Effective Methods for Language Learning | Tips From a Psychologist

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

My first post in 2021 🎉 Happy new year everyone!

[@nedoopacaktheboygamer2810]

Happy new year! #staysafe

[@errgo2713]

Happy new year!

[@darrellwong4097]

Xin nian kuai le Grace.

[@eudyu324]

Happy new year

[@deontesampson1993]

Wo de dui ai laoshi xinnian kuaile Grace!!🎊🎊🎉 this video is the perfect way to bring in 2021 happy new year everyone!!

[@AndrewFerrer3d]

I would like to share this; I learned to understand mandarin very fast. I watched a lot of videos and vloggers that I liked for like a month and didn't understand anything. After that I started looking up all of the words that I recognized by that point and I instantly learned like over a hundred words, since I basically already knew them. Then after that I started to try to form my thoughts in mandarin using the sentences and words I knew. And after that learning was really quick. I would watch cartoons and look at vlogs and happily look up the words I didn't know and write them down. Often forming my thinking by mandarin terms and grammar. I went very very quickly to a high comprehension level. Looking back at it what I did is exactly what a baby does when picking up a language. Interesting right? However my speaking is still really lacking since I don't have many to practice with!

[@janniezbedny2334]

Whose vlogs did you watch? Can you give some recommendations?

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

That’s cool! Thank you for sharing your method. If I’d like to learn another language, I’d definitely try it!

[@73449]

Hi! Can you list the vloggers you watched? I’ve been handing out on Douyin and listening to podcasts to immerse myself, but i would like to have more

[@fudofd8189]

How did you check the meaning of new words without knowing Chinese characters or at least way to pronounce these words? I've been watching a lot of mandarin content but I was not able to extract even one single word from what has been said. So how can I check the meaning without knowing characters or mastering pronunciation first?

[@MikeFeldmeierMD]

@@fudofd8189 the way I do this is saying it to Google translate the best that I can, if the translation makes contextual sense then I add it to my flash card list.

[@Jose-rr3rm]

The summaries in the video 1. Language Learning is a type of Physiological Training. Listen to a lot of your target language, this will train your brain to get used to new sounds in your target language. Practicing speaking a new language is like doing exercise, it takes muscles- if your face hurts, you're doing it right. Psycho-physiological state matters. 2. Learn through comprehensible input Focus on getting the overall meaning first. When you first understand the message, you'll subsconsciously acquire the language. 3. The best mindset for learning a language effectively Have confidence in your ability to learn a new language, use your new language as a tool to communicate. Accept that you'll have a period of talking like a baby (in new languages), don't give yourself pressure to be perfect, even native speakers make mistakes I like it, i am always thinking study a new language need to focus on the 'outside' like memorizing etc, but it comes back to the basic, the inside that need to be focused on

[@uwu13501]

Iloveyouu for this thanks.

[@Jose-rr3rm]

@@uwu13501 sure, have a nice day

[@lithbcyes4201]

谢谢你！this is helpful!

[@hectorpg1181]

To define what comprehensible input means it should say that your overall understanding about the content you are trying to learn should be at least 70% and ideally about 90% that’s what comprehensible input means

[@mosiarmstrong]

I can definitely relate to my face, throat and tongue aching after I started practicing speaking Mandarin consistently the first time. After a couple months the sounds are definitely easier to make and my pronunciation had markedly improved. Thanks for this video Grace. This is exactly what foreign speakers of Mandarin need! 🙏🙏

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

Thank you for sharing your experience! 😉

[@mosiarmstrong]

@@GraceMandarinChinese absolutely 💯 👌 I look forward to learning more of this beautiful language.

[@baizhuwaitingroom7057]

I'm glad I'm not the only one, the Chinese r, although there exists a nearly identical sound in my native language, made my tongue ache so bad at first 😩

[@mosiarmstrong]

@@baizhuwaitingroom7057 My tongue and jaw still hurt a little when I make the 'r' sound but it's a lot easier nowadays. What is your native language if I may ask?

[@baizhuwaitingroom7057]

@@mosiarmstrong Polish! Chinese r is kinda like Polish ż, but softer.

