How To Learn a New Language With Stories

If you're learning a new language, stories may hold the key to becoming fluent fast!
▶️ Find out more about StoryLearning here:
www.storylearning.com
⬇️ GET MY FREE STORYLEARNING® KIT:
Discover how to learn any foreign language faster through the power of story with my free StoryLearning® Kit 👉🏼 bit.ly/freeslkit_howtoSL
📖 LEARN A LANGUAGE THROUGH THE POWER OF STORY:
Jumpstart your language learning with one of my beginner "Uncovered" courses that give you a crash course in a language through the power of stories. 👉🏼 bit.ly/storylearningcourses
📺 WATCH NEXT:
The RIGHT Way to Learn Vocabulary From Stories
• The RIGHT Way to Learn...
⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 What is StoryLearning?
00:40 The science of stories
02:05 Why your brain loves stories
03:14 How stories help you learn any language
04:51 The 3-part “StoryLearning” method
05:15 Part 1: Immerse
08:30 Part 2: Learn
10:35 Part 3: Activate
::: IMMERSION RESOURCES :::
As promised in the video, here is a complete list of immersion resources, broken down by language:
🇪🇸 LEARN SPANISH:
• StoryLearning Spanish podcast (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/bl...
• Books: www.iwillteachyoualanguage.co...
• Podcasts: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Movies (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
🇫🇷 LEARN FRENCH
• Books: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Podcasts: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Movies (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Apps: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
🇮🇹 ITALIAN
• Books: www.iwillteachyoualanguage.co...
• Podcasts: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• KZbin Channels: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• TV Shows: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Movies (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Apps: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
🇩🇪 GERMAN
• Books: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Podcasts: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• TV Shows: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Movies (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Apps: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
🇯🇵 JAPANESE
• Podcasts: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Courses: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• TV shows (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Apps: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
🇨🇳 CHINESE
• Courses: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• Apps: iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
• TV Shows (intermediate): iwillteachyoualanguage.com/le...
Here are some other good videos about learning a new language:
• The secrets of learnin...
• HOW TO LEARN ANY LANGU...
• How to acquire any lan...

[@storylearning]

To find out more about the StoryLearning method, visit: www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com

[@mohammedansar109]

Olly do you have recommendation for standard Arabic, story's I can obtain ?

[@lindas215]

Maybe I missed it but how long did you work on language learning each day using your method to get to speaking in 2 months? Thanks!

[@robertomartinez2684]

I’ve read Short Stories in Brazilian Portuguese. Now, I’m quite fluent BP. I have a recommendation for a new book of short stories. Short Stories in Korean.

[@ValidityJ]

I left a comment & I have no idea where it went.

[@blindedbliss]

Where are your citations?! Your bibliography?! You mentioned a psychologist making a claim... Was this his opinion only?!

[@dixonmatt7235]

I think the funny thing I notice about myself when attempting language learning, is that I find myself researching and watching a lot of videos and reading a lot about different methods. To the point that I actually end up never attempting the language itself and freak myself out.

[@elhilo1972]

Consistency is key. That's the takeaway.

[@ngocthachtruong9889]

Hic hic, The most tempting thing that I usually buy into is that I download tons of resources on the Internet but never truly put the effort into practicing or finishing any of them. Then I found myself in the state of being overloaded and paralyzed 😇😇😭😭

[@WanderwithJon]

Omg! This is actually what I'm doing right now. Hahaha

[@evagenesiz7802]

i made that mistake but after that i'd make sure that to make a study schedule and studying habits so i dont get lost

[@teresita.lozada]

@@ishish8816 I like this.

[@ewandominicmcgregor6556]

"no translations... because as soon as you translate you remove all the struggles from the process. Your brain learns and grows when it struggles and grapples to understand" This is not just good language advice, it's good life advice too haha! I found this statement to be true in my Thai Learning too. I read the same book in Thai 3 times, and each time it was challenging, but gradually it got easier and easier! The struggle was very real the first time through though!

[@storylearning]

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

[@CharleneCTX]

That moment when you realize you aren't translating in your head, but instead understanding, is great.

[@letsseewhatwecanlearn9242]

That’s like trying to learn to ride a bicycle, but at the push of a button, you can turn the bike into an electric bicycle.

[@FastEnglishLessons]

"You'll need to look up a few words here and there." Seems to contradict not translating. Perhaps he means translate first and then try without the translations later?

[@bluegtturbo]

I'd add my support to this view. I am a maths tutor and I always allow my students to get bogged down and stuck, then I offer them a very short piece of rope to pull themselves out... But they have to stretch to grab it😁

[@lex6819]

I have a copy of a book titled "The avion my uncle flew", and it basically adds a few French words each chapter, until the last chapter which is completely in French. By reading the story, even passively, you obtain a basic reading knowledge of French. I wish I could find similar books for other languages.

[@inessastanisloff5363]

Alba learning for spanish

[@alyrose348]

How was it?

[@inessastanisloff5363]

@@alyrose348 It is remarkable And another wonderful sourse is theatrical plays in spanish Some old movies with non stop dialogues monologues and conversations Etc etc etc

[@fanihiman95376]

Wow. I've got that book! Got it when I was in 7th grade ... and, yes, I learned a bit of French. Except when I got into 9th grade, the only foreign language we had available was Spanish. Took Japanese for 3 years and Russian for a year in high school. Then continued with Japanese and another year of Russian in college. Added Mandarin for a semester in college. Actually have used these languages in my jobs here and there -- foreign languages come in handy for a lot of things. I'd love to find books like "The Avion My Uncle Flew" in Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Tagalog, and so on. Thanks for bringing back the memories of that book. It's in my library somewhere. I'll have to dig it out and re-read it!

[@Pilot_engineer_19]

I had a similar book with tapes for French and it works extremely well. I enjoy the stories and at the end I realized that it was entirely in French. I was shocked! I was understanding every word.

[@theocurtis02]

Olly's voice is so reassuring. I don't even know why but I just feel hella calm when I listen to him.

[@wroncio]

His voice is so reassuring that it really feels like a scam. The funny thing is that it's not, the method that he's talking about is 100% real and working wonders.

[@evanmaclean943]

Are you from northern Cali? Haven’t heard many other people use „hella“ I like that he has some energy into his voice. Passion.

[@danieleliassalgadomiranda224]

@@evanmaclean943 Are you Colombian? I live in a city called Montería in the north of the country.

