Re-evaluate your language learning methods

Someone asked me a question which prompted me to make this video. Is there a right or wrong way to learn a language? That's up for debate - but here are my thoughts, with a special focus on comprehensible input. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Vid I made about MINDSETS you need for learning a language: • Mindsets you need to h...
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:29 Language learning methods
01:04 Comprehensible input
01:53 Are cartoons dumb?
03:11 Full immersion
04:23 I don't review notes
04:43 MINDSET
06:16 Next steps
💕BOOKS I USE
Practical Chinese Grammar → geni.us/Practi...
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Korean TOPIK exam prep → geni.us/TOPIK2...
Short Stories in Spanish → geni.us/spanis...
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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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Enquiries & partnerships: [e-mail]

[@LindieBotes]

Not sure what to write about when you're practicing writing in a new language? Here's a comprehensive, 16-page PDF with prompts and tips that will set you on the right track to start writing. Get it from my store here: www.buymeacoffee.com/lindiebotes/e/78666 Regardless of which level you are in the language(s) you're learning, this guide will be useful as it's packed with 112 writing prompts and activities, writing tips, a 7-step guide to success, and resources that will help you get the most out of your writing. What you'll get - Background information on the importance of writing in a foreign language - Tips for writing if you're not just ready yet - A 7-step guide to writing long-form pieces in a new language - 112 writing activities and writing prompts for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners of any language - Information on the relationship between writing and other language skills - Resources and ideas on where to get corrections on your writing - A discount code to book a personalized language coaching call with me to discuss your writing or general language learning methods

[@bluecandies]

Studying languages actually helps me manage stress, anxiety and depression. When I'm not in a good mindset and can't seem to get work done, studying a bit helps me feel happy and productive again 💕

[@abbymercy4406]

Me too😊

[@atinyblackrose8938]

Same!! For some reason it really helps

[@traingirl09]

I fourth that! What I also like to do to; when I start to feel start or upset. I will start thinking in Russian. While my vocabulary may be small and I may be making plenty of grammatical mistakes. By forcing myself to think in my target language has actually helped me to relax. Also, helps me to start thinking in the language and instead of translating in my head soo..... yeah! Yes, I agree that language learning is a great source for me to reduce stress and anxiety!

[@superanson7]

How funny, learning languages makes me more stressful. Maybe because the way I learn it is problematic

[@bluecandies]

@@superanson7 I think it comes down to your relationship to the language and the reasons you are learning it

[@eeriedragonjiheun838]

Me: Maybe this app will help me with French Lindie: Stop. Get some help.

[@caiosiqueira6138]

I'm learning french too, what method are you using?

[@eeriedragonjiheun838]

@@caiosiqueira6138 Just good ol' studying and trying to sing songs in French. I think the main thing is to make it fun.

[@epicdjyoshi648]

Tbf if you're using it to help you with French, then that's fine, but if that's the only method you're using, it can be boring and often doesn't cover all bases

[@bledanevada4799]

i'm so lazy about French: on one side I really want to be fluent at it, and on the other I just don't have the motivation to study it as I do with other languages xd

[@roots_and_ruin]

@@caiosiqueira6138 Try podcasts like Inner French and News in Slow French :) they are great for improving your listening and you can mimic them to improve your pronunciation.

[@irongretta]

Lately, I follow a similar approach: I don't actively review all of my Japanese vocab every day, I just try to have constant input so that words I encounter pop up again from time to time. For me, this means reading the news, reading posts on Instagram, watching anime, listening to songs, reading a book... There are lots of ways to surround yourself with your target language. You simply have to pay attention to consume diverse content because the words and expressions that are used are totally different. People don't write about their lives in the way the news are presented.

[@LindieBotes]

And isn't this way more fun than reviewing notes? 🤓💯

[@irongretta]

@@LindieBotes Yes, absolutely! 😃

[@MissTasseled]

I do this too, and I was actually wondering recently if my approach was efficient. I'm glad somebody actually brought it up. I don't really drill vocab or go over my notes often. Instead I write them in my notes with example sentences and read/listen a lot. When I come across the word I know I've encountered before, but have a hard time recalling the meaning, I look it up and move on again. I find this repetitive exposure helps to transfer this vocab into my long term memory easier than just drilling flashcards over and over. And it's much more enjoyable to learn this way. I do flip though my cards once in a while to re-expose myself, but again, i don't actively study them.

[@Arctagon]

​ @Evalotte You are right on the money! @@MissTasseled No need to worry. Sounds to me like you are about as efficient as you can get. Also, coming across words in a meaningful context is leaps and bounds better for retention than flashcards. It's more memorable, and thus more easily transfers into long-term memory (i.e. it needs a fewer number of exposures).

[@andym28]

Fun tip is you can sing your notes for review on audio. Choose a backing track on KZbin and sing or rap along. You remember everything and requires very little effort.

[@barnabasvarvolgyi3533]

5 years ago when a started learning German I was watching Pepa Pig, looney tunes and reading children’s book. It helped me a lot. I’ve learned the basics rapidly. After a few weeks I could start a basic a basic conversation. Studying language as a kid worked for me.

[@zsofimakra5104]

It works for me too, I also watch Peppa Pig (Gurli Gris) but in Danish :)

[@bongotoucan7913]

GAgaV8 if you don’t like watching children’s shows then try something like dramas or movies. Run through once with subtitles in your language then again without, see how much you can pick up and remember

[@alessiab426]

@@bongotoucan7913 I tried this for german but I failed. Dramas and movies are too hard for a beginner like me, so I would say that cartoons are better for beginners. Still I woild recommend movies and dramas for intermediate/advanced learners. It helped me a lot in learning english, since my vocavulary became much wider and my listening improved too.

