Introverted language learners: this is for you

If you're introverted, the idea of speaking to strangers might not be that exciting. I know the feeling. In the language community it seems it's always encouraged to talk to natives. This can be really beneficial, but can introverts manage to practice and use languages without needing to talk to strangers?
My friend Valeria asked me this question after our last video together, and although it's a short clip, I thought it would be valuable to share. ✨ Let's discuss!
Here's a blog post you might be interested in - Overcoming fear in language learning lindiebotes.com/2019/03/05/ov...
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:38 You call yourself a polyglot but...
01:37 Learning to understand
02:10 Don't do something you don't enjoy
02:45 My introvert language practice experience
03:50 Language exchanges, putting yourself out there
04:35 Discomfort vs just doing it
05:45 ending
#introverts #polyglot
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💕ABOUT
Welcome to my channel! My name is Lindie and I share my love for languages and design on this channel. I'm a senior product designer and co-founder of Kaards.io. I also write blog posts about languages at lindiebotes.com, and mentor language learners, and offer UX consulting for language apps at superpeer.com/lindiebotes. I'm a Christian and strive to shine God’s light in all I do. May this channel inspire you to reach your language goals and learn more about design.
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[@J11_boohoo]

when you can't even speak to people in your native language

[@epicdjyoshi648]

Omg same!!! I just got so nervous for what turned out to be for no reason. I loved that quote 'I'm waiting for a judgement that won't come.'

[@botole7647]

That awkward feeling....

[@lynntfuzz]

Yep I came here to say that! My shyness gets me tongue-tied in my native language! I do see her point about gradually overcoming it through online chatting and them progressing that way. It is true that it does get easier. It is so tiring though!!! After my online lessons I have to go take a 2 hour nap sometimes!!!!

[@dzuli33t]

im in this comment and i dont like it

[@joannewelch545]

EXACTLY, people will tell me hey just go speak to them and I'll be like nO I wouldn't do that in ENGLISH why would I do that in a language I'm not comfortable in😭😭😭

[@LindieBotes]

Introvert club where you at? 👋

[@nathanieljosephgutierrez]

🙋

[@leonievrtacnikhorvat9740]

🙋‍♀️

[@hellochris9757]

🙋

[@sabsab878]

🙋🏻‍♀️

[@ahdessahel]

😊

[@sana_fanboi]

Absolutely true, I hate it when people say stuff like “If you’re not going to talk to people using that language why are you learning?” I just want to watch tv shows without subtitles

[@thalblankson4002]

I know

[@peripop6244]

Same :(

[@tiramisunsun]

yes same! also to understand some tweets and memes lol

[@austinb7566]

Lol. You’re learning japanese

[@AfroLinguo]

I think that will be my goal as well when I will learn Japanese.

[@dmblum1]

"I don't hate people. I just seem to feel better when they're not around." Charles Bukowski.

[@AsmaaAhmed-qr3gb]

totally agree with it

[@jlcsr9163]

That's my motto lol

[@OnlyMusic16]

Your quote about how "you don't have to put yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable just because it's the norm or expected" is one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn in my life. I think "shy" people are always expected to try to overcome their personality, like it's some kind of defect, and push themselves to change it, whereas...it's literally just a personality type. You don't ever have to apologize for being a quiet person!!

[@mnossy11]

Thank you so much for putting this into words! I totally agree. I spent my entire childhood feeling like I was lacking somehow because I was “quiet” and I always felt bad that I couldn’t change myself to be “better”. But now I am okay with my introverted personality :) it’s harder sometimes to make friends for sure, but that’s okay. And language learning is hard too, but not impossible.

[@silentwf]

Stating this as statement not passing a judgement: the growth mindset states that people can change not only from learning from failures but to what they wish to be. Introverts can become extroverts, and the other way around too. End of the day: what would like to become?

[@sarahalsaadi1165]

Well said ! I’m going to use this more often . I always try to over come my shyness

[@ashleyfoss4718]

@@silentwf from a psychology standpoint intoverts don't become extroverts. Being shy and having social anxiety is also not the same as being an introvert. They are often experienced together but arent the same thing. Introverts regardless of if they are shy or not get energy from being alone and recharging. Extroverts get energy from people. There are shy extroverts and outgoing introverts, and the shyness or outgoingness (or rather the willingness to be more outgoing and push oneself like Lindie talked about) can change. However, personality is what it is and is important to know for selfcare.

[@bemygfriend_5736]

yeah i completely agree! i don't like that we are expected to change and overcome our shyness. i love your pfp btw

[@IzumLAND]

As an anxious introvert, it's the fear of making mistakes that stopped me from talking to other people in my target languages, and no amount of "it's okay to make mistakes" could change that! But my tip is: remember that language learning is 90% input in context. You don't actually have to struggle with awkward small talk with the 100 words you know. Just keep working on your input until you're conversational, it doesn't matter if you don't talk to natives. It will build your confidence and when you finally start talking, sentences will flow naturally without you even thinking about it because your brain has so many references to pick from. Learning from speaking right from the beginner/intermediate level is for people who are really comfortable with making errors, struggling in front of other people and have the social energy for it. It's actually a rather slow process. You don't have to force yourself, fellow introverts, it will come naturally 💛

[@learnspanishwithkunal232]

You can speak in front of a camera in case you are not comfortable speaking in front of people.

[@Aditya-te7oo]

IzumLAND I agree. If one wants to speak like a native speaker (pronunciation wise) of his/her target language then early output is bad idea. 'Cause it'll only solidify one's mistakes. First listen to the language (massive input, listening thousands of thousands of hours and reading) and increase one's vocabulary then it'd be a LOT easier to speak 'cause one has listened/seen the patterns thousands of time. I'd recommend Matt vs Japan YT channel, he learnt Japanese using the above-mentioned technique, and it's real; I'd say just check out his channel. 😊😊 BTW, I'm a non-native English speaker, I've learnt English (unknowingly) using AEATT method (All English All The Time, not literally all the time but yeah you get the point 😄).