[@AM-qi3xy]

This is really true , learning mandarin should have the same process as this

[@kokolexx]

What i did is similar but a bit different than his mindset tips. When i am learning Mandarin(and now Cantonese), because i am a 华裔 and my grandfather was from 广东 so i am telling myself that its gonna be easy, it's in my blood and DNA🤭 When learning Japanese, i am telling myself that I've "successfully" learn Mandarin, Japanese is easier. When learning Spanish i also telling myself that it will be easier than Chinese and Japanese because it doesn't use special character so it's easy to read, and the pronunciation is very similar to my native language🤭 So,always find some "reasons" to tell to ourself to help us more relaxed and confident while learning new languages😁

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

This is a good mindset too! Thanks for sharing! :D

[@trien30]

As someone who learned many languages, it's not a good mindset if you really want to be fluent. It doesn't really take you anywhere. Hard work is what helps you to get somewhere in language learning.

[@kokolexx]

@@trien30 feel free to do whatever works for you man🤭

[@andynguyen7760]

That's brain trick but it's brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

[@tuluppampam]

​@@trien30 usually people need to learn enough to start becoming fluent, so all you need is that push to reach that level

[@acquiremandarin]

His accent is really good and his vocabulary is large too. And yes, totally agree with Comprehensible input!

[@lydias.9210]

Watch this video gave me the motivation that I needed to keep studying mandarin (baby talker level by now 🙈) and english (I'm good I guess? I can read and understand perfectly, but I keep forgetting and repeating words when I try to speak...). Thank you Grace and Chris ❤ love from Brazil!

[@MandarinHQ]

Great interview to kick off the new year, Grace😊 Chris really hits the nail on the head when it comes to the role of comprehensible input and mindset in language learning. These 9 minutes are well worth watching for anyone who is committed to learning Mandarin (or any language!) effectively. All the best for 2021!

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@foodngems]

Thank you for this!! These are great tips to change my mindset. It's really quite challenging for me because I'm already in my 30s and want to learn a new language but keep thinking it'll be a struggle because I'm much older but you're absolutely right in saying that it will take time to pick up a language (and I will basically be a baby again learning a new language haha). I will exercise my brain, ears, and mouth so I can be fluent in Mandarin!!

[@disciplinefreedom3083]

30s I am in 40s...no worries. It does not matter learn and enjoy and get better every day. No limits regardless of age.

[@theunguyenthi9796]

I have spent many hours watching your videos. Please make more grammar videos as well. Thank you so much, sweet voice

[@GuranPurin]

Listening to your target language in real conversations, such as dramas and variety shows are very helpful. You pick up a lot of words when you hear them in proper context

[@AfroLinguo]

Yeah!! I have started watching a lot of chinese shows on netflix now. It is really helpful

[@milagiraldo]

Can you recommend some tv dramas?

[@GuranPurin]

@@milagiraldo The most recent I watched was called Cross Fire, it was really good

[@milagiraldo]

@@GuranPurin Thank you. Ill try to find it.

[@LanguageLearningQuest]

I really needed the last one. Whether it's English or Mandarin, I keep hearing people say words differently from what the teachers/books/materials are saying you should say then I noticed even in my native language it's also like that.

[@Fwjchim]

Thank you for these vids! Learning more and more each day with your videos, I really appreciate them. Planning to go to Taiwan by next year.

[@nl5655]

This was very motivating! I will definitely be using these strategies with mandarin and other languages too

[@thecalendarninja]

I learned Spanish fluently even reading and writing with no problem. I thought learning Mandarin wouldn't be so hard, but I can't remember anything even after much repetition. I can only understand words here and there, but I just can't understand a conversation no matter what i do. I can even follow along reading Chinese characters, i know how alot of them sound, but even though i can follow along, like classroom book reading, i just can't understand anything when the same exact characters are placed together in different orders. I can even pronounce words fine and know what to expect to hear when viewing the characters, but still not much understanding. I feel like Mandarin uses the same 20 words just placed in different orders and it all sounds the same with too many meanings for the same words. I'd actually do better if it were longer words and more complicated. It's harder for me to remember anything when it's the same short syllables over and over meaning a million different things. 💔😪 I can even sing along to songs, in Mandarin but i have no idea what I'm saying, then after translation, i can't remember. This doesn't happen to me in Spanish or Portuguese, i can remember anything.

