#AskSteve

A lot of people pick up Sudoku or solitaire to keep their minds active as they get older. I understand the appeal, but after decades of learning languages, I'm convinced nothing else comes close. Language learning connects you to new sounds, new people, new places, and even your own memories, all at once. At 80, it's still the activity that keeps me feeling engaged and alive. What do you do to keep your brain active?

🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=BhpSVO7At6A CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Vocabulary is the clearest measure of your level in any language, so here is how I acquire and review words, and why I skip most of the popular methods. ⏲️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Why words are the key measure of your level 1:10 What it really means to know a word 3:30 The frequency problem and specialized vocabulary 4:40 Why I avoid most vocabulary strategies, including SRS 5:20 How I actually review vocabulary, and why forgetting helps 📺 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/NQZYL39JEFo?si=6fI0pHQnHoFdVnzz https://youtu.be/ac1f8qa30Bg?si=-jdBBSn7fjfCSyhh 🎙️ LISTEN TO MY PODCAST: Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3iZsbic Apple: https://apple.co/3z1F1lD Google: https://bit.ly/2W3DYmK Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TbcX8ilVmVTi6jdQVHuwK 💡 LEARN MORE: Get my 10 Secrets of Language Learning: https://www.thelinguist.com Download my FREE grammar guides: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/ Join the LingQ Discord server: https://discord.gg/ShPTjyhwTN Read my language learning blog on The Linguist: https://bit.ly/2MW83Ab Read the LingQ language learning blog: https://bit.ly/35yvaqK ✅ FOLLOW ME: My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/lingosteve_ My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lingosteve

In language learning, should we push ourselves or always pursue comfort? What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=q8DrEwZ-vDE CC subtitles available in multiple languages. At 80, I'm still learning languages every day, and I'm convinced it does more for your brain than any Sudoku puzzle ever could. ⏲️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Language learning or Sudoku? 00:34 Is the information age a good thing? 02:28 The connections language learning creates 04:06 Learning with others at LingQ 04:58 Keeping your brain sharp into old age 📺 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/3zVpk12Uz0U https://youtu.be/-QV9kz2-fD0 📌 SOURCES: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/speaking-two-languages-better-brain-sudoko 🎙️ LISTEN TO MY PODCAST: Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3iZsbic Apple: https://apple.co/3z1F1lD Google: https://bit.ly/2W3DYmK Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TbcX8ilVmVTi6jdQVHuwK 💡 LEARN MORE: Get my 10 Secrets of Language Learning: https://www.thelinguist.com Download my FREE grammar guides: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/ Join the LingQ Discord server: https://discord.gg/ShPTjyhwTN Read my language learning blog on The Linguist: https://bit.ly/2MW83Ab Read the LingQ language learning blog: https://bit.ly/35yvaqK ✅ FOLLOW ME: My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/lingosteve_ My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCez-2shYlHQY3LfILBuDYqQ

I've often heard — and even said — that to learn a language, you have to get outside your comfort zone. But looking back at the book I wrote in 2003, I realized my approach has always been the opposite: we don't leave our comfort zone, we move it with us, like a snail carrying its shell. Comfort is why I choose familiar content, build passive vocabulary before speaking, and use whatever assists make writing easier. The goal is to become comfortable in more and more difficult situations, not to suffer through them. Do you learn better when you're comfortable, or do you need a bit of pressure?

I have never been a fan of flashcards and in this video I explain why.

🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=pFZrSI7UjWI CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Everyone says you have to leave your comfort zone to learn a language, but is it really true? ⏲️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Rethinking the comfort zone 0:45 - What I wrote back in 2003: mindset and your own language world 3:03 - Comfort in practice: compelling input and reading 4:20 - Passive vocabulary, speaking and writing 7:08 - When to push yourself: intensity and concentrated exposure 📺 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/bXuJ-q03bGw?si=XLkqzI9H_is9Nrwa https://youtu.be/mPiwdoyUeoA?si=oFdk71PKCLCE_sEW 🎙️ LISTEN TO MY PODCAST: Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3iZsbic Apple: https://apple.co/3z1F1lD Google: https://bit.ly/2W3DYmK Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TbcX8ilVmVTi6jdQVHuwK 💡 LEARN MORE: Get my 10 Secrets of Language Learning: https://www.thelinguist.com Download my FREE grammar guides: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/ Join the LingQ Discord server: https://discord.gg/ShPTjyhwTN Read my language learning blog on The Linguist: https://bit.ly/2MW83Ab Read the LingQ language learning blog: https://bit.ly/35yvaqK ✅ FOLLOW ME: My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/lingosteve_ My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lingosteve

The CEO of Air Canada spent 550 hours studying French over six years — with a private teacher and on his own — and still couldn't speak it. It cost him his job. Most people assume they failed at languages because they lack talent or didn't work hard enough. The real problem is the method: grammar drills and classroom instruction don't build the neural connections your brain needs to actually use a language. What's surprised you most about how you learn languages?

Flashcards have been around for centuries — but are they really the best way to learn a language? Based on what I've learned about how the brain builds knowledge, I believe massive input is far more effective. Every hour you spend reading and listening exposes you to far more words, patterns, and connections than an hour of flashcard review ever could. Flashcards have their place — I used them when starting Chinese characters — but once you have some foundation, the focus should shift to volume. Are you a flashcard person, or have you made the switch to massive input?

🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=y7meNm4HTy0 CC subtitles available in multiple languages. I started learning Mandarin in 1968 with flashcards and reel-to-reel tapes, and here is what I would do differently today. ⏲️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Learning Mandarin in 1968 1:40 Characters, flashcards, and finding my own material 4:53 The real challenge: tones 5:45 How I would learn Mandarin today 9:45 The one habit that still matters 📺 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/Hl7MV5s8SKc?si=Be18AAFtuP63VHaU https://youtu.be/YxCjyMNl8eU?si=DHYMw10JfjuMdoIr 🎙️ LISTEN TO MY PODCAST: Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3iZsbic Apple: https://apple.co/3z1F1lD Google: https://bit.ly/2W3DYmK Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TbcX8ilVmVTi6jdQVHuwK 💡 LEARN MORE: Get my 10 Secrets of Language Learning: https://www.thelinguist.com Download my FREE grammar guides: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/ Join the LingQ Discord server: https://discord.gg/ShPTjyhwTN Read my language learning blog on The Linguist: https://bit.ly/2MW83Ab Read the LingQ language learning blog: https://bit.ly/35yvaqK ✅ FOLLOW ME: My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/lingosteve_ My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lingosteve

✍🏻 How to actually learn a language (course): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiFB-yYuG2hiwcilvwSe63wzTZexBPQNL 🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=3zVpk12Uz0U CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Today I want to talk about learning slowly — and why if you accept that learning a language takes time, learning slowly actually gets you there faster. ⏲️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Why slow is faster 00:50 The problem with Tim Ferriss's shortcut 02:54 Slow food, slow language learning 04:46 What you can actually control 06:21 The journey is the reward 📺 WATCH NEXT: https://youtu.be/bXuJ-q03bGw?si=l8suAbta5vWu9n-A https://youtu.be/mPiwdoyUeoA?si=29-dI8BW4eoQKQS7 🎙️ LISTEN TO MY PODCAST: Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3iZsbic Apple: https://apple.co/3z1F1lD Google: https://bit.ly/2W3DYmK Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TbcX8ilVmVTi6jdQVHuwK 💡 LEARN MORE: Get my 10 Secrets of Language Learning: https://www.thelinguist.com Download my FREE grammar guides: https://www.lingq.com/en/grammar-resource/ Join the LingQ Discord server: https://discord.gg/ShPTjyhwTN Read my language learning blog on The Linguist: https://bit.ly/2MW83Ab Read the LingQ language learning blog: https://bit.ly/35yvaqK ✅ FOLLOW ME: My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/lingosteve_ My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lingosteve