Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

📚 In this video, I explain the best way to improve your speaking skills, why vocabulary tends to be more important than grammar, why second-guessing grammar harms your ability to communicate, and why you don't need to STUDY grammar rules to correctly FOLLOW them.

⏳ Some people swear by "spaced repetition systems" (SRS). Others think they are waste of time. What's my take? I've learned 20 languages so far in my life, but have only relied on spaced repetition for a few specific needs in language learning. Watch on to see what those use cases are and what approach I think is generally more effective than using an SRS app.

🧠 The brain acquires languages through lots exposure of input, NOT the conscious memorization of grammar rules and vocabulary. This is a good news! In this video, I share 3 major benefits of learning languages in a natural, non-rules-based way.

👶 Everyone knows that children are better language learners, right? Well, the truth is not so simple... While children do have SOME advantages when it comes to language learning (e.g. pronunciation), we adults run circles around the little ones in other ways! In this video, I detail the similarities and differences between first and second language acquisition and the various linguistic and psychological advantages and disadvantages held by babies and adults.

📖 If we want to speak a language fluently, we first have to memorize a bunch of rules, right? Wrong! 🧠 It turns out that our brains will automatically internalize a language's underlying patterns when we get enough exposure and practice. So instead of spending all your time memorizing rules, focus on reading and listening. This approach is more natural AND more fun. To be clear, I am not saying that you shouldn't use proper grammar in your target language. Syntax certainly DOES matter. What I am saying is that you will naturally pick up the correct patterns with time. As polyglot Barry Farber put it, "You do not have to KNOW grammar to OBEY grammar.”

🚪 Languages can unlock doors you never even knew existed, but you first have to reach out and turn the handle. The doors won't open themselves. Don't overthink decisions. Just take action and see where the language learning adventure leads you! I've made a number of pivotal decisions that completely changed the trajectory of my life, languages, and career... Hopping on a Europe-bound ship at age 19. Switching my major to Political Science and then studying in Paris. Moving to Hong Kong to learn Mandarin in the late 1960s. I could have easily overthought these decisions and decided otherwise. But the key is that I made a decision and took action. Just do it!

❓What is the most difficult language to learn? The short answer? It depends! The difficulty of a language depends on a number of critical factors, 6 of which I share in this video. I also explain why certain languages tend to be more difficult than others, and why ONE language has been particularly challenging for me. Later in the video, I am joined by the Chinese polyglot Zoe from @zoe.languages. It turns out that she has ALSO found this same language to be the most difficult one out of the 6 she has learned, despite our different native languages...

I’ve learned 20 languages so far, and I usually enjoy the process. But Korean has been a real struggle for me. In this video, I explain why it’s been such a challenge and where I went wrong.

📚 Elon Musk allegedly reads 2 books a DAY! That's over 37 million words a year! (For comparison, the average person finishes only 14 books a YEAR.)

Some people argue that you must work with a teacher to get fluent in a language, others claim that teachers are unnecessary and that you can learn on your own. So which is correct? Like most things in language learning (and life!) the answer isn’t black and white.

I have been learning languages for over 50 years. In this time there is one development in particular that has allowed me to learn more efficiently and given me access to new worlds of meaningful and interesting content: the MP3.

I like analogies, they help us understand. An analogy I thought of recently was how our knowledge of a language is like an iceberg: what we can produce or think we know at any given moment is just the tip of the iceberg and there is deep familiarity with the language underneath.

When do we know a word? Who cares? Just keep pumping words into your brain. Keep on actively pursuing words. That’s what we measure at LingQ. How many words you have grabbed and thrown into your brain. How many stick or when they stick is largely out of our control.

Language immersion doesn’t depend so much on where you are, although it can. It depends more on your attitude towards the language you are learning, and your actions as a learner.

Some people are afraid to speak in their target language. It needn’t happen. We can prepare for speaking. We can recognize speaking as a part of our learning process, not a performance to be judged by others.

The journey is the reward. As long as you are actively engaged with your target language, listening, reading, speaking or writing, in ways that you find meaningful and enjoyable, you will achieve your goals.

Travelling around Poland has made me realize that there is always more to a place than initially meets the eye. This is true for cities and also languages. When we start exploring a language we see that what we thought was the big picture was only a part of it. I love this about the language learning journey!

We need to be patient when learning languages. We will learn and forget, learn and forget over and over again. This isn’t a sign of failure but rather the natural way we learn new things. Relax into it and you will be successful.

I have always been interested in the origins of languages and the differences between languages. In my latest video I explore some world languages that share a lot in common and try to answer the question “what is a language?“.

Beginner material needs to contain lots of high frequency words and these words should repeat many times within one lesson. There should also be many lessons. The Mini Stores at LingQ check all these boxes. Watch my latest video to find out more about this fantastic beginner course and why I use it when I start out in a new language.

It’s easy to get caught up in negative thinking when learning a new language: I make so many mistakes, my speaking is so unnatural, I don’t understand when people speak to me, etc. What if we chose to break away from that thinking and believe instead that these things are part of the process and nothing to worry about? What if we chose to focus on the good instead of the “bad”?

