#AskSteve
Over the years I have created a vast amount of videos and articles where I talk about language learning. Find them here.
For example, type "english" to search items about english.
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How to Learn Chinese: My Top 6 Tips December 1 2023
I studied Mandarin Chinese 50 years ago. It took me nine months to reach a level where I could translate newspaper editorials from English to Chinese and from Chinese to English, read novels and interpret for people, I did this in the age of the open-reel tape recorder, long before the age of […]
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The Best Way to Learn a New Language November 24 2023
Good language learners notice what is happening in a language. They notice the sounds of the language, and the structure and the vocabulary. They notice as they listen and read. They notice when they use the language. How can we train ourselves in the ability to notice, in order to become good language learners?
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Polyglot reacts to @IAmMarkManson's language learning advice November 24 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/40YQAsQ My 10 FREE secrets to language learning: https://bit.ly/4a0LuAq ...
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How Long Should it Take to Learn a Language? November 17 2023
Language learning depends mostly on three factors, the attitude of the learner, the time available, and learner’s attentiveness to the language. If we assume a positive attitude on the part of the learner, and a reasonable and growing attentivenes…
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Similarities & Differences Between the Slavic Languages November 7 2023
The most popularly spoken Slavic languages are Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian in the east, Polish, Czech and Slovakian in the west and then the the languages of the former Yugoslavia in the south.
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Learn Japanese – 5 Essential Tips October 24 2023
If you are going to learn Japanese, you need to decide why you are learning the language. Why did I learn Japanese? My work took me there in 1971. I lived there for nine years, mostly during the 1970s. I learned in Japan, surrounded by the language, on my own, largely by listening and reading and […]
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Want to Learn German? Here’s How I Did It. October 6 2023
In 1987, I decided I was going to put forth a major effort to learn German. I’m going to explain that to you in detail. Long before I decided that I was going to learn German, I did have exposure to the language. My parents were from Czechoslovakia and they spoke German at home, […]
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¿Cuánto tiempo se tarda en aprender un idioma? September 22 2023
El aprendizaje de un idioma depende fundamentalmente de tres factores: La actitud del estudiante, el tiempo disponible y la atención que ponga éste en el idioma. Si asumimos una actitud positiva, razonable y una atención creciente hacia el idioma por parte del estudiante. ¿Cuánto tiempo tomaría en aprender un idioma? El FSI, el estadounidense […]
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My 7 Goals of Language Learning September 8 2023
My hierarchy of goals is what I consider to be more important at what stage in my learning. There are seven of them and I’m going talk about the seven today, and then I’ve been giving some thought to doing one video on each of these seven goals. In other words, how do we achieve those goals? How do we use those goals to improve our ability in the language that we’re learning?
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How Long Does It Take to Learn Spanish? August 25 2023
How many hours a day will you spend with Spanish? This is perhaps the most important consideration and does not refer to how many hours do you spend in a Spanish language classroom. It means how much time do you spend listening, reading, speaking or writing in Spanish. It can be listening to podcasts while walking the dog, reading, watching movies, listening to songs in Spanish or being engaged in a conversation in Spanish. In some ways, exposure to Spanish outside the classroom can be more intense than exposure inside the classroom, unless you are lucky enough to have one-on-one instruction.
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Create Your Own Dictionary August 11 2023
When it comes to learning a new language, some learners like dictionaries. They read them. They treasure them. They worry about getting the best possible dictionary. I don’t like using dictionaries. Using them is like one-way love.
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Comprehensible Input and Compelling Input (CI) July 28 2023
What is meant by comprehensible input in language learning? Stephen Krashen uses this term, as well as the term compelling input, to refer to the kind of language exposure we need in order to learn a language. The term CI, in language learning, can apply to both. What do they mean?
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The Best Way to Learn Italian July 17 2023
Italian is a language that has always appealed to me, as Italy is such a lovely country. I have traveled and hitchhiked through Italy and, at that time, I didn’t speak Italian, so I was relying on my knowledge of Spanish to communicate with people. With so many fascinating places to visit, great food and […]
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Experienced language learners accept uncertainty, yet they keep going. They accept that they don’t fully understand. In the above video I refer to two kinds of comprehension, listening comprehension and reading comprehension, but in this post I will simply refer to them as language comprehension. Language comprehension is the most […]
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Language Learning is Like an Iceberg June 27 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/aDOQ5 CC subtitles available in multiple languages. I like analogies, they ...