[@evanmaclean943]

@@danieleliassalgadomiranda224 Nope, born and raised in San Diego(california), living in Switzerland now.

[@HitchcockBrunette]

My Mom thinks he has an ASMR type voice she is obsessed with it, ha! What region of England is this dialect, anyone know? I’ve heard him mention he lives in Devon (magical looking place!!!) is that the dialect there?

[@jboops6664]

very important video. i've been immersing seriously for 6 months and can confirm everything you said. get comfortable with the discomfort of not understanding and let your brain do what brains have been doing for thousands of years!! thanks olly

[@storylearning]

Glad it struck a chord!

[@missmayflower]

Yes! I had a breakthrough in Paris when I suddenly realized that I didn’t have to understand every single word, but just get the general idea. I stopped straining and stressing and was able to move forward.

[@Dashdecent]

I thought that would be the way to start too but things aimed at children rattle along very quickly and usually with silly voices to keep their attention. I like police procedurals so I watch them. There are short documentaries on history and animals all over You Tube. You can pick your own subject.

[@jchinckley]

@Grand Mal Twerkin Are you using subtitles? If so, stop using them at all. Conversing in a foreign language requires that you attempt to speak. If you never do you cannot get it to "take" in your block of known things/your mind able to access it as it would any other thing you already know but have forgotten how you learned. Also, don't rely simply on cartoons, read things in the target language and take note of the words you don't understand. When you finish reading look those words up. Or if you just cannot wait to know what a particular word means look it up immediately and then keep reading. But find someone to practice out loud with. If you can't do that then record yourself and listen for errors in the way you pronounce things, then correct them and keep practicing. The way I finally became fluent in Spanish was to read a novel in Spanish. When I came to a word I didn't understand I looked it up and then kept reading. That book remains the only book by Stephen King I've read all the way through to date (Sept 2021): Firestarter. But it made all the difference in my finally comprehending what was being said around me, comprehending the grammar structure of the language, etc. On that note, I can understand your frustration because I've been watching anime always with a preference of watching it with the original Japanese because their voice actors are just better at voice acting than 90% of English speaking voice actors--particularly those that work on anime. I still cannot speak Japanese. I feel I've made more progress understanding it through the Pimsleur method than with just watching anime. But I have yet to watch much of it without subtitles. With this video and a couple others from Olly I've made the decision to watch anime without the subtitles...and I'll start with those I've already seen most of with subtitles, but I intend to watch this time without subtitles. You can do it.

[@theworldaccordingtoallie1176]

Good info. Thanks.

[@juliamaia488]

A bit of personal experience here: the first step really does sound like magic and craziness, but it also really works! I'm Brazilian, and around here it's very common for kids/teens (whose families can pay for it) go to language schools as something extra from the normal school itself. I went to one of those, Senac, for any brasileiros reading this, for 4 years, but the thing that made me fluent in English was not the classes or anything related to the course, really. The thing that made me closer and closer to fluency was actually KZbin. Back when I was around 12-13years old youtube didn't really have subtitles the way we have today, so by watching a bunch of videos (like diys, vlogs, hauls, etc) that had no subtitles whatsoever, I was forcing my brain to understand through context and "se virar nos 30" (find a way to work with those informations). And the boom in my english capacities was amazing. I know I had the course as a backup, teaching me grammar and giving me at least a few minutes of conversation per week, but the at home and independent stuff I did really was the difference for me. So yeah, if you're also learning a new (or a few new kkkkk) languages like me (currently mandarin and spanish), give a shot to videos and stories, especially in audio format! They do really help! I wish good learning sessions for everyone reading this :) ♡

[@user-qv3yt7bz2d]

I completely agree with you that authentic audio exposure to a new target language is way more importamt than we generally emphasize in traditional language learning ~ lucky for all of us philolings (?? Lovers of language? One summer of Latin not worth it's weight here ;), the internet and youtube and podcasts mean we have access tk languages from aroundnthe world in ways I could NEVER have imagined, even 18 years ago when I was first becoming interested in Asian languages (in rural Canada, a car ride away from town and a longer car ride from a university library with content in some foreign languages ;) - thanks gor sharing your story and LOVE that this method gels with my fave way of exploring a language: kids stories and songs ♡

[@Svensk7119]

I took Russian in Ninth Grade, and had no exposure other than a smattering of words in some (often bad) Cold War movies. I took Spanish in high school and college, but working with Hispanic customers turned the trick ( card playing term) to give me exposure to learn.

[@Lilitha11]

See, you did have another source to learn this stuff though. Reading and listening helps a great deal if you have a general understanding of it. If you know some, you can sort of fill in the blanks you don't know. If you don't know a single word of a language and try this method, you are doomed to failure however. You can't learn anything from reading something you are incapable of reading even a single word of. You are basically just staring at gibberish and there is no context in which to put anything into.

[@kimminhyung8906]

Sorry to disturb you but I have a question , There are 3 phase right? Immerse Phase , Learn Phase & Active Phase. the question is Do I have to immerse myself for 1 month without learn anything & then start learn the second month? , or Do I have to do it at the same time?

[@xryeau_1760]

I mainly just wish I could more easily find stuff like this for my target languages

[@arman4590]

Wow, I have been using the same method to learn languages since the early 2000s. When I start learning a language, I read very simple kids' books and listen to radio to learn vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. Then after I get a feel for the language, I look up some points of grammar. Next step is to find a native speaker to practise speaking. That's it. I am amazed that I have been unconsciously doing the same method as you. I have always told people that my approach is "learning by doing".

[@storylearning]

Yes I think that’s exactly it. “Doing” could be replaced with “using”, but it’s the most direct and natural method imho. 👏🏻👏🏻

[@connoranderson5091]

Hey I know it’s kinda weird to reply to a comment this much later, but how do you get your books? I’ve been trying to find some Spanish children’s books but I can’t find any (either in person or online). I’ve always thought this was the best way to learn a language but I never found any resources so I gave up and am trying again now. Any help would be appreciated!

[@ashesrockstotaldrama]

@@connoranderson5091 not op but I use secondhand online shops like eBay or Mercari and sometimes I find them on Amazon too

[@connoranderson5091]

@@ashesrockstotaldrama Thank you! I'll look into it. :)

[@Jim_in_AR]

@arman@@ashesrockstotaldrama What age children's books do you read to learn a language? Preschool, 6-12, 1313, etc.? This is for me, in my 70s.

