how to ACTUALLY learn a language (tips, my experience, all that good stuff)

happy sunday! fun fact proved by many scientists: today is a perfect day to start learning a new language. y'all, as this world keeps turning, there are less and less excuses as to why you shouldn't become serious in your linguistic endeavors. there is a lot of stigma surrounding the topic, and once and for all i'd like to address some big misconceptions and areas where a lot of people go wrong! keep in mind that these are my opinions... very informed opinions... heheh. what do you all think?
thank you so much for watching ♥️
Langfocus (Paul's channel): / @langfocus
Grammatical case: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammat...
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💌 about me
Hellooo! My name is Elysse, I’m from the USA and I study digital media production. I have an undying passion for linguistics, language learning, and all the beautiful experiences it has brought into my life ♥️ I hope you enjoy my videos about my journey in language learning, as well as diaries about my travels and life as a curious tree-climber.
💌 FAQ
How old are you?:
20 years old
What languages do you speak?:
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, American Sign Language, and now Chinese (all at varying levels!)
Where do you live?:
The United States, in the south.
#languagelearningtips #polyglot #multilingualism

[@SaeSaeyoungyoung]

My mum LOVES duolingo, and I keep her there because I don't want that bird to kidnapp her😔

[@user-vc8sn6jp3r]

Lmaoo

[@idkwhattoputhere7201]

Lol

[@orchidtea12]

DUOLINGO HAS THIS *REAL* THING FOR PLUS MEMBERS, WHERE IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN DOING YOUR LESSONS FOR A WHILE, DUO WILL COME TO YOUR LOCATION

[@marteumar8429]

Hahahha

[@criistal_frappex253]

@@orchidtea12 its fake lmao

[@szecr]

A tip about duolingo. The random phrases that they make you say that you wouldn't see yourself using in real life are not used to teach you phrases, they are to get you used to a specific word and how it works in sentences. Anyways don't use only duolingo to learn a language, I mostly use it to study and stuff.

[@k.5425]

Lol. Your dp and username

[@MatheusSouza3ds]

Anyone there who wants to exchange learning? I'm Brazilian and I'm learning English, if you want to learn Portuguese I can help you.

[@aldistoteles2919]

@@MatheusSouza3ds Go to Reddit or Discord servers, you’ll find someone :)

[@alexalorraina916]

this can also be true in school. a lot of the spanish words that high schoolers learn aren’t the common word used for it

[@Osafune2]

The Russian duolingo course can be frustrating sometimes because you can be penalised for translating a sentence into a way English people would say it. One example was a sentence that directly translated to “I think that I do not have this permit” and I wrote “I don’t think I have this permit” and was scored incorrect. I sighed heavily and then moved on with my life

[@zihongezrali6053]

"Don't use Duolingo" Me: *immediately completes another lesson* But seriously, learning a language (especially German) solely through Duolingo is never gonna be enough.

[@madisyndeidel5242]

Fr I only use duolingo to learn some new words

[@zihongezrali6053]

@@madisyndeidel5242 Yeah that's what I do. I gotta go in deep to learn the grammar.

[@katticus_]

exactly. duolingo can only support conversations that would rarely ever happen when i need to know common stuff. but the basics are good with grammar for beginners and new words that you would only use once a month.

[@hayloftuwu3179]

Oh fuck, i'm learning German on duolingo ;-;

[@cicooooooo]

From my experience, if you want to learn German easy you should be born there because the language is weird af

[@carola6056]

Step, " find friend." me : *panicks* *searches how to make friends* "talk to yourself" Well, isn't it something I can do- at last.

[@theblackryvius6613]

For me, I don’t speak my target language out loud because I want to keep it a secret from my family before I blow their brains. Once time while everyone was sleeping, I tested out my speaking skills. Come to find out I had none. I knew all the pronunciations, but I was having trouble replicating it, because I just never spoke it aloud.

[@easyChinese]

Talking, talking, talking. Talk to your friends and talk to yourself. Talking is the only way to master a language! If you want to learn Chinese, go kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHm6cpKhn9tsnqs Learn a Chinese word in 3 minutes!

[@KaniForLife]

@@theblackryvius6613 try to listen some music in your target language, this will improve your skill fastest than just play app, if know the words and how to speak those, your progress will improve a lot. Sorry for any mistake eng isn't my first language 👍

[@theblackryvius6613]

Adriel Hosenfeld thanks, I’ve been doing just that. I’m progressing pretty well at the moment. In the short amount of time since I posted the reply, I improved my listening and reading skills (still gotta work on speaking, but it’s getting better!)

[@chas500]

There is this app called hellotalk you can talk to people for your target language

[@jorgeandreslinaresguerra6452]

I agree with her. I think being self-taught and talking to myself is being the best strategy to learn languages, and somehow I’ve found out that I know more about myself as a result. I’ve watched 2 videos of this channel so far and has become one of my favs.

[@elyssespeaks]

That's awesome!

