Language Learners Blog

So far we have focused on ways and techniques we can use to effectively learn foreign languages. We believe, nonetheless, that it is always a good idea to master the language you have known since you learned to speak. While it may be truly rewarding to be able to speak and write in another language, it is still highly recommended to learn and master your own.

In this post, we'll talk about some of the reasons why you need to know your own language before learning other languages.

Truly, the three words "I love you" are some of the most meaningful and beautiful words you can say in any language.

Last week, we talked about the most important time-related words. Let us now focus on the date-related words in the language you are learning.

You might wonder if it is possible to learn more languages at the same time. This is a question that often comes up for language learners. The short answer is yes, but it really depends on your personal circumstances.

Kato Lomb (1909-2003) was a Hungarian polyglot, translator, and author of a number of books on learning languages. In her earlier years, Kato Lomb focused on the fields of physics and chemistry. But later on she became very interested in languages and eventually focused on becoming a linguist.

All in all, Kato Lomb learned a total of 16 languages. Some of the languages she spoke were Bulgarian, Chinese , English , French , German , Hebrew , Italian , Japanese , Latin , Russian , and Spanish. She managed to learn most of these languages through her own efforts. Her main motivation for learning languages was primarily to satisfy her own interest.

Finding the Right Language Teacher

If you are serious about learning a language and you find a very good language teacher who is committed to your success, it is not necessarily enough to have the best learning experience and to learn most effectively.

In this post, I would like to give you a couple of ideas on how to select the teacher with whom you will be able to maximize your language learning experience.

In the previous post, I talked about some of the good reasons for learning a rare language. To help you know more about these languages, I decided to look for online resources for rare languages. And one of the best and most interesting resources I found is the Endangered Languages Database.

Below you’ll find out what the database is, what you can get from it, and how you can use it. I invite you to check out the database after reading this post. You may find in the database the rare language you want to learn.

Have you ever thought you could learn a language if you had more time? Or you could speak fluently by now if you could devote more time to your studies? This time I would like to share a couple of ideas with you about how to use time more effectively.

Asking questions is certainly one of the best ways to get the information you need. Particularly if you are learning a new language, knowing how to ask a specific question can help you properly communicate the inquiry you wish to have answered.

Just out of curiosity, I would like to know a little more about the people who read this blog.

As it is a blog for language learners, I would like to ask you which language or languages are you learning, and why did you decide to learn these languages.

Let me know by leaving a comment below!

I am starting a new series on this blog, in which I will introduce interesting polyglots.

A polyglot is somebody, who uses or speaks many languages. For the sake of this series, I will not provide an exact definition of who is a polyglot. Moreover, I will not stick to any criteria, other than writing about people who know several languages and are interesting for any reason.

Yes, all of this is the same man, plus much more. He not only mastered many languages, but has an extremely common sense approach to learning, interpreting and communication.

I just recently came across his web site, which I would like to share with you: http://stujay.com.

There is a very popular free service, called Meetup, which is not necessarily designed for this purpose, but it can greatly add to your language education. You can find it at: http://www.meetup.com.

It is a collection of thousands of groups which meet in person around the world. Groups are formed by the members, the topics range from professional groups, hobbies, languages, and other interests. The size of the individual groups can be anywhere from a handful to thousands.

This week let's look at the most frequently used verbs. These verbs are among the most frequent 150 English words.

There are different approaches when it comes to learning grammar. Some say that the thorough knowledge of grammar is absolutely necessary when you learn a language. Others claim that it is better to dive into conversation and learn the grammar like children do, by using it. And of course, there are many solutions in between.

Have you felt that you have been learning a language for a while now but you are still not able to use it efficiently? Before you start blaming your language learning abilities consider if you are taking the right approach to language learning. Very often the problem is that you are not learning things in the right order.

Maybe you can read the news, but you can't ask for a glass of water. It is probably because you are not learning the words you are going to use.

In this series, I will provide you with a list of words every week in order of importance. We will look at the most frequently used words, and most frequent situations. You will find the words which you need most often.

Just recently I have come across an interesting and inspirational blog.

The Irish Benny Lewis, travels to different countries to learn new languages. Among many other things, on his Fluent in 3 Months blog he shares his experience with his readers.

Visit the official Pimsleur web site

A set of easy to understand topics is what most of us are looking for in every language learning material. And the Pimsleur Language Series aims to provide just that: a simple and straightforward discussion to help you get a head start in learning your chosen language. 

The Pimsleur Language Series is an audio-based language learning system. Each language course is made up of several 30-minute lessons. Basically, you will listen to the recording and construct words and phrases you would hear from it. It also involves repeating from memory to ensure you remember concepts from previous recordings.

One of the most common goals of language students is to be able to recognize and respond to as much words as possible. Certain individuals claim they have achieved this, with little effort and in such a short length of time. Some have even learned around 500 words in as little as 20 hours worth of studying.

This, according to them, was done through the use of Total Physical Response. In this blog, we take a look at Total Physical Response and how to learn words using it.

We all want to have that extra boost of confidence while we are starting to study a new language. And the best way to do so is to prepare a few things before your first language learning session or course. Below is a list of the most important things which any beginner in language learning needs to have.

Have you wondered about which are the most frequently used words in a language? The most frequently used 2-3000 words make up most of our language usage, even though some languages have tens of thousands of words.

Is it possible to learn a language while sleeping?

Sleep-learning, or hypnopedia, is a very interesting topic you may encounter when you are reading about learning a language. In this process, you would play an audio recording of a language lesson before going to sleep. You would let the recording play while you are sleeping. Then, as its supporters suggest, you would be able to recall and learn the concepts, words, and phrases discussed in the recording when you wake up.

This can be a very convenient way of learning, especially if you do not have enough time everyday to study a new language. In addition, the idea of learning something with little or no effort at all is truly appealing to most aspiring language students. However, it is a good idea to read about what believers and skeptics say about sleep-learning.

Being able to speak in another language is definitely rewarding and useful. And it all starts with choosing which language to study. There are indeed thousands upon thousands of languages in the world. However, through carefully considering a few points, you can succeed in selecting a language you can learn and even master.

In one of our previous blog posts, we talked about things you can do to learn a language more quickly. Here in this post, we are going to talk about the things you need to avoid while you are studying your chosen language. These points apply to your situation, regardless of the language you are studying.

Twitter is no exception when using social media in innovative ways of learning a language. While Twitter does not replace a language teacher and has it's own shortcomings, it can be a great addition to online tools when used properly.

You will be able to find people who tweet in a multitude of languages. Finding a right group of people to follow will enhance your learning experience.

There may be times when you may find the need to learn a new language. Knowing and understanding these circumstances can help you determine how much of that language you need to learn. Doing so can also increase your chances of achieving the goal you have in mind.