[@tonycolle8699]

I was in Russia visiting friends (my Russian was not very good). One night I sat with my friend's 5-year-old and we read some of his children's books together as the adults talked in Russian at the dining table. I learned a lot. I picked up on some grammar and vocabulary (the pictures helped, I must admit). I even won an argument speaking in Russian based on the story vocabulary.

[@Rebecca-bz6ph]

My god! What word did you use to win the argument?

[@tullochgorum6323]

I also WRITE stories and memorise them. Either crazy mnemonic stories incorporating vocabulary I want to learn. Or stories about my life that I would use in practical conversations - "Language Islands" of well rehearsed info about my family, my work, my interests, why I'm learning the language etc - things that will come up in almost any conversation with people you meet. When your brain understands that something is personally useful, it's much more likely it will hold on to it.

[@lucasferreirafranza725]

Create crazy stories helps a lot, your brain likes of the surreal and will memorize easier.

[@Bodogue]

Love that: “Language islands.” I do the same. I have archipelagos.

[@luddity]

Also, listening to music in the target language can help.

[@Boxter19777]

What an awesome idea!!! Thanks!!

[@lisaahmari7199]

Great idea!!

[@CasualEngineering]

I can relate to the moment at 11:50 when you said a Spanish word by mistake. In 7th grade, when we had just started learning French in school, we had to say something about ourselves like our name and age. And I said "catorce años" instead of "quatorze ans" (I immediately corrected myself but all the kids laughed anyway). I was more familiar with Spanish since watching movies in that language as a kid. Needless to say, everyone had figured out my passion for telenovelas, haha!

[@storylearning]

Occupational hazard!

[@waynebrehaut7183]

This reminds me of the story of the kid who was sent home from school because when the teacher asked who knew a foreign language she repeated some of the phrases her Dad said before saying "Pardon my French!"

[@elisabird6245]

That is very familiar. Speaking Dutch, I include Spanish words sometimes and vice versa. So far my mistakes have either gone unnoticed or been amusing. The best so far; when planning what a friend and I were going to do on our trip to Amsterdam (it was for april 2020, so still hasn´t happened) I was explaining in Spanish how we could make some money on the way by singing and dancing. I was okay with bailar, but somehow used the Dutch zingar for singing and conjugated it as a Spanish verb to "bailando en zingando". Her husband looked shocked. Spanish speakers will understand.

[@malu8380]

Lmao Telenovelas are such a funny thing to watch, I don’t know any actual good ones, but hey! They are funny

[@happyspanish8690]

He creado historias para ayudarte a aprender español kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqCZgoKfd7Bqhq8

[@angelar5956]

I noticed how fluent and natural you sounded on day 5 of activate. Inspiring.

[@storylearning]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@thorvald3165]

I have been learning Danish and Norwegian with your books and audio for 9 months. My online tutors are impressed with my vocabulary and pronunciation. You have made learning languages affordable and fun. Can't thank you enough! :-)

[@storylearning]

What a wonderful comment, thank you!

[@myers4067]

@@storylearning Do you have it in Swedish and Finnish as well?

[@bernardopapadakis]

you listen to a same audio a lot of time until you understand?

[@hecade704]

Danish her! Gratz on doing well :D

[@sylvi--5517]

I’m trying to learn Danish now but I’m not sure where to start. Do you have any tips?

[@Siennaflower]

I have gotten interested in languages mostly through music. I fell in love with Andrea Bocelli's songs, and learned some Italian through them. I grew up around Spanish speakers, and took French for 5 years in school. I have enjoyed comparing and contrasting these romance languages with each other. Then I fell in love with Dimash, and learned a little Kazakh, Mandarin, and Russian from his songs, as he sings in many different languages (including French & Italian). I started watching a KZbin channel about Dimash in Russian, learned Cyrillic, and have been surprised by a somewhat natural aptitude I seem to have for Russian. Concurrently, I have also fallen in love with BTS, and both their music and behind the scenes content on KZbin are giving me a lot of exposure to Korean. I have learned Hangul, and practice singing along with their lyric videos. I have always preferred written language over spoken, so I tend to start with reading languages first, but eventually after listening, I find myself becoming willing to speak as well, and the words in my head start coming out of my mouth. Singing along with songs is also a fun and easy way to get comfortable with the spoken language. Other than that, my son is married to a Japanese woman, and I will work more in the future on my Japanese so I can keep up with my bilingual grandbabies! Languages are so fun and exciting! I am 65, and I plan on learning as many as I can for the rest of my life! It makes me feel like a truly global citizen. With KZbin, I don't even have to travel, and I can still find all the native speakers I want to hear to assist me!

[@tumundolatino73]

Man, You just opened my eyes.I have learned 2 languages and studying 2 more. I have read and watched many sources about the learning process, your video is the most important info I have found so far. Thank you so much and a big hug from Venezuela.

[@tumundolatino73]

By the way, I have bought one of your storybooks, to be honest, I am a little disappointed because no audio came with it. It was not mentioned in the ad but for me, it's obvious audio files had to be included. Thanks

[@storylearning]

Thank you for the feedback

[@Setheskivias]

May i ask what languages you learned and the other two you are now learning? I am learning french and italian.

[@Sununtall]

When I moved from Thailand to Chile, I spent my first year studying Spanish grammar and vocabulary but I couldn’t understand and capture any words Chilean said. But, a year later, I had a shop and attended customers by myself. My brain was forced to understand the conversation. Within 10 days after opening the shop, I could understand everything and be able to converse with customers. After I listened to your VDO, I am sure that your method works. Our brain has its way to collect knowledge and use it when you need to.

[@Agapimo]

As a native Spanish speaker who had family speaking varieties from Spain, Cuba, and Argentina… Chilean is the most difficult to understand because they omit a lot, use a large amount of slang, and speak in a higher pitch, ESPECIALLY when they laugh 😂, I visited Chile 🇨🇱 years ago and it was fun✅

[@TheVeritie]

It's almost scary how right you are and how easy this is: when I was about 12 or 13, my sister (who didn't live at home at the time) briefly tried to learn German and she had a recording of a very short story her tutor had given her to become familiar with. When she came home for a short holiday, she played the story a few times (maybe 10 or 15 times) over the two weeks and, I kid you not, I'm 58 now and I (who wasn't trying to learn the language) can still recite the first few lines of that story verbatim (and I know what the words mean too!). Damned if I can remember how the story ended though!

[@storylearning]

What a fabulous anecdote!

