7 Reasons to NOT learn a new language

Language learning is not for everyone. And if you only speak one language, there is nothing wrong with you. Very often in the polyglot community we make fun of and look down on monoglots, so in this video I list 7 reasons you might not want to learn a language.
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Welcome! I am an aspiring polyglot with a degree in Linguistics. I speak English, Spanish, French, and Esperanto, and I'm currently working on Thai. I make videos twice a week to talk about my methods of learning languages and to try to help others make language learning faster, easier, and more fun.
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[@nickanthropocene6502]

You can learn a new language. You can also learn sign language. And Morse code. And Physics. And Computer science. And Carpentry. And history. And write a book. And learn Chess. And learn Shogi. And learn how to draw professionally. You can learn anything, but you can't learn everything.

[@FingtamLanguages]

This is so true!

[@solisimperium1203]

if only..

[@nickanthropocene6502]

@@cristaldotgema1122 Absolutely! You've probably heard "Jack of all trades, master of none". While it's important to master the trade or trades that are most important to you, there's still so much you need to know about countless other skills/subjects. You can still be a master, but you have to be a Jack as well if you want to do well in this world, so entry level knowledge is nothing to scoff at.

[@user-og9nl5mt1b]

I have done all of this

[@nickanthropocene6502]

@@maxmimoune4270 My point is that everything comes at an opportunity cost. If you live in America, then Spanish would be a great language to learn. But the time and energy you sacrifice learning 6 other languages may have been better spent learning skills that are useful to you and the people around you.

[@juliantide5665]

If I do not learn a new language, I will just waste my time doing other things LOL

[@shabegsandhu6117]

Exactly 🤣🤣

[@klienesworld]

can't agree more, I can relate. LMAO

[@rheawilson8186]

You just speak my mind.

[@nickanthropocene6502]

There's lots of meaningful things you can be doing/learning other than new languages. It's not a waste of your time, by any means- but then, neither is learning about psychology and medicine. It's a tricky equation that only you can solve.

[@ericmoore7413]

If you throw a FRISBEE at a 45 degree angle, it will come back to you.

[@kevinkallsen7762]

Seven reasons to not learn a new language 1. Its hard 2. You’re not done with your last language(learning Bulgarian one week, then Serbian the next week, etc) 3. You’re not interested (not motivated) 4. You can get by just using English practically anywhere 5. Computer translation is getting better 6. There’s no need to learn it(unless you are actively looking for opportunities in which you have to use the language) 7. You have more important things to do (work, friends, family, etc)

[@JCNix8652]

Straight up facts! I agree 100% It takes way to long and it seems very pointless, also if you never grew up hearing it what’s the point?

[@KAF128]

"2" ... I would spend at least one year on one language to get to a decent level before moving onto another.

[@ALVARITO2370]

Koran dankon. Gxis la.

[@underratedworld2900]

But it is good for the growth of our mind to learn any instrument and language as it is scientifically proven.

[@EliasRoy]

@@JCNix8652 Exactly. Learn Fluent English and that’s it.

[@sorynsilpram8081]

If I'm on KZbin you can already assume I'm wasting time

[@nickanthropocene6502]

A lot of people use KZbin to study and improve/learn skills.

[@ericmoore7413]

Maybe learn Portuguese in yer spare time.

[@sorynsilpram8081]

@@ericmoore7413 I already study rus

[@Darrrek74]

It depends. I watch a lot of you tube videos but never in my native language. So hundreds of hours on you tube converts into good listening skills in several languages. It is learning not just wasting time

[@sorynsilpram8081]

@@Darrrek74 yeah it was more of a "for me personally" kind of comment. Not speaking for everyone

[@duradura1167]

One word mate, "determination". Every skills in this world is hard except being lazy.

[@theultimatenoor]

apt !

[@anggapranata9619]

betul betul betul

[@MohsinKhan-me4mo]

Sadly your profound assertion will probably go over his thick head..

[@richardschofield2201]

It's nothing to do with determination. I'm a very determined person but have no interest in learning other languages. But I can program in several languages and rebuild an engine. And these skills aren't even my profession. Can you do these things? If not, why not, lack of determination? No, just a lack of interest. Perfectly valid reason.

[@animeslayergp9333]

cap

[@sirrenaissance322]

I thought this video made some outstanding points. I am multilingual and understand the huge commitment required to achieve varying levels of fluency in different languages. And as you so rightly pointed out, time is limited. So why make such an investment in learning languages. To me, English will always be my primary language and the one I function best in. I will never ever be as fluent in another tongue as this one. And because my level of English is advanced (reading, writing, and speaking) that awareness can serve as a detriment to discourage additional language learning because you realize how difficult it would be to arrive at that level in another tongue. This being said, to me, languages are like colors. And even being able to glimpse some exotic colors for an instant gives tremendous pleasure and can be a unique experience. And I've always liked colors as I've always liked different tastes of foods. So, this is why I invest time to study and learn other languages and to continue building on my existing levels within each one I know. This gives me the chance to experience other "colors" of the world, and what better color than language is used to experience life?

[@FingtamLanguages]

Joe Pagano Thanks for your thoughtful input. You also make some great points.

[@Abeturk]

