Language Learning: Motivation for the Lazy Language Learners

[@Thelinguist]

Yes today is my birthday. I actually made this video yesterday but didn't publish it until today. Many accomplished polyglots, including those best-known on the Internet like Luca and Richard Simcott and others, are quite disciplined and hard working. Luca translates a lot, and Richard attends classes. Both are great language learners. Perhaps I achieve less because I am lazy. However, I enjoy learning and spend a lot of time at it. If I did not enjoy what I was doing I would not do it and would learn even less.

[@ZoQed]

@@storylearning Very interesting !!! Thanks - an English language learner from France

[@skeeter3456]

I'm watching a motivational video about a lazy language learner while I am avoiding doing my language practice, while I am trying to become motivated to do my language practice.

[@keegster7167]

I'm doing the same thing.

[@DREIKVENONW]

It sucks, me too.

[@soundplayground3742]

Well, at least everyone here is doing SOMETHING! Gotta start somewhere. Oh, by the way what progress have some of you made since this video was posted over 6 years ago? Today's date: May 22, 2020.

[@snt_gulab]

I love how at 5:27 he just stops and says "oh, tomorrow is my birthday!" Steve is so adorable. ^-^

[@Thelinguist]

How sweet of you!!

[@Thelinguist]

I don't worry about it. That is up to them. The main thing is to make the learning process interesting and meaningful. and therefore enjoyable.

[@beautyvideos3558]

Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve, What should a person do if he/she studies in the University but he/she founds it unteresting(((

[@alwaysjazzyful]

Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve I truly needed this, thank you! And I'm getting a degree in teaching Chinese ^.^.

[@Virusnzz]

Hi Steve, I just want you to know that as a pretty lazy learner your videos are hugely motivating for me and are the main thing that keeps me going. Thanks heaps.

[@ninamimi6622]

I think I'm similar to you. I have a book with all those fill in the blank exercises etc and it just reminds me of languages at school and how inefficient and boring it is.

[@DeviantMotives]

I would never associate lazy with you. You are the most dedicated person I have come across

[@jthorne19]

Nice one Steve, you managed to sum up my method of learning languages right to a tee. I have often struggled to explain to people how I learn languages and this pretty much nails it on the head.

[@halohalo86]

I'm also a lazy language learner, I find that I can only learn independently by doing activities which exposes me to the more natural, real life uses of the language, like listening to music in the language, watching movies in the language and so on. I often feel that audio CDs from language books are spoken too slowly and artificially, and I prefer exposing myself to how people sound like in real life! no matter if it seems too fast in the beginning.

[@don77frye]

" Learning never exhausts the mind. " - Leonardo Da Vinci !!

[@computerman789]

And exhausting the mind should never be confused with learning. Referencing the pervasive ideation of rote memorization and the rigid and drawn out monotonous tasks which lack the joy that a more creative and intuitive approach would have.

[@avq5]

Funny thing, I've been on KZbin for years and never subscribed to a single channel. Then I come across Steve Kaufman and am instantly drawn to his style of prose, his logic and clarity of thought. So I subscribe to his channel, click on a video and make the startling discovery that we share the exact same birthday.

[@Thelinguist]

That is very kind of you. Cheers.

[@Thelinguist]

Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve And Oct 8 is a great day indeed.

[@glyakk]

I don't consider that lazy, just you know what works for you. Most learning material regardless of subject takes the "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" approach. You already know what sticks so you don't waste time with what does not.

[@AG_on_YT]

I love this advice, just do what’s easy and interesting to you, you’ll still make progress as long as you spend time with language

[@TheMartikaa]

Gratulálok a születésnapodra! Srecan rodendan!

[@alancavalcante7003]

I feel the same as you. I don't like to do the same things repeatedly, because I get bored easily. So when I'm learning a language I choose different kinds of material so that keep me motivated.

[@floodland99]

Happy Birthday! Beyond the language learning I am very impressed with your hockey playing & dedication to staying fit.

[@DiegoGils]

Happy birthday!! Thanks for being so kind and so supportive!

[@JulieStudies]

Happy Birthday! Oh, and thanks for all your interesting, inspiring videos. They're a pleasure to watch.

[@MrJoeMaz]

I love your idea of having all of the information on the front of the flash card. This sure would make the review of them less burdensome.

[@bkwrmgl]

Χρόνια πολλά κύριε Κάουφμαν! Είστε εξαιρετικός.