[@mariannemesezold3314]

3:56 "yes hungarian, I'm looking at you" as a hungarian native speaker I was sitting there like "omg, she's talking to me" :D :O :O LOL

[@rekuu27]

En is megdöbbentem :D

[@agotatelkes6789]

Me too. People actually know we exist. Very confusion. Much weird. Als have a nice day fellow Hungarians. (And everyone else by the way)

[@biasabau6898]

Átérzem 😂😂

[@jaypence332]

Americans only bring hungarian into a conversation when we speak about stupid grammer cases. Like she did in the video

[@nehahah]

i was reading comments while listening and i read this exactly when she said that😁

[@Jotgotshot]

Duolingo: Hey can you translate "the man swims in the house" in Japanese? edit: i have no idea how this comment got likes i

[@anonymous-qt9yc]

frr tho they asked me to translate ‘ the fish reads the newspaper’ in turkish 😭😭

[@ikramrafi6481]

LMAO

[@hw8188]

They asked me to translate “the dog painted the bathroom this morning” in Spanish

[@Jotgotshot]

@@anonymous-qt9yc im turkish lol

[@katticus_]

i SWEAR from "im a cat" to "The dolphin owns a bear that swims in the ocean" in Italian. i am DEAD SERIOUS THESE ARE ACTUAL SENTENCES

[@hannah8454]

how i leisure learn spanish tv shows: cable girls, money heist, elite, locked up, gran hotel (all from spain though) music: rosalía, J balvin, kali uchis, daddy yankee, becky G, paloma mami, bad bunny, thalía, CNCO and lots more but can’t name them all youtube: spanish speaking videos, vlogs of people backpacking south america, culture videos, accent videos podcasts: duolingo (i listen to them whilst walking my dogs and then look over the transcript if i can) there’s also the duolingo app which can be fun! it’s a little repetitive but it’s encouraging and gives you good vocab. more apps: mesalingua, memrise and busuu

[@chelle4419]

Yes, the duolingo podcast is so goooood! Duolingo as an app isn’t great, but it tries. xD I wish there were more bilingual podcasts.

[@heladodefresa6037]

¡Interesante! ¿Qué nivel de español tienes? :O.

[@michaelshaffer2139]

What vlogs do you watch? Need some recs

[@heladodefresa6037]

@@michaelshaffer2139 Hi, I recommend watching Luisito Comunica and Alex Tienda (Both are backpackers).

[@joseavendano2140]

hahaha girl that really sucks

[@centuryfiles9558]

The beginning is so accurate for me 😂

[@elyssespeaks]

Elli Arellano 😹😹😹

[@ifallasleep5011]

ikr like it doesn't work at all for me

[@smcphee8499]

I’m so tired of duolingo.

[@cherubbjessswaggy9665]

Same

[@remytherat5983]

i started with flashcards. i used instagram to read short news articles. I understood the basic idea, and used google translate for words i didnt know. sentence structure and grammar came naturally from reading and listening. i talk to myself in my head, and out loud when im alone in my target language. instead of sitting down and studying, i just think „oh, whats this word?“ and look it up, make a few sentence examples for it, and move on. i might forget it, i might not. but over time, i remember it easier. i listen to grammar videos while i do other things. instead of sitting down and „studying“, i just read instagram posts, look up words that i realize i do not know, occasionally i may use flashcards, and talk to myself in that language. btw, im learning german and i know 400-500 words and been like 2-3 months

[@lanaj.3877]

that's super good advice thank you so much❤️❤️

[@kencupid3720]

I agree. But, i would recommend duolingo for COMPLETE beginners who are trying to learn basic vocabulary and how specific words work in sentences. It wont work if you want to advance in the language though

[@matchaeylle]

yeah, I was messaging my language exchange friend and she told me in her experience (she’s older than me and is already living in the country of one of her target languages) and she told me if I want to get past the A1/A2 stage, I can’t use duolingo and she sent me a textbook with very little english (only to translate words that aren’t as intuitive to understand) and it’s been an amazing help. Language exchange is also always a great help because they can point out where you are lacking (and sometimes it’s a lot 😂)

[@annanelson4934]

When you said that your school made you hate Spanish, I felt that on a personal level. Took 5 years of Spanish at my school and now I can't kook at the language without having anxiety due to the speaking tests we had

[@rotivo99]

"god, it's repetitive!" i swear to you i felt that on a spiritual level

[@user-xu2mb4fg2w]

i am a portuguese speaker learning korean and italian at the same time, the methods I use for learning each one is quite different but also similar. I get a basic knowledge about the basic structures and vocabulary, then rely on music, tv shows and stuff. talking with yourself is the best way to improve for sure!!!!! I also use language learning apps just to don't forget stuff, it's not my main resource.

[@elyssespeaks]

Thanks for sharing!

[@conejocapitalista6116]

I'm spanish speaker, i can speak english, i have very good english level and I'd like to learn portugués or japanese idk

[@AlligatorPenguin1989]

amazing

[@o_felipe_reis]

I almost forget. I also divide my learning day in “active learning” and “passive learning” and that’s different from traditional and leisure learning. I study traditionally passively. I love so much languages than maybe I’m going crazy with this haha. Stay safe!

