Thank you for your tips. Very useful. I would like to point out that low quality sound or recordings with background noise are very useful as well. I think it is important to get used to non ideal situations. Thank you again.
Promocionando los audífonos sony, hehe.. solo estaba bromeando muchas gracias por los consejos señor Steve, me siento muy conforme usando su web, ademas de que también me gustaría contribuir, subiré material propio en unos días, para aquellos que están aprendiendo español.
Estos últimos días trato de escuchar 5 horas de ingles por día, y siento que si continuo así podre mejorar bastante
Thanks for the tips. Just subscribed. But may I ask your advice even more?
If you had a 1 hour private lesson with a native speaker of the language you're learning on regular basis, what would you do with him/her? Online English schools are fast growing business, but you can do most of the things by yourself, like grammar check, listening, for writing, you can hire a proofreader. But spending an hour with the native on Skype, what would you expect from the lesson? I'd appreciate your answer.
@Port712 The need for a teacher depends on the learner. I am self-motivated and do not want a teacher at all until I am well along in the language. I need to discover the language myself with the help of the resources that I can find in books and online. Once I am at an intermediate level I like having a teacher to talk to, to get feedback and to practice talking and writing. At LingQ our tutors give detailed reports for all online discussions and corrected writing.
I have been learning Chinese for about 3 years and my listening sucks still. My main problem is keeping up, I will understand the beginning of a sentence, the end of it but for some reason I lose the middle of it. It's very frustrating and I cant seem to get round it :( I surround myself with the language as much as possible but nothing seems to help. Do you think this is because Chinese is tonal? My latest tact is to watch films in Chinese whilst reading the Chinese subs, is this a good idea?
@beth2977 Hey,im chinese and based on my own experience of learning both english and chinese, the fastest way to grasp a language is to find someone who is patient enough to teach u from the beginning.Listening and repeating are certainly useful as everything needs practice. the process of my english is like "good"- "damn"-"better".By my reckoning, you'll get the breakthrough point after the bloody damn period.
@callmefreakplz I don't agree. It is not that easy to find someone who can teach you the language. I prefer to learn on my own, listening and reading and learning vocabulary, until I am ready to talk to native speakers withuot being a burden on them.
@lingosteve i see u point and i do agree. it's definitely all right to learn yourself, im just saying the fastest way of grasping a language is to learn it mouth to mouth, like a native toddler. anyway, thumb up for ur videos and keep doing them.p.s. to be honest, im extremely surprised of ur language talent as u r already able to speak both japanese and chinese, which are called as the most difficult languages in the world.
@beth2977 This is normal. There are always some parts that we just don't get. Don't worry about it and move on to new content. Try to work with material where the text is also available. Try LingQ.
I did learn. Kinda. The reason I say kinda is b/c if i looked back to refresh, I would remember everything, but right now off the top of my head I can't. How do I gain momentum and continue to learn? I have done a lot of reading over at ajatt.com I have watched your videos, Laoshuu's videos. Some of professor arguilles videos, but I'm stuck. However, I am trying and am eager to learn my first language as a young adult. Your help would be much appreciated :)
@RyuPiu I'm not Steve but I can tell you this. There are no shortcuts in learning a language. There are more or less efficient methods. The most efficient ones are a torture however, and you wouldn't be able to keep up.
It just takes a lot of time, make it as enjoyable as possible and be regular.
I was not looking for shortcuts, if that's what you got from my comments. I was looking to kill this sense of redundancy caused by my eagerness to accomplish something. I found it unfair that i studied something for a set amt of time, yet four days later, I felt like I "learned" nothing, b/c nothing stuck. Put in time, no results. That got me angry, but I feel I need to relax. And I will.
@RyuPiu I understand, all language learners do :). Sadly in a way language is not a matter you can learn like math where it's just logic, "grammar" and drills. It's not obvious maybe but a language is a huge chunk of data, and it's only loosely structured in many respects. Tens on megabytes (still several megs compressed) that just have to sink in... Patience! Succesful learners are just dedicated people.
By the way, check out gold lists and spaced repetition systems for the memorization part.
