Language Learning Tips

Key takeaways from my language learning based on my experience with English, French, Spanish.

1. Language is a skill, not a multiplication table. A skill can't be "drilled, studied, or mindlessly memorized"; it has to be developed, polished, mastered, and refined like a craft."


2. Be clear about your goals for learning a foreign language. If you don't plan to use it, it's better not to start this journey at all.


3. You need to choose your target language wisely. It will become part of you. When something you don't like or have mixed feelings about becomes part of you, it's never good.


4. I can't say much on leveraging AI to learn a language (yet). Back in my day there was no AI, and I had to make do with other available tools and resources.


5. Most likely, the language you're learning has various dialects. Figure out which one you need and focus on this dialect.


6. Using a foreign language comes with tremendous stress - acknowledging this fact alone will take you far.


7. All languages are difficult in their own way. You may not realize it, but your native language is complex. This realization might help a bit with learning other languages.


8. The most essential starting point: understand the phonetics of your target dialect - what sounds exist, which don't in your native language, and how words and sentences sound together.


9. There's a difference between understanding phonetics and perfecting your pronunciation.


10. Over time, some people achieve near-perfect pronunciation while others don't. Many factors influence this. Don't be discouraged. If you're understood, that's what matters most.


11. Listen to the language a lot. If you did your homework on phonetics, you'll hear syllables and words that you can write down and look up. Without phonetic training, it all sounds like a blur without pauses (literal gibberish).


12. Language learning is an unfair skill: some people had an "exotic" childhood traveling the world with their parents, and those children now speak 7 languages fluently. Meanwhile, here you are struggling to learn your 2 language from scratch, expending immense effort over time.


13. Besides pronunciation, you need basic grammar as your foundation. You can't skip this step.


14. For basic grammar, find a good textbook and a teacher who can guide you through it. You can do it on your own, but it will take more time.


15. Don't just "fill in the blanks" as grammar exercises - actively work through grammar topics (preferably with a teacher).


16. Find good dictionaries (monolingual and bilingual) that explain subtle meanings. Knowing how to use a dictionary - and which ones to use - is one of the key skills.


17. Rote memorization of words isn't very helpful. With basic grammar, you'll at least be able to form simple sentences and express simple thoughts using the words you've memorized.


18. Understand that a language isn't just a collection of thousands of words - a language also comprises constructions and expressions. Constructions convey nuances and tone to your thoughts.


19. It's very useful to have a tool to track which words/constructions you know and which you've forgotten. The spaced repetition software Anki is great for this.


20. The skills you should practice with Anki are spontaneous language use and logical flow of thoughts - not just which words you need to remember today.


21. Most language-learning apps are useless. "Gamification" creates the illusion of progress.


22. Your smartphone is the ultimate tool to facilitate language learning. iPhones have solid built-in Oxford dictionaries, amazing out-of-the-box text-to-speech capabilities (for Android devices you need to install dictionaries and text-to-speech). If you install useful apps on top like Anki, Reverso Context then you are set for success.


23. Your knowledge of the target language can be assessed. Just take an international language exam for your target language. This will give you a clear idea of your language level.


24. Your ability to stay composed under the stress when using a foreign language (stress resilience) improves when you regularly expose yourself to stressful situations in that language, not when you avoid them.


25. Don't get stuck in passive learning. Break the cycle as early as possible - give a 15-minute presentation in the target language on any topic in front of an audience. It doesn't matter what your level is. Some especially sensitive people may even faint from the stress - no worries, give another presentation the next day.


26. You'll interact with both native and non-native speakers. You'll likely never catch up with native speakers - this is what you might call inequality in language. But don't let that get to you.


27. Language is communication. Use the language you're learning. Speak it. Don't study it "into the void." Actively seek situations where you can apply the language.


28. In 2025 (or whatever year you’re reading this) there is no way you can't find native speakers of your target language to talk to. Come on. Less excuses, more action.


