[English]
Hello, hello, how are you?
Welcome to my first podcast.
I am very excited because this format
I like it a lot and that's why I decided to share it
with you.
I hope you like it.
My name is Andrea, I am Colombian and currently
I speak three languages: Spanish, which is my
mother tongue, I speak French and I also
I speak English.
“How to learn a new language?”
It is the topic of our first podcast and it is
the question I will try to answer today,
based on my own experience.
First of all I would like to share my
personal experience:
How did I learn English?
and how did I learn French?
What challenges and challenges did I have to face?
during my learning process?
Furthermore, we will discuss some effective methods
in language learning, that worked
for me and probably will work too
for you.
Are you ready?
Then let's get started!
If you are listening to this podcast, you probably
you are a person interested in learning a
new language, perhaps you are a student of
some language course or you are simply
a person who is interested in other cultures
and who wants to learn a new language to
integrate into that new culture.
In any case, I want to welcome you
and encourage you to listen to this podcast
until the end.
How did I learn English?
From a very young age I was interested in learning
English.
At school I did very well in English,
in other subjects like math I wasn't as good
, but when class started
In English I was the happiest girl in the
world.
During my adolescence I began to listen
music in English, to look for free courses
on the internet and anything that could help me
to learn that language, at a low cost.
I was able to sign up for an in-person course
English, but only for two months because
our resources were quite limited
at that time.
Since then my learning of English
He has always been self-taught.
I haven't been very diligent, because, honestly,
I have been too lazy to study grammar.
I prefer to listen to someone speaking English
and try to imitate their pronunciation, say
the phrases as that person says them, use
the expressions that person uses, etc.
However, this is one of the points that
It makes my level of English different from my level
of French and later you will understand
why.
Now I'm going to tell you how I learned French.
I was obsessed with France, but not
with the country or the culture, my obsession
focused on a single place, a single monument
that I wanted to visit one day: the
Eiffel Tower.
I was so obsessed that, here in Colombia
They sell some almonds covered with sweet
or chocolate, and the packaging comes with a
Eiffel tower in gold color, and I always
cut out those towers and glued them on my
books, in my notebooks, on the wall, in
wherever I could!
So one day I decided to start learning
French.
I first tried an app, but
I found it very difficult, I didn't understand anything!
so I decided to abandon the idea of learning
for myself and started taking in-person classes.
At that time I was already 25 years old and had a job
stable, she was no longer a teenager.
I signed up for the Alliance Française, in the
city of Bucaramanga, in Colombia.
I started studying at night, because I had
I had to do my eight-hour work day,
so that was the only option I had
at that time, study at night.
But, I was happy because I felt that every
time I was closer and closer to one day seeing
that Eiffel Tower, with which I had so much
dreamed
I studied French for approximately
a year and a half, and at the end of 2016 I decided
apply to a cultural exchange program.
Fortunately everything went very well and I was able
make my great dream of going to France come true.
To make a long story short, in France
I was a babysitter, I worked at McDonalds, I studied
for a professional career for a year, I met
to the love of my life, who by the way today is
my husband, and all that allowed me to improve
very much my level of French.
I currently work in a call center or in
a call center, answering calls
from people in Canada.
So I'm still practicing and improving,
both my level of French and my level of
English.
This is how I learned English and how I learned
French.
Two totally different experiences, two
totally different motivations, two totally different
results.
Now I'm going to give you some recommendations
based on my own experience.
First of all: it is important to recognize
your strengths and your weaknesses.
It is important to keep in mind that not all
People learn in the same way,
not all people have
the same abilities
or we have the same intelligences.
The American psychologist Howard Gardner identified
at least 7 different intelligences, both
in children and adults; what
It means that we are not all the same and we do not
have the same learning process.
Some people are very good at numbers,
others for music, others for sports...
and others for languages.
This is why some people can learn
a language in two years, while others
will need between 8 and 10 years, and that
It's okay, because not all of us were born with that
same strength, but it doesn't mean we're not
possible to learn, but we must adapt
our learning process taking into account
Count our strengths and our weaknesses.
Identify your strengths and also that
what you could improve, so you can design
a method that really works for you.
For example: if you enjoy music and
You even like to play an instrument
or sing, take advantage of that in your learning.
You can try songs in Spanish, in
English or French, or the language you
want to learn.
Now, if reading is your strong point, immerse yourself
in a book in the language you are learning.
Take advantage of your skills and adapt your process
learning what you like.
But don't forget to identify and understand very
your weak points well, so you can also
focus on the areas you need to strengthen.
Could you answer the following questions?
:
What are your strengths?
How can you integrate the learning of
a language with the things you like to do
most?
What aspects do you think you should strengthen?
Number two: it is very important to define very
your motivations well.
In my experience learning English and French
In person, I noticed that people had
different reasons for being there.
Some were out of obligation, because their
parents enrolled them in a course against
their will, while others, like me,
We were super happy to be in those
courses.