[@IzumLAND]

@@Aditya-te7oo I agree!! And same! I'm also a non-native English speaker and did the exact same thing: only input every single day (KZbin videos, and basic grammar from school) and it works 😄

[@radicalfan8743]

So I'm also an introvert and Im not the type who talks to anyone specifically a random stranger but when I was learning English, it wasnt really that hard since English is my country's 2nd language BUT I'll be sharing an experience about my English SPEAKING. I can speak sentences well and also understand english pretty well but when I was in 6th grade I realized that I had quite some accent in there and for some reason I didn't like it and I though it sounded really cool when other people in my country spoke it in a good "american accent" so I decided to focus on improving my "accent". I mever spoke to anyone to practice the way I spoke english, but I was still able to practice because I liked talking and blabbering alone by myself. (Yes I look like I'm crazy in a diff. perspective lol) but it worked. I sometimes record myself and correct the errors I hear after and practice again so I lso believe that we quiet and introverted people can still handle this even without forcing ourself out of iur confort zone 😁

[@Aditya-te7oo]

@@IzumLAND Ohhh. BTW, did you check out Matt's channel ?

[@rjbiii]

Huge introvert here, a true expert in social distancing. I learn languages because it's fun to read stuff in other languages, not because I really want to talk to more people.

[@danai5985]

I don't think I'm an introvert but 100% behind the points you raised - especially regarding the result-based mentality. Languages (and any hobby) should be enjoyable and if you're forcing yourself into unpleasant situations purely because you feel like you 'should', that's not going to be fun in the long-term for you. Really liked how Valeria said she was learning languages to understand other cultures and access their media etc :) so many other ways to use languages beyond just speaking to people! This comment is literally a paragraph lol my bad

[@animeandstuff5377]

personally do it for results only and i finding achieving my goals fun buuutt the actual studying sucks the soul from my body

[@giharaujo7316]

When I'm travelling to my target language country, I try to think: "these people don't know me, they have their life, they'll have to work tomorrow morning and will forget about me and the mistakes I made" I'm more shy when talking to someone on my own country and city. I also hate to speak to someone in another language when there's someone I know close to me, like the story you told about your dad saying to you talk with the korean people. It seems like they want to avaliate you and judge you

[@suishouyuki]

This is exactly the same for me. I found it was a lot easier for me to randomly interact with strangers when I was in Japan because I knew that they'd just move on the next day. But after coming back to the States I get so nervous to speak to a Japanese person even in English because I am afraid they'll hate me if there's a misunderstanding or I make a mistake. Haha. I've gotten better at it over time, but it's still something I tend to overthink and it doesn't help that I haven't actively studied Japanese in a while!

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@taЊa N. uP

[@ukiyomi]

This is sO true. I hate it when people who know me are around. I'm a complete diferent person on my own. I'd be willing to talk to almost anybody if I was on my own. I can lowkey even become an extrovert. My dad often forces me to speak to his coworkers and stuff and I'm so uncomfortable... we have nothing in common and they're just like.. yeah...cool. That's not fun at all. As I don't get many moments on my own (still a minor :v) I figure it out it is better for me to use online forums and media to create realtionships with people with my own interests or at least close to my age. That's how I met my best friend, he never forces me to speak but we both made the promise to meet each other soon and speak like there was no tomorrow!

[@Ryyza7]

I am Japanese learner and I can relate to this. There are also some video at youtube where native speaker reacts negatively when there is random stranger want to practice their target language. Some of the response include: 1. Oh my god, I am hurry at work/busy at something right now, please don't disturb me and want to practice with me right now. 2. Random people who speaks broken target language is such a nuisance, I don't want to talk to them and I probally mute them. And also in VR Chat, some of typical scene that I saw: "You hang out with friends, and having some fun. And then suddenly there is foreigner want to practice language with you and talking non stop.. and then there is awkward silence with you and your friends. Usually when this happen, that foreigner only talks to 1 or 2 person in that group. " If you are in this situation, ask yourself, does this sound fun to you? After realising this, I stopped talking to random strangers that I found. I realised they also have their own life,. We, language learner who randomly approached them are no different than salesperson who go out and sells product to people even though they are not interested. Of course some people are nice, but I will be more careful talking to random strangers.

[@leticiasauer1068]

well this video is perfect for me

[@marybrown6525]

Me too😭

[@profila3138]

same

[@emmarthmaximano7386]

Same

[@666.xoxo33]

Same:)

[@santiagoestefania9983]

Once I thought "why do I even learn languages if I'm too shy to talk to people?" And that discouraged me as I felt there was no point in learning languages if I wouldn't communicate with people. Then I said to myself that nothing is impossible and I can do it. Now I feel more confident, and have in mind that learning a language is not only intended to speak with people, there are many other options. I learn languages because I like them, but tbh I'd love to speak with native speakers, I would feel proud of myself.

[@laurencec09]

I'm very introverted natively, however when the opportunity arises to test out another language I suddenly become more confident somehow, I guess that's what drew me to learning languages

[@Buffon_vitor]

dude, the same thing always happens to me! i wish i could be that confident in my own language

[@catlady715]

I am the same way. Even though my Spanish is no where as good as my English(yet)I'd rather talk to people in Spanish or not at all haha

[@diariosdelextranjero]

The side effects of learning a second language I guess 🙂

[@santiagoestefania9983]

It always happens to me! I feel way more comfortable and confident talking to somebody in another language.

