6 brain-friendly strategies for reading in any language

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CC subtitles available in multiple languages.
In this week’s video I about why reading is so important for language learners and how to use technology to supercharge your reading skills.
⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - The importance of reading
0:27 - Tip 1: Read a lot
2:50 - Tip 2: Don't worry about comprehension
3:35 - Tip 3: Practice listening
5:08 - Tip 4: Vary context
6:26 - Tip 5: Use technology
7:23 - Tip 6: Experiment with listening speed
📺 WATCH NEXT:
The importance of reading: • The Importance of Reading
Reading strategies for language learners: • Reading Strategies for...
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[@Thelinguist]

📲 The app I use to learn languages: bit.ly/412g5cE 🆓 My 10 FREE secrets to language learning: bit.ly/4a387E7 ❓Are you using any of these strategies? Tell me in the comments!

[@GeorgeDeCarlo]

I have over $5,000 on grammar then storytelling now LingQ. When reading I still understand little and if I understand most if not all words in a sentence most of the time I do not understand what the sentence means. When reviewing with Tagalog speakers I demonstrate this. They don't know what to say. You, Krashen and Brown have confidence that everyone can do it. But I can show you people such as myself who fail or gave up after trying repeatedly. Someone told me to give up I will never succeed. What magic trick are polyglots not mentioning? I tutored others in algebra when I went back to school. It was so easy to get those failing or with severe problems to get it, to understand. After literally hundreds of hours online searching for several years I still don't know what to add or change. Read what?

[@ficklebar]

I'm always impressed with how sharp this man is - well read, technologically savvy AND willing to change his perspective... a breath of fresh air!

[@cheska9999]

I agree completely!

[@michelenintricepsi6529]

One of the rarer youtube polyglots that doesn't feel like a fraud. IMHO. Also such a cool gentleman.

[@tohaason]

I learned English basically by reading - and doing exactly as was said in the video: Not worrying about what I did not understand. And sure enough, later (e.g. at the end of a book) I would understand what I didn't understand early in the book. All of that came 100% from understanding from context. It works. Don't stop. Get into the story, don't think about language. As for my native language - I learned to read by watching while my father was reading for me. I was about 5 (I didn't get glasses until 5, so nobody knew I couldn't see very well until then). My father stopped reading for me when I asked him to turn the page, and he was still reading at the top.. he hadn't realized I was learning to read as he was reading the goodnight stories.

[@tiramisunsun]

I'm literally learning languages mainly to read more books in their original language, so I can't agree more with this video. Reading is the key.

[@notscaredboochie]

Currently learning Japanese with satori reader. I agree that reading is 100% the way to go. It is non stop language exposure.

[@aidarzharassov3625]

That's interesting to hear, thank you man! How d you approach new kanji and sentences, do you focus on kanji then reading or visa versa?

[@welovfree]

I use Anki and I use extensive reading, and I noticed that it takes me more repetitions to learn and remember words with Anki compared to reading. I think one of the main reasons for this is the fact that words repeat themselves in different contexts while reading which helps a lot with guessing and meaning inference. Which isn't the case using Anki because you have to stick with just one or two example sentences.

[@rayanrayan9167]

That's right !

[@yusra5100]

I agree.

[@chickenandducks968]

Do you make flashcards as individual words or as sentences?

[@maru8140]

Do you know some good books for beginners?

[@jefferson6302]

​@@chickenandducks968in a sentence

[@Eric-le3uu]

The last point about experimenting with different speeds for listening practice is interesting.

[@lucianluca7059]

As a polyglot I agree 100%. The only thing I regret is not knowing about this app years ago. I would have known 20 languages by now.

[@r_ramon]

What's the app?

[@xbjrrtc]

​@@r_ramonLingQ, the app Steve helped develop

[@lucianluca7059]

Top left corner of the video says Lingq. It's very primitive compared with other apps but it's all about enjoying the process of learning and discovering things.

[@GarrettRogers2002]

@@r_ramon lingq

[@alagunoff]

Linq or speechify, i suppose

[@Daniel-wi6sk]

As an avid reader in various languages (6 or 7, at fairly different stages of proficiency), I was already convinced by the topic, very nicely explained here by Steve. But I admit that I never thought about increasing the speed of the audio to muscle up the unserstanding and make normal speed appear, very logically, easier... Thanks for that !

[@Thelinguist]

I think it is more than that. It improves your ability to decode and you can cover more ground in a shorter period of time.

[@biiauchann1736]

⁠@@ThelinguistI find it also increases attention while speeding up, and ofc it requires tons of mental energy and I would recommend try not to do it while already exhausted. Otherwise it’s gonna have backfire effects

[@johnsgarage6622]

Very interesting to see the neural links between audio and reading. Supports the importance that reading has when you are limited to the amount of audio available.

[@R_Yasha]

Another thing that personally helped me to achieve fluency in most languages I now speak, was setting the games I was playing, in the language that I wanted to learn, it forced me to get exposed to a language so I had to listen, read and sometimes even speak in that language while I was also having fun.

[@Adam42416]

what games did you play?

[@R_Yasha]

@@Adam42416 Any kind really, like literally, I started from stuff like chess to things like FIFA or animal crossing, also there’s a game for PC called influent where you can learn a lot of words from, however, what mattered to me was being able to understand when I had to read or listen to a character, and if I didn’t I would either write the words I didn’t know or go over KZbin search the dialogue and pause to the part I needed to translate that later, hope it helped a little.

[@a.demifemiflapo5795]

​@@R_YashaWith FIFA, I never had English commetary (maybe 2 or 3 lol) as you can see if you through my videos, it exposes you to a whole different cultures and you get to know other commentators too.

[@gamingwithpurg3anarchy157]

Probably one of the best videos you've ever created.

[@lucca3371]

steve is such a role model. thank you for your work

[@beyondthebasicsinpolish]

Well done! This is one of my favorite videos of yours. Love the added brain images

[@bhami]

I have found it very helpful to turn on and read English subtitles while listening to Russian conversation videos. When my mind is prepared in that way for the meaning, I am able to anticipate and understand much of the spoken conversation.

[@jingdi2284]

谢谢老师！ Thank you so much , Teacher .

[@tedc9682]

Yet another interesting disussion of some good ideas about language learning. It is very impressive that Steve K find so many of them, and can express them so well.

[@MannyWalks]

so super duper interesting Steve! 🔥

[@solomerebeccanabaggala9271]

Thank you Steve for this. Reading is the way to go 🎉🎉

[@felipedejesuslugosolis294]

When I started my trip to learn a new language you were my inspiration, thank you for all your videos, I really enjoy it and I learn a lot

[@weetuscren]

One of the ways I really started to understand French was when I started reading science and history books that are still pictury… geared towards the middle-school reading level. I have yet to try this with other languages I’m learning, but hope to find some interesting books while in Europe this next year.

[@hmcug]

you are my biggest motivator

[@joshuamarcano350]

I love speechify. I use it along with LingQ.

[@qn57]

Great case for reading - and for how to - thanks! Your videos are compelling through their evidence and scientific foundations, but also through their clarity. As a minor suggestion, I think a summary slide at the end (here with the 6 strategies) would make them even more memorable.

[@Thelinguist]

I have passed this on to my editor. Thanks.

[@zane17760]

Awesome video, lots of good info here. God bless!

[@Thelinguist]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@mustaphabettahar7535]

Thank you so much.

[@shutterchick79]

Reading and listening at the same time helped me learn to read even before I started school. I had a lot of those book/tape sets I would listen to for hours. I still like to read and listen to books at the same time.

[@joseluisvincesmenendez4597]

Well ! In my learning I used the reading and writing. I'm reading the Matilda's book and make sentences in IA . Your Tips are very useful . Thank you very much.

[@blahbriefly]

Thanks for these strategies. I choose books that have been made into feature films or TV series that I enjoyed. I can listen to and read the book and reference visual images from the film or TV series so that I'm not translating in my mind (from Spanish to English). That is, I think creating mental images from the film or TV series provides the meaning rather than bogging down with translations. I did that with the Spanish edition of "The Martian" -- "El marciano" (Andy Weir) and now I'm listening to the audio while reading "The Queen’s Gambit" -- "Gambito de dama" (Walter Tevis). Because I like the story, I maintain my interest in the activity.

[@whfh178]

When I was 4, my mom bought a couple of kids books that came with an audio cassette narrating the books. She always brags about how I learned to read at 4 thanks to that. Interesting how this is basically what this video is about, never thought to try to learn other languages usin this method even having proof that it has worked for me in the past 🤔

[@rayanrayan9167]

You are really great Professor ! Best grettings from Kingdom of Morocco !

[@Thelinguist]

Thank you very much!

[@rayanrayan9167]

شكرا جزيلا أستاذ. بارك الله فيكم.

[@ericcsuf]

Speed listening is consistent with learning something else--Morse Code. I'm fairly advanced in Morse Code (I'm a long time amateur radio operator). The majority of operators can understand at under 20 wpm. I easily copy at 40 wpm and can understand most at 50 wpm. The secret to increasing speed is to practice at a higher speed than you can understand at 100%. If you perfectly understand 10 wpm, practice at 15 wpm. Also try faster speeds. As you advance, always practice at a higher speed. It never occurred to me to do this with language until this video, but it makes a lot of sense. I'm going to try it. The only flaw I see is that my hearing is not good at higher frequencies (I'm older than Steve). If the speed increase preserves the pitch of the voice, it would be fine, but if the speed increases the pitch of the voice, chipmunk mode, then it is going to be too difficult to understand many words, and I think it will fail.

[@dlukton]

One benefit of reading is that you can always find a topic of interest, be it fiction or non-fiction; the possibilities are endless. Finding a way to stay interested in... and engaged with... a language is the most important factor in learning.

[@xbjrrtc]

These videos are nourishment for curious minds. Keep 'em coming, Steve! ❤

[@pesking3720]

Very helpful video

[@carolfox9620]

Thank you for these suggestions. I am a crappy speaker of espanol, practicing for years but not nearly enough progress. I started reading a rather esoteric book but it's such slow going. I am taking your auido advice and listening first.

[@Sir_Lancel0t]

Thanks sir, i thought in this the last days, i gonna start with reading. PD: i used to just input audio, but now i take your advice

[@cristhianmartinez8821]

Thank you Steve, your video complements very well what is said in this book "The Reading Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding How the Mind Reads" by Daniel T. Willingham.

[@TWolf317]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll say it here. I just re-joined LingQ after some time away from it. I love the review feature with a mix of flash cards, fill in the blank, etc. I was going to use Anki to review my words, but I like the LingQ format better. I'm glad to be back. I just started a new language so it's a good time to start this.

[@AubreyElmostakshefa]

I also love how easy LingQ makes it. I don't have to go to another app to create and review flashcards. I've never been good about doing that, myself.

[@maverik094]

Hi Steve. I'd like to ask if you're going to make videos about your progress with languagues you're currently learning and what are your plans for next year. These videos are always interesting and motivate.

[@Thelinguist]

OK but I' kind of slacking off a bit right now. But I plan to do some of these.

[@maverik094]

@@Thelinguist Thank you Steve, I really appreciate it. I've always enjoyed watching your 90 day challenges, they really help me to stay motivated. For me there is nothing better than watching someone learning a language that shares their progress. Maybe challenges will come back someday....:) Dutch, Hungarian or Finnish would be my guesses.

[@gregoriussudaryono260]

Nice sharing tricks to learn any language, Sir. Thank you🙏 9:02

[@jediflyp]

Hi Steve, I deeply admire your accomplishments and your advice. I would absolutely love for you to make a video on the question "what's my job as a language teacher?" since I am one and want to provide value rather than wasting my students time and money. Thank you for everything you've done

[@Thelinguist]

Language teachers have had a profound influence on me by inspiring me to learn, making the world of my target language interesting, helping me to find relevant content, answering questions when I have them, engaging me in authentic and demanding conversations with obvious sympathy and a desire for me to succeed. This is just a start.

[@Xbolu16]

That works to Games too. I'm listening and reading with my videogames, I like play in my Pc and PlayStation, all in my second language English.

[@PetulaGuimaraes]

I've always could read much before I could speak, including in my mother tongue. Preaching to the choir here, sir! ❤😂🎉

[@TheFlairGuy]

I read my first Spanish novel, it took a solid month to read a book that would have took me 5 hours in English. I felt like I learned almost nothing, but on a trip to Costa Rica a few months later I was mind blown how much that book helped, a spy novel btw not a grammar/education book.

