learning new vocab, so they quit before even getting started.īut–here’s the key–you absolutely do not need to know all the words of a language to speak it (and in fact, you don’t know all the words of your mother tongue either).Īs Tim pointed out in his own post on learning any language in 3 months, you can take advantage of the Pareto principle here, and realize that 20% of the effort you spend on acquiring new vocab could ultimately give you 80% comprehension in a language-for instance, in English just 300 words make up 65% of all written material. Starting a new language means learning new words. So, let’s get started! #1 – Learn the right words, the right way. This very detailed post should give you everything you need to know. Since you may be starting from a similar position to where I was (monolingual adult, checkered history with language learning, no idea where to start), I’m going to outline the tips that worked best for me as I went from zero to polyglot. Such wonderful experiences are well within the reach of many of you. I’ve made friends on a train in China through Mandarin, discussed politics with a desert dweller in Egyptian Arabic, discovered the wonders of deaf culture through ASL, invited the (female) president of Ireland to dance in Irish (Gaeilge) and talked about it on live Irish radio, interviewed Peruvian fabric makers about how they work in Quechua, interpreted between Hungarian and Portuguese at a social event… and well, had an extremely interesting decade traveling the world. I have gained access to people and places that I never otherwise could have reached. It turns out, there is no language-learning gene, but there are tools and tricks for faster learning…Īs a “polyglot”-someone who speaks multiple languages-my world has opened up. Since then, I moved on to other languages, and I can now speak more than a dozen languages to varying degrees between conversational and mastery. The worst in my German class in school, only able to speak English into my twenties, and even after six entire months living in Spain, I could barely muster up the courage to ask where the bathroom was in Spanish.īut this is about the point when I had an epiphany, changed my approach, and then succeeded not only in learning Spanish, but in getting a C2 (Mastery) diploma from the Instituto Cervantes, working as a professional translator in the language, and even being interviewed on the radio in Spanish to give travel tips. Years ago, I was a language learning dud. I think you can stack the deck in your favor. ![]() Luck of the draw, right? At least, that’s what most people believe. You are either born with the language-learning gene, or you aren’t. This is a post you all requested, so I hope you enjoy it! Enter Benny Want to find a native speaker to help you for $5 per hour? Free resources and memory tricks? It’s all here. ![]() It contains TONS of amazing resources I never even knew existed, including the best free apps and websites for becoming fluent in record time.
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