Learning Languages - Why is it Hard?

[@DavidsonLoops]

Steve Kaufman unsurpassed in charismatism and without equal in strategy. A very wise man indeed.

[@Thelinguist]

Aw shucks.

[@Rotten.Apples]

I watched all your videos on how to learn languages. Your videos remind me that I need to be patience and enjoy the process. Thank you Steve.

[@moty6369]

I totally agree with your opinion about school teching system. I hated speaking from the very begging, i called it "cooking from water". Only language taught at basic schools is English, or at least it prevails. Later at high school almost all students are able to speak it. But nobody realizes its the massive exposure to english pc games, tv shows and songs etc. is the thing, that has really helped students to get there. After 2 years of spanish, i realized that i have to think about every word i say and the process of learning is incredibly slow. So i tried to learn much more difficult language on my own, and i can't understand stuff like radio broadcasts very well, but i can understand some newspaper articles and speak relatively fluently after 6 months of studying just with internet sources. It is just irrelevant to teach 20 people the same way. It's not about being perfect, it's about comprehension and improving.

[@TeacherNiaTeacherNia]

Intially..understanding and enjoying. Then understanding, enjoying and producing. That sequence makes sense to me.

[@jakehandler5859]

Wow Steve, that really is impressive that you can be at an older age and still speak lots of languages. Congratulations, keep doing what you're doing.

[@tizbr]

steve, thanks for this interview. it's a really great insight into the mindset needed for language learning, I think it will help me lots

[@Pakanahymni]

For me, difficult isn't the same thing as laborous. Most languages are laborous, but no language is "difficult" in the sense that I couldn't fathom the way it works; it's created by humans, humans understand it, thus if I am a human I will be able to comprehend the logic. Sometimes written languages are treacherous in a sense that they aren't really representations of how people speak (I would name my native Finnish here) but that doesn't mean the language itself is necessarily difficult.

[@Shookieofminecraftia]

Quick question: do people on the streets of Finland speak Finnish? I have met several Finns that speak perfect native level english (much like you actually), and it got me wondering if these people speak it all the time. Thx.

[@Pakanahymni]

Greg Shook Yes, I would say we discuss in Finnish exclusively. An average Finnish person opens their mouth to utter English probably twice per year on average.

[@shk00design]

The first & last problem of learning languages is getting the proper context. A while ago I came across a video where an English teacher in China was talking to a group of students: "First we will introduce ourselves and then we will meet each other". Although the meaning in the sentence is clear, when you're in the same room face to face you wouldn't say "we will meet each other" but instead "we will get to know each other"...

[@andrewl5201]

Of course learning a language is difficult. I think people are more arguing over the definition of "difficult." Anything worth getting in life isn't going to be easy. Now with that being said it doesn't mean learning a language should be boring, it is a lot of fun for me but I do still have difficulties.

[@reinaldogondim]

Parabens Steve, pelo seu excelente trabalho no aprendizado de línguas e ensino de métodos de aprendizagem. Não poderia deixar de registrar a excelente entrevista. Feita por sinal, com muita perspicácia e imparcialidade sobre os temas tratados, com muito bom humor e com com perguntas de grande relevância atual. Thanks a lot! I enjoyed so much!

[@Divercitylife]

What gets me are those people that visit a country for 3 months and pick up the language. 9 months for me and i bearly have a handhold... how do they do it?

[@mellowasahorse]

The truth: they don't. They record scripted movies to serve as clickbait for likes and ad revenue.

[@sasharama5485]

The Only thing i can think about it :they already know a fair amount of the language or they speak another language from the same family.

[@Tiseytooreal]

Steve is knowledge of books and a great man.

[@aidagholampour100]

Exactly when I started the journey of learn English it was very foggy but now all of thing is so clear and achieve new vocabulary easier 👌

[@AlexfromNorway]

I'd like to add that every other northern European country speak English as well, that includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland & my country - Norway :) English is almost as important to us as our own native language, we start learning it in school at the age of six.

[@danielpardo6890]

I'm actually trying to learn Norwegian right now (and have been since 2013). I find it quite difficult at times.