[@sunnysouthpaw]

I just talk to myself out loud switching between my target language and adding commentary in my native language in public, it helps with the social distancing. People think I’m nuts and stay away from me that way.

[@okayheykae]

This is perfect for me because I keep thinking "I don't even like speaking to people in English, why am I trying to learn how to speak in more languages???" lol. And I loved your advice about using how you feel afterward to determine whether it's the right thing, that's super helpful!

[@Camembertgirl]

I remember that a few years ago even just thinking about speaking to someone in my target language would give me goosebumps hahaha. But I eventually gave it a try and realized it isn't that bad!

[@LindieBotes]

I can not tell you how much my heart was beating out of my chest the first time I spoke Korean to someone other than my close friends and teacher!

[@alineblooms]

I am also introverted and most of my language use revolves more on input or writing but I am starting youtube so your words are encouraging to me. Merci !!

[@studyberry9029]

Massive introvert over here. I really felt this whole discussion!! In my hometown there is a real lack of diversity so if we ever encountered someone who spoke a language I was learning, my parents practically pushed me into speaking to them, even though in general I don't talk to strangers! Trying to convey the proper responses in a conversation when your brain is in fight-or-flight mode is nearly impossible 😬😬😬. But for some reason if my friend is more nervous to speak than me I'll stumble through it for them 🤷‍♀️

[@theswedishpolyglot]

I think being an introvert can def be an advantage as a language learner, since you generally need to spend a lot of time with the langauge (input), which is hard to get from conversations (conversations tend to be limited to most frequent 1000-3000 words). It might not be as flashy but I don't think that is important anyway :D

[@florrytsukino2014]

Omg this!! I finally can feel totally ok with not using my language skills in real life xD

[@nemoschmitz2374]

Yes, when I start learning a language it's like I'm in my own cave which for 3 or 4 weeks I almost never leave and all day long I immerse myself in the language (mostly a mixture of learning some basic grammar and reading lots of texts etc, sometimes watching videos) And I am extremely productive during that time If however you put me in a language course, I am much less productive cause my brain wastes so much energy and time thinking about all the people around me and how it's overwhelming (not always, but often)

[@theswedishpolyglot]

@@florrytsukino2014 Whatever floats our boats I guess :D

[@ThanhMaiOFFICIAL]

As an experienced language teacher, I see so much information here that can really help people understand introverted learners as well as develop insights into helping them communicate better. Amazing content here. Keep up the great work 🙌💯

[@Yanriva]

The same thing your dad did to you, my uncle did to me... it was in a Japanese restaurant and there were a few Japanese people sitting there, my uncle told them... "heyyy... are you Japanese?... he speaks Japanese!" pointing at me... so it was super intimidating, back then I was incredibly shy, but I have to admit it worked... I started going to language clubs and in one of them I met my wife :D

[@LindieBotes]

I hope I can meet my husband through mutual languages too one day 😂

[@twoofwands69]

thank you so much for making this video. i really needed this. i was always an introvert, but when i started learning chinese, i became more passionate and talked more with people as i could, and my teachers praised my talent. but then again, i couldn't continue it forever, and i began speaking less and participating less in social activities, esp when i was in china with my teacher, for a competition. she was highly disappointed in me and blamed me, for (as she said) 'giving up learning the language'. actually i didn't give up. i'm not shy, i could even talk to strangers, but i'm not the type of language learner who speaks openly without any fear. even in my college in china, we often had speaking activities and putting up plays in front of class, all things for extroverts. this stressed me too much, and i even skipped my classes some days. i almost thought that language learning is not for me, cause i can never be extroverted. and yes, i almost gave up. but in the end, i, somehow, can't do so, cause i always love learning chinese. and now i'm only focusing on improving my skills through things that makes me comfortable. it is okay if i won't be fluent as my classmates. cause i'm tired of competing. really. i'm learning for myself now.

[@nomadicgamer9466]

I'm shy *and* an introvert. :( And I like learning languages. I figured, I'd just work on what I can solo and then deal with the conversations later. There is quite a lot to learn on your own, anyway. But having friends that also like to learn languages or in your target language would be super helpful as opposed to strangers.

[@astrastellari5986]

Thank you so much for this video! It seems like everyone says "talk to natives", "if you don't talk you won't learn the language", etc... It frustrates me a lot. I love languages. But I'm very introverted, and it's very hard for me to talk to anyone, especially irl. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.

[@RobertHeslop]

While I'm here in Thailand, I fear speaking Thai out loud because every day I have Thais staring at me and I hear "ฝรั่ง" which is a word that Thais use to mean "white caucasian westener/foreigner" so I really don't speak Thai out loud if I don't have to. Whereas, when I went to Koreatown around Christmas, I was on a call with my Korean friend and literally native Koreans there looked and when the call was over they came up to me and said 와! 한국어 말 수 있어?! 진짜 대박! and I said "감사합니다" and the guy went "아니야! 아니야! I'm just very surprised! That's so cool!"

[@kellyhermanto949]

Wow you sound so cool? How you manage to learn korean?

[@user-yp8kk6tl7f]

I'm Thai and I am sorry to hear that. Thai people normally said that when they found foreigners speaking Thai, and they might not know that it's rude and make people who try to speak Thai as much as they can feel uncomfortable. I am so sorry :( For me, I am always excited to hear foreigners speak Thai, even though their accent are still not good. But I thought that at least they've tried their best and I hope they want to continue learning Thai. So one day, they are comfortable and confident enough to speak Thai. It is a hard language even for a native speaker like me. So, don't worry if you make mistakes. ;) สู้ ๆ นะคะ เป็นกำลังใจให้นะคะ (P.S. My English is not good, though. But I hope you understand what I am trying to say!)

