How to Learn a Language by Passive Listening

Wherein I show how science supports the notion that your brain can magically decode and learn from the sounds of a language, even when you're not actively listening. Even just listening passively to the language you're learning in the background can help you acquire the language more quickly. It's really pretty remarkable stuff. This research supports my idea that listening is perhaps the most important skill of language acquisition!
You can read about the studies here: www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
Also, as I'm trying to work out a more regular schedule of uploading, please use the comments section to give me some ideas for new topics! What do you like and what do you not like? What do you want to see more of in the future? So if you have any comments or suggestions for new video ideas please let me know! I really appreciate it, you guys!
Sorry for the double upload, by the way! I think this second time came out better anyway. Go ahead and repost your comments. ;-)
Thanks for visiting Ari in Beijing! I've honed my Mandarin Chinese to near native-level fluency through a variety of tips and tricks that I share with you each week. So whether you're studying Mandarin, Cantonese, English, another language, or are simply interested in language in general, please SUBSCRIBE and stick around for a while! And leave a comment if you want to chat! I’m always happy to help!
/ ariinbeijing

[@joeh.9223]

And he's actually right. I'm Brazilian, but I can speak English FLUENTLY, read books like the Lord of the Rings in English and understand about 80 percent of what's written (difficult vocabulary) and understand completely KZbin videos in English. I've never opened a single English grammar book. It was literally magic. But, I immersed myself in English since I was young (play games, listen to music, watch videos; every one of these in English). I'm not boasting, I'm just saying that if EVEN I managed to do it, YOU CAN TOO, by just immersing yourself in the target language and spending (a bit less) in grammar books( yep, that's what you saw right now... and trust me, this DEFINITELY WORKS). It's hard and takes time, but in the end, all that matters is that we continue to have passion for language study, and don't be afraid to make mistakes in order to grow wiser.

[@vengateshwaran7207]

நமெசபநேநேசறறாறிலுறிநநேறலநறலேநேநநநலலநநநி

[@rvoloshchukify]

Yes! Currently employing this method with portuguese, but I'm just starting out

[@blacswan0979]

Same as me

[@Auden.]

I wanna learn Japanese but where I live Spanish would be more helpful in the area I live

[@isamarysanguinety312]

@@Auden.if you don’t want to learn a language, you won’t get too far. if you have a passion for the language, then go for it. the simple fact that you love it will boost your motivation more than if you had to do something by obligation. find your motivation first, then get to it! I wish you and everyone else on their language journey the best.

[@stmc6086]

I live how he's so passionate and excited about what he's talking about.

[@jim123bcbhd9]

I am too, I'm really passionate about Japanese and language acquisition

[@sonyerison9681]

I love how he's beautiful

[@jumal_h6082]

Yes I " LIVE " it to 😂😂

[@stmc6086]

@@jumal_h6082 Oh. A typo. I didn't realize it.

[@LoganTysdal]

Otherwise he wouldn't live

[@hotrodjones74]

I can testify to the value of this. Listening to Russian and French music has helped me massively in both of those languages especially in Russian which I studied academically while constantly jamming to Russian rock tunes and watching Soviet comedies. In this way I combined the learning style of a child with that of an adult and quickened the pace.

[@danyukhin]

russian rock is pretty lame imo, but probably useful for learning purposes, i guess

[@bratzlover501]

Danyukhin well he probably likes it, point is just listen to the music you like

[@RangelGabriel]

This is very true. About one year ago my listening comprehension was terrible at the English language, i could barely understand 5% out of what was being said on the videos and podcast i used to listen, then one day i watched a video saying the same thing Ari said here and i tried to only listen to English podcast at a native level (All Ears English) for a couple times (can't recall if it was for about 2 weeks or 3) then my comprehension started to grow and grow until i reach the level where i can listen to a podcast or watch any video in English and getting 99% out of it, just missing some words here and there but understanding everything by the context.

[@aisthename5212]

Hey, how often did you watch the podcast?

[@RangelGabriel]

@@aisthename5212 i would spend nearly all day listening podcasts not understanding a shit, even at school. Some grades went downhill but my listening evolved like a dream, and that's what mattered for me after all. Hahaha

[@aisthename5212]

@@RangelGabriel so you just listened even without understanding?