[@shk00design]

In the Chinese community, I find there is a lot of people who think of teachers as their language "masters" and don't do anything outside the classroom except reviewing the class material. The concept of being self-taught (自修) is not common. The Swedes watch a lot of English TV. I know someone who studied Mandarin but stayed away from Mandarin radio programs. He never felt comfortable saying even the basic greetings like hello & thank you. In Hong Kong schools there is a policy call: 兩文三語 (two languages, three ways of speaking) involving Cantonese, Mandarin & English. The local Chinese consider Mandarin as a dialect although by definition Westerners think of Mandarin as a separate language from Cantonese. People there still rely on rogue memorization instead of by phonetics. Most people in HK ended up being fluent in only Cantonese (their mother-tongue) but not in Mandarin or English. A similar comparison in Canada where schools in the English system will get kids to learn French until Gr. 10. Most kids (as Steve mentioned) will end up not being able to speak at all unless they're in the immersion program. I think the Canadian gov't has an accountability problem. The (taxpayer's) money is spent / wasted but without results. So far this has never come up as an election issue for local politicians. The bottom-line is to learn as much as you can handle. Do a bit more each day and push yourself to read newspapers, listen to radio programs & watch TV.

[@gamingwithpurg3anarchy157]

Portuguese is still difficult after 2 years and 4 months 😂 but I haven't given up on it and I'm not going to. I still struggle on all the categories.. but speaking (cause I never get to do it) and listening comprehension. But I also struggle with expressing some thoughts.. especially using the equivalent of "would" "should" "could" and "get" in English. Necessary words that I've looked up dozens and dozens maybe hundreds of times.. but I just hasn't stuck yet unfortunately. Listening comprehension is difficult. Listening to a podcast or yt video isn't extremely difficult.. but when it comes to understanding voice messages or multiple Brazilians speaking (or texting) that is super difficult. I can normally understand just about everything from texting. But when multiple natives are going at the same time.. it's so much more difficult. It is my first foreign language so that makes it more difficult..

[@nubemuffin]

wow, I just got the updated lingq app for android and let me say... its AWESOME

[@Thelinguist]

Great to hear it! Thanks and tell your friends!

[@xyz-pf1yz]

everything is difficult before they become easy.

[@NataMundial]

@KevinJoseph I feel the same, but I study english since I was 4 years old and sometimes for example when I listen to a youtube vídeo or a english film/movie and I only understand a few conversations and not at all! I'm Spanish and for us english language is so difficult, the pronunciation buff, really hard! I feel you and I plea me knowing that english language es a key to work! And is important to me for understand muy favorites english songs! So, luck guy :)

[@hiaslayer]

so by spending time with a language you improve in this language but spending time on learning an instrument/drawing/other skills you don´t improve in this? Makes sense......

[@MaxOmnipresent]

Steve, I am a fluent Australian English speaker from Australia, and am wanting to pick up Norwegian. I have started on some very basic aspects of the language but was wondering if you had any tips on how to make it easier?

[@Thelinguist]

Study Norwegian at LingQ!

[@danielpardo6890]

Well hello. You are the first other person I've seen on the internet that actually wants to learn Norwegian. I have been trying since 2013. Progress is slow and it is quite difficult at times. How has it been for you since writing this comment?

[@MrFury1984]

Steve, good afternoon. Combine words into phrases in the link is possible, and please tell me whether it is possible to divide the phrase? For example "変 だっ た". In Japanese, it is more convenient "変 " and " だっ た"

[@Thelinguist]

You can save words, yes. some words are naturally joined together by our dictionary algorithm and it may not be possible to separate them in the way you indicated.

[@erikouwehand]

nice video

[@rearantes]

Hi Steve. I would like to have your opinion. I was gifted with a Spanish course (beginner level) free by the brasilian government. The course will be given four hours a day, five days a week by two months, at the end it will be 160 hours in two months. You as a experienced language learner, do you think this amount of time can be useful for a language learning? Thank you.

[@Thelinguist]

For sure. If you read and listen a lot, I mean a lot, as a Portuguese speaker you will learn very quickly.

[@Bozewani]

Je me etude francais sin ecole. Je me aprende Francais en Teach Yourself en Internet

[@MasterBreezy]

I like most videos but I found this one of very little instruction. My advice would be going more into technical details or concrete tips.

[@discuss2130]

Thank you for the advice. I am trying to learn Russian. Am hoping it will get easier with time. I realize it is quite hard. Do you find languages get easier, the more of them you know? Some claim it should get easier the more you know. Thnx.

[@Thelinguist]

discuss21 Yes, the more languages you know the easier it gets.

[@raza838]

How has your Russian been coming along since writing this comment?

[@vanguelisk]

have you tried to learn greek?

[@Thelinguist]

One day perhaps.

[@SwordmasterChanneling]

我喜歡你的影片一開始的圖片:)

[@romaapluto]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@ehsant5974]

Steve thank you for all the awesomeness. what's your take on english. Do you think it's difficult. it was my first foreign languge and it was hard for me. the grammar is easy but listening man this hard. especially british accent, I learnt german much easier