#AskSteve

Listening and reading are my favourite learning activities but the goal is to speak. How do we get to speak and speak well? We need to speak a lot. It can be a struggle at first, but we usually do better than we think. We need to interact with native speakers, preferably face to face, and in natural and meaningful situations. And we need to pay attention but we should not be too harsh on ourselves.

Read full transcript on my blog: http://blog.thelinguist.com/active-and-passive-vocabulary Learn from this lesson on LingQ: http://www.lingq.com/learn/en/workdesk/item/6593300/reader/ To see the TED video I mentioned, check out my last blog post: http://blog.thelinguist.com/hacking-language-learning You need a lot of words to function effectively in a language because you need to understand what is said. Work on your passive vocabulary and don't worry too much about your difficulties in speaking and using words in the early stages. If you have the passive vocabulary, if you can understand what you hear, you will eventually learn to speak well.

Non ho parlato molto in Italiano, ma ho ascoltato e letto molto, e ho imparato un mucchio di cose.

Fluency in Japanese in three months, is it possible? Check out Benny's video. http://www.fluentin3months.com/japanese-mission/ Timelines: 00:07 Benny the Irish polyglot Japanese challenge. 1:06 Benny Lewis is a great motivator. 1:34 Unrealistic claim. 3:38 Japanese in 3 months - what’s the hurry? 4:10 You have to interact with a language. 5:32 Am I willing to use any polyglot techniques other than mine? 7:48 If I were in Benny’s shoes. 8:57 Quantifying VS quality. 11:53 Summary. Visit https://www.LingQ.com My Blog: http://blog.thelinguist.com/ My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lingosteve My Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingosteve Follow the new LingQ channel: https://goo.gl/WVnzRS Follow "Steve's Cafe" channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/SteveKaufmann

One often hears that extroverts make better language learners then introverts. I don't believe this is the case. Success in language learning depends on the interest and determination of the learner, the time spent with the language, and the ability to notice what's happening in the language. These factors are not influenced by whether the learner is an introvert or an extrovert. At least that is what I think. I would be interested in your views. Timelines: 0:01 You don’t have to be an extravert to learn languages. 0:42 The 3 keys. 2:37 Being introvert or extravert is irrelevant. 4:14 Input based activities make introverts feel more comfortable. 6:12 Extraverts have no advantage in the long run. 6:50 I may not agree with your opinion, but I appreciate it. Visit https://www.LingQ.com My Blog: http://blog.thelinguist.com/ My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lingosteve My Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingosteve Follow the new LingQ channel: https://goo.gl/WVnzRS Follow "Steve's Cafe" channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/SteveKaufmann

Despite a focus on French verb instruction in the school system, after ten years in school, most English Canadians speak French using the infinitive for all verbs, if they speak French at all. A part of the reason is because they tend to focus more on grammar rather than constant input from the language. This video's full transcript can be found on my blog: https://blog.thelinguist.com/grammar-for-writing

Far too much emphasis is placed on speaking in language instruction. If the emphasis were placed on listening comprehension, people would end up speaking better. Timelines: 1:05 Speaking is highly overrated. 2:06 Listening is the fundamental skill. 2:34 Listening is easy to organize. 5:32 Speaking and Listening reinforce each other. 6:03 Reading is a form of listening. 7:18 There is too much emphasis on speaking. 7:45 A possible solution for school system. 10:27 Step 1 in any language. Visit https://www.LingQ.com Link to blog post: https://blog.thelinguist.com/listening-comprehension My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lingosteve My Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingosteve Follow the new LingQ channel: https://goo.gl/WVnzRS Follow "Steve's Cafe" channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/SteveKaufmann

If you are learning Mandarin, I recommend checking out LingQ's free grammar guide: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/chinese/ I was asked to describe how to achieve fluency in Mandarin in six months. Timelines: 0:21 A letter from one of my viewers. 1:49 Language is a lifelong journey. 3:37 The goal is to get comfortable. 4:05 Go to the country. 4:56 Listen to dialogues and lay off the characters. 7:49 Listening and reading is the most effective method. 8:49 Unapparent exposure method. 9:18 The biggest waste of time. 9:47 What books and materials should be used. 10:26 I would start to write as soon as I can. 10:59 Intensive program for a month. 11:42 80/20 principle doesn’t apply to language learning. 12:38 Don’t worry and just speak. 13:23 6 months are over. What’s next? 14:03 Your languages are always with you. Visit https://www.LingQ.com My Blog: http://blog.thelinguist.com/ My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lingosteve My Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingosteve Follow the new LingQ channel: https://goo.gl/WVnzRS Follow "Steve's Cafe" channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/SteveKaufmann

Study this as a lesson on LingQ: https://www.lingq.com/en/learn/en/web/lesson/356762 Full transcript at my blog: https://blog.thelinguist.com/why-do-we-learn-languages I derived immense enjoyment from listening to audiobooks and podcast, reading books, watching movies and participating in the cultures of the languages that I learn. Undoubtedly the amount of time that I enjoy my languages in this way is far greater than the amount of time that I am able to use the languages in talking to people. The goal is to talk to people, but most of the enjoyment comes from these seemingly passive activities. Of course, learning the languages through these somewhat passive activities, eventually enables me to speak comfortably.

Full transcript can be found on my blog: https://blog.thelinguist.com/tips-for-learning-german Get LingQ's free German grammar guide here: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/german/ Some people wanted more details about the language itself. Motivation is key and the rest will follow, but here are some observations about German. I also hope I solved the audio volume problem. Timelines: 0:50 German may appeal less motivating. 2:29 German is not as difficult for English speakers. 3:09 Hacking German cases. My strategy. 5:10 German pronunciation is not hard. 5:26 You have to get used to German spelling. 5:37 A thing I don’t get about German nouns. 6:09 The biggest problem in German is a word-order issue. 8:22 Listen and read more and foggy grammar will become clear. 9:30 Don’t get to hung up about German declensions. Visit https://www.LingQ.com My Blog: http://blog.thelinguist.com/ My Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingosteve More German Tips: Learn German using German Songs: https://www.lingq.com/blog/2018/11/23/german-songs/

Study this video as a lesson on LingQ: https://www.lingq.com/en/learn/en/web/lesson/443800 Full transcript: https://blog.thelinguist.com/the-best-way-to-learn-german If you aren't motivated to learn German, it is not difficult to get motivated. Anyone with motivation, can become a good language learner.

Wir lernen Sprachen am besten wenn es uns Spaß macht . Es muss interessant sein. Für mich war es immer so. www.lingq.com