The language of Thoeruk people living on the planet W.. Mak/Mek...(emek)=exertion (process) Ka=(Qua)= (which) U=(ou)= it's (that) Çün=(chun)=factor (Ka-u)= Ki=(Qui)=which that (Çün-ka-u)=(factor-which-that) =Çünki =(c'est-pour-quoi)=(that's why))=(therefore)= Because U-Çün = that Factor İçün=it's for= İçin=For Gel-mek için =(it's factor to the process of coming)= for coming Görmek için= for seeing Gitmek için= for going for deriving new adjectives from verbs A/e=to ...A/e U-Çün =It's Factor To .. suffixes..(Icı-ici-ucu-ücü) (the pronunciation is like~yuji) (geç-e-u-çün) =it has the factor to pass =Geçici = transient /temporary (uç-a-u-çün) =it has the factor to fly = Uçucu = volatile (kal-a-u-çün) =it has the factor to stay = Kalıcı = permanent (yan-a-u-çün) =it has the factor to burn out = Yanıcı = flammable (yanıcı madde=flammable material) (bağla-y-a-u-çün) =it has the factor to biind/connect = Bağlayıcı = binding/connective for deriving new adjectives from nouns and adjectives suffixes.. (Cı-ci-cu-cü) or (Çı-çi-çu-çü) Yaban-cı = foreign-er İş-çi= work-er kapıcı=doorman demirci=ironsmith gemici=sailor denizci=seaman for deriving adjectives from the numbers U-Ne-Çün =that-what-factor suffixes..(Ncı-ncu-nci-ncü) (Bir-u-ne-çün)=Birinci= first (initial) (İki-u-ne-çün)= İkinci= second (Üç-u-ne-çün)= Üçüncü=third (Yüz-u-ne-çün)=Yüzüncü=hundredth (Mu)=Bu= this (Tsu)=Şu= that (ts=~th)=θ (Hou)=(Ou)=O= it (he /she) (Al)-/El=(bearer) /carrier (Iz)- iz= S (plural suffix for doubling) Der/Dar=(der)= diger= other ...(dar)=(nearest to the other) (Ler/Lar= plural suffixes) (ɜ:ne)=Eun= Ön= (fore- first) =~uno- one (ilk) önce=~firstly) (öncesi=~before) (öncü=pioneer) (Kendi= own)=(Ka-eun-de-u= which's it at fore-which one at first) (ɜ:z=Öz= self ) (kendisi=oneself) (This one)= Mu-eun= (Men)= Ben= Me (That one)= Tsu-eun= (Tsıen)/thien= Sen= You (These ones)= Mu-eun-iz=(miŋiz)=Biz = We (Those ones)=Tsu-eun-iz=(siŋiz)= Siz =You (Plural) Hou-al=Ol =O= it (he /she) El=someone else (El-der)= Eller= other people (someones) Hou-al-dar= (Ouldar) =Onlar (The bearer and other-s nearest to it/him) Hou-eun-dar= (Ondar)=Onlar= They Dayı=(maternal) uncle Dayım=my uncle Dayımlar=my uncle and other ones closest to him=(~my uncle and his family) or (~my uncle and his close friends) Dayılarım=my uncles ikiz=(two similar ones) =twin ikiler =two and other dual ones üçüz=(three similar ones)=triplet üçler = three and other triple ones Men-ning=Meniŋ=Benim=My Sen-ning=Seniŋ=Senin=Your Ou-al-ning=Olniŋ=Onun=his/her/its Miŋiz-ning=Bizniŋ=Bizim=our Siŋiz-ning=Sizniŋ=Sizin=your (Plural) Ou-al-dar-ning=Oldarnıŋ=Onların=their Ka=(Qua)= which U=(ou)= it's (that) Ka-u=Ki=(Qui)=which that (Meniŋ-ka-u):=which that my...= benimki=mine (Seniŋ-ka-u):=which that your = seninki=yours (Olniŋ-ka-u):=which that his/her/its= onunki= his/hers/its Annemin pişirdiği tavuk çorbası =(Anne-m-niŋ Biş-dir-di-ka-u Tavğuk Şorba-tsu)= the chicken soup which (that of) my mom cook-ed... Babanın gitqen şehir = (Baba-n-nıŋ Git-ka-eun Şehir) = The city which (one of) your father goes Arkadaşımdan bana gelğen mektubu okudum= (Arkadaş-ım-dan baŋ-a (gel-ka-eun) mektup-u oku-du-m)= I've read the-letter (which-one-comes) from my friend to me Sen eve giderken = (Sen Ev-e Git-e-er u-ka-en) = (that-which-time You get-to-Go to-Home)= While you go home Seni gördüğüm yer = (Sen-u Gör-dü-ka-u-m yer) = (which-that-place (of) I Saw (that) You) = Where I saw you İşe başlayacağı gün= iş-e başla-y'a-çak-ka-u gün (.Ki o gün işe başlayacak)=(which) the day s/he's gonna start to work Ben dükkana anca varmışken=Ben dükkan-a an-ça var-mış-u-ka-en=when I've just arrived at the shop

[@kasnarfburns210]

I speak some French and Spanish. Living in South Florida, learning to speak Spanish better can profit me. I sometimes ask my Spanish speaking friends how you might say something in Spanish. Oftentimes they cannot tell me. However I could probably tell them the equivalent in English if the tables were turned. Having said that, I realized how important it is to learn your own native language well first. On the other hand, this predisposes me to want to achieve a comparable fluency in whatever 2nd language I'm pursuing.

[@serenunez2956]

Joe Pagano beautifully said! I only speak English and Spanish but I'm willing to learn as many languages as I can

[@Cyndie.D]

You're a good writer.

[@tracesprite6078]

Before I visited Indonesia, I did 8 lessons from my Indonesian language course. Then I got bored and stopped. Even with that small amount that I learnt, my trip to Indonesia was SO much better. The people I met were so delighted that I was trying to speak Indonesian. They spoke some English and we had some lovely conversations together.

[@aldifrpf1188]

thanks for visiting, i hope you have a great time in my country!

[@josefharasek3502]

Just show that you are trying. it makes you friends everywhere around the world

[@tracesprite6078]

@@aldifrpf1188 Yes, it was really very interesting and the people are wonderful.

[@belstar1128]

Yea Indonesians are nice but i wish there was more media in the language that appeals to me. people in that region are very good at English and other languages. i found an interesting old movie from Indonesia but i could only find the English dub. then i noticed some of the actors where white and i think there was never an Indonesian version of the movie and it was only in English.

[@tracesprite6078]

@@josefharasek3502 That's true. It sounds like you are an experienced traveler.

[@fernandobs177]

The video should be 7 reasons why people stop learning a new language

[@DiamantisHell]

Yeah

[@llamasarus1]

The reasons why one stops is connected to the reasons why one shouldn't where the reasons check out for both.

[@redbones6046]

"You have no need to learn a new language." *me, who's studying to be an interpreter: but I wanna be good at my hopefully future job*

[@punkykenickie2408]

@@toomeowstream3253 This goes to AI twice and loses something in the action.

[@andresleon2293]

Of course if you'll be an interpreter you get to learn as many languages as you want, remember that this video is to make you consider things, not to discourage you from learning languages

[@Alefenobrega]

All depends about what gives you pleasure. I love to study, and languages gives me oportunities the learn the world with other wiew. Sorry by my wrong english!!!

[@ericmoore7413]

Yo English be Kool.

[@nicolasmordechai139]

It's beautiful to speak another language, and I won't Stop learning new languages, I speak: Creole, French, English, and now I'm learning Portuguese, it's fun to learn a new language, I love it.

[@lilultime6555]

Ouais, et mon cul c'est du poulet

[@madminute6662]

@@lilultime6555 👍

[@dhsf5937]

As a portuguese native speaker,I'm happy that you are learning my language.

[@chipombozi4138]

​@@dhsf5937 I'm also learning Portuguese and it's a very beautiful language. I do struggle sometimes but i can understand more than i can speak

[@Aiden-ng2wc]

I'm a native spanish speaker, I've always been lazy at studying (even english) but during my teens I got into english speaking youtubers so I had to refine my listening skills if I wanted to understand what they were saying since there weren't any subtitles. Since then I've gained a lot of confidence speaking the language compared to learning in a classroom setting, I remember how tedious and ineffective it was to learn vocabulary lists. After english I got into other languages and nowadays it's the only thing I like doing consistently. I find it very hard to keep up with linguistics related classes in college since I prefer to learn languages inmersively rather than systematically, in my opinion my professors pronounce english in a weird manner which doesn't sound like a native speaker would. I guess I'll just have to pretend I agree with over-analyzing a language if I want to become a translator/language teacher d: . I've seen some of your videos and you make linguistics seem more interesting than my professors do, maybe because you're a native english speaker that doesn't sound weird haha. I'm glad that I've learned english and also that I've found this channel :)

[@FingtamLanguages]

Aiden, Thanks so much for sharing! Would you be interested in sharing your story on a Storytime Saturday?

[@Ssaidak]

@Alex Alex does count when is your foreign language. You know, for some people in the world is a foreign language.

[@cristhiamg.salgado3845]

@Alex Alex The USA isn't the whole world, there are people on other countries who need to learn English for various reason and for them English is a foreign language

[@4242]

woah same as me, I have noticed that's how it usually goes for most of the people who "actually make it" so to speak, and I'm also studying linguistics

[@thenicolascage4355]

If this dude was an acient greek philosopher, his name would be mediocrates.

[@philippeboursiquot163]

Mediocre Ates

[@colinmadison6005]

Ok that was good

[@MohsinKhan-me4mo]

Mediocrates!! HAHAHA

[@HOPE-wg5pb]

that's underrated

[@r0hith1999]

I have been learning Spanish for 10 months I have never used it in my Life outside of internet, it's completely worth it. A thought such as "it's waste of time" never came to my mind.

