An old teacher used to tell me: practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. As a kid, I took that at face value. But as an adult, I have questions about it. What does "perfect" …
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Active Listening: How to train your ear to understand native speakers (even when they talk super fast!)
If you asked me to make a list of the problems people have when it comes to speaking a new language, the first would be, y'know, actually speaking. The second would be understanding. Listening …
One exercise to transform your language-learning
Raise your hand if you agree: The only way to get better at speaking a foreign language is to speak a foreign language. And yet. Speaking often feels like the hardest skill of them all. In this …
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Foreign Language Anxiety
I get it—speaking a new language is hard. Between the new words, the pronunciations, the grammar, and the syntax...it's easy to get overwhelmed. But...you also know that the only way to get better …
Books, Apps, or Classes? How to choose your language study materials
It's a common problem. You want to learn a new language (or get better at an existing one) but...you don't know what to grab to teach yourself. With so many courses, textbooks, and apps out there, it …
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How to NEVER forget Vocabulary with Spaced Repetition: A Language-Learner’s Guide (for 2021)
It's an old adage that school doesn't actually teach you how to learn. It just teaches you how to pass tests. Many people "fail" at studying a language because they treat it the same way they would …