[@elyssespeaks]

Professor X i’m glad to know people feel the same way. go crazy with it!! it’s the best thing and perfect timing 👌 you stay safe as well :)

[@o_felipe_reis]

Elysse Speaks thanks for your response.

[@hybridcollection02]

Me using Duolingo: 👀

[@BigMan-ts2dn]

Duolingo can be very helpful if you’re using it along with other methods. It’s not gonna make you native level fluency but is very good for teaching you vocabulary, and if you repeat every word on there it works on your accent as well. It’s for beginners and it can be effective if used well.

[@someonessomeone8545]

I was screaming because of duolingo. I started to learn Korean. Of course I started with learning 한글, the korean alphabet and I am like really good. So I can read tweets, articles and all that, even if I'm not able to translate anything. Duolingo was asking me about the pronunciation of different vowels like 워. I was so sure how it is pronounced and Duolingo said I am wrong several times. I asked google, asked some Koreans and proved, that I was so fucking right. I deleted Duolingo due frustration. Everyone told me how hard the Korean pronounciation is, but I don't really have problems with it. The only thing which is pissing me off is the consonant ㄹ, but the rest is kind of easy, especially those ㅐ sounds, because in germany we have those letters ä,ü,ö.

[@szecr]

To make the "rl" sound that you had a hard time with, put the position of your tongue as if you were to say the "d" sound but then say "l" instead of "d" :)

[@diezwiebel6873]

I’m Korean, and I once tried learning my native language in Duolingo just for pure fun; but the hangeul romanizations are pretty confusing, English has lots of limits and I keep getting some of them wrong. (Also, bist du Deutsch? Ich lerne Deutsch, liebe Deutschland viel aus Korea

[@fatma4942]

I trusted that your advices are legit the moment you said don’t use Duolingo 😂

[@AlwafiCharki]

اي والله🤣

[@Martina-rg4me]

Hey! We speak almost all the same langauges.. I also speak English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, American Sign Language, Catalan and Arabic ( I just started arabic and I´m actively learning french and german and brushing up catalan too)

[@GarnetsWeb]

That's awesome! That's like, super- talent.

[@mar0000]

I’m Portuguese and honestly if you are learning or are interested in this beautiful language :) don’t feel discouraged because it is a difficult language even for me and it’s my first language💕 good luck

[@boopster4795]

Duolingo can by a fun motivating supplement to learn vocabulary/ to start out, of course it’s not a way to learn a language to fluency by itself.

[@aidooedna]

Exactly!

[@realdaly]

I'm not exaggerating this is literally the best video I've ever watched on learning languages, the tips she gives are really useful because I used most of them when I learned English, I'm still using them actually because now I'm learning French & English. One more thing I wanna add is that you have to believe in yourself because everybody can learn any language, It's not like an impossible thing or even close to, not at all.

[@elisabethherzog9369]

The biggest reason I want to learn Spanish is because my friend is from Spain and I would love to be able to talk to her in Spanish.

[@lidiapinaholguin8300]

Do you want to practice with me? Also I would like to practice my English if you want :)

[@headlightspirits]

you're so sweet 🥺

[@milarosewood2517]

@@lidiapinaholguin8300 Any chance you're interested in practicing/studying with me? 😅 I wanna learn Spanish so bad xD

[@jesshuacalero3691]

I'm haha, i wanna improve my english :(

[@milarosewood2517]

@@jesshuacalero3691 rly? what's your ig?

[@teacup2132]

Your hair looks soft, I hate the French subjonctif, your voice sounds really nice and this video was helpful. yeah :)

[@elyssespeaks]

such a nice comment! thank you!

[@user-rq4te9ci9l]

Very straight and to the point. I like it

[@In_time]

I love how much is going on in that comment, lol❤️

[@Ad0814]

I’m learning Swedish. I use Duolingo, Drops and Quizlet and of course I write all the notes like vocab and practice sentences in a notebook. At some point I’ll go to my local library to see if they have learning books on the language. I also set my phone’s language to Swedish to get used to seeing the language.

[@elyssespeaks]

• Amanda Dennis • these are all amazing steps :) i have my phone in german 24/7!

[@vilijamotiejunaite1771]

I recommend you to try using an Busuu app. It is so good too!

[@Ad0814]

Vilija Motiejunaite good idea but they don’t have Swedish 😔

[@sophiexxx455]

Hey, I'm also learning Swedish I recommend you a KZbin channel 'Learn Swedish Lär dig Svenska'

[@elinanordmark2149]

How’s it going? I’m swedish and i’ve heard that it’s pretty complicated to learn🤔

[@harrydaniel3801]

I learned Spanish within less than 4 months using Duolingo. I consider though that knowing French was a great asset for me. Yet, I'm still far from being fluent in it, but when I read, I understand a lot, also when people speak slowly. After three months, I started to include other learning mechanisms, such as a bit of youtube, a bit of Instagram following Spanish speaking people and reading their comments etc. So Duolingo works, yes boring and repetitive a bit, but the repetition of things makes us learn. I coverded it Level 1 and 2 only till now, blue and green, doing it upper levels currently. Yes, when you do upper levels it gets even more boring, but you keep reviewing what you have learned. I spoke 4 languages. Spanish was my 5th, now doing some other 3 languages in parallel, but not all with the same intensity. Good video over all. Yes, pen and paper, to write down what you learn or hear helps a lot.