[@TheVeritie]

@@storylearning :) - can you comment on the usefulness or success of listening to recordings while sleeping - given that your Story Learning strategy entails purely listening and reading for the first month? Would listening to recordings at night while sleeping speed up or turbo charge the gains?

[@taududeblobber221]

@@TheVeritie i think i read somewhere that you can't learn anything new that way, but it might help to reinforce what you already know. i don't know where i read it tho (might just be some random reddit post), and i've never tried learning this way so i don't know.

[@KC-vq2ot]

"You don't really know the place, until you get lost in it" As true for languages, as for anything else. Immersing yourself without a safety net is something every learner should do early in their journey. I remember getting lost in Istanbul. A tourist outside of the touristic map he had and with nothing but English, Russian and some turkish borrowings into my native language. Let's just say, that years passed and I still am able to have a basic conversation in Turkish. Funnily enough, used in the similar situation in Germany some time later

[@danielobiso]

I loved that idea of reading the stories and THEN as you start noticing patterns, you go and learn what they mean. I've always had this idea that you should learn everything first in order to read the stories (or listen to music, watch movies...etc). But it actually makes a lot more sense to do it the other way around because, like you said, it becomes more meaningful and it sticks with you longer. Thanks so much! Going to try this out with my French learning!

[@fishboyridesagain]

I like using a dictionary in the language that I'm learning to look up words, instead of falling back on a "... to English" translation. Using a dictionary in the language I'm learning adds a layer of immersion.

[@SparklesNJazz]

i always thought my weakest point in my korean learning was that i was not good at speaking, but way better at reading. now, from things i’ve realized recently and this video, i think reading (and listening with subtitles) is going to be the key for me to progress forward. i learn *so* much more when i read. i don’t know if it’s just the way my brain works or what, but for so long i was down on myself because i thought my speaking should come first, and then reading after! but i had it all backwards. i feel very encouraged by this video.

[@dcsapporo]

Listening to this process reminds me of how, as someone struggled with dyslexia as a child, I overcame my reading difficulties, learned to enjoy reading and became better at understand my first languages grammar and its application. It's great that how you break this process down. Thank you, very inspiring

[@deansantucci9356]

.. I’m starting volume 2 of Italian short stories ; these stories are genuinely interesting and fun , and they really do help to connect the dots.. thanks 😊!!

[@yoRockstardude134]

The part about new words sticking from stories is so true. In 1st grade i was reading a story that used the word "neighborhood." I had no idea what this word meant so i went and asked the teacher, I still remember that conversation.

[@jonathansjourney4977]

Great video! I'm actually finishing up my Masters in Spanish and I thought to myself the other day that I would continue reading stories even after my Masters and hopefully after my doctorate as well. It's so interesting because I'm a Spanish medical interpreter and I learned the word "estorbar" one day and the very next day my coworker said "esto me estorba". So it's such a coincidence that as soon as I learn a word, someone uses it like the next day.

[@dionwestjr4772]

I’m definitely doing this for now on. I am in German A1-A2 and yeah I’m learning but I want to fully immerse myself into the culture and language. I will be taking this route starting today!

[@legaleagle46]

Hi, Olly! I just wanted to tell you that I downloaded your book about World War I history in Spanish, and I love it. I've been speaking, reading, and writing Spanish for almost 48 years, so my Spanish is probably on about the same advanced level as yours, but this book still gives me enough of a workout in Spanish that I've already learned something new. I can hardly wait to start using your stories in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, and Japanese!

[@sotmMrPants]

This is nice to hear how we teach languages with TPRS (Teacher Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) embodied in a self-study method.

[@damianloder6080]

Yes Sir! I’m learning Tagalog (Filipino) and I’ve been getting really frustrated with my lack of progress. I have been using this method, however I have been stopping looking up words, grammar rules etc. I’ll definitely try the way you suggested. Very excited 🙂

[@andrewgibler]

Great video Olly. Learning through stories is so much more fun, too. The power of fun (like your trip to Venice) is an amazing tool!

[@storylearning]

Cheers Andrew!

Stories are magical because promote connection. I'm glad that one of my favorite polyglots think that way. I've seen lots of people trying to memorizer verb lists and stuff and that just made me sad, especially because many promote that kind of learning. Stories are fun and emotionally powerful. Wonderful job, Olly. Thanks for the video. I myself am a storylearning evangelist and use them in the classes I teach in English here in Brazil.

[@rachmaninoffenthusiast5563]

Your books are genuinely helpful, and they really make us (me, at least) feel like we’re actually going somewhere in the language. I’ve been learning Danish for months and your book definitely helps. Thank you 🥺

[@storylearning]

🙏🏻 I’m really pleased!

[@erfelgamazig]

The biggest thing that I learned from this video? That immersion, even if it seems like ignorance, is a great opportunity to learn. A child does not have any other choice, because of course they were not born knowing any language. Another thing, that even in immersion, you will learn the common patterns of speech, and learn more new words faster than sitting in front of a textbook with verb charts. I would love to find a place where I could learn Armenian without Romanization. Even Armenians are starting to write using the romanization. Thanks, I thought these 2 videos were very helpful.

[@storylearning]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Rhand007]

I don't think it's correct to state "you learn new words faster than sitting in front of a text book", because learning and memorizing vocab happens really fast especially with tools like anki. The problem is stringing together sentences with that vocab, which you don't learn from just memorizing the words. So I'd say immersion learns you much faster HOW to use vocab in a fluent way.

[@ashenarrows579]

Im 15 and English wasn't my first language, I just somehow learnt it myself by watching movies and reading books and fanfiction and then I transferred to an international school and honestly now I'm so fluent that I see English as my first language instead of my mother tongue 😂 And now I'm learning Korean by watching kdramas and listening to music and it might take some time but trust me, as someone that was forced to learn both German and French at school, it works way better than textbooks.

[@seanl6478]

Do you watch the shows with subtitles? Do you watch it on a slower speed?

[@lastdays9163]

This absolutely works. It happens automatically. Reading and listening is the gateway to speaking. I've done this instinctively with translation but I will now try without translation. Very helpful Olly.

[@matteoallegretti1663]

È Impressionante sentire il tuo italiano "uscire fuori" dalla "immersion phase". That's the way! Input...bravo Olly📖🎧

[@n_hill]

Olly - thanks for offering the StoryLearning Kit for free. I've had a lot of start and stops with Spanish, so I'm hesitant to dive into anything costly. Giving free access to your tips and methods, offering your short stories book and audiobook for ~$20 combined, and letting me test before committing to full course is a stand up way of doing business. Thank you.