[@FingtamLanguages]

Good! :)

[@willmoleka4054]

Hahaha keep studying it because Spanish is definitely a language that you are going to need. Keep grinding 🙌🏿🙌🏿

[@grafaelmadero6082]

Buena suerte amigo 👍

[@belstar1128]

Yea most of the languages i learned i only use on the internet. i tried to speak Portuguese to people in real life but failed really hard.

[@tompeled6193]

I live in San Diego and use it occasionally IRL. When I visited Mexico, my family got by with just English. (Sometimes someone else was called).

[@crnel]

I find that when you learn enough of the language of a country you're visiting to ask for simple things that you want and do simple transactions in stores, etc., you're more likely to gain respect and admiration with the natives than if you insist on sticking with English. Of course, no one can do that for every country in the world.

[@Checkmate1138]

But I mean, why should people crave for strangers' respect? You shouldn't let what others think about you to affect you.

[@crnel]

@@Checkmate1138 True. People don't need to "crave" for strangers' respect. No one can please everyone. However, it does feel better when treated with respect and admiration - makes interactions go better and the trips more interesting, etc.

[@Kimeikus]

@@Checkmate1138 It’s more than a respect thing. It’s just a cool vibe when you know the langauge of the people there.

[@alkriman4182]

German- and French-speakers tend to be less impressed, and whatever admiration you get is easily canceled out by their contempt for the imperfections in your ability. If you are really very good, then they'll assume you're a native speaker, so no glory either way. Maybe you can impress them with your English.

[@crnel]

@@Kimeikus Right on, @Kimeikus !

[@madonebo9249]

If you are a native English speaker, of course you don't need to learn a new language. But if English is not your native language, you have to learn it no matter what your job or career is.

[@jeffs4483]

No one is forcing people to learn English.

[@HYrBatata]

​@@jeffs4483School does

[@andresleon2293]

Exactly, and that could be another reason not to learn languages, you could perfectionate your English instead, and personally, I know I'll find more success speaking very proficient English than speaking some other languages...

[@fwbp]

Great video. And they're all valid points about the reasons why some people might not want to learn a language. At the end of the day it's about accepting different perspectives and not being judgmental about them. It's the same about travelling - I often see people who like travelling looking down on people who don't. Or worse, people who think they're better because they see themselves as "travelers" as opposed to common "tourists". Live and let live. Do what makes you happy and accept that they might not be the same things that will make other people happy. 😊

[@Ryosuke1208]

Me learning a 3rd language actually helped me learn better my 2 main languages :) Before that I didn't pay any attention at the gramatical structures and all that. Yeah, you could spend your time in something else, but you can have fun and at the same time learn a language. How? One way is playing videogames, listening to music, podcasts of subjects that you like, netflix movies and series, etc. That's how many people learned a language. And you get do it in your free time.

[@fabiangutierrezyaver8090]

As they say: you don't really get to know your mother language 'til you learn a second one. Listening to music helps too.

[@imienazwisko486]

It is easy if you live in country where English is official language. If not you are forced to learn English because it is popular and if you want to travel or watch movies you must to know it.

[@gologolo3266]

That's true It's the language of the internet basically and most jobs in countries around the world require a basic level of English, this guy probably lives in USA or Canada and doesn't how other countries in the world function

[@shiptj01]

He's mainly talking to people who speak English as their mother tongue.

[@stevebonta1936]

I agree, and I'm a polyglot with a PhD in linguistics. One additional reason you might have mentioned is that not all people and cultures appreciate foreigners learning "their" language, for various reasons, including that they want to keep outsiders at a distance. Japan and the Japanese are notorious for this, i.e., they love it when foreigners speak a little Japanese, but often get very uncomfortable with foreigners who achieve real fluency. In some places (India, e.g., where I have a lot of personal experience), many locals prefer to speak English with foreigners rather than their native tongue, because they want to demonstrate their level of education, fluency in English being associated with high social status. These sorts of issues are more characteristic (for Westerners, at least) of non-Western societies; you won't encounter such resistance in a Spanish-speaking country, for example. But quite a number of cultures are traditionally insular, wanting to maintain a certain separation from outsiders, and conscious of the fact that their languages encode things like social status that are irrelevant (and hence inappropriate) for foreigners. When I studied Sinhala, for example, I learned many words and usages that were only appropriate for locals to use, or for Buddhists, or whatever; there were large swathes of vocabulary and even grammar that I needed to be able to passivle recognize, but which would have been culturally inappropriate for me to use myself.

[@zerothehero123]

I could give two shits about the japanese caring about whether I learn their language or not. All my language exchange partners are happy to have people learning their language, and they their target language in return. Speaking about Japan specifically, it's population is in such dire straits that opening up to other cultures is practically unavoidable. It's also something what the younger generations desire.

[@dustinkurtparado1762]

Well said.

[@seebzt]

@@zerothehero123 👏👏💯

[@raxosc1475]

And that's the reason why I should stop learning a new language? Because of some stupid people that don't know how to respect others? Fuck off

[@vidong1704]

I think that in such countries, people are divided into %% as far as liking or not liking it. A certain %% does not like for you to learn the local language, but a certain %% expects you to. In Japan now in 2023, a much higher %% of people expects you to speak Japanese, replies in Japanese and basically no longer minds. The older war generation has died and also, huge numbers of foreigners began studying Japanese and it is becoming mainstream to see everyone speak it. Younger people expect you to. But in the 1980s and 1990s , there were still many people minding it.

[@saasmath]

While I hope you will follow this up with "7 reasons TO learn a new language", I think this honesty makes the subsequent quest more worthwhile for those who choose to take on the challenge.

[@HAL-nt6vy]

"If it were easy, anyone could do it."

[@HAL-nt6vy]

@Language and Programming Channel When I said "easy" I was referring to both IQ-easy and conscientious-easy. You understand the difference? The word polyglot gets thrown around rather loosely. You don't know any low-IQ people who have mastered Classic Greek. The complexity of the language makes it impossible for them. Sure, low-IQ people could navigate the market and street sweeping chores with a reduced language, but that's not fluency.

[@punkykenickie2408]

They could when they lived in Ancient Greece though.

[@lipglass]

There are a million videos like that already though

[@vizzyb8400]

@@lipglass exactly and their reasons are useless to top all of it.

[@guitaro5000]

This is such a well done video. Thank you for your objectivity. I only want to learn languages as a party trick. Now I am firmly decisive in my motivation to do this, ans go no further "intro to ... [language]". Thanks!

[@pigscanfly522]

I met you at LangFest a while back! I fully agree, there are plenty of other great things to do with your time.

[@FingtamLanguages]

Hey! I remember you man! Hope you’re doing well! Did you go to Lang Fest this year?

[@pigscanfly522]

@@FingtamLanguages I'm doing well! I didn't go to LangFest; I was actually living with relatives in Germany in an attempt to level up my German. Hope you're doing well.

[@podavus]

True. It's also worth mentioning that sometimes people pick out the wrong language, thinking that they like it just because it's popular or sounds kinda cool, but struggle excessively all the way through it on the grounds that they'd rather learn a different language. I tried learning German for years to no avail, and I genuinely thought it'd grow on me over time, but it never did. I then picked up Greek and it's been a blast. But why Greek? I don't know. I just love it. Simple as that. So, the bottom line is you gotta make a lot of introspection when choosing a language.

