Research-backed insights for language learning
Mark Twain said it well: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all...
Shower Conversations Olá! ¡Hola! Bonjour! One of my favorite techniques to practice a foreign language is having “Shower Conversations.” I first heard about shower conversations from a Ted Talk I watched by Sid Efromovich when I was in college. It’s an easy concept....
Language learning is a long-term goal. It is a marathon, not a sprint. If you are watching this video, I can imagine a few things about you and your character. You are goal driven and brave. You have grit, determination, and foresight. If you are interested in...
Creating Habits by Leveraging the Concept of Loss Aversion So I’m thinking about habit tracking lately. Trying to figure out why it works. Let's make it real. Let's talk about the habit of practicing your new language. Specifically, doing your daily lesson in the...
If I wanted to cross the threshold into fluency I needed to hack the habit-forming process. Maintaining consistency with the habits and routines that I know are good for me is one of my biggest frustrations. I love self-improvement and have mountains of...
Learn Faster: Be Immersed in Portuguese from Home People love to say that the best way to learn a language is through immersion. While immersion is one component to fluency, you won't magically become fluent in Portuguese just by moving to Brazil. Combining...
Hola! One very fun and exciting way that I use to keep up with my Spanish is by listening to Reggaeton. I currently have Bad Bunny’s new album YHLQMDLG* on repeat at my apartment and can’t get enough of it. *YHLQMDLG stands for "Yo hago lo que me da la gana" which...
I am a lifter. Ten years ago, I couldn’t even imagine describing myself that way. I had run marathons as a teenager, and my skinny, high-school frame had become skinny-fat after ten years of marriage and young fatherhood. Besides, who has time to go to the gym? Five...
I don't remember where I first heard the term "Monk Mode", but it has stuck with me ever since. The idea behind it is just that there are times and seasons in life when the best thing to do is to eliminate social interaction and other distractions and really focus on...
I Want to Learn: