How to Learn Foreign Languages

[@BassySasskets]

As someone struggling to learn Hebrew as an English speaker hearing an Italian man break into fluent Japanese is a huge morale booster.

[@mikerolfe1842]

This sentence was a rollercoaster

[@BassySasskets]

@Mike Rolfe You're not wrong lol.

[@Bob_the_Build3r]

Hi! I’m planning on learning Hebrew as well! If you don’t mind sharing, what are you using to learn the language? Toda!!

[@BassySasskets]

@Bob the Builder That's awesome! I use Duolingo and Rosetta stone. Duolingo is free and the best place to start. Start with the lessons on the letters of the alphabet so you can learn to read and pronounce the letters and sound words out and then start on the other lessons. Learning the alphabet is one of the harder parts of Hebrew, vowels aren't really a thing in Hebrew and vowel sounds are represented by dots in patterns under or over the consonants and are called Nikud, it takes time to learn to recognize them and tell them apart. But if you start with the alphabet you'll be much better off when you start the lessons on the words and Grammar. Duolingo does a lot of the heavy lifting for learning to read and write the language but Rosetta stone is more effective at speaking conversational Hebrew. It does cost money however and can be a little pricy. Duolingo has lessons on pronunciation and conversation at the end of the course however.

[@angerycamel2]

Hebrew is all about semetic roots and the conjugation of those semetic roots just like arabic. But much like the person in this video, I agree that your learning will accelerate much faster in israel, especially for spoken hebrew rather than litterary or written hebrew. I am self taught, with very limited ulpan in israel and ultimately talking to people, and even more so, hearing other people talk is what made the language flow from a discussion perspective. Reading news papers helped alot with with literary hebrew of course but thats not really how people talk....I also thought watching movies and television would help because older israelis, especially taxi drivers told me thats how they learned english, in the end this did not work for me, I think because their is no urgency of response, like could happen when you are in a natural conversation with someone. In any event, hatzlacha on your journey, hope you can have the opportunity emerce yourself in what is a truly fascinating and interesting language.

[@Orshaan]

At least you kept the Italian gesture when you speak Japanese !! xD

[@metatronyt]

Ahah yes I did ^^

[@Getoffmearse]

Con le mani !! ;)

[@fuckugplus]

Ark ya of yeahh the heads lol

[@fuckugplus]

Ark ya of yeahh the hands lol... true italian realy use thier hand when speaking... mwell it make the video more "alive"

[@MultiJade]

Nice pic fam

[@betavulgaris7888]

Your English is absolutely phenomenal.

[@metatronyt]

Well thank you very much for that

[@1banryukyu]

Thank you for sharing this video. 僕は沖縄県で空手道の練習をしました。すれから中国地方で空手もう練習しました。日本沖縄県に米国軍基地でメアリランド大学で日本の研究の勉強をしました。内地の歴史よりに琉球の歴史が好きですでも江戸時代と明治時代が好き。僕はイタリア語の勉強をしたいです。

[@legoultracreator]

What sid you said about my mom?

[@thebeesknees1162]

1banryukyu I am a beginner and all I know is that you talked about japan and were polite. rip.

[@flaze3]

I concur! Where are you from exactly? Hai un accento davvero convincente :-)

[@medicalofficermedkip8141]

Step 3: Go to the country. *That feeling when you're learning Esperanto.*

[@alessiomuccio2795]

Vero. Mi lernas ĝin lastatempe kaj mi diris tion sub alia video

[@JV-km9xk]

*That feeling when you built a time machine to travel to the time of the Roman Empire to learn Latin a bit more quickly than little Jimmy who speaks 8 languages and is starting to pick up Latin at the same time you are*

[@Dr.Ziyi.Official]

Mate. Your Mandarin Chinese is really good. You get the tones correct. It's remarkable. Like your channel.

[@metatronyt]

+Ziyi Jiang Thank you so much I appreciate :3

[@wjwtywty]

+Ziyi Jiang I immediately subscribed Metatron's channel after watching the video about different 'R's and this one. Brilliant! 哈哈

[@blakewinter1657]

It's also remarkable that Metatron's English has no Italian accent to speak of. As an American it sounds very similar to certain English accents I've heard.

[@jacobbarker544]

+Connor Haraway What language is that?

