Let’s talk listening skills. Do you remember how you felt the first time you heard someone speak your target language? Bamboozled? Personally, I’ve always found listening to be the most difficult language learning skill. Maybe you feel the same way? In this post, we’ll look at the key to improving your listening and I’ll share […]
MOREForeign to Familiar: How to “Language Proof” Your Immediate Environment
Sometimes, when you’re surrounded by a new language it can overwhelm your capacity to pick up new things. It’s almost too much newness, and you just draw a line. Everything from the toothpaste to the billboards to the TV is filled by the unrecognizable. You end up looking at words and noting that you’ve seen […]
MOREConversation Exchange: How an Online Language Buddy Took Me from Fear of Speaking to Confident Conversations
This is my story of how I found an online language buddy for a conversation exchange, which took me from feeling terrified of speaking a new language to having real conversations in that language. My heart was pounding when I received the call. Would they be offering me a job in the Middle East? Yes! […]
MOREIs “Learning from Mistakes” Really a Thing? Here’s What the Science Says…
“Did I really just say that?” That’s the question I was asking myself as I was chatting to my future Italian mother-in-law over dinner. I had meant to say è palese, “it’s obvious”, but I actually said è palloso, which means “it’s effing boring”. If you’ve been learning a language for long enough, you’ve probably […]
MOREHow to Find a Language Exchange Partner
What is a language exchange partner – and what’s the best way to find one? In this article, I’ll answer both these questions to help you understand what language exchanges can do for you, where to find language exchange partners, and how to choose the best ones for you. Language exchange partners are a fantastic […]
MORE16 Must-Know Words and Phrases For Any Language
What are the basic phrases you need to know when travelling? Often, native English speakers believe that everyone speaks English. So when they travel, they don’t bother learning the language of the place they’re visiting. After all, it’s fine to get by in English, right? Well, maybe. But there’s a much better way of doing […]
MORECultural Immersion: How Learning 20 Basic Phrases Transformed My Travel Experience
For ages I’ve recognised, at least in theory, that learning even just a small handful sentences in a new language can take you a long way on a holiday, and give you a unique experience of cultural immersion. I really enjoyed reading about Fluent in 3 Months founder Benny Lewis’s experience getting by with limited […]
MORELearning a Third Language: An In-Depth Guide
I know lots of people who speak their second language at a very good level, and yet hesitate to jump into learning a third language. Why is this? Well, some people are perfectly happy stopping at one foreign language. That was their goal, and they reached it. That’s all good. On the other hand, too […]
MORECEFR Levels: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Test Yourself
CEFR levels: what are they? And do they matter? In the language-learning community, we often hear other learners throw around certain terms when they’re talking about their level in a language. “I speak German at a B1 level” or “I’m an A2 in Russian.” But what do B1 and A2 mean? These descriptors are skill […]
MORENew Mission: One Month Without English!
Have you ever reached a plateau in your language learning that you just couldn’t break through? I did. It didn’t matter how many German lessons I took. How many Skype calls I made. Or, how many grammar books I read. I just couldn’t get to the next stage. I kept making the same mistakes and […]
MORE12 Fun Grammar Games to Help You Learn a Language
Grammar. To many people, the word is almost synonymous with “boredom”. Does that make “grammar games” a contradiction? I’m going to say not. More on that in a moment. True, the average grammar book is more useful as a cure for insomnia than it is as a tool for language learning. And in school you […]
MORELearning a Language Through Music: Here’s How It’s Done
Can you learn a language through music? Of course you can! From slow, crooning love songs to the latest boy band hits, music is a really useful tool for language learning. Pop music isn’t the whole story, though. Any style of music, by any artist, as long as it has lyrics, can be useful in […]
MOREHow to Speak French: The Faster Way to Learn French
So you want to learn how to speak French? Très bien !! Millions of language learners around the world are already learning French, so you’re in great company. And you can learn to speak French fluently faster than you think. Yes, some aspects of French can be difficult, just like with any language. But for […]
MORECan You Learn a Language by Watching the News?
“I’d like to read the news in my new language” is a goal I often hear when I ask people what fluency would mean for them. Perhaps you dream of reading Le Monde in a quirky cafe in Paris. Or maybe you’d to open up the Spiegel Online app while travelling on the S-Bahn in Berlin. Even if reading the […]
MORE10+ Free Online English Language Lessons
So you want to improve your English and you’re looking for English language lessons online? Good call! By number of speakers (either native or as a second language), English is by far the most widely spoken language in the world. That’s why the English language is so popular with language learners. Speaking English opens up […]
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