@heloizyjhenifer Thank you for the kind words and your understanding. I was looking for that math style in learning a language. Haha. The "time = learn" but i learned the hard way its not that simple. But your right, I'll be patient. I must be if I want to succeed in language learning. :)
@RyuPiu Patience and finding ways to enjoy your learning are key. Don't worry about how fast you are approaching your goal, just enjoy the journey. You will reach a decent level before you know it.
@lingosteve Thank you for the advice. This really helps me relax. I feel that was what was on my mind. Learning a language is a large task (or maybe that's the problem, I'm treating it as a task and not as a journey. Changed mindset!), and it makes it even more difficult b/c there is no definite "finish line." I'll treat it as a journey, where it "ends" where it "ends" and have fun w/ it. :) Once again, thank you. Maybe I should vlog about this.
I started studying Japanese Kanji and i did 25 a day for 4 days. I was doing great. Then I lost momentum. Completely. It's been 2 weeks since. I want to get back to it, but i'm discouraged. Reason being? I read through like 100 kanji, but they didn't completely stick. I don't want to review! I don't want to be like that every 100 kanji where i feel like I learned nothing and waste my time reviewing needlessly.
@RyuPiu try a spaced repittion system (SRS) like Anki. Its a flashcard software programe that shows you the card again when your just about to forget it and that window of time increases everytime you get it right.
For example: I have some kanji that will be shown to me again tomorrow and some that ive got right so many times that it wont show me again for a year!
It really works! but saying you want to learn them but you dont want to review them is a bit unrealistic.
@mowgli123456789 SRS systems are not for everyone. I prefer lots of listening and reading as a priority use of my language learning time. However, in learning Kanji, I developed my own SRS system for the first 1000 characters, then I found I did not need SRS. Reading and listening and some random vocab review was enough and enjoyable.
@lingosteve you made it sound as if its reading and listening OR srs. I do both. Im even listening while srsing ;)
Listening all the time IS a form of srs, it is spaced reps. You heard a word with gaps in between, constantly topping you up right?
Also, doing SRS like anki IS reading too, what else do you think im doing on it?
I input passages from books then read them when it thinks my memory will fade, rather then me trying to remember to pick that same book up again at a certain time
@mowgli123456789 I am sorry if I was unclear. I prefer to listen to and read content of interest to me. My main motivation is to access more and more interesting content in the language. I do some vocab review, but sporadically and more to see the relationships between words, than in the hope that I will nail down any words or phrases. But I know that many people swear by SRS systems.
@mowgli123456789 I have that program on my computer, however, I haven;t been using it. Maybe I should though. I'm going to experiment on how to learn. It should be fun :)
@RyuPiu I learned Kanji when I did Chinese over 40 years ago. I started with 10 a day and then went up to 30 a day, knowing that I would forget most of them. But I did a lot of listening and reading to content that also had these characters. It comes after a while. The only language where I found graded readers really useful was Chinese.
What do you recommend listening to? Do you just shop around for material? As for myself, I am trying to learn Korean. Would watching Korean television, for example, and focusing on it, help me?
Thank you for your tips. Very useful. I would like to point out that low quality sound or recordings with background noise are very useful as well. I think it is important to get used to non ideal situations. Thank you again.
albertosanag 8 months ago
Wow, you must wash a lot of dishes then.... :D
dragonwing4 8 months ago
@dragonwing4 every night including pots and pans and general kitchen clean up. Great time for language learning.
lingosteve 8 months ago 3
Promocionando los audífonos sony, hehe.. solo estaba bromeando muchas gracias por los consejos señor Steve, me siento muy conforme usando su web, ademas de que también me gustaría contribuir, subiré material propio en unos días, para aquellos que están aprendiendo español.
Estos últimos días trato de escuchar 5 horas de ingles por día, y siento que si continuo así podre mejorar bastante
daylightmontes 8 months ago
@daylightmontes Gracias , y espero ver tu material por el español a LingQ. Mucha suerte.
lingosteve 8 months ago
Comment removed
daylightmontes 8 months ago
tis a delicate beast, language learning is...
