How to Succeed in the First 3 Months of Learning a Language

CC subtitles available in multiple languages.

When you start in a language, nothing is comprehensible. So then how do we get a toehold? Some advice for the key first three months.

0:00 Nothing is comprehensible in the beginning, so here's how I get a toehold in a new language.
2:06 With enough time spent with the language and sustained motivation you will learn.
2:58 The content I always start with when learning a new language.
5:04 Listen before reading langauge learning content.
6:52 Repetitive listening is key in the first few months of learning a new language.

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#languagelearning #languages #polyglot

[erosburastero]

Not only you provide us the knowledge to be more productive in language learning, but also you transmit us a strong energy, pasion, and motivation to us.
It's a pleasure to hear you again Steve.
Greets from Argentina

[danieltorres]

Thank you Steve. Your videos motivate me to keep going.

[constancechan]

Steve is right! Listening before reading! I started to listen Japanese stories for kids, even though I wasn’t able to recognize all the Hiragana and katakana alphabet ! Now I do another uphill journey-grammar😅

[simonsmatthew]

My first serious attempt at a foreign language was Japanese. I lived with a Japanese family for six months which was so much fun. People in intensive courses in Japanese could not understand why I was so good; I could not understand why they could not understand what I thought were very basic things. Mind you they were much better at Kanji and reading than me. Later in life I went back to Japan as a researcher. It was a very different experience as I was on my own a lot. I did not feel my language was getting much better. I used to read Japanese a lot for my work, but much less often spoke it, and very rarely wrote in it. But after a long plateau I got to a level where I was more than happy with my level. I realised I knew enough to do achieve my immediate objectives. I finished my project and I found out what I needed to know and I did need Japanese to do that. To go deeper into the subject (and believe me there is no end to that) it would take another level of commitment in the language and more years working on the subject in Japan. But I was happy with what I achieved and wished to try something else not related to Japan..

I am now in France. Funnily I have found acquiring French more difficult than Japanese, even though Japanese is supposed to be much harder for me (a native English speaker). I went about learning French pretty much the way I went about learning Japanese in the beginning, working through a basic text book. Why the difference. I think it is because the reasons I had to learn Japanese and the environment was different. First I had the homestay, but secondly, and very importantly, when I went back it was very specific what I needed Japanese for. And I simply focussed on that. I don't need French, except in a very general way eg shopping or asking questions at the local tax office.

[nancyagrimes]

Thank you, this was very helpful. I am working on German independently and I remember when I first started listening to it and it was one big, giant, garbled mess that just ran together. I knew I was making progress when I noticed that I could differentiate separate words and it didn’t just run together! I might not know what the words meant, but I could differentiate them as individual words. Small steps that help you to understand that although the learning is slow, you are making progress.

[franciscosantosaraujojunio]

Hello, Steve! I'm from Brasil (Bacabal-MA). Your knowledge and your wisdom in learning languages are very huge. For sake of milions of students around the world, you need to write a book about this theme. Think about this and toast us with your written wisdom, please. Think about it fondly. Thank you for all!

[fimashavin]

I keep going to learn a language. Steve, you're an influencer and instigator to this. Thank you for this.

[bdiiirj]

Hello, Mr. Steve. I am from Ukraine, from Kharkov. When I lived at home i learned English of myself. Your video help me very much too. Now i am in Cheh because of war. When i came here I am be able to understand much and could speak at first. I thought that all people in EU can speak English but not. I live in the town where nobody almost knows English. I start to learn Cheh. From the first I learned on my own and then with the help of your system LingQ- thank you very much. Then despair came to me because new language have erased my English from my head almost at all. I have lost it. And I don't know what to do. I can read but can't speak.

[johannaartiles]

Me watching a video in English to know how to succeed learning English in the next 3 months:

[noname]

Thank you Steve!

As always you gave big piece of motivation. I really pleased that I've learned much in English through listening your regular video/audio.

Wish you endless curiosity and health for aquaring new knowledge ✌️🙂

[jeepershangouts]

This guy accidentally found the fountain of youth: Learning languages.

[thuynguyenthithu]

you piqued my interest in learning languages, many thanks!

[renanem]

Pretty Good. one thing that i do, I like to listen while I'm sleeping, to me it works. I know many people dont believe, so Why sleeping, cause you are deep relaxing sure you need to study when you wake too. Thanks. peace for all From Brazil!

[piperlau]

Thank you, Mr Kaufmann .I am a Chinese. I just started learning Japanese a week ago on Linq . Your video today does give me a lot of cknfidence and motivation. Good luck to my New language journey.😁

[acquirearabicbylistening]

These tips are very valuable, thank you very much

[ravinair]

Your videos are very motivating and they are super helpful - i learnt Spanish due to your videos and now I am learning Italian - and as you said - Italian was such a jumble of words and now 3 months later the Jig Saw starts falling in to place - Thank you immensely

[Tehui]

I intend to start learning Spanish as my third language, in about one year's time. I'll come back to this video for future reference!

[makayagloryck]

I don't how to congratulate you. It's always a great to hear you. I wanna be like you M. Kaufmann😊 After English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Swahili now I'm trying to learn indic languages. U're my inspiration sir.

[Thelinguist]

What is your strategy for getting started in a new language?

[minilucky]

Thank you every much! This lesson is superior, I've been learning English for 3 months now. Your suggestion suits me perfectly, and I'll follow your lessons on Youtube in the future. 😄