Greeting LANGUAGE LVRDS.

Have you ever said to yourself; “I want to speak french fluently”,” how long does it take to speak french fluently?”, or “what is the best way to learn french fast?”.

If these questions have been on your mind then you’ve come to the right place.

If you would like to follow along you can watch the video below:

Why I Want To Learn How To Speak French

Several years ago I have always wanted to speak another language and french was my first language of choice, especially since I was interested in fashion.

I studied for many hours with the famous language program rosetta stone and finished it.

But one thing I quickly realized when I was done was…

I was not able to speak any french.

All these problems and questions led me to this following experiment.

All my doubts made me question “will I ever learn to speak french?”.

Therefore, if you’re interested in how you too can learn how to speak french fluently, then continue reading.

The Best Way To Learn To Speak French Fluently Fast

Today I’m gonna show you the one exercise that replaced nearly everything else I was doing to learn French.

It is 99% responsible for me finally being able to speak French fluently.

This is a variation of the exercise I used in the following video:

How I Got Fluent In French in 30 Days.

In that video I did an experiment with an exercise which brought me great results and helped me understand how to get fluent in a language.

The reason why I like this exercise is because it develops fluency no matter what level you’re starting at.

It’s the main exercise I do to improve my French, but even if you’re a beginner you can start doing this today.

As long as you know how to form sentences in your target language, and they don’t even have to be perfect.

What you need to get started speaking french fluently

All you need is your computer and 2 free apps called:

• DeepL
• Anki

If you have a mac you can download DeepL for your desktop, if not, just use the app on their site.

So now that have you have all your tools are you ready to discover how to become fluent in french?

How To Speak French Fluently Fast In 6 Easy Steps

Step 1: Find a story to tell

The first thing you’re going to do is get on your computer.

Open up whatever program that can record video and press RECORD.

Now you’re going to tell a story in your target language and record yourself speaking for 5 minutes.

It has to be a story about you, and a story that you’re comfortable telling to others.

And most importantly it has to be a story that you know VERY well.

In fact, if you need to take 5 minutes to tell the story in your native language before you start recording to get the details straight…

By all means do it!

A good example of a story is how you met your best friend or how you ended up in the current job that you have.

Try to tell a story that you enjoy…

So maybe not the job thing : ).

If you finish your story before the 5 minutes are up, start over and tell it until the 5 minutes are finished.

And if you don’t finish the story in 5 minutes, keep going until you’ve told the entire story.

When you don’t know how to say a certain word in the story in your target language, say it in your native language.

If you don’t know how to structure a certain sentence, give it your best shot in your target language and then say it in your native language.

Now during these 5 minutes you’re likely to experience some discomfort.

The first time you do this, it should be difficult if you’re a beginner, it should be fairly easy if you’re advanced.

Just push through and it will pay off.

The pain you feel while doing this is the reason why people don’t do speaking exercises.

And people who don’t do speaking exercises is the reason why people don’t make any speaking progress.

Ok, YOU GET IT! : D

Step 2: Write Down Your Problem Areas

After the 5 minutes are up, stop the recording and watch the video.

Look out for 2 things while you watch yourself speak and write them down.

These are:

• Words that you didn’t know how to say
• Sentences that you didn’t know how to structure. 

Take the list of words you didn’t know, translate them in DeepL and create an Anki Deck for them.

Give the story that you told a title and name this Anki Deck the same thing.

This deck is only for words that you use in telling this story.

Don’t put any other words in this Anki Deck!

Every story that you tell will have its own Anki deck.

Take the list of sentences you didn’t know how to structure, translate them in DeepL, but put them in a Google Sheet.

Step 3: Repeat Your Story

Now, open up your video player again, press record and repeat what you did earlier.

Tell the same story for another 5 minutes.

You should see that it’s a bit easier to do now that you’ve looked up the words and sentence structures you didn’t know before.

But telling the story will still likely be difficult at this point.

If so, that’s fine, just keep going. 

After this second session is done, watch the video.

You’ll notice that you probably didn’t tell the story with the exact same words and sentences as you did the first time, which is a good thing.

So write down any NEW words that you used and did not know how to say and any NEW sentences that you didn’t know how to structure.

Add the new words to the same Anki Deck you created earlier.

Then add the new sentences to the Google Sheet. 

Step 4: Add New Words To Your Anki Deck

Finally, open your video player and repeat this process a third time.

Put any new words in your Anki Deck, and any new sentences in your Google Sheet.

You’ll notice by the third time doing this that you’ve already become a lot more proficient in telling this story.

Now, Do the same exercise with the same story for a week straight.

And then the second week that you do this, start a new story, and the next week, a third story and so on.

As you get better at the exercise, you won’t need an entire week for each story.

After telling the story becomes automatic, move on to the next story.

Work up to the point where it only takes 2 days to finish the exercise and move to the next story.

Developing a french vocabulary for fluency

What’s going to happen is you’re going to develop a vocabulary of your life.

A vocabulary of words related to your interests, your family and friends, your job, etc.

The more diverse your stories are, the better because you’re gonna be exposed to different words.

But it’s all going to be in the context of stories that are relevant to your life.

As you continue, you’ll start being able to use these words in different contexts outside of these stories and in regular conversations when you talk to other people.

Cool right?

And that’s the beginning of fluency – using the words you know in new contexts without having to think about it.

How many words does it take to be fluent in french?

Many of us think that reaching fluency means you have to learn a hundred thousand words and that’s not true.

Fluency is actually just how well you use the words that you know in different contexts.

That only comes through practice using the words you use most often in your everyday life…

Which is what you get from this exercise.

Step 5: Review Your Vocabulary List

Ok, now we’re going to use Anki to really internalize the new words you learn.

Go over the Anki deck that you created for this story at least twice a day.

I recommend once right before you start this storytelling exercise, and once either before bed or as soon as you wake up.

Do the same with the sentences you put on the Google Sheet.

Just read over them, and don’t really stress it.

And this will make telling the story much easier the next time by helping you recall the words you need, faster.

And you’re going to notice that after just 3 or 4 days of telling this story you’re going to be able to tell it almost automatically.

You’re going to experience what it feels like to speak fluently without really having to think about what you want to say.

Step 6: Get a Language Partner

Finally, take it a step further and get a language partner.

Write out your entire story beforehand, send it to your language partner during your session and let them correct it with you.

Let them tell you why they would change certain things.

This will help you understand more about the language structure so you can improve your grammar and find more natural ways to say things.

A great place to find language partners are on HelloTalk which you can download on the app store.

Many people on this app are looking for language exchange partners and are willing to lend a helping hand.

Final Thoughts: How Long Does It Take To Speak French Fluently ?

When it comes to knowing how long it takes to speak fluently there are a few things that we have to define.

I think the first thing is the definition of fluency.

As stated before I like to define fluency as “how well you use the words you know”.

So if you only knew only 200 words in your target language how effectively can you use and speak with those words quickly.

Meaning it doesn’t take much time to process and speak with them.

Then the second thing is how many words does it really take to have a good base.

In a past post we mentioned it takes around 2,500 words to understand 80% of a spoken language.

However, we are talking about fluency and I truly believe that with only we can speak fluently with less then that.

Again how well you know the words and speak without much effort shows your fluency.

Therefore, the more time you spend speaking and internalize the words you speak with you can see the results of fluency within just 30 Days as I did in the video above.

So there you have it.

My one exercise that helped me speak french fluently.

It was one of the best exercises I have done and will continue to do in my studies.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to speak a language.

If you don’t feel like you’re ready to get started with this exercise yet and still are trying to figure out where to get started then be sure to check out our post how to learn a foreign language.

Here are some other posts you may like:

• How to use Netflix effectively to learn a language
• The 12 benefits of learning a language
• 10 Children stories to learn Spanish

The post The One Exercise That Helped Me To Speak French Fluently appeared first on Language Lords.