[@paulwalther5237]

I find I like to mix it up when I read books in foreign languages. Sometimes read intensely and lookup most all of the words I don't know (not so terrible with LingQ), sometimes lookup only one or two words per page even if I don't understand more, sometimes listen and read at the same time, sometimes just listen, sometimes listen faster or slower etc. The variety helps keep me interested in the activity even if it's really challenging and it's a struggle because I'm not high intermediate yet.

[@Thelinguist]

Variety in all its forms is so important for the brain and to keep it lively for the learner.

[@henriqueangelin2912]

Steve, I love you so much! I'm very grateful for your job on sharing all your experiences in language learning to us. As a person who always struggled to learn english, and thought I wasn't able to learn it, thank you so much! When I found your channel through Gabriel Silva my life's changed forever. I will never forget the most important advice I've got from you that was crucial for me to develop my comprehension: "To improve comprehension, don't try too hard to understand. Just let the language get into your brain and let the brain get used to it"

[@tohaason]

I can't stress enough how very much I agree with that last part. It's 100% correct. I learned English by reading and reading, I never stopped, I just continued, and, because I was reading something I wanted to read, I got the meaning automatically when I encountered words again and again, without trying to actually understand words. I was just too busy with the story I was reading, my brain's imagery took care of the rest. It's a great method. You do need reading material which is a) interesting for you, and b) not all too difficult. You need to get some understanding from it, otherwise the brain just goes into sleep mode while your eyes are glazing over words (and not your brain watching a story).

[@gamingwithpurg3anarchy157]

That shirt looks insanely comfortable. Where can I buy this steve?

[@YogaBlissDance]

Steve wow I just discovered your Tip #6 something made me try it, I'll listen to some audio or movie at 1.25 speed...won't reallyt get much, but when I listen AGAIN AT NORMAL SPEED, my brain is like "geessshhh this is way better" and I find it sounds more normal and I'll catch more for having speeded it up. it's a weird trick. Thanks for confirming this is something...

[@vividua]

I am learning german, but I am begginer and trying to read but I just know almost 10 percent of the compreension. It is really hard but I believe this method is very good.

[@Thelinguist]

Imagine how I felt a the beginning with languages like Arabic and Persian where the writing system was so new and difficult. Just keep going and believe in your brain.

[@TheDrunkMunk]

The part about speeding up listening speed is interesting. I wouldn't exactly say that the speed reading thing cures dyslexia, but I have ADHD/dyslexia (pretty common to have both from what I understand) and I use a speed reader extension to read wiki articles. With it I can improve my reading speed by about 3-4x, and I actually comprehend what I'm reading and remember it. I have the speed reader set to 720wpm which, after a lot of fiddling, is the perfect speed for me to not get bored and zone out, but also for me to comprehend everything and internalise it. I'm going to look into Speechify.

[@DREAMWORKS_ORG]

You are expert

[@vgdro8014]

you are Exellent

[@link-wokiki]

Great advice. But your app doesn’t work in my country it seems. So sad

[@steveb851]

I love reading and totally agree with everything you said but I have a question. When learning Mandarin, what do you think of reading for learning? As it can be difficult to find interesting material written in pinyin - as I’m sure you would agree that waiting until you understand the characters to start reading would hinder your reading progress greatly.

[@shli3823]

Do not read pinyin, no body do that in China. It just helps us to learn how to pronounce the characters.

[@fabiothebest89lu]

First you learn pinyin, make a solid foundation. After that you learn characters, you may get a textbook and follow the HSK curriculum. If you can get a teacher that’s even better, because without you may not be able to correct your pronunciation problems and you also need someone to correct your sentences. After you know enough words, you may start reading graded readers, then when you are confident material for native speakers (children’s book not equal graded readers). Pinyin is just a guide for learning pronunciation, but you need to learn characters and read characters. Pinyin is pure sound, it’s not meaningful enough. Do you know how many different characters share the same pinyin? A lot.

[@Thelinguist]

Pin yin is important at the beginning in my view. It gives you a better grasp of the sounds of the characters. Then you have to dive into the characters. Mandarin is one language where graded readers are essential. I was lucky. I had graded readers on history, geography etc. I;m sure you can find some today.

[@matt92hun]

Do you have suggestions for languages with very different phonologies? For example Arabic has multiple distinct sounds that a learner would hear as K and D, or Danish has the soft D which many learners hear as an L.