[@arjolakrasniqi405]

Alessia Barcella For me as a person who was literally forced to learn German. (Background: My parents came from Kosovo to Germany and I grew up talking in Albanian and knew barely German. I had to learn it when I started visiting kindergarten and then school.) I recommend just trying to naturally learn it as some mentioned. They talked to me in German so I kinda had to guess what they were saying. And since my German wasn‘t really great either when I started in middle school, I found a way to improve it. My grammar mark was always around 4-6 (1 is the best and 6 is the worst) but after I started reading a lot (thank you Wattpad 🙃) I improved so much that the latest mark I got for grammar was a damn 1. I‘ve never felt so proud I swear. And if you wanna talk to a native, text me and we could write through Instagram☺️ So just try to watch movies and once you understand and still struggle with the written language, you can just read. It worked for me so why shouldn‘t it for you?

[@caiosiqueira6138]

I used to study only by books, I was too afraid to watch content made for native speakers. I just became fluent in English after I downloaded Lucifer(don't judge me, season two wasn't available on Netflix yet) and watched it without subtitles since I couldn't find any in my language. Man, my english improved so much after this (and in a really short period of time) We need to diversify our methods if we want to be efficient.

[@redo-lent3943]

Why would we judge you?!!!.twilight helped me in my english so...

[@_caniche_2405]

Same tbh. I think being a native speaker of a language in which there aren't a lot of subtitles or other translations from popular series just gives us the extra push with English.

[@jordansarkisian]

I've been doing this lately, I watch something once with subtitles to fully enjoy the content (i'm a video guy and cinema nerd I have to do that first) but then I run thru a second time with subtitles off to practice my listening. I hear so much extra stuff and littles subtleties I missed the first time around, it's been an amazing learning tool.

[@toffeekun1717]

If you think what you did is judge-able. I watch Doraemon without subs because it helps me.

[@caiosiqueira6138]

@@redo-lent3943 I mean judging because I download a tv show without paying for it Lmao

[@darrellottah3967]

Your videos are amazing!! every time I’m not feeling motivated I just watch one of your videos then i get right back to the grind !!

[@imnotbrian]

Same!

[@miso2031]

Me too!

[@ppppppspkspdk]

Yes! I was a bit burnout and now I’m re-gaining my motivation 🤩🤩🤩

[@Thomas5k]

Watching stuff that isn't comprehensible at first becomes more and more comprehensible as one's vocabulary and language knowledge improves. I definitely think it's good to listen to/watch things that are't the most comprehensible at first as long as one is also doing things that are more comprehensible and always learning outside of the said listening/watching.

[@filipefsantiago]

exactly!

[@owenthompson5214]

I agree I'm watching a series called club de cuervos and to be honest I can't understand much without the subtitles but I also read a few short stories for intermediates and beginners

[@Thomas5k]

@@owenthompson5214 Nice. I have been watching Korean stuff with only Korean subs and take sentences I can understand sometimes through context. In addition, I sentence mine short stories while also making note of useful sentences I come across while chatting with natives. Then I have very light grammar study, but take example sentences of the grammar and put all of that shit in an SRS.

[@USA2Brazil]

Either they're a lot of liers here or I have a learning disability which hinders me from learning from simply watching cartoons, TV, Netflix etc. Now maybe if your watching the same show 50 times? To organically learn a language. Obviously this applies to beginners. Tried this for years with Brazilian Portuguese yet learned very little. Why: Too much information too soon will results in a mental overload and just like your muscles failing due to overexercise your brain will do the same and simply shut the information out. Many cartoons use slang or informal which is difficult to build upon as you mentioned might not hear that phrase ever again. Watched a few Simpsons episodes with high intermidiate students even they were lost much of the time. Now taking one episode and building reinforcing lessons from it might be a better way to go. Netflix is horrible as the Portuguese subtitles often don't match what is being spoken. Switched backed to English Subtitles. Been doing this for almost 3 years doesn't help much again you have to more engaged somehow like lessons build of that movie or even a class afterwards.

[@asserehe5075]

@@USA2Brazil Hey! I'm Brazilian and just wanted say that watching stuff like the Simpsons will probably be very hard for foreigners (specially beginners) because they do use A LOT of expressions, current Brazilian memes etc... Also, here in Brazil is very common that when dubbing a program (I guess you were watching it dubbed) they will change several references that the characters make to Brazilian references (so, let's say, if in a TV show they comment about something that happened on New York, they may change it to something that happened in Sao Paulo; if they talk about the 4 of July parade, they may change it to a Carnaval parade; if talking about a famous American celebrity, they may change it to a Brazilian celebrity; etc). This may seem simple, but I imagine for language learners it must be very hard to make sense of all the references, memes, idioms and expressions used.

[@FrenchComprehensibleInput]

We're not all entertained by the same stuff. But if you've found some comprehensible input you enjoy, *stick to it and keep it up!* 😃 That's an essential part of the learning process! 🤓💪

[@victorialim]

Yes to comprehensible input!!! I remember starting Spanish in Jan 2019 and feeling so frustrated about not being able to understand anything but within a few months I understood most of what I was watching :) I do have a question tho - do you watch content and be very conscientious about noting vocab/grammar patterns, or do you just let a language wash over you passively? What's the approach that works the best for you? De verdad no me acuerdo exactamente lo que hacía para aprender español jaja

[@aliciap.f.7390]

Well I'm not Lindie but I do both. If you are watching a 1h long ep of a tv show and you are paying a lot of attention it can be tiring and not enjoyable, so I only take notes on my phone when an expression or a new word catches my attention! So it is less demanding and more fun Btw I'm Spanish! uwu

[@victorialim]

@@aliciap.f.7390 gracias por tu respuesta!! Lo que es difícil para mí es entender las reglas por un nuevo idioma :/ por ejemplo estoy aprendiendo japonés ahora y es muy difícil hacer notas porque no sé nada del idioma por ahora jaja

[@aliciap.f.7390]

@@victorialim entiendo, entonces en ese caso es mejor mirar pasivamente para entrenar la escucha y centrarte en ampliar tu vocabulario y gramatica!