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You CAN’T Memorize A Language June 22 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: http://surl.li/iimqz CC subtitles available in multiple languages. The great educator Rubem ...
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Active & Passive Vocabulary: When Do We Know a Word? June 20 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/uJSU7 CC subtitles available in multiple languages. When do we know a ...
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Ser Vs Estar in Spanish June 19 2023
Every language has some issues, often grammar issues, that cause learners difficulty. In the case of Spanish, one thing that gives people special trouble is the existence of two forms of the verb “to be”. Both ser and estar translate into English as “to be”. Ser vs estar, here’s how to get them straight. […]
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How I Immerse Myself in a Language June 15 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/dkstz CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Language immersion ...
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How To Improve Your Speaking June 13 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/tBJV8 CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Some people are ...
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Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/iovE5 CC subtitles available in multiple languages. The journey is the ...
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Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/jsQUW CC subtitles available in multiple languages. How do you maintain ...
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I hear all the time that Google Translate doesn’t work. It’s not accurate. It’s this and that. I think Google Translate is a tremendous resource and not only for language learners. It’s not 100% and it’s better for some languages than others, but I find it extremely useful.
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Learn Languages Fast By Learning Slow May 30 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/aemxI CC subtitles available in multiple languages. We need to be patient ...
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How Should We Define Languages and Dialects? May 25 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://shorturl.at/zELN2 CC subtitles available in multiple languages. I have always been ...
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Is It Hard to Learn Japanese? May 22 2023
Japanese, simply in terms of the vocabulary, the structure being very different from say English, if you’re an English speaker, is going to be more difficult. However, there are a number of things that make Japanese easier, in my opinion.
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How This Polyglot Starts Learning Languages May 18 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3pSeOGy CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Beginner material needs ...
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Why Some Language Learners Are Afraid to Speak May 16 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3M9Yh8z CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Lev mere tænk mindre ...
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Boomers Need to Be More Grateful! May 11 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/44PgCQG CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Should seniors pay ...
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5 Ways to Stay Motivated May 9 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3NX0SoU CC subtitles available in multiple languages. What is your “why” ...
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French for Beginners: What You Need to Know May 8 2023
French was my first love when it comes to languages. In fact, there’s an expression in French: “On revient toujours a son premier amour.” It means you always go back to your first love. I love French; I love all the languages that I learn, but I have a special affection for French.
I highly recommend learning French for beginners. There’s a whole world that you can access so much better if you speak French. The language is spoken in other countries like Canada. -
Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3HF7F2k CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Find Iclal online: ...
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Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/44gJIYX CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Language learning isn't ...
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DON'T Complicate Language Learning April 27 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/41Hy5IM CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Stephen Krashen's ...
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Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3L6Xogj CC subtitles available in multiple languages. My recent reading on the ...
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Levels of Language Proficiency: What Is Fluency? April 24 2023
I recently watched a video which features polyglots Luca Lampariello and Anthony Lauder. In it they make the point that you don’t need to have a large vocabulary in order to be fluent. Anthony has said in the past that even with a few hundred words you can be fluent, or you can be fluent at a relatively low level of proficiency in a language. I don’t agree at all.
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Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Into the Learning Zone April 21 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3oxTRjo CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Learning a language ...
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Which Language Should You Learn? April 18 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3osildR CC subtitles available in multiple languages. People often ask me ...
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How To Learn Portuguese April 10 2023
Many of us are watching the Olympics in Brazil. Despite all of the bad reports that we always get in the lead up to any Olympic Games – some British newspaper called the 2010 Vancouver Winter games the worst Olympics in the world ever, then there were all the problems with toilets in Sochi and now pollution in Rio – it looks like actually things are proceeding swimmingly, so to speak.
People ask, if I go to Brazil, can I communicate? What language do they speak? First of all, some may not know that Brazilians speak Portuguese. There’s no Brazilian language, there is Portuguese.