[@juancitoperez2856]

yo creo que Duolingo si sirve bastante, más que nada para aprender lo básico de manera rápida y sencilla y a base de eso poder ir aprendiendo de a poco vocabulario más avanzado mediante el uso de otras herramientas y medios

[@glendadaville9749]

A sensação boa de ouvir e entender quase tudo que ela falaaaa

[@sabariganesan3794]

I watched this video at the right time! Where I felt my spanish learning was dipping. Mucho gracias :-)

[@elyssespeaks]

sabari g glad i could help!! ❤️

[@Lorena-mh5zd]

You can do it!!! Just one thing, it is "Muchas Gracias"

[@nathanlaoshi8074]

Great tips! I would add the following: 1) You might not know your own learning style until you're neck-deep in your first language -- don't give up! This is one reason why motivation to keep going is so important. The fun thing is, once you've really learned one language, the next will be easier even if it's objectively more difficult. 2) When assessing your progress, shoot for "better than I was 6 months ago." You'll make great progress, but then you'll hit some plateaus and even some dips in the short run. Over longer periods of time, you'll be able to note how far you've actually travelled. Recording yourself (which can definitely make you cringe at the moment), is a good way to establish these markers. Finally, 3: I'm not a fan of Duolingo either, however somebody else might be. Be demanding, be impatient, but at least give things like that a chance. Eventually you'll find what works for you. That said, any system promising fast or effortless results should be immediately jettisoned...

[@witchmorrow]

I watch endless KZbin videos in Spanish because that's what I love to do in English. All new vocab I put into Anki (in sentences, not as sole words). My Spanish has skyrocketed in just a couple of months.

[@JohannesLemonde]

I am so glad to have found your video, it is rare to listen to so many quality tips in a row :)

[@epicdjyoshi648]

Agreed! I'm pleased that I learnt even a little bit about cases before I started. Thanks for the video :)

[@aileenxue7430]

i love this vid sm! also your voice is so soothing

[@CreativeOutlet543]

The past month I’ve been using this language learning app called Busuu. I think it’s pretty solid it’s underrated not really known about based off the videos I’ve seen in the language learning community. I am now going to implement other ways of learning to improve and get a bit more serious with learning Italian. Btw really like your channel and now I’m seeing it’s taking off these past 2 weeks I believe since I discovered it. Congrats!

[@cratcc9]

This totally gave me motivation to keep learning a language. Thank you

[@cuavape]

13:40 Love it! Finally I can stop feeling weird with myself. It's so cool to know that someone so far away do something like I do for many years to learn English. I am a Spanish native speaker - from Mexico City -. I truly connect in a deep way with this part of the video. Thanks for share your experience.

[@malulima2082]

Adorei seu vídeo!! My first language is portuguese and I learned English by mixing the "tradicional" methods with lots of youtube, movies and music. I'm now planning on learning French and watching this video I realized I had done a lot those things without even realizing. Now I'm planning on learning French and I will definitely be using your tips to learn in a more efficient and organized way.

[@jamesm.9285]

Duolingo has very useful podcasts nowadays for French and Spanish, however, and I do believe for Spanish learners of English. More are underway, but they're very practical for listening comprehension.

[@maybememory1]

Great ideas, thanks! I'm still early in the learning process, but I started learning Korean trying out different apps, and I found what works for me seems to be a combination of Memrise (because it has clips of native speakers 'teaching' you), Pimsleur, Korean children's shows on KZbin, and videos of people reading Korean children's books aloud. Also, just always having something playing in the background in Korean. Sometimes I'll speak what I learned into Google Translate and see if it recognized it as what I was trying to say. If not, I adjust and usually get it right. I also talk to my bunnies in Korean, or narrate what I'm doing out loud. But I remember learning some Korean, then trying out DuoLingo after and being SO confused. They would try to teach me things I already knew, but the computer-generated sound clips of the Hangul letters sounded the same, and not really like they should sound, so I couldn't make it very long before I made too many errors and ran out of 'hearts'. I would not recommend DuoLingo if you want to actually make progress.

[@petrosstefanidis6396]

I'm so glad I stumbled uponed you. You have the atitude and the confidence of a big youtube channel. That shows you know really well what you are talking about and I like that! Thanks algorythm. New subscriber here!

