Rec
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1. Learn the basic building blocks for your language of choice (i.e. pronouns, action verbs, common objectsâ literally the essential words youâd need to formulate the most basic sentences to communicate simple ideas). That can be done by googling things like âessential verbs in (insert language of choice here)â or â100 essential words to learn in _______.â Pair that up with any beginners grammar language book that you can take out from your local library. At this point, you donât need to know how to speak the language, just have a general idea of how different elements come together to form coherent sentences.
2. Once youâve acquainted yourself with those principles, the fun and most critical part comes into play: immersion. Since youâre not at the talking stage just yet, you need to treat yourself like youâre a baby hearing words for the first time and trying to associate meaning to them via their context. The best way Iâve found to do this is by watching kids tv shows in the language you want to learn and also finding YouTubers who are native speakers of that language. Turn on the subtitles and also keep them in the same language. This will allow you to start matching visuals with words and understand how sentences are composed in more organic ways. It will also force you to make language connections the way children do when learning their native tongue. You want to remove the buffer of thinking in your mother tongue and then translating the word in the new language. Instead, you want to start making immediate semiotic connections to the things youâre seeing. Like đ is manzana in Spanish, but you wanna avoid thinking âoh that means apple in English which translates to manzana in Spanish.â Itâs an extra loop you have to jump through that makes the language learning process less natural and more arduous imo.
3. In tandem to immersing yourself by listening to the language being used, hereâs where you can start applying it bit by bit. This can be by either repeating the sentences you see in the tv shows youâre watching and start challenging yourself to write & say very basic sentences with your knowledge from step 1. In an ideal situation, having a friend or acquaintance who speaks the native language and can start talking with you is also incredibly useful since they can actively correct you while you practice. Though very beneficial, I know that that may not be an option for many people, so practicing on your own with the aid of the media youâre watching in the native language still works very well!
This is a very long response, but I hope that these suggestions can help create a more structured approach to learning your new language. Good luck!! â¨
2. Once youâve acquainted yourself with those principles, the fun and most critical part comes into play: immersion. Since youâre not at the talking stage just yet, you need to treat yourself like youâre a baby hearing words for the first time and trying to associate meaning to them via their context. The best way Iâve found to do this is by watching kids tv shows in the language you want to learn and also finding YouTubers who are native speakers of that language. Turn on the subtitles and also keep them in the same language. This will allow you to start matching visuals with words and understand how sentences are composed in more organic ways. It will also force you to make language connections the way children do when learning their native tongue. You want to remove the buffer of thinking in your mother tongue and then translating the word in the new language. Instead, you want to start making immediate semiotic connections to the things youâre seeing. Like đ is manzana in Spanish, but you wanna avoid thinking âoh that means apple in English which translates to manzana in Spanish.â Itâs an extra loop you have to jump through that makes the language learning process less natural and more arduous imo.
3. In tandem to immersing yourself by listening to the language being used, hereâs where you can start applying it bit by bit. This can be by either repeating the sentences you see in the tv shows youâre watching and start challenging yourself to write & say very basic sentences with your knowledge from step 1. In an ideal situation, having a friend or acquaintance who speaks the native language and can start talking with you is also incredibly useful since they can actively correct you while you practice. Though very beneficial, I know that that may not be an option for many people, so practicing on your own with the aid of the media youâre watching in the native language still works very well!
This is a very long response, but I hope that these suggestions can help create a more structured approach to learning your new language. Good luck!! â¨
Feb 19, 2024
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đLove this! I agree re: the above recommendation; you should start with Anki and use it to learn the 1000 most frequent words in whatever language youâre learning.
While youâre learning those words, itâs also helpful to start studying some basic grammar. Doesnât have to be anything too intense. You could buy a grammar book and do one lesson a day, watch grammar lesson videos on YouTube, or use an online program like Kwiziq (depending on what language you want to learn). Once youâre done learning the 1000 vocab words, Iâd start consuming media! There are so many resources online depending on what your target language isâpodcasts, childrenâs TV shows, newspapers, novels, etc. You can continue to make Anki vocab cards when you come across a word you donât know, but it really depends on how you best learn.
I meet with my French tutor once a week and itâs helped me immensely with my speaking skills. You can find online tutors on Italki for pretty reasonable prices.
I also changed my phone and laptop language to French â it was frustrating at first but you get used to it pretty quickly and it helps with the learning process.
Thereâs also so many language learning resources online like r/languagelearning on Reddit. Good luck!
While youâre learning those words, itâs also helpful to start studying some basic grammar. Doesnât have to be anything too intense. You could buy a grammar book and do one lesson a day, watch grammar lesson videos on YouTube, or use an online program like Kwiziq (depending on what language you want to learn). Once youâre done learning the 1000 vocab words, Iâd start consuming media! There are so many resources online depending on what your target language isâpodcasts, childrenâs TV shows, newspapers, novels, etc. You can continue to make Anki vocab cards when you come across a word you donât know, but it really depends on how you best learn.
I meet with my French tutor once a week and itâs helped me immensely with my speaking skills. You can find online tutors on Italki for pretty reasonable prices.
I also changed my phone and laptop language to French â it was frustrating at first but you get used to it pretty quickly and it helps with the learning process.
Thereâs also so many language learning resources online like r/languagelearning on Reddit. Good luck!