Have you ever wondered how to use Netflix to learn Spanish?

For many of us we have heard that we can use resources like Netflix to learn a language, but how exactly do we do that.

Today we are going to find out some techniques that can help take our Spanish to the next level by using Netflix to our advantage to learn Spanish.

How To Use Netflix To Learn Spanish

It’s probably well known and almost everyone who is learning a language or knows a language has heard or been given the advise of find tv shows or movies to watch in your target language.

A technique that is considered as immersion.

This works when you are not able to travel to the desired country that you want to learn the language you begin to fill your environment with the target language.

So for example, the music you listen to, the books or blogs you read, changing your phone into the target language and most important…

watching series and movies in that language.

Although I wholeheartedly agree with this method as my phone has been converted to spanish and I try to listen to the majority of my music in spanish as well podcasts but I think there is still one thing missing.

Tell e if this story sounds familiar to you.

Can I Really Learn Spanish While Watching TV?

I was just told about this new series and all my friends were raving about it.

They were diving into the story plots the character development, the unexpected twist and turns and I could only sit and listen because I had not seen one episode.

So I decided I had to start watching it.

The only problem was the show was in another language.

No problem I have watched plenty of anime in my day so I’m used to reading subtitles while watching at the same time.

I began watching the show and episodes went by, who am I kidding seasons went by and I was hooked.

Just like my friends I was able to follow along with everything even in another language, with subtitles.

I even caught on a few words they were saying.

But ask me if I could speak that show’s language…

I’ll give you a hint, NOPE.

Don’t get me wrong I was able to say a few phrases but actually speak like them or have a conversation or understand the dialogue without subtitles.

I don’t think so.

Does this sound familiar to you.

Something was missing and I only recently just discovered it.

How To Effectively Learn Spanish With Netflix

Let me ask you a question

Do you have a favorite movie or tv show?

Mines avatar the last air bender.

Can you quote this movie word for word before the next scene even comes up?

Are seeing were I am going with this.

The one thing that I missed from binge watching a series on netflix was studying the show.

I simple watched it for entertainment.

Now I am not saying that you have to study a series or a movie word for word but think about it.

When you watch your favorite movie or tv show are you deliberately studying the show…

Chances are probably not, but you enjoy it so much that you watch it over repetitiously.

And this is the key.

When you find a show or a movie that you know very well and have watched it numerous times you become acclimated to the toneations, inflections, expressions and just about everything there is to it.

You’re studying it without realizing what you’re doing.

We need to take this same process when it comes to learning a language with Netflix.

To help you out here are few methods to help you using Netflix as a learning guide.

6 Ways To Use Netflix As A Spanish Teacher

1. Find a show/movie you like

I know this probably goes with out saying, but if you find a show and you don’t like it then you are just wasting your time.

Why bother right?

You won’t enjoy the process of learning spanish with the show.

That being said find a series on Netflix, or a movie, and let this be your designated show when watching or listening to your show in Spanish.

This will come into play as we get to step 5.

2. Watch in your target language with subtitles

After you find a show or movie you enjoy watch it in your native language with the subtitles of the target language you’re learning.

Did I mention it can be one of your favorite movies that you already familiar with.

Netflix offers the option to watch certain movies in different languages.

If you want to know how you can find out you can learn in this post.

When you find the show/movie watch it in your native language with spanish subtitles.

This will allow you to know the dialogue and to begin associating whats being said with the words written in spanish.

I will say this as a disclaimer…

sometimes the subtitles can be slightly off because either in spanish it has a different way to translate the dialogue or the transcript doesn’t match the audio exactly.

Besides that the first goal is to begin familiarizing yourself with the dialouge and the spanish text.

This is going to help for the next section.

3. Listen in your target language with native subtitles

Now that you have started to familarize yourself with the shows dialogue and you feel comfortable its time to switch.

Switch the audio into spanish and now watch the show or series with your native language subtitles.

What you’re doing now is familiarizing yourself with the sounds of the spanish language and seeing how the would form that statement in english or your native language.

Again if your already familiar with the show/movie you can pay attention to the audio since you already have an idea what their saying.

This will help to reinforce certain statements into your memory.

4. Watch in your target language & target language subtitles

Ok its time for full immersion.

You know the show you seen it in your native language with spanish subs, then in spanish with native subs.

It’s now time for full spanish, audio and subtitles.

Again I warn you they may not match at times, but the goal is to familiarizing yourself with the sounds and the words they would use in spanish.

Doing this you are learning listening and reading skills which helps to build connections in the brain when trying to remember something.

5. Watch without subtitles

Last but not least take it to the next level and remove the subtitles.

You are now fully engaging your listening and comprehension skills to understand the show in context.

Again context is one of the best ways to learn something and watching while actively listening you can see expressions and gestures the characters act and then associate these with specific phrases.

This strengthens the connections to make them stick.

6. Repeat

Ok so I said that number 5 was the last but this step is probably the most important.

It is said that repetition is the mother of all skill.

I believe this is truly how kids learn and they copy and repeat what they hear and overtime they can speak and do things as us adults.

Therefore continue to watch this show various times until it becomes easier to watch.

The benefit of doing this is everytime you watch and listen you are going to find more details that you missed before.

Has that ever happened to you when you watched an old movie you’ve seen before?

Because you know the movie, and seen it before, its like your brain is now looking for new details and catches something new.

For example, a character foreshadows a plot twist in the beginning but you didn’t realize because you had no idea what it meant.

It happens all the time everytime we rewatch something.

So rewatch your series, study and learn until it’s as you’ve mastered the show.

Can I Learn Spanish By Myself?

Here is a question many new learners probably ask themselves when taking on this challenge of learning a new language.

To answer this question in short…

Yes.

In fact, if you really want to learn spanish you have to take it into your hands.

A class, a program or an app is not going to take you to level that you desire.

The amount of time and effort that you put into learning will produce the results that you are looking for.

These programs can help but if you want to learn spanish by yourself it is absolutely possible and your can do it from the comfort of your home.

In fact if you want to get started check out our post on how to start learning a language.

It’s an introduction to language learning but we think it will help give you a good starting point.

To learn spanish on your you don’t need expensive programs, just a few good resources and most importantly some people to talk to.

If you would like a good place to find other native Spanish speakers to practice and share knowledge HelloTalk is an excellent place to meet new friends and learn together.

That is how we really practice what we were learning and people are really nice to help you learn when you make mistakes.

Its a pretty cool community.

However, to continue with the idea of how to use Netflix to learn Spanish then check out our post on the 21 Netflix shows to learn spanish.

Conclusion

There you have it.

Now you know how to use Netflix to the advantage of your language learning.

Watching series and movies are fun and why not take advantage of the tools we have in front of us and develop a life skill.

I know we all watch movies and have heard of using movies and shows to learn a language, but I believe there are techniques we can use to accomplish our goals effectively.

So the next time you turn on Netflix to watch your favorite series think about how watching it various times can really help you learn Spanish.

And remember to enjoy your journey of language learning because the journey of a thousand steps begins with the first.

So don’t get overwhelmed but know it takes time and your efforts will not be in vain.

We would love to your hear thoughts in the comments and share this with someone if you found it helpful.

Other post you may like:

• How to learn a language on your own
• 12 irregular verbs you should know
• 30 most common verbs
• 10 children stories to learn new vocabulary

The post How To Use Netflix to Learn Spanish Effectively appeared first on Language Lords.

As anyone knows starting to learn a new language can be frustrating and trying to find tv shows to learn Spanish can be take some creativity to spice up our learning.

That is why this post will show you how to use Netflix and the tv shows to learn Spanish for beginners.