[@ryattel1]

@@user-yp8kk6tl7f hey, your English is good :)

[@xylaii7884]

This is our language you’re speaking Thank you

[@gracepearson5905]

Good one 👍🏻😂

[@LindieBotes]

Does that mean I can add one more language to my list? 😝

[@xylaii7884]

Yes we are a true mystery 😅

[@SavedSheepStudios]

Hi Lindie. I really needed this video. I just finished "talking to myself" by practicing and recording for what I did for the day in my target language (Korean). I really found it difficult to express speaking as opposed to just listening and reading. I think I have understood a lot of input in more than a year of studying the language, but when I try to express it, I seem like a toddler blurting out gibberish. Though it's challenging and at times downright frustrating, your "post- roller coaster effect" metaphor allowed me to realize that a 0.01% improvement will suffice in propelling me in my language journey, no matter how slow the pace. Thanks for your inspiring videos. ^^

[@heladodefresa6037]

Is talking to yourself that helpful? :O

[@jssmedialangs]

I desire to talk to people, but I'm terrified of it because of social anxiety. So I have to push myself to do it... At the same time, there are days or weeks where I really don't want to talk to anyone. Not because I'm afraid, but because I just don't want to be bothered. 😅 So this video is great.

[@izzytumpap1414]

the hardest thing for me is that i'm so self conscious about my accent and even more self conscious about my grammar and it's hard for me to just SPEAK ಠ_ಠ

[@stevendorsey4850]

As I learn more of a language, I like to talk to myself in my day-to-day activities. Otherwise, yeah...

[@learnspanishwithkunal232]

That's a good habit. Add recording yourself to that, and you have a chnace to share that with some teacher online.

[@chadchad6531]

I found it pretty awesome to do it. I cycle 1,5 hour every day due to commuting and I talk to myself just as if I talked to some other people. I imagine some people with different perspectives and I argue with myself in the target language of course.

[@hillk.141]

@@chadchad6531 i do this too!! i imagine myself in a situation with celebrities and i talk casually or even argue with them:)

[@Aditya-te7oo]

To me learning a language is more about understanding everything (almost) rather than speaking to native speakers of that language.

[@DKsilverghost]

I really enjoyed this video. I also (like Valeria) learn languages mostly to broaden my horizons and just learn about the world. I don't really do it to talk to a bunch of people from different countries necessarily. I also learned English from more or less only reading, listening and some writing, and I can speak English pretty decently even though I didn't practice specifically speaking very much. So I think you can still learn a lot even if you don't speak to native speakers all the time. I also have social anxiety which can make it difficult even to talk to people in my own language, let alone one that I'm less confident in. So I just try to do as much as I can within my limits.

[@jordancastillo2206]

what? No way. you are not a native english speaker? your writing is good, even if you dont speak much. learning a language is so hard. good job 😊

[@sreekeerthi3287]

정말 감사합니다, 린디 씨. 저도 Introvert 입니다. I feel 매우 hard to talk to an unknown 사람. And stage 위에, 제 손 always shivers. For the language practice 저는 myself 말하다. Thanks again. Oh! It's how I talk to myself for practice. Hope that I can make a one minute conversation in my target language.

[@IndiaHeathIRL]

Yeeeees! Oh my goodness, I'm so happy there's other people who are completely fine with just consuming media in their language and not worrying about speaking so much. The thing that I love doing most is watching and reading things in the language I'm learning. On the rare occasion I speak to someone I don't have that same feeling of enjoyment, it's not a negative experience but I definitely feel somewhat uncomfortable. I'm still at an intermediate level so my speaking abilities aren't where I'd like them to be in order to talk with people but I've no issues waiting another year before I start on that side of things, there's no rush. There's always this idea surrounding learning a language that you're end and ultimate goal is to speak and I love that there's people here that are saying no, it doesn't have to be like that. Thanks so much, this topic really hits home with me.

[@madbia15]

I absolutely relate to Valeria, my main goal when I started learning multiple languages was to be able to read books and understand the cultures in the languages I learned. I did not need to speak for that. I don't think its wrong to not practice the speaking aspect if it makes you uncomfortable

[@MexicanoAlegre_]

In a English class, teacher asked me why I speak with insecurity or not fluently. He didn't hear me in my native language (Spanish). I told him: I speak like this in any language. 😹

[@ginesiito9009]

i love the fact that Lindie made a video just for me 🙃

[@kaminobatto]

I can relate very much to what Lindie said. I am very much introverted myself, and back in 2001, if I remember correctly, I willingly participated in a Japanese speech context just to get myself out there and give it a shot. I had been learning Japanese for a little over a year, and it was quite intimidating. There were more than 1000 people in the hall, and when I went on stage, I realized that about 80% of them were actually Japanese, and to add more pressure, I was the only participant who had just over a year with the language, the other participants were between 3 and 4 years, so pretty much advanced speakers. And they were more or less having a chat with the audience and cracking jokes as if they were native speakers. My heart was palpitating like crazy, and I was almost out of breath and felt nauseous. However, I had anticipated this would happen and made sure to memorise my speech by heart, which gave me some confidence. When I finished and went back to my seat, I was literally trembling, especially that I got stuck at one point during the speech and went blank for about three seconds and used fillers like "umm.. ah...". When all the contestants finished, I was shocked when I was called back to the stage to collect the prize for the 3rd place! Oh boy, I still remember that chill going down my spine... I was put on the spot to give a spontaneous speech about winning the 3rd place, which was totally unplanned and out of the blue... I managed to mumble a few words talking about my love for Japanese and the Japanese culture, and thanked the audience and judges. This experience changed me so much and made me much more zealous and confident in speaking to Japanese people in Japanese.