Feb 19, 2024
Rec
đA guide to follow the right people who'll help you learn:
1. When it comes to technique, I think it's better when people stick to a single creator. Preferably one that has credentials as a teacher. On YouTube, there's plenty and they facilitate free content for their students as well. I think it's easier to keep track of your learning progress when you're seeing a single person explain things to you.
2. Booktubers: they typically have good pronunciation, precisely because they read a lot. A lot of them speak slower than their counterparts in other niches and since they're speaking about books, it's more likely the topics will be diversified because they're reviewing books, explaining to you the synopsis, etc.
3. Singers: people who sing also tend to have a good pronunciation. I would say, look for someone who's a content creator first, singer second. That sounds very specific but it could benefit you in the long run when it comes to your oral and listening skills.
4. People who do storytimes: I genuinely think that the best way of learning is through storytelling. This can look differently for everybody. For some people it's vlogs, for some is true-crime, for other is podcasts. Do whatever suits you.
Obviously the preferred platform is YouTube in this case, as I think TikTok doesn't help you process a lot of information and it can become overwhelming to be on the app, which worsens your will to learn.
2. Booktubers: they typically have good pronunciation, precisely because they read a lot. A lot of them speak slower than their counterparts in other niches and since they're speaking about books, it's more likely the topics will be diversified because they're reviewing books, explaining to you the synopsis, etc.
3. Singers: people who sing also tend to have a good pronunciation. I would say, look for someone who's a content creator first, singer second. That sounds very specific but it could benefit you in the long run when it comes to your oral and listening skills.
4. People who do storytimes: I genuinely think that the best way of learning is through storytelling. This can look differently for everybody. For some people it's vlogs, for some is true-crime, for other is podcasts. Do whatever suits you.
Obviously the preferred platform is YouTube in this case, as I think TikTok doesn't help you process a lot of information and it can become overwhelming to be on the app, which worsens your will to learn.
Nov 19, 2024
Rec
âi'm a native portuguese speaker, currently fluent in English and studying mandarin for two years.
I'm going to admit, i still feel like a begginer, mandarin is known for having a complicated learning curve, but taking in consideration my experince with english, it really is about surrounding yourself with the language.
I guess it's the most common advice, but it does work! To past time go on ĺ°çş˘äšŚ, look for films and series in Mandarin, and if you are watching on netflix you can use language reactor extension on browser that offers double subtitles. Make a spotify playlist with songs in the language, and once in a while print the lyrics with a few missing words and try to complete them when listening to the song.
Another think that helped was to play games of forming words by combing hanzi flashcards. Doing it with a few friends forces you to think fast and expose youself, especially if you still feel insecure with your skills.
I wish you the best and good luck with your learning process!
Top Recs from @verygoodvalentina
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an idealistic, yet highly inefficient form of face washing from a bygone era.
Jun 16, 2025
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I adore finding a random video from like 2005 and reading through the comments the way a historian would examine an old manuscript from the 1700s. Are these people still active YouTube users? Or are they forgotten accounts? What did @jjlwis mean by "awww im gonna miss rob too!!!" ? Who even is Rob?? Anthropology in the digital age... so many questions... it's fascinating.
The important thing for me is not to add new comments. I feel like I'm disturbing an old archeological dig site and my sticky modern commentary will make the video crumble away into oblivion. More importantly, I don't want the algorithm to suggest the video to a bunch of people who will spam the comments sectionâ major yuck đ¤˘
The important thing for me is not to add new comments. I feel like I'm disturbing an old archeological dig site and my sticky modern commentary will make the video crumble away into oblivion. More importantly, I don't want the algorithm to suggest the video to a bunch of people who will spam the comments sectionâ major yuck đ¤˘
Jan 25, 2024
Rec
đŤwith social media being this pervasive entity that has weeded its way into our daily routines for the past 20ish years (plus a global pandemic that really solidified those habits), many young adults today have spent a large amount of their lives living online. it has become the new norm and iâm not gonna pretend iâm above any of this because itâs so easy to fall into it (i am literally writing this rec on my phone whilst itâs a perfectly sunny day that i should probably go out to enjoy).
with that being said, in the larger scheme of life, being in your 20s is still in a weird way the beginning stages of your life. itâs a period to try new things, make mistakes, learn from them and develop an identity thatâs independent from the environment and people who raised you. though you can learn to do some of those things online, they donât hold a candle to actually experiencing those things for yourself in real life.
all in all, the best way to not sleep thru your 20s is to prioritize in-person experiences that allow you to get a better understanding of yourself and your values. whether that be getting your first tattoo, moving to a new city or country, exploring your personal style or taking up hobbies you couldnât or wouldâve never done as a kid, this is an important formative time to venture out and get a sense of who you truly are.
with that being said, in the larger scheme of life, being in your 20s is still in a weird way the beginning stages of your life. itâs a period to try new things, make mistakes, learn from them and develop an identity thatâs independent from the environment and people who raised you. though you can learn to do some of those things online, they donât hold a candle to actually experiencing those things for yourself in real life.
all in all, the best way to not sleep thru your 20s is to prioritize in-person experiences that allow you to get a better understanding of yourself and your values. whether that be getting your first tattoo, moving to a new city or country, exploring your personal style or taking up hobbies you couldnât or wouldâve never done as a kid, this is an important formative time to venture out and get a sense of who you truly are.
Sep 30, 2024