[@Williamottelucas]

Hi Steve, I think you sell your language learning methodology short when you call it 'lazy' (though I personally have nothing against that word). IMHO, a better tag would be 'relaxed' or 'stress-limited'. Out of all the learning/study styles that I have come across, yours is the one that involves the least amount of stress, and for that reason I rate it highly. Many people make little headway because of over-stress, but you have the answer.. .

[@Light_Speed0]

What a great channel I found, I wanna become a polyglot and I'm studying every day for it

[@hjf3022]

I'm glad I found this. I'm currently reading 'Lingua Latina per se Illustrata', and am really enjoying the chapters, and also listening, but I keep putting off the exercises because I don't find them enjoyable. I was worried I was seriously hobbling myself.

[@CorinMusic2012]

Happy Birthday steve! thanks for your always inspiring videos.

[@NehMahMan]

Happy Birthday Steve! God bless you!!

[@jameschalmers9939]

It sounds like what you mean by lazy learning is actually incidental learning. A nice way to go. It also sounds like you focus much more on the ability of language learning rather than the knowledge of a language - something I totally agree with. Quick questions: would you say you are an analytical learner? how would you actually recommend improving 'noticing'? And apart from learner materials, how do you find authentic language material you actually like?

[@NetAndyCz]

I could not learn English properly until I started reading. Then suddenly it was no longer mandatory study but the joy of doing something I enjoy, and a lot fo English literature has small errors in translations or there are some puns which cannot be translated. I am now almost able to read in French and I am hoping that very soon I will get past that magical threshold and I will be able to "just understand" French literature without having to make abrupt stops or just ignoring passages I do not understand. I like learning about the language, even new characters or some words, but there is this pile of work I have to go through to get to interesting content.

[@PescaitoFrito]

Nice glad you master your English, my native language is Spanish, but right now i'm getting like brain stuck even in my native language, that i forgot some words when talking and thats like kinda hilarious ^^, :/ Also i feel so lazy to learn the proper English, but at the same time i really need the English, what motivate me is to one day be able to watch a movie in full english with the 90% of understood or even 100% idk, i want to sucess, like get motivated to learn English Now the French is like oh gosh its a nighmare to me, the way i try to listen the word, hard to imitate for me...

[@maniw777]

Thank you for sharing your experiences with the rest of the world! Very helpful!!!

[@katsuo504]

Yes you're right, it looks like I lost motivation at the same time I stopped watching anything in korean. I'll see how it goes, thank you for the suggestion.

[@noamteuerstein7287]

I have exactly this approach for languages. It's based on the idea that I simply enjoy doing this. It's the same enjoyment that I had with puzels and Lego as a kid, and now I've grown up and the enjoyment from complexity has grown up as well.

[@didocomeback]

I really love your little bonsai? Logo at the top. Quelle génial!

[@io_usagi]

That time it sounded like Hi there, Steve Coffin! :P Good video! I am also a lazy language learner! Keep it up!

[@shabs124]

Happy Birthday, have a great one!!

[@slashrose270]

Hi Steve!! I think my listening is getting better because I've just listened tomorrow is your birthday! So happy birthday to you. Thanks a lot for your videos and explanations!!! God blees you! I like your videos very much. I have been watching them for one month. You became known to me through AJ Hoje. I'm trying to learning. I'm listening at least one hour audio every day ans started to reading your e-book. Please, Im looking foward to seeing your answer and comments. See you soon!!

[@SteveKaufmann]

If you were once motivated and are no longer motivated, there is not much I can say. Try to rekindle the fire. Focus on movies and drama that you like.

[@koda1082]

Bonjour Steve ! Ton methode d'apprends ces langues es très Bon. Si tu lis et écoute beaucoup, l'écrire et le parler est plus facile. Merci beaucoup et bonne chance !

[@solea59]

What you said is correct Steve. I dislike those " fit the word into the box " examples .They may work a bit but they are robotic. Above all I think context, short useful interesting phrases that you would use in your own language is the best method.

[@halohalo86]

Also, I cannot stand memorizing grammar rules, tables and so on, because when using the language in real life situations, I'm not going to remember these rules/tables in that moment. Usually I just intuitively learn that a certain sentence structure 'sounds more correct' and so I know that it is correct. When speaking a language fluently, no one ever thinks about whether they are using a 'complement of state', or a 'conditional verb'. These things just stand in the way of fluency.

[@flx2525]

I don't answer questions to texts etc. either, absolutely hate it, but I do flashcards - a lot! Happy Birthday!

[@ConorClyneNewEurope]

I really related to the approach in this video. I have also moved away over the last few years from formal study towards only doing things in the target language that I really enjoy doing and also focus heavily on exposure not on memorization of grammar rules and vocabulary. I wouldn't say that makes me 'lazy' as, like you, I'm motivated to learn and have gotten a lot better at 'noticing' the patterns inherent in the languages - perhaps it's about being more 'street wise' with respect to learning. Would you agree, Steve?