[@thischickkej]

this is such a motivational video. i've been trying to learn german on and off for a few months but kept losing motivation because i was being messy and mixing different methods that youtubers recommended, instead of keeping it simple and coming up with my own routine/method. i figured that i should give the reading + listening combo a shot because it is a simple, immersive, and doesn't make you feel pressured. thank you!

[@storylearning]

Glad you liked it!

[@beautyandgrace6288]

I've been doing immersion for the past month. Recently, I've started to hear ever word clearly and even said to myself "I feel like I can understand." This video will be extremely useful to be, but I was unsure of where to go from there. Learn is the next step. Georgian is a difficult language, but I know I'll be able to impress my Georgian friends within the next couple of months. Thank you Olly.

[@GuoJing2017]

I like to think of language learning as trying to get water out of a bucket. If you get a little bit of water in (input) you can try to force some water out the bucket by going to great effort to poke holes, or if you just focus on keeping the water flowing into the bucket eventually the level will rise and the water will naturally flow out

[@storylearning]

nice analogy!

[@sleeplessinstockwell]

Grazie Olly. English dude living in Italy struggling with language. Very helpful

[@storylearning]

Keep at it!

[@flis1249]

I am rewatching series in original audio with original subtitles after watching this video! I'm sure it will help with my confidence in matching sounds to the characters in Japanese! I have only just come across your channel and you have given me lots of inspiration to learn languages in a more creative way... I've tried multiple times using apps/at school and never get too far past: 'I have 2 brothers'. Thank-you!

[@storylearning]

Delighted to hear this. Good luck with your japanese, and remember to be patient!

[@septembersage6438]

3 minutes into the video and I notice the pile of books of short stories on the table. I then realise that I have one for Spanish, I go to check the author name of my book and I realise that it's the same guy I'm watching now. wowee

[@MontagZoso]

Holy cow, the difference between just your first and second speaking session with your tutor was amazing! Great video and I will start reading German short stories. Grazie!

[@jurgmay]

Perfect timing! I was going to ask the online language learning community their thoughts on exactly this subject but now I don't need to. Thanks Olly!

[@storylearning]

It still might be useful to ask them anyway! Not everyone agrees :)

[@jurgmay]

@@storylearning That's true. There are a lot of opinions out there so I'll ask the question and see what comes back!

[@rolfbackstrom6029]

Very great, Olly! I have been doing this myself to a certain degree. I use the same story for all languages. It makes it easier as I do not have to figure out what the story is about. But anyway, my congratulations for creating courses based on stories! All the best / Rolf

[@storylearning]

That's awesome! And thank you!

[@2bagemini]

which story and how do you go about acquiring them? i am getting dutch and french books from audible and then cannot find them to read… or vice versa…

[@chriswixtrom6514]

Everything about this message is on target! Some 40 years ago, a group of Deaf people welcomed me into their everyday lives, encouraging me to listen (with my eyes) to their American Sign Language conversations during everyday activities. Without translation and without "lessons" this immersion experience gave me context and motivation to understand and communicate. I went from 0-60 in a hurry and fell in love with the language! Eventually I found ways to work with Deaf people to provide others with ASL acquisition experiences, through library placement of ASL videos and later on KZbin.

[@CoffeeScribe]

LOVE THIS! I especially liked that you have such a positive, fun approach to learning, and you have a passion for the process as you go. Thanks so much!!!

[@emilywrightmusic]

Thank you so much! Currently learning my 6th language (Chinese) when I have time not at school, and I've used this method every time!

[@storylearning]

More power to you!

[@a.r.4707]

Olly i bought your book "short stories in arabic for intermediate learners", and i really like it. The stories are pretty good and entertaining. I feel like i have improved my comprehension already after reading about 60 pages. I wish that i had the audio recordings as well, but they are not available yet unfortunately. Would be nice to have a book like that for serbian or croatian too. These story books are very good for language learners. Cheers Olly!

[@storylearning]

I’m thrilled you like them!

[@samuelodan2376]

Hi, is the book entirely in Arabic? If so, how do you make sense of it if you've never listened to Arabic before.

[@a.r.4707]

@@samuelodan2376 Hi. Yeah it's entirely in Arabic but there is an audio version of the book as well, therefore if you get the book you should buy the audiobook also. The audio was discounted for the buyers of the paperback like half price. I think that it was about 6 euros. There was also an extra free story included.

[@b_olson542]

I learned Spanish 20 years ago. I have not continued it, but instead have rested on my laurels. I have been inspired to improve this skill and to learn Arabic as well. Futhermore, I am brainstorming ideas of how I can use this for my own students, as I am a Spanish teacher. Thank you for your insight.

[@Angela-jy8um]

Thanks for sharing! I'm going to try it!

[@italianoconluca]

7 people disliked this video because they hate stories and prefer to study long lists of unrelated words :)

[@storylearning]

Horses for courses!

[@anamilliebaez8920]

Thanks Olly. It’s very useful info and you’re so right about it being very effective. I’ll definitely use it more. It has been quite hard for me to find Japanese easy text books with romanization where I live but luckily the internet does have almos everything. Thanks again for your great material!

[@storylearning]

I really suggest getting away from romanisation as soon as possible. Set yourself a challenge to learn hiragana this weekend... you can do it!

[@JenFrancis-qc7dr]

I am reading 101 Conversations in Simple German and it is awesome because I love a good mystery-crime solving story! Thank you Olly Richards!! Peace and love from the Dominican Republic!

[@BrownSugaBabe]

I'm learning Korean and I bought the book Korean Stories for Language Learners. I love this book because it starts with really short stories and then progresses to longer and more complex stories toward the end. The story is completely in Korean and then had the English translation at the bottom and a few vocabulary words listed. I started with a lot of grammar textbooks and vocabulary books and I think I overwhelmed myself in the beginning. Now I'm reading the story book and Real Life Korean Conversations by Talk To Me In Korean only and these 2 books along with immersion in the language on KZbin and K-dramas (there are no Korean speakers where I live) and AI app Teuida have helped a lot and I'm able to retain more than what I learned in the textbooks. I am so happy I found this channel! Your tips are so helpful. My goal is to learn 10 languages by age 55, I'm 40 now so I have time and I'm using this time wisely. After I grasp conversational Korean, Japanese is next then Italian, Chinese, Thai, Malay, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Wolof and Russian are on the list.