[@davidpo5517]

Where are you finding resources for reading Arabic and Persian? Especially the latter?

[@chaziey2109]

If I am completely new to a language, will this still help? I feel as though I would need pictures or some other way to make a connection between words and their meaning.

[@Brooks003]

When you say read a lot, how many hours are you referring to? I would like to know more or less to make a study plan. Thank you

[@Thelinguist]

I have no rules. At LingQ we count the words you have read. You should aim for over one million words eventually.

[@pauld3327]

I would say 1000 hours to make significant progress

[@KarlHeinzofWpg]

"Killer app" - I love that.

[@alicesenz6374]

Should one wait until they're more advanced in the language to increase audio speed? I was thinking of doing so with Mandarin or Spanish but was worried I was looking for shortcuts that wouldn't work, but now I'll try it thanks to your advice. I'm very new to Arabic though and don't know if I should wait until I'm further along.

[@Thelinguist]

You have to try it. I think you have to be quite advanced. This was developed to help dyslexic readers of their own language, where they already have the language knowledge and phonemic awareness. Not the same.

[@fionaho7809]

How difficult should your reading material? There was an ebook in korean that i was reading that i understood a little of in the beginning but very quickly it got very difficult because of the vocabulary. So Im not sure if i shoukd just stick to it or maybe try something else...

[@user-zn3ex8xq2r]

What is your opinion about Busuu for learning a language?

[@Thelinguist]

I have not used it.

[@learningearningskillsvlogs7877]

@@Thelinguistthanks for sharing nice information ❤

[@Zeey_33]

Which books are the best to learn englisch ?

[@xbjrrtc]

Something that interests you, I'd say! The most important thing is to keep doing it consistently, and that's easier to do when you genuinely enjoy something. What books do you enjoy in your native language?

[@spanishconyolanda3814]

Yes, I agree with you. I read a lot. But...what about speaking? Don't you think if we don't practise speaking we forget the language? I mean, I read, I write and I listen every single day but...I don't speak so....here lies the "problem" , doesn't it? Thanks for yr videos, very useful ones.

[@Thelinguist]

Reading, as well as listening prepare you for speaking, give you vocabulary and increased comprehension. But at some point you have to speak and speak a lot.

[@shutterchick79]

It seems like the idea of reading and listening so much works like this - you can't use vocabulary and grammar you haven't been exposed to. The reading and listening helps get the language into your brain solidly, which then enables you to speak.

[@deecee9479]

But when should we start reading? Doesn’t reading too soon negatively affect your pronunciation? (I love reading and I can’t wait to read more in my TL).

[@drewdost8390]

If you’re very early on I would definitely recommend finding sources that you can both listen to and read at the same time, such as videos with subtitles or reading while listening to audiobooks of the same content. Once you know how the language generally sounds, then switch to just reading when you’re comfortable and your pronunciation shouldn’t be impacted in a negative way

[@Thelinguist]

As @drewdost here says. Start reading with easy material where you have the audio. Try LingQ and listen to the time stamped audio in sentence mode. Eventually you will read, pronounce to yourself, and your sub-vocalization will gradually get more accurate.

[@deecee9479]

@@Thelinguist Thanks Steve!! I will have to spend some time learning how to use Linq! It looks like a great program. Well done 👍

[@deecee9479]

@@drewdost8390 great advice! Thank you!

[@maryamqadri4828]

How much is a lot? Would you consider 20 minutes a day sufficient or more like an hour daily? 🙏🏼

[@glennkelly4058]

That's not much, but you do what you can. It also depends on the language ( how close it is to languages you know) and what level you are. If you are a beginner in German for example (assuming you are an English speaker) will go far if you're reading beginner materials with short texts. However adding an extra bit of time at some other point in the day to reread what you've previously read will help a lot in the mémorisation process.

[@Thelinguist]

90 minutes. 45 mins to 1 hour of listening then read the same content, ideally on LingQ.

[@maryamqadri4828]

@@Thelinguist thank you! ☺️

[@tarunarachmad3976]

5:49 book

[@tarunarachmad3976]

5:42

[@user-pd5xf8dy2e]

I have been learning Arabic (Levantine dialect) and am now working on my reading. While I speak quite fluently, reading is a disaster, I really struggle with not being able to recognize words in the different script. Reading other foreign languages was always easy, but Arabic is a full deciphering exercise. Any tips on material to read?