[@joaninha3484]

@@aliciap.f.7390 Si si! Estoy de acuerdo. Hay que hacer los dos, ver unos tres episodios de una serie y luego tirar un dialogo y analisar la gramatica y vocabulario...(y)

[@cheongug5747]

@@joaninha3484 por favor could u give me tips how did u start learning spanish iits been a month since i started and i understand a lot of spanish muchas gracias

[@tokyostudies]

6:32 this point is so valid You can watch something in your target language and maybe understand only 50%. Or you can watch something in your native language and not learn anything.

[@tokyostudies]

Also I'm very happy you discussed in this video about getting input from a lot of different resources. I feel like this is often overlooked in the language learning community. People tend to just stick only to a language-learning application and become demotivated after a while, when they realise the results are not coming (as fast) as expected. Thank you :)

[@adngbsn]

Me: needs to study for my exam tomorrow Also Me: Watches Lindie's videos and would rather get back to studying Korean The struggle is real...

[@bledanevada4799]

relatable.

[@anduril2695]

Half of my working/studying time is me learning languages or watching videos about language learning lol

[@byunTAEuP]

Korean ftw!

[@Septiccatgaming]

You guys still have exams?

[@majakragelund1333]

Same 😂

[@TypicalRussianGuy]

''I don't review my notes a lot. I kinda just hope that by all the input that I'm getting from the language that these words will pop up somewhere'' I agree. I also follow this approach. In fact, over the course of the last few months, I've written hundreds and hundreds of pages of notes in Spanish, French, Italian, Esperanto, both with my hand and on the computer. Not to mention the tons of materials I've written in English and Russian over the last few years. And I never reviewed them. And it did work. I improved my skills in Spanish, French, Italian, and Esperanto dramatically. In fact, now I am comfortable in 7 languages (actually 8 if you also count in Esperanto in which I didn't communicate much yet) and I also have around 4 or 6 languages which I'm learning and I'm going to see how writing notes will help me with my Swedish, Ukrainian, and some more. And yes, I should also not forget about audiobooks and podcasts and youtube videos. Without them, my skills of writing alone will not give me fluency.

[@epicdjyoshi648]

You're so right! Comprehensible input is so useful; it helps you understand grammar structures in context, while also having simple enough language that you're able to understand it, and not feel frustrated and like you're learning nothing. I had never realised that there were audio-visual aids in cartoons either! One thing I find though is that every person has different ways of learning a language that is effective for them and fits into their schedule. Some people like intensive study using textbooks, some people like passive learning (e.g. radios and podcasts), and some like complete immersion (e.g. active speaking and learning another language in the target language). For me, it's all about variety. I don't know how some people can stand just using Duolingo for hours a day. I like to use a variety of websites, such as Duolingo, Memrise, and Rosetta Stone. I also use KZbin for listening and write grammar notes every so often (I find that using screens all the time gives me a headache). I'm also planning on writing a diary so that I can see the progress that I'm making and so I can practise new words. By watching this video you've inspired me to do my own plan for learning for my Polish. Thank you Lindie :)

[@sortof3337]

I had been learning French since I was like 7 and watching your channel helped me improve my grammar more in 2 years than my 15 years. Your system is good. I've been learning Japanese for more than 6 months and I am stuck. 😟

[@elenalopezpazos2485]

Lindie you're feeding us with so much content these days we're truly blessed 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@captaind8728]

that person: learning language by watching cartoons is a dumb idea me, who learnt English by watching South Park: ....🙂

[@warrenstates8955]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE watching cartoons!! It’s my preferred way to listen to my target language ( Spanish). I also receive input using a variety of other methods. I listen to podcasts, review grammar rules, etc. You will achieve a greater degree of success when you select methods are are the most motivating to you! Fantastic video! Your videos are always insightful!

[@atomicdancer]

*English Lesson 01 Dialogue 1* _Practice the following English conversation in pairs._ Speaker 1: "Oh my God - they killed Kenny." Speaker 2: "You bastards."

[@coconutpineapple2489]

I've learned English from 4channel.

[@coolboy13499]

me, who learnt english with peppa pig: 😶

[@tyshataitt994]

@@coolboy13499 I am going to try this but with french

[@danilopablo9848]

After 3 years of studying Mandarin mainly through Flashcards, only on my fourth year I realized I should be getting more actual input and realized why I was not progressing the way I wish. I thought I'd be fluent by now, but I'm only upper-intermediate. Time to put in more work by getting meaningful input.

[@bigbong.official]

I love how your videos are shot and edited, there is a cinematographic aspect to it 😍

[@LindieBotes]

What a surprise coming from a quality filmmaker like you! Merci 🥰

[@bigbong.official]

@@LindieBotes Nah I'm just a lazy bum 😜

[@bettybane9915]

I cycle through several forms of input. Since I drive a lot for work, my main form of input is listening. I have audiobooks in Spanish, learn spanish audiobooks, learn medican spanish audiobooks, I “listen” to movies or shows dubbed in Spanish, I “listen” to novellas and noticias. My phone is in spanish and my gps map app is in spanish so all directions I hear are in Spanish. I also “listen” to a lot of KZbin videos that teach spanish. My Alexa is in spanish so the only commander she responds to are in Spanish. I have Steve Kaufman’s LingQ and that has really helped me put the vocabulary in context. Sometimes I do Duolingo just to switch it up. And I have a friend in Colombia I chat with in Spanish. And of course taking to my patients. I’m not starting spanish from scratch since I took it in high school and college but I never really paid attention or cared. My goal is to be pretty fluent, enough where I don’t need a translator to talk to my spanish only patients.

[@joaninha3484]

Muy interesante, gracias! Durante la cuarentena he pensado mucho en mis metodos de aprendizaje. Me di cuenta que gastaba demasiado tiempo recordando palabras con Quizlet y que esta repeticion se habia convertido en una tarea pesada. Entonces he decidido de sumergirme en el idioma, viendo Netflix, leyendo misterios faciles y escribiendo comentarios. No me preocupo si no noto cada nueva palabra. El mejor ejemplo de "comprehensible input" para mi es ver FRIENDS en espanol porque ya se lo que van a decir! :)

[@gerlautamr.656]

Hola, ¿de dónde eres? ¡Hablas Español perfectamente bien!