[@talkbham]

Great advice. I have done a similar style with learning Spanish. I'm a big fan of football and just started following Barcelona - read articles, watch match reviews, read history, etc. I think Spanish was easier for me because of cognates and the alphabet being similar to English. I'm having a lot more trouble with Mandarin Chinese though. The immersion part is tougher for me because the characters are so much different. I'm trying to stay consistent and just hope it all comes together eventually.

[@MrPrachen]

Now I'm realizing, that this is how I learned english. For me it wasn't reading stories or listening to podcast, but instead playing games. And since I play games a lot you gave me an interesting idea. Start playing games in language I'm trying to learn. Preferably a game I'm not that familiar with. Might be an interesting experiment. :) Thank you for reigniting a spark of language curiosity, I hope this time it stays alive bit longer

[@jocelynhunter2359]

I'm going to try this, when I'm a bit further along.

[@shinzo5744]

what games?

[@CarolinaBachiega]

Olly, I have been doing this method for less than a year, and I had no idea what I was doing; consequently, now, I can keep a two-hour conversation in English. I love watching documentaries and read books about all sorts of topics. I will definitely apply the method to learn Italian 🥰🥰🥰🥰. Thank you!!!

[@treesa2020]

Thankyou so much for this video Olly, Your short stories in Italian is my go-to way of learning Italian right now. Keep guiding us.

[@storylearning]

My pleasure!

[@bookwyrmneducator]

I love this thought process, it makes complete sense! I just started learning ASL (took ASL 101 this summer). The class was immersive, only ASL and if absolutely necessary our whiteboards(mostly for our more complicated questions during Deaf culture portion of each class. Have you ever tried to learn ASL or apply these techniques to it? Is there ways you would approach it differently?

[@sewingbea9356]

Just to prove his memory point even further. I can remember a lot of the plot of a book I read when I was 7, but I can’t remember what I had for lunch a week ago

[@scarscar2205]

I discovered your channel a couple of days ago, and it turns out I had bought one of your books a couple of weeks ago. It just arrived, so I'm super excited to try it out!

[@chadbailey7038]

Definitely starting to buy into the emphasis on needing to read more for language learning. Between you and Steve Kaufman I will be buying a few intermediate books in my TL!

[@arnoldsuarez6718]

I normally don’t comment on videos, but Olly, this is a great video. Thank you very much.

[@storylearning]

Thank you Arnold!

[@beaudenefinger3312]

I've gotten your book for Spanish and enjoyed it lots! In my journey for learning Japanese, I would absolutely love if you could make a beginner story book for Japanese!

[@storylearning]

It’s coming later this year! But it won’t be beginner level, because it’s really tough to make engaging material. Intermediate (N3) I think.

[@jasperkirk1457]

Hi, Olly. I'm an artist, so I come with an artist's brain. I'm a writer too, and w/ your story-concept, I now take an email that I've written in English and Google translate it (in this case, into French) and then I read it back many, many times; because the story is mine, the context and vocabulary are mine -- as well I have a gr8 French pronunciation as I went, as a kid, to a French (only) speaking school in France, this story telling learning comes more smoothly. I now live in France. I've never done well w/ conventional learning. Now, learning French through my own stories is a gift, and I thank you for this! (I hope to do Italian, too). I'm looking forward to exponential growth. I know the time will come when my French friends will say that they can understand me and I them. And, you're so right about: One must have an interest to learn or that which they hope to learn has only been romanticized. Merci encore. JAz

[@66Hokuspokus]

For me, motivation is the key. Not only in learning languages, but for everything I do. Olly, you are born educator. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and experience with us.

[@ibrahimali9564]

Wow Olly! What a great video. Very informative Storylearning method is the best way to learn a new language naturally for me. I don't have to study anything. I just enjoy the story and I learn the language subconsciously Keep it up 💪 you're awesome

[@storylearning]

Thanks so much for the comment

[@ericd7902]

I always considered myself like a child when I learn any languages. I think it's easier to try to think simpler first then by listening and using this language you can grow up and speak like a teenager then an adult. It's always fun😁 Now I'm starting Wolof, it's not look so difficult and pretty fun.

[@marykjones4084]

I was delighted to hear you speak Italian so fluidly. Spanish is my 2nd language, French my 2nd. I expected to use Spanish in Italy. No one in my travels spoke Spanish and so I had to rely on French. I've attempted to learn Italian and am frustrated when I hear that it is easier than French because I still don't get it! I love your idea of using stories. My favorite Spanish instructor used stories from day one, and many years later, I still remember stories from his classes. I will look at your resources and continue working on my French, and then perhaps bravely venture into Italian.

[@teresajohnson5265]

About time!!! I have been doing this method FOR TENS OF YEARS!!! WELL DONE!!!!

[@marcdenoire5462]

Olly, I'm so impressed by your videos. I would be really interested to learn more about your background. Is there already a video where you giver more information about yourself?

[@storylearning]

Thanks Marc. Not exactly a video, but my website and podcast have a LOT of stories from my past!

[@yourfirstsecondlanguage4782]

So true, stories for the win!!!

[@jeanettef.chaplin4326]

As a college linguistics teacher and someone who learned Spanish by living in Mexico, I found this fascinating. I was glad to learn of the principles behind the method. I will definitely be returning to learn more--maybe send some of my students in your direction.

[@deansarver2471]

Thank you. I am closing in on my 60s. I speak, at different levels, about four or five languages. And only in the last few years have I seen a much better approach to learning languages than what I dealt with in the 70s 80s and 90s. Again, I say, thank you; I wish this new and better approach had been more available than textbook, repetition, unrelated words, and so on. I have the courage now to venture out and use apps like I-Talki to enhance and practice what I have learned so far. My reason has less to do with academics and vocation than it has to do with the simple joy of communicating with more people and expanding the world around me. Your channel has been enlightening and educational. It is light and entertaining and not goofy for the sake of entertainment. Keep up the good work. I’m watching all of your current episodes and all of your past episodes. Can’t wait to give your story- learning approach a more valid and in-depth approach. Keep up the good work.