[@cassiacharles2885]

It's probably mental. I have studied Spanish for years but I don't feel comfortable speaking it. On the other hand I started learning Mandarin a couple months ago and I've learned a lot. My coworker is a native speaker and I feel comfortable speaking to her and asking questions. I also watch a lot of C dramas. I feel more of a connection to Chinese culture than to Spanish culture. I think that plays a part in how quickly I am learning the language. Chinese history, culture and food are so fascinating to me! Spanish culture not so much.

[@RhianAnise]

I totally get what you’re saying and this is definitely a mental barrier. Sometimes we believe that feeding our minds all of this information will be beneficial, but it’s not. Taking it a slow, recognize the words you do know, write down the ones you want to know, and don’t focus so much on everything at once, but one thing at a time.☺️

[@industriouspolyglot1976]

Read/listen every day and be patient, it will come.

[@mezquitebonsai9957]

Exactly the same happens to me with mandarin, I improved a little since I moved to Taiwan, but my learning pace it's really slow. Didn't have this problems with german or italian. Sometimes I want to quit lol

[@PC-uh3cf]

That's actually really interesting to me because I have the opposite challenge when it comes to learning mandarin. I am usually very good at understanding and communicating spoken Mandarin, however when it comes to reading my brain just really struggles to make that connection between the character and the sound/meaning. Interesting how much people's brains differ like that

[@melrose8199]

A great video to summarize what I've been learning about how to learn a language. So far I learned Spanish with this comprehensive input method, not pressuring myself to have output early on, reading my favourite novels, etc. Nowadays i'm applying it to learn Deutsch and in near future I will apply it for Mandarin. I look back and I see I learned English with this method without knowing it and just taking classes and repeating words and grammer didn't help much. Thanks for videos, happy to find you Grace.

[@polyglotpengyou]

I think there is a level of talent, but also a combination of method and hard work/motivation required. In the world of language learning, just like sports, musicians, writers, artists, are people who have exceptional talent. Of course, they didn’t get there without hard work. My point is, I think that’s why some people are faster, but I believe anyone is capable.

[@fooddude7938]

Hi Grace, I just came across your video with Chris Lonsdale. Thank you for posting this very informative and inspiring talk on the mental aspects of language learning. This boosted my motivation to persevere learning Mandarin with these keys. 🙏

[@linh_316]

I watch lots of Chinese drama and instantly learn new words. Also my first language (Vietnamese) has similarities to Mandarin, which help me learn faster ☺️☺️

[@sai8301]

@Sorley Walker what genre do you like?

[@genace]

Thanks Grace and Chris! It’s always helpful to hear both of your teachings. I especially like how “comprehensible input” was explained in this video, and it’s relieving when we don’t pressure ourselves to be perfect right away. This was all great advice. 謝謝兩位老師 ！

[@Mika-oi1se]

Great! Now that I watched this video with English subtitles, I will watch it with Chinese subtitles and learn new words through context 😁😁😁😁😁😆

[@photo200]

非常鼓舞人心， 他的 TED talk 也很好，但是我想每個人的經歷會有所不同。他所有觀點都是有效的，但是每個人都會自動強調一些他們覺得最自然的學習過程。還是很好有那麼多工具可以選擇 :)

[@nadee_sn]

Thank you for a great content ❤ I’m learning mandarin and your VDOs are always helpful ❤❤❤

[@Blueberryminty]

I hadn't had those muscle pains so much when practicing chinese for some reason, even after an houre of speaking practice . But I remember I had them a lot when I was seriously learning english years ago, and actually it still hurts a little if I am speaking english for a while. (my mother tongue is dutch (from belgium) ) there are probably people who would be able to say why this is my experience, like linguist or speech therapists. English realy feels like a workout for the whole mouth, while with chinese it seems like the sounding stays mostly or even completely in the front of the mouth, and that feels more comfortable to me. maybe dutch speaking belgians also speak mostly from the front of the mouth.

