We’re here with the first blog post of my new site!
Here I wanted to address a common misconception – that if you spend a whole bunch of time trying to learn a language, you’ll learn it well.
It’s just not true!
I tell everyone to consider language acquisition to be more like going to the gym – it’s not just about the time, it’s about the effort and your technique.
You can go to the gym and do terrible squats for 10 years, but still not be able to see progress. You can jump on the treadmill and get knee pain after a couple of weeks. You can go to pilates but never activate those core muscles.
Just being there doesn’t mean you’re doing it properly.
So what’s that mean for language learning? Well, to truly improve, it means you have to live the language, be interested, and set yourself up for success.
So you’ll need to:
1. Sleep properly – so, so underrated. Remember, a rested brain is a spongey brain!
2. Eat properly – food is energy, and brains need energy to work.
3. Listen to everything (TV, films, audiobooks, videos, reels…) – native speakers are fast and use slang, so you need this almost more than you need those rigid English class listening exercises.
4. Read real books – literacy levels are plummeting, and social media is a grammatical disaster, so do yourself a favour.
5. Talk, talk, talk – you can’t learn if you don’t practice, at least twice a week for an hour. Even with a non-native speaker or a chatbot, it’s better than nothing.
6. And, yeah, you have to study your grammar – it’s a classic for a reason.
But best of all, stay curious!
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