[@noahhuguenin]

Jacob Barker We will never know

[@Meyour67120]

Swords, history and language huh... You win a subscriber :)

[@nunyabeeswax3112]

I found your channel by accident. I'm amazed how gifted you are at learning and speaking various languages. My native language is American English, but my DNA ancestry is Germanic and British/Welsh/Scottish with some Scandinavian maybe because of the Vikings traveling down south to the UK back in their day. I've always wanted to learn German, and now I'm also interested in learning Spanish too since I have some TV channels in Spanish. I can mimic some British accents a bit which is fun to do especially after watching movies like the "Harry Potter" movies with lots of Brit accents and expressions. I noticed the Brits prefer using the word "whilst" whereas Americans often use the word "while". Also, the Brits love using the word "brilliant" for anything they like a lot whereas Americans prefer just using it for something that is very bright or shiny. And then there is their term for flashlights which they like to call "torches" which to me sounds strange. I wonder how they differentiate between a real torch with fire to a modern flashlight using batteries. I bet if both were next to one another and I said to grab the torch, they would get confused to which to grab. Then there is their slang term "bloody" or "bloody hell" to emphasize something, which we Americans strictly use "bloody" for something with actual real blood on it. Then there are flats for apartments, lifts for elevators, trolly for cart, the tube for subway, etc.

[@zeyrald]

You don't have to tell us that you are Italian, we can tell by your hands moving a lot when talking. I'd like to hear you speaking in Spanish.

[@JoRosieQueen68]

Just about the same thing with the oltsmen.

[@drizzt8991]

many Americans do as well

[@psyco3193]

I moved from about 1year in Québec and although English is quite largely spoken here I had to learn French. One thing that I do I found really useful is to use the moments I spend on the bus or the metro to imagine possible conversations that I would have in different occasions. This helped me to identify the words and the tenses that I needed to study and eventually brought me to learn to communicate (not really speak yet) in French in about 4 months.

[@zer0her058]

If you had not mentioned that you are italian I would never have known. You speak english as well as I do.

[@sniffrat3646]

same

[@WintersunForever]

One can tell English is his weakest language, he speaks slowly and still declines things incorrectly, don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of his, but as a native English linguist the mistakes stand out. His JP and italian are perfect and his mandarin is pretty good.

[@JulieStudies]

WintersunForever Mate, he'd fit in as a native English speaker here in Australia - we would just think he had a British accent.

[@gcewing]

As a native speaker of English (New Zealand variety) I can say that you do sound slightly Italian, or at least non-native. Mostly in the rounded vowel sounds, e.g. in "no" I can hear two distinct vowels run together, a bit like "na-u". A native speaker would pronounce it with a continuous slide from "a" to "u". You've got our "i" pretty much spot-on, thought -- well done!

[@flaze3]

Nonsense. His English is exceptional. I teach English and he is a very solid C2.

[@RuberSocks]

You are the most professional person I have ever seen

[@metatronyt]

Thank you so much :D

[@gunner678]

Metatron I have only just discovered your chanel and i am happy to say that i find it fascinating. you have the rare ability to animate any subject that you choose to talk about. a real gift, not just being a polyglot, but your interaction in every respect.....i have subscribed and will watch you regularly...well done!

[@PumpkinSmasher79]

Totally agree with the first aspect. It's all based on interest and making links between a nation's language, history, culture etc. This is how I got into learning Russian: through reading about historical figures like Rasputin, Nicholas II and Stalin, playing video games in Russian and just don't get me started on the literature... Great video once again, Metatron!

[@parthiancapitalist2733]

Read stalin's speech and te it it

[@grinofthegrimreaper]

I'm Italian too, and I learnt english by playing World of Warcraft and other videogames. Then I spent 3 months in the US, now when I speak english people always ask me if I'm from the US haha

[@wednesdaysixx2213]

"Eat our food!" *Three months later* "HEY MATE, I JUST PAID FOR THAT" *In between mouthfuls of pasta* "But Metatron, you said..." "GET OFF MY FOOD"

[@何でもないです]

Your Japanese is absolutely phenomenal

[@derekofbaltimore]

im glad i found this guy. hes great

[@andrewsmith9174]

Here’s my additional hint: it’s one thing to practice words and learning a school, it is another altogether to converse with native speakers. PUT YOUR EGO ASIDE. You may sound like a drunk toddler the first time. I was learning Spanish from the ground up. I had a collection of words gathered from interactions on the football/soccer pitch and from friends. But trying to speak coherent sentences was hard because I wanted it to be correct. Don’t bother, be wrong. It’s ok. Native speakers are far more forgiving because you tried to learn their tongue. They will help you and be more patient with you.