[@FunAfter52]

I have huge issues with speaking in general. Growing up, I had to take speech therapy for several years (talking issues seems to run in our family). And for the longest time, I didn't talk much to anyone, so speaking in a foreign language is major anxiety at the thought of it. So therefore, I'm 55 and haven't gotten anywhere in language learning. Still, I want to know languages. The desire never goes away. So since the "speaking" part seems to be holding me back, I'm going to do what I want instead. I get excited by the thoughts of reading books, writing stories, or watching movies in different languages. So I'm going to work on those things and not worry about the speaking part just yet.

[@AlexG-bc7ji]

Just like there are different methods for learning languages and different levels of ability (some people want to truly master a language to a native or near-native level, and some just want to be conversational--and both approaches are perfectly valid), there are different and perfectly valid motivations for learning language too, and being conversational doesn't necessarily have to be the gold standard. A friend of mine can't speak or understand spoken German particularly well, but he can read it fluently because doing so is part of his academic career, and being able to do so is hugely valuable for him.

[@aleaftolive]

Just returned from Germany after living there for 5 months and was unable to say basic stuff in German to the locals. I’m still learning the language but find it harder now that I’m not surrounded by the it wherever I go. So in a way I felt like I wasted an opportunity but this video made me realise that there is nothing wrong with it. Thanks for making this video Lindie! ❤️

[@laurencec09]

You will have learnt more than you realise, trust me the immersion will have trained you to recognise proper pronounciation of words and phrases so even if you didn't speak much you'll definitly have picked up a lot :)

[@Guyomar]

Valeria and I are twin souls. I know exactly how she feels.

[@joannewelch545]

Same!!

[@XelenaX-wg2jr]

Same

[@eloisegaudinat]

Saaaame here

[@jaglarmigsvenska9402]

Very good point! And, as you said, no need to talk to any random stranger.

[@carrierlandinghdlegacyhorn2686]

I’m an introvert learning English at uni. It just makes me confident when my English is better than others and they become introverts while I’m turning into an extrovert for a moment with my English

[@choosenottodecide]

Thank you thank you for making this video! Definitely needed this

[@amelibre3148]

항상 감사한 마음으로 영상 보고있어요.😄

[@aliciavellante]

I relate so much to this! The only times I’ve been able to speak French with people outside of class were in times when they needed help. I remember my aunt and I were once shopping and she noticed an elderly french woman struggling (this woman didn’t speak any English or was equally shy to try) and she asked me to help her. I was shocked by how easily I was able to communicate to her and she was so lovely and complimented my French afterwards and told me to keep going. Another time a woman randomly asked me to help her pick out a conditioner (she thought my hair was similar to her) and when I noticed her very thick French accent I just asked if she spoke by any chance and she was SO relived to be able to speak to someone in her language. Both these experiences were very random and scary at first, but I am forever thankful because they helped reassure by abilities and invalidated my fears to a degree.

[@isabelsaavedra7947]

I am introvert and usually I don't speak to people. I can enjoy a conversation and talk to strangers, but I need a good reason to do it. I have learned English, Italian, French, and Portuguese; but it was not until I began to learn Esperanto that I looked for people to speak with. It was awesome because most of them speak at least three languages. There is a moment when all of the points finally connect.

[@chrisgamingde2912]

Thank you so much for making this video!! I really needed this haha

[@lucymay565]

It’s not that I’m incredibly shy, it’s that I’m scared of finding a language partner that ends up being an absolute creep! (HelloTalk I’m looking at you)

[@oriksgaming8383]

I heard some interesting stories about HelloTalk ahah

[@lucymay565]

Orik's Gaming yep... that’s why I don’t use that app as much anymore haha

[@chantalpino]

Oooh I've been thinking of using hellotalk! Is it really that bad?

[@lucymay565]

chantal p well, it’s quite useful for getting corrections quickly and practicing writing skills but I prefer not to get language partners from there haha

[@serafiiiine]

the struggle is real. I was having a lovely conversation in Russian and then he asked for a voice clip and started being creepy about my voice. I was so disappointed lol

[@junior.santana]

I'm really glad you made this video. Partly because I am one of those who requested this topic and you responded to me saying you were going to bring it up soon, and also because that analogy with the rollercoaster and your personal experience was excellent. That was really inspiring, and not just to language learning but to other life issues as well. You nailed it!

[@jerryladd6582]

I feel exactly like this young lady feels. Excellent video. Thank you for sharing.

[@electronsauce]

I'm learning Japanese and have been for awhile but by myself only. I basically forced myself to take online lessons and now also in person lessons. I got nervous before every single one but every time afterwards I felt rewarded. I've probably been through about 12 or so and my anxiety has pretty much completely subsided. I think your advice on focusing on the results is spot on! Love the channel!

[@KC-to9xl]

Thank you so much for talking about this. Needed to hear it :)

[@ValeriaTiourina]

Thank you for being open to this conversation with me! I always appreciate the times when you can really relate to & talk to someone about shared experiences ☺️ Also - Ever since our conversation, I have been using your last tip to get myself through the fear of doing some things, and though it’s as simple as asking a question - it’s been so powerful! “Will it be worth it? Yeah. Okay, you can do this!!!”