Each class meant time invested and
hard-earned money.
What I learned is that the reason why
you are learning a language
positively or negatively affects the results
What are you going to get?
If you do it because you really want to, your evolution
It will be very different and you will really enjoy
that process.
But if they force you or you don't have a motivation
clear, your process may be more difficult
and will also be much slower.
When you learn a language, the reason why
That you do it is very important.
Doing it because you are really interested does
Make every minute you spend on this process
worth it.
Could you answer these questions?
:
What motivates you?
Why do you want to learn that language?
Are you willing to persevere and be patient
to achieve that goal?
Number three: when you feel discouraged
think we all go through that.
I also went through moments when
I thought about giving up.
During the first years of my apprenticeship
of the French, there was a stage where I
said to myself, "Andrea, this is too much."
For you, it is very difficult and you are not going to achieve it.
Those words echoed in my mind, and there was
days when I just didn't want to continue.
My head hurt, nothing seemed to make sense...
I was tired.
But you know what?
I decided I couldn't quit.
I had come too far to give up.
My willpower was stronger than
all the excuses that my mind presented to me.
Today, I thank God for giving me
the strength to continue and thanks to that, I was able to
live new experiences that allowed me
keep moving forward until you reach the level that
I have today.
Facing difficult times is part of
process.
When we overcome those challenges, we discover
our true strength and we grow in
ways we never imagined.
So, if you find yourself in a difficult stage,
Remember that the decision to continue is
in your hands.
Recommendation number four: always remember
that “Without effort there is no reward.”
I have heard many people tell me: "Andrea,
I would love to speak French as fluent
as you.
What should I do?"
But, when they realize that it is not so
simple, that it will take time and that they will
have to make certain sacrifices to advance
In their learning, many decide not to continue
with that process.
I had to sacrifice many things to obtain
the level of French I have today.
And you will also have to sacrifice hours
of sleep, social gatherings, moments of
leisure and fun...
Your dream deserves you to give your best.
The most valuable investment you will ever make
It will be your time.
Unfortunately, few people are
willing to assume these sacrifices.
When you don't achieve instant results
or do not make immediate progress, it is common
for many to drop out.
However, always remember that learning
It takes time and you will need to work hard
to reach your goal.
Once again remember: “Without effort no
There is a reward.”
Could you answer these questions?
:
Are you willing to put in extra
effort to achieve language proficiency?
What do you want to learn?
Recommendation number 5: be demanding, but
Also patient with yourself.
Set aside time to study, if you really
It is important for you to learn, you have to
be demanding of yourself, because by nature
We are lazy, lazy and we like things that are easy.
An athlete needs to spend many hours
training to be able to do
part of a championship,
and much more time if you want to be the winner
of that championship.
You need to spend many hours preparing
to speak that language that you are so interested in
learning.
One of the mistakes I made when I decided
learning English was that I was never demanding
with myself.
Whenever I started an online course that
it contained too much grammar,
simply abandoned it.
I created a study plan that I then left
to the side.
Today I see the big difference between my level
of English and my level of French, and that big
difference is based mainly on my lack
of discipline and commitment to the English language,
something that I had plenty of during my process
of learning French.
You need to be demanding of yourself, but
remember that you also need to be patient
and constantly remember that this process
It won't be instantaneous.
No matter how much you try and demand of yourself
Same, learning a language will take time.
If it takes years for a native to learn his own
language, why would it be different for you
or me?
Never underestimate or think that learning a
language is a three-month task, because
that is not true.
If they sell you a course and tell you that you are going to learn
while you sleep, don't buy it.
If they sell you a course and they tell you that in 6
months you will be completely bilingual, do not
buy it.
None of that is true.
And this is my last recommendation: do not
regret, just ACT!
On my YouTube channel I read many comments
from people who identify
very well their
limitations in their learning process and feel
very discouraged.
It is important to know those limitations, such as
We already said it before, but you can't stay
alone there, you need to act, you need to do
something to overcome those obstacles.
Instead of getting caught up in self-criticism,
take concrete measures.
Set realistic goals, such as: learning
new words daily or
practice pronunciation
regularly.
Make decisions that help you improve: Join
to online communities, search for linguistic
exchanges or use educational applications,
Sign up for an in-person course if it is
within your means.
Try different strategies until you find
the one that works for you.
And to finish we are going to answer the question
that we asked ourselves at the beginning: How can I
learn a new language?
First: Identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Second: Clearly define your motivations
to learn that language.
Third: Remember that it is
normal to feel discouraged;
We all go through difficult times.
Fourth: Put in your maximum effort throughout everything
your learning process.
Fifth: Be demanding of yourself when
necessary, but also be patient
when faced with challenging situations.
Sixth: Stop complaining and start acting!
today!
Thank you for listening to this podcast.
Remember that you can also download the
written version.
Would you like to listen to a new episode?
See you soon!