How I learn languages as a (somewhat) lazy introvert

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Hi and welcome! I'm Tanya and the only thing I like more than learning languages is probably talking about learning languages (well, that and hoarding language books). My native language is Russian and I'm currently in different stages of learning English, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Korean, and Japanese.

This video is sponsored by LingQ. Some links above are affiliate links.

[nonexistent]

English is not my native language. When i first started learning english, i thought "She is very childish" meant a woman who could give birth to a lot of children. Lmao. I have come a long way since then.

[ccdj]

I'm an introvert and have some social anxiety too, so your comments about group classes over tutors really resonated with me. Even though 1:1 classes = more speaking time and therefore "better value for money", the mental energy I need to expend to attend a 1:1 lesson means it's not sustainable for me long term. I'm much more consistent with group classes. Only discovered this recently and I'm 31!

[FrankKimono]

I learn whole sentences saying them aloud. 5 days - 300 repetitions per day at least. Later I don't need to translate. I know the meaning of words straight away like in my native language. And also I remember the meaning longer than by learning separate words. This method is called: chunking. It was a real game changer in my learning process and communication skills in English and other languages.😊😊

[ashleyvanstone]

What resonated:
The learnjapanese reddit being unfriendly 😂

It’s so refreshing to hear someone not focus on speaking speaking speaking. So true.

[Daviddaze]

With LingQ and reading for beginners has a free limited option. For book lovers there is Anylang for reading. The free option has limited word checks and only 5 langs are available. Also Gutenbergorg has reading for uncopyrighted material, even literature from 100s yrs ago.

[sidney]

I really enjoyed hearing about your language learning goals outside of speaking. As a quiet person without a real interest in speaking a foreign language verbally it is difficult to find people that have similar goals to me as more of a written or content consumption focus. There are some good ideas in here I'm excited to try out! I'm glad to have found your channel!

[Cassin]

You are learning Polish! So great to see these materials in your video :) Thank you for including this part of your learning process! Polish is my native lg.

[RivkahSong]

Thank you, this was SO helpful. I'm autistic so social situations even in my native language are difficult and stressful and sometimes even trigger a full on autistic shutdown. It always feels like everyone else was given a guide on how facial expressions and subtle emotional cues in tone work but I was absent that day or something. So when everyone's main advice on learning languages is to go out and speak to people on day 1 even though you don't really know anything yet It felt like being multilingual was an impossible dream. It's nice to know there are other people who have successfully learned languages in a more introverted way.

It was also cool to hear about shadowing. One trait of autism I'm very familiar with is echolalia (repeating words or phrases in the exact way you heard them repeatedly). It's helped me over the years build scripts to more easily interact with other people without messing up or letting on I'm autistic. It's also how I've gotten good at mimicking other English accents so it makes a lot of sense to use it to better my target language's pronunciation.

[meiyosei]

9:31 The reason why children, or specifically people who grows up in a community that speaks that language learns faster than others is because they have the chance to actively learning the language. People correct them if they're wrong, they witness others using the language correctly (or at least what's considered to be the norm there, in terms of accent, vocabulary usage, and such)
I really recommend any language learner to move somewhere or to find a community where they can actively learning the language they're learning, if you can

[jasnamusic]

I am an introvert ( and also with social anxiety). I am 15, Senegalese and I speak 6 languages ( Wolof, pulaar, French, English, Korean, spanish ) I am also trynna learn ASL. The first three languages I picked it growing up I think almost everyone in senegal is bilingual at least French is our official language and we have a lot of national dialects and languages. We learn sometimes English and Spanish starting middle school but it’s not nearly enough so I taught it myself, same for Korean I don’t have any books any teacher or whatsoever but I try to speak it as much using lingbe or hilokal etc…I am so glad that I decided to learn as many things as I could thank you for this video definitely helping us more !!!

[SailOnSG]

Your English is 💯 percent pronounced correctly, even though you did not strive to sound like a native speaker. Gives me hope that I can one day sound authentically Latina, which I am. (My heritage is Cuban, Puerto Rican & Spanish, but was not encouraged to use Spanish at home.)

[gabysmith]

Anxious introvert here. Thank you for sharing your methods and thought process, it’s super helpful. I’m trying to learn two languages atm, one with a lot of resources and one with relatively few. Looking forward to trying out your tips!

[ofaoilleachain]

I feel like I can relate to you a lot on this. I'm a lazy introvert with ADD, I can't for the life of me think of speaking a language I want to speak from the beginning. Thank you for the advice you gave in this video, I'll do my best. :)

[amj.composer]

I loved the joke about the "r/learnjapanese" community. I don't think you should be afraid of calling out that toxic community 😂😂

[lexiesanders]

I’m also that weirdo who loves grammar books and drills 😂 But at the same time I once got fluent in a language and only after that studied grammar and it worked miraculously.

Thank you for the writing tips! I’ve only tried journaling

[Arukuno]

As someone trying to learn Japanese I guarantee that the r/learnjapanese joke wasn't actually a joke :C

[sheeliekittie]

You are like me!! I too. Total introvert but still love to study language!

[kguo]

Awesome! u r not lazy at all! so hardworking. Anyway I am learning Korean by myself, your video is so inspiring!!!

[londongael]

This is some of the most sensible and useful language learning advice I have ever heard. Perhaps because I am also somewhat introverted and lazy! I love how you don't pressure yourself - there's enough pressure in life - who needs more? Why add it to something you choose to do for its own sake? (Of course, it's different if you have a deadline, or a specific purpose, such as work, in mind.) Pretty much all of this resonated with me. Things I like to do, that you didn't mention specifically: I take a correct sentence in the target language (from something I have read, or even from a textbook), and write it out many times, substituting vocabulary, changing the tense, adding complexity - one change at a time. I also enjoy making art that incorporates words and phrases from the TL, and collect sayings and proverbs, riddles and tongue-twisters - i.e. I do things that I find fun, in the target language. I keep a kind of diary - one sentence a day (or thereabouts, or when I feel like it). I've liked and subbed.

[sofiar]

I'm so grateful for your channel :) Your learning style seems most similar to mine out of all the language learning Youtubers I follow, so I always really appreciate hearing your perspective and advice <3