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

Learning a language is like learning a sport or a musical instrument: it's a lot of work, and you have to be in it for the long haul. If you don't enjoy the process, you'll quit.

[@andresleon2293]

The difference is that an instrument is way harder than any language LOL (at least guitar actually is, one I've tried myself)

[@thamsanqathusi9671]

The first reason doesnt sound reasonable to me. Its actually a reason TO LEARN

[@hiraijo1582]

i agree.......learnig a skill that takes time and effort itself is a wonderful way to spend your time. everything you learn because you are curious or passionate about it is worth the time. want to be a good pianist.....it will be hard and take many years.......want to be a scientist.......want to learn martial arts........and so on. actually you don`t need all those skills to survive........but not simply surviving but striving for art or knowledge is what makes us human........of course we cannot learn everything......we have to choose.........living a life without this endeavor would be a waste of time

[@dougritchie9548]

Your comments are the first honest comments about learning a language that I have found. The process can be frustrating, boring, arduous, and pointless. One's time might be better spent on any number of other activities. My wife is a French teacher, I spoke basic French before we met, now I speak slightly better basic French. And yeah I've spent hours studying, done Rosetta Stone and News in Slow French and Vincent and and and. Its it worth the time? Probably not.

[@lisadabbs2181]

I agree 100% with you. My native language is Spanish plus I speak English as a second language and that's enough for me. Some people have a collector mentality so learning a new language is like adding to their collection, in that case, more power to them.

[@taro7145]

I speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and English. I dedicate my whole life to reach literature level in this 4 language. Learning language seems fun but mastering languages take decades.

[@bigfan2452]

Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese are pretty close to one another in literature once you learn one of them. This is because they all use Kanjis. I am currently learning French and Japanese and French is super easy and already reached literature level.

[@Lammms]

@@bigfan2452 just to respond to your said. Mandarin and Cantonese, correct. Especially for Cantonese native(I am) but much harder if reversed. And yes, Japanese does use Kanjis(but some vocabs mean quite different with exact wording written in Chinese)and borrows a lot of other language's words. But to be able to read its literature needs another level of learning effort even for a Cantonese native.

[@tiredguy2753]

Good video and yeah I agree with your points. Especially in regards to having other interest not in language learning. Let’s say someones interest is in learning to become a computer programmer or learning to become a 3d character modeler and hence any free time they have would rather be spent on 3d modeling or programming than learning another language- does that desire to learn something else (not learning a language) mean less than taking the time to learn another language? I don’t think so , people are going to have different interests and for some learning another language just may not be their interest.

[@InstrumentManiac]

Very interesting - was cool to hear this perspective from someone in the language community! Lots of parallels to learning instruments too 👀

[@FingtamLanguages]

Absolutely! If you would ever want to do a collab or a duet, let me know!

[@MMmk1]

What i'm going to write might shatter your ideas about polyglots but what you wrote is very true and i think it's an important voice in the discussion about how great learning languages is ;)

[@FingtamLanguages]

Yeah. There is no point pretending that there aren’t valid reasons to not learn a language. I feel like lots of people in the polyglot community are being willfully ignorant.

[@HAL-nt6vy]

People often think, "my choices are the best." A common human failing.

[@jmtoobin]

@Fingtam Languages I'm grateful you decided to make a video arguing against learning new languages, because I don't think a lot of people hear it quite as often as they should, or they are loath to admit how challenging it can be like anything else that they don't learn from childhood.

[@hajimesenpai7996]

This is good advice!! 😊

[@kaunispaikka9029]

I agree with you somehow. Some years ago I wanted to learn lots of languages but the endeavor was so hard and frustrating specially living in a shitty city in Brazil that hardly come across to foreigners. So after reflecting about those things i decided pick up the languages only if I really get a strong purpose for that. Nowadays i keep only russian, french and persian cause I've got friends plus I keep trying read books in those languages. Being realistic with ourselves about our goals is the key. Languages are an awesome matter but life is short and we must be intelligent avoiding frustrations.

[@philippeboursiquot163]

Você mora na cracolândia ? I'm just joking

[@kaunispaikka9029]

@@philippeboursiquot163 No i live in "Recifelândia" the land of cocaine and the pot! :) \.../

[@ananasnobody2104]

I can't agree more with what you said ! These 7 reasons are exactly what I have been thinking of. You are very brave to say it out and clearly. Thanks a lot!!!

[@travelspeedx]

Me too, kinda need to validate my decision to give up on Mandarin after 2 yrs of learning 😭

[@En-of5oh]

Hehehe, believe me, if I didn't know foreign languages, I couldn't gain that money or I couldn't visit all those countries, through 22 years foreign languages enable me to gain my living, I learnt French, German. Just before six years I started to learn Spanish and Chinese languages, before two months I bought my electric bassguitar and some books in music, now I'm learning how to read music sheets, now I play pentatonic scales, two grouping scale, and extended pentatonic scale on all fretboard of my bassguitar, also I started to play some songs bass. As you said some people are very happy in their life without learning any foreign language, but my life would be different, if I didn't learn French, German and English languages in the first place. Every day I do learn languages, that becomes my normal habit through years. l love foreign languages and foreign cultures as well. I'm already polyglot, and I do keep enhancing that through time.

[@En-of5oh]

@Deyvi :v no

[@xl-dt6qj]

I gave up trying to learn a new language and i'm ok with that.

[@galat3153]

English isn't my native language. I'm just watching this video being able to understand almost every word. And I bet, if I forget all I know I would learn it again for this feeling of satisfaction after all efforts and moments when I wanted to give up. I just have this ability to do something that people around me can't.

[@grafaelmadero6082]

Is your native language russian ?

[@galat3153]

@@grafaelmadero6082 yeah why?

[@AdelAdel-ge4fg]

I agree

[@andresleon2293]

The guy is not referring to those who speak English, rather the language community full of people learning MANY languages, the problem is... No language is as useful as English

[@berevcy]

Agreed. I love languages, but learning them can be very, very long. I am not getting any younger, and there are so many other fascinating things in this world. Also, I read so slowly in my new languages, whereas my monolingual friends explore world literature in translation. Translators are cultural heroes, they bring us world culture. One is even more impressed when one has measured the amount of effort, the sheer dedication that is needed to master a language.

[@andresleon2293]

CORREEEECT!! Not all of us have perfect lives and are ready to waste our time in whatever you feel like doing

[@Alzzeth]