We all do it and if we admit it to ourselves we might watch a little bit too much Netflix as opposed to doing something a little more productive than we ought.

Hey I get it, you don’t have to explain it to me.

Sometimes you just want to relax and take a break from work and you just not in the mood to study.

But what if there was a way to study and enjoy it at the same time?

Can you really have both at the same time…

Or at least trick your brain to getting accustomed to it and the familiar sounds?

For example, I am an anime fan and I love to watch the classics like Naruto and One Piece in Japanese…

Now at the moment I am not studying Japanese and do not know anything…

Well I can’t form a sentence in Japanese, but there are a few words and sounds I can recognize because I have watched so many episodes.

Why not do the same thing with the targeted language you’re learning?

Not only will you be able to recognize more words, but the more you do it, the more you will recognize speech patterns and phrases.

Then subtitles will no longer be needed.

So I know questions arise like how do I use Netflix to obtain these goals or what shows can I watch in Spanish on Netflix as a beginner?

Not to worry, I will break down the simple technicalities to accomplish this as well as a few recommendations of some beginner friendly shows to get you started.

First things first, which is the question everyone probably wants to know…

How To Watch Netflix In Spanish

So Netflix is amazing especially with all the options they offer from the movies to Netflix series to binge watch in a day.

I have no doubt especially this year of 2020 a lot of people have probably caught up on some shows.

Some decided to catch up on shows while others, like myself, have decided to learn another language.

That is when I discovered the beauty of Netflix.

And if your like myself you have been probably looking for alternatives to enjoy your learning process.

In fact, the first thing I did was look for Spanish movies I could watch on Netflix and I discovered that they had “The Incredibles 2” the Spanish version during the summer.

I didn’t look no further and clicked play and began watching “The Incredibles 2” in Spanish.

It was fun because not only do I enjoy animations, what can I say I’m like a big kid sometimes, but watching movies over and over you begin to memorize your favorite scenes from the visuals to the sound and your brain internalizes them.

Unfortunately, The Incredibles are no longer on Netflix due to a conflict with streaming services and Disney plus I think.

Nevertheless you can still accomplish these goals.

There are 2 ways you can find shows to watch in Spanish on Netflix and that is…

1. If the show is actually a movie or a show that was written in Spanish like “La Casa De Papel” or the Spanish version of “The Incredibles”, or
2. Changing the language of the original movie to your targeted language.

The second option gives you so much more potential to watch a lot more shows and movies you might enjoy.

In the next sections I will explain how you can change the audio settings as well as a little hack to know if a show has a Spanish version.

How To Change The Language On Netflix

Ok so down to the technicalities of getting to learn Spanish with Netflix.

It’s pretty straight forward and you probably have found it if your not new to Netflix.

In order for you to know if you can change the language settings is when the show begins to play look for the options of audio settings entitled Audio and Subtitles.

From there you can select the preferred language you desire.

Be warned some movies and shows are dubbed over so the words may not match up with the actors, but if that doesn’t bother you then get to learning Spanish…

Which is the goal right.

Watch and listen with english subtitles to some of your favorite shows and movies and acclimate yourself to a whole new world.

Then once you begin to get accustomed to the language try either with Spanish subtitles or none and see if you can recognize what they are saying or what’s happening.

But wait there is a special trick that you can know if a show has a Spanish version before even clicking on the movie of the audio settings.

What shows does Netflix have in Spanish?

So how do you know if a show is in translated in Spanish or not?

Well its simple…

Have you ever seen a movie cover that has the Netflix logo of the little N in the corner or it says it’s a Netflix original?

For example…

If you see this symbol (as below) or you know it is a Netflix original you can guarantee 9 times out of 10 that it has a Spanish version.

So if you want to fully immerse yourself in a Spanish environment then make your playlist of your favorite shows and rewatch them in Spanish.

But if you’re looking specifically for some beginner friendly tv shows to learn Spanish then check out this list of cartoons for beginners on Netflix.

21 Fun & Silly Spanish Cartoons For Beginners On Netflix

I know what you may be thinking…

Cartoons really? Do you think I am a kid or something?

No I don’t, but when starting to learn a new language I think you have to approach the language as if you were a child and take baby steps.

As mention in this article how to learn a language.

Now this list isn’t compiled of your pre-k baby shows, although that can be beneficial as well for beginners.

However, personally I couldn’t sit through them myself and need a little more action and even some comedy in my tv shows.

Therefore I collected this list of shows that I would have personally watched, have watched, or previewed to see if it fits in the categories of a “language lord show” to watch.

Granted there are ton more on Netflix that you can watch yourself but these are the top tv shows I would watch to learn Spanish as a beginner.

Some shows vary from how fast they talk and some of the subject matters, but everyone deals with common words that you will use in everyday conversations…

which is what I was looking for.

Hearing and seeing these words constantly accustoms you to the language and makes learning a little easier.

So without further ado here is the list of the…

21 Netflix TV shows to learn Spanish for beginners.

1. Charlie Colorforms City

This was the very first tv show I found on Netflix that was in Spanish.

I actually still watch it today!

In fact, I usually watch it 15mins before I go to bed which helps to keep the language fresh in my mind.

I enjoy the fun little adventures that Charlie goes on and creates in his world of the “villacolores” which is basically color town.

You will learn colors, forms, and shapes and simple dialect as Charlie figures out how to solve problems within his stories.

2. Puffin Rock

Here is the second show I discovered.

It’s about two puffin birds a big brother and his younger brother as they explore the world together.

3. Veggietales in the house

I am actually still amazed that they still create veggietales episodes.

I used to watch this show as a kid and that was well over 20 years ago.

However, they recreated and adapted this show to create a Spanish version for kids.

Learn some fun and good morals with the famous characters Bob and Larry.

They may speak a little fast if watching without subtitles but just another way for getting more practice in.

4. Pocoyo

Pocoyo is fun because the characters don’t do much talking but the narrator does.

As he talks to the characters with basic phrases and questions about their day and what they’re doing.

A great beginner friendly show.

5. Cleo & Cuquin

Mini adventures of these 6 siblings as Cleo the oldest loves to play with her siblings and get into all sorts of fun without thinking of the consequences sometimes.

It’s a pretty laid back and funny show if you like some goofiness in your learning.

6. Magic School Bus

So if you’re an old school, no pun intended, like me then you will remember this show when you were a kid.

They now have a Spanish edition on Netflix so you can relive every moment with the kids and Ms. Frizzle on the magic school bus.

Netflix also came out with their own remake of the show called “The Magic School Bus Rides Again” and guess what…

Since it is a Netflix original there is a Spanish version.

7. Hello Ninja

I started watching this one to check it out and it seems pretty interesting but I won’t lie the speed at which they speak in Spanish seemed pretty quick to me.

I may have to watch it a few times to catch on or even put on some subtitles to get started.

8. Super Monsters

If you were twilight fan or like the ideas of monsters and musical then this might be the show for you.

When I first started watching it they reminded me of the brats doll or something but as it progressed it was pretty cute and humorous.

So prepare to laugh and maybe a few awwws at the same time lol.

9. YooHoo To The Rescue

Cute animals helping each other from their backyard to around the world.

Watch how these cute furries help their friends out as they solve problems, the same problems that we may even deal with in out daily lives lol.

10. Porroro

Porroro reminds me of a video game as Porroro the penguin plays and has adventures with his friends.

They learn lessons that we all can learn from time to time, or just get a good laugh.

11. Kazoops

With the name that sounds like an accident happened join monty on his many adventures with his sidekick pig Jimmy Jones.

12. Ask the Storybots

This one might throw you off a little with the animations.

It’s a little wild and cooky, but nevertheless it captures your attention and its in Spanish which helps to focus more on the content.

This was another show that began speaking really fast so as a beginner.

