StoryLearning Podcast

👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/free-fluency Today I’m answering a question from a frustrated Japanese learner with a 650-day streak on Duolingo. Their question:  What do I do? Do I keep on, do I switch to a different language?  Do you have any advice for a frustrated language learner? I really like this question. I've got so much to say about...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency_goals In this episode I’m going to be talking about this old chestnut: learning two languages at the same time. I’ve got two questions on this that have come from a recent video. Long-term listeners will be very familiar with my take on learning two languages at the same time. But my questions today are about a rather spe...

👉 Grab your FREE guide, Dave Pinto's 7 Best Tips to Sound Like a Local: https://l.storylearning.com/sound-local I am absolutely delighted to welcome to the StoryLearning podcast, my longtime friend, partner in crime and fellow language enthusiast, Dave Pinto. Professionally Dave focuses on language teaching, but many language teachers that I've met over the years in different countries ne...

👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency In this episode, I’m tackling a really difficult question that I feel a lot of sympathy for: how you can learn a language when you have no motivation? I taught English for five years in Asia and the Middle East. I met a lot of students who had to learn English because they needed it for their job. They had no...

👉Join the app waiting list: https://l.storylearning.com/app_wait_list In this episode, I’m doing something a little bit different. I'm going to take you behind the scenes of the new StoryLearning app that I've been building. It's a work in progress, but I thought you might like a sneak peek. I'm pretty excited about it. In fact, I haven't been as excited about something since...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner https://l.storylearning.com/goal_plan How do you bridge the gap between being a complete beginner and not being able to read anything and then doing what I did a few years ago, which is to learn Italian from scratch in 90 days through reading? That's what I'm going to cover in this episode. Mentioned in this episode: Olly Italian project playlist: https://ww...

👉 Grab your FREE Guide, Luca's 12 Rules for Learning Any Language Faster in 2026: https://l.storylearning.com/Luca_tips  I am absolutely thrilled to be joined by Luca Lampariello who has been teaching languages online longer than I have. He was one of my very first references when I first started creating content online. He’s been on the podcast a number of times over the years and here is ag...

👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/TV_movies  I've had a lot of comments come in all asking the same thing: when you watch TV or movies, should you use subtitles or not? Subtitle on or subtitles off? Subtitles in which language? Which subtitle-audio combination is best? I have a rather controversial take on this, which is that I generally don'...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/language_plan Why do we fail at language learning? It's not that we find it difficult, it's that staying consistent is difficult. We set ourselves this target of studying for an hour a day and invariably life gets in the way. And before you know it, three months have gone past and we've done nothing. This is the uncomfortable tru...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/plan_study What's the best way to learn a language as a complete beginner? The whole premise of my method, StoryLearning, is that you learn a language through reading. People understand the concept. But then they say - I'm a complete beginner, how on earth do I start to read? I don't know any words!  So how do you get...

👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluent_resources  How do you learn difficult languages with the StoryLearning method? This is a question that came from Carlos Rabino 5125. He asked - how does your method work with Russian, Chinese, or Japanese? Reading between the lines, I guess what Carlos is asking is: how do you read when the language is really...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Guide, A Polyglot's “No-Method” Method: https://l.storylearning.com/polyglot-tips Stefano Suigo is one of the most interesting language people (if I can put it that way) that I know, and I know quite a few. He’s fluent in 10 languages and can get by in more. A lot of people claim to speak lots of languages, but Stefano is the real deal, and I know he is because I&#39...

👉 Grab your FREE Grammar and Vocabulary Study Sheet: https://l.storylearning.com/learn-vocab  In this episode I'm going to tackle the second most popular question I've ever been asked about language learning: How do I stop translating in my head? It is easy to say "stop translating in your head" and that is well-intentioned advice, but not very practical. The truth is, translati...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/set-goals What do you do if you hate the language you're learning? Is this even possible? I'm tackling a genuine listener question about this topic. It's something that can happen to a lot of immigrants, but there is a way around it. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://sto...

👉 Grab your FREE StoryLearning Blueprint: https://l.storylearning.com/free_story In this episode of the StoryLearning podcast, I reconnect with longtime language-learning friend Kerstin Cable, creator of The Fluent Show podcast and teacher on my course, German Uncovered. Kerstin is one of my oldest internet friends who gave me some excellent advice in the early days of my blog that I still rememb...

👉 Grab your FREE Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/free_planner There are all kinds of techniques and tricks and that you can use to learn a language. But they're all just that - tactics and techniques. In today’s episode, I’m answering an interesting question about the deep truths that I’ve learned over the years that I’d like to pass on to the next generation of language learners. L...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Difficulty Guide: https://l.storylearning.com/free_difficulty Today's question is about the most asked about topic in the more than 10-year history of this podcast: learning two languages. So many of us want to learn tons of languages, so we often study two at once. And then we realise, hang on, this is creating a few problems because we get muddled up. This episode...

👉 Grab your FREE Grammar and Vocabulary Study Sheet : https://l.storylearning.com/read_sheet I'm always going on about why it's so important to read a lot if you want to learn a new language - and I'll do it again in this episode. But is it enough to be able to speak a language fluently? Links mentioned in this video: Reverse translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VXmDiBfzwA 👉...

👉 Grab your FREE StoryLearning Blueprint: https://l.storylearning.com/free_fluency In this episode of the StoryLearning podcast I chat to my good friend and fellow podcaster Anna Tyrie, creator of the popular YouTube channel, English Like A Native. Anna started her career in acting and, via some twists and turns, made her way into teaching English to an audience of millions on YouTube. You’ll dis...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/lang_goals  Can you be too old to learn a language? What about kids? They soak up languages like a sponge, so surely that means there's never any chance of me learning another language. Well, we'll see about that. Tune in for some inspiring examples of 60 + people learning languages and tips for any age. 👉 Got a question...

👉 Get your FREE Grammar and Vocab Study Sheet: https://l.storylearning.com/study_kanji In this episode, I tackle a question from four years ago, but the topic is as relevant as ever: how to learn Japanese kanji. There are strong opinions online about the best way to learn Japanese, kanji included. I share my experience from learning Japanese in Japan and what I would do if I could start learning...

👉 Get your FREE Grammar and Vocab Study Sheet: https://l.storylearning.com/free_vocab In this episode,  we're revisiting a topic that I feel we'll be talking about until the end of time.  The sun's going to expand to engulf the Earth and we're all going to be frazzled up like sausages and I'll be there until the end talking about this topic, which is flashcards. 👉 Got a quest...

👉 Get your FREE StoryLearning Blueprint: https://l.storylearning.com/learn_stories In this episode of the StoryLearning podcast I chat to my good friend and fellow language enthusiast John Fotheringham, creator of Anywhere Immersion. John has been blogging and podcasting about language learning since 2009 and his podcast (formerly the Language Mastery Podcast) was the first one I ever went on! No...

👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/test_goals Should you bother taking language proficiency tests like IELTS ( International English Language Testing System) or the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)? Two listeners asked me the similar questions about exams. As a former IELTS examiner and as someone who took the JLPT, I’ve got thoughts on the matter! 👉 Got...

👉 Grab your FREE Grammar and Vocabulary Study Sheet: https://l.storylearning.com/vocab_sheet  Today we've got a question that is going to strike to the heart of every single language learner listening to this podcast: why can’t I remember the words I know when I’m speaking? It’s something we all struggle with and it’s perfectly normal. In this video, I share 3 techniques to help you overcome...