[@livedandletdie]

The only reason why I know English is video games, I learned to speak English through playing video games. Text only video games.. So not only did I speak English at age 10 better than my peers, I also spoke my native language at an academic level... at age 10... I was a very bored child... then I learned spoken danish as a kid being best friend with a Dane, however spelling is something I never learned, not even to this day, I can read it, and speak it, but I can't write it. If I try I get unsure and somehow end up writing either Norwegian or Swedish.. I blame how similar those "languages" are to each other. Then I started to learn some Icelandic, Islensk, and I should have taken German classes in school but seeing as I already understand it while it is spoken I didn't and hence I can not write that either.. Then as I took a fascination to etymology I learned that many words had Greek or Roman origin so I learned some Latin words, which allowed me to understand some french, which meant suddenly I could read french and understand it in written form, which is a bit confusing as I don't understand it in spoken form, except for oui non, amour. So as it happens I can basically read every European non Balto-Slavic language but not speak them. As a small proof: Svenska är mitt modersmål, i alla fall skriftligt, jag har en sydsvensk eller som somliga säger östdansk dialekt, då min dialekt är en blandning mellan göingska och helsingborgsk dialekt, dock så kan jag tala flertalet svenska dialekter som till exempel dalmål, östgötska, Stockholmska och som alla svenskar skall kunna en finlandsvensk dialekt som absolut inte baserad på stereotyper som att finnar inte kan säga sked eller skaldjursoppa. Dansk er et sprog som de snakker i Danmark og det sprog siger mange at det er et lyd og ikke et sprog eller svenskerne siger at det er så, men så er det ikke. Norsk liker dansk i skrifte men ikkje like møy i tale då Norsk er mere likt svensk. Og min norsk er ikkje super i skrifte. Íslenskumál er et fallegt tungumál. Ég hef litið skilning i íslensku. αλκοηολ is all greek I know.. I only have a greek keyboard layout for certain symbols such as pi π. За Здоровье! knowing how to say cheers is important if drinking in different countries. かんぱい!

[@calebblood872]

I know several guys like you. Back in the 90's videogames and PC games didn't use to be translated in our language (Czech). Many of my friends learned english just because videogames or computers in general.

[@gabrielgutierrez1419]

¡Eres un genio! ¡Y me encantan tus videos! Gracias por subirlos :)

[@BarelloSmith]

It's a shame, altough I was born and raised in Italy and although I can understand the Italian language pretty well, it is still extremely hard for me to express myself in a proper way because I grew up in Alto Adige/South Tyrol and therefore my native language is German. I do like Italian very much and I love the country aswell, I also worked many times in Italian businesses but nothing seems to help. I keep forgeting the easiest words and terms and although I always was quite good im Italian grammar when it came to writing, I always struggle with it when it comes to speaking. Do you have any suggestions? :/

[@sansansansan_]

I empathize with you from neighbouring Trentino.. I have your same struggles learning German ;)

[@mattbrown5511]

Have you considered doing instructional videos for one or two languages? Daily video of 5 words in Japanese or French or Italian would be appreciated more than I can possibly express.

[@AlexLeafy]

YOu said it was easier for you to learn Japanese than Spanish even though Spanish is closer to you native tongue. Stessa cosa hahah... Vengo dalla Bulgaria, ho studiato Russo, ma non capisco un cxxzo. Pero' ho imparato sia l'Inglese, che l'Italiano, proprio perche' mi piacionno come lingue. Anyway, I think your videos are great and the advice that you give on languages is really helpful. I hope it'd be helpful for me, as I look to learn other languages as well. (Portuguese is first on my list!)

[@david_contente]

Good! But there is a little problem... there are two kind of Portuguese languages. I recommend you to learn Brazilian Portuguese not European one, but if you want you can learn both.

[@ndannyphan]

I didn''t know Snape knew any language besides English :-)

[@GC032]

Danny Phan if only his shirt was black, right? Haha

[@Morfeusm]

This is best advice about learning I have heard I'm my entire life! Thank you! I wish I knew this few years ago...

[@Valdoy]

You remind me James May by your way of speaking and your hair ;)

[@jopeteus]

The languages I can speak: Finnish English Swedish German Japanese Also some Spanish and Chinese (in fact, I live in China now. I am learning the language here)

[@Krishna-nu8nv]

That's incredible.

[@jopeteus]

No Life is very lonely I have never had a girlfriend, never had sex, I don't have many friends And I am already 23

[@jopeteus]

Well, both but I am more exposed to simplified characters because I am in mainland China

[@Lord_Epsilon]

I wish you luck in your journey, and don't worry about not having many friends, learning that many languages and going to other countries should be very useful to know people, and you have plenty of time. For example, i'm in the same kind of lonely life as you, but without knowing any other languges besides of Spanish and English, and i've never leaved my country in my 18 years of life, and i don't think i'll be able to travel anytime soon.