You may not catch all the words at first but with some time and a little help from the subtitles it will make sense.

Remember it’s about getting immersed and familiar with the sounds and pronunciation…

So it’s ok as a beginner not knowing what’s being said at first.

13. Super Wings

If you like Pixar Planes you will enjoy this version of the show.

No it is not associated with Pixar, but the animation is good and I think the dialogue has you wanting to watch more.

It’s kid friendly so you will learn your basic words for everyday use.

14. Llama Llama

Are there any of my Arthur friends out there?

Ok so I know I am really showing my age but the more I look into these shows I see nothing really changes and llama llama reminds me of Arthur.

With that being said you can watch llama llama to get your practice in with a llama, entonces…

Como se llama with you if you’re not watching this?

Sorry couldn’t resist the corny joke.

15. Pj Masks

Super hero fans will like this one.

It’s a kid version of 3 crime fighters a cat, a gecko, and an owl out to save the day in their crime fighting pajama masks lol.

I don’t think its really their pajamas but it is their costume for crime fighting and I think they change at night…

even though they should be in bed lol.

16. Chip and Potato

So the name sounds like a great snack but this show is actually bout a dog “Chip” and her little friend mouse named “Potato”.

They take us into their lives as they explore the world around them.

17. Beat Bugs

Here is another remake in my opinion of the Pixar classic A Bugs Life.

Learn Spanish and explore the world with these tiny bugs from their perspective and their world.

Another perspective is just what you need sometimes when it comes to learning a new language.

18. Justin Time GO!

My friend told me about this show some time ago when I asked what shows kids were watching these days.

It was pretty interesting, since I was previewing it in english but who knew they made a version of it in spanish.

It’s about a boy named Justin who solves his problems by learning lessons while traveling through time with his pal squidgy.

19. Treehouse Detectives

If you like to do a little detective work with some British looking bears, then you might like this show.

Solve mysteries and discover the world of this dynamic brother sister duo as they help their friends and unlock clues all with in their own backyard.

20. Green eggs and ham

Everyone knows the all time classic books by Dr. Seuss but now they have created a series on Netflix.

It’s very interesting because the intro of the show is very captivating as it begins like an undercover spy or special agent action movie.

The kid in me grew with excitement questioning myself what’s gonna happen next.

Then it begins with what looks like a backstory of something completely different.

It definitely looks different from the book I grew up on and I think its worth checking out…

You might find it interesting.

So get caught in the world of Dr. Seuss all while learning Spanish so it definitely a bonus to watch.

I know I’m going to check it out.

21. Chico Bonbon

Last but not least is Chico Bonbon.

Funny name I know, but this series is basically about a crime solving monkey with a tool belt lol.

Looks pretty silly to watch so you will have fun while learning Spanish.

Movies To Learn Spanish On Netflix

So I know this was primarily about the top tv shows you can watch on Netflix to learn Spanish but…

I also wanted to give a little bonus and reminder.

The little hack that I gave you to find shows that have Spanish versions can be done for movies too.

I could have put the top movies to watch to learn with Netflix here, but I would like to save that for another day and dedicate another post to that.

However, if you are looking for movies to watch on Netflix you can always check the audio and subtitles section of the movie.

Remember if it’s a Netflix original or has the Netflix logo it has a Spanish version you can watch.

I did this with the movie “Nex Gen” and watched this movie in Spanish multiple times.

These are great ways to find some of your favorite Netflix movies that you know well.

This is a benefit because when you know what’s being said it’s much easier to follow along in Spanish.

Conclusion

So there you have it the 21 tv shows to learn Spanish on Netflix.

As I said before, there are so many other shows on Netflix that you can choose from to learn Spanish and some may interest you more than what we provided.

But if you are looking for a place to get started we think this list can help.

If not, we wanted to provide you with the resources to navigate around the platform to find something you may prefer better.

We hope this article helps you in your endeavor to learn a new language and keeps you motivated while having fun at the same time.

Let us know what you think and if any one of these shows are your favorites.

Other posts you may like:

• 10 Children Spanish Stories
• 3 Amazing Podcasts
• 21 Netflix Spanish Shows For Beginners

The post 21 Netflix TV Shows To Learn Spanish For Beginners appeared first on Language Lords.

Why should anyone learn a foreign language?

What is the point, does it have any benefits and to be frankly blunt…

Is it even worth the effort to learn a second language?

Many questions like this arise when the idea of learning another language comes into play and I can’t blame you.

Trying to learn a completely different language from your mother tongue, or your birth tongue, seems like an adventure not many are willing to take on.

But if you’re reading this you may already be on the side of wanting to learn a language and don’t need any motivation…

Or maybe you’re on the fence and you want to know what it’s worth before taking on this whelming task.

I will say for myself learning a language can be daunting at times and I think if you really want to learn a language you should think of it in regards to the long term.

I’m not saying you can’t learn a language quickly, but what I am saying is if you want to learn a second language and enjoy the process than you should think of it as a long term goal.

Especially if you want to really feel comfortable and at a conversational level.

When I was a kid I had spanish classes in school and I learned a few words here and there but I never used it in my practical life. 

To be honest I didn’t really much care even though I grew up in Miami where there were plenty of opportunities for me to practice.

Yet deep down I didn’t want to.

Therefore I only learned what I needed to pass the class.

Until I found out in high school that they were introducing chinese as an option.

I immediately jump at the opportunity and switched my language elective to Chinese.

I became more determined and focused to learn because I felt that I now had more benefits to learning chinese.

Not only was my nationality part chinese, but I felt that by understanding the language and the culture I could learn more about myself with the things my parents didn’t know.

Sadly I am still on the adventure of learning Chinese but I now know how to approach it now.

And that is what this post is all about

We are going to go over some of the benefits you can gain from learning a foreign language.

I know everyone has their own personal ambitions and goals, but I think there are still some general benefits that apply to all learners and any language.

What is a foreign language?

Before we begin anything and start diving into what the benefits are, I want to break down a few simple ideas about languages and studying them.

For instance, what is a foreign language?

I know this seems so trivial and elementary but that is the thing about learning a language.

Words are the primary makeup of a language and when you understand the history and context of them you can begin to see the connections and relationships words have with the culture and the people.

This relationship also transcends the target language because words in other languages may have a connection to another.

It’s actually quite amazing when you begin to notice them.

But to begin with our definition of a foreign language we can start off with…

According to a few sources a foreign language is defined as a language different from a person’s mother tongue or commonly spoken in the country of the speaker.

Does that make sense?

So for this example I was born in America and the native language of course is English, or if you were born in Brazil the native language there would be portuguese.

Simple right?

Yea I know. 

So with knowing that let’s dive into some facts on how the brain actually develops and acquires a language

How the brain learns a language

So how does the brain operate when speaking a language.

Well if you haven’t noticed it’s actually an unconscious or automated process. 

Meaning you don’t even have to think before you want to say or form a sentence.

It’s actually quite an amazing feature if you ask me. 

I mean think about it the next time you say something.

The process is so fast you don’t even notice the thought or the idea you’re trying to convey before it is even said.

For example have you ever said something before you fully thought the idea out. 

Well in fact, it is the opposite: your brain processed the idea so fast, unconsciously, that you didn’t have time to “consciously” think through the statement.

That is absolutely amazing!

But when learning a language it’s actually quite the opposite.

A language learner now has to actively learn the new language and “consciously” formulate and identify the new words and phrases to the native tongue.

Due to this process it can take some time to store this information into the unconscious section of the brain. 

How this works is initially the person learning and trying to speak the new language consciously thinks of the phrase and as it formulates the words…

The subconscious then begins to kick in to correct any errors if it has stored this information.

And over time you have stored enough information in the subconscious to access it when needed on command.

Is learning a second language worth it?