[@danieleliassalgadomiranda224]

Hey Olly!! Hope you're doing pretty well. My name is Daniel, I'm 18, Colombian, and I've been completely into language learning for almost 2 years. I started with English, in school, challenging the academic system. Then I started with Portuguese, and now I'm learning three languages at the same time. I'm 10000% sure the principle you explained in this video is real and proven. But I'd like to know how to actually start learning vocabulary from scratch. Because I'm a very beginner in French, and I would love to know how to start getting into the context and understanding the general messages. Many words can't be easily understood because they are abstract, and I would really appreciate it if you help me out with it.

[@danieleliassalgadomiranda224]

Now I'm immersed in Italian as well, I've been able to go through the abstract part of the language and learn how to deal with it (just focusing on the words that we can look up on the internet and understand). What I mean by that is that the best way to get the sense of vocabulary, we gotta search it and see images or pictures that relate to it. But when we're at a very basic level, oat of the content is impossible to be know. So, everytime you search something, and it's relatable for you, or you can get it, reproduce several times that image on your mind, and don't get overwhelmed because of what you can't understand. Just think about it this way: what you can't understand, simply does not exist for you, so you should not throw yourself against the screen, and forget about that word until next time you see it. Everytime you see it, search it with the whole phrase, and word by word as well, in order to comprehend it as much as possible. Everytime you look it up and can't get or guess the meaning, forget about it until next time you see it in a phrase. Only focus on learning what you can understand. And eventually everything you struggled with is going to make sense for you, but not only that, it'll be completely logical and understandable whenever you see it, and you'll also start being able to use it.

[@GinnyBerch]

It's really logical that you'll learn a language by listening and reading. How do babies pick up languages? They listen and once they have had a sufficient amount of input, they'll start producing sound and copy what we're saying. As adults, we're lucky to already have the skill of reading under our belt when we attempt to learn a second language. But input is still extremely important.

[@annie1626]

Yay! The Krashen wakes! I've been a closet Krashenist all these years, and I know it's worked for my language learning. Where this video is great though is that you explain it in a practical jargon-free way. You break learning down into a cycle that has really worked for me, but put it into words really clearly - better than I could! I would love some suggestions for resources for Portuguese, if you have them. I'm also really curious for you take on learning pronunciation, as whatever you do obviously works really well.

[@dorothygarriott9721]

Olly, thank you for sharing this method. I spent money taking 2 standard type 10 week French courses. Upon opening up the book, the alphabet, words, grammar, etc. I could do the exercises in the book quite well until it got more complicated. I couldn't speak it or understand a lot of the words. Frustrated, I should have save the money. The method you shared above makes so much sense as I realized I learn through sight & sound method rather than translation type method. I want to learn French to connect better with our grandchildren. Thank you so much.

[@michaelandre9350]

Wow, I found this to be so motivating! I purchased your Short Stories in Russian book and have been working my way through it along with listening to various lessons on KZbin. I have to agree that reading these stories is an excellent way to learn contextually for sure. I noticed in the list of immersion resources you provided that Russian wasn't included. Would you be able to recommend any resources that you feel would be of value? Thanks very much, Olly!

[@storylearning]

Thanks Michael. We’re working on compiling that at the moment. We’re also releasing an intermediate Russian book this year!

[@ChrisBattrick]

Мне действительно нужно найти ещё много историй на русском, которые я сейчас изучаю каждый день.

[@hotrodjones74]

For listening practice check out Мосфильм & СТВ channels on KZbin. They're goldmines of free Russian/Soviet movies. I also recommend short stories by Николай Носов (good beginner stories) & Антон Чехов (once you are feeling relatively comfortable reading in Russian). Пушкин also wrote some great short stories. I'd shy away from fairytales at first. They have very difficult vocabulary and grammar in them. It's all like old Slavonic Russian. РБК news is also a great place to catch up on news from Russia and read a short news article. They're relatively balanced, really the only news source in Russia I trust.

[@damien5688]

L'immersion est la clef!

[@redpillscience1288]

I don't even know that language but i deciphered immersion is the key

[@joshuddin897]

@@redpillscience1288 français or french

[@Cjnw]

@@redpillscience1288 The username is "French and Polish languages"

[@Cjnw]

Kluczem jest zanurzenie \ A kulcs az elmélyülés (Jezyk wegierski)

[@mirrassomeone214]

I have your Spanish book and I must say it is absolutely incredible! I can't remember ever spending money on a book before, but I spent my own savings on this Spanish book. I can tell you I never regretted it for a second! I have a Spanish exam tomorrow, so reading this book before going to bed is the best way to practice 😎

[@ratnadas6247]

Thank you very much for your tips and suggestions.

[@HitchcockBrunette]

You’re the greatest, Olly! You’d mentioned once on your podcast about this idea of cultivating the « tolerance of ambiguity »…. Since hearing that phrase I have had a total awakening. For some reason that idea just stick in the mind, well apart of other things. I devour all your content across all platforms and I truly appreciate the work you put out. It helps others more than you may even know! Many blessings from California

[@skeptigal8899]

Olly, I’ve read a couple of your books in Italian, and they were very useful. Could you please publish more upper intermediate level books in Italian?

[@storylearning]

Thanks for the request. Have you read the intermediate book?

[@skeptigal8899]

@@storylearning I’ve read 101 Conversations in Intermediate Italian and Intermediate Short Stories. Is there another I’ve missed? I have a wonderful teacher on Italki, so I read a few chapters and then basically do an oral book report. It works very well to reinforce new vocabulary and in this way we always have something to talk about.

[@Sara-sn6lg]

Love the idea, thank you

[@lifeoflee09]

Thank you for this. I am an advanced Korean speaker, but i just dont have the motivation i used to have with the language to pull out my old textbooks and force myself to memorize. I will be using this method from now on. Thank you!!!

[@_eleyya]

That’s really interesting! English is my native language, but I read a lot of books as a young child and just put the pieces together. Whatever my teacher taught in school on adverbs, verbs, adjectives, nouns, grammar and other things I just simply didn’t get it(And I still dont). It just sounded right. I just started to learn Japanese and am looking for ways to better understand the grammar. This video just made me realize that if I didn’t learn my native language by memorizing like this, I probably shouldn’t do that with a new language

[@alexjustalexyt1144]

How is Japanese going so far? I barely started with Japanese too

[@_eleyya]

@@alexjustalexyt1144 I’m studying and working at the same time so I can’t say that my progress is super fast. I use a textbook called Genki and for open answer questions, I go on HelloTalk and ask people there if my answers are correct. Grammar wise I think the basic structures still have to be memorized. But for things like はvsが I use children’s books to try and help me get the gist. (Bonus of children’s books is that no kanji, so it’ll be easier to read and help you get used to reading Hiragana and Katakana) Also worth mentioning that I speak Mandarin as a second language, so I spend relatively less time on Kanji as a beginning Japanese learner. A lot of kanji at the N5 level have the same meaning as the Chinese characters but with different pronunciations.