I have always thought people from English speaking countries (like USA, Canada, England and Australia) are pretty lucky to be born in a country that made them learn and speak the one most important and spoken lenguage in the world since they were born I can't complain tho, my native lenguage is "the second most spoken lenguage" (Spanish), or at least that's what I've heard. I'm not really sure about that, and even then it's not that much more influential than French, or German, or Italian, etc Anyway, I know that if I was American, English, Canadian, or Australian, I wouldn't be spending time learning new lenguages, probably, the same way the only second lenguage I can speak is English. It's just sooo useful, while literally any other lenguage can be useful in only a few cases. I've developed my English thanks to videogames in my childhood, metal-rock music in my teenhood, and the internet for the last 14 years. A lot of the stuff I like, like most music I listen to, is all in English, or like this video that was recommended to me because I've watched many other KZbin videos in English Also, I'm very lucky that English is a lenguage I enjoy A LOT speaking, and learning; thanks to that I've been more open to learn it, at anytime in my life (I've always like it a lot). Most people, at least here in my country, don't care at all, they just can speak Spanish, and recognize a few very basic words and concepts in English. I'm not judging them tho, as I said, I'd maybe be one of them, if it wasn't for those 2 reasons I gave: that a lot of the stuff I love are already in Enlglish, and that I love speaking it. Also ngl, but, the fact that it's so easy (compared to the rest of most popular lenguages) helps a lot lol also school helped me a lot, but that's because I enjoy it and so spent a lot of attention at those classes. That's not the case for most people, and English education here sucks anyway I dream of the day I can travel the world only speaking English, would go to Englad, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and other European countries; I know I'll be just fine Still, I can understand it can feel a little "depressing", maybe, the fact that there are sooooo many lenguages in the world, all so different and unique, with their own history and cultures attached to them... but you can always just simply learn English and it will always be more useful. I mean, yes, this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that you can learn one lenguage very well and manage well in different situations. I'm aware of all the time and effort it takes to learn only one lenguage, as Fingtam said. It's just that I tend to be too pesimistic lol but seriously, one day all lenguages may end existing, and only English will rule... maybe it's too extreme to think that, it won't happen in centuries probably, but it still may occur one day. I don't feel that much attachment to my own lenguage (I'm too unsociable irl for that lol), but I understand there are so much we can learn from lenguages apart from just the specific one lenguage that is English I just wish the lenguage learning community was more open and natural about this, I feel like some people might be too pretensious, or closed to different point of views, which is probably what had Fingtam so cautious about this video in the first place. We need this kind of discussions! So thanks for this! Btw sorry for the long, too personal, unnecesary text that noone asked for lol just wanted to vent, thx for reading I guess

[@esmeralda4434]

Esto solo aplica si el Inglés es tu primer idioma :)

[@r0hith1999]

Jajaja estoy completamente de acuerdo 😂😂😂

[@jimn6686]

Sipi :'c

[@janeenjourney43]

Yo no se. Hay muchas piases hispanoablantes donde se puede usar Español 🤷🏿‍♀️ y no tiene que aprender una segundo idioma.

[@ericmoore7413]

Este guey no sabe nada.

[@ericmoore7413]

Hay que estudiar una idioma, como Thai, o Chines, con los Tones. Es bien dificil, pero vale la pena.

[@karami8844]

I thought a co-worker of mine was Latina for 2 years. She spoke Spanish and was able to communicate well with Latino customers. Until...I heard her speaking Arabic. She was actually Syrian and picked up Spanish in high school with her Latina friends.

[@alyzza1753]

😂

[@FlatlandMando]

These stories make such impact on me. Just so great for that person (or any person) to be comfortable in one or more languages

[@angelsjoker8190]

4. really depends on the countries. Countries that play a minor global role and have a rather big tourism sector tend to have more average people speaking some English, but you definitely can get stuck in some countries. I had a 10h stop over in Beijing and neither the lady at the airport tourist information desk spoke English, nor did the owner of a restaurant on a touristy street, nor a police officer I encountered. So, I guess the situation in non-tourist areas won't be much better. Of course, if you stay for longer, you probably will find your English speaking expat bubble in most countries. But that means you'll have a very limited life there depending on the bubble (or golden cage) size. I've met quite a lot of people that got depressed even in international cities like Berlin, because they thought they could get by with just English (which is true for the most part), but after living a couple of years in the city, they felt they missed out and where left out on many occasions because they hadn't bothered to learn German.

[@swagitachiuchiha5012]

Yeah everything said here is true. I am fluent in English and German. I think I will only be able to tackle one more and that's it. I use English on daily basis German not so much anymore but still love it because it was my first foreign language that I mastered to a degree with what I can be proud of. I commend anybody who has the will to learn many languages but I look at languages in a pragmatic way.

[@handsupbud]

I'm from Texas and around 7 years ago, I started trying to learn Swedish just because I wanted to learn something new. I practice maybe 15 minutes a few times a week and it is hard but I have made progress for a minor amount of effort. Will I ever go to Sweden, probably not but I honestly believe exercising your brain especially at my age (68) is a very good thing. Do what makes you happy and if it doesn't, well don't do it.

[@shiptj01]

One thing I have noticed is that even though I have proficiency in a foreign language, a lot of the people who speak it don't really talk to me that much. They will be polite and compliment me on my skills, but they don't really talk to me like I am a native. So even when you learn the language, you're still kind of on the outside. Honestly, when I study a language now, it's more like a puzzle for me. I don't really care about conversing with people in it. I like the mental exercise of remembering words and understanding how the language influenced English. It would be different if I lived in a foreign country, but here in the States there isn't much use for it unless your job requires it.

[@kaninma7237]

Good video. I am continuing to learn Czech. I immigrated to the Czech Republic, the land of my ancestors, more than a year ago. I would like to become a citizen when I have lived here long enough, and I would like to eventually live in a small countryside village where Czech is the only language spoken. I also feel closer to my ancestors, as well as those who live around me, as I become more fluent in the language. I have the chance to use it everyday at my job and when I got shopping or watch television. I do not live in Prague, and I am not very involved with the expat community. My generation was the first to in the US to know very little Czech, not much more than 'pivo' (beer). I also enjoy learning it.

[@tresatlantes]

I had learned many phrases and words in many languages when I used to work in London’s casino and believe me, customers from those specific countries appreciated me with good tips, certainly a great motivation, when you’re behind the bar or working in a restaurant 😎 remember, it’s always better to know some bits than nothing at all 😅 it’s not that hard if u don’t push urself, go with the flow and every, even the smallest progress builds the structure 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@misoadeio]

Apart from English, which is a “must”, learning any other foreign language has extremely high Opportunity Cost, while at the same the ROI (Return on Investment) is very low, close to zero. Not to mention that it is one of the most perishable skills, it fades away at a blink of an eye, if not practiced daily.

[@paolomojosujo7524]

Great video as always :) Some thoughts: 1. It´s not that hard when you´re doing it right. Grammar drilling your way to fluency would be hard but learning through comprehensible input can be almost effortless. 4. Let´s not forget about immigrants in English-speaking countries who seem to not need English. If your L1 is a big language like Spanish or Russian you could travel to tons of places without it. I think the biggest thing to consider is that people speak to each other in the local language, so you might be left out even when around people *could* speak English. 5. It´s already better than most people who study a language on Duolingo though^^ 7. I use my languages to do stuff I want or need to do anyway. When I use a foreign language to hang out with friends, read the news, learn programming etc. I can learn the language and not "lose" any time.

[@FingtamLanguages]

All great points! Thanks for your respons :)

[@jssmedialangs]

The English one does rub me the wrong way a little bit... not gonna lie, but I agree with most of these. I knew someone who sometimes would switch to different languages so much that I started asking them, "Why do you want to learn a language? Are you more into learning about another culture or do you actually want to speak it?" I think if your expectations are too high ("I'm going to master the entire Chinese language in a week!" Etc.,) then you're bound to keep language hopping. For me personally, I realized I needed a reason to learn my target languages because without one you have no motivation to become fluent--which is what I want. Thanks for making this!

[@FingtamLanguages]

I knew the English one would rub people the wrong way! But it’s true and I don’t apologize for it. Anyways, thanks for sharing from your experience. I appreciate the input! :)

[@Ssaidak]

I'm learning languages because I enjoy studying them. You don't need more than that.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Back when I was younger, when I cared about studying multiple languages, even then I had ZERO interest in speaking or meeting with people. I was into translating written words between dictionaries. To me, languages was and still is all about reading and writing: i.e. ridiculous and unreasonable to demand and expect people to understand each other in real-time.

