Going back to beginner Portuguese before a trip to Portugal has reminded me of an uncomfortable truth about language learning: recognising something when you see or hear it is very different from being able to recall it when you need it. I’m off on a trip to Portugal soon, so I’ve been busy reviving my very basic Portuguese. I first started learning this beautiful … [Read more...]
Japanese update: August to October
Here's an autumn update on my Basic Japanese Project (update vid at the end of the post). I started learning the Japanese twenty months ago in preparation for my first visit to Japan (last October). I had a great time there both exploring as a tourist in Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo and attending the Polyglot Conference. Since then, I've continued with this … [Read more...]
100 language learning insights
Here, all in one place, are one hundred of the best, brief, language learning insights I've come across in years of language learning and years of learning about learning languages. This is celebratory piece to mark a mini milestone: the one hundredth post published here on Howtogetfluent.com. I hope you'll enjoy my selection. Of course, it could only ever be incomplete and … [Read more...]