Don't Compare Yourself to Others When Learning a Language

CC subtitles available in English.

You're in charge of your language learning journey, you're steering the boat. You go where you want to go and don't worry about who's behind and ahead of you.

0:00 Criticism of my multi-language video.
2:13 As long as you are enjoying the language learning process, you are on the right track.
3:34 The classroom is not the only place to successfully learn a language.
5:06 If you are interested in a language the first step is to seek out interesting content.

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My Podcast:

#languagelearning #languages #polyglot

[Thelinguist]

Has comparison created self doubt about your language learning in the past? How to you deal with it?

[FearlessRefactoring]

I can 100% say that Steve Kaufmann has changed my life for the better when it comes to language learning. I never thought I had the language "gene" however I have been learning German every day since January using reading and listening as my primary activities. I schedule several online sessions with German instructors and tutors during the week to get an opportunity to speak and each one is amazed that I've only been with the language for less than a year. I owe this to Steve and his approach. And another thing, just when I'm starting to doubt myself and if it is worth continuing, a new Steve video drops on YouTube and re-energizes my studies. Thank you Steve!

[seoul_mate]

Hi Steve, don't worry about the haters. This teacher is, of course, perfectly entitled to his/her opinion, but the fact is that classroom based language learning is ineffective and failing in the majority of cases. I came across an article from a French newspaper last weekend which said that French pupils' level of English is absolutely catastrophic. Kids finish secondary school and can barely string together a sentence. France is a country where language learning is very much teacher-led. I absolutely agree that kids who do better than others, actually do so as a result of what they do OUTSIDE the classroom, not inside.

[limitbreaker]

The more experience I get from my learning process the more convinced I am Steve is right.
You have to be active in your learning process, classroom is simply not enough. I studied French 3 years at high school and I'm not even able to read it. I studied English 7 years, mostly grammar, listening and reading comprehension exercises, and I reached intermediate level, in 7 YEARS, because I wasn't trying to learn, I was just waiting the teachers to put knowledge in me, and that's not how it works. We have to learn to learn, be more active in the process, that's why teachers' main work is to motivate students.

[SirJack-lrvm]

I used to compare myself with native speakers and get a bit frustrated, but then i learnt about stoicism. In that philosofy we say that the only ones you should compare yourself with are the past verions of yourself, to see what´s improven and what has been in the same conditions, that maight be good things or bad things. Using it in language learning gives some enthusiasm to arrive to the future and see how you have gotten better. That is my view on it.

[James]

I was talking about language learning to a friend the other night. He obtained a good grade in A level French (a UK exam taken at 18 years of age) but when he went to France he was totally hopeless. He couldn’t understand anything and he couldn’t say anything.
When I asked him why this was he replied that he felt it was as if he had spent years learning to swim without ever getting in the water. I’m with you Steve on this one, input, input, input.

[LanguageSimp]

I love you Steve I am your biggest fan

[АлексейЛеонидов-бв]

I agree with Steve. The successful language learning impossible without reading and listening.
I got English learning in classroom with miserable progress.
My real progress was started when I was reading the first Harry Potter book. It was my own idea. I had been reading a page by page and I had been memorizing all unknown words from the pages. It was approximately 20-30 words from one page. The firs part of the book was real hell for me but the second goes more fast and easy. I read the book every day approximately for 3-4 months. The next books would more easier for me after that. It is how I got my first real English skill.
On the other hand education in classrooms is very useful way for improving language.
I went to class and got many important knowledge which I can't take by myself.
But Steve right in this point too. Because only good vocabulary can help focus attention on grammar in the classroom. And without reading and memorizing approximately 8 thousand words it wasn't possible for me.
For this reason learning in classroom without activity which Steve describes in this channel is wasted time and money.
Thank you Steve very much for your wise ideas.

[MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

I had absolutely no success with language learning until I started listening to Steve and other polyglots like Olly Richards, Luca Lampariello, and Richard Simcott. I studied Spanish in high school and retained very little. I started studying Italian way back in the 1990s when I was in my 20s and continued on and off for decades. About a year ago, I still wasn't even close to fluent. Then, I started watching these YouTube channels and reading short stories in Italian and just focused entirely on input. Now, I would say I'm at least B2 in reading in Italian, and my listening is only slightly behind that. With additional help—like the dictionary on my Kindle—I can read more complex material as well, up to C1 and C2 level. This is only after 13 months. Massive improvement, especially considering it's only my second language. Plus, I've been taking a fairly relaxed pace and trying to do it for pleasure.

