Hello from Lazkao, a small town in deepest Gipuzkao province in the Basque Country. Below you'll find the link to the first of my vlogs from here. I'm already half way through the first week of my four week intensive Basque course and am really enjoying the experience so far. With full board, the company of other enthusiastic learners and committed teachers and in lovely … [Read more...]
Basque Intensive! 1: on the eve
Today was the first day of my one-month mini sabbatical from work. The excitement is mounting here at Howtogetfluent Towers as tomorrow I'm off to the Basque Country (northern Spain) for the fist time since I started learning the Basque language, a unique old tongue, related to no other. I'm bound for a one-month intensive language course. It's three years since I started … [Read more...]
Intensive study of a language from scratch (“ab initio”) at university. What’s it like?
Are you thinking of going to university or college to study an undergraduate course in a new language from scratch ("ab initio")? Are you soon to start such a course as a freshman and wondering what to expect? I've had a revealing conversation on just this with undergraduate student Harry Ness and the video is at the bottom of this post. Harry started Russian when he arrived … [Read more...]
Basque-ing under a summer sun: update, an exciting trip and more tips on keeping going with your beginner level language
It's been well over four months since I posted on my Basque learning. Basque is a fascinating language "isolate", related to no other and spoken by about 600,000 people on both sides of the western end of the Franco-Spanish border. Yes, I'm still at it and in this post I'll bring things up-to-date. Let's mine some tips from my story too, to help you sustain your … [Read more...]
My Russian TRKI 3rd certificate results: insights for your advanced language exam preparations
And then a great darkness fell across the land. And mighty earthquakes did shake the World. And pestilence and a plague of locusts descended. And there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Or, in other words, despite no small amount of sweat and toil, I've failed my Russian exam. But don't worry, this post isn't all about me wailing and wallowing. It's intended to … [Read more...]
Polyglot Gathering 3: the movie
"H2GF at Large" is back, this time with a vlog from the 3rd Polyglot Gathering. The film has been strewn across the cutting room floor here at Howtogetfluent Towers since I got back from Berlin (quite a few weeks ago) but now....(drum roll)....here's the vlog. It was actually at the 2nd Gathering, last year, that I decided it would be fun to have a go in this medium and I … [Read more...]
At the Polyglot Gathering 2016
Summer 2016 in Berlin began as language enthusiasts converged from far and wide for the third Polyglot Gathering. The sun was out, the temperature rose, the lilac bloomed. A bright yellow budget hostel in the Lehrterstrasse became once again, for four heady days, the pop-up capital of world language learning. I attended talks and workshops, practised my languages, drank my … [Read more...]
Project Advanced Russian or steppe-ing up for the TRKI 3rd Certificate
What we should be doing when trying to "level up" our foreign language abilities effectively at the advanced level? This is topical again for me after I took an advanced German exam a few months ago, because I'm a month into a three-month project: to improve my Russian and take an advanced Russian exam. If you're interested in levelling up your language … [Read more...]
Six tips for keeping going with your language learning (and an update on my Basque)
You may be several months - or years - into learning a language and it still feels like you're a long way from fluency. You may even be wondering whether you're making any progress at all. If so, welcome to the club! I've been learning Basque two and a half years now. In the last few months, there's been a real feeling of progress, but it's still slow and I was trudging … [Read more...]
Language progress when you’re seconded “in the field”: some solid advice
In this brief video interview, full-time student of German and Russian (and budding polyglot) Harry Ness tells us about how he's trying to make the most of his extended period working and studying in Germany. Whether you're a student looking forward to your "year abroad" or already in the world of work and preparing for an extended secondment, Harry's to-the-point tips are for … [Read more...]