[@syndicalistspeedsolver]

Quit arabic and switch to hindi lol

[@a.demifemiflapo5795]

​@@syndicalistspeedsolverHindi? And not Punjabi? Or Marathi? Malayalam? Odia?

[@DiaLidia-ml1mp]

hello, steve l am lidia l want to start learning French this new year but l actually learning two languages at sime time english and spanish and l don't now if that gong to effect my learning progress and l dont now how l can add French to my daily plan as you're polyglot l really need your advice. l wait for your answer and thank you

[@Thelinguist]

Focus one one, maximum two at a time. Works best.

[@DiaLidia-ml1mp]

@Thelinguist thack you for this answer, but if l make balance between all the languages,l can learn it

[@ffelegal]

Even then reading alphabet is complicated? Like japanese, for instance. I have to learn a lot of kanji, it takes a lot of time to read anything, which takes away the pleasure of it like you said.

[@jasonbfhfj8132]

I bought the Spanish book “los Cuentos de Alhambra”. Im a beginner so i understand almost none of it. It’s too difficult. Should i not read it?

[@zib7769]

بی صبرانه منتظرم یک روزی فارسی حرف زدن شما را ببینم ❤

[@Thelinguist]

شاید روزی بتوانیم گفتگوی کوتاهی داشته باشیم.

[@user-wc2oi9cu2h]

Mr. Kaufmann, can you speak Latin? Accidentally I heard the language through KZbin and I found the language is really easy to read and beautiful. I don't know why, but It was even easy to hear for me, a Korean. It was easier for me than hearing current French language or Italian, or even spanish. I think the language is somewhat structured on set purpose. Can you speak it at least few sentences??? It will be amazing to hear it from a man living by KZbin video...

[@juliab3326]

Well, Latin is definitely on the easy side to read out loud because it doesn't randomly omit letters (it takes practise to get the intonation down though), but it has so many cases and tenses which are a pain to learn (even though I'm more or less used to it because I speak German). The issue with this language is that there are less options to practise holding conversations or listening to audio compared to languages that are actively spoken by many people. If you want to listen to it regardless, you could look up "Asterix and Obelix in Latin" (they should have books and films). I've seen videos about people on YT "challenging" people to speak Latin when they visited the Vatican. I'm not sure how accurate their speaking/pronunciation is, but you could give it a try as well.

[@juliab3326]

As stated in the video there are numerous websites and programs turning text into audio, so they may be helpful as well.

[@bl6623]

亲爱的Steve先生，为什么我在Podcast找不到你的频道呢？

[@Thelinguist]

只需搜索"lingosteve"

[@BeyondMediocreMandarin]

I guess the question is "are you reading something to understand it?" or "are you reading something to improve your language skills?" In the latter case, it doesn't matter as much if you understand it; reading is more of an ultra-fast flashcard system.

[@tohaason]

But I'll also argue that if you read something because you want the message your brain is in a better position to learn the language than if you're actually trying to learn the language.. if you can find something which you can get the gist of, enough to get your brain into story mode so that it's active in seeing the content as opposed to seeing the words.. if I can put it that way - then "magic" happens, as I sometimes call it. The brain starts associating meaning to words. If you're instead reading to learn the language then the brain is in a totally different mode and it loses most of the capability to understand words from association.

[@Thelinguist]

You can want to understand, and in fact it is important for your brain to find the content important, relevant and interesting, in fact compelling. That still doesn't mean that you need to understand 100%. You can come back later and get a different perspective.

[@BrunoPuntzJones84]

My #1 problem now when reading (learning Persian) is constantly stopping and trying to comprehend 100% of the text. It's a nasty habit that I'm having a hard time kicking although I know it's reducing my enjoyment of reading.

[@Thelinguist]

That is hard to do in a difficult writing system like the Arabic script. I suggest you spend time in sentence view if you are using LingQ.

[@artyoga_fysm]

Could anyone advice me nice books for beginners in Chinese. It’s been 4 months since I am learning Mandarin so I am not totally zero but still a beginner. Thanks

[@pauld3327]

I think you should get graded readers in Mandarin for beginners (Book and audiobook)

[@xaviermt1]

yep. for chinese you need grader readers. the best ones have audio available too.