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Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3Uen6DM CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Alberto Salas, known as ...
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How to Learn Vocabulary Without Even Trying April 4 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3GikD5H CC subtitles available in multiple languages. For a long time I have ...
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ChatGPT: Should Language Teachers Be Worried? March 30 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3lRAO2N CC subtitles available in multiple languages. There are various ways ...
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Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/40KD0HU CC subtitles available in multiple languages. Elon Musk apparently ...
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All the Tricks and Tips You Need for Learning Spanish March 27 2023
I think Spanish is one of the most attractive languages to learn. We can all be motivated to learn a specific language like Mongolian or Finnish because we have a friend or a particular interest. Spanish is different: there are a number of real big advantages to learning Spanish.
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Language Learning Through Travel March 23 2023Learn languages like I do with LingQ: https://bit.ly/3nfriXj CC subtitles available in multiple languages. I will visit Denmark, Sweden ...
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Korean vs Japanese vs Chinese March 14 2023
Korean vs Japanese vs Chinese, ever wonder what the similarities and differences are between these three languages and how should we go about learning them? To what extent can learning one help you with the others? Let me share my experience in learning these three Asian languages. How I Learned Mandarin, Japanese and Korean […]
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The Definition of a Polyglot February 24 2023
As people who speak multiple languages, polyglots like to use those languages; we like to see how we do. But there is an element of performance. Are you better than me? Am I better than you? For some people that’s fine. I think a lot of us are very happy, in fact, when we hear somebody speak better than we do.
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Tips for Learning Russian February 9 2023
I wanted give some important tips for learning Russian. First I’ll explain about the writing system, then some interesting things to remember about Russian verbs of motion, aspects of verbs and cases.
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Combien De Temps Faut-Il Pour Apprendre l’Espagnol? January 3 2023
Combien de temps faut-il pour apprendre l’espagnol ? Combien de temps faut-il pour apprendre n’importe quelle langue ? J’entends cette question assez souvent. Il n’existe pas de réponse universelle. Cela dépend vraiment de vous.
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How To Become Good at Speaking a New Language October 11 2022
You have all heard me stress the importance of input. You have to get the language in you, meaning you have to acquire words, and you have to let your brain get used to the language. I spend most of my time practicing different forms of input, however, the ability to effectively speak is the […]
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How I learned French September 23 2022
When I was 16, we had the option to do our first year of university instead of grade 12 in high school. I decided to move on to McGill University in Montréal as I found high school to be a bit boring. Not knowing what to study, I chose a number of courses in French and English literature. My professor at university named Maurice Rabotin was great!
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How to Expand Your Vocabulary Without Memorization August 18 2022
Accumulating words is the fundamental task in language learning, in other words it is very important to acquire new words. Many learners are under the impression that this is done through memorization. This is not, however, the most effective way to grow your vocabulary. I’ve never been able to learn new words by deliberately trying to memorize them. The more effective way to learn new words is simply through exposure to the language.
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Listening: Language Learning Goal 3 July 18 2022
My third language learning goal is listening. It’s the third goal in the hierarchy, but in many ways it’s the most important because it’s the major activity that I do when it comes to language learning, simply because it’s so easy to do. So I can get up in the morning and listen, I can listen while doing the dishes, I listen while I exercise. I listen while in the car, the train or wherever I am. I can always listen. I can listen 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there and before you know it, I have an hour of language learning done.
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Language Learning Goal 2: Reading Comprehension June 20 2022
Reading is easier than listening. I can work my way through a text at LingQ, look up every word. Let’s say I’m in sentence mode, it’s a brand new language and if there’s seven words in that sentence, I can look up each word and I can kind of figure out what the sentence means. Fuzzy, maybe not totally clear, but I have a sense of what that sentence means. I have a sense of which words correspond to the verb, to the noun and so forth. So the reading is easy. If I just heard those words, I wouldn’t be able to do that. So reading is a sort of a step towards being able to understand what you hear.
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Which is better for language learners, monolingual or bilingual dictionaries? This question often comes up.A monolingual dictionary explains the meaning of a word in the language that you are learning. A bilingual dictionary provides a translation…