StoryLearning Podcast

Della asks: "Do native speakers use a lot of technical terms in their daily language?" In this episode: Why exams can be problematic Are exams relevant to your needs? Exams usually have to be treated like a game... just win! Resources mentioned in this episode: Episode 115: My Teacher Wants Me To Slow Down Read for Speed: 5 TOEFL Reading Tips and Test-taking Strategies for Total Success Start spea...

Vremita asks: "How do you facilitate a good language exchange?" In this episode: Why language exchanges can be challenging What makes a perfect language partner? Tips for making it a success Resources mentioned in this episode: Making Language Exchanges Work for YOU! Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable an...

In this episode, I interview Benny Lewis about his new series of language courses! Click the image below to check out the guides... Or visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/benny In this episode: How Benny's collaboration with Teach Yourself came about About the new Language Hacking series What's involved in creating a language course Hurdles along the way Advice for language teachers creating...

I'm in Thailand learning Thai with my friend Jan. In this episode we talk about how we're studying and what we're up to. In this episode: What we're doing in Thailand How we're studying What happens when we go home? Resources mentioned in this episode: Stu Jay Raj Watch my daily Thai videos on YouTube Language Boost - Jan's new language training company Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalk...

Juan Pablo asks: "Does it make sense for me to learn Esperanto?" In this episode: What are constructed languages? Does it make sense to learn them? How can I reach spoken fluency if there are no native speakers of Esperanto? Resources mentioned in this episode: Actual Fluency - Kris's blog and podcast Why you should learn Esperanto, and how to do it - an article from Kris about learning Esperanto...

Sabine asks: "How can I learn the last 1% of grammar I need in English without studying?" In this episode: Advanced grammar Why a holistic approach to learning is essential at advanced levels Varied reading is important A good teacher can be invaluable for fixing difficult areas of your language Resources mentioned in this episode: One simple strategy for learning the hardest grammar in the world...

Sebatstian says: "I'm a big fan of shadowing and self-talk." In this episode: Why self-talk is helpful (even if it makes you look crazy!) How you can integrate it into your daily life What is shadowing, and how does it work? Resources mentioned in this episode: I'm going to Thailand, to do an intensive 2-week Thai course. Want to follow along behind the scenes? Follow me on Instagram: http://insta...

Kevin asks: "School put me off languages. How can we make sure that doesn't happen to other kids?" In this episode: I'm joined by special guest Lindsay Dow! How languages are taught in school What motivates kids to learn languages How teachers can influence their students' experience Tips for teachers Resources mentioned in this episode: lindsaydoeslanguages.com - Lindsay's awesome (and very yello...

Tony asks: "I'm learning Danish, how can I better understand their pronunciation?" In this episode: It's vital to learn the basic phonetics of a new language Get a teacher to help you It takes time to become familiar with the pronunciation of a difficult language Resources mentioned in this episode: Episode 17 - How much time should I spend on pronunciation ? Start speaking today I’d like to thank...

Juliano asks: "I'm not motivated to speak, but I still need to improve!" In this episode: Speaking is a muscle, you need to practise! How I have struggled with motivation before Things you can do to create motivation in the place you live Resources mentioned in this episode: Olly Richards' Fluency Mastermind - my new private Facebook community Why Motivation and Passion are Everything - read the p...

Rocco asks: "What role should your mother tongue play in learning vocabulary?" In this episode: Translation is useful (and desirable) at the early stages of learning a language Over time, you should move towards doing as much as possible in the target language Being comfortable not understanding every word is an important step towards gaining more exposure to the language Resources mentioned in th...

Mateusz asks: "I have trouble understanding TV in English. What should I do?" In this episode: TV, movies and radio are "larger than life" and often contain language that's not common or everyday Watching TV can help, but it's not a quick fix Focus your study on material can be effectively studied, then use your free time for immersion, using TV, radio, or whatever you like Resources mentioned in...