[@XRavishX]

In context, you imply that even if it's scary and difficult, you should put yourself out there, but if the end result is something you aren't happy with, then it seems you think you shouldn't do it anymore. I don't agree with that because every encounter, good and bad, if that's really how you want to describe them, is full of teachable moments. Additionally, failure and adversity are the only ways to truly improve beyond what you might learn in a book. Your example in South Africa is a great one. You had adversity in going to talk to those new people, but you learned that it is possible for it to not be as bad as you feared. You learned new words, I presume, because you either failed to come up with the words yourself or you failed to understand what they said to you. As you also described, there are nice, "safer" alternatives to your encounter, but even through those "safer" alternatives you will ultimately have to face failure and adversity. You will still end up taking with someone who is going to judge your speech and that's scary for people. My point is that the end result can be a mixed bag. We should strive to improve the end result, but that most effectively comes at the price of having failures and challenges to overcome. It's my opinion that people aren't generally afraid of speaking to others or in front of others. Those are symptoms of something deeper. Even the most introverted people are social beings because that's what humans are. What I believe brings the fear is that of failing or embarrassing one's self. No one likes to look stupid in front of other people, so the more introverted of us try to hide. But, the only way to look stupid is to do stupid things and trying to talk to people is not inherently stupid. It's just human.

[@sunny_at_sunset]

Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to hear. This gives me confidence to keep on learning languages.

[@999roze]

It's good that you added the positives and negatives to risk-taking behaviour in language learning. I'm currently going through my university textbooks for Japanese and following your advice from your previous videos. What sets it apart from learning in a university is how you can set your own pace and you don't have to reach high expectations which cause you to compare yourself to other people. Thanks so much for your tips.

[@MelanieCC05]

I can relate so much to part where you talk about your dad and Korean tourist. My dad is Venezuelan, so he speaks Spanish. Growing up, I never wanted to learn Spanish and then in 2016 I moved to Spain with my parents. While I was in Spain, my dad said multiple times, now you can practice speaking and he always got "mad" for me refusing it. Give my dad 2 days and he knows the whole town, give me 2 days and I only 1 or 2 people. Being an introvert in language learning is the hardest thing for me, because people force me to speak, as if becoming scared of talking is not enough. 4/5 years later I am still stuck in that circle.

[@mateusabreu7309]

Perfect theme. I was wondering this those days and I was convinced that I could learn a language and have fun learning it as a hobby without obligatory conversation, just with reading and listening goals.

[@Erhard29]

This was incredibly useful, thank you Lindie. I'm also a super shy introvert learning Korean and just the thought of speaking and/or making mistakes in grammar or pronunciation terrifies me but your video definitely comforted me so thank you

[@gonluffy1208]

I was waiting for this 👌

[@daniel.mojimaki]

Thank you both so much for this!

[@paulwalther5237]

Oh I wanted to speak to the question on the thumbnail. I am a huge fan of input, input, input. But output will definitely help push your language to a higher level than before. It’s true you can’t say what you don’t know but you strengthen the knowledge you do have so much by speaking. And people judge your ability, not surprisingly, mostly by your output. So whenever you know you’ve studied enough vocabulary and grammar to have a conversation, you’ll probably thank yourself if you just go do it. Not every conversation I’ve had was a positive experience but the positive experiences blow the negative ones out of the water. So worth it.

[@racheln8563]

Thank you for this. Count me among those who are terrified to speak to people in my target language. Every book I’ve read on language learning self-righteously lectures me on overcoming my embarrassment. Look, I’m in my 50s. If I haven’t overcome my shyness by now, I’m not likely to. I get physically ill even thinking about speaking to someone.

[@rienzib]

A few months ago I was at the airport and there were a couple next to me speaking some foreign language. I started wondering myself “what language is that?” I saw a tweet that changed my mind and gave me courage to go ask them what language was that. The tweet: “It’s 2020 and your interactions with people are still all imagined”. I went on and asked the couple what language was that and they said it was french, I said it was very nice and I was about to start learning French. They were very lovely to me and wished me good luck. I was so nervous to talk to them since English isn’t my native language.

[@learnspanishwithkunal232]

People will soon realize, no one's going to bite you for starting a conversation. 😅

[@rienzib]

Learn Spanish with Kunal jajajajaja si!! La persona puede ser maleducada pero se no intentarlo nunca saberá. A mi me encanta este quote: “If you choose loneliness by not able to coping with social life, then it becomes bitter when you realize what you missed by not living the life”. Mi abuela siempre dice: “Quem não chora não mama” En español: Niño que no llora, no mama.

[@yourguykeikei5738]

I’m studying Japanese since I’m incredibly curious about their culture and language. And after watching this, it made me think. I don’t know, or have seen/heard, anyone in my place that speaks the language. I too am an introvert and honestly, that realization made me feel easy. 😂

[@TerraSept]

I've somewhat questioned my reason for wanting to learn languages because of this; I REALLY don't like going out and talking to people. This video was extremely useful.

[@grainneee]

i'm learning japanese and honestlyyy i have only just started memorising hiragana but i'm constantly saying おはよう outloud to make sure i'm saying it right

[@els1f]

Yeeessss!🙌 That is exactly how I feel. I want to read, watch, listen to music, study culture, expand my perspectives... I don't care about talking to people in my NATIVE language 😄

[@TheNiallHamilton]

This came at the perfect time! I've been studying Japanese for 7 years now however I barely practice speaking as I rarely need to (except for travelling). Would be really interested in a video about improving speaking / pronunciation as a introvert

[@fenixrock]

It's amazing when you can approach material in your target language comfortably with no pressure of any kind. PS: I saw your instastory with some notes in Spanish. Your spelling and accents are amazing!! Congrats.

