What worked for me to learn a language when Duolingo didn't

Here are 4 things that worked for me to go from 0 to C1 in a language, by myself from home.

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 What worked to learn a foreign language
01:13 I can do it, you can too
02:08 Attempts to learn German
03:43 I promise this is relevant
06:04 The world is your study
07:31 Not a game of balance
09:45 Not-cheesy advice

Thanks for watching.

[Kyle-uobg]

Thank you for telling us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. Of all the language learning youtubers, your content has motivated me the most.

[the_mrlightsite]

I got a Duolingo ad in the middle of the video…

[sparklytea]

"You have to understand a lot of 1 thing before you can understand a lot of everything."
Well said

[aleidius]

I am almost conversational in Italian and I got here almost exclusively with Anki and Netflix. Maybe five to one percent of my language learning time was spent reading about Italian grammar in English.

[grnshprd]

I still try to learn a word every day in English, my native language. I have no plans to ever be finished. Learning new words in English eventually expands my vocabulary in other languages. Thanks for another great video.

[xbjrrtc]

This is *so* timely. The last two days, I've been searching for videos that critically examine popular language learning apps and their efficacy.

I'm trying to focus primarily on input, but it's more painful and difficult. However, I have to remind myself that apps like Duolingo are like busywork that lull you into thinking you're learning more than you actually are. Instant gratification is tempting, but in the long run I'll be better served doing deliberate practice with content in my target language.

[artiste]

5:00 i love that you talk about the difference between wanting to check off "learning a foreign language" and actually being able ot speak in one as a goal. It's also interesting that you state that "no amount is too much" for learning a language. It def holds true for any type of learning but for some reason (I believe out of fear of burning out?) I tend to hold myself back when I get too invested in one language and start delving too deep into grammar and origins and such. I should def change my mindset for this one.

[ErykKrzeminski]

I like the mindset of using every scrap of the language you see or hear as content.

[jeffreybarker]

Not being done with a language. This is what’s different from all the YouTube polyglots out there. They hit B2, call it a day, then start over.

As always, appreciate you, Lamont. I’d rather be very good at one additional language than “okay” at a bunch.

[Mobik_]

"I'm kind of a big deal" will be my new tag

[MrZnarffy]

I started my English learning almost 50 years ago, but I still try and improve. I think that's the most important step, to never stop learning. I also tried to learn German in school, but wasn't that motivated then, and never really used it after. However your video inspired me a bit, about how you worked on Swedish, so maybe I will try again with a language I am attracted to....The idea of an audiobook in a language was interesting, I often leave the telly on some show I have seen over and over again as background noise when at the computer.. :)

[rateeightx]

Never be finished is honestly great advice, To me language is like an art form, And like any other form of art the more you do it the better you get at it, Even if something is your native language, you'll still get better if you keep doing it, and get worse if you stop doing it. For most languages it'd be nigh impossible to know every single word, every grammatical feature, every way intonation is used, et cetera, even if you've been speaking a language for 50 years you can still come across new words, especially as languages are always changing, and if you don't learn the new stuff you'll sound like you come from the past when you speak it. Basically you can always get better at a language, even if it's your native language, because there's no "best" you can be at a language (or at the least, if there is, it's not humanly possible to achieve).

[Consum]

This is the one I was waiting for!

"As an adult, you can learn whatever you want to if you just put in the time".

This is my main takeaway from learning Japanese. Language learning has taught me that I can do anything if I just put in the time. Sure, understanding Japanese TV and literature is cool, sure being able to chat in Japanese is swell, but you know what's more cool? Looking at a new hobby, skill, or craft and thinking "hmm, I could do that if I did X and Y".

I used to view new things as being too far off, like there was no way in hell I'd be able to do them. "I haven't been playing the Violin since I was 6 so I'd never be any good, right?" The long slog has shown me that it is, in fact, possible for every single person and honestly, it's like a superpower. Just suck it up and start right now!

[AJBonnema]

Thank you for making this video. It confirms one of my suspicions (one is never done). Also, I like the idea of getting better all the time. Thank you!

[aiocafea]

INSANE pace and quality! very cool, Lamont!!! especially while also taking care of a child!
your videos really motivate me to continue studying mandarin with their honest and candid reviews and description
cheers!

[marcksuarez]

Hi, what's up, people? As a native Spanish speaker, I had been studying English on my own during my free time until I figured out that I didn't need to do anymore. I love this language (English, obviously).... The whole English grammar that I know I've learned through my mother language. It is fun how these ones are very similar themselves. My writing sucks I know. However, I write no essays at all or talk to anybody. Like, I am able to understand my favorite series, which is enough for me. Now I started to learn German, hahaha, a beautiful headache when it comes to accusative and dative in German. That's all. Love from colombia, I am going to go to Australia any minute now.

[_Mike.P]

Thanks for the video. One thing to keep in mind for your trip to Sweden is that the capital probably has more “default” English speakers than other cities. I also notice this in my country (The Netherlands) that people in Amsterdam are more likely to speak English even when we’re both Dutch. So you might want to go to a smaller city/town.

[alexandriatempest]

I'm really trying to do this now. I'm listening to some podcasts and just replaying them. I've noticed that I'm hearing more of the words. Either I'm parsing them better or I'm able to focus more on the words so that I'm catching more of them. It's a nice change. Like real progress. Weird progress.

[Sam-shushu]

nobody wants to hear it, but insane amounts of repetition listening to the same thing is really the key!

[paulwalther]

The not being finished is a good one. I think it's ok for people to be finished with the learning stage of a language but there's a difference between people who are and those that aren't. Most people that moved to the US I think are finished with English at a certain point. They're not language nerds like us and so this makes perfect sense. And it also explains why they keep making the same simple grammatical mistakes or their pronunciation fossilizes. But if you're a language nerd and you're never happy and you're always looking to improve even if you're not necessarily cracking the books or flash cards you probably will keep making small improvements over time and things won't fossilize as they say in the teaching community. This is also why I'm not afraid to output early on (if I want to) or listen and speak to other language learners or people who speak an accent I'm not studying. I'm not worried about getting stuck with a habit that won't fix itself later.