501: The real reason I wrote my language story books

Quinton asks: "How can I prepare for my trip to China?" Episode Summary: What's the unique opportunity you'll have on your trip? Most likely, it's speaking, and the chance to speak a lot to people If you study characters, there's no particular benefit to being in China Take iTalki lessons every day and build up your speaking muscle Potentially find people to meet and practise with in advance Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: IWTYAL 153: Tips for learning languages abroad Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes   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 so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

5 Touko 201710min

Meg asks: "How can I make my Russian sentences less English?" Episode Summary: The challenge you're facing is learning to express ideas the way a Russian would It's not just a linguistic thing - it's a cultural thing. Compare: Good Morning / おはようございます There's no shortcut to doing this - it's a long, gradual process If you want to express yourself like a Russian, you need to spend a lot of time with Russian - listening, reading, speaking The process you need to practise is how to take an idea, and construct a sentence the way a Russian would. In order to achieve this, any exercise that helps you slow down the process and get feedback on your efforts can be helpful. Try: Reverse translation (see below) Your teacher can ask you: "How do you say ___ in Russian?" and then correct you Talk to yourself in Russian as you walk around the house But ultimately, a lot of listening and reading is the best policy! Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Russian Short Stories for Beginners - Olly Richards & Alex Rawlings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VXmDiBfzwA Start speaking today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes 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 so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

3 Touko 201711min

Andy asks: "Why am I still a beginner?" In this episode: Asian languages can take a long time to get used to 6 months seems to be the length of time it takes to become familiar with a new language If you're not seeing progress, you need to increase the frequency and depth of your learning Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Olly's YouTube channel - subscribe for regular videos from Hong Kong! Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable and effective native speakers teachers and tutors. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, simply visit:<a href="http://iwillteachyo

1 Joulu 201615min

Tadeusz asks: "Do Chinese concepts of time differ from English?" In this episode: In this episode, I'm joined by Chris Parker. We discuss... How to express time in Chinese Potential confusion with English Similarities in Cantonese and Japanese Language Examples: Before and after, not really front and behind 5 years ago - 5年以前 = 5 years before (not really front) 5 years time - 5年以后 = 5 years after (not really behind) (trad chars = 五年以後） 前 = before or in front 后 = after + behind 上个星期 last week (upper week) （上個星期 trad chars) 这个星期 this week （這個星期 trad chars） 下个星期 next week (lower week) （下個星期 trad chars) (for weeks and months) For series of books or films etc: 上 the one on the top - part 1 (中) the one in the middle - part 2 下 the one on the bottom - part 3 or 上 first part 下 second part 上下 approximately (upper + lower) 左右 approximately (left + right) 前年 - the year before last (before year) 去年 - last year (gone/left year) 今年 - this year 明年 - next year 后年 - the year after next (year after) trad=後面 Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Fluent In Mandarin - Chris Parker's awesome website about learning Chinese Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable and effective native speakers teachers and tutors. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, simply visit:http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes 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 so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

25 Marras 201616min

In this episode, I look back on the last 3 months of learning Thai. In this episode: What I've done since returning from Thailand Is one lesson a week enough? Learning two languages at once Advice for a "minimum" time commitment Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Olly's YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/iwtyal Learn Thai Video Series: Click here Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable and effective native speakers teachers and tutors. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, simply visit:http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes 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 so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

22 Marras 201611min

Rana asks: "How can you learn a language without traveling abroad?" In this episode: Traveling abroad isn't necessarily a good thing You can easily learn the basics of a new language from anywhere Get a good textbook & take online classes Plan a trip abroad later on, once you can speak Longer-term, the mosts important thing is to stay motivated in your learning Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Do you need to live abroad to learn a language? - An interesting piece by Jana Fadness on Luca Lampariello's blog. Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable and effective native speakers teachers and tutors. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, simply visit:http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes 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 so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

10 Marras 201614min

Dave asks: "How useful are word frequency lists?" In this episode: A small number of words account for a disproportionate amount of use in spoken language But does it make sense to memorise the most frequent words? What about nuance, or context? Why a holistic approach is best - you'll learn those words naturally anyway Frequency dictionaries can be useful for filling in gaps Resources Mentioned in This Episode: The Science Of Successful Blogging - My talk from the Montreal Language Festival in Summer 2016. https://youtu.be/HhC0xbpI9QI Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable and effective native speakers teachers and tutors. To claim your

8 Marras 201611min

Syawal asks: "How can I enrich my vocabulary when speaking?" In this episode: Why we tend to use the same limited vocabulary when we speak Syawal's English is already strong, so we're talking about finer shades of meaning and expression How does a native English speaker enrich their vocabulary? Extensive reading is the ultimate way to expose yourself to new linguistic possibilities Combine that with memory techniques to make sure you don't forget the vocabulary Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Master Your Memory - Learn to improve your memory, so you can easily memorise new vocabulary in any language and not forget it. Why Your Spanish Is Stagnating...And What To Do About It! - A new article I've written for Huffington

3 Marras 201610min