Everyone has their own take on effective ways to learn a language. Because of this, last summer I decided to try distilling fundamental truths about language learning that all, or at least most, language learning experts would agree on.
This is the first lesson. You can watch the video here, listen on Spotify here, or keep scrolling down to read a summary.
Feel free to contact me at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any questions about language learning or if you’d like to inquire about taking private/small-group lessons.
There are numerous factors that influence how quickly you reach fluency.
One of the most important ones are time and effort. I personally believe that the time and effort you dedicate to your studies is just as important, if not more important, than the methods you use.
One way I personally embody this belief is through intensive studies.
Intensive studies involve temporarily immersing myself in a foreign language, either by traveling abroad or creating an immersive environment in my hometown. My intensive bursts last about 3-8 weeks on average where I spend multiple hours a day on language learning. In the past, I have typically progressed more through a single intensive burst than I did throughout the entire rest of the year.
Intensive studies allow you to learn quickly even with ineffective strategies.
For instance, my approach to learning to read in Mandarin was far from ideal: I tried to memorize characters by staring at them for a long time. Lol. There are much better methods for learning to read. In fact, my method was probably one of the worst ones that exists. However, I first started using it when I was in Beijing and so I had the chance to stare at characters for hours every day. As a result, I quickly made significant progress.
In summary, expedite progress by focusing on maximizing the amount of time you spend on language learning.
This can be done through intensive studies or even by simply finding ways to squeeze in an extra 15-20 minutes a day. It works wonders. Naturally, time and effort are not all that matter, but they are two crucial variables.
If you have any questions/comments or if you’d like to inquire about taking private/semi-private lessons, contact me here.
Great advice here. I'd also add that an intensive burst of self-study BEFORE enrolling in a course will help you save time and money. Typical language courses are rather slow at A1 levels, but you can achieve the required level for A2 (even B1 in some instances) independently and then get into a higher level class.