Category: Missions


Quechua: Quick overview and Benny speaking it with natives

written by Benny Lewis

So here it is! Ending the year on a positive note of another successful language mission completed! 😀 I had only aimed to learn the basics of Quechua in the few weeks I was here, and I think this video shows that I did indeed get something out of my experience with it! Like with […]


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Reading time: 2 minutes

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New mission: Speak Klingon in time for the Star Trek convention

written by Benny Lewis

While I usually travel to new countries for cultural immersion, and learning the local language hugely enhances that experience, for the next four weeks I’m taking a fun diversion! My next language is Klingon. For those of you who don’t know it, it’s the fictional language used by one particular alien species on the TV […]


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Reading time: 2 minutes

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Istanbul not Constantinople, Benny’s music video in Turkish

written by Benny Lewis

My time in Istanbul is officially over – for the next two weeks I’ll be with my family in Ireland before hitting the road again. (To find out where I’m going and clues of what the next language will be, see Facebook) But to wrap up my time in Istanbul, I’d like to share this […]

New mission: Speak Turkish in two months!

written by Benny Lewis

Hello from Istanbul – my new home for the next two months! My mission is to speak conversational Turkish by mid August! This will bring the total number of languages I’ve dived into this year to four (Tagalog, ASL, Dutch & now Turkish) as I had initially set out to do. I’m only giving myself […]


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Reading time: 3 minutes

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Forgetting a language: Why it happens and how to avoid it

written by Benny Lewis

OK, so you have put in the time and can now speak a language at a confident level. But maybe the course that helped to get you there has ended, or your stay abroad is over and it’s time to go home. What do you do to make sure that you don’t forget that language? […]


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Reading time: 6 minutes

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25 Speed Dates in Dutch

25 Speed Dates in Dutch

written by Benny Lewis

I’m exactly five weeks into my mission to speak Dutch. While there are major advantages of my German and my English giving me a head start thanks to many linguistic similarities, I have had a major set-back in this mission that has been slowing me down tremendously; simply finding opportunities to converse! Dutch culture is […]

First week settling into Amsterdam

written by Benny Lewis

This detailed post describes how my first week in Amsterdam went. As requested, I’ll be giving regular updates on how I’ve been adjusting to a new culture and learning a new language. In future I’ll send this update (which will likely be much shorter and include occasional videos) to the Language Hacking League, so sign […]


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Reading time: 15 minutes

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