[@thecalendarninja]

Wow! 非常感谢Grace。 我实际上比我想像的要了解得多。 我大概已经了解了300到400个单词和短语。 我已经学习了大约3个月。 我正在学习HSK 1到3级。

[@haidancheng5199]

身为中文母语者给你加油!

[@fireemblem2770]

I cannot fathom being able to speak at such a high level using such vocabulary in a language so different from your native one.

[@DwaineWoolley]

Sanaol marunong magZhongwen

[@kylayu6784]

hahahaha I laughed at this comment

[@genace]

6:02 - me next time at the Chinese restaurant. 😂

[@Benjaminnx3]

哈哈哈哈

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

😂😂

[@Rykaas]

Haha

[@jonaramire]

Lmao

[@jhennferrer6406]

i watch this full video the ads i dont skip at all. thank you

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

Thank you for being so supportive!

[@joeybwalsh]

I learned nothing but concepts from this video

[@apieceofdream2261]

Thank you so much for sharing this. Watching your videos always give me inspiration and motivation to learn chinese and also other languages.

[@hectorpg1181]

I learned English and Italian using this approach of comprehensible input, I am trying to apply the same methodology to learn the Chinese language

[@77n53]

I feel like I didn't I don't understand the intelligible input, so can you tell me what to do specifically?

[@hectorpg1181]

@@77n53 you need to expose yourself to comprehensible content, it means that you need to understand at least 80 or 90 percent of the content

[@77n53]

Does this mean that I translate words or sentences that I do not understand?

[@shogunshogun]

Thanks Grace and Chris for these helpful insights into learning a new language. Happy new year to you both!

[@SimpleChineseYoutube]

I think the best method is to simply do it! Practice every day and, most importantly, try to imitate native speakers. Listen to your CDs, watch TV shows, listen to your friends and try to replicate the sounds they make. That's how we learn our own languages as children and it clearly works well! Practice, practice, practice! 😄

[@kokolexx]

I watched his interview on both of my fave channels, yours and Shuoshuo🤭

[@楊桂麗]

splendid! 謝謝妳, Grace ^^

[@bibiom83]

Very interesting thank you ! I really need to stop expecting perfection when I try to speak a foreign language because: the others understand me, I’m the only one who gets frustrated for nothing 😅

[@Sabrina_Anim]

This was so helpful! Thank you for putting this together, it really put language learning in perspective. Looking forward to more of your content!

[@Dumdom보라]

谢谢您已经提醒我， 挺好的视频💜

[@errgo2713]

Excellent tips. Psycho-physiological is the way.

[@randomstream4920]

He is literally everywhere

[@TheCunningLinguist]

This is incredibly useful and actionable advice. Appreciate the quality content!

[@39thunnameddaughterofneptu32]

This is an informative video, I really loved it. I'm learning mandarin and I will apply what I've learned here.

[@akouafray8616]

C'est vrai. Merci beaucoup.

[@marfeddewrwz]

whenever I see these videos that say "I learned Chinese in 6 months" I question myself, do they learn to speak, or to write and read as well. Because the main problem I have with chinese is remembering the characters. Maybe i would be able to speak in 6 months, I'm not sure, but to speak and write in 6 months I doub it. Do you know if this person also learned to read during those 6 months? This is a very interesting video, thank you for sharing. you are very creative when it comes to the content of your videos.

[@trien30]

They mostly ONLY learned the romanization of Chinese characters called Pinyin, bopomofo, etc... and that's it. Otherwise, someone can understand their Mandarin. You have to learn the characters, pronunciation, tones, character strokes, grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure and learn to comprehend and not saying gibberish because except for a select few, almost nobody else knows gibberish. Such showoffs are trying to get some attention but really knows just the basics.

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

I was hoping he'd be sharing more concrete tips. Did he stay in a Mandarin-speaking country? Did he end up building his daily routine around learning? Did he have someone to speak to or was he pracricing by himself most of the time?

