How to Listen to Another Language When You Don't Understand

Hey everyone! By popular demand, back this week talking about how to listen to foreign language audio when you can't understand (or think you can't understand!) what's being said. This is a huge topic, especially because of how important listening is, but allow me to present a method I like to use to get better at listening to stuff that I can't understand. I find it very effective and hopefully you will too!

Also, as you can see I'm trying out a different filming location (I've been experimenting a bunch with my Chinese channel and I expect those results to spill over into my English channel as well) -- let me know what you think!

Thanks for visiting Ari in Beijing! I've honed my Mandarin Chinese to near native-level fluency through a variety of tips and tricks that I share with you each week. So whether you're studying Mandarin, Cantonese, English, another language, or are simply interested in language in general, please SUBSCRIBE and stick around for a while!

[thiagoaugusto]

Hi Broo, I'm so happy because I managed to understand everything that you've said in this video. It can show me the big progress that I've done. Thank you so much for your tips.

[legorockstar]

Although I am not learning any language right now, I do watch a lot of Chinese and Korean TV shows. Just from reading subtitles and listening I have begun to subconsciously memorize a lot of phrases. Sometimes I watch shows with zero translation and pick out the phrases I understand, and it really surprised me how much I understood.

[RangelGabriel]

I can't describe how much this vid helped me when I couldn't understand a shit. I remember immersing myself with English podcasts and audiodramas nearly all day during some weeks and just like magic going from ~5% to ~80% and later on 100% listening comprehension. This was the best approach for me.

[daleandrews]

Good stuff, man. I'm an American guy who took German in college (3 semesters) back in the 70's. My elderly professor, Dr. Wedyling, had 2 Ph.D.'s ("double doc!"); one in German and the other in languages in general. I think he spoke around 25 o5 26 languages fluently. He used to work at the U.N. in NYC in interpretation at some level. Great channel and cheers from Lake Charles, LA. 😉

[KumaMoonBear]

I love to listen to music in other languages. It's easier (and more fun) for me to listen to it multiple times. But I'm not sure how useful it will be for actual grammar and useful sentences. It helps with vocab and hearing a native speaker though.

[CharlieEsCastro]

You were such an amazing help for me, love your videos, actually I'm learning German and I improve myself more that I could imagine just in 2 weeks just by listening, using memrise, Anki and glossika. Thanks a lot and keep going!!!

[waltdisney]

riding underground/subway is the best way for me. I am learning japanese and korean, and everytime I board trains, I got used to it over years. Even I learn kanji (japanese one, and korean hanja - sorry i cannot read simplified chinese) by mostly reading those underground maps, and then relate it to everyday words. For example Konkuk University station. I memorise the "kon" part (ken in japanese) which can be kenchiku 建築 in japanese and konsol in korean. or tatemono in japanese and konmul in korean and both have the same kanji/hanja

[kanister]

That's just how I learned English many years ago. I just translated the lyrics of all songs I did listen to over and over again while listening to that songs.

[cureabees]

2020 here but this video is 100% TRUE. godly advice right here

[rpg]

Great videos. I'm a noob at Chinese but I'm having fun and making consistent progress! You should start a patreon page and add it in your description box to try to make money. Oh I'm in NYC too lol. Looks like you live in or near China town?! Awesome! (or maybe my landmark perception is bad)

[CarlosRivera-ogdx]

Hola, gracias a tus consejos y tips como Anki entre muchos mas he logrado iniciar el proceso de aprendizaje de idiomas, gracias tus consejos son increíbles y únicos no he encontrado a ningún canal como el tuyo de habla española. Mil gracias

[youcalavera]

Deecho por tu otro canal conoci la cancion de 999Rosas y me pase como unas horas traduciendo toda la letra al espa;ol, asi de cierta manera iba entendiendo mas el ingles y poes bueno la pronunciacion de la cancion

[sarahb.j]

really helpful video! I'd love to see what chinese music you'd recommend?

[TheRogueAJ]

Did you/can you use these tips for Glossika?

also did you mean put entire sentences into anki after doing all the steps?

[nehalalkholy]

thank you so much, you are the greatest

[priscillapriscilla]

What a coincidence I'm watching this on a Sunday day

[TheChrisinger]

Hi ari, I completely agree with this method. But my problem is, that I just can't find any listening material with a 1:1 transcript for Polish! ):
I've been searching for podcasts, TV shows, etc., but they all don't have a transcript. That's a real problem, because sometimes I just can't understand, what I don't understand. I can't even look up these words, because I hadn't understand sh*t in the first place. Any ideas for audio ressources with transcripts?
I would be really grateful for thoughts :)

[eleonorepelletier]

Hi Ari!
I have downloaded your Anki package (thanks a lot) and I found 400 flash cards on Memrize but I cannit find more! I find it insanely difficult to find material for more than beginner level... Do you have something to recommand? (I cannot read caracters yet...)

[nesitbotica]

I want to change youtube videos spoken in English into spoken in a foreign language. I don't want subtitles. I want to HEAR it in the foreign language. Do you know how to do THAT? I hope so. Thank you!

[TheodoreAnderson]

This is great. Would love to do a google hangouts interview with you on my channel if you want.