29. It's more accurate to measure not how long you've been learning the language, but how long you've actually been using it - like flight hours for pilots. You can "study" a language for 10 years and barely use it.


30. Among native speakers, some will be patient with your language level, and some will ignore, mock, or act aggressively toward you. It is what it is.


31. Language learning is time-consuming, especially for adults. You can "sacrifice" your time to master the skill. Can't make time? Check how much time you spend daily on social media, videos, games, and other distractions - cut them out, and you'll find time for language.


32. Why don't adults always succeed at learning languages? Because of everyday responsibilities, jobs, and little time for themselves. Adults go to work, take care of family, kids, chores - and barely have the energy to crawl into bed, let alone study languages.


33. Every day you need to do something in the target language. Even the smallest steps count. Consistency is key. If you have very little time in a day, then just listen to something for 30 minutes. It's better than nothing.


34. There's no magic method to learn a language. Not in your sleep, not through hypnosis, not via secret spy methods. There's only your effort... or perhaps an "exotic" childhood.


35. If you are single then finding a partner whose native language is your target language will skyrocket your language immersion and facilitate your path to fluency.


36. On the internet you might find videos of polyglots who speak many languages. Some have been caught reading off paper or failing to speak spontaneously beyond rehearsed phrases. There are real polyglots, but most had an "exotic" upbringing.


37. Also on the same internet you might find videos of people who give advices on language learning and do not speak any foreign languages or have very limited command of their languages. I mean, really?


38. If you want useful advice or solid tips from the internet, listen to people who share your language background and who actually walked the path of acquiring a language as an adult and have something to show for it.


39. Don't waste time on adapted books. They're just an exercise to see whether you recognize words in a text. Your goal isn't to speak in "simplified" language.


40. Books are the most forgiving way to discover new words/constructions. You read at your own pace and look up meanings when needed.


41. The hardest sources for new words and constructions are podcasts and radio shows - pretty much anything with spontaneous speech. They challenge both your listening and attention skills. But this is the closest thing to real-life language.


42. New words and constructions from books, podcasts, and series are all great - start using them immediately.


43. Language learning is a journey. The goal is to let every new word and construction pass through you so the language becomes part of you - helping you describe the world, events, and life around you more clearly and accurately.


44. You can live in a foreign environment for years and still not speak the language. You may live in your native language "bubble" and not need the local language. Either external factors will force you to use it, or you'll restructure your life to make the local language a part of your life.


45. The real breakthrough in language learning begins when you start creating your own sentences - not rehearsing memorized phrases, but creating your own logical trains of thought expressing what you want to communicate.


46. Retelling stories and articles is a powerful exercise. It trains you to persist information in the target language in your head. Don’t read just for the sake of reading. Try to retell what you read. Your brain will refuse to do it, as this exercise takes conscious effort to complete.


47. For the longest time, your speech will sound simplified. And it will stay that way until you start noticing subtleties and nuances of meaning, and begin using these constructions in your own speech.


48. Don't try to be a simultaneous interpreter and translate on the fly complex ideas and nuances from your native language in the target language. Without experience and a repertoire of constructions, it likely won't work and you'll just get frustrated.


49. Noticing constructions is about attentiveness, good dictionaries, experience, and avoiding the "I kinda guessed the meaning from context" trap - when in fact you missed the nuance and misunderstood the whole thing.


50. Noticing sarcastic and ironic constructions was pivotal for me. It shifted my awareness towards these patterns and the language flowed differently into me ever since.


51. Roughly constructions can be divided into time, regarding, conjunction, despite, filler, sentence start, interjection, intensifier, sarcasm, courtesy, condition, negation, question.


52. Idioms, phrasal verbs, proverbs are not constructions. You will start recongnizing the former earlier than the latter.


53. Watching shows or movies without being aware of constructions as such and without knowing how to notice them is pointless - it becomes just another word recognition exercise.


54. It's a bad idea to believe that translated subtitles truly convey the meaning of what's said, including all nuances and tone. If you use subtitles, it's better to use them in the target language.