[@shivambakhshi4859]

I speak English and Hindi, and understand 2 regional languages (Punjabi and Marathi) in India. I agree, learning a new language unless required for some specific purpose is not always necessary. I for instance found myself liking Spanish because I really like the culture of Spanish speaking countries, and I have somewhat learnt some basics of it. That being said, I don’t see a major need learning Spanish at a fluent level, but I would like being there at it at a basic level of fluency 😁

[@vequiera]

1. No shit, acquiring any skill isn’t going to be easy 2. Technically speaking you never finish learning your first language 3. I wasn’t interested in learning how to drive, yet I still obtained a license. It doesn’t make it any less useful of a skill 4. People said French would last as the lingua franca, people thought you could by with French just fine. Look where we are now. English won’t last. 5. Computer translation is never going to be able to discern context or decipher colloquial speech. 6. See 4. 7. You could say the same thing about learning literally anything; this is hardly a point as to why someone might not want to learn a language Sorry bud, not even trying to learn a new language isn’t gonna cut it for much longer

[@richardschofield2201]

I can only speak English, well, a little bit of Welsh, but I've forgotten most of it. I'm not planning on learning another language as I don't find it interesting and never had a need for it. Not sure how you think those are not valid reasons. I can however program in more than one language and rebuild an engine. I find these activities fun and useful. I think all the points in this video are correct.

[@vequiera]

@@richardschofield2201 then have fun being disconnected from 7/8 people on the planet bud. Have a blast.

[@richardschofield2201]

@@vequiera exactly how many friends do you have? Am I supposed to learn every language then to speak to the entire planet? So if you can speak let's say three languages and your priority is to speak to an many people as possible you must speak English, Hindi and mandarin right? That covers about 3/8 of the population (or less as I've ignored overlap, a lot of Indians speak great English) Not really interested in those language to be honest, I love Thailand so let's say I learnt Thai. I'd go from being able to speak to 17.5% of the planet to 17.6%. Hardly game changing is it? Finally, I love traveling, but I go for history, landscapes, particularly mountains, diving, hikes and architecture, oh and food, love food. Culture and people don't really interest me, they just clog the beautiful places up.

[@classy9991]

couldn't agree more, I've been learning English for a couple months, give it or take. maybe a year. I've put a lot of hours into it and I'm aware that I have a lot more to cover, I feel like hitting a brick wall. the idea that there are tons of people attempting to acquired several languages it's kind of overwhelming. how they make that happen? in order to finish all my homework I need to jump through hoops

[@user-wd5ru7fc9f]

I have learned Arabic and Persian and I had very important reasons to learn them. But I was thinking to learn another foreign language and then this very thought came to my mind that why to learn, and I found your video pretty helpful. Thanks a lot.

[@FingtamLanguages]

Glad to help!

[@glicmathan1771]

Excellent points. Great reality check!

[@Lixin2008Du]

What if your native language is not English?

[@JudgeHill]

Then you have to learn English. At least for our times.

[@user-tx6bg4ok4j]

English is universal language, so it's worth it to learn.

[@Lixin2008Du]

@@JudgeHill so 4th reason is not a valid reason for the non-anglophones.

[@JudgeHill]

@@Lixin2008Du True :)

[@ymmelburgos5791]

IKR? I should be called "Reasons not to learn another language apart from English", then.

[@vuiteau]

Omg, why would i learn new language while I still not good at english. Those points really hits me, im studying french right now and after i watched this video I'll more focus on english, and learn javanese (my vernecular). Thanks for this vid!

[@maysl7824]

Heyyo I'm Javanese alsooo, weelll yeahhhhh the same I study French 😂, and I'm not really good in English also :p

[@josuegonzalez5576]

I think that I have pretty much mastered English except in the High literature level. Since I started learning it when I was 7 but I didn't really gave it much importance since I lived in a very Spanish speaking region but then I moved further inland from the border, and I really needed to speak it and understand it, with all its idioms and weird phrases. This was at 14 till 17. Where I practiced hard to speak it natively. Spanish was my first language and learned to read it pretty fast and now I try to keep up with the academic jargon of my Engineering career which is fully in English. And a year ago I decided to learn French, not for financial gain or even plan to move to a French speaking zone but just because I think it sounds very attractive and because it is very close to Spanish and English already. After a year of Duolinguo and independent study, I can pretty much understand written language 80 or more percent of the time and like English is in pronunciation the hardest.

[@elnetini]

I studied French for about 3 years. Went to France 3 times. Other than that I hardly ever used it, maybe to read the odd article here and there, or impress someone when on vacation, but really the benefit/effort ratio is not very good, so yes, maybe it's better to use time in a different way, but you gain understanding more of a culture and the world becomes more interesting. My Mother tongue is Spanish and studied English for many years. By far English and Spanish have been more useful to me than French and Portuguese

[@alexandrelinsdossantos5604]

good video. it makes me think of the time that i've spent learning italian, which i'm still willing to do so. i just don't know for how long

[@fivantvcs9055]

Hello Fingtam +Fingtam Languages, what's your maximum for you as a number of languages to learn/to maintain and to use rather regulary ?

[@starry3027]

I guess I agree with some of this stuff but learning languages would help you be able to communicate with people from other countries if you want to go there. But yes, lots of people can speak english. I am currently learning spanish right now.

[@Vyborne]

Nice video. I've never heard this stated matter of factly. I've arrived at similar conclusions. My big thrust in language learning was before the automated translations, ubiquitous cell phone usage and wide-spread internet usage: the 90s and some years beyond ....

[@TheWallowingMadman27]

I agree w/ every reason in this video. Growing up my mom made me waste my time w/ Spanish & I told her a trillion times I hate it, but it didn’t matter. I especially agree w/ #7. Also I went to Mexico & I was able to speak English 99% of the time. I always felt that I’d never use it outside of spanish class. Also I plan on taking Russian since I wanna see what it’s like to learn a language on my own. Plus I can do a Russian accent.

[@tompeled6193]

Aprende español antes de ruso. Español es más útil (los países en que se habla no están sancionadas) y tu familia lo habla.

[@vidong1704]

In E/SE Asian countries, you speak the language and often, they refuse to speak it to you and, instead, answer in English. Those who don't speak it, but have a lot of money, live fulfilling lives. They also don't understand the bad things people say about them. I bought a book of Visayan to speak when I get to central Philippines. I studied maybe 100 hours. Well, then I was on the street and asked one guy when a store would open. He replied in English. I asked him why he would not speak in Visayan. He exploded, screaming that this was not my country and he could speak any language he wanted. And the final say was. " Why should I speak Visayan to you? Are you a Filipino? " He was so angry and yelling etc. On other occasions, I had people laugh in my face and answer in English. I don't need this nonsense in my life. Happened in Thailand, too. And then I saw other foreigners there, speaking only English, happy with local gf's and wives and I quit after that.

[@Guy-cb1oh]

#8. If you are learning a language just to watch cartoons without the subtitles...