[@Julia-sg9yc]

Completely agree on that. It would’ve also been more helpful to tell us more about what exactly he means with fluent, I mean of course he can have this conversation, but regarding reading/writing and the expand of his vocabulary we don’t really get to know anything.

This video is very helpful! Thanks so much for that you both

[@ron_ning7169]

Now I can listen to your real accent on day conversation... haha Learning Mandarin and analyzing accents is my new hobby now ... Happy New year 2021 Grace, I hope you make some advance Chinese lessons...🎉🎊🎉

[@shahirahshapiee]

This is so helpful 😍Thanks Grace✨✨✨

[@AfroLinguo]

I thought I would understand with my HSK 3 level in chinese but I actually didn't understand a lot of stuff haha. Still got a long way to go but have also come a long way.

[@sesinhosantos5047]

I guess it can be done in 6 months, but you definitely need to want it, be constant and have the resources and a clear methodology. It's easy to lose hope if you feel you are not making progress.

[@Jajaho2]

Great interview, thank you very much for sharing!

[@dewiramadhani2636]

Thank you so much!! this is so helpful

[@peters8699]

Woah. Starting animation on point.

[@vishar7]

Phenomenal insights.

[@LECityLECLEC]

wonderfully made!

[@longao4906]

tks your advice !!!!

[@thecalendarninja]

Happy New Year Grace! Love u 💘😻💜💛💚🧡💘

[@trambuithingoc2134]

Thank you so much!!!

[@maoxliyo3871]

Great explanation...

[@gohitosun6859]

For some anime(ACG) lover, they have listened so much Japanese that they can listen to Japanese and understand it swiftly. One of my senior high school classmates don't know any about hiragana or katakana, but if I read the kana out, she can at once understand the meaning of the word🤣

[@rosesingssongs]

This was super helpful! 谢谢

[@vhorn901]

i lovee and reallyy appreciate this video! thank youu!

[@blueboxhairwig]

说的真好

[@zeAlOtSinsTc]

Effective

[@verybang]

language leqrning is easy for him because he knows what he wants to say

[@piepie3487]

fell in love with my teacher ~

[@xobrook]

Very true about your face and voice being tired! I was like this too hahaha

[@comfyglo]

I took me less then 6 months to learn English. My native is French btw.

[@briancarter2505]

Great video, some interesting insights.

[@马莉-l2v]

My teacher told me that I am good at pronunciation, My chinese teachers would communicate with me because they thought I catch up everything so easily.. it's just that, I don't like studying that much so, I always forgot a lot of words. And I'm shy applying them in my daily life. My boyfriend told me that I should speak to him using Chinese but I'm so shy. Hahahahaha I should change that personality first I guess.

[@freyafoxmusic]

Thank you

[@victorb83_Mudvayne]

Fear is the public enemy # 1 of knowledge

[@wugeorge8081]

Someone told me mandarin is difficult when I showed him your video today.

[@umargul5644]

Great 👍

[@lightmanluc7447]

Hi, got a question, should we learn one foreign language for a short time(like 6 months), or we can learn different languages at the same time but take a longer time(maybe 3 years). What did Chris do?😂😂😂

[@sakuravoyage]

Great tips!

[@MMmk1]

I don't believe in "fluent" in 6 months, it's just a marketing trick :P Especially that after 4 years of study of Chinese I started using the comprehensible input method. I started about 3 months ago and I don't believe I'll be fluent in the next three months ;)

[@trien30]

It is a marketing gimmick. I am Chinese and it took me some time to learn Mandarin. Because I was taught by teachers from Taiwan as a kid, I learned much quicker besides the fact that I speak Cantonese and English.

[@superscribe6651]

It is but its also how much you really want it, and if you will immerse yourself into the culture, into using the language.