[@jopeteus]

Hey, thanks man. I started Japanese when I was 19. You can still get amazing results. And I started traveling more only after I was 21. You still have time, you are young.

[@jasonng04]

I felt that your English was a bit weird because it sounds almost posh but also not xD you have a nice English accent. But wow your Japanese is good. I have been learning for 2 years now and was only able to listen to the first half of what you said, but it was so fast that it was hard to keep up. So I need to practice my listening skills. But reading and writing is less of a problem for me.

[@sillysad3198]

I have learned written English years before I started to speak.

[@zentrucker]

6:07 "with in 6 months I had already lost my accent":. It sounds to me, that you are empathic. I noticed that most people don't lose their accents, not within 6 months or 6 years. even if they love the country and love their wife who is from that country. but some people do lose their native accents and absorb the accent of the host country. and for those people this may happen if they learn the language a little, a lot or not at all. I think it has more to do with feelings and feeling the area then it has to do with actual learning. On some level I believe that these people open up to the area. They allow the location to flow into them. Most other people, I believe , don't do this or can't do it. On some level they are protecting their identity, their sense of self.

[@fukyomammason]

I think (and yes I know this is an old video, but still) the reason English speakers in particular have such a hard time learning other languages is because English is far and away the most useful language to know. It is third in amount of native speakers, but first in total. It is as close to a lingua franca as the world has ever come. Personally I find it unfortunate. I so wish to be able to speak something - anything, really - besides English, but my brain seems to adamantly refuse to allow any other language to get anything more than a fingerhold in my head.

[@soaprincee]

I'm new to your channel. My question to you is how these languages in your brain are related if they are related to each other at all... I'm asking because I'm Chinese and mandarin is my mother tongue, but some how I don't feel Chinese and English is related in my head. It's almost like I use two different regions in my brain for the two languages, respectively. Sometimes I even have difficulties to translate between the two. However, I recently moved to Sweden and started to study Swedish and because Swedish is so much more similar to English, I feel like I use the English region in my head to understand Swedish. I can instantly translate everything in Swedish into English... problem of that is I understand what it means but all the information is saved in English. I do not know how to turn off my English region or solve the problem of this intertwining interference. Do you have any experience that could be shared?

[@alexanderelijah1401]

You really are extremely intelligent aren't you..? That is perfect advice to link a specific thing to a memory that is not something you won't forget but something you could never forget. I've found in my life that some memories are far stronger than others. And those memories that just pop into your head from no where are the perfect form of a memories to link something to. I'm enjoying your videos very much. I think my IQ actually went up a little bit from watching this one alone. Great job keep this indispensable information coming.

[@georgistoilov7954]

Hey, thank you for all the tips! I have also had some experience with learning languages but the hardest thing which I managed to overcome only in English is to link the words in between each other in a sentence. I have seen that mastering a language is not only learning words but also learning how to tie them up to make correct sentences. I didn't manage to learn French because of that. I have had troubles with constructing sentences and at some point (after 4 years without practising it) I have forgotten pretty much everything I knew back then. Could you please give me a suggestion how to construct sentences in the different languages after learning all the vocabulary?

[@austinb7566]

Your Italian is absolutely phenomenal.

[@davidcruz8667]

Ha ha!

[@mellamoem89]

You inspired me Metatron. I'm learning Italian now so I will use your advice to improve my Italian. Grazie mille.

[@Skerdy]

I've learned English just by reading, I mean fiction... granted, I'm a bibliophile, also known as book-junkie, so I actually like reading a lot even if it's a bit difficult at the beginning being a foreign language...

[@GuterHesse]

I would love to learn Gaelic or Finnish.Thank you for this video.You motivated me a lot!

[@GuterHesse]

***** Haha why?

[@taistelusammakko5088]

Siitäpä sitten vaan :)

[@davidu3496]

Ithelped,I was wondering how did you manage to learn so many languages and there is the way

[@TaylorBowenDad]

I legit thought english was your first language. Props to you bro.

[@nageek635]

Very good advice! At least in my experience, a little everyday goes a lot further than bulk studying. Flashcards that you write help too. That and cultural immersion. Great video!

[@metatronyt]

nageek635 Thank you very much for watching my video :) yes I totally agree and I used flashcards too sometimes

[@Landesberg2014]

Dear Metatron, can you please do a Video about how to learn things? specially theoretical stuff? what did you do at the university to learn?, what kind of study skills you use?.