[@MistyBleu]

You are so right! I was just planning on learning about 18 languages and started with Spanish and Korean then I realized "What is the point?" I have no interest in Korean literature kdrama or kpop (anymore) and do not plan on visiting South Korea either. Even though I would enjoy learning a new language in the end I realize that I would be wasting so much time and effort toward something that would be of very little benefit to me in the long run. And the thing with French, Russian, or Italian literature, there are many on par English translations that are good enough to read. As you said people who only know one language get by very well in life and feel fulfilling despite being monolingual. While I am actually bilingual I feel it's the same for me. I would rather use all my free time to connect and socialize with people personally and make memories then wasting time learning a language that I would have no opportunity to speak either. I will maybe learn Zulu or Xhosa as I am South African and my two home languages are Afrikaans and English. Maybe I will learn Lingala and Shona too as there are many Congolese and Zimbabwean people in the country and in the workplace.

[@pablosilva6988]

Great work My friend. I speak three languages (English portuguese and spanish) and English is the language i depend on the most. I have lived in México for nearly 12 years. And again, i simply don't need it. As a matter of fact the word i use the most is gracias, after paying the cashier for the items i wish to Buy.

[@FlatlandMando]

I hope no one does hate on you for these views. I love language but real ideas from thoughtful experience are worth airing. I watched your whole thing even though I still think learning a new language is valuable

[@jamaisnunca]

The whole world is trying to learn English right now, having English as the mother tongue is a very lucky and huge advantage in the world

[@Alex-02]

To me, having English not be your mother tounge gives you the advantage here, cause you basically get bilingual effortlessly cause you interact with English everywhere(at least were I’m from). Im not particularly interested in learning languages and would never put the time in otherwise so it basically feels like I got it for free

[@mightyxt]

True... English is my native language.

[@shutup5650]

1:46 I feel called out when I was younger I wanted to learn French and then Italian and then turkish and then spanish and then Japanese and then german but in the end my main focus is Japanese and german a bit coz I have to learn it for school coz I'm awful at it also somewhere in between I accidentally leant English XD

[@shutup5650]

@@jazmine9570 it wasn't serious learning tho coz I was way younger then and it was like I watched a turkish show and then I was was like oh shit turkish is awesome I'm gonna learn it but I actually never did now I'm serious about japanese and don't really have a choice with German so like

[@user-tx6bg4ok4j]

I just want to play those untranslated games.

[@bubblebutt4919]

What if you want to live in Europe or Japan

[@JedininjaZC]

This is actually a helpful video. I want to pick up a language for fun right now, not because I need it.

[@billyb3379]

Having another person say this aloud makes me seriously consider stopping language learning. How do you deal with this after these thoughts? Do you think you will continue to learn and maintain languages in the future (40s and 50s) too?

[@FingtamLanguages]

Absolutely! I think I will continue learning languages for my entire life. It’s enjoyable for me, and I see no reason not to.

[@sanjivjhangiani3243]

Please note that these are different kinds of arguments. Reason 2, for example, is an argument for learning one foreign language well instead of several badly. Reason 4 applies if you just want to get by in a foreign country. Learning the language will help you understand the people better. So, if you get rid of bad arguments for doing something, you can use the good ones.

[@Narulopo]

I learned English not by needs, not because of fun, not because wanting a skill. But because I just played video games,used a dictionary and then read little by little more about English. My output it's not perfect,I still don't know a lot of nouns, adverbs,verbs, adjectives, expressions, etc... But even with that inconvenience I'm able to watch your video and understand it . What I want to say is that learning a language opens too much doors, being able to do stuff in another language like: Watch videos Watching reading tutorials Watching series Watching cartoons Reading books Reading instructions Listening to songs Reading comics Commenting on the internet Reading comments But at the same time I agree with you, I will only learn Japanese and not more languages, I will focus more on drawing and programming ♡

[@llamasarus1]

It seems like The Western Anglo-sphere, along with Japan and South Korea have been the most impactful with global cultural exports. So if Pop-culture is your thing, then those seem like the languages to learn.

[@dulcineawallace7804]

I would like to learn another language. I took Spanish for 2 years in high school and for a few years in college. I am rather shy and I felt self conscious about my Spanish accent so I never tried to use it. I am trying to learn Spanish again, with my son.

[@Hirsak1]

I am talking myself out of learning farsi because I don't need it at all, I am not planing a trip to Iran and my Tajik friends can speak perfect Russian. Your video helps me very much.

[@kimcuongtran5495]

Yes, it is true, you should consider whether it is worth a trouble or not.

[@albertocastillo3663]

a question without evil, if I become really good at chess, one of the best in my country? Can I make a living out of it or make a second income playing chess against other chess "professionals"? Or is it just a time consuming hobby?

[@bruskkurdo1640]

Thanks for this video. It's nice to hear another point of view when it comes to learning a new language even if we don't completely agree. I understand that saying "Don't learn a new language" can be considered blasphemy. I am a big fan of learning languages. I speak around 9 languages But there are languages which ​​we speak we didnt have choice not to learn them. Like, seven 7 of the languages ​​I speak. 1. Kurdish is my mother tongue. 2 Arabic is the official language in Syria where I come from. 3 English: I have learned at school. 4. German: I have lived in Germany for 2 years. 5. Norwegian: I have lived there for many years. 6: Swedish: I have lived here for about 7 years. 7: Turkish: I come from a border town to Turkey and many of us have learned Turkish from TV. Other languages ​​I have chosen them myself 8. Spanish, 9. Hebrew. I have worked also with some other languages ​​which which was too much waste of time even money. I could have used that time to improve tha languages I speak.

[@em-sf7me]

Language learning is one of those things where if you have to ask, then you wouldn't understand.

[@dactylntrochee]

Please indulge my rant. I never understood the phrase "I'll be your best friend." It seemed to me, right from the beginning, that if I played daily with other kids, after a certain time I realized that one or more was a friend. It wasn't a task to be undertaken, just a reality that revealed itself. (Yes, the "friend" button irritates me.) Between the ages of eight and ten, I had a record album (1950s) with songs in many languages. The words were written on the jacket, original and in translation. Some were transliterated where appropriate. I loved the melodies. I loved forming the sounds with my mouth. I loved noticing that things spelled in Roman letters didn't get pronounced the way I would have expected. I can still sing them all by heart, sixty years later. Two were in Spanish. At 12, I began learning Spanish in school, and did poorly the whole time. As a sophomore, I failed a class and had to go back to the previous level. (The sticking point was the use of the subjunctive mood, when to use it, and the fact that it is formed from the first person present indicative, even -- and especially -- when the infinitive is irregular.) Private tutoring didn't help. I spent the summer of '67 in Peru as an exchange student. Owing to only two or three events, I realized that my songs of long ago were complete sentences, and that all I had to do was to choose a phrase from one, substitute the nouns and verbs, adjust the adjectives and pronouns and -- voila -- I was home free. Like the person you "discover" is your friend, I realized I had always known Spanish, and that it's not dependent on lists of irregular conjugations. The formation of sounds was a done deal -- I didn't have to be embarrassed to make my "o" sound "foreign". I just said what I had heard. The cadences were all in place, right along with the music. So #1 "It's hard". That depends on your approach. I tested my observation at age 50 (no spring chicken) when I learned Domenico Modugno's "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu", aka, "Volare". Okay, Italian's a lot like Spanish, so it was pretty easy, but the fact remains that as I memorized it -- carried along by a beautiful tune, harmony and orchestration -- the excellent, surrealistic picture it creates took place in my mind as thoughts, not translated words. That was 20 years ago, but I still know it, and I can express or understand any sentence that's constructed similarly to the ones in that song. Learn a dozen, keep an ear open for cognates and loanwords and you're in. Your mileage may vary, but I can tell you this: very few people I know who learned a foreign language in high school, including members of the Brain Trust, can speak the thing. I failed at academics, but I could no sooner lose my Spanish than I could lose my English. The bottom line for me is "Use your ears and your mouth." (It's LANGuage, not OCCUlage, not CEREBRage). Get the hang of it. Ham it up. Then learn what it was that you were saying, and apply a smidgeon of academic understanding. My motto: Show me someone who learned by ear, even illiterate, and I'll show you a fluent speaker. Show me someone who learned to read first, and I'll show you a foreigner. (This applies to music, too.) Of course, it depends on liking to sing along with records and not caring where the time went. That's why I say your mileage may vary. End of rant. Thank you for your indulgence.