RyuPiu 8 months ago
Thanks for the tips. Just subscribed. But may I ask your advice even more?
If you had a 1 hour private lesson with a native speaker of the language you're learning on regular basis, what would you do with him/her? Online English schools are fast growing business, but you can do most of the things by yourself, like grammar check, listening, for writing, you can hire a proofreader. But spending an hour with the native on Skype, what would you expect from the lesson? I'd appreciate your answer.
Port712 8 months ago
@Port712 The need for a teacher depends on the learner. I am self-motivated and do not want a teacher at all until I am well along in the language. I need to discover the language myself with the help of the resources that I can find in books and online. Once I am at an intermediate level I like having a teacher to talk to, to get feedback and to practice talking and writing. At LingQ our tutors give detailed reports for all online discussions and corrected writing.
lingosteve 8 months ago
Thanks for sharing the headphone info. Steve. Much appreciated.
jondesousa 8 months ago
I have been learning Chinese for about 3 years and my listening sucks still. My main problem is keeping up, I will understand the beginning of a sentence, the end of it but for some reason I lose the middle of it. It's very frustrating and I cant seem to get round it :( I surround myself with the language as much as possible but nothing seems to help. Do you think this is because Chinese is tonal? My latest tact is to watch films in Chinese whilst reading the Chinese subs, is this a good idea?
beth2977 8 months ago
@beth2977 Hey,im chinese and based on my own experience of learning both english and chinese, the fastest way to grasp a language is to find someone who is patient enough to teach u from the beginning.Listening and repeating are certainly useful as everything needs practice. the process of my english is like "good"- "damn"-"better".By my reckoning, you'll get the breakthrough point after the bloody damn period.
callmefreakplz 8 months ago
@callmefreakplz I don't agree. It is not that easy to find someone who can teach you the language. I prefer to learn on my own, listening and reading and learning vocabulary, until I am ready to talk to native speakers withuot being a burden on them.
lingosteve 8 months ago
@lingosteve i see u point and i do agree. it's definitely all right to learn yourself, im just saying the fastest way of grasping a language is to learn it mouth to mouth, like a native toddler. anyway, thumb up for ur videos and keep doing them.p.s. to be honest, im extremely surprised of ur language talent as u r already able to speak both japanese and chinese, which are called as the most difficult languages in the world.
callmefreakplz 8 months ago
@beth2977 This is normal. There are always some parts that we just don't get. Don't worry about it and move on to new content. Try to work with material where the text is also available. Try LingQ.
lingosteve 8 months ago
I did learn. Kinda. The reason I say kinda is b/c if i looked back to refresh, I would remember everything, but right now off the top of my head I can't. How do I gain momentum and continue to learn? I have done a lot of reading over at ajatt.com I have watched your videos, Laoshuu's videos. Some of professor arguilles videos, but I'm stuck. However, I am trying and am eager to learn my first language as a young adult. Your help would be much appreciated :)
RyuPiu 8 months ago
@RyuPiu I'm not Steve but I can tell you this. There are no shortcuts in learning a language. There are more or less efficient methods. The most efficient ones are a torture however, and you wouldn't be able to keep up.
It just takes a lot of time, make it as enjoyable as possible and be regular.
heloizyjhenifer 8 months ago
@heloizyjhenifer agreed. The best methods are not necessarily the methods that someone say are efficient. The best methods are the ones you enjoy.
lingosteve 8 months ago
@heloizyjhenifer thanks for the last bit of advice.
I was not looking for shortcuts, if that's what you got from my comments. I was looking to kill this sense of redundancy caused by my eagerness to accomplish something. I found it unfair that i studied something for a set amt of time, yet four days later, I felt like I "learned" nothing, b/c nothing stuck. Put in time, no results. That got me angry, but I feel I need to relax. And I will.
RyuPiu 8 months ago
@RyuPiu I understand, all language learners do :). Sadly in a way language is not a matter you can learn like math where it's just logic, "grammar" and drills. It's not obvious maybe but a language is a huge chunk of data, and it's only loosely structured in many respects. Tens on megabytes (still several megs compressed) that just have to sink in... Patience! Succesful learners are just dedicated people.