[@Kage5868]

without beard u look soo italian

[@nonifuji1566]

I've been studying Japanese for so long and this cuts through so much BS and gives me the straight up information that I need, unlike a lot of language learning videos that I've watched

[@elgranlugus7267]

Step 3: Go to the country. Ah, well, i mean, gladly i would travel to Ireland, if only i could afford the money

[@TheJoker-cz2rc]

You are truly admirable, how you perfectly handle 3 diferent languages is incredible. My native tounge is spanish, and as you can see I also know english. I really love languages, all of them. One of my ambitions is to know almost every language, but I think thats impossible, still I would really like to learn at least one more language, but I digress, your language handle is truly admirable

[@metalplate99]

Hey Raph!!!! The more videos i watch on your channel the more im convinced that you're an evolved human. Like i think you're the next step in human intelligence bro. You gotta make a video explaining your views on spirituality and what you think about religion. I want to know your own opinions are on religion and or spirituality. I know you've come across some deep shit in your travels Raph. C'mon man share it with me.

[@tullochgorum6323]

Actually, the research shows that watching with subtitles in the target language is quite a lot more effective than watching without. It adds another set of cues the brain can use as memory hooks.

[@GenieGin13]

i agree. but it also depends on the person and their level of proficiency. not all people can learn in the same way. in the case of...if you are fluent enough in the new language but... you're the type to be prone to using the subtitles as a crutch and primarily using your native language to understand the content while not truly really listening to the target language, then the subs would be more of a detriment than a studying tool. at that point, some people learn by turning off subs because it's forcing their brain to switch to the target language and experience the show through that language in order to get the brain to understand the language directly without falling back on your native language for all clues. for this type of student who has a good enough vocabulary and needs to train their brain in using and functioning with that language...watching without subs is a good way to test your speed at understanding the language and see how much of it your ears can catch at normal speed or if you have to go back and replay to listen to the words again.

[@JV-km9xk]

I've been learning for 2 years and turning off the subtitles really hurts my brain and I couldn't pick up a lot of the words being said.

[@tullochgorum6323]

@@GenieGin13 I think you misread my point. I agree that using subtitles in your native language has dangers, but I was writing about subtitles in your target language.

[@dontforgettopackthekids5391]

I've been studying Italian for two months now and will be moving to Sicily in two weeks. Very excited to be switching from learning at home to practicing with real Italians every day. Thanks for this video.

[@TheChurlishBoor]

I remember meeting a German guy in Thailand. He couldn't speak English and I can't speak German. But we both knew Chinese! So we conversed in Chinese. It was mad! We were bemused and amused by that. LOL.

[@TheChurlishBoor]

I don't know Japanese, but I do know some Mandarin, enough to get by. I was able to perceive some Chinese rooted words in your speech. That was interesting. Immersion is extremely useful. I found Mandarin to be incomprehensible in the UK. But in China, it made a LOT more sense, after the culture shock wore off. The discovery of tying characters to occurrences themselves rather than to English words, helped a great deal in understanding Mandarin. It also enabled me to disconnect English words from things, and see words as just another way of labelling and approaching things from cultural perspectives, rather than mindlessly presuming that words are absolute. It's a bit like looking at two paintings of a bridge over a stream, one being an oil painting (English) and the other being an impressionistic water colour (Mandarin). Both are constructed differently, and express aspects of the subject differently, but both indicate the same occurrence, a bridge over a stream.

[@jimmorgan8688]

Chairman cat?

[@TheRichNewnes]

You're Italian?! You had me fooled. This is only the second video I've watched on this channel and I was shocked to find this out. I thought for sure you were from the UK. Amazing! Truly inspiring!. Now I want to learn Italian....and Hebrew. 😁

[@jamesbowden4871]

You sound like a native English-speaker -- except that your accent is very idiosyncratic and not linked to any one area. It sounds mostly like Estuary English, but mixed with some South African vowels (like the "right" when you say, "All right?"). Something similar to me happened in French. French-speaking Canadians often ask me if I'm from Belgium or Switzerland, because they detect something slightly foreign (i.e., non-French) in my accent, but not anything *English*, which is nice.

[@Thalasius]

Metatron have u ever tried shaving with a samurai sword before? :)

[@TaylorBowenDad]

I'm learning Old Norse and Icelandic and sometimes I forget to speak with it daily and I'm like "F*CK!! IDK HOW TO SAY PLEASE".