So even though the brain or the unconscious mind might take some time to store this information fully into the brain is it even worth it?

To sum it up… 

YES. 

Even though it takes time and effort to consciously learn the new language you won’t regret your efforts.

Studies have shown that for information to be retained in the long term portion of the brain relationships need to be associated with the thing…

And social interactions are the best way especially when learning a new language.

I mean you are learning another language and when you do that, you cannot help but speak to someone in order to use it right?

These interactions are crucial in learning and creates strong relationships for the brain to aid in acquiring a language.

Think of a child how they interact with their environment and parents and how they are able to adapt and acquire a language so quickly. 

Not only can you acquire a language easier with this process but did you know there are even health benefits to learning a language as well which you can read more about here.

But with that said, let’s dive into some of the top reasons why learning a language is important and beneficial.

12 Reasons why learning a foreign language is important

1. Improve your mind and your memory 

The mind and the brain is an amazing thing and we as humans have barely tapped into the abilities of what we can do with it.

One of my favorite movies is Limitless with Bradley Cooper who discovers a pill that enables him to access more of his mental capabilities and completely enables him to transform his life…

Despite some of the obstacles that came his way.

But learning a language actually can have some similar effects to the brain as well.

To begin, because learning a new language can be so complex the brain begins to develop new patterns which then leads to you developing problem solving skills. 

As you learn a language you are trying to figure out how the language works in order for you to apply it in everyday conversations and situations.

Thus developing solutions to problems.

In addition to adding new vocabulary, phrases, and sentence structures; the mind stores this information into the subconscious which, along the way, helps to create quicker recall whenever it’s needed.   

The brain is like a muscle so the more you use it the more you develop it and it becomes stronger. 

In fact, even though I am not a firm believer in multitasking because I don’t believe you can do something at the same time consciously, you are only switching the tasks, but when you learn a language this becomes easier.

The reason behind this is because you will now have two languages that you will need to access when needed, therefore you will be able to switch to the desired language.  

There are also studies that have shown knowing another language has helped to deter dementia later in years. 

If that doesn’t convince you how about an increase in your attention span.

Since you’re learning a language it takes more effort to listen and understand what is being communicated therefore overall your attention increases as well but we will go over more on this in another benefit.

2. Expand your native language

So you may have mastered your native tongue, or the language you grew up speaking but do you really know everything about your mother tongue?

Trust me as I started learning spanish I truly began to see the relationships between words and why they were named the way they were.

Its quite an interesting perspective once you find out and I think it makes learning the language even more fun and memorable. 

For example in spanish one word for pen is “pluma” but that word is also used for feather.

If you think about it what were the first ink pens made out of…

You got it feathers.

I know my mind was blown too when I first discovered it and I just learned it a few weeks ago lol.

But another thing you probably won’t notice until you start studying another language is the make up of a language and how it differs.

Yes those english classes actually have some meaning behind it now smh.

You begin to see sentence structures, the grammar and the use of verbs and their conjugations.

None of that means nothing to you when you know the language but as you study another you find how different they are, or at times very similar.

Regardless of the language you begin to see the differences in how you are able to communicate in your native tongue with subtle movements, gestures, and expressions apart from the new language. 

3. Connect with other cultures

So this one may be a given but when you learn another language you can’t help but to get to learn about the culture. 

Especially if you begin to speak to other people of the country or language your learning.

Your language partner can’t help but express the different customs theirs are compared to yours.

You may even begin to see how the world is really connected deep down and how we think and do similar things. 

Language is the direct connection to other cultures. 

Getting to know a language is how you are able to connect with someone else from another country and it is by this connection that friendships and communities are built.

Language learners open themselves to the world around them and in doing this you find a deeper connection through the history, art, traditions, and even gain understanding of others and even empathy. 

I believe you get to learn more oof yourself when you learn another language. 

4. Understand the source of words

Did you know that there are more than 6,000 spoken languages in the world?

This then brings the question to mind…

“Why wouldn’t we want to learn another apart from your mother tongue?”

And with all these languages around the world its safe to say that not all words are made the same.

Luckily most words are almost standardized meaning the word for fire in another language will mean fire in your language as well…

But there are some words and expressions that are not easily translated. 

However, learning a language will give you a new perspective on the origin of words. 

For example, I gave an example earlier about the word “pluma” for pen in Spanish which also represents a bird’s feather and how they used feathers for pens in older times.

Thus pluma can be used for the word pen.

Well, another example I will like to discuss would be the days of the week.

Did you know the days of the week are based on the greek names for the planets?

I only discovered this when speaking with my language lord partner about the days of the week and they were similar in french as well.

For example, in Spanish the word for Monday is lunes but the word “luna” also represents the word for moon….

Then we started to look into the other days of the week

Martes (Tuesday) is similar to the name for…

Can you guess?

Yup, Mars and it’s the same for the rest of the days of the week.

Are you seeing the relationship?

You can even find similar features in the english language with Monday or if we want to break it up Mon day or…

Moon day : ).

Are you now catching my point?

Therefore, I believe when you begin to study another language you gain new perspectives on why an object or a thing is described with a specific word.

Then you can begin to see why and how the structure of the language is made and it can even improve your mother tongue.

5. Better career opportunities 

Ok let’s talk about job opportunities.

I know when I first started looking for a job and creating my resume I was always told to put something interesting that will help you stand out.

I never knew what to put but let’s think about this for a second.

If you are able to say that you can speak another language, and not just the 2 credits you had to take in school, but you can actually communicate in the language…

Then this is a clear indication that you stand out.

Not only do you receive the benefits on this list, but when you can show that you know another language that actually speaks volume.

Learning a language is not an easy task so that alone shows you are a hard worker, self motivated, and you take initiative to reach your goals.

Plus its a great conversation starter when they ask how you learned the language and why you wanted to learn. 

You are already presenting yourself as an interesting person, but let’s not forget to mention some of the other benefits a language can have on your career.

Even if you are not using your linguistic skills on the job it is said by the mere fact that learning a language helps in your work and academic performance…

Such as problem solving and multitasking, as mentioned in the first benefit.

This can definitely aid in the productivity of your work. 

But if you are looking for jobs that you can directly apply your skills here are 11 jobs you can look into if you are interested.

6. Strengthen your decision making

So how does a language help your decision making?

Well that’s a great question.

Here’s an example of how making a decision can work.

Let’s say you started speaking the other language you’re learning with your new language partner and while practicing you have to decipher what words to put together and structure them in an understandable sentence.

You then come across a word that you need but there is a problem. 

There are two words that actually mean the same thing but can differ based on the context of the statement.

Be aware this is all happening in your mind while speaking to your language partner.

You now have to make a decision which is the best choice for this situation. 

You choose the second option, but unfortunately you are wrong.

But getting the answer wrong is not what we are focused on here. 

The fact remains that you were stuck between 2 options and needed to make a choice. 

And you did, despite being wrong.

There were so many factors that you had to process through to get to that decision.

But now the next time you come across that same situation you will now have more information to know which is the best word to choose from…

But in hindsight this process is actually helping you to develop how you make decisions in other areas.

Within every decision we are presented with a set of facts and information that we have to filter through to get to our final judgement.

Because when learning another language we have to pay attention to the subtle nuances and expressions from other cultures and make decisions based on the facts that we gather.

In turn, this same critical thinking process transfers to you being more aware and attentive to what’s important in order to make a decision based on facts and not merely emotion.

This article dives more into the idea how knowing another language helps in decision making. 

7. Boost confidence

This benefit hits home personally for me. 

When learning a language the hardest part is trying to speak.

I mean you want to sound perfect but I have news for everyone trying to learn…

It’s not going to happen!!!

You are going to make mistakes and think that you sound horrible at first, but in the beginning it is a part of the process. 

It all started for me when I was afraid to reach out to people and say anything.

I then thought about what I really wanted, which was to speak another language.

So I decided to just go for it and dive in.

Then something funny happened.

From my experience when I spoke to native speakers they were really helpful and supportive.

They even complimented me how my progress was very good and my accent was as well.

Hearing comments like this from native speakers truly gave me the confidence to continue.

I began to reach out to more people, practice individually, and start more conversations to have as much practice as I could. 

I can say that the more you do it the easier it will get and you will almost look forward to making mistakes. 

Its how we grow and…

You will also realize that it’s not as bad you think.

In fact, it becomes more fun when you see it’s not as hard as you thought and people are friendlier than you thought when you try to speak their language. 

8. Teaches communication & social skills

Coming in at number 8 is communication.

Of course language is the key to communication but we don’t express everything we want to say with just words.

It is said that 90% of communication is nonverbal.

That means everything doesn’t have to be said with words.

This is transferable with other languages and cultures as well.

Therefore learning a language means learning about that culture’s expressions and gestures. 

Understanding how people communicate helps to develop social skills in order to interact with others effectively. 

Not only will you learn how to communicate with them but you will actually grow new perspectives, or rather worldwide perspectives and viewpoints.

This enables you to develop empathy and deeper connections with the world around you.

Discovering this I believe you will begin to see how small the world really is. 

9. Makes life more interesting

Did you know that approximately 43% of the world’s population are bilingual. 

That is almost half the world.

Which means there are about 3.9 billion people who are bilingual.

Wouldn’t you love to be apart of those statistics?

Not only will you be able to say you make up half of the worlds population who are bilingual lol but traveling can now become more fun.

For example, if you are learning Spanish like I am, imagine how much easier it will be getting around the city knowing how to ask the right questions and reading the street signs.

You won’t feel disabled trying to navigate around the city and it will be much easier to make new friends. 

Then making these new connections they may share with you places that are not normally shared with tourists and you get a more in depth tour of the country.

Not only that but knowing another language helps to connect with other people you may have never thought you would connect with.

You never know how your life may turn out to be or who you meet because you decided to learn another language.

10. Stimulates creativity

Ok so we might have touched on this before with how learning a language can improve your memory and the process is like a gym for the brain…

But did you know creativity can be stimulated as well.

I know from personal experience while learning spanish I was coming up with so many methods to learn the language. 

I had to think outside the box for learning and even how to create relationships with words and images to remember what I was learning.  

However, research has said that language learning is known to help people in unfamiliar situations.

What this basically means is instead of the fear of doing something you look forward to new and exciting adventures.

I think this is a form of creativity as well because you are creating a new perspective of the world around you.

Ultimately I think this is one of the best benefits anyone can gain from learning a language.

You now have a worldwide perspective rather than a singular focus and can understand and empathize with others more.

11. Makes learning easier 

So I myself have not tested this theory personally but have heard many polyglots before say the same thing.

“When you learn one language it becomes easier to learn other languages.”

However from my mistake in the past years of trying to learn a language I do feel like I learned a better method to learn a language and what is important when learning.

So if the idea is the same then learning a third or fourth should relatively be easier.

Due to the fact that your brain has now created a system to processing another language apart from your mother tongue.

Studies also show how bilingualism claims it is easier to acquire other languages. 

I don’t know about you but if learning more than two languages gets easier why not do it.

One of my personal goals is to learn japanese so I can watch my favorite anime shows without subtitles.

That’s just a fun goal of mine.

12. Develop problem solving skills

Last but not least we become a problem solvers.

If you haven’t noticed most of the benefits involve your brain and the mind. 

I like to think of this benefit as the limitless pill.

If you haven’t seen the movie “Limitless” watch it : ).

It is about a guy who takes this pill and what this pill does is open his mind to access more of his brain than just the 5% we use.

There is even a part in the movie where he learns how to speak another language and it helped him to meet new people and take him to new places.

A great example of the possibilities of what another language can do.

But the benefit is about problem solving…

One argument is said that because your brain learns how to switch between languages when needed it processes a plethora of words to help express your ideas…

A perfect example of problem solving skills.

Whatever the problem may be your brain has now developed a new ability to find alternative solutions for the problem at hand. 

It filters through logical reasoning as opposed to emotional to help reach a proper conclusion.

If you want to learn a little more on how the brain contributes to new perspectives check out this article here

Learning a language seems to really be like gaining a super power.

Are there health benefits to learning a second language?

So one more question before we wrap this whole article up.

Are there any health benefits to learning a second language?

Well let’s break down some ideas of what the brain is and how there can be health benefits to this process.

As stated many times the brain is like a muscle.

And as any muscle of the body, in order to develop it and keep it in good health that requires some form of exercise.

And probably the best form of exercise for the brain is constantly feeding it and learning new concepts and ideas…

Especially learning a language. 

Because learning a language requires both parts of the brain this helps to develop what is known as grey matter.

Which you can read more about here.

In short, developing your brain can have an affect on a person if they may be prone to dementia later in their years.

Meaning it can slow down the time to when you might develop dementia up to 5 years later.

Imagine being able to enjoy your life for 5 more years all because you studied a language.

Even if it took you 1 year to learn a language that would mean you have 4 more years left to enjoy what you have. 

So how is that for a benefit of learning a language. 

Conclusion

So in conclusion is it worth learning a language solely for the benefits?

My answer would be yes.

If not, I would not be writing this article.

But who wouldn’t want the benefits of…

• Improving your mind
• Expanding your native language
• Connecting with other cultures
• Advancing your career
• Strengthen your decision making
• Boost your confidence and so much more

If you have been on the fence of learning another language my question to you is what’s stopping you?

The only thing that it takes to be successful in learning a language of your choice is this one word called consistency.

If you can do that, even for 30min to an hour a day I guarantee you will be surprised to how much you will know a year from now.

So if this sounds interesting to you then I suggest reading this article on how you can get started today in learning a new language.

It’s 6 simple steps anyone can do to get started.

But I think that its for now.

These were the 12 benefits of learning a language and I hope they were insightful and most importantly beneficial for you.

So have fun and go learn a language today and let’s connect together. 

The post The 12 Benefits of Learning A Language appeared first on Language Lords.

Do you want to learn a foreign language but not sure where to get started? 

Or you’re probably looking for the best options/methods to get you started.

Well if you fit into one of these categories then you are not alone. 

We are just like you and it started for us about 5-6 years ago.

Lord Cameron started learning French and I, Lord Wong, started learning Chinese. 

It was around summer time while we were in college and we had plenty of time on our hands so we decided to dedicate 4 hours a day to learning our targeted languages.

Unfortunately that was a lot of time wasted, I was using rosetta stone and cam had his own process.

Even though we seen some progress, and I stress some, un poquito for my Spanish learners, it wasn’t the results we really wanted.  

We thought we knew what we were doing but it wasn’t efficient. 

 And now we have dedicated a portion of our time to this blog for people just like us…

People struggling to learn and speak another language and then knowing what the best and most efficient way to reach your goal.

Greetings language learners from the language lords.

We are just 2 guys who have a strong interest in learning multiple languages and wanted to share our findings and best practices that has worked for us.

That is why we will give a simple outline of how you can get started and learn a foreign language on your own. 

We know there are many methodologies and practices out there and it can get quite confusing trying to navigate through them all.

Trust us we have spent many years, really wasted so many, because we thought we knew what we were doing, but we never really seen the fruits of our labor.

We don’t want that to happen to you.

After the many years of trial and error we believe we have found a method that has finally yielded us some results and it happened all in the span of a few months.

So is it possible to learn a language within a year?

Of course it is!

Just take a look at the young language lord Cameron how he improved his French within just the span of 30 days.

My 30 Day French Progress

Trust us we have wasted many years of studying and learning with no success because there was 1 ingredient that we overlooked. 

More like 2 but it really only works because of this 1 thing…

By the way have you ever read the book called the 1 thing? You should check it out it will change your life, it did for us.

Anyways that thing was…

1. A Plan &
2. Consistency

Consistency is the key ingredient that holds this whole puzzle stick together.

Even though it seems like my analogies don’t…

Keys and puzzles, no way are they related but I think you’re catching my drift, right.

Anyways consistency is the key.

If there is anything that you get out of this post even if you didn’t get anything else we want to emphasize… 

If you want success in your journey you need to be…

CONSISTENT, period!

We are not saying our way is the best method but over the years it has been the best for us.

From our own experience, which we are still using, we have seen a significant leap in growth because of this strategy…

which we will outline shortly. 

We know many of you may ask questions such as: 

• What is the best way to learn a foreign language?
• What is the best program to learn a language?
• How hard is it to learn a foreign language?
• What is the hardest language to learn?

Don’t worry if you’ve had these sort of questions before

We will address them as best we know how and guide you to a plan that you can follow and actually enjoy learning a foreign language.

All while seeing the results at the same time.

We understand how demotivating it can be during the journey but you’re not alone and you can keep track of your progress.

Whenever we create, build or do something we try to make it as simple as possible. 

That doesn’t mean you won’t have to work for it, but if your like us and believe in the Pareto principle then you know that 20% of the work can give you 80% of the results you’re looking for.

Especially if you find what that 20% is that works.

And we believe we have found what that 20% is or if not we so close it’s crazy.

Ok I know I built you up and did a lot of explaining but we know why your really here… 

You want to learn the best ways to learn a new language and we will share with you what we have learned.

To begin we will start off with the greatest question…

What Is The Best Way To Learn A Foreign Language?

So here we are… 

The dreaded question we all have when we first get started, who am I kidding I still think if there is a better way to learn sometimes.

As we venture into other languages we will test our other theories and share it, but for now this is what we have learned from our current language and it has been working for us. 

We think it will work for you as well if you really want to be able to speak conversationally fluent with others in your target language.

We will outline the methodology below and just so you know this perspective is from both of the language lords. 

Therefore, some steps might seem to vary slightly, but understand that the foundation is the same and results/progress is the goal of the game. 

Step 1. The Foundation

Ok if you know anything about building a building you know that the first thing that you need to do is get a great foundation down. 

This is going to be your base that you will be using to build your building (your language) on. 

Will Smith said if you want to build a wall don’t think about how to build the whole wall but rather focus on laying each brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.

Therefore what you want to do is… 

Get the top 100 most common used verbs along with the basic pronouns for your target language.

Pronouns are the words that describe a person or thing for example:

I, you, he, she, we, they, and it

This will help you to know who is doing what with the verbs as we move into the next step.

Before we continue to proceed and you read these steps like a classroom textbook guide we want to mention an important idea.

Acquiring a language is better than learning a language.

To describe this with a better analogy let’s look at a baby when they learn a language. 

Kids are not taught languages like in a classroom, but they pick it up from hearing it from their parents, from the music they listen to, and simply put… 

their environment. 

They are completely surrounded in it.

They become familiar with the words and sounds and thus it becomes natural for them to speak, at the same time not focusing on the grammar and structure.

We wanted to mention this because when we provide these tips we don’t want to give it like a rigorous routine but a way for you to immerse yourself in the language and culture. 

We believe this will make it much easier to learn/acquire.

Does that make sense?

Great, so once you get the basics of the 100 common verbs and pronouns we can move on to the next step.

Step 2. Children’s Books

If you didn’t know reading is probably one of the best ways to acquire a language. 

Especially when you’re just beginning. 

These children books help to solidify word associations with images and simple sentence structures all while not focusing on the grammar. 

I know I know you may be thinking you’re too old for children books, but when you’re learning a new language you have to think of yourself as a new child just learning. 

Baby steps guys.

You will get past them, but when starting out it helps to master the basics and master the simple structures to use with these first 100 verbs and pronouns you been studying. 

As you grow you can begin to get other books to solidify your new foundation.

Here is a fun fact, have you ever noticed when a child gets a new book or watches a movie they watch it over and over and over again. 

Or their parents read that book over and over every night.

This repetition can help tremendously with acquiring the language and getting your brain used to this new language pattern.

Repetition is the mother of skill so don’t be afraid of rereading the same story or even watching a kids show to help familiarize yourself with your base.

Here’s another fun fact, did you know that reading is a great and one of the fastest way to increase your vocabulary in a language. 

Not to get too deep but as you grow in your target language, you can get more books at more advanced level or the next level up.

This will help you to stretch your language level with books that are a little harder to read. 

This is due to the fact that writers use more words in books to describe things. 

So what this means is more words are used than your daily conversation to describe things. 

Therefore you can see and become more familiar with more words along with the old ones.

Just some fun facts for my readers out there, or if you don’t like reading you can always get audiobooks : ).

So get your books and start reading away.

Step 3. TV Shows 

Ok, so here is the fun part. 

Watching TV shows and videos.

We all like watching things that interest us, but now it’s time to find shows and things you like in the target language you’re studying.

Because of the internet we now have so many resources at our fingertips that we can access. 

This section is specifically designed to help you become familiar with the sound of the language.

Meaning you are now going to start training your ears to the new language. 

So don’t be afraid if you can’t understand everything.

Whether you are studying French or Spanish, or whatever language you desire, you can find a plethora of shows on Netflix to get you started.

We’ll share a few resources below that we used and watched.

Find a show, whether you want to watch a movie or a series, or even a kids show, it doesn’t matter the goal is to begin getting familiar with hearing the language.

Knowing the basic foundation that we told you before is good, but you need to see and hear how it is used in actual conversation.

When you find the show you want to watch you have 2 options but one will help more than the other.

The 2 options include you watching the shows with subtitles.

This will do 2 things for you.

1. You can see what they are saying
2. Associate the words with the speech.

I know what you might be thinking…

But I don’t know what they’re saying so how am I supposed to follow along.

Do you remember when I said there are 2 ways you can do this. 

Those 2 ways are having subtitles in either… 

1. English or 
2. Your target language.

When you watch the show or video with English subtitles you will know what is going on but sometimes this can be ineffective.

Sometimes the show is good and you may forget that you’re learning or studying and only focus on the story, which isn’t a bad thing.

But if you watch it with the targeted language subtitles you will be more focused on what they’re saying. 

Along with doing this your brain will start to do this weird thing and begin to get a general idea of whats going on.

Based on what you’re seeing your mind will associate the new words with the images.

This helps to solidify the new language in your brain.

Or, you can do both…

Watch it once with English subtitles to understand what is going on initially and then watch it again with your targeted language subtitles.

Remember that repetition is the mother of skill.

So when you do this you can understand what they’re saying and associate the new language with the new words and pronunciation. 

It works great if you know the movie already so you can have an idea of what they’re talking about.

If you really want to test yourself trying watching it with no subtitles and see if you can pick up words you know or words they might say often.

Trust me your brain will pick up the words and see a pattern and it will be amazing when you notice it.

Heres a quick tip for looking for shows on Netflix. 

If you find a show on Netflix that is in another language, or it has a dubbed version, and it’s created or produced by Netflix… 

That usually means you will see the Netflix logo on the thumbnail and that means the subtitles in your targeted language are more likely to be in sync with the script of the show. 

It makes it easier when the subtitles and the show have the same verbage so you can understand.

It’s easier to find videos on youtube that execute this well. 

Step 4. Start Learning Simple Sentences

Now that you have done the basics you should have a good foundation of the words and how they are used in conversation and sentences.

If you have been reading children’s books then you should have seen a pattern and how they create simple sentences with them.