[@user-md7zm3xq6e]

You're better than most of the linguists and even the TED lecture. Such a unique and valuable knowledge you have. I am also a multi-language user, but teaching and explaining well on a complicated knowledge is a totally different talent from the language skills. (Most of the professors are horrible at teaching and great at their work and research, and they act like they're great teachers, who're following the "Right Way" of "Traditional" way of teaching. When you meet a actual great teacher, it's usually an eye opener. Like many of your videos.) You should be much more than a regular UI designer. You are a treasure of humankind. Possessing DNA born before Babylon. LOL.(Before the language separation). If there is someone who could make a universal language, or improve the Google Translator or other great linguistics works in that context, it would be someone like you. Thanks a lot with the Video. (I am a Korean, check out this channel. You might be interested. kzbin.info/www/bejne/paelhat_fsmNepY )

[@emiliaurbanska3141]

Hi! I'm also from Poland 😊. Anyways just wanted to say that I've started learning korean recently and your videos are really keeping me motivated to study vocabulary. Your videos are amazing 😍❤😁

[@LesCodes]

I apply all krashen's theory since I started to learn languages and now I can speak 6 languages. I am in love with comprehensible input.

[@faithbwire9164]

Do you learn one language at a time or many?

[@LesCodes]

@@faithbwire9164 one by one, I don't understand the reason to learn many languages at the same time. You will miss lots of information, cause you're only learning a lit bit of each language.

[@Reforming_LL]

@@LesCodes True

[@Reforming_LL]

Krashen’s theory should be more mainstream imo.

[@ydalir]

4:23 THIS so many truth bombs in such short time also 🥺wow is this FAMOUS? 🕊🧐

[@LindieBotes]

THANK YOU 🤓💯👌🎉🤠 Not famous; I'll consider your proposal for a million subs vid dedication　笑

[@SeaboltSpeaks]

Great video. All I can speak of is from experience. I’ve used apps for a decade and felt like a didn’t make hardly any progress. I started learning how a child does. IE Watching native content and boom. Things just started clicking.

[@sourcandy8658]

I'm learning my second language. The first thing I did when I decided to learn English, which is the first foreign language I learned (and still learning), I wrote the entire dictionary in a notebook 😂 It's not a good idea but it was a children dictionary with a lot of images and vocabulary so it was helpful. Now I'm using other methods, more immersion and using Lindie tips to learn Korean. It's cool to see the way I'm doing this now it's different from the first time. And funny story I started to learn English because I was used to see a lot of Korean contents with subtitles and just thought would be more easy to learn the one with the same writing system haha. Thank you for another great video!

[@amala1406]

ᴄᴜʀsᴇᴅ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇss where are you from ?what is your original language?! I am also learning english since 2018 i find it difficult but i have to keep going If you would like to practice English with I will be happy :)🌸

[@autobotdiva9268]

@@amala1406 i can help, whats your primary language? native here

[@sourcandy8658]

@@amala1406 I'm from Brazil, my native tongue it's portuguese. how about you? and yeaa i would like to practice with you

[@barbramtz]

I've been loving your recent videos, they're so helpful and inspiring. Thank you so much Lindie!

[@DakotaAbroad]

Yeeeeees. Lots of input from lots of different places. It's so important. People get stuck on ONE thing that they're doing and it really holds them back, especially if that thing is traditional studying. You mentioned the debate around comprehensible input... Is there really a debate about it? There is decades of data backing it up. I mean, there are ways about how and why it works and how best to do it, but people don't really doubt it works, right? Where can I get into some of these debates because all the academic writings I've seen seem to support it and I'd love to see the other side if there is one!

[@ahgase_all_day3544]

It's crazy how our minds trick us. I've been learning Korean for over a year. I use different media sources (music, dramas, variety shows, news channels), took in-person and online lessons, and self study on occasion with vocab and grammar. But i still feel like I'm not as far as I should be within this time frame, so I've started to fall off on my studying. Watching this helped put into perspective that I am doing the right things, I just need to be consistent

[@fiddlevoice]

Thank you for your words of inspiration. It reminds me of my own experience years ago, when I took the CLEP exams in French, Spanish and Italian. I expected to be the best in French, because I had studied it in high school a few years before. To my surprise, I did better in the Spanish exam. Looking back, I had been watching TV and listening to the radio in Spanish, without even really trying to do much studying. Nowadays, (the last 15 years...) I've been working on Mandarin, but since I've mostly been copying characters and looking up their meaning, my conversational talents are way underdeveloped. I have since found a Chinese teacher, and hope to get on the road to improvement...I do have a Chinese TV channel that I watch, but it's way above my level.

[@josephgf9451]

I was searching about busuu. I found you. I am not learning your langages. But gosh! It's the first time I listen something interesting about learning langages. Thanks.

[@pp5love]

I feel like for me comprehensible input helped me SO MUCH when I was learning English. When I first started learning it, I started by literally just translating things in Google Translate (and this was back in like 2010-11, so it was way less reliable than it is now) and texting native speakers. Most of the time they didn't understand me but my 12 year old self wasn't giving up even if I learned the wrong things at first lol. A few months after my mom saw I was learning English by myself and enrolled me in an English class, the teacher was AMAZING and helped me so, so much. He had made his own text book which we used in class and I would take notes from it etc, but I never actually reviewed the notes outside of the classroom or read the textbook outside the class at all. What I did was basically just go home and try to talk to people using these things he taught me, watched shows in English (Skins was the first show I watched without needing subtitles at all and I was SO happy lol), listened to music, etc. He always said I was his best student and he would ask me sometimes what I did or how I studied in front of other students so they could maybe take some tips from what I did I guess? I would always tell them I didn't really study and they didn't believe me. Tbh, at the time I didn't realize that all these things I did in my own time was what was helping me learn and I thought maybe I was just naturally good you know lol. As I got older I realized that it wasn't that I had a magical brain or something but that input was what really helped me. I wasn't scared of making these mistakes when I talked to native people, I just wanted to talk and practice and learn as much as possible and I didn't realize how much that actually helped me! Right now I'm learning Korean, though, and I know that this method could help me a lot again, but for some reason I feel a lot more scared to make mistakes, so I don't talk to natives as much. I realized I'm doing exactly the opposite of what I did when I was learning English, as in, I'm doing a lot more textbook-related learning, and I feel like that is one of the reasons why I'm so stuck in this language learning process. For some reason though, I don't feel like I can really get out of it, idk... But it's obvious that the input method had great results for me, so I'm really trying to get out of my comfort zone and try a similar approach to learning Korean, I just hope I can actually stick to it this time! :)

[@kai200731]

Sometimes I feel my head is a mess about my Spanish English and Japanese ㅠㅠ but I still thinking that learning language is amazing👍

[@goodluck9794]

This was exactly what I ws struggeling with! Thank you for this video!