[@elyssespeaks]

Petros Stefanidis thank you, and thanks for watching! 🤗 welcome aboard hehehe

[@dominikuhlir2347]

To be honest - when I want to learn another language on my own, I gather as many resources as possible, including duolingo. I use other apps along the way too. I have books, listen to podcasts, radio,... EVERYDAY. I find duolingo useful for the repetition cuz it gets you into a habit of practicing and to be honest - repetition is good and unavoidable if u want to get used to a language.

[@simonmilan4191]

Me watching this at midnight, almost sleeping. Thinking how hard is German for me, and then getting called out for speaking Hungarian :D okay maybe German is not that hard lol

[@cezarcruzsantos]

I'm Brazilian, if you have any doubt about portuguese, I can help you !!!

[@user-uj8le5tc6v]

Oi hahahahaha

[@Amanda-qe5lj]

brabo

[@felipeloiola4487]

Opa, aí sim!

[@odiverso4407]

Liso

[@syins8076]

Carência br, as ever

[@elizafernandez4615]

I really adore duolingo to study on the train and things, but it's definitely not the only thing you need!

[@muhinyi]

One of the best videos on language learning ever made, congrats!

[@teresaverenicepazortiz3024]

Yo sigo aprendiendo hablar ingles y estos videos son de mucha ayuda, no dejes de subir videos, haces un buen trabajo.

[@bjorklikeskidneys8496]

I love your videos wtffff thank you for making these videos

[@RAMZAVFX]

"Podcasts were not a thing" bruh, radio podcasts/shows like coast to coast were a thing before I was born... (20) Art bell (rip) was a legend.

[@inglesfacilito]

Love your insights! Thanks for sharing !

[@menuchacolish]

i recently discovered italki. it’s great if you’re not super motivated to learn a language! you get to choose a native speaker of your target language and have basic conversations with them. if you’re an absolute beginner (like me with spanish) they can teach you all the basics. it’s not that expensive! depending on the teacher- it’s $4-$10/hour (for me- but there are other teachers who are $65+/hour). they have so many language options!

[@elyssespeaks]

i agree! i've been using it for a long time and i love it.

[@GalaSalv]

wow that is really cool !! i will check that resource out !! thanks Good luck on spanish !!

[@sofyashakirova4625]

your English is smoothly, it really calms down~

[@elyssespeaks]

what an honor! i'm glad hahaha

[@EdgarMariscalMx]

Hey! I recently found your channel and is dope. Thanks Elysse I will watch everything, big fan.

[@SuperTheHunter1997]

Amazing tips! Loved the plea to learn languages at the end! You'll be speaking 20 languages when you're 28 miss. Keep doing your thing. TMJ!

[@elyssespeaks]

aaaahahah TMJ!! and honestly yeah i have to beg at this point

[@teachwritetravelpatrickyou1339]

Very comprehensive, thanks! I especially liked the part about making a friend, not a practice partner. Very true that things will drop off fast otherwise.

[@teresamarin6671]

Hola Elysse, saludos de una hispano/angloparlante desde Ecuador, me gustó mucho tu video!!! Cuando aprendí a hablar Inglés, algo que me ayudó mucho, aparte de estar en contacto con angloparlantes nativos, fué hablar conmigo misma como tu indicas, hasta el punto que mi idioma automático para hablar conmigo misma es Inglés; igualmente, el idioma de mi teléfono estuvo en Inglés por años y siempre que tenia alguna curiosidas personal, optaba por buscarla en google pero en Inglés, tambien procuraba seguir youtubers y bloggers que compartieran mis gustos en Inglés aparte de procurar leer libros en el idioma tan pronto tuve suficiente conocimiento, lo que me ayudo un montón, actualmente hay muchas palabras que sé que aprendí originalmente en Inglés y a veces no sé la traducción exacta en español 😅 Planeo poner en práctica los consejos que das y quería pedirte si sería posible que compartas un video sobre cómo aprendiste Francés que es el idioma que estoy tratando de aprender ahora. Un abrazo 🤗

[@evertfranco7301]

Really nice that melody at the ending part it's relaxing and funny at the same time

[@florflor8150]

Thank you so much for saying is ok to talk to yourself when you are learning a new language, I started to think I was going to look crazy and I decided I was going to stop doing it. But now I am going to do it anyway, who cares what others think of me? Most people already think I am crazy

[@elyssespeaks]

i do it so many times per day ive lost count!

[@LanguageCrafter]

I totally agree with every word you said! I'm learning Spanish and having studied the similarities between Portuguese and Spanish was crucial.

[@samyarobinson3766]

I use duolingo with a good textbook.

[@MelissaJetzt]

Overall I like the video, but because I'm not a complete beginner. As a constructive critique, I don't think this video offers beginners any insight on HOW to choose language resources, which is arguably one of the most difficult and important steps to getting started successfully. Choosing the wrong resource (like Duolingo, which you did mention) can halt progress completely. I'd like to see a video on, if you had to start again from scratch as a beginner on every language you've learned, which resources would you use?

[@elyssespeaks]

Study with Melissa i considered that but if i went in detail about every single step, this video would have been at least 30 minutes long :P i don’t just set up the camera and start talking willynilly, i planned it to be that way. i can detailed videos about these steps in the future though!

