How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins

How to learn a foreign language. Methods, matrials and stories to help you maximise your effectiveness on the road to fluency

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In-depth explorations, actionable tips and inspiring conversations for language learners who REALLY want to get fluent…..plus a little bit of fun along the way.

How to choose a language school abroad in 2025

By Dr Popkins 1 Comment

Updated 26 Dec 2024 By Gareth Leave a Comment (Edit) How do you choose a language school abroad in 2025? That's the subject of this post, the second of a mini series of two. In this post, the focus is on the typical full-time (or part-time) group course held “in country” for any period from, say, a week or two up to a couple of months. In the first post, I weighed up whether … [Read more...]

Group language course abroad? For and against in 2025

By Dr Popkins 2 Comments

Why go on an intensive, group language course abroad? If you decided to, how do you choose a foreign language school? Now that (in most places) the worst of the pandemic is past, you may be thinking of spreading your wings again later in 2025. This post, the first of two, we get to grips with the first of these two questions. The focus is on the typical full-time (or part-time) … [Read more...]

Why learning a language in retirement is a great idea

By Dr Popkins 2 Comments

In this post, I'll show you that there's no reason why you can't get fluent in a foreign language when you're in your 60s, 70s or older and why later life can be a great time to learn. If you're looking for the ideal retirement project, look no further than learning a new language! Now, even if you're a relatively young retiree, energetic and in great health, you may … [Read more...]

Intermediate German conjunctions: joining it all up

By Dr Popkins Leave a Comment

If you're already a solid beginner in German and looking to become move into intermediate, one of the things you have to learn to do is understand and use longer, more complex sentences. To transform your German as you burst into intermediate, you're going to need conjunctions. But what exactly are conjunctions? This post explains all. Let's look at the most useful intermediate … [Read more...]

Learning Japanese: Month Four update

By Dr Popkins Leave a Comment

I'm now just over four months into my current language project: learning Japanese. Here's my April update. There's a video update at the bottom of the post, too. My target minimum focussed study time is half an hour of Japanese daily, seven days a week or, over nine months. A "full house" total of 30 mins x 30 April days would be fifteen hours. My actual total was … [Read more...]

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