024: How can I stay motivated as a beginner?
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 Juni 201512min
023: Which Spanish dialect should I learn?
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 Juni 201511min
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 Juni 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 Juni 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 Juni 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 Juni 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 Maj 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 Maj 201514min