[@RangelGabriel]

@@aisthename5212 exactly. For me, after two or three weeks i was able to pick almost anything by ears. I agree with saying that you should listen to the language actively without even understanding what's being said, for you kind of grasp the "rhythm" of the language, and therefore you can make do at understanding. Before i started listening to podcasts I couldn't understand anything at all without subtitles. What i do note here is that you should listen actively, and not doing so while washing your dishes or doing anything else that also requires your attention.

[@aisthename5212]

@@RangelGabriel ah okay thanks so much that’s really helpful! 😊😊

[@justsomeguywithahandlebarm2456]

As a person who learned English this way, I can say with confidence that this video is 112% true.

[@cafekebabman4748]

do I need to note down phrases while listening?

[@justsomeguywithahandlebarm2456]

@@cafekebabman4748 typically not but it does help tho at that point you might as well study it actively

[@cafekebabman4748]

@@justsomeguywithahandlebarm2456 Thanks alot, you're kind! Have a beautiful day

[@almazkairosh7976]

That’s how I’d gotten fluent in Russian and now getting fluent in English. All I did with my Russian was just watching tones of cartoons, movies, tv shows and everything else. Then reading a lot later on. Now I’m doing the same with my English.

[@crossingsguitarluvr3384]

Another suggestion for a video I think would be interesting is how your trip to Hong Kong went! And how you were able to understand the language there since at the time you were still learning Cantonese.

[@TerenceCole]

Dude, this is great language learning information. Your video is appreciated!

[@trinnylizzy]

Thank you Ari for inspiring me to keep learning languages through this informative and uplifting video!🙌🏾🔥

[@ronaldgatinho4203]

great video, as always. very helpful

[@tasiamaczaj]

I love your videos!! They are extremely helpful and it's very nice to see someone who thinks like I do! I can't wait for the exclusively Chinese channel ;) Thank you for your videos!

[@LiciJamaicaLi]

Oh Thank You so much for this info! I had a strong feeling that this was possible but I just needed a little confirmation from some else as well :)

[@ChristianTapper]

Love your positive attitude and energy dude! keep it up!

[@STEFAN9484]

ur vids are boosting my morale , I am trying to learn german , luckly I know english and that helps me alot (english being my second language)

[@rollforever_85]

Love your channel. Feeling super stoked to improve my Japanese after watching your videos. Making me realise I need to start studying smarter not just harder xD

[@jeremiahdavitt234]

So.. how did it go?

[@rollforever_85]

@@jeremiahdavitt234 I'm still at it ;)

[@ekakshd8058]

any advice for us beginners guruji?

[@barbaralecis8639]

Fantastic. Thank you for drawing upon research for this video!

[@boilingwater573]

Thanks a lot. Actually I have been using the technique of passive listening, which I was not sure of. You just confirmed the effectiveness.

[@jamesbonofffradestin761]

T. Y. Park subscribe to steve Kaufmann

[@amitfromgurgaon2883]

yes, your video is logical. This is probably one of the best ways to learn any language faster and with almost no efforts.

[@zharkynzhanzhumayeva1392]

I love the way you get enthusiastic😚😃

[@Ballykeith]

Language acquisition through listening even pre-dates birth. There was a study that showed babies in the womb are more closely attuned to the rhythm of their parental language than they are to other languages.

[@barleschukowski3167]

This was useful and motivational, thank you!

[@o_felipe_reis]

Amazing content! Really similar with my method. Learning a new language is thinking in a different way! I’m passionate about it! Professor X here. Stay safe!

[@fewd3]

Thank you for this video because no matter how active I've been listening to podcasts I will no longer understand what is being said the SECOND I get distracted

[@anaaleck]

Awesome!! I know that I already understand english because I dindt need a subtitle listening you hahaha and thanks so much for the tips, It really helps a lot listening the language that you are studying ^^

[@HansJrgenFurfjord]

Excellent videos. Especially that one where you recommended Glossika. I had a feeling there was something wrong with Rosetta.

[@johnvoigt67]

really interesting stuff ari!

[@yummyherbicide7296]

Finally i can watch my anime and say its veey helpful to skool

[@angrydoodle8919]

Wobble to -school- educative

[@666nadia1995n]

The kind of information that is missing is how long you are supposed to listen to the language passively to get some results. It's hardly believable that you can learn fast this way. I'm more inclined to active listening...

[@narsames814]

Agreed

[@MisterGames]

You cannot hear a language in isolation and magically decipher the meaning of words. But, your subconscious will begin to identify words in the sea of babble. It then awaits meaning to be attached. So passive listening helps in that regard.