Marcus asks: "What's the best way to choose intermediate material?" In this episode: There is often no "perfect" choice for intermediate level material The available choice can depend on the language you're learning Don't let the lack of ideal material stop you studying Remember to balance textbook study with your own goals Resources mentioned in this episode: Talk In Arabic - the best place on th...

In this episode, I sit down for a chat with Steve Kaufmann. This is part 2 of the conversation. In this episode: What role languages play in our lives Asian languages Chinese, Japanese and Korean Learning to read foreign scripts Learning languages where reading is not an easy option Resources Mentioned In This Episode: LingQ.com - Steve's fantastic language learning website The complete conversati...

In this episode, I sit down for a chat with Steve Kaufmann. This is part 1 of the conversation. In this episode: Learning and maintaining multiple languages Don't your language interfere with each other? Forgetting languages Resources Mentioned In This Episode: LingQ.com - Steve's fantastic language learning website The complete conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4EFdA3YfFB4 Start speaking...

Yuki asks: "My high school English teacher wants me to speak more slowly. What should I do?" In this episode: There is often a conflict between the way languages are taught in schools and the way you want to learn them yourself When it comes to exams, you need to do whatever it takes to get good grades Beyond that, focus on the long-term Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting...

Freddie asks: "What's the best way to get my head around different word order and sentence structure in a new language?" In this episode: Three approaches to getting used to word order and sentence structure: Learn the rules . It doesn't take long, but is important for you to be aware of how the language works Lots of input . Word order is something you ultimately get used to in a language, so in...

2 weeks ago, I started learning German. In this episode I talk about my experience learning a brand new language. In this episode: Why I decided to learn German My specific aims The time frame I've given myself, and why this is important My strategy for learning German Similarities with English and the opportunities that presents Resources Featured In This Episode Colloquial German - the textbook...

SJ asks: "I'm using flashcards to help me learn English expressions. But am I relying too much on translation?" In this episode: The challenges of learning a language at a higher level Why you shouldn't worry too much about translation Use bilingual flashcards to help prompt you - not to produce a direct translation Why, as a general principle, you should study entirely in the target language Your...

Tomás asks: "I get tired after speaking English for 30 minutes. How can I raise my stamina?" In this episode: My experience breaking through the "tiredness" barrier in Spanish You need to spend extended time speaking a language in order for it to become easier When you're having fun, you won't get tired so easily In your lessons, try to push yourself from the start by defining challenging topics t...

Thiago asks: "I'm learning Japanese. How important is it for me to learn the culture?" In this episode: Why language and culture are inextricably linked Why you can't learn a language to a high level without familiarity with the culture However, if basic communication is your main aim, you don't need to be culturally literate You can get to a basic level of conversation in the language without kno...

Nicolas asks: "Is it helpful to read aloud in Chinese?" In this episode: Reading aloud and why we do it Our experience of reading aloud from school The benefits of reading aloud on pronunciation Why reading aloud has few other benefits for developing fluency Why reading aloud is harmful for developing reading skills Today's Featured Resource: Hacking Chinese: Reading Aloud In Chinese Is Really Har...

In this episode I talk with Luke Thompson from Luke's English Podcast . Luke's been podcasting for over 7 years, and I asked him about the top three things he'd learnt during that time. He chose four things - but I won't hold it against him! In this episode: Luke's top lessons from 7+ years of podcasting: Attitude - It's vital for language learners to ask questions and be willing to fail Time - Yo...

Sergio asks: "Is it a good idea to add audio to my flashcards?" In this episode: Why audio and images are helpful to remember vocabulary The benefits of adding audio to your flashcards Memrise.com The tradeoff in terms of time Why I don't do it personally 100th Episode Special! Help me create an amazing feature for the 100th episode! I'd like to create a montage of voices of podcast listeners from...

Zena asks: "I spoke fluent Chinese as a child, but I've since forgotten it. How can I resurrect it?" In this episode: If you spoke another language as a child, how much you will remember as an adult How to reconnect with the language Finding out what resources you used to like as a child How to approach resurrecting the language How to approach learning an Asian language Today's Featured Resource:...