Should seniors pay more taxes? We are, generally speaking, a bigger burden on the health system. My answer might surprise you…

To succeed in learning foreign languages, we need to be resourceful, taking advantage of people around us, and what the internet offers us. Iclal of Istanbul is an inspiring example.

Language learning isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to made more difficult. In this video I go over the 10 most common mistakes language learners make that I have noticed over the decades. Would you add any?

Many people are put off learning languages because they think it is difficult to do. Language educators often don’t help, but instead complicate the process with jargon, seeking to describe the minute details of the natural and enjoyable process of language acquisition.

It is so important to stay curious and keep learning new things as you age. I have most certainly found this to be the case. I don’t just learn languages, I am curious about many topics and I feed this curiosity every day.

Learning a language means leaving the comfort of your native language and confronting the challenges of a new language and its uncertainty. Call it the learning zone. How do we make it more comfortable?

People often ask me which language they should learn and my answer is always the same: learn the language you are keenest to learn. Even if you learn for a few months then move on to another language, you don’t lose what you gained. Enjoy the language buffet!

Feli is from Germany but lives in the US. She talks a lot about cultural differences on her YouTube channel “Feli from Germany”. There are things she prefers about the US, and some things, not so much, like “ghosting”, a term I had never heard of before this chat.

When I learn a language, I also learn the history of the country. I am transported to that area. I gain a new outlook on the world. It’s a process I always enjoy and am in no hurry to end. In fact, in language learning, the process is the reward.

For a long time I have been convinced that the simplest and most reliable indicator of our potential and our level in a language is how many words we know. Learning words ought to be a pleasant task at the heart of language learning.

There are various ways ChatGPT can assist in language learning: Duolingo seems to have enlisted ChatGPT mostly for error correction and role playing. These are not areas of interest to me. However, these activities could help lessen the workload of teachers.

Elon Musk apparently believes that Neuralink, a computer chip that can be implanted in the brains of animals and people, will make language learning and even language obsolete. Here are my thoughts.

I will visit Denmark, Sweden and Poland, from May 17 to June 2. I’m working on my Danish, Swedish and Polish to prepare. Travel is a great motivator and stimulating, but we don’t have to leave our home country to travel. Hope to see some of you there.

When I want to improve my Italian, Davide’s Podcast Italiano channel is where I will go. The content is interesting and Davide speaks clearly and not too fast. In this my latest video I chatted with Davide about his channel and the Italian language.

To become fluent in a language takes time. It’s important not to be discouraged. Make the time you spend with the language as enjoyable and meaningful as possible and you will reach your goals.

In this video I have some fun with the hugely popular ChatGPT. Is it helpful for language learning? How can it be used with LingQ, the app I use to learn languages?

Using slang too early in your language learning can backfire. I never make slang my focus. Instead I let any slang words or phrases come naturally as I gain more and more exposure to the language.

When I start a new language, I sometimes know a related language and that helps. This is a video of me starting two languages that are not related to languages I know, Finnish and Indonesian.

Mayu has a YouTube channel called Mayu E Room. She helps Japanese people learning English. We talk about the language education system in Japan and also Mayu’s experience in the US. She studied language acquisition at Middlebury College. We speak in English and Japanese.

Do you think quizzes and tests are essential for language learning? Traditional language instruction certainly has many of us believing this to be true. In this video I explain why I don’t do quizzes, drills and tests and why you shouldn’t either.

As Aristotle said “well begun is half done”. Laozi said “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. This is true for language learning. Just getting started is half the battle, but you need to make sure you get started in the right way.

It’s not enough to have a lofty language learning goal like “I want to be fluent”. What matters more is that you focus on what you are going to do every day with the language. Find activities that give you enjoyment and satisfaction, every day. This will ensure constant improvement.

No better person to talk to about chatGPT, AI, and language learning, than my friend and outstanding polyglot, Luca Lampariello. We are of the old school. Will a younger generation learn languages differently?

Numbers, colours, days of the week, family members, body parts, greetings, etc. I have never understood the need to focus on such vocabulary when we start learning a new language. In fact, I find it more difficult to remember these words as there is no meaningful context.

The plateau is a concept that comes up often in language learning. We have some initial success in acquiring new words and gaining a sense of this new language, then we come to that period where there are lots of low frequency words that we need to learn.

I spend most of my time listening. Listening comprehension is where the action is, in my opinion. If you can understand movies, podcasts, conversations, the other end of the conversation, you can eventually get to where you can hold up your end of the conversation.

Improving in a language, especially in pronunciation, is a matter of technique, practice and attitude. Hadar knows this from her experience learning English, and becoming an actress in New York, as a non-native speaker.

Reading is a vital activity in language acquisition. It’s how to build vocabulary. In today’s video I talk about my experience with both intensive and extensive reading and why I like to do a mix of both.

I enjoy every stage of my language learning; when I start to explore a new language; when I go back again to something familiar that I don’t understand; when I start to understand more; when I understand most of it; and when I no longer feel I need to learn it.