[@GalaSalv]

I totally agree and that is actually why i made a video on that ! if you are interested on finding and knowing what are the best resources you might like a video on my channel called how to learn a language for free! let me know if you checked it out !! but i did love this video as well !

[@kevinb3706]

I am French and learning English. I feel like I am stuck in B2 level, don’t know how to get the C1 level :(

[@vladislavklimchuk6475]

How have you reached B2 level in English?

[@kevinb3706]

Vladislav Klimchuk I have learnt English for 10 years at school but the level in France is quite low that’s why I am still B2 level.

[@zoeh3523]

Same with me but in French... I keep making anglicismes, and it's annoying :///

[@karenbellamy6745]

Time and practice. You’ve made it very far so keep it up, you’ll get there

[@zoeh3523]

@@karenbellamy6745 thanks for your kind reply :)

[@wypimentel]

Yeah, I agree with friends and the same interest, the same thing applies to read a book, currently I'm reading a Bonsai Spanish book, and I don't speak Spanish, but as I speak Portuguese I can understand a lot, and the topic is interesting. When I started learning English I read books about Fitness and Psychology :D

[@WChocoleta]

Nice video! I am hesitating if I should start on learning a third/fourth language from scratch, and I wish to hear about your advice. I was born and raised in China with Mandarin as my native language. My fluency in English is near-native (or at least that is my perception), thanks to an early start in my English learning, as well as some eight years of living in LA and Hong Kong. I am also quite fluent in Cantonese (although to a lesser extent compared to my English). I am really into linguistics and am aware of some of the basic features of other major European languages such as French, German and Spanish, and I am wondering if I should start learning one of them. If I ever start learning another language, I'll consider it meaningful only if my fluency can eventually be adequate for having an in-depth conversation about certain topics and establishing a closer relationship with other speakers. Merely being conversational does not seem to be appealing, as simple functional conversations can all be easily done through translation apps nowadays. Now I know that is apparently a huge commitment, and my main concern is how far I can go in learning a new language, given my limited time and energy. I currently live in China, so my English proficiency is something that requires time and energy to maintain. I do take pride in my English capacity very seriously, and apart from my job (for which English is an essential skill), I do spend a considerable amount of time watching videos (like yours), reading books, and even talking to myself (yes I totally agree with you on that one) in English on a daily basis, just so I can create an immersive English-speaking context for myself in this otherwise Chinese-speaking environment, and by doing so I am still improving my English by internalizing more advanced idioms and words. I don't typically have much time for my Cantonese, despite my emotional attachment to Hong Kong. But given the close proximity between Cantonese and Mandarin, I am still able to maintain a pretty decent proficiency in Cantonese over the years. It is still my absolute priority to maintain and incrementally perfect my English, and I do not want the new language to encroach on my time that could have been spent on that. I wonder how much time and effort it would take to reach such a desired level of fluency in a new language that I almost have no prior knowledge of, and maintain that level afterwards. Given how hard I work to maintain my English while media contents in English are still relatively accessible, while French/German/Spanish speaking contexts in my city are quite limited, I'm just not very confident that my endeavor would eventually pay off. Would love to hear your thoughts on that! 谢谢！

[@effytraveler6155]

Thank you for your video and tips. I do use Quizlet as I used to be about writing flashcards. But I need to hear how the words and sentences sound and love the feature that I always have Quizlet. I'm learning Mandarin.

[@robertofreire6321]

You're awesome, your advices are so amazing and you're an excelent polyglot

[@Sakura-zu4rz]

I have a frustrating experience. Not knowing where to begin or hitting a plateau can feel demoralizing and make it hard to hit the books and study like you know you should…Having friends from other cultures makes me more creative. In fresh ways about space and how people create their own world and environment. It is best way to connect between creative thinking and cross-cultural relationships!

[@user-kz3rl4yi8g]

I know what does it mean to learn a new language, the efforts Which u have to put in , time , to carry on Learning .... U gonna face so much meantime the result will be in your mind forever 💕

[@JasonAReyes]

At the end, I thought to like this video, but I noticed I already had done it lol So great content and thank you for the motivation.

[@silashuckins8853]

Awesome freaking video. Haven't heard some of these tips elsewhere.

[@elyssespeaks]

this video was so long ago i'm bout to rewatch it to see what i said LOL looking for inspo

[@GalaSalv]

wow you gave a lot of amazing information !! thank you ! and you are so pretty

[@elyssespeaks]

Just A Teenager aww you’re so sweet, thank you!!

[@giulianna_espindola]

I'm Brazilian and i want to learn at least 3 languages Trying to figure out where i should stard or even what language to learn first... this is a really great help! Thanks

[@almadelatierra5153]

My motherthongue is hungarian and no one ever mentions it, im so happy that you did 😃

[@anttoniapaz9471]

so basically... if you're french and want to learn spanish, you're now my friend

[@wesleyproencadecamargo4099]

Obrigado pelas dicas. Estou adorando! 😉

[@FavJam]

Easiest way to learn a language without studying: - Pimsleur - michel thomas

[@elizabethfalgout]

Pimsleur costs money tho 😔

[@emikabrekker]

@@elizabethfalgout if you are learning french or english, i have a link for free

[@elizabethfalgout]

emika brekker omg you do??