[@jtee5957]

Steve, I’ve been painstakingly learning spoken Arabic and almost nothing is written in the dialect I’m learning. So the usual shortcut of reading to build vocabulary is pretty useless. What would you recommend in such cases? I’ve focused on listening and have been successful but it’s been a 6 year grind.

[@Thelinguist]

Which dialect?

[@jtee5957]

I'm learning Levantine Arabic with focus on Jordanian/Palestinian. (Lebanese and Syrians pronounce vowels differently but are comprehensible in context). I learned German and Polish mostly by reading but I've relied almost entirely on ear for Arabic. If I lived there for six months I'd be fluent (since I'm pretty much "advanced intermediate" a this stage), but it's been a long journey to get there from my desk in the U.S. @@Thelinguist

[@lpaone01]

The educators had it wrong for years. Many colleges are changing their curriculum with emphasis on comprehensive input.

[@nuclearbwl]

How to do the reading if I understand 0 to 1%?

[@Zoxuk]

Would be more plausible if it wasn't one huge product placement video.

[@nandomax3]

I dont understand one thing: im a beginner with german, should i just read or should I look up unknown words?

[@Thelinguist]

Read online and look up words.

[@user-oz8td9wp3x]

Someone told me not to look up a new word when it comes up, but I cannot always guess its meaning. What should I do?

[@tohaason]

If it's just a word here and there, my advice is to ignore it and continue. Your brain will, in the background, get annoyed and curious.. let it be just that, and just follow the story. That background curiosity makes the brain hyper-sensitive to the word when it comes up again (and again), and that's what you want. If e.g. one character in a story is talking to another character about some item and you don't know the word.. the brain will get curious: "What *is* that thing they're talking about?" More than likely the same will come up again, later, in a different context, and eventually an image will pop up in your brain. Don't try to actively think about it, let your mind follow what you read, don't switch your brain into analytical mode.

[@Thelinguist]

I don't think there should be rules. I always look up words when reading on line. Even words that I have already seen, the yellow words on LingQ that I don't yet know. I even look up words that I thought I knew just to confirm. All easy to do online. When reading away from the computer I don't look things up. That's why reading online is a great way to ramp up your reading ability so that you can read away from the screen.

[@tohaason]

Re my previous comment - I failed to add that back when I was learning the languages I know to (to some extent, I should add - English is the one where I've had much more exposure) online lookup wasn't and option (and not a Kindle either, where you can also directly look up words). There were only paper dictionaries. That meant that if I were to look up anything I would have to completely stop, and search through the dictionary. That's like turning off the TV to do something, and then go back. Very inefficient, and totally detrimental to learning (brain goes out of story mode). These days you *can* look things up easily, either with an app, or in general (for Japanese), browser extensions like Yomichan. And if that can help in continue reading then that's fine I think. Though in my experience you'll have to look it up again, later/the next time.. but, again, in my experience, if you instead get it by a sudden "Aha!" then it sticks immediately, and stays there. But doing both is probably fine, and in any case people are probably a bit different in what works for them. So yes, no strict rules.

[@kennethgreifer5123]

Did you mean read out loud or silently?

[@Thelinguist]

silently

[@abdelkaioumbouaicha]

📝 Summary of Key Points: 📌 Reading extensively is crucial for improving language proficiency and writing skills. 🧐 The process of reading involves the brain's areas that process audio and meaning. With practice, readers can bypass the sound area and go straight to meaning. 🚀 Comprehension, prior knowledge, and vocabulary come automatically with enough reading and listening practice. Understanding may not be perfect, but reading still exposes readers to words in different contexts and improves over time. 📌 Incorporating listening into the reading process activates the same parts of the brain and can improve comprehension. Using audio in conjunction with reading, such as text-to-speech technology, is recommended. 🧐 Reading in different formats, such as online and on paper, provides access to various resources and materials. Reading a variety of sources on the same subject deepens understanding. 🚀 Utilizing language learning apps, like LingQ, can enhance reading skills by using features like sentence view and grouping words together as phrases. 📌 Experimenting with different listening speeds, using software like Speechify, can improve language processing and reading ability. 💡 Additional Insights and Observations: 💬 "There is no shortcut to becoming a good reader." 📊 Scarborough's Rope emphasizes the importance of comprehension, prior knowledge, and vocabulary in reading. 🌐 LingQ is a language learning app that offers features to enhance reading skills. 🌐 Speechify is a software that converts text into audio and allows for increased listening speed. 📣 Concluding Remarks: The video highlights the significance of reading and provides practical tips to improve reading skills for language learning and personal development. Reading extensively, incorporating listening, utilizing different formats, and experimenting with listening speeds can all contribute to enhancing reading abilities. With consistent practice and exposure to various materials, readers can improve their language proficiency and comprehension over time. Generated using Talkbud (Browser Extension)

