056: Do I have to travel to learn a language?

Alex asks: "How can stop listening becoming a chore?" In this episode: The key to reading usefully is choosing material where you already understand 90% of the contents Try to find material that is short, broken down into manageable chapters Common European Framework of Reference As far as possible, try to live with the ambiguity of not understanding everything you read Resources mentioned in today's episode: IWTYAL Episode 6 - Which is better, intensive or extensive reading? Spanish Short Stories for Beginners - my new book of short stories in Spanish: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010BO84W0/"

2 Heinä 201517min

Max asks: "How can I improve my listening comprehension?" In this episode: Three reasons you might not understand a native speaker: You don’t know the words You can’t distinguish the individual words (whether you know them or not) You understand the individual words, but you still don’t understand what they’re trying to say A simple process for using textbook dialogues for improving your listening skills Today's featured resource: A manifesto for better listening - a detailed blog post I wrote about improving your listening skills   Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I'll do my best to feature it on the show! A

30 Kesä 201516min

My new book of Spanish short stories was published today. Grab your copy on Amazon Kindle for only $0.99 for a few days only. "Spanish Short Stories for Beginners" - Olly Richards Click the link below to grab your copy: http://amzn.com/B010BO84W0 Thanks so much for your support, Olly

26 Kesä 20151min

Ferdaous asks: "I'm learning English, how can I develop a good American accent quickly?" In this episode: Why a good accent is important The difference between phonemes and prosody Why developing a good accent is the result of extensive communication in your target language Tips for improving your accent: Tackle pronunciation immediately with a native speaker to perfect your pronunciation, before you develop any bad habits. Observe native speakers in action and their voices when they interact, especially at key social moments, such as introductions or meeting friends. If you only work with a teacher, how is their voice when they greet you? This is often the most authentic moment of the conversation. TV and movies are also a good place to focus in on this. Imitate how native speakers say common words and phrases that you’re familiar with.

25 Kesä 201518min

Doug asks: "I know I need to focus on one language, but I'm torn between two languages. What should I do?" In this episode: Why it's important to focus on one language The difficulty of leaving behind one language Why a language is never "lost" Three ideas for choosing which language to focus on: Learning one language well will be beneficial for all the others A language is never lost - you can always come back to it The "Rocking Chair Test": Imagine your 80-year-old self sitting in a rocking chair looking back on your life. Look at your current dilemma through those eyes. What should you do? Today's quote: Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”  Do y

23 Kesä 201515min

Cecilia asks: "How do you stay motivated when you don't speak much of the language and it's such a long way ahead" In this episode: The importance of identifying your core reasons for learning a language Knowing your "why" helps you concentrate on activities that fulfil you How motivation can actually come from hard work Today's featured resource: The Add 1 Challenge - a fantastic support community where language learners from around the world come together to motivate themselves over 90 days Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I'll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to g

18 Kesä 201512min

Greg asks: "There are so many varieties of Spanish. Which dialect should I focus on?" In this episode: How I learnt Spanish About different varieties of Spanish Why going "narrow and deep" is better How this applies to learning varieties of Spanish Today's featured resource: Where's the best place to learn Spanish in South America? Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I'll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks for listening Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you've got

16 Kesä 201511min

Isabelle asks: "My Chinese friend is learning English. How can I help her best?" In this episode: How to help someone learn another language Three exercises you can use to figure out how to help someone learn your language: Have a discussion, just as you normally would. Don't interrupt, keep the conversation flowing. During this time, make lots of notes about their language. What mistakes are they making? What doesn't sound natural? When you've filled up a couple of pages with notes, look for patterns. What things keep cropping up again and again. Here's your starting point for helping them improve. Record the conversation. Listen back to it together, and give your friend control over the start/stop button! Ask them to ask you questions about what they have said. This helps them raise awareness of their own language use. Ask your friend what they most need to use the language for: making notes in lectures, r

11 Kesä 201514min