[@FavJam]

I have some of the courses for sale for $20. Both pimsleur and michel thomas are available. Dm on insta: Yousef92

[@emikabrekker]

@@elizabethfalgout give me your insta, i'm gonna text but it is not original obviously

[@livelaughdance1322]

Everyone learns in a different way, for me Duolingo has really worked, I use it for Swedish and once I start actually taking Swedish lessons I was way ahead of everyone else in the class. The thing is I use it combined with other things like music, books, tv shows and movies...

[@yoon3056]

“Liesure learning” Army trying to learn korean have entered the chat

[@salmalaks1996]

LITTERALLYYYY the reason why im here..also an nctzen ❤️

[@angelstarfire]

Thanks for this! I struggle with speaking to myself as I really don't know what to say to myself

[@elyssespeaks]

Angel Starfire start small, think about conversations you’d have with other people! if something is bothering you, talk to yourself about it! have a secret? you know 100% no one will tell it if you just tell yourself 💭

[@Thesussysuscat]

Keep doing you. These lil videos are encouraging. Ich werde deutsch lernen.

[@CFB0910]

Qué simpática sos!!! Agree with you...learning a new language is so wonderful!! Saludos desde Argentina😜

[@jerrybennett2218]

I enjoyed the video. I have been doing the research as you suggested. My goal is to go from zero to a C1 level in 4 months in Spanish. I believe that this will take multiple programs combined with watching videos, listening to music, reading, etc. But what programs would you suggest? I have been planning to use one program called Pimsleur. There are 150 lessons. My plan was to do two lessons each night and then repeat those same two lessons in the morning. I am looking for specific suggestions as to what programs are best to accomplish this goal. Thank you, Jerry

[@kauaaaaaaa]

I'm from Brazil, I've been studying English and Spanish for quite some time now and I don't personally think that learning *many* languages (or being polyglot, for that matter) is absolutely necessary. I admire people who are polyglots and love what they're doing, including you Elysse, but if, say, my area of work or my life wouldn't involve it, I just cannot see why, what for, the benefits... If I wanna travel someday, get to know new places/cultures, meet new people, one or two languages are quite enough for me, from there I could always hire a travel guide (depending on the country I'm visiting) to help me embark and enjoy my journey to the fullest, you know? This is only a simple, random comment/thought. It's just that recently I've seen many people obsessed and anxious about it; polyglots, apps, online "courses" [1], KZbin videos [2], whatever. I just can't understand why this is so discussed nowadays, people shouldn't go too hard on themselves. It's a process like any other, it requires discipline and good methods, but it isn't everything out there. You just gotta start from somewhere, anywhere, and have confidence that someday you'll achieve what you desire. **Anyway, if anyone read this 'til the end, thanks.** PS [1]: Which don't, usually, teach you anything, they just wanna grab your money xD; PS [2]: Here, I'm referring to those cringe creators who do these stupid challenges and claim to "learn" a language in one week/month;

[@analauraamaral5331]

I can’t believe that you speak portuguese!I’m from Brazil and thus a native speaker of this language,and wow it’s really though!!!Totally different from english,so much grammar,so I have to say “incredible “ PS:If you need music recomendations,listen Nando Reis,Anavitória,Rita Lee(queen of Brazil) and Marisa Monte

[@soydolores6653]

It has nothing to do with your video, but I have to say it: you give me Birdy vibes in some shots ha! On the other hand, thx for this, great content and new sub here! I really want to learn German but have no teacher and even though I've been quarantining for more than 100 days (yeah) college stuff keeps me very bussy :(

[@mateusdebem1153]

You're my current social media crush It is a shame that I'll never see you in person lol I really like your style of explaining language learning stuff You get straight to the point in your explanations Wish you the best

[@mateusdebem1153]

By the way, I've been learning English since 2015. Last year I've give it a boost. By listening podcasts, reading articles and books in English, and don't have to think too much to say something in English. Recently, I started to learn grammar because I believe that there are flaws in my communication that will be only repaired if I learn the things that I don't know through grammar. Anyway, thank you for creating this amazing channel. Take care.

[@manamemajeff6283]

@@mateusdebem1153 Nice

[@mateusdebem1153]

@@manamemajeff6283 Thank you! I just wanted to shed some light in something that gets way over our heads.

[@manamemajeff6283]

@@mateusdebem1153 I don't believe You're learning grammar, cause it seems fine, or maybe youve learned more...?

[@mateusdebem1153]

@@manamemajeff6283 I'm learning grammar to not get misunderstood. You can describe learning grammar as learning more about the language. I like to think of it like that.

