The Language Learning Show

Understanding the concept of "The Gold Medal Ideal" has made me much more productive and reduced internal conflict. I'm excited to talk to you about it today. My hope is that it: a) Expedites your language learning process and, b) Reduces internal conflict when you start a study/practice session Enjoy the episode! Contact me by visiting https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you...

Language learners frequently doubt if they're taking the right steps to actually reach their desired level of proficiency. It's normal - you've likely never learned a language before and so it's natural to question if you're on the right path. In today's episode, I share a simple process to have 100% certainty about the effectiveness of your language learning approach. It r...

A current Calgary Language Nerds student submitted the question that inspire this video. She was wondering if she should be looking up unfamiliar words when doing reading practice in another language. My suggestion to her was to have Chat GPT open while she reads and to ask it questions whenever she didn't understand something from her reading material. In this podcast, I give further details...

As I've spoken with private tutors over the years, I've noticed that they frequently feel frustrated with students who aren't committed to their studies. In today's podcast, I share my perspective on why this happens and what to do about it. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me @polyglotazren on social media or email me at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/...

I was teaching one of my upper-intermediate level Spanish students today and she told me an interesting travel anecdote. Let's call this student Anna. A few years ago, Anna was in a taxi while traveling around Colombia. The taxi driver was initially quite aloof and rude with her. However, as soon as Anna spoke to the driver in Spanish, his entire demeanour changed. He treated my student and he...

I wanted to make this podcast today because summer is right around the corner and I’ve seen too many people over the years make the mistake of pausing their language studies during this time. In general, I advise against this because: Consistency and fluency go hand-in-hand and, While you may have the best of intentions now, it is very common for people to give up on trying to learn a language by...

Many language learners I come across feel that speaking is one of the hardest parts of learning another language. They feel self-conscious and get frustrated at their inability to communicate with native speakers fluently, leading them to make mistakes such as: 1. Switching to their first language in the middle of a conversation. For example, I was once speaking with a friend in Gujarati and was f...

Have any questions? Don't hesitate to reach out @polyglotazren on Instagram or email me at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact .

In today's podcast, I interviewed Logan, a German, Danish, and English instructor at the Calgary Language Nerds. We discussed a variety of topics, but by far the highlight for me was our discussion around taking university classes to learn a language. Let me explain. Logan used to be an aircraft mechanic, but decided to change careers. He is now in the latter half of a degree in French and Spa...

Timestamps: 0:20 What to do when you understand what someone says, but you can’t reply back? 7:28 I’ve been learning a language for 5 years and I’m not interested in learning it anymore, but I feel like I need to continue due to sunk-cost fallacy. 12:37 How do I learn an endangered or indigenous language? There are almost no resources to learn. 17:32 Do you think it is a good idea for someone to s...

What a fun interview this was! Katrina follows my language learning blog ( https://azren.substack.com ). We were exchanging emails and I thought it would be fun to invite her onto my podcast to nerd out about language learning. The highlight of this episode for me was that both Katrina and I let wonder guide our language efforts. We constantly ask ourselves questions such as: I wonder why native s...

I recently interviewed the Biblical Hebrew and Latin instructor at my business, the Calgary Language Nerds. In today's podcast, I interviewed another CLN instructor. Catherine is a polyglot who speaks English, Spanish, Russian, and Galician. She is also learning French. Catherine has a Masters degree in teaching foreign languages and has taught at the CLN for about 3 years. Catherine will be t...

I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Ruth, the Biblical Hebrew and Latin instructor at my business, the Calgary Language Nerds. Ruth is a polyglot herself who has a high level in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Spanish, Latin, and Hebrew (modern and Biblical). It was fun comparing and contrasting our personal approaches to language acquisition! Ruth will be running an Intro to Biblical...

In this episode, I comment on Dr. Cat Hicks' tweet about feeling axious to speak another language. Hit me up @polyglotazren or email me if you have any comments or questions: https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact

I went to a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class the other day for the very first time. I learned numerous lessons from that class that apply directly to learning a language. Some of the topics I covered in this episode are: structured vs unstructured learning approaches, the level of importance that should be placed on measuring one's progress, becoming a skilled language learner, and more. Feel free to...

This is the question I answered in this video: "I studied Japanese for two years, Russian for two, French for about six, and a little Spanish for fun. However, I never really managed to get to fluency and just seemed to hit a plateau where I could limp along but never got to being able to hold a real conversation. What's your advice for getting past this?" This is the Reddit thread I...

This happens quite frequently. Here are a few tips on how to maximize learning in an immersive environment (e.g., being abroad, working in an environment surrounded by native speakers). Feel free to contact me @polyglotazren on social media email me if have any questions or comments: https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact

TIMESTAMPS 0:40 to 5:19 why do people underestimate the time required to learn a language? 5:20 to 10:47 how many times do you need to hear a word before you start using it in your own speech? 10:48 to 14:29 are some dialects of a language harder to learn than others? 14:29 to 21:36 should we tailor our language studies around topics you know well in your first language or should you use the targe...

In this episode, I replied to a comment from a follower who said the following: "language learning sounds so hard and I'm so tired. Mostly I do 3 minutes a day on Duolingo because I have no energy these days." Feel free to to message me @polyglotazren or email me at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any comments or questions.

I realized recently how much CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and TBLT (Task-Based Language Teaching) have helped me in my language learning journey, particularly at the intermediate level. I explain why this is in this video. Contact me @polyglotazren or by email at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any comments or questions.

A podcast where I discuss switching languages, decision paralysis, and the importance of knowing yourself as a language learner. The writing program I referenced is https://essay.app. Contact me @polyglotazren or at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any comments or questions.

If you're learning a language and feel frustrated about a grammar point, a letter that's hard to pronounce, or even just a general lack of progress, this video is for you. Contact me @polyglotazren on any major social network or by email at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any comments or questions.

In this video, I answer a question from a viewer. This individual wanted tips on what he could do to avoid getting stuck when he hears a native speaker use a word he doesn't know. As many of us can probably relate, it's so easy to get stuck on a word we don't know and then stop listening to what someone is saying altogether. I hope this video helps you overcome this challenge. Contact me @polyglot...

A new idea I've never thought about before. Contact me @polyglotazren or at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any comments or questions.

Newsflash: laziness or a lack of motivation likely aren't at the heart of the problem. Contact me @polyglotazren or at https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com/contact if you have any comments or questions.