I Will Teach You A Language | Weekly Motivation And Language Learning Tips To Help You Become Fluent In Any Language

Alexia asks: "I can hold a conversation in Polish, but I can't take my patients' medical history. How can I do this?" In this episode: Doctors vs waiters in a restaurant Are your expectations realistic? How to find a tutor and work on that specific task Resources Featured In Today's Episode: 059: How can I understand my colleagues at work? 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:

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/iwillteachyoualanguage/message

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://

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/iwillteachyoualanguage/message

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

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 o

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 au

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 th

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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/iwillteachyoualanguage/message

Andy asks: "What does it feel like to speak at different levels of a language?" In this episode: What it feels like at different stages of a language: A1: Very basic, self-introductions A2: Greater awareness, but communication is difficult B1: Can hold a conversation, but range of expression is restricted and limited to the concrete B2: Can hold conversations comfortably on a variety of topics, including abstract and less common ones C1: Conversation is easy, mistakes are fewer, and you fit in naturally in social situations C2: A strong command of the language in almost all situations, including academic Resources mentioned in today's episode: Olly's interview in Portuguese on the MyPolyglot podcast

In this episode I give you a run-down of my latest language learning routine, and what you can learn from it! In this episode: This is a continuation from episode 64. 3 key questions to ask yourself when setting up a routine: What do I need to do? What resources do I need? What will stop me succeeding? Resources mentioned in today's episode: Sample language learning routine Glossika - fantastic listening drills available in lots of different languages GoodDrama.net - Asian drama repository 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

In this episode I give you a run-down of my latest language learning routine, and what you can learn from it! In this episode: Why wake up at 5am? What your core study time should be How to use dead time How to use down time Resources mentioned in today's episode: Sample language learning routine 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:h --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/iwillteachyoualanguage/message

Andy asks: "I've found that texting really helps fluency in my target language...but does it work for everyone?" In this episode: The benefits of text chat in a foreign language Common expressions Natural interaction The ability to practice often Like speaking, but slowed down! Resources mentioned in today's episode: Olly on Periscope HelloTalk - my video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bixMSfNIgtw 7 ways you can use texting to your advantage in the classroom - from Global Digital Citizen Start speaking today I’d like to thank

Shaghayegh asks: "How can I restart learning a language? I haven't studied for 3 months and I'm forgetting everything." In this episode: If you've taken time off, get right back to it! The language is still there in your head! Two focusing questions: What effective activity can I do for 15 minutes only? What did I used to do that was so effective? Resources mentioned in today's episode: Polyglot Pub - brand new language event in London! How to resurrect your high school Spanish - an interesting article from Tim Ferriss 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 update

Agnes asks: "I'm learning lots of languages, and it's going fine! Is it really a bad idea to learn more than one language at a time?" In this episode: Always follow your passions If you love learning different languages... keep going! High school and university is the ideal time to be learning languages Ellen Jovin - http://ellenjovin.com/ Adults often have a hard time learning a foreign language because of busy lives, so for them the advice to stick with learning one language stands Today's Quote: "There are lots of people I admire and respect, but I don't necessarily want to be like them. I'm too happy being myself." James D'arcy [Tweet ""There are lots of people I admire and respect, but I don't necessarily want to be like them. I'm too happy being myself." - James D'arcy"] Start speaking today I’d like to thank --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/iwillteachyoualanguage/message

Greg asks: "How can I self-assess my progress in a language?" In this episode: How to self-assess when there's no exam or course Judge your progress based on goals Topic-based competency Resources mentioned in today's episode: Flashcards Deluxe Time Control - my brand new time management and productivity course for language learning! Tips for keeping track of where you're at - blog post on Multilingual Living Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show.

Derek asks: "Even though I don't have much problem reading, I have a lot of problem speaking and understanding while listening. Sometimes I have to ask my colleagues to repeat or to tell me the word that I didn't understand, but if there are too many things that I don’t understand during a conversation then this approach doesn’t work very well, because then I'm not even able to tell which word that I don't know, and stopping a conversation from time to time just feels so stupid." In this episode: How to learn the language you need to function at work Considering what topics you need Creating your own material Using your tutor to role-play conversations on relevant topics Resources mentioned in today's episode: Olly on Periscope

Marie asks: "What software do you use to record your Skype lessons?" In this episode: What software I use to record Skype lessons Mac vs PC Should you record your lessons? What can you do with them? Resources mentioned in today's episode: ECAMM call recorder (Mac) Pamela for Skype (Windows) Article from Skype: How can I record my Skype calls? 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 he

Andy asks: "Is extensive listening effective?" In this episode: When listening to language too far above your level is unproductive i+1 and why it matters How the same podcast can be effective for beginners and advanced learners in different ways Is it still worth listening to advanced audio even if it's too hard? Specific tips: Listen to one piece of audio many times over Listen to things you're already familiar with Resources mentioned in today's episode: Episode 27 - How can I improve my listening comprehension Language Learning Foundations video course Spanish Short Stories for Beginners Start s --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/iwillteachyoualanguage/message

I answer the common question: "Do I need to travel to learn a language? In this episode: Against traveling: As a tourist, you will often find you are spoken to mostly in English Even if you are able to practise, it can be limited to simple exchanges – such as ordering in a restaurant or buying a train ticket People in certain countries are notorious for resisting helping you practise their own language, preferring to speak English instead If you’re not a confident, outgoing person, the very thought of practising with native speakers might terrify you! Making friends using only your target language is difficult, and unlikely to happen until you are a more advanced speaker and live somewhere for a more extended period People who decide to live and work abroad often find themselves in an English-speaking environment, with few opportunities to practise the language. Working full-time, they are busy and tired, and have limited study time, despite living in the country itself For staying at home: A stable life a