[@juliantreidiii]

How Not to Learn Foreign Languages: I was trying to learn Chinese and my Chinese friends Wanted to help. I did not know that they spoke five different dialects. It is as if a German wanted to learn the " Romans Language," and his Roman friends Wanted to help. One is speaking Brazilian Portuguese, another Cajun French,, the third Sicilian Italian, The forth Medical Latin, and the filth Romanian and then trying to talk to his friend who speaks Latin, but those are closer. Maybe a Zulu who wanted to learn the language of the EU.... I got so confused I gave up.

[@bdcochran01]

4 years later, I make another observation. You make the effort and even when you are not fluent, you make a connection. A couple of weeks ago I was in an advanced Argentine Tango class. A woman was watching. By her mannerisms, I knew she was Japanese-Japanese and not Japanese-American so I spoke a bit in Japanese. When I encounter a person with an accent, I try to speak a bit in his native language or a language that he probably knows. A guy delivering handout ads to homes was clearly from central Africa so I addressed him in French. He was from Gabon. I spoke to a guy with a broken down car a couple blocks from home. He was from Lebanon, so I talked to him in French. You don't have to be fluent.

[@bdcochran01]

You have to willing to make mistakes. A relative of my late wife came from Modica Alta at age 18. He speaks fluent English now. When he arrived, he was assigned a 5 year old female cousin to hold his hand and go about town for weeks. My girl friend perfected her English by watching reruns of I Love Lucy. Once, I was in the hills of Sicily speaking to a relative of the late wife for 4 hours. If I came to a word I did not know, it was irritating, but so what? Afterwards, I asked what language I was speaking. It was Spanish, but why? Because Nino had lived in Venezuela for 8 years. This week I donated my 60th pint of blood. I spoke to a Canadian national in French who was there. A month earlier I overheard a couple speaking French in Kaiser Hospital, so I joined them in speaking French. I am not afraid to make mistakes.

[@alexcordero6672]

It's funny but his body language changed slightly from Japanese to Italian. I speak English, Spanish, and German and the same thing happens to be but it took someone else to point it out. When I speak English my posture gets "laid back." When I speak Spanish I get very excited and actually stutter sometimes. When I speak German, I've been told that I straighten my back and my voice drops. I'm now learning Russian and nobody's told me if I change.

[@r1madbrit]

I love all things Italian, the people, the history and the arts. Learn Italiano? Impossible! VERY difficili.

[@Readrose8]

Oy same with Spanish! English is my first language but Spanish has been trying to learn, while Hebrew and Swedish come so much more easily. Brains are so funny like that!

[@theromanorder]

Metatron i was hafe way through this vid at the second aspect when i realized. You are just as smart if not smater then cleopactra (its clear im not thanks a.d.h.d) You better make sure Cesar doesn't find you 😂😂😂😂.... Bad jokes are the best jokes

[@notmenotme614]

For a British guy. The hardest thing is the difference in grammar between English and other languages. When learning another language, rather than just memorising individual words. It helps to forget our grammar and think why was that Italian phrase said in that way? As soon as you lean Italians have a different way of saying the same word depending if it's.... I, you, he, she, we, they (singular), they (plural). It starts to make sense. Otherwise you will be using the wrong version of a word. Another difficulty I have is the pronunciation.

[@Apollo5600]

I was born Spanish. Mother claims I spoke spanish as a toddler. I took a year of Spanish in university (and made all As). To this day, can't speak any Spanish beyond como esta, muy bein, y tu? Then again, I never had a real interest in it! Took in school because foreign language was a requirement!

[@Gh0st800]

Fortunately, modern technology allows one to learn a language without going to a country. I live in Russia, learned English playing videogames and watching youtube mostly. Some languages are quite difficult to learn due to not much information available, grammar books don't explain everything, like in Mongolian. I learned it for 4 years, still can't speak it properly and have problems with understanding. On the other hand, Mandarin Chinese at least have all these tutorials online and a better system of teaching, it has proficiency exams and everything is explained in books or online to learn one or another grammar form or a word. Anyway, never made it past HSK4, hope to become good in it.

[@valhoundmom]

I study Finnish, and play with Modern Icelandic.I'm a native English speaker and fluent in Spanish. If one wants to learn a language one will learn if effort is applied. I will say immersion is very helpful. Especially when learning a language completely outside your natal language group. Language learning is very good for hour brain. Including as many senses as possible in your learning process will boost retention. Singing/listening to songs in a language is a great way to learn especially during meals.

[@Gaibreel]

You gotta enjoy the language. You won't go far without having feelings and love for it. I love spanish. It's won my heart plus the different cultures. I want to live in a Spanish speaking country.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Sorry for this personal comment...you look better without the beard, but obviously, your partner probably has a different opinion :)

[@ginge641]

So I have a French speaking exam tomorrow and I'm English. Will revising be easier with a baguette nearby?