[@almazkairosh7976]

It works. Just don’t get extreme and do both ways.

[@GoodBaLIsTicS]

I’m sure he meaning that passive listening isn’t the best way to learn but if you must choose between passive listening and doing nothing, then it’s better to listen

[@faithbwire9164]

I needed this reminder thank you Ari namesake

[@themanwhoknewtoomuch6667]

Beautiful video!!

[@amitfromgurgaon2883]

a small baby also does passive listening and eventually starts speaking the language. So maybe the same principle works even for adults also because our subconscious learns so many things without us putting any active effort.

[@crossingsguitarluvr3384]

Another great video!

[@kycalc764]

Very good! Thanks

[@bodik_ua]

Very very cool videos, do more such videos! I've subscribed to you)

[@SpencerLowe-kg4rg]

I live in Vancouver, BC. We already know there is alot of Chinese but I hear Mandarin. I started picking it up.

[@sivolc59]

i'm trying to learn English. I'd like to watch more about your learning in chinese and more tips

[@nickkerinklio8239]

Would this work for an English speaker learning an Asian language? I can understand this for European languages, but for languages with wildly different grammar I feel it might not work the same.

[@maliksmith7074]

TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BILINGUAL OR MAY KNOW EVEN MORE THAN TWO LANGUAGES: would you recommend listening to it while reading the language’s subtitles. Or listening to it while reading your own language’s subtitles?

[@marlongameplayscfl2061]

definitely read the subtitles in your target language

[@miguelsalas4852]

Listening to it while reading target-language's subtitles.

[@_Chessa_]

So after 3 years of doing this with a different language, I am stumped. I still cannot decipher words or remember what I just learned about with it. I put on background noise of the language I wanted and watched tons of shows with subtitles and listened to music. Then tried to just study off and on. And still nothing. My mind is a continuum of child like immaturity and watching cartoons still. Also ADHD, depression, anxiety, and Aspergers doesn’t help me either. Lol but I’ve tried to many times in so many different styles of learning. I tried writing it, I tried listening, I tried visually while listening and then repeating the words in a mimicking manner. And everything is lost in like two days. Thanks brain. I’m about to rewatch an old Disney movie because it’s like I haven’t seen it in forever and forget many things even if I just watched it yesterday thanks brain.

[@kaikyalmeida1677]

Man you definitely should see a doctor

[@diariosdelextranjero]

Hey, you're a big proponent of the mass sentence method, right ? I think it's very useful.

[@-guitarhero]

thanks, ben shapiro!

[@venus-dm5ro]

can’t wait to try it ! i am going to record my journey.like to remind me to update :)

[@cappucc]

So you’re saying that I could listen to french podcasts on the background while working and it will actually help me?

[@noneofyourbusiness435]

XIAOMA. 😂 I had no idea you had a older channel.

[@scaptox]

So my habit of always having something in the background is useful? Nice! Just found out that I learned English by accident with it lmao

[@nathanmcculloch7411]

Is it helpful listening even if you can understand very little I have studied for 1 year but I keep finding that when I have actual conversations I can't pick up on words they say bs when they translate it to English I realise what they have been saying. So it is like I am not use to the sounds in normal speech

[@nathanmcculloch7411]

I was thinking I could watch Tv with English subtitles or something to get use to sounds to improve my listening because I know what the words mean when written or said slowly in class but I can't make out a word in normal conversation

[@mrskeenan]

Nathan McCulloch I'm no expert, but I think you can take from this video that watching is good, but you don't need the subtitles. Personally, they distract me. But if you're wanting to speak fluently, ignore reading and writing. Just listen. 👌 good luck!

[@andrewwilliams9580]

What if I passively listen to languages I know? For example, I read several European languages well. I don't always catch the words they say in spoken conversations. Perhaps this could improve the situation.

