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

  • PermaculturalMarxist [they/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    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

    • aldi [none/use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      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