[@tiffanyplacencia2296]

First thing I think of when you say mao is panda, because mao is one of the words in panda in Chinese. Xiong is the word for bear, mao is the word for cat, and put them together, you get a xiong mao (aka panda). Xiong (bear) + mao (cat) = xiong mao (panda) I also think of chairman Mao Zedong, because of my Chinese teacher shirt with a cat with a communist hat on. Although I do believe his name has a fourth tone for mao, instead of fist tone.

[@hannablethuhprince7528]

Again, using Metatrons name is very dangerous but you are awesome besides that...You are using his symbol as well but you are not Him... Very dangerous...

[@なにいってんの-s5e]

1:26 actually I disagree with the point that being native english speaker is a disadvantage, for example I am Portuguese and I am learning japanese, if I didnt know english I could never do it, all the materials and youtube videos explaining grammar and everything are in english, all the videos I watched about immersion and language learning and the speeches of stephen krashen, they are all in english, so imo being a english native speaking is actually a big advantage imo, without english i wouldnt know what I know today (not just talking about language knowledge).

[@davidholt1250]

Get a girlfriend--or boyfriend--who speaks the language you are studying.

[@Choutas]

Were you able to properly read Japanese texts before you went to Japan or you reached the fluent level of reading and writing only after you lived there? It feels extremely frustrating to learn how to read and write in Japanese. The oral part of the language isn't that bad and somehow I feel that getting fluent in speaking will alleviate the stress of juggling two balls at the same time. It will at least make the readings unnecessary and a learner only has to focus on the meaning of the Kanji and not anything else.

[@metatronyt]

+Choutas Yes I was able to read and write Japanese, and I had passed already 3 exams of written Japanese with top marks before moving there, but believe me if I tell you that for 3 years I have practiced ideograms everyday for hours on top of my historical and humanistic studies, disciplin is the only way.

[@DimitriMoreira]

+Metatron I am very curious. How to achieve this high level of discipline?

[@blackdeath4eternity]

basic military training? lol

[@jacobjason9879]

a tip for you guys. I know this sounds weird. but try learn the gramar as soon as possible. with it you pick up vocabulary with time. consider it like a tent. you place the poles first. then everything else. one you learn the grammar. you can communicate way much better. also you will avoid many mistakes. then build up your vocabulary little by little. for example. you can know many words of things. but do not know how to put them together correctly. what use of vocabulary if you don't know how to build a sentence properly?. I am now learning spanish. I feel it is easier this way. cheers

[@mr.coffee5220]

I agree with the first aspect. As a native American English speaker, it has been incredibly easy for me to learn French because of my interest in speaking the language of my ancestors.

[@r1madbrit]

The difference is you are intelligent and can REMEMBER. I, on the other hand, am a dumbo with no memory.

[@lydiaschicklin5978]

Your English is stunning ! Your french is good! Bisous d'Alsace 😘🌹🍀

[@tsgillespiejr]

Oh my God, your Japanese intonation sounds native. I started teaching myself Arabic in High School because I wanted to join the Army to be a translator. And when I say in High School, I mean literally *in* school. I'd be sitting in German class studying the Arabic alphabet, or sitting in Algebra going over Arabic grammar. Actually converting to Islam instead of joining the Army made learning Arabic even more important, though! Watching films and TV shows in your language of choice is a wonderful learning aid. It not only helps you get used to natural grammar, but attunes and acclimates your ears to the sound of the language. Also, being able to see a speaker's mouth aids in pronunciation. Having friends that speak your chosen language whom you can share a family meal with also helps a great deal. Have you tried labeling things in your living space? That's also a great aid. It not only helps with learning the vocabulary, but with reading comprehension as well. As always, Mr. Tron, great video!

[@metatronyt]

thank you very much :D or should I say "arigato" ^^ Yes! I labelled things all over the place xD

[@tarnvedra9952]

Totally agree with films and TV shows. I leaned basics of English for more than 10 year at different schools. And while grammar an such are necessary, articles in textbooks were so boring :-) But since I like sci-fi, and watch some every day, soon I was able to switch from czech to english subtitles and after while I didnt need those either. Big help here is amount of english content in the world. Other languages wont be that easy.

[@abu-hurairaibnkayfun2049]

MashAllah bro

[@tsgillespiejr]

***** Liiiike... 3 months? About?

[@ningen7736]

His intonation is not good, unless you are a native speaker you don’t understand what does and does not sound correct.