[@moxy666]

I am actually trying this to learn some tourist level thai. I put lesson 1 on loop yesterday whilst doing other stuff, today it will be lesson 1 and 2 on loop. I occasionally referred back to the documentation to clarify what I heard (did he say phom or pob?) etc. When I went to bed (and a bit drunk) I was still recalling bits of what I had heard during the day.. gonna rinse and repeat this

[@ib3scope]

Invest in Pimsleur... Torrent it for free

[@moxy666]

@@ib3scope :-) been doing that too. Skipped the lesson's on telling the time and it fell to pieces due to the layering approach it uses. Still very though. Need to go back and review again

[@ib3scope]

@@moxy666 Yup, that's one of the main caveats and perhaps detractions, depending on who you are; skipping ruins the program by inhibiting the habitual recall of words. It's very strategically set-up such that each lesson, a specific word/phrase is brought forth for you to recall a set amount of times to make it permanently available, subconsciously. Thus, when you skip lessons, it forces your brain to struggle immensely to produce certain words that haven't received the same repetition as others, by virtue of the said lesson skipping.

[@mrdrippymandrippy4415]

@@moxy666are you fluent?

[@Maylose]

I know english pretty good actually the best in my class and I learned it from hearing it on random unboxing videos as a 3 year old kid now i'm planning to do that with japanese.

[@foxycoladust1027]

If you dont get it, heres how i think of it. Yk how you grow up with cartoons in your langauge and you eventually spread your vocabulary just by observing how the characters talk with eachother, learning knew words etc, so if you grew up with spanish cartoons instead of english, you would learn spanish more

[@atomixspeaks]

Wish you still posted tips on this channel.

[@PauloVitorino5]

What should a language learner hear in his target language? News, music, podcasts? I'm studying Arabic

[@matfromcl]

Reading (ex: news) and listening (movies, radio shows)

[@violetverdict3760]

Paulo Vitorino start with music because it is repetitve and slow and then move to KZbin videos with conversation played at .75 speed. then try watching a movie with subtitles. good luck.

[@UrielEyvindGMunoz]

When i was a kid i used to watch alot of english cartoons and i just learned it ._.

[@HansJrgenFurfjord]

Not can help, will help :) You say can all the time

[@declan8577]

Your Chinese name is little horse? (Japanese learner who coincidentally learned the Kanji for horse today)

[@FoxerZ]

I have a friend who is fluent in mandarin and I want to show up to school one day and say(in mandarin) "HAH! NOW I CAN ALWAYS UNDERSTAND YOU!" and everyone else wonder just what the heck I said. That would be awesome-

[@yussef961]

if you know the basics yes you can listen and learn more

[@paulvictor7489]

SERIOUS question... ive been listhening to japanese in anime for like 10 years.. but I dont feel its helped me learn any...why?

[@waynah29]

Super enthusiastic interesting videos, thank you! BUT please take more care with the video production. I just listened to your "How to Listen to Another Language When You Don't Understand" video and had to turn the volume up to 78 to understand what you were saying, (I am English). When I clicked to watch this video afterwards my speakers were blasting uncomfortably and I had to turn it down to 43! Thanks!

[@vytautasalimas6698]

The more scences you use in lerning process, the faster you learn. The less disctraction the better. Remember that if computer do multitasking, he operates slover, the same goes for human brain. I don't know from where you acquire this information, but before you publish, I suggest you to do futher research

[@gpgp01]

Hoping it really works for me.

[@abesapien9930]

When you're listening to the radio in your car, you're not actively memorizing the lyrics to songs. Yet you remember them.

[@yulandatross3110]

M goi! I do this while doing homework or cooking.

[@erturtemirbaev5207]

Yulanda leah Tross I do the same

[@LGnLA]

❤

[@user-uj8gb6gf4h]

I've been learning English for more than ten years, but woefully, I still couldn't speak English fluently. The most interesting thing is that I can understand what you are saying in this video without any subtitles.

[@earlybird107]

10 years and you can’t speak ?

[@ChineseZeroToHero]

我喜欢你的帽子

[@FeliciaFollum]

If this is true...wow!!!

[@dfruitziga2543]

this is effective for auditory learners, people who generally learn more by their ears

[@inputimmersion9577]

Learning styles and language have been debunked. We all learn language the same way.

[@brendon2462]

We all aquire language the same from input. Everyone acquired their native by listening from as a baby and kid growing up. Only in school do kids begin learning reading exc. But before that it's all input. The majority of learning as a kid is through massive input.

[@rauln9273]

is useful to listen the language to learn while we are sleeping?

[@ariinbeijing]

raul ayala There is some evidence that you can, actually! www.independent.co.uk/news/science/yes-you-can-learn-a-foreign-language-in-your-sleep-say-swiss-psychologists-9574112.html

[@rauln9273]

Hi I am upper intermediate englsh learner or advanced, and i want to listen english while sleeping. Thanks a lot for answer my question.