Before we continue we want to emphasize that in the beginning do not focus heavily on studying grammar, but try to see the patterns from books and in speech.

We believe this will help to stick the information in your brain much longer and help you to think in the target language much easier especially when just starting.

Plus it takes the stress off trying to remember how and where verbs and nouns are suppose to go. 

Entiendes (does that make sense?) 

Great.

So if you have your base down now you can start trying to create basic sentences with the words you know and even start repeating them so you can get used to saying them.

Its ok to even use a translator if you get stuck or need help creating some.

Some of the best translators we have found are…

• DeepL
• SpanishDict
• Google Translate

Also you can look up simple examples that uses the words you are learning.

For example, if you’re learning Spanish you can use spanishdict.com, the translator we mentioned earlier. 

It has a great section for examples when you are looking for some sentences with a specific word. 

Or even better look for common phrases that uses these foundational words you know and learn them or try to make more sentences with them.

Ok so these 4 steps are your simple base and foundation to get you started. 

But whats next…

Well I’m glad you asked

Step 5. The Great 1000 

Once you got the hang of your first 100 words you will want to continue building on to your list.

It doesn’t really matter how you use the prior 4 steps but when building up your vocabulary you should do the same thing until you have about 1000 words under your belt.

I know that may seem like a lot but there is a reason behind this madness.

This 1000 words will give you an amazing foundation to understanding around 50-60% of the language. 

And if you have been listening and watching your shows, or podcasts, then more words will become familiar to you as you study.

Before you know it you will start to understand what is going around you or what you are watching or listening to.  

This 1000 words base will set you up for your next mission…

Step 6. Speaking

Now that you have a good foundation and you been working on your base of growing up to 1000 words, it is time for you to do what you’ve been waiting for…

Speaking the language. 

There are 2 ways you can do this and we believe both ways can be very effective if executed properly and most importantly if you are consistent with your training and practice.  

2 Ways For Practicing How To Speak:

1. By yourself
2. With A Native Speaker

We have had experience with both processes and we can share what we have gained and how it is helping us to grow in our desired languages daily. 

First we will discuss a process for improving speaking with yourself. 

1. Self-Talk

The Language Lord Cameron has done this challenge for 30 days himself and it has helped him tremendously.

Again you can see the video here

Ok now we will give a simple outline of this challenge so you can do it on your own time. 

Choose A Topic

First you will want to find a video that interests you or a topic that you can watch or listen to.

Take notes and try to get the general idea of what the theme or topic is about because you will need them after.

If you want you can try to write them down in your target language for more practice. 

Record Yourself

After you listened or watched then here is how you will track your progress. 

Record yourself as you talk about what you heard or saw.

You can record yourself with just your voice or you can do a video recording.

Having a video recording is cool because after 30 days you can see how not only you improved in your speaking but you will see how your confidence rose in the video as well.

It’s really pretty cool!

This process will help you to start thinking how to formulate your ideas in the language and create the sentences with the words you know. 

Then your brain will start to become accustomed to speaking and thinking with the language.

As a disclaimer it will be difficult when you first start…

But as with any challenge you want to try and do this consistently and at least for 30 days. 

And don’t be overwhelmed if you think you have to talk for an hour at a time because You Don’t.

If you can only speak for 5 minutes in the language with the words you know that’s ok.

The goal is to get you used to speaking and doing it consistently.

But the great thing after creating a habit of this is you will know specific words and phrases you often repeat and those 5 minutes can grow to 10 minutes then 20 minutes and so forth.

The only limit is yourself so if you want to practice for 30 minutes a day then by all means go for it. 

We are sometimes overachievers here and we do more than the average person might and because of this Cameron would practice doing this for at least 4 hours a day.

That’s crazy I know but just look at what a little effort can do in just 30 days.

Ok now for the 2nd way you can practice.

2. Finding a Native Speaker

We know how hard it is first hand to find a language partner to practice with even though there are so many resources out there to use.

Yet it still can be difficult when you don’t know where to start and especially when so many programs charge for those services or hiring a tutor.

We kind of made it a mission of ours to find alternatives to learn a language when you can’t afford for the service, or really know where to begin…

Thus this post was created.

Anyways if you’re looking for a way to practice with a native we have a solution for you.

It is something we use to this day.

Say hello to the app “HelloTalk”

This app is completely free and you can connect with almost anyone in the world depending on the language you want to learn.

The goal of this app is to bring others who want to learn a language and to connect with others wanting to learn too.

For example, I’m learning Spanish and when I put this in the app it connects me to all the native Spanish speakers who want to learn English. 

You can then talk with them via text or voice chat. 

Because both of you want to learn the other language it is a mutual exchange while you guys help to teach each other.

The great thing about this is because your new partner is trying to learn as well they are willing to help you out and correct your mistakes whenever you make one.

So don’t be afraid to make mistakes and dive in.

Another cool thing is you may find someone that you really connect with and now you made a new friend in another country.

You can even switch to phone conversations or video chats, like what’sapp or zoom and you can really test your skills with listening, understanding, and speaking.

You may be surprised how much you know and don’t be afraid because they are in the same boat trying to learn like you so they want your help. 

Now if you have the funds and want a little more structure and experience because they have had many conversations and can guide you with different questions.

Then you can use iTalki.

It’s similar to hello talk but you purchase a teacher/tutor for their time and you will speak for however long you paid for.

But if you’re willing to dive into HelloTalk and get your feet wet learning along the way then we say go for it.

There are a lot of people who want to learn a language like you and we can help each other reach our goals together.

So those are the 2 ways to practice your speaking.

If you feel a little scared to get started talking to someone then we suggest doing the video speaking challenge with yourself to get used to speaking but… 

for the most effective practice, speaking to a native is the best.

This will not only test your listening comprehension but because you’re talking with a native they can help you where you fall short with pronunciations or “grammar”.

So What’s Next… Conclusion

This methodology that we have laid out will help you get to a great base in your language learning journey. 

One thing that we have learned in learning a language is this thing is not a race and we don’t have to master a language as fast as you can or in 3 months. 

Technically to master a language is impossible in that time frame because even with your mother tongue there is still so much you can learn.

But within a time span of 3-6 months we believe you can get to a comfortable level of conversational fluency. 

Honestly, if you’re learning a language to speak with natives then we believe this should be your goal.

And we firmly believe it doesn’t take more than 2,500 words [according to this article] to understand around 90% of conversation.

In fact, only 1000 words will give you about 87% of the vocabulary you need for daily conversation.

In the near future we are working on challenging ourselves to speaking with others only knowing 1000 words.

So be sure to stay tuned for that challenge. 

But after you have done this process of learning your base of 100 words then growing to around 1000 and speaking with natives you can then continue learning to an advanced level.

To achieve this continue to speak with native speakers and you can spend less time recording yourself with video and even learning new words to advance your vocabulary and familiarize yourself.

Resources

As promised we said we will provide some resources and tools you can use to help in your language learning journey. 

Some resources are specifically for Spanish French or English but you can use the same resources to find similar resources to learn in your target language.

Top Tools We Use And Recommend For Your Journey. 

Netflix

• House of Cards/Casa del papel (spanish)
• Marseille (french)
• Les Anges de la Telerealite (french)
• Charlie Color Forms (Spanish kids show)
• Nicky Jam el ganador (spanish)

Youtube

• Easy Spanish
• Extra en Español

Translators

• SpanishDict.com
• DeepL.com

Language Exchange

• HelloTalk
• iTalki

Study Tools

• Vocabulary: Anki Flashcards

Podcasts

As a disclaimer these podcasts can be for intermediate level but it will help you to get used to the language

• El oso latino hablo español
• Duolingo Spanish Podcast
• Español Automatico: Karo Martinez
• News In Slow Spanish
• News In Slow French

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