[@ivorybow]

Do you have advice about how to recover as quickly as possible, a language that has been lost. I used to speak some Spanish, and years of disuse leave me unable to speak. I need to get it back. Thank you.

[@GaberOliver_]

I'm Brazilian and I have been trying to learn languages, english is the first one, and I want to know how to translate book ( book is the tool that use to learn english). I really get to have a talking with a native speak (nor fluently or without making mistakes), and when I am watching a movie or interview I really didn't get to understanding nothing at all. Thank you.

[@vazhalaenenyan2252]

Do you think that using the internet in a foreign language is an effective alternative to using the language (assuming that one already knows a fair deal of grammar and vocabulary)? I mean, nothing is as good as practicing with those who are fluent, but could the internet bridge the gap between fluency and the classroom?

[@Philoglossos]

Fantastico! Quando mio fratello inizia ad imparare l'italiano, lo mostrerò questo video xD. Inoltre, potresti fare un video in italiano? Mi piace guardare i video per fare pratica, quindi sarebbe molto divertente guardare un dei suoi video in italiano! :-)

[@metatronyt]

Si né farò anche in italiano. Intanto se vuoi ho già fatto un video dove spiego come parlare in italiano nel modo più "proper". E' un video diretto agli italiani, ma credo che tu lo possa capire bene :D kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5vIY3yPr8pkaM0

[@Philoglossos]

Metatron Grazie mille! Si, posso capire forse 85 per cento di quello che ascolto xD. È una fortuna che non parli velocemente haha!

[@metatronyt]

complimenti allora sei molto bravo perché l'argomento non è dei più semplici da capire :D

[@Philoglossos]

Metatron Hahaha, grazie! Ho una domanda completamente a caso per te... quanti anni avevi quando hai imparato l'inglese e poi perso il tuo accento? Sono curioso di sapere, perché sarei felicissimo se potrei perdere il mio accento in italiano... penso che il tuo video sia molto utile, ma ho sentito che il mio accento non é esattamente con la pronuncia, ma invece l'intonazione. Pensi che posso farlo? xP

[@metatronyt]

Bathrobe Samurai avevo 19 anni ^^ e farò un video su come perdere l'accento straniero :D

[@Krishna-nu8nv]

You have the demeanour of a saint, very calm... I wanted to know if you have any plans of learning an Indian language.. :)

[@Marius696969]

7 years after the fact and i havent finished the video yet so i dont know if this was stated but it should be worth noting that your starting language does kinda make other languages easier. english for example makes learning germanic and romance languages a little easier since english is a derivative of germanic languages from the norse and other germanic groups living in england at the time, and also romance languages from latin. the US army did a study on what language was the easiest to learn for an english native speaker and i think german was the easiest, i could be wrong but i'm almost positive german and icelandic were at the top with spanish, italian, and french tying at third place. no clue why icelandic was before spanish, italian, and french but if it was easier then i guess thats why. this is also why asian people can often learn the other languages fairly quickly, its a syllabic language family so all you have to do is learn the tones for chinese or thai.

[@mattjb8384]

How would you recommend someone use these methods to learn 2 languages at once? For "table", would you just say it once in both languages before sitting down to eat?

[@gaiapl1424]

It’s so impressive how the sound of your voice changes through different languages. In English is sooo soft

[@MikeGolf993]

Problem is... I can't practise classic Latin because there is no Romans left to practise with :P

[@darkyboode3239]

I didn’t forget the words Tavolo and Māo after watching this video.

[@CleonaPattersoneFluentEnglish]

Thank you for the tips gained from REAL experience. My ESL students will find them valuable.

[@hmmelum]

Tavolo

[@shadeofred7442]

The problem I have isn't saying it it's understanding it when other people say it?

[@milat9287]

You kinda look like Michael Jackson in this video, and I don't know why I didn't catch that way back..

[@Ravangers]

13:36 bro I laughed hard at that. Love your language videos, especially the bible one

[@davidcruz8667]

I knew it! Metatron... truly cosmopolitan.

[@helenallison1637]

I think having a handsome Italian teacher would be an incentive to learn another language! Loved the Japanese.

[@9cookie2monster]

What's better to learn 1st . Reading & writing, or speaking?

[@PewPewPlasmagun]

You call das GERMAN??? Ach du freaking Lieber!!!

[@fastermaster5555]

I like Roman Culture and Ancient Greek Culture but there are hardly any people who teach it so I see no reason to learn a 3rd Language

[@ashleybennett4418]

japanese is supposed to be by far and away the most difficult language for an english speaker to learn