[@jasminemaedbh7105]

This was just what I needed right now! At the intermediate plateau in french and feeling like I’m wasting my time. Brilliant video as always! Such an inspiration

[@FrenchComprehensibleInput]

Keep it up! 💪😃

[@kylamamber9080]

I learn like a kid, listening to songs and watch kid's shows. I've gotten far enough in German that I can play a game without needing to look anything up. It's not a very wordy game, but still. 😄

[@lzhlee]

I love this video!!! I keep trying to tell my students this, but sometimes - specially with older students who are used to a more conventional, formulaic kind of language education - it's hard for them to accept. I've been lurking this channel for a long time, but I'm wondering if you've ever done or would consider doing a kind of 'a week in the life of a polyglot' video, where you talk about how your language learning process looks in terms of routine. I think it would be really great to see this from your point of view, since you have a separate full-time job, which many of us who aren't self-employed or in the language industry could really relate to and draw inspiration from. A lot of prodigious polyglots who talk about their study routines just don't have realistic schedules for us to model, since we can't all dedicate 3 hours a day to language study. I hope you see this, and I love how your channel has been growing!

[@justrd9]

Right now I'm learning Spanish and French. My Spanish is at an intermediate level and I'm very new to French so I'm approaching them very differently. I'm getting a lot of input from Spanish since there is a lot more available to me and I understand more. As with French, I'm using Pimsleur everyday and trying as best I can to watch shows and listen to music. I'm also talking to a lot more people in Spanish than in French since my French is very limited, and it's crazy how much better my Spanish has gotten since immersing myself in the language.

[@Lucky-lh9js]

YESSSS I agree with all this! Thank you, very inspiring

[@viniciuslsp16]

Started using LingQ a couple weeks ago and is surreal how much I improved my reading and understanding abilities. Of course that the app by it self it’s not the way to go, but combining it with others methods have been helping me A LOT.

[@viniciuslsp16]

The app highlights words you don’t know, and they show up every time you see them again, in others texts. Its basically how it works in case anyone wants to try it out, but it has a bunch of others features too.

[@angelfaithkaimana]

I love variety and am easily bored, and now I'm seeing how these can be ASSETS in my learning languages! I don't stick to just one channel. Right now I'm learning by reading a book in the language, watching TV shows and YT videos, reading tweets, and using apps. I've got iTalki waiting for me when I'm ready. (Omg, I just got to the part where you say you don't go over your notes and you just hope those words will pop up. I DO THAT, TOO! And I would be down on myself for it, like I "should" review. Wow.)

[@OblateSpheroid]

These new videos are looking great. Nice job!

[@hydrocharis1]

Really useful advice which doesn't make the mistake of oversimplifying things, like some other videos. I also think out of experience that both what I call purely active (by studying vocab and grammar) or purely passive (by comprehensible input) ways of learning give slower progress than combining the two. I'm a bit fed up with all those gurus who are so purist and think it is under each circumstance forbidden to have a look at grammar rules or even use a dictionary/translate a word from your own language, while clearly just trying to learn everything actively as it is done in some schools also fails miserably. Also, I agree it is a good idea to just combine different methods and sources, active and passive, writing, reading, speaking and listening, ... 'Holistic' is indeed a good way of putting it.

[@billyriedel6449]

I totally agree with comprehensible input. I watch Dutch KZbin videos, tv show, and listen to music. I will say I have definitely picked up KZbin lingo in Dutch. I am a musician and musical lover. A lot of the Dutch I watch is related to music such as junior song festival and Kinderen voor Kinderen. I also work as a sign language interpreter and have started learning Dutch related to that field. I also have watched videos related to Dutch sign language interpreting. Something I do with tv shows is watch them with Dutch subtitles while the show is in Dutch. I find this helps me to clearly hear what words they are using plus I am hard of hearing and the subtitles helps me to actually hear the words. I do find myself being able to understand a lot of what I watch without understanding every word or phrase that is spoken

[@ne1csteve929]

This was helpful. Trying to rush to learn new words too quickly and trying to understand everything by looking up every word a my natural inclination, and hard to stop. Nice to learn about comprehensible input as a concept for study, i want to learn more.

[@RunyaAikanaro]

I always feel inspired to study after watching your videos! ¡Gracias! Estoy estudiando español, y de repente, puedo empezar leer artículos sobre diseño UX también. ¡Es una idea buena! Saludos de una ux diseñadora en Sueco. 😄

[@gerlautamr.656]

Felicidades, tu nivel de Español es muy bueno. ¿Desde cuando lo estudias?

[@RunyaAikanaro]

@@gerlautamr.656 ¡Gracias! He estudiado durante más o menos dos años.

[@HeavilyArmed1]

You've briefly touched upon this topic in your other videos but watching it here in whole is incredibly interesting. I'd love to have your opinion and thoughts on the AJATT method.

[@baura-kb8iq]

All your videos are so helpful and motivating! My high school French teacher definitely put the fear of language in me, but every time I study myself I feel like I’m breaking down that barrier she put up for me. Thanks for the great video~ 감사합니다!

[@FrenchComprehensibleInput]

So sad that a teacher made you aprehensive, I'm sure this can change! Keep it up! 😃

[@guamicay3784]

This is just what I needed. I have a bad habit of going back and review old vocabularies.