[@Thelinguist]

+Language Tsar Absolutely agree. Follow your interests and you will not notice that you are studying.

[@op17567]

i feel the same way.. i am learning Korean. I love to listen to it n read storybooks try to figure out it that way... but i dont like when someone force me to study lists of words n grammer... Thank you for the video... n Happy Bday...!!

[@TheTubetop11]

Happy birthday Mr.stave .. LingQ is great site

[@davidmares6053]

Happy birthday , thanks for the videos

[@ahmedmuhammad2911]

To break the ice with any language, one should begin with some basic vocabulary and then move on with a lot of exposure.

[@MusicMzZ]

Music listening gives me inspiration and motivation every time when I listen to French music (Kate ryan and Patricia kaas) for example in Estonian motivates Urban Simphony and Birgit - Et Uus Saaks Alguse (beautiful language)

[@Jate0000]

Happy Birthday Steve.

[@nickcampanella4964]

Happy birthday steve great video btw

[@TaiFerret]

Happy Birthday, Mr Kaufmann!

[@shizfergus27]

Happy birthday, Steve!

[@nilsboyu4680]

我对您的“懒”的理解是，懒得走捷径、懒得玩假的: D 生日快乐Steve！听您的频道早已成为我每日生活的一部分。

[@keegan7534]

Thank you for this video! This is very help full, and Happy birthday! :)

[@viajerosdelabismo]

Happy Birthday, dear teacher!! :D cheers!

[@vlalimpiev]

Happy Birthday Steve!

[@Allujallu]

Excellent stuff, as always!

[@katsuo504]

I chose korean, at first because I liked the pronunciation and the movies, and now I want to be a french teacher there. (I was a sophomore in Japanese and freshman in Chinese but stopped them)

[@twodimensionsjhr]

I would say I am a lazy language learner.I do things everyday too cause I like to listen and watch in Japanese.I also do flash cards but I like doing them and I like learning new Kanji; because,now I'm finding it a lot easier to remember different kinds of Kanji and i find it fun.I also do read some NHK Easy news,and I follow Japanese celebs on twitter which I try to read what tweet so I can see some of the casual speech. I do have a japanese beginner book that i read but i use it for reference

[@ChaosAngel4274]

Preemptive->Happy Birthday!

[@BlexTrex]

I'm lazy learner too, but it's quite hard to learn kanji when you are lazy :( Happy birthday! It's 9th in my country and this video was uploaded on 8th ^^

[@nanyate]

Happy Birthday!

[@katsuo504]

I don't really have a choice, I study a language at university. I'm just trying to find motivation to learn at home

[@fujitafunk]

Hi Steve, as always I love your videos. In the beginning of this video you say, the only language you actually "worked" at was Chinese. Would you say that, because of that method and way of study, your Chinese is a little different compared to the other languages you have learned? (i.e. More stilted, better/worse grammar, more/less vocab?) Perhaps more difficult to "unlearn" things at which you've worked? Also, Happy Birthday!

[@robgoodwin1262]

Thank you, your video's have been very helpful.

[@nubemuffin]

Hey great video Steve! I don't know if you realize it but you never made an "about learning Italian" video.

[@ahmedmuhammad2911]

Hi, steve in my opinion your approach to language learning is very effective and fruitful.

[@computerman789]

Exactly, I don't agree with terming the approach he takes as lazy, it has a certain negative connotation to it, where as you have very eloquently stated that it ia "very effective and fruitful". The 'spirit' knows exactly how and where to allocate the task and effort necessary for the mind to do its job. If you were to do the opposite and enforce strict discipline with a rigid regimine you could wear the mind thin and promptly quit, to put it succintly.

[@fuchyerr]

when learning an specific language is it normal to get frustrated and try to learn another one bc nothin sticks in, and your motivation dies slowly

[@skinnykidinc]

I would really like a mix between Memrise style and Lingq style. Memrise is amazing for me to learn words, since to me it feels like a video game. However, it is worthless at understanding what you are learning and how to use it. Lingq is great for content and sentences to me, but is very hard for me to get into. Learning to read a Chinese Restaurant Menu on Memrise is an example of building up knowledge that was fun for me, but unfortunately it stops there.

