My articles about language learning – tips and tricks, personal experience, observations, case studies and more.
A few days ago, I watched a video of an English lesson for foreign students. Observing other teachers working with real students is a part of the Teaching English as Second Language certification, so I watched a young lady explaining to her students how to add the ending -(e)s to English verbs in the Present
It has never been easier to learn languages. The internet has made many language resources accessible for everyone. Language exchange platforms went even further: they facilitated the hardest part of the learning languages online. I’m talking about finding a language partner for speaking practice. Many websites and mobile applications dedicated to language exchange have been
Since languages are often a part of a school curriculum, many people believe that learning a new language is like learning algebra or physics. It is not. Algebra and physics take understanding. Learning a new language takes development of new skills, and it has more similarities with playing music, dancing, driving a car, and other
Once a student of mine explained to me in good Russian that he was bad at learning languages. He explained to me exactly why he was incapable of speaking Russian for thirty minutes. When I pointed out that he had been speaking Russian for thirty minutes in a row, he was shocked. Another student told
During my scholarly life, I have learned many languages – English, German, French, Bulgarian, even Latin and Old Slavonic. The only language that I practiced outside the classroom was English. No wonder the only second language I can actually speak is English. How is it that despite learning German, French, and Latin for three years
We all have days when we feel down. Or are very busy. It is okay. Life is life, and it gives us ups and downs. What is not okay is giving up language practice during those days. The most important thing for learning languages is to keep practicing, and frequency here matters more than duration
Quite a lot of my students have told me that they feel anxious when speaking Russian. They are good at many other language activities like listening comprehension, reading and even writing. However, the mere idea that they have to say something in Russian makes them panic. “It’s like my mind goes all blank when I
During three years of living in an English speaking country, I have learned a lot about language learning. Under the pressure of reality and facts, I had to revise many ideas regarding second language acquisition I learned back at the university. The theory of first exposure to one’s the mother-tongue is one of them. According
Isn’t it hilarious that in 2015, when the world is globalized and connected, many people still believe they should have native speakers around to practice their target language? “Nobody speaks that language where I live, so I can’t practice it”, they say. The most amusing part of it is that those people are usually confident
When I was a teenager, I explored the Western rock music. Among other old names, I discovered The Doors and Jim Morrison. Mind you, the Soviet Union banned Western culture in general. Most of the musical heritage of the West became available to Russians only after Perestroika. I sang along to People Are Strange, and