[@gabrieljusti8837]

I watch you from Brazil, I've studied English for 2 and half years and your videos help me to keep going. =)

[@arungeswe4114]

Hey, Lindie!! I've been following your videos for a while. I love your contents on learning languages, especially on your Japanese (as an Indonesian, I'm a Japanese learner too and still keep learning it). I'm touched that you've made a video concerning about introverted languages learners. I'm myself not just an introverted person, but also a guy who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome since I was a little kid. It's a form of autism disorder that gives a person of extra abilities (as a gift) and also social cues problems (as an obstacle). Here are my characteristics as an Aspie. 1) I tend to be way too honest. I once accidentally ruined some of my friends’ moments when they were joking about something, and I’m also still having a hard time making a joke or trying to be funny. This is probably the reason why some people I know were judging me being not funny enough or not fun at all. 2) I still have a problem with eye contact when communicating with other people, especially with people who are not close or I just met for the first time. 3) I used to become upset and even angry so easily if anyone dislikes or disagrees with what I like or agree about. 4) When I was a kid, I used to hate other people who are not associated with special needs children. Some of them used to like making fun of one of my very close friends, including myself. Nowadays I’m not hating everyone, but I’m a very picky person on making a close friend. 5) For no reason, I’m so obsessed with numbers. I always arrange my favorite songs on Spotify based on year release or decades. When the World Cup/Euro tournament was being broadcasted, I was checking on Wikipedia page about the World Cup/Euro records (for instance the oldest hat-trick scorer or the oldest goal scorer). 6) I’m a bit way too routined. I become a bit panicked when things aren’t working according to the planned schedule. Not only for my schedule but also for another person’s schedule who is close to me. 7) I do have a lot of curiosity about many things. I already have that since I was just five or six when I used to watch some VCDs about the animal documentary. 8) I totally dislike trying to do or like things that people majority do or like. Probably I would so grateful be called as an anti-bandwagon person. Those characteristics show that I do have gift and curse at the same time. I was so hopeless and thinking that I only could be talkative and befriend with certain people that also similar to me in terms of personality. I also gave up on learning languages because I thought it's useless that why would I have to learn and speak certain languages if I'm still yet to eradicate my weaknesses which is the main symptoms of my aspie. It's quite unusual also that I was pretty so blunt and brutally honest as an Indonesian. Fortunately ever since I started to learn Japanese (still keep going), finally I've controlled my tendencies of being blunt thanks for the Japanese cultural aspects (honne and tatemae). Interestingly, I also understand so quickly on Javanese language which is one of the local languages in Indonesia (I do have Javanese heritage from my dad). I learn Javanese by listening from some videos and some of my friends or family member who speak Javanese (usually mixed up with Indonesian). That language has a (kind of) form of honne and tatemae in Japanese, and Javanese has three register forms (Ngoko for informal speech, Madya for formal speech, and Krama for very formal speech). Thanks to Japanese and also my heritage language, I become less blunt and only being blunt on certain people and situation. For the last few weeks, I'm re-learning my German that I stopped back then when I was a junior high school student. I hope I can make it very soon. If I'm not mistaken, you were also learning Indonesian right? How was learning Indonesian for you? So sorry if my comment is too long and bit self-centered, I just want you need to understand. And also pardon my English. Terima kasih. 🙂

[@eduardoaraujo6504]

English teacher in Brazl here. Amazing as it sounds, I've never thought much about language learning from the perspective of an introvert and the challenges thereof. Thank you so much for enlightening my practice with that video, Lindie.

[@Josh.Proctor]

I love the perspective of learning a language for your own personal plans for use, or based on how you intend to use your hobby. I feel like one of the things that has held me back from learning a new language, or relearning an old language, has been the expectation that I need people around me to practice with and/or that I need to have a conversation every chance I get with people I don't know who speak my target language, or else I'm supposedly not learning it right, or not well enough. I feel like that's an unfair expectation with unfounded assumptions. That's not to say that speaking it won't help with fluency, only that speaking it is not a requirement for understanding the language in the way you want or choose to understand it. What if I just want to learn Japanese so I can read some good manga, or learn Turkish so I can better understand how agglutination works for a conlang I'm making, or French so I can watch classic French romance films? Those are all quality reasons for learning a language, none of which require you to speak the language. I loved this video and the dark side video. Thank you to you and Valeria for bringing the idea of "intended purpose" into the conversation of language learning.

[@hoanghoa5067]

Thank you so much. Your video inspires me a lot 😊

[@clementdulieu4563]

Always a pleasure too see your notifications🥰

[@nebelung1]

Yea, I'm in this situation too and I can relate a lot, thanks for being so open about this! I've been learning Japanese now for about four months and most of my focus has been on writing and reading (as you know with Japanese this is quite an effort, if you have never learned these characters before from a previous language), and I think I will continue focusing on that for a while, because that is what I'm most interested in actually understanding at this stage. Of course I will try to listen and talk some too (to myself probably, haha)... Because then I can eventually connect the words I know how to write with the sounds! I will continue to channel my inner 'ganbatte' and learn things I like and find useful! Cheers!

[@ami.esselink5546]

Thank you so much for this vid, I loveee your vids, my fave youtuber

[@MariaClara-sn3ft]

tbh i dont feel comfortable talking with people at all, even if it's online 😂 when i'm using hellotalk i always post something in my page but i never dm someone, it's a weird feeling bc when you make a post you're technically exposing yourself to waaaay more people instead of talking to only one person in dm, but i still feel more comfortable doing that than dming someone

[@nakomochi3117]

me too 😆

[@tiramisunsun]

same, I'm shy even on the internet, I can't dm people

[@dianarojo-jewell6091]

Same! And I'll respond to other people's posts, but sometimes the hard part is being unsure if I should use my target language or their target language to respond to them (this was especially tricky when I did decide to private message someone once) because I'll get to practice through my target language, but they'll get to practice through my native language..