[@twodimensionsjhr]

happy birthday! 幸せな誕生日！

[@ArphenMaethor]

surrounding with the language is a great idea tough it may be difficult if you choose an extinct language like latin. i for myself write postits with the vocabulary and stick them on the corresponding thing. example i write a postit "spiegel" and put it on the mirror so everytime i look into the mirror i read the german word for it which makes it easy to remember

[@angelcaidop4]

I'm so lazy. This video were made for me xD

[@foodpuppie]

Hi Steve, Happy Birthday! Have you ever studied a dead language? My friend just started seminary and is studying the ancient Hebrew, Hebrew-to-English only, and is having a horrible time with it. I don't remember having difficulty myself, so I don't know how to help her. I think what you're saying here applies even if she has to do schoolwork too, but I wonder if you might have any insights into dead language learning, or if you'd qualify anything you're saying here. Thanks!

[@daniellerichardson7373]

Happy Birthday! :)

[@MarkBH70]

I studied Portuguese in university for 3 YEARS!!! 25 YEARS AGO! Until I SPOKE with Brazilians I didn't know the most common way to say How are you? About 2 years ago. I studied after university and still didn't know!!!

[@IainMcGirr]

Man I so like what you say my ex has 5 languages but at different levels but is a total grammar facist.. and actually considering the languages she knows it all similar to her own language German with the exception a BIT with English.. personally Im not a dative case past participle crap.. but I can play most instruments by EAR and I HEAR and repeat and then write down what I HEAR and add after aquiring a bit ..she does not get this .. one of our children is similar to me and she doesnt get it at all Im glad you did this its inspiring and my NEW way and Im mopping up dialogue like a spunge .. I wish more and more language learning would focuse on aquisition over grammar grammar grammar bull crap..

[@ConnorElliot]

Very good video!

[@archundiaolvera]

hi Steve, just one question. How can you keep motivation among your students?

[@muzzi1984]

Hi Steve, happy birthday! :)

[@garrettparson]

Steve when you come across a sentence on lingQ and you just cant for whatever reason understand the meaning of the sentence. Do you spend the extra time trying to figure it out or do you move on to not slow yourself down?

[@SteveKaufmann]

I just move on. I might use google translate for the sentence or a phrase within it but if it still does not make sense, even though know most of the words or have looked them up, I just move on. Doesn't bother me a bit.

[@SpaidaE]

Hey, good luck to you in language learning. :D

[@katsuo504]

So you're saying you just need motivation if you're a lazy language learner ? But what if you don't have motivation ?

[@crimsonfox2398]

Steve a question How long do you think it would take a motivated person to learn Japanese/Ninhongo? And when I say learn I mean to N1 (JLPT) standards.

[@patrician844]

Steve, what advice would you give to improve english pronunciation? Thanks!

[@koda1082]

Bon anniversaire Steve !

[@Spitfireseven]

You NEVVVVVERRRR got so many responses, (comments) so quick.

[@foreverblissful101]

생일축하합니다! 비디오들이 정말 좋아요 :]

[@SteveKaufmann]

Which language and why did you choose it?

[@tiramitsu4882]

Being paid to learn a language sounds like a dream job

[@TheFootballgate]

happy birth day^^ steve

[@SteveKaufmann]

Yep, for Kanji you need to be more disciplined. Good point.

[@TheKingSnake321]

I also love memrise :D

[@GammaTusks]

お誕生日おめでとう御座います。 Gratulerer med dagen!

[@MarkBH70]

Lesson: "Everybody knows an ANT...CAN'T...MOVE A RUBBER TREE PLANT!!!" But he can move crumbs...one at a time! And move a lot! It just takes time, a little effort, AND MUCH ENJOYMENT AND VARIETY. Banging one's head against a wall won't teach one anything, and doesn't work!

[@moundirm4189]

happy birthday

[@Hudanasheeds]

Hey not a english native here, what exactly did you mean by looking for things to help you notice?

[@olegbabak8583]

Hi Steve. I am currently working on the russian language, and I wanted to know what you do to build up your vocabulary. thanks

[@Thelinguist]

LingQ

[@mirayim6974]

Hello Mr. Kaufmann! I just want to ask how it might be you are lazy, although you are a Genius at languages learning. then what am I ? What are we?

[@hootarosetagaya]

If it's not fun. it's not sustainable. yikes. Thnk you :D

[@ReidGarwin]

Im learning Slovak. Its not bad but i am lucky to have my step mom be slovak :) im not bi-lingual

[@Clairesuismoimaispas]

After watching this video I realize I am a lazy learner as well lol; but who cares! I am happy when I learn French and I have confidence in myself and that's the key!! Thanks for the video Steve!!!

[@trevino37]

But I am still wondering if all your work was successful while getting paid to learn Chinese? What level did you reach and how long did you work hard at it?