By the way, check out gold lists and spaced repetition systems for the memorization part.
heloizyjhenifer 8 months ago
@heloizyjhenifer Thank you for the kind words and your understanding. I was looking for that math style in learning a language. Haha. The "time = learn" but i learned the hard way its not that simple. But your right, I'll be patient. I must be if I want to succeed in language learning. :)
I'll take a look. :)
RyuPiu 8 months ago
@RyuPiu I've combined two of my hobbies in one, languages and programming :), coding tools to assist myself.
heloizyjhenifer 8 months ago
@RyuPiu Patience and finding ways to enjoy your learning are key. Don't worry about how fast you are approaching your goal, just enjoy the journey. You will reach a decent level before you know it.
lingosteve 8 months ago
@lingosteve Thank you for the advice. This really helps me relax. I feel that was what was on my mind. Learning a language is a large task (or maybe that's the problem, I'm treating it as a task and not as a journey. Changed mindset!), and it makes it even more difficult b/c there is no definite "finish line." I'll treat it as a journey, where it "ends" where it "ends" and have fun w/ it. :) Once again, thank you. Maybe I should vlog about this.
RyuPiu 8 months ago
I started studying Japanese Kanji and i did 25 a day for 4 days. I was doing great. Then I lost momentum. Completely. It's been 2 weeks since. I want to get back to it, but i'm discouraged. Reason being? I read through like 100 kanji, but they didn't completely stick. I don't want to review! I don't want to be like that every 100 kanji where i feel like I learned nothing and waste my time reviewing needlessly.
RyuPiu 8 months ago
@RyuPiu try a spaced repittion system (SRS) like Anki. Its a flashcard software programe that shows you the card again when your just about to forget it and that window of time increases everytime you get it right.
For example: I have some kanji that will be shown to me again tomorrow and some that ive got right so many times that it wont show me again for a year!
It really works! but saying you want to learn them but you dont want to review them is a bit unrealistic.
mowgli123456789 8 months ago
@mowgli123456789 SRS systems are not for everyone. I prefer lots of listening and reading as a priority use of my language learning time. However, in learning Kanji, I developed my own SRS system for the first 1000 characters, then I found I did not need SRS. Reading and listening and some random vocab review was enough and enjoyable.
lingosteve 8 months ago
@lingosteve you made it sound as if its reading and listening OR srs. I do both. Im even listening while srsing ;)
Listening all the time IS a form of srs, it is spaced reps. You heard a word with gaps in between, constantly topping you up right?
Also, doing SRS like anki IS reading too, what else do you think im doing on it?
I input passages from books then read them when it thinks my memory will fade, rather then me trying to remember to pick that same book up again at a certain time
mowgli123456789 8 months ago
@mowgli123456789 I am sorry if I was unclear. I prefer to listen to and read content of interest to me. My main motivation is to access more and more interesting content in the language. I do some vocab review, but sporadically and more to see the relationships between words, than in the hope that I will nail down any words or phrases. But I know that many people swear by SRS systems.
lingosteve 8 months ago
@mowgli123456789 I have that program on my computer, however, I haven;t been using it. Maybe I should though. I'm going to experiment on how to learn. It should be fun :)
RyuPiu 8 months ago
@RyuPiu I learned Kanji when I did Chinese over 40 years ago. I started with 10 a day and then went up to 30 a day, knowing that I would forget most of them. But I did a lot of listening and reading to content that also had these characters. It comes after a while. The only language where I found graded readers really useful was Chinese.
lingosteve 8 months ago
What do you recommend listening to? Do you just shop around for material? As for myself, I am trying to learn Korean. Would watching Korean television, for example, and focusing on it, help me?
PeniciIIin 8 months ago
@PeniciIIin We have some Korean content available at LingQ. I do not know what other sources are available for Korean content.
lingosteve 8 months ago
so your saying have the language playing constantly so that its there wheever you go in and out of focus right?
OtacooI 8 months ago
@OtacooI I prefer to listen to content where I can access a transcript and learn the words and phrases.
lingosteve 8 months ago