[@MariaClara-sn3ft]

@@dianarojo-jewell6091 i also used to struggle with this!!! i recommend answering in both languages, writing your answer in the person's TL first and then writing it again in your TL, so, if the person doesn't understand what you said in their TL they can read it in their native language, as if you're kind of a translator. sometimes i dont feel too confident answering in my TL so i say "sorry if it my japanese sounds weird or wrong", but it should be okay if they can get the main idea of it

[@letsbethechange1424]

Thank you so much I needed it 💗❤️

[@TaKex1]

I'm super introvert and I always get nervous when speaking in a different language to a native person, but as you said, the result is usually rewarding to me so that's why I keep doing it whenever I can. I wish I could do it more often tho :/

[@coolbrotherf127]

I feel very similarly. I've studied a lot languages, but I've almost never talked to anyone in the languages. I like enjoying content from non-English speaking creators online even though very few people who speak those languages live where I do. That's why I've studied both Korean and Japanese. There is a lot of interesting content in those langues that I wouldn't have been able to enjoy before.

[@Tanyachen14]

That was a very interesting discussion! Thank you very much for sharing! :)

[@emikoenglishpractice997]

Yes, I’m shy and introvert! For me not only talking to someone also study time is important

[@echelonangel98]

I definitely feel the same. Speaking isn't my main goal. Consuming media is more my want but to be balanced, I'm definitely trying to speak here and there but I'm sure not talking to strangers walking down the street. I hoping to get more practice and get a bit out of comfort zone.

[@AZPirateGirl]

Introvert here! Loved this video. I still sweat profusely during my online language classes from the anxiety of interfacing with strangers. So I totally relate to your story of quivering when talking to strangers. But I am improving and getting better! So it is worth it. A 1 hour class is all I can take at a time right now! 😉

[@pallasathena3761]

Encouraging video! Thank you.

[@learningswedishwithadam2051]

Wow super relatable! I personally like useing hellotalk to chat with natives of my target language, that way I can practise forming sentences by myself but from the "safety" of my introverted home haha. I feel too that language learning is a good "excuse" for introverts like me to meet new friends, since I don't go out much and otherwise would just hang out with already existing old friends at my free time. And for the subject of "why" to learn a language, each to their own as you said, no reason is invalid. For me in the beginning I just had a lingvistic interest in (french), I was just more interested in the language itself than the french people or beeing social, now though I find myself having some new friends and practise partners and it's really cool.

[@MATOKA]

I relate SO MUCH to the "how you feel" after you put yourself out there to use a language. I was living in Japan for some time and got my Japanese to a decent level because I had to use it every day - but I would feel proud after accomplishing even little things, like ordering at restaurants and bars or being in groups of Japanese people and understanding their conversations. But now being back in the US, I rarely use my Japanese and the times I do are when people are asking me "how do you say ___ in Japanese" or telling me to translate something randomly or talk to a random stranger - which doesn't feel as accomplishing or rewarding to me. I'm still trying to find ways to incorporate more Japanese into my life in other ways (that doesn't involve going up to random strangers and talking to them). There are times where you just need to jump out of your comfort zone just to try and see what comes from it, but I agree that it's become normalized to think we need to constantly do that. There will always be opportunities, it's about picking the ones you feel best about. Thanks for making a video like this - I feel like in the language learning community, this is one of the things that isn't discussed very much and it's helped me think about my language learning habits as well.

[@Islamic_gems]

Hey lndie, I'm really happy your back on social media. I love all your videos. Suddenly I saw your Twitte on twitter that you said "I gonna take social media break". Any ways lindie... 화이팅!💗

[@LindieBotes]

I just crawled out of my shell for a little bit, but still trying to cut down on wasting time on social media hehe.

[@justo9564]

The key of everything, I think, is exposure to what you feel frightened of. I mean, you would not find anything that cures more the fear than exposure does. Guess what, you'll be scared as hell at first, but after regular "practice" it will become something you'll perceive as a daily basis thing. A rule of thumb to keep in mind is that everybody feels more or less in the same way with certain things (like feeling judge/expose to other people's opinion). For example, when you feel exposed, everybody tends to feels anxious, but is practice what makes the difference. With practice (exposure) you'll get more and more accustomed to those things.

[@quietlyconfident]

Omg thank you SO much for these. Growing up I was always like “why do I love learning languages if I don’t want to talk to people [in person].” 😂🥰

[@cheerfulturtlegirl]

This is my problem. I actually genuinely enjoy having conversations with people, but I feel more comfortable doing so through writing. When I've been in video calls with people, I've felt so nervous and tend to forget most of what I've studied. It's funny because I struggle with speaking to strangers and acquaintances in English as well. It becomes easier when I develop a good friendship someone and we talk about topics that are natural and fun. This is probably my weakest area of language learning, but it feels great to improve little by little!

[@lasoob]

I'm just like that too! I enjoy learning languages but I can't talk to people. I just enjoy reading it and the process of learning I think

[@afonkuma]

Glad to see you talk about this! For Mandarin, I was lucky I was on a year abroad so the immersion was there without me always putting myself out there. It can be pretty tough to practice, especially speaking, when you’re not confident speaking to new people (regardless of language!). As you say it gets easier after you’ve had the initial few ‘scary situations’. Language exchange apps are a great bridge to build up confidence though.

[@user-zt9qv4cs5o]

feels like Chinese, Russian and Japanese are the easiest languages to practice,( not to learn tho), most of them aren't that influenced by the western media, so they usually don't speak English that well, at least in my experice. As compared to German Swedish or Hindi

[@laurenwilson130]

Thanks for this!

[@SincerelyGwendolyn]

THIS WAS SOOO MADE FOR ME ❤😭

[@Nickel1899]

As an introvert the feelings you described is what I feel when I'm told by others, "hey she knows Korean talk to her." The feeling of fear and anxiety washes over me and everything I learned goes to the floor beneath my feet. After watching this video I agree with you the things you mentioned. I appreciate this video very much! #introvertlanguagelearning LoL!