[@alekid]

I agree. There are a lot of these youtube "phenomenon's" claiming fluency in 1 year, now 6 months, next time maybe even overnight. None of which we can confirm as being true. First they need to clarify what fluency means, because we might assume it means speaking like a native, but opinions might vary. I speak 3 languages and I'm learning mandarin now. Back in my high school days I had studied English for 5 years and I remember that even after all that time I had trouble understanding native speakers. So I will never fall for the story that anyone could learn a new language from zero to speaking and understanding like this guy in 1 year or even 6 months for that matter. Besides I don't find these claims encouraging. They put learners in fruitless state of mind, a "race of wits", which is not beneficial at all. We all study and learn at our own pace according to our time, age, ability and need. And that's perfectly fine and natural.

[@keatslau9026]

Great grace

[@brittanybradley5389]

This was so good

[@gabrielle_tomato]

How exactly do you learn to read and write Chinese, like I get the listening and pronunciation down but when it comes to the writing that’s where I get tied up

[@photo200]

I use the computer and watch youtube channels like this one. I learned Chinese entirely verbally which left me not able to read or write. I decided to make an effort by going online. I particularly like channels like this one which use both traditional and simplified characters, because most of the people I interact with are Taiwanese. Fortunately these days, there's little need to spend time learning actual handwriting unless you intend to live in a Chinese speaking country long-term. Most of the time, just being able to type on the computer is sufficient, and there are several systems for that. Since I started learning in the US, I use pin-yin (Taiwan version) input method.

[@manofglass_4003]

Great video

[@QuizmasterLaw]

cognates are my secret weapon. if no cognate then link words. a2 in mandarin in six months is realistic, even B1. There is no way in hell he is c2 after six months.

[@花君-n2e]

哦~~你跟他合作誒，之前有看過他♥ 他也有提到不要把外語的目標提高比自己母語還高。 基礎的東西真的很重要呢！ 我目前是每天看外文書，不是文法書，這很重要！ 希望大家能一起實踐~

[@iamfromasean705]

Hi thanks for the video!

[@callumanderson2835]

I was fluent in Cantonese in 6 months but I didn’t need to put it into KZbin and tell everyone

[@jonaramire]

Great vid' !

[@subakuyu2608]

I'm sorry this is out of topic but Grace you are so pretty 😍

[@ayaansiddiqui3086]

I will do chinese Mandarian in 3 months . My bet 😉😉😉.

[@milooky7769]

don't be so hard on yourself... >

[@mbbr6]

不仅味道好,而且每个酒瓶（也）都一件高级艺术品。 Hi I've red this sentence many times ,but still confused about the word(也）. Why it was put before (都）..... not after it? Any help .... Please

[@Exolofy]

Holy fuck this guys the real deal

[@BioChemistryWizard]

Be careful with stating comprehensive input efficiency as being a fact. It is still debated in the science circle whether it really works or not.

[@demaneymdemalasneym51]

I'm trying to learn chinese as well. Does anyone know where I can find manhua with pinyin or zhuyin next to the hanzi?

[@Amber-ws5gh]

started watching the kdrama start up and when bae suzy walked onscreen, i had to doubletake and check if you weren't an actress on the side

[@GraceMandarinChinese]

😂 I'm flattered

[@stevenv6463]

Ahh! I can just say 小黄 for taxi? I am going to do that. I learned 出租车 in China before moving to Taiwan and the actual Taiwanese Mandarin word is so troublesome.

[@_sparrowhawk]

Study Chinese for 6 months in an attempt to meet Grace? Sounds about right :P

[@sandraye4634]

可以问下你用什么软体剪辑视频吗？

[@LordDaedalusTelvanni]

我在學國語，可是我覺得我沒有很多opportunity用國語聊天。我嘗試練習中文用Tandem（一個手機的App）可是那樣是不好因為我們住在不同的時間區。另外我認為跟真的人聊比較好。我在倫敦不可能和華人說話因為武漢肺炎，所以我不知道怎麼可以「use your language as a tool to communicate」。哎呀😭

[@haidancheng5199]

我可以和你一起練習!

[@张卓荦-o4l]

你可以下载一个app，哔哩哔哩，上面很有趣学中文

[@luketruman3033]

哇塞，　他的詞彙還真多ㄟ, 　厲害！