So many of you are curious on how to get started learning a language. Do you start speaking from day 1? Do you learn grammar? Do you do drills from a textbook?
Well, the best way is just to start jumping into it. Start watching content in your target language. Watch content made by natives, for natives. But what about grammar and all that stuff? Well there is a place for it, but it takes a backseat to the number one thing: immersion
Bottom line is: focus on input.
Don't believe me? Watch the first five minutes of this video and you'll see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnUc_W3xE1w (feel free to watch the whole thing but all I'm asking is the first five minutes. )
I'd also highly recommend watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LIz-Wbt4us.
Now you probably want a more concrete guide on how to do this. Start here: refold.la. It lays out concrete steps that you can take.
If you find all the steps and sub-steps overwhelming, I recommend checking out this Japanese quick-start guide (just ignore the Japanese specific parts if you're learning another language, the advice is still good): https://massimmersionapproach.com/table-of-contents/stage-1/jp-quickstart-guide/
It's okay to grind some vocab early on and of course grammar does play a role. But these things are there to aid in understanding messages. So use these things to help understand your input, not to "create" output. With enough input, you'll start feeling the urge to output.
TL;DR: Focus on input (listening, watching, reading) even if you can't understand anything. Things like grammar and vocab study are merely means to an end for the ultimate goal of understanding your immersion.
PS: Remember, language isn't math: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8JK8W8dBxk
Have fun and think of it as something you can achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xG-WwqhHBc
this ought to be a pinned post, these are some excellent resources and make a lot of sense to me after years of studying multiple languages through traditional rote memorisation and language drills
Yeah even before this community was created, I saw comments here and there recommending things like duolingo and stuff like that. The truth is that duolinguo ain't gonna get you shit. Even taking a class (and assuming that it's sufficient if you just complete the homework) is not enough. There is no magical textbook or course or video course or online course that will get you to fluency. You gotta put in the work of listening, reading, etc. Sure you can try speaking, but what's the point if you can't understand what the person says back to you? In fact if you sound good enough they'll assume you're fluent and then you're really in a tough spot because you can't understand shit.
Here's a cautionary tale of someone who went through the entire university system, earned top marks, and even passed the highest language proficiency exam but still wasn't fluent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5t37q1neC4. Unfortunately that's the mindset that most people have and I don't blame them because it's all we are shown tbh. Here's him after incorporating an immersion approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKs-NZvxa_Q
This kind of approach has been working out really well for me. It makes a lot of sense to do listening practice early, because you gain the ability to actually hear your target language. It goes from being an incomprehensible wall of sound to actual words that you can attach a meaning to. Trying to memorize words on paper before you can even recognize them in a spoken sentence is a bit backwards when you think about it.
As for my method, I've basically just been watching YouTube and Netflix in my target language without subtitles (because they are distracting and you have to listen very carefully for this method to work well) and putting audio clips into Anki for repetition (sentences that only contain one or two words you don't know are best).
If you're a complete beginner, it might help to do some sort of intro course alongside the listening practice. I did half the Duolingo tree before starting listening practice, but that was probably not the fastest way to learn.
Yea, I started speaking early (out of necessity because I moved to the country where the language is spoken), and now I have to unlearn some of my bad pronunciation habits. Wish I hadn't pressured myself to start speaking so early.
Thanks for this post cumrade. I came across MIA previously, but never implemented it into my learning process. Gonna try out refold.la and see how it goes. I've tried reading books that I find interesting to immerse myself, but I think I need to find some shows because there's just too many words I don't know at my current intermediate level.