What's interesting is that as a knock on effect, I find that I can intuit my way through French and Spanish quite well in many cases, and this makes me excited to learn them too. My plan is to continue to study Italian until I feel like my listening is as good as my reading, and then try some French.

So, yeah, these techniques work way better IMO.

[tricotilla]

Hi Steve! I'm italian and I've always studied language at school. First English, then French and German. After 10 years of studying English and 5 years fo studying French and German, at the end of school, I wasn't able to understand anything! I asked myself "how can be it possible?" So, during the first pandemic, in 2020, I started to listen English almost everyday! At the begining it was difficult because I didn't understand. It took me 6/7 months of listening input to start to understand... and you know what? I've never stopped! I thought "why don't do the same with my French?" I started last March and it's working!!!! So... you're right! Comprehensible input and consistency! That are the keys to achieve a good level in learning languages! That's my experience!

[Auxblanchesmains]

I think in a way comparing yourself to others can give you a determination boost to be like them like you did with me Steve but I totally agree with you too much comparing yourself with someone else and then you'll start to feel frustrated great video as always you're an inspiration!

[gagebrewer]

Man forget the haters. Like you said, teachers are going to defend the classroom. Don't be ashamed of plugging the wonderful product you've made, LingQ. I spent 7 years in a classroom learning Spanish and can barely hold a candle in the language. I've been on LingQ now for 3 years teaching myself Greek through exposing myself to engaging content (I've read the entire Harry Potter series on there, and now I'm working in J.R.R. Tolkien's stories). My independent Greek learning through LingQ has broadened my horizons and allowed me to make friendships with others that otherwise would have never happened. Your method works (I would say very efficiently), and those of us who use it know this. Thanks for LingQ, and thank you for the content you put out, it definitely had changed my life for the better

[johnharutyunyan]

I absolutely agree with you, Steve. I never compare myself to others. But well, there is only one person that I compare myself to. It is ME 🙂- how different I am now to myself days, weeks, or years ago [thus I can track my progress]. I had started learning languages long before I came across your videos here on YouTube. And the very first one that I saw marked a turning point in my language learning approach, I have to admit. The first thing I did after watching it was that I put my grammar book aside and told myself to refer to it when it is really, really necessary and I spent (still do!) a lot of time reading and listening to texts, adapted, authentic and of various genres. Consequently, my language learning process has accelerated significanlty and become much more enjoyable.

[stayactive]

Hi Steve, I can't agree more with you.
I failed to learn English at school, I have learned it by myself.
In the meantime with the same method which you promote, I have learned German and Dutch.
With greetings Erik

[WolfusMandrago]

Thanks for replying to that person's criticism in a very reasonable and polite way. You took a humble and respectful approach. It seems like that commenter may be pridefully elevating themselves because of the education they've received.

[deutschmitpurple]

This video is so important for me. I always compare myself with others. I hope I do not do it again in my future. And also, I want to speak a lot of languages like you. You are my idol

[friendlyphrases]

I saw this video being shared by some Brazilian language learners. I may be new to online tutoring, since much of my life was trying to scrape by as a translator, but "linguistics pedagogy" is a subject for professors in academia. It doesn't help "me" learn a language, or help "me" tutor someone else. So, I think it's an important mission to supplement the classroom... that's what I did as a student, that's what I did in the rest of my life. The classroom has its place and purpose... but many people need and want more. I don't need more justification to do everything I can to help. Take care!

[AndrewGray]

I can confirm that you don't need LingQ to apply many of the methods that Mr. Kaufmann talks about in his videos. I've been learning French mainly by reading news articles, and listening to podcasts and the radio. I also do regular vocabulary review, from vocabulary lists that I manage myself in a spreadsheet.

[maries.c.]

Hi Steve! I'm a World Language Classroom Teacher and I support and follow you! 🏆

[MarcusDurbin-caten]

One of the things I remember most in my years as a business executive in Japan is a remark made to me by a native Japanese who told me that in order to graduate, every student in Japan must “eat the English dictionary.” He then went on to say, “We learn a lot of words, but almost no one here can speak English.”