[@AEFic]

Me: "I need to study my languages" KZbin: "yes OR... you can watch this video in English about studying languages" "Just might be crazy enough to work"

[@eadecamp]

I lived in Italy 30 years ago and became semifluent in Italian, but I never realized how little I knew. It has to be what works for you. I listen to Italian radio once in a while.

[@mariacolonart489]

Ha ha that's crazy you read the quote I put on my 2020 goals chart. I wrote down the mini paragraph and shared it at work. I look at it when I feel like I'm wasting time and not grasping the language. I had bought the book on the review you had made on it. There are a lot excersises I can't try out, but I enjoyed it very much.

[@AndyJugglesLanguages]

Another great video. Thank you. I'm the same as your Norwegian friend. I watched a lot of cartoons in Mandarin last year. I think that any input is great, even though it might not seem to be sinking in at the time. I believe it helps to listen a lot even if you don't understand all the vocabulary, you get to "feel" the intonation of the language which is also important. I try to learn languages like children at first, in that I do lots of listening - I'm a fan of Pimsleur. Great tips about recording vocabulary and interesting what you say about words popping up sometimes. Mindsets are really important in learning languages. Overcoming fear is definitely an important thing to conquer! Thank you.

[@AndyJugglesLanguages]

@@iole6199 Hello. I used to watch quite a few on KZbin. I'll have a look for them, and put some links below...

[@AndyJugglesLanguages]

@@iole6199 Channel: ny0204ny is for very young children. There are no English subtitles, but it has Chinese subtitles, so you can watch the characters. I found this helpful because the vocab is basic, and I started recognising more and more characters. Channel: Chinese Buddy which is actually produced by a non-Chinese person, but has catchy repetitive tunes for beginners in Chinese. Channel: LIttle Fox Chinese. I watched quite a few of these stories, such as The Tortoise and The Hare (龟兔赛跑)

[@ami.esselink5546]

This vid was so helpful! Thx so much! Keep on making more great content!

[@AmericanAccentMastery]

Awesome info Lindie:) Especially re: mindset, I truly believe that's THE biggest factor in determining progress.. I wouldn't have guessed that this would be the case to such an extent, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say;)

[@inmythought]

when i learn a new language i usually watch youtubers in this new language and write down some topics, essays in the sample tests (e.g ielts for english and delf for french) i want to learn spanish and thai in the future p.s: hi i'm from Vietnam

[@musikhamster01]

Important to note here: Not everybody has the goal of getting fluent in a language. You can have many different goals! One might be being good enough to pass a class, another might be getting good enough to get by in a holiday. Not everyone needs to get to C2 in language learning!

[@unotwotriquatre]

Instead of 'right' and 'wrong' ways of learning a language, I think there are adequate and inadequate ways of achieving one's goals with the language, which is related to what you said on your video. If you just want to be capable of reading your favorite author's work in their native language, there isn't much point in practicing listening (unless you wanna watch videos or listen to podcasts about the work, similar authors, etc). On the other hand, if you want to have a basic level in all four major competences overall, watching cartoons and reading stories for children might be an excellent idea. However, regardless of one's goal, I also truly believe that input is key. You can't really write or speak in a language you can't read or hear.

[@dr.merlot1532]

Omg! You are at Singapore! I am there too! I think regardless of your language learning method, being consistent in studying is key to getting good.

[@languagecomeup]

Yes! A very healthy video for the language learning community. Thank you.

[@e-genieclimatique]

in brief: In this video, the speaker discusses the question: "Is there a wrong or a right way to learn a language?" They argue that there are ineffective ways to learn, such as relying solely on language learning apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone. The key to effective language learning is getting comprehensible input, which means receiving information that can be understood and applied. This can be done by interacting with native speakers, reading content, and engaging with the language in a holistic way. One viewer mentioned watching children's cartoons as a way to learn, which the speaker supports because it provides comprehensible input. However, they emphasize that using multiple sources and methods is crucial for language learning. The speaker also highlights the importance of having a positive mindset and believing that fluency is achievable. In summary, the video suggests that there are less effective ways to learn a language, but the key to success is getting comprehensible input through various methods, having a positive mindset, and being consistent in language learning efforts.

[@LindieBotes]

This sounds like ChatGPT

[@e-genieclimatique]

@@LindieBotes Yes, I'm learning English, I watch a lot of videos about language learning, after watching a video I make a summary of it, when I can. KZbin has put your video in my recommendation

[@luisangelalvarezbarrera5527]

Lindie I love your videos! I've been thinking that it would be amazing seeing you having an interview with Matt (from Matt vs Japan). Tiene un metodo interesante y un japonés perfecto (para mí así suena xD), y en lo personal me encantaría ver qué opinas sobre ello. 🙏

[@M_SC]

Luis Ángel Alvarez Barrera noooo dislike him.

[@rienzib]

Esther B. Why?

[@meganne022]

Recently I started learning my third language, almost 10 years after I graduated high school. Just because I fell in love with culture. I have to say that diversification came to me naturally - duolingo, podcasts, netflix, music, youtube etc But sometimes I still follow those old habits that they thought us in schools (take notes, revise, learn by heart). What keeps me going it - I started learning English 20 years ago, i still remember struggle and how scary it was to speak to Natives. And now - I'm watching whole videos in English on how to learn another language ;) I like your content, I'm glad yt recommended me your channel.

[@boringajeossi2465]

So... She have Indonesian grammar book in Korean.

[@iletaitunefois0909]

It really helps to learn a language through another language ^^. I'm learning Thai and most of my Thai textbooks are in Korean. The hangeul makes it easier to have a better pronunciation when I'm struggling with the Thai alphabet while the books I use in English or French have different ways of romanizing. It's so confusing to switch back and forth. Textbooks in Korean are also often way cheaper if you can buy them in Korea, and you may have more choice than in other languages (like in French or even English, you can only find a few textbooks for learning Thai, and most of them are pricey, or without the Thai alphabet, or with a depressing page layout).