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

Ouch! I’m English and it makes me wince to see a split infinitive. For example: “to better understand”. There is no such verb as “to better”.

[@matteosposato9448]

@@Woodman-Spare-that-tree You must be lagging a bit behind (one hundred years at best) on the debate about the split infinitive. And in any case, none of those who used to object this practice ever put forward, as an argument, that no such verb exists as "to better" or as "to really". (not to talk about the idea of joining a thread of long comments about a completely different topic only to say that you winced at reading something that you think is incorrect - this is another type of problem 🙂)

[@dietrevich]

​@@Woodman-Spare-that-tree grammar is a descriptive process not prescriptive. Languages don't need "grammar " rules as all have existed for thousands of years without them. if the population uses the expression "to better" then it exists and it is accepted. It's silly to try to prescribe a rule for something humans don't control but naturally arises.

[@heathersaxton8118]

Great and very informative video! Also, I teach Swedish and one of my students who’s been reading your Swedish short story book told me the name of the restaurant in the story is “den galna köttbullen” (=the insane meatball). What the hell Olly 😂

[@storylearning]

We need to open the restaurant for real! 😅

[@waynebrehaut7183]

Possibly made from cattle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)?

[@LubaFan]

Could be served with a side of Ratatouille Folle. 😋

[@tasneemkaka1942]

Finally found a great app for reading short stories. It has Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic (with vowel signs). Designed for children so beginners can easily understand looking at the pictures. Free with no ads. Amazing!

[@thuyhoang2600]

I just stumbled on this video today and I never heard of this method before, but the funny thing is that I've been using this exact method for ages, especially the "immerse" stage. I learnt Chinese by myself, mostly from watching Chinese movies and TV shows, but one thing I did differently is that I used subtitles at first, actively listening to the words and their pronunciation while reading the subs to become familiar with the Chinese characters. A little thing to note is that I was able to match the sound to the word because the grammar of my mother tongue is mostly similar with that of Chinese, so I was able to figure out which part of speech I was listening to, hence the progress. I am starting to learn Korean and Thai, and I am so excited to immerse myself into new cultures; it makes learning languages even more practical and fun! Thank you for such good contents!

[@JeysonFigueredo]

Assisti este vídeo depois de ver a entrevista no canal do Gabriel Poliglota com você. Achei o seu conteúdo incrível e com certeza estas dicas vão ajudar no meu aprendizado de idiomas

[@storylearning]

Mto obrigado

[@JDVRadio]

liked and subscribed. this is different from steve Kauffman’s theory of “ACQUIRING WORDS”, i will try it out because the former hasn’t really worked out

[@storylearning]

Hope you find some inspiration!

[@waynebrehaut7183]

Daniel Jo says just below that Olly's method is the same as Kaufmann's. It would be useful for us all for each of you to explain his point of view and reasons he thinks the two methods are different--or not.

[@paulvaulker5004]

Well, Kaufmann's method has worked out for me. There is a tendency to dismiss these methods before being consistent enough with them. One of my elderly students insisted from the right beginning that it was a fraud and a mere attempt to sell his product. Well, with this attitude it is no wonder his English is still crap and probably will be for the rest of his days. This method seems to be equally good as it is based on a very similar principle. I guess it is a matter of personal preference. One can easily get frustrated at the beginning as it is true I had to push through a bit with my willpower.

[@waynebrehaut7183]

@@paulvaulker5004 Thanks for that clear explanation, Paul!

[@valeriecarleton2578]

I am anxious to try out your method. After listening to your podcasts I realize that the desired results will only come with the necessary effort. I'll put it to the test!!

[@guilhermeramosdejesus2419]

Just thanks! Very inspiring! Hope I'll have the chance to have a conversation with you when I get back to London in January next year. Cheers from Brazil!

[@kyra-2312]

Hi Olly, I love the method! I do have one question: during which step do you look up words? I am currently starting to learn German and I am reading German children books, but I am constantly looking up all of the words that are unfamiliar to me. Is this advisable during the immerse phase? Also, is the point of the immersive phase that you do not look up every word so that you don’t learn by translation? Also, how did you go from no speaking to speaking Italian with a really good accent right from the beginning? The accent is really hard for me in German and I would really like to know how you did it!

[@storylearning]

Thanks for these questions. They’re coming up a lot so I think I’ll make a video on it. The key thing here is to make sure you’re using comprehensible input, which is material only slightly above your current level. As a complete beginner this will be simple dialogues from your textbooks - nothing very interesting. But then you gradually increase the difficulty of the material as you go, making sure you’re never using material so hard for you that you need to look up words constantly. That is a sure sign that it’s too hard for you. You should be able to follow the gist of what’s going on without having to look much up. Children’s books are actually not such a good choice, because they usually use an awful lot of strange vocabulary. This comes as a surprise to people, but if you scan through any kids book in English, you’ll immediately realise what I mean. As for your question on accent, the answer is that I spent that first month intensively listening. That, plus I have a musical ear, so I think that helps.

[@kyra-2312]

@@storylearning Thank you so much for your response! I think I understand it now: if you choose something that is a little bit above your level, it is not necessary to look up every single word and still understand the meaning!

[@tanyaforbes5655]

Will you please hurry up with the Japanese stories, really interesting idea to learning language and to start to get speaking.

[@ifillip]

The only Japanese I know with Japanese stories is that they always start with, "Mukashi, Mukashi." (something like "Long, long ago". Would be nice to have a bit more..

[@storylearning]

@kendel, exactly! that's what I plan to fix!

[@storylearning]

I promise I'm pushing as hard as I can! Later this year guaranteed.

@@storylearning please make for Mandarin too

[@khanscombe619]

This is amazing. I did that w/ my cousin's Russian children's school books. & I practiced the writing of words in basic stories.

[@MarcoDelgado93]

Started French today 🙋🏾‍♂️. My second attempt after giving up on the first attempt too quickly. Trying your story telling method. Watching all movies in shows in French. As well as listening to French music. Reading French books. And watching french KZbin videos. Trying to fully immerse myself. Thanks for your videos. Been following since my first attempt at french like 3 years ago.