011: I'm 17. Should I bother learning a language?

Steve asks: "I learnt Spanish for two years, and recently I've been learning Portuguese for 8 months. How can I avoid confusing the two?" In this episode: Why you might confuse Spanish and Portuguese How to stop it happening How to learn to use both languages at the same time Resources Featured In Today's Episode: Portuguese and Spanish: Some Musings - An interesting article on the Omniglot 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

8 Jan 201612min

In this episode, I give you 8 reasons you should be reading in your target language. In this episode: Reading slows down the language It's great for introverts who aren't comfortable speaking You can learn less common vocabulary You can significantly increase your vocabulary range by extensive reading It's cheap! (Cheaper than teachers, or travelling!) Sense of achievement Immersion in a foreign world It's fun, which builds an emotional attachment to the language Resources Featured In Today's Episode: I've written short story books in a number of languages to help you start reading! Spanish Vol.1 - http://amzn.to/1Ti3yb4 Spanish Vol.2 - http://amzn.to/1m64ghc Russian - http://amzn.to/1O6lHbJ Italian - http://amzn.to/1O6kiBX German - http://amzn.to/1JrtRps 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!

5 Jan 201613min

In this episode, I discuss my language plans for 2016 and how you can make it the best year of language learning ever! In this episode: 3 ways to succeed in your language learning in 2016: Join a language challenge Join a community of language enthusiasts locally Attend a language event 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 yo

29 Dec 201512min

Nicole asks: "How can I progress beyond the basics in Japanese?" In this episode: Why you should avoid focusing on kanji as a beginner What you should do instead My story in Japan How to improve the fastest as a beginner Resources Featured In Today's Episode: These resources are the best out there for learning natural Japanese: Japanese Pod 101 - natural dialogues with clickable audio FluentU - learn Japanese with video and transcripts Master Japanese - a fantastic guide for learning kanji and finding sources of natural Japanese Start speaking today I’d like to thank <a href="http://iwillteachy

18 Dec 201512min

Owain asks: "How can you deal with fossilisation in a language?" In this episode: What is fossilisation? Why does it occur? How can you deal with it? Resources Featured In Today's Episode: The Defossilization Diaries - Language teacher Scott Thornbury talks about his attempts to defossilise his Spanish! (Whilst spelling it with a "z"!) 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!

16 Dec 201512min

Allen asks: "I want to learn French and Japanese at the same time. What do I need to consider?" In this episode: You can learn two languages at the same time It is easier if the two languages are from different language families, such as French and Japanese By learning both at once, you can satisfy your desires and learn about more than one language and culture However, progress will be slower in both Today's Quote: Focus on the journey, not on the destination. Joy is not found in completing an activity, but in doing it. -Greg Anderdson 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 Dec 201511min

Halvard asks: "I'm studying for the B1 exam in Russian. Does your advice to speak regularly still stand?" In this episode: My advice on regular speaking is for people who want to speak If you have another short-term goal, it may be better to focus on that There are valid goals, so it's best to focus and achieve one of them ASAP, rather than worrying if it's the right one or not Resources mentioned in today's episode: Time Control - How to double your productivity in language learning 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!

8 Dec 201514min

Neil asks: "What's the best way to use a teacher beyond a beginner level?" In this episode: How to work with teachers as a beginner How to work with teachers at a more advanced level A balance of speaking practice and tuition Resources mentioned in today's episode: The Add 1 Challenge Are you wasting your money on language classes? 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 a

3 Dec 201513min