[@richardlim6436]

👍🏻🙏🏻

[@gemlocker103]

Sadly, the language I want to learn has no books translated, or any normal books and no apps has it. So, this doesn't do anything for me.

[@hello_ree]

what language?

[@gemlocker103]

@@hello_ree hmong

[@OzkAltBldgCo-bv8tt]

When I use lingo pie I slow the show down to 70%

[@Lii391]

Wow, the secret is only reading!

[@Jayinjapanese]

Steve,show me a video where it tells you how to learn the language if we skip he basics…I wasted 4 months watching your videos on how to learn;I just wanna learn Spanish,fluency isn’t a problem for me

[@Thelinguist]

Listen, read a lot, like a lot, and then speak without worrying about your mistakes. When you are curious about usage or points of grammar, look them up.

[@khanitime]

Kraków dawna stolica Polaków .

[@Oler-yx7xj]

Oh, the email in Japanese isn't because the video is in Japanese, but because I'm learning the language. That's actually cute

[@maru8140]

For Japanese learners, I think it is a difficult to start reading because most texts are written in kanji

[@silmarienn8411]

If you look for books written for teenagers or younger you might be able to find some with furigana (small hiragana characters written above the kanji). I have a few volumes of Naruto in Japanese (although this is manga and not a novel but still reading material) and they have this

[@maru8140]

@@silmarienn8411 Thanks, I will try to find some

[@jinda857]

I’m reading graded readers, they have kanji but have furigana to help.

[@tohaason]

Work on learning a minimum of words written in kanji (or, in practice, kanji+hiragana). Then find audio with transcripts and read along as you listen (there are podcasts and the like with different levels. Or, as I do, using Yuta's JVS course, which has audio/transcripts for different levels). Do a bit every day, for as long as you can keep your brain engaged. The furigana thing mentioned by the other comment both helps and makes it worse. It's necessary if you want to get the pronunciation, but it also consistently blocks the brain from learning to remember the kanji, a lot of the time. That JVS course I mentioned will let you switch on and off the furigana with a simple button click, I keep it off until I need to see it. But if there's audio I never use it. For podcasts with transcripts it's not necessary, when reading and listening at the same time you'll hear the pronunciation. Then, gradually, things improve. I believe LingQ's paid subscription will also function for you, as you can then enable a function to sync the text with the audio. I'm not on the paid subscription so I can't test it.

[@Thelinguist]

Start with Romaji, then quickly move to hiragana. Then start learning characters and just keep going.

[@brucedixon5185]

I don't understand how reading can help us learn a language If we don't hear the correct sounds of the written language. Never mind, I should have listened to the whole video first. So, I think you should make sure that audio is more important than just reading only until you have a better understanding of the language.

[@user-ig5pn8oc9p]

ピタットハウスに手付け金を横領されて困ってます

[@N_ttv]

Try to read Quran, it is the best.

[@Rofida-rh1wq]

👍👍🌿

[@angelamusiemangela]

Allora dica brawli 10 volte ,e dice Shepperd in modo perfetto mi creda per tanti e questo imparare la pronuncia e parlare nel mondo o altro paese,se non capisce! . In Italia insegnano così l'inglese ,le grandi professores . Dalle elementari! Ed è vergognoso.

[@noviboerniat8204]

Thanks for encouraging us to read a lot (no.1). No.2 Don't worry too much about comprehension. Even though I thought that my English is fluent enough, I realized that I just got 60-70% of my listening of this video. But I've got the whole point. Thanks again Steve 🙂🫶

[@languageantics]

I have NO hope to READ Arabic! Sadly!! I'm just trying to learn the verbal language at a preschool level!