022: How can I help my friend with her English?
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 Jun 201514min
021: How can I learn Spanish quickly?
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 Jun 201511min
020: How can I go from intermediate to advanced?
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 Jun 201512min
019: How to find someone to speak with
Steve asks: "The thing I most struggle with is not having anyone to speak with. I live in a rural part of the country so there are no Japanese language courses or classes." In this episode: Why it's important to start speaking Why you won't necessarily speak very much by taking a language class Where to find people to speak with locally Where to find people to speak with online Resources featured in this episode: 60secondfluencytest.com - a video I made about the importance of starting to speak Places to find language exchanges locally: Conversationexchange.com Meetup.com Craiglist.com Places to find language exc
2 Jun 201513min
018: When do you consider yourself fluent in another language?
Isabelle asks: "At what point do you consider yourself to be fluent in another language?" In this episode: What is fluency? What does it mean to you personally? When do you switch from learning a language to maintaining it? Resources featured in this episode: CEFR - Common European Framework of Reference IWTYAL Episode 13 - Tamiyo's question about when it's time to move on to a new language Language Learning Foundations - my video course where I teach you the specific techniques I use to learn to speak a new language quickly <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com
28 Mai 201513min
017: How much time should I spend on pronunciation?
Jenny asks: "My English teacher used to say that it's important to speak with a native-like accent. Do you think it's important to spend a lot of time on pronunciation as a beginner?" In this episode: The difference between pronunciation and accent Why pronunciation is important Why you need to get it right as a beginner But why you shouldn't let it stop you speaking Resources featured in this episode: 10 Essential Tech Resources for Smart Language Learners - my free guide with the best websites and apps out there, including a lot of stuff for listening to your target language and improving your pronunciation. Today's featured resource: The Secret to Developing an Awesome Accent - my article on how to sp
26 Mai 201514min
016: How do you stay motivated when you're living at home?
Yingnoi Lee asks: "How do you concentrate on learning foreign languages when you're living in your homeland?" In this episode: Tactics for staying motivated whilst learning a foreign language wherever you live. Resources featured in this episode: conversationexchange.com iTalki.com Reflections on learning a language remotely - a guest post I wrote for fluentin3months.com Don't travel to learn a language - a great life lesson from Benny Lewis How to learn Cantonese in 1 year - the results of my 1-year Cantonese experiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QRVpNbNzK8 Today's featured resource: Meetup.com - find friends based on their interests, wherever you are in the world 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 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! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated, and I read every single one. :) See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!
21 Mai 201511min
015: How do I organise vocabulary from different books?
Judi asks: "I'm learning Spanish from two different books at the moment. How can I keep my vocabulary organised between them?" In this episode: Learning with two different books Keeping vocabulary organised between the two Taking the most important vocabulary and learning that Resources featured in this episode: 8 tips for improving your vocabulary Is your vocabulary notebook out of control? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3voBSKr9Sl4 Flashcards Deluxe - my favourite flashcards app Today's featured resource: Make Words Stick - my book about how to learn vocabulary... and never forget it! 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 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! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated, and I read every single one. :) See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!
19 Mai 201510min
