425: The anatomy of a language learning "masterplan"

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

Cody asks: "I'm travelling to South America in a few weeks time. How can I learn the Spanish I need to make the most out of my trip?" In this episode: What happened to me when I first went to Spain The best approach to learning Spanish quickly Why you need to think about the situations you'll need Spanish in The most impactful phrases you can learn Today's featured resource: Survive in Spanish - this is a video where I talk about how to learn Spanish quickly in order to survive a trip and have a great time. You can also find out about my new guide: Survive in Spanish 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, <a h

9 Kesä 201511min

Nate asks: "I'm currently living in Bolivia and working on my Spanish. Do you have any advice for getting from intermediate to advanced?" In this episode: What is the "intermediate plateau"? Why this affects so many language learners What you can do to break through and become more advanced Resources featured in this episode: IWTYAL Episode 12: How can I learn advanced English vocabulary? The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Today's featured resource: Radio Ambulante - Spanish podcasts with the full transcript available Do you have a question? Ask me your language

4 Kesä 201512min