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@iletaitunefois0909 Thai textbooks

[@_caniche_2405]

That "Polish lesson in Polish only" example that you talked about really resonates. When I started studying English, our teacher spoke zero Portuguese so the classes were 100% in English. In the beginning everything seemed full of indistinct sounds (like when Chalie Brown's teacher is speaking) but words gradually came to make sense. Comprehensive input and confidence in the process are key. 😍

[@Niervs]

Can’t wait for your progress in Tagalog🥰 I’m working on my Japanese in quarantine. I study for at least 30 mins - 1 hour everyday. I have downloaded apps and I’m constantly watching some Japanese dramas. I’m still afraid of talking but I’m trying to get over that fear little by little. You inspire me Lindie. Hope you upload some Japanese contents that can help get over the fear of speaking

[@raulsuhett]

I have just found your channel and I've been binge-watching so many of your videos! I should be studying Japanese, but your videos are amazingly addictive! Hehehe

[@davidoshaughnessy7437]

It’s definitely advice that’s worth trying at least. Thanks!

[@eliaskwola]

Your videos are so insightful, thank you!

[@geovanaandradesoares1322]

I use your videos for learning english, your pronunciation is really easy for understand. Thank you for the good content!

[@altertain]

I'm a language learner and also a lover from South Korea. 영상들 다 너무 좋고, 도움이 많이 됩니다. J'apprends le français depuis une année environ et maintenant j'aime très bien cette langue. As a native Korean, it's quite difficult for me not to study too hard but consistently. Mais j'ai rendu compte que c'est très important de faire tous les jours même un peu pendant que j'apprends le français. 다른 영상에서 "Another person's success is not your failure." 라고 하신 말씀이 정말 좋았습니다. 아마 한국처럼 경쟁이 치열한 사회에서 사는 사람에게는 꼭 필요한 문장일 거에요. I'll carve this sentence deep into my heart as a language learner. Je battrai seulement contre mon moi passé et je ne comparerai inutilement plus. 감사합니다.

[@CadiceClips]

Can't agree with you more...since I started to use a lot of different sources for learning spanish I can almost feel how I understand more every day (I'm also in quarantine and not doing anything else haha). I believe the most important thing is to REALLY immerse yourself in the language aka find content that you LOVE and can't stop watching, reading,... that will motivate you aswell

[@OnlyMusic16]

It always saddens me when people use Duolingo and vocab flash card apps to learn an ENTIRE LANGUAGE without any semblance of a foundation!!??? Moreover your point about comprehensible input is SO IMPORTANT

[@NataliaNNS]

Leaholea I was mostly doing this up until not so long ago and it was honestly so frustrating because I knew more words and some grammar but I felt like I couldn’t translate that into any sort of output/communication

[@michellelyston8566]

@Leaholea I used to do that you know! And you can't just get SO MAD at someone just because they don't know better!! I DID THAT AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS A DIFFERENT WAY! BACK THEN!!!! YOU ARE NOT THEIR MOM!!!!! But I'm not gonna waist my time!!!!

[@orbitch648]

Types of language learners: The one that gives up after 2 weeks The one that doesn’t get anything done The lazy one, but gets the bare minimum done The one doing it for passing that Spanish test in high school The one that listens to audiobooks, cartoons, dramas, music, movies (the one that tries to make it fun) The one that scolds the lazy ones The motivator The disorganized one The organized and “aEstHetIc” one The hard worker The one that only cares about speaking The sociable one (goes to native speakers) The bragger The shy one The pro The polyglot!!! The hyper polyglot!!! The MONSTER polyglot!!! The overworker

[@catherineeASMR]

As always, your videos are motivating and informative!! Lots of love to you Lindie!

[@semperfiarcher]

Biggest mistake people make when learning a language= stopping.

[@testcardII]

Completely agree. Comprehensible input is key.

[@osonhodeleon]

Another great language learning video.

[@jaileneacevedo7598]

Hi Lindie, can you make a video about all the supplies you use? Specifically, the pens, markers, etc.

[@LindieBotes]

If you follow me on Instagram, I recently made a post about all my pen recommendations! :)

[@LindieBotes]

I have a full list here! www.amazon.com/shop/lindiebotes/list/CQ5XAFWDBYAW

[@gsussb_]

This video was ON POINT. I've been learning Norwegian, so I'm watching Norwegian TV Series, reading NRK, watching youtube... Basically input (besides the usual vocabulary building, grammar, etc). There are words that I encounter while learning and I'm like "Oh yeah, I came across this word by watching X or Y"; makes it easier to remember afterward. Awesome video, Lindie.

[@chipschneipps609]

I'm about to Start learning norwegian too, do you have any channels/ books , series, recommandation since i don't have anything yet, did you learn swedish too?

[@gsussb_]

@@chipschneipps609 I've been using 3 courses on Memrise: 2000 Norwegian words by frequency, A1 Beginner Norwegian with audio, and Memrise's official courses. I've been watching series like Side om Side on NRK.tv, Ragnarök and Hjem Til Jul on Netflix, watching Norsklærer Karense on youtube... that sort of thing. Input is key (besides your learning, of course). No, I haven't learned Swedish yet. I wish you success!

[@happydays2633]

I think it's so amazing that you know so many languages! Personally, I struggle with that initial fear to speak to native speakers because of fear of making a mistake but when you realize that it's simply amazing that you put the effort in you realize that it's okay to make mistakes! Keep learning and don't give up everyone 💕🇬🇧

[@balibees9832]

Hi Lindie, thanks for your channel and amazing content. I just found it and I'm really glad I did. Could you do a video about how you learn and practice your vocabulary? I've been reading a lot about Anki and how to use it but my brain is starting to hurt because everyone has a different opinion about it and I don't know what to do! So far I've only used premade decks but I read that creating your own decks is more effective. Anki or not, I would love to hear/read about how you do it because I really enjoy your videos!