[@katb9289]

I personally find duolingo helps with learning some basic vocab and allows me to study everyday but if that is ALL you do to learn a language I don't think you'll get very far. I like to use duolingo, memrise, and online resources for practicing grammar and reading comprehension. I also watch childrens cartoons online in german and listen to music in german to practice too.

[@mirandaleon3188]

I used duoling mostly just for vocabulary and to rewiew some topics. It is definity not my main resource but it is handy since you can practice at everytime, thought it is a missconceived that you can learn a brand new language form scratch just using duolingo. Go find some more resources, cause believe you will need them.

[@MakaiLegister]

This was so useful!

[@kauancorte541]

I really enjoying doing duolingo stories, it introduces me to new words and its pronunciations

[@e.mman.namm.e]

duo lingo isn't bad, as long as you use it for vocab. its important to be emersed in that culture. watch their movies, follow people of that culture on social media, look up different lessons online. I agree that you MUST commit, but on multiple levels. you got this!

[@eriksonoliveiraii3947]

Very good tips. Thanks!

[@elyssespeaks]

thank you for watching! :)

[@jovanidelacruz1435]

I hope your channel grows bigger soon

[@elyssespeaks]

Jovani de la Cruz luckily i’m not in a rush ;-D

[@jaxxon98]

Great tips! Thank you.

[@felipeloiola4487]

I'm Brazilian and was exposed very early in my life to English via games and movies, before long I just absorbed the language and now at 22 I feel very comfortable watching, listening and even writing in English even though I never had a proper English course. That being said what certificate you recommend to me so I can get a fluency level on English? PS: Speaking English is my weakspot, what can I do to get better at it?

[@leixo]

Olá! Desculpa me intrometer mas aconteceu o mesmo comigo e se tu ta conseguindo entender o que ela fala tranquilo tu ta indo mt bem (ela fala muito rápido kkkkkk), não sei sobre certificados mas pra melhorar a pronúncia tu tem que falar muito, falar em voz alta meio que por ter ouvido bastante tu reconhece algo que soa meio estranho por estar acostumado com a língua, e vai ajustando o jeito de falar com o que soa mais natural, não se preocupa com o sotaque brasileiro!

[@isazzz_]

e tenta fazer amigos nativos com quem tu possa falar :)

[@felipeloiola4487]

@@leixo sim entendo ela de boa! Outra coisa que me ajudou muito foi ver transmissões gringas de esportes, tipo baseball e hockey, vc realmente acostuma com o jeito de falar rápido.

[@felipeloiola4487]

@@isazzz_ tenho alguns na PSN mas é aquele negócio, entendo td, mas não me sinto confortável em manter conversa por causa do jeito que falo. Pena que não tenho dinheiro pra um intercâmbio kkkkkkk

[@Ana-xv9rx]

Me intrometendo também... mas assim, sobre os certificados, tem os de Cambridge (esses existem vários, pq cada certificado é pra um nível) e tem o TOEFL e o IELTS tb que pelo que sei são provas únicas pra todos os níveis e dependendo da tua nota tu ganha o certificado de tal nível. E cada pessoa decide qual vai fazer vendo com qual tipo de prova se adapta melhor e no que tu quer usar isso. Mas assim, cada certificado, se tu precisar dele pra ir estudar/morar fora, só tem "validade" de 2 anos e eles custam uns 900/1000 reais, os de Cambridge se for um nível mais baixo é mais barato (tem uns de R$500). Tem o certificado do Duolingo tb, que algumas instituições tão começando a aceitar, mas o legal é que é algo "oficial" que tu pode fazer pela internet, de forma mais rápida e barata (ele custa USD49). Enfim, eu fiz um teste de Cambridge quando tava começando a aprender inglês, mas só ficou guardado na gaveta. É bom pra motivação e tal, mas na minha opinião, se tu não precisa realmente dele pra estudar/trabalhar/morar fora, não tem muito pq fazer (a não ser que tu tenha dinheiro sobrando né). Se tu quiser só ter uma noção do teu nível sem pagar nada, tem o teste da EF (uma escola de idiomas internacional), mas ele não tem a parte de speaking né, enfim, o link é: www.efset.org Ah, tem uns cursos de inglês, tipo a Cultura Inglesa, CCAA e Wizard que oferecem testes de nivelamento online, mas nunca fiz eles, então não sei como é... E mals aí pelo textão Ah, e só pra comentar, não acho que ela fale rápido não, ela fala bem de boa...

[@vinayananth07]

Elysse!! Lots of love!! Vinay

[@joanalexandria2427]

i used to learn english with duolingo when I was a kid in my tablet, istg the bird kept saying that I need to learn English and every time I got notification i felt like the mf was going to kidnap me or something

[@pedroconstantino5216]

I'm Brazilian and I learned English watching movies and videos on KZbin and having a conversation with people who are learning or people who are English natives, I can't be perfect in English but I can understand when some native or non native are talking something and now I'm studying Japanese and french.

[@r555glorian7]

I love you videos I learn something new every time ❤👍

[@tylerlixuanzhu9544]

happy to help you with your Chinese. I am learning French and fluent in English