[@betavulgaris7888]

No. Totally worthless. You'll have to actually put in some *effort* . Sorry about that.

[@MrApaHotel]

They should have used three groups. Active listening, passive listening and no listening.

[@Auden.]

I know this sounds weebish but like just watching anime I feel like every once in a while I understand the word without reading and it’s not memory either like maybe 1 word per episode it’s not much

[@kokidchaz4790]

Fax i agree

[@zharkynzhanzhumayeva1392]

你是很可爱Ari😊😆

[@Jelisawesome]

I ACCIDENTALY STUMBLED UPON A WILD XIAOMA??

[@d.viajes3882]

Subtitles please!

[@tekashi5962]

He says active and passive listening are equally effective

[@danieldibiase9201]

How does someone do this if they don't know what there saying?

[@SantiagoRK96]

Daniel DiBiase I think you don't have to understand it exactly. The idea is to get *accustomed* to the pronunciation and pace of the words. Combine this with actual learning of grammar and words and soon you will notice you start understanding a conversation in your target language much quicker.

[@DuxoupJr]

So I've been learning Spanish for about 14 months now and (unfortunately) never spent too much time on working on my listening skills so my listening skills are quite bad although I can speak the language quite well. In the past 2 weeks I've really been focusing on my listening skills - I've been spending about 1+ hours per day working on my listening skills whether it be passively listening to Spanish radio or watching Spanish podcasts today etc. What I'd do is try and work out speech patterns and how Spanish people speak because I find a lot of things they say unclear. So I knew what I was looking for and what I needed to work on etc. And after 2 weeks, today I watched an episode of Spanish interviewing series (2 weeks ago I struggled to understand what they were saying) and could understand about 70-80% of the spoken dialogue because I spent time focusing on the natives' speech patterns. My advice for you is: At first, don't try and understand what they're saying. Just try and familiarise yourself with the pace that speak at, the sounds they make, how clearly they pronounce words etc. and trust me, it will dramatically improve your listening comprehension :)

[@ashleytaylor994]

jaw1605 try pimsleur

[@youredumb9850]

Sooo I can Learn Languages While sleeping?

[@youredumb9850]

SAY LESSSS

[@ZipfelmannKD]

Passive listening is great but only works with combined active listening.

[@dahmariofils4251]

k

[@yussef961]

so many people say this shit well if you are English and want to learn Dutch why not. but try with Cantonese or Arabic you won't

[@EvoGoody]

I'm not sure about this. It's probably taboo. Plenty of people have lived abroad for a few months and not acquired any of the language.

[@abhinav5847]

Arigatou gozaimasu

[@otterpower5342]

xiaoma swag

[@SCAM-BUSTER.777]

Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah Hum hum hum hum hum hum hum ah

[@shreddder999]

Uh, the brain would be hardware.

[@betavulgaris7888]

In other words 'how can we learn a language without having to put in any effort' - total bullshit to be honest. There are people who have passively listened to thousands and thousands of hours of radio and got nowhere. Passively means not paying attention. Just having it on in the background and not listening to it does *nothing* regardless of whatever 'science' (LOL) has to say about it. If you're not paying attention you will never get to grips with listening comprehension. Experience needs no peer reviewed data. That simple.

[@hongmanchesterengland]

Sí señor, ¡tienes toda la razón!

[@phylocybe_]

I’d bet $100 that you’re still just as miserable of a person as you were when you wrote this comment 😂

[@twodyport8080]

Definately 110% did NOT work for me with Finnish. Grammar drills and transcription made the difference. Passive listening led to virtually no gains.

[@andresloaysa4283]

[@adamclark1972uk]

I didn't know that Ben Shapiro could speak Chinese.

[@jaki5747]

haha good one

[@ronlugbill1400]

Are there any studies on wearing a hat while learning a language?

[@yohngutierrez]

Babies learn new languages listening...

[@MotivationalLinesQuote]

thats why i watch video in my target language

[@sextwister]

i like happy Ben Shapiro. it makes me happy.

[@HansJrgenFurfjord]

You audio is ruined in this recording, it's completely distorted. Learn more about audio recording before you go on.

[@ariinbeijing]

Yeah I know, this one I messed up badly. I've gotten a new mic as you can hopefully tell ;-)

[@UrielEyvindGMunoz]

Nah its perfect