[@fuchsadler]

I'm learning Italian through duolingo, busuu, hellotalk, Italian made simple (a free PDF learning book), Coffee break Italian (a Podcast) and drops(an vocabulary training app) actively, while I do watch KZbin videos in Italian and am hearing ti italian music sometimes. I started with duolingo because it was the only language learning app I knew at that time, but after a little more than a week I realized that I couldn't use it as the only source to learn Italian. So I installed hellotalk 'cause I interested in talking or at leatst writing to native speakers and one of them recommended "Italian made simple" to me after I told him I don't have a book yet. And I looked for italian podcasts on spotify, where I found "Coffee Break Italian". After I watched a few KZbin-videos I was interested in busuu, so I made an account and started with it just a few days ago. I asked to recommend italian music, wherefor I made a spotify-playlist with the songs I liked. And just three or four days ago my niece, who learning spanish, recommended drops to me. And now I use all of the tools near to daily Just realizing I could write a novel from my italian learning experience, which is just two weeks and two days old ;-)

[@marianaipiranga4846]

I wish there was an online group, like a discord channel, for people trying to learn languages so we could give each other support and advice

[@eliza3986]

Mariana Ipiranga Diamantino that would be amazing!! there might already be one.

[@marianaipiranga4846]

@@eliza3986 we did one, feel free to join: discord.gg/KSQEWZz

[@J11_boohoo]

I think that their is definitely a wrong way to approach learning a language however I do think that their is no correct way to learn a language for every person I am a Filipino, I speak English, Filipino, and Isnag (a dialect). Though I am great and fluent at Isnag which is my first language I am sort of more comfortable using English in certain cases like in school. The reason why I am comfortable at English was just watching cartoons as a kid. I am pretty great at Filipino and the language itself but my accent is a bit wonky because I never get to speak it and actually learn things in school without a lot of applications outside.

[@Tehui1974]

Great video. Good advice.

[@e_velog]

Comprehensible input is amazing when done right. I took two Mandarin classes in university. The first level was amazing, the second wasn't. Both of them taught almost exclusively in Mandarin, but the difference between both is that the first one spoke slowly, emphasized tones, repeated herself so much and made sure we understood what she was saying before moving to the next thing. The second teacher spoke much faster and never went back on his past sentences. In one case, I learned the vocabulary in class and used my study time at home to push myself and review the characters. In the other, I ended up dropping the class and stopping to learn Mandarin because he made it impossible.

[@caramelatte5477]

My problem is I don't know where to find input resources. I have no problem finding free pdf grammar books, but I wanna leave them apart and start watching shows and cartoons, reading books or short stories, etc... But I have no idea how to find free resources of that type. The languages I am learning are Korean and Indonesian.

[@dormian]

I agree the method to hearing while watching movie, this is the same happen to me when learning Korean. It is difficult at first but later on one by one I get each word repeatably in different scenes or movies and that is the way it is even though it is going slowly.

[@siewlater6371]

Thank you so much for sharing. This helps a lot! 🌞🌞

[@LindieBotes]

So glad!

[@alexanderg.7968]

Yes, a new video. You are so right. And do not put yourself under pressure.

[@josannelochanmd]

I recently started studying Chinese using nursery rhymes, since I have a toddler, so I sing along to the songs and chants. I also have a few apps to help me out and I recently started a search for a language exchange partner!

[@DeeRafatSweileh]

I do find that 'learning visually" helps me a lot. If we are talking about simple things like apple and pencil, yeah it might be easy to say apple is 사과 in Korean instead of pointing at an apple and saying 사과. But if you go deeper in a language, straightforward translation might be in accurate or might not be enough to explain the word properly. That's why the saying "lost in translation" exists 😂. But you are absolutely right. One source is never enough. You need to learn proper grammar, but you also need vocabulary to make a sentence. 😅 so it goes hand in hand. You need to hear the language as well to pronounce words correctly. You also need to make sure your sentences flow properly and actually make sense because direct translation usually doesn't make sense 😂😂 You don't just need to have a list of words to memorize. You need to use them as well. My mom is an English teacher, and she would make a short story for her students to connect the 10 new words of the week. So memorizing like a parrot, THOUGH it actually is important soemtiems, isn't enough alone. Using the words even in the simplest sentences gives you a sense of how it's used naturally. Learning vocabs and sentences about a topic you enjoy is a very smart idea. It's a topic you enjoy, and because you naturally look it up, you'll probably repeatedly hear and read those vocabs and they would stick! Last tip. TALK. TO. YOURSELF. OUT. LOUD . Make sentences, questions, and even answer those questions. Record yourself. You'll see improvement with time and you can even judge your previous old recordings. And you can even ask natives if the sentences make sense and if the pronunciation is correct!

[@thassyasilva8529]

Your video is well explained and I love it! My mother language is Portuguese, but I've been learning english for almost 2 years, I don't know how move on to advanced level 😫

[@annanelson4934]

Thank you for this video because I have two friends five years ago tell me that I couldn't learn Japanese by listening to covers of my favorite songs and/or TV shows. As of today, I'm currently learning Norwegian through a couple of podcasts, an app, and a kids cartoon that I used to watch as a kid in Norwegian.

[@ktdoty9921]

For me, grammar and vocab with duolingo, and then italki lessons at least 5 times a week. First lesson body language and spouting out words, then slowly do this for 5-6 months. You'll get to about an A2-B1 level in my experience. Then after that start learning more complicated grammar, beyond simple past and simple future. And read/ consume content in the language.

[@diariosdelextranjero]

3:40 - Total Physical Response (TPR) This is a very powerful right brain technique for beginners. There's lot of work that goes into making a TPR class. The core belief of that approach is that it is OK not to speak from day 1. This allows you to absorb enough Comprensible Input before making sentences in your L2

[@catherinemadeinbrasil05]

Good video! I added both books that you show in my to read list on goodreads XD but the japanese one will still take some time to me since I'm a beginner. P.s: the example you gave about the pens totally made sense to me, especially because in portuguese we wouldn't say the 'pen' just "brush", AKA pincel. It's such a crazy, scary method to teach /learn and yet seems so intuitive and obviously fast-efficiently (is that even a word? Haha)