[@hiraijo1582]

love your comment.........but it may differ from person to person.......and language to language.......my native language is german, my second english, i want to level up french.......as i always loved to read my method for these languages was always the combination of listening and reading.........i started to watch chinese fantasy stories about a year ago.......of course chinese writing does not help me at all........so i learn just by listening.....a very slow process.......but somehow it also works..........the most common nouns and verbs are repeated over and over.....so if you are interested or simply annoyed of missing the beautyful scenes because of reading subtitles.......at least the understanding of simple phrases becomes easy

[@dactylntrochee]

@@hiraijo1582 Your first observation "...but it may differ from person to person..." is encoded by my phrase "Your mileage may vary". That's a highly colloquial American expression, and might not be used in the other Anglophone nations. It grew from subtitles in advertisements for automobile fuels where they acknowledged that laboratory and real-life conditions are not necessarily the same. We also say "You have to get your hands dirty." You can watch the finest pianist for years, and know the theory of music completely, but you won't learn in any real way until you take pleasure in touching your instrument -- and singing with it if possible. Clearly though, your method is similar to mine. Enjoying physical involvement (indulgence) is the key. (I was scolded once for failure to put time into my musical studies. I protested that I had just played for two hours. "You weren't practicing -- you were PLAYING!" was the comment of my well-intentioned, but terribly misguided mother. Unfortunately, I was obedient. Of course, her remark not helpful, but I didn't know it at the time.) Re: Chinese. I like to stick to the Indo-European group. I've observed others -- with delight -- but the connection among our families, not just on this side of the Bosporus but as far away as Persian and Hindi, often brings me to tears.

[@hiraijo1582]

@@dactylntrochee thanks for your respond. it may also differ from person to person, why you want to learn something. may it be a language, an instrument or science. everybody has his own history........and everybody should learn according to passion......now i am interested about your roots, because i cannot guess from your name......

[@hiraijo1582]

@@dactylntrochee upps....just realized what you wrote about your mothers reaction to you just playing an instrument.....just playing would be the best method for learning, i would guess.....and so would my late mother, who was a language teacher.........actually the best teacher i ever met

[@dactylntrochee]

@@hiraijo1582 Well, not JUST playing -- application of knowledge is necessary it moving the process along -- but the goal is (or SHOULD be, in my opinion) a pleasure to be experienced, not an achievement to be applauded.

[@Daviddant100]

I somehow learn english without much effort, basically by just watching videos (about league of legends and minecraft) on youtube though I had some basic stuff that I got from school. And now I'm working my ass off to learning japanese... Is that gonna pay off at end? Idk but I am enjoying my journey.

[@hiraijo1582]

a very good reason to learn a language or anything else. simply doing it because you enjoy it

[@ogarcia515]

Excellent video! To me, #6 is the most important. You have to have a REASON to learn. And to me, fun is not enough. Learning French is hard. I had French in high school and I loved it. After HS, I took evening lessons and bought recordings and books. Then I realized that I had no French people to talk to! I was surrounded by English-speaking people! So I stopped wasting time with learning French and moved on to a happy life.

[@tompeled6193]

Bah le français est dificile pour ton petit cul? Imagines-toi apprenant le russe.

[@giraffe2630]

This video made me really uncomfortable as a passionate language enthusiast, but it’s a very honest video and I applaud you for that. The truth can hurt sometimes, but seeing face to face with these problems is the only way to tackle them. I want to motivate people to learn languages, because when you have become proficient in a language it’s very rewarding, but still then you are right. Great video as always! Love the more philosophical approach

[@FingtamLanguages]

I agree. Of course, everyone wishes the whole world was into their own hobby, but If we were all the same, what a boring world it would be!

[@giraffe2630]

Yees you’re right, but I hope that it becomes a bit more popular than it is now, at least in my community.

[@LHTA]

i am so eager to study hard for a language. but it wont help me in my future career i think cause i might do science typr jobs IN MY COUNTRY. i dont have thatmuch time to. also i think i should give this time to other skills. what shall i do? i dnt want to just know the language a little, full focus like a language major would do. also i dont want to stop learning. what should i do?😥

[@thantalus77]

I already master a few languages. I feel condemned to keep studying and rehearsing to keep my proficiency. KZbin is a wonderful tool for that now!

[@theFastestSloth_001]

I had to learn three languages at my school !! And it was compulsory for everyone since primary school, and if by chance anyone fails in any one of the three languages then the student had to repeat the whole year !!!

[@paulwalther5237]

I’ve always known I’m crazy for being so into foreign languages. I think many polyglots recognize it too. You forgot a big reason that I think many people, particularly monoglots, you may fail at learning the new language, or at least not achieve your goals. And then all that time spent is for nothing.. And they have no idea of what an adult language learner can even achieve either. If your idea of language is near native or native level... well.. yeah. Many monolinguals really have no clue what speaking a language as a foreign language is like.

[@llamasarus1]

Thanks for being honest about this. The amount of snobbery I hear from people who sneer at others for not being as cosmopolitan as thee for speaking only one language is ridiculous. People are either in denial of the fact that English is the most globally relevant language or they despise that fact and want it to get knocked down a few pegs and its native speakers along with it. Or they want to pressure the school system to require students to take foreign language classes that many won't find useful or interesting. Language is a means to an end, and if there was a strong enough reason for us anglophones to learn another language, we'd do so by now without external pressure. I'm grateful that English is serving as a unifying force for people worldwide to communicate with each other, and the privilege of being born in an English-speaking country is not lost on me, so I'm thankful, too. I may learn a second language someday (which one, though?), but in the meantime, among all my existing hobbies, being as proficient and productive in English comes first and foremost.

[@MrMurzich]

I know several languages without any point. I m enjoying the process when you can understand something, talking with someone, and laughing together. Time is short? Of course. Cause of that you should learn something. When time is finish you’ll be not able to do anything

[@starry3027]

For number 2, it's best to start at a young age because at a certain age, our native language gets to be so good to where it interferes with our ability of learning other languages.

[@jahipalmer8782]

I just want to be able to speak Spanish comfortably. It is worth it to me to take all the time and put all the effort into that I need to. My priorities are Job, family, and my PhD I'm working on. Only those can interfere with my Spanish learning, I manage to get in at least an hour of studying a day.

[@tompeled6193]

Hay más tarde.

[@hunterhedwall2220]

These are some good and realistic points. I decided to stop learning Russian because I started to lack the motivation, but it never hurts to come back to something you lost interest in and be even more casual about studying it. I always think if you're learning a language to begin with, you'll know more than someone who doesn't.

[@paulhogan2930]

I have been living in China for nineteen years, I can only speak English.

[@papopapuax5899]

its odd but many times I can't remember the language of a document I read or a video I saw.