How to Actually Learn a Language - The Refold Method Explained

Hey language fam 👋

So you're looking for a guide to learn a new language.

When you imagine language learning, what comes to mind? Textbooks, language courses, boring homework, app subscriptions, and angry green owls?

Here at Refold, we're turning what most people think about language learning upside down. Instead of tedious study methods and boring grammar exercises, we teach people how to learn a language by helping them develop an instinct with immersion-based strategies.

Why do we think this? How do we help learners develop instinct in a new language? How does Refold even work? Tune in to find out!

--REFOLD METHOD OVERVIEW

--RESOURCES MENTIONED
👉 FREE Six Secrets of Language Learning PDF
👉 FREE Language Resource Docs
👉 Join our FREE online community
👉 How to teach YOURSELF a language

--VIDEOS
📺 The four aspects of optimal input
📺 How to immerse in a language you don't speak yet
📺 Ben's Czech Journey From ZERO
---
Refold is a company dedicated to helping language learners achieve their goals. We think it's crazy that only 1% of language learners achieve their dreams, we're here to change that.

Looking for structured guidance on your language journey?

Check out our Teach Yourself a Language course. Complete with 30 days of immersive video instruction, assignments, and hand-picked resources, we provide you with everything you need to become the master of your own language journey!

☆☆ Read our FREE guide ☆☆
🗺️ Achieve true fluency via immersion with our step-by-step roadmap.

☆☆ Vocabulary Decks ☆☆
💬 Learn the most common 1k words with example sentences and native audio.

☆☆ Refold Community ☆☆
🗣️ Wanna talk about language learning? Chat with the 30,000 learners in our Discord!

[leightonslang]

I occasionally doubt the process when I'm struggling with my TL. Videos like this help remind me that it works. Thanks.

[cameronayers]

Thank you so much for this video! It was incredibly validating. I wish I had known all this 10 months ago when I started learning Chinese. The process has been miserable, exhausting, and demoralizing, and now I know why.

[FellowHuman]

Phase 1: Foundations (1000 words); 75 total hours for similar language
Phase 2: Reading + Listening (5000 words), longest phase; 375 total hours for similar language
Phase 3: Listening (fast comprehension); 750 total hours for similar language
Phase 4: Speaking (speaking comfort); 900 total hours for similar language
Phase 5: Writing (correct output); 1125 total hours for similar language
Phase 6: Fluency (easy use of language); 1350 total hours for similar language
Phase 7: Beyond (expand your abilities)

[cristiandarioordonezdeleon]

Sonds pretty amazing, I've been learning english for almost 1 year, I can watch TV Series, I love it, but sometimes I feel a little lost when I couldn't understand some topics, by the way I'm spanish speaker!

[dionokeke]

I am currently using the Refold method to acquire German 🇩🇪. Today is day 250 and I'm very happy with my progress.

I hope everyone watching can one day achieve their language learning goals and ultimately learn more about the beautiful languages of our world.

[mrmrrrrrrrrrrrr]

There are a lot of great things about Refold but one of the top things is the honesty about what it takes. You will NOT be fluent in your language in 30 or 90 days. Depending on the language you might be talking about multiple years. That doesn't mean you won't make progress. But being honest about that and managing and preparing for how motivation and goals fit into that is huge.

[SS-witm]

This is the best refold video having watched all of them and recommended this sub. It should be pinned for new people.

[LanguageMaus]

I think Refold is one of the best methods out there, I'm glad I found the community and all my experiences with language learning (for good and for worse) make a lot more sense now.

[jeffreybarker]

Happy to see an update to this since the method has been refined in recent years.

[jantelakoman]

I'm totally on board with not worrying about understanding every little thing. Or even most things.

But there's an oversimplification here on what it means to understand, which is of course totally forgivable in a 10-minute overview, but I think it matters.

There are two kinds of understanding: Seeing the thought behind the words, and seeing the connections between thoughts and words.

When you say 4:47 "In the beginning it only needs to be a little bit understandable" I think you mean understanding the words, but when you say 9:34 "Start small ... immersing in whatever you can that's easy and understandable" I think you mean understanding the thoughts.

The vertical axis of your chart at 4:47 for example has "single words" and "the general plot" as gradations along the same dimension, but they're very different things. You can "understand" lots of single words but still have no idea of the plot, and you can have a clear understanding of the plot without "understanding" any of the words at all if there are enough nonverbal clues.

Perhaps because I'm a translator/interpreter I'm more sensitive to this distinction because I deal with it every day. But I think it really is fundamental to understanding (!) how immersion works. Maybe this subject needs its own video.

[jlykes]

Amazing video! I’ve been following this approach for a while, but it is nice to see it all in one place along with all of the evolution after what you’ve been learning. Thank you for posting!

[ijansk]

I teach English in high school. I was teaching how to ask and answer about prices. I played lottery with students to introduce numbers. I played The Right Price with prizes included to have them suggest prices, etc. The day of the exam most of them failed and didn't reach the expected level. It doesn't matter what you do, it doesn't matter what supposedly incredible method you use, some MANY students simply don't care about learning a second language and won't make any effort to learn.

[GCSE_TUTOR]

The perfect video that I have been waiting for, thank you so much!

[TheGabygael]

I'm a native french speaker and i can't even conjugate everything properly, lol

[duluc_j_]

with refold, learning lenguage becomes easier

[paulwalther]

Now I know the phases lol. I know I read about the method years ago but then forgot. Hopefully it sticks better this time. I've felt like I'm permanently stuck in P2 with Korean but after way way too much time spent with the language I'm sure I'll get past it.

[loveloreal]

After a couple weeks of watching Refold videos, I finally sat down to compare what I want to do and the Refold Method. Turns out, I can Refold more closely than I thought! The only change that I'm making is that I think I'm blending Stage 1 and 2a, but this is because I started learning Amharic (my TL) about 6 years ago. For the first 3 years, I only listened. I couldn't say much of anything. I was nearly completely immersed in the language. I left it for 3 years, and now I'm back at it. I didn't lose anything I knew. I think I'm actually better now. I know many words but I don't think I know 1000. I want to use anki for 5000 words (I have a list). I want to read along with audio (I have audiobooks with text). I want to sentence mine. I think this is technically stage 2. So... all that to say, I planned out my language learning. I'm not very far off from the Refold method.. well.. I'm also a little different in that I have a class in my target language that isn't about language. It is for native speakers. I will need to prepare the material and listen for the words (I have the same material in English). I don't have to participate vocally, but I can read already in Amharic. I learned this years ago and I have not lost my ability to read. I may do this which is output, but I think I'll allow this. There are other levels of output that I will wait to take part in.

[Reforming_LL]

Thank you for this video, it’ll be helpful for new learners, especially new immersion learners.

[flyguy]

5:45 I actually did learn the flute kind of like this as a child. I sounded terrible I always tuned my instrument randomly because I wanted to fit in with the other kids tuning their instruments but also did not know what it was supposed to sound like

[EnglishPractice-rjji]

Hey refold! could you please release a portuguese deck? I'm into learning portuguese and I love your method, I will buy it right away if you do it.