If your methods are good, or even just ok, keeping going at language learning may be the most important ingredient of all when you want to get fluent. ln a recent post, I looked at the things that fill me with enthusiasm about learning a language. But what about when enthusiasm starts to wane? It's time to move from language learning carrots to things that may work more like … [Read more...]
Goodbye 2018, hello 2019!
How has your language learning gone this year? As one year makes way for another, in this post let's take a step back and look over how things went....and look ahead to share hopes and plans for 2019 (also in vlog form, down at the bottom). But first, my annual year-end review and preview wouldn't be complete without a picture of a Christmas tree. Here's my 2018 "bark n … [Read more...]
Learning Basque as life gets in the way
How do you sustain language learning when the demands of "life" start to get seriously in the way? It's work and travel that have taken their toll on my Basque for the last couple of months. You may be (and probably are) learning a completely different language. I bet you'll still experience the same struggle to keep going when you're very busy or on the road. Here's how it's … [Read more...]
“Dr Popkins Method?” How I got fluent in German
To help you better in your language learning, I’m sharing my own story in the "Dr Popkins Method?" series. I’ve told the story of how I got fluent in French, Welsh and Russian. Now, let’s look at how to learn German.....or, at least, how I've done it. This post covers roughly the same German ground - but in more detail - as the second half of the vlog linked at the bottom of … [Read more...]
“Dr Popkins Method?” How I learned Russian
This is the story of how I got fluent in Russian. It's post number four in my new “Dr Popkins Method?” series of articles. I got the idea for the series when I was down in Tenerife with some of my fellow language learners and teachers, bloggers and vloggers. They challenged me to help you better by sharing more my language learning journey. If you prefer video, you can … [Read more...]
“Dr Popkins Method?” Getting fluent in French
This is the first time I've blogged about French. I tell the story of how I managed to get reasonably fluent in the language. It’s the second post in my new "Dr Popkins Method?" series of articles. If you prefer video, you can scroll straight to the bottom for the link to the companion vlog about my experiences learning French and Welsh. This post follows the same plan but … [Read more...]