Hello once again!
Judging from the people I’ve seen on the site, it seems many of you language-learners are learning more than one language at a time. I’m trying to juggle Korean, Spanish, Japanese and Esperanto, but I’m seriously slacking off! I’m trying to get back on track as well as balance school, so it’s a little bit harder.
How many and which languages are you learning and fluent in right now? And I’m very curious to know, do you stick to a strict schedule or do you study what you want to? I personally study whatever I want, which to be honest isn’t working too well, but I will get there eventually!
Thank you and have a great day! 감사합니다! 여러분, 화이팅하세요!!!
I don’t have a strict regimen. I’m current using Duolingo as a vocabulary builder in Japanese. My city is very monolingual so I have to find creative ways to speak my target language. I’m also working on Mandarin, Korean, and Arabic.
Yo estudio lo que me apetece en cada momento. Probablemente sería más eficaz con un horario estricto, pero no sería más feliz, es cuestión de prioridades.
저는 모국어인 일본어 이외에 3개국어(독·중·러)를 잘할 수 있는데 (스트레스 없이 말할 수 있는 정도) 이 언어들은 기본적으로 따로따로 공부했습니다. 둘 이상의 언어를 동시에 배우는 경우도 있는데 그런 경우에도 모두 다 같은 정도로 배우는 것이 아니고 하나에 중점을 둬서 배웁니다. 중점을 안 둬서 다 잘 공부하는 것은 저는 잘 못 합니다.
Hi, I know Spanish and Esperanto too. I am from Medan city, Indonesia. I have been learning languages for more than 10 years. I try my best to use at least 10 languages that I know. In the beginning, I like to read about the structure, characteristics, fun facts, history, etc. almost everything about the language, except the grammar. I am not a grammar person. Then, I’ll focus on basic phrases, and find someone to practice with. My motivation drops when I can’t find anyone. If that happens, I’ll put the learning of that language on hold, until I find someone in the future.
I wouldn’t say I’m fluent in any of the languages i am studying. However, I’m loathe to put any of them down to focus on just one. Yo puedo hablar español un poco, pero no lo hablo con fluidez. My other languages(German and Romanian) I can understand fairly well, but still am finding it difficult to practice speaking. Then, just for fun, I study Japanese and Latin with a new interest in Sanskrit. I think I shouldn’t add anymore. I try to spend a little time each day with my top 3 languages. And time each week for the hobby 3.
I used to study several new languages at once, and noticed that I simply couldn’t, I was wasting my time. I used to study Ancient Greek, Esperanto, Italian and German at the same time (while already speaking French natively, English C2, Dutch B2-C1 and Spanish B1, and improving my Dutch back then) but that simply lead nowhere. Later on I decided to study one language until I was confident about speaking it, before going on to the next WHILE keeping on using all my languages on a regular basis, to make sure they weren’t going away. So for the past two years I haven’t added any new language but rather worked on each language I had studied, and waited to get to B1-B2 before adding the next. It took me about 6 months for each language, except for German and Esperanto that are easier due to my already-existing linguistic background (C1 Spanish, B2-C1 Portuguese, B2 Italian and C1-C2 Dutch).
Now I can finally use my 8 languages with relative ease (except for Esperanto which isn’t that advanced but still conversational). 2 years ago, I could speak 4. Today, 8! And I use each of these languages on a weekly basis, sometimes daily basis, depending on schedule and activities. That is essential in my planning, because that way, I can quickly notice if there is any language decay. If I don’t use the language for a week or two and it decreases, I’ll notice it fast enough. In the past, I waited for months to notice that everything was gone because the language wasn’t solid enough and I wasn’t using it at all, believing my ability to speak it would stay. Naif was I!
So now, for the first time in a long time, I’m adding a 9th : Mandarin Chinese, and I won’t be adding anything until a solid B1.
So to sum it up, I’d personally advise against studying more than 2 languages at a time, because the more languages you learn from scratch at the same time, the less time you have for each. Some people can do it (Laoshu, Elisa Polese, …), I can’t. See what works for you
I am mostly learning three languages at the same time trying to spend at least two hours a week on each. Out of these three I always pick one and dedicate myself to it, spending at least 1 hour on the daily basis.
Usually two of the tree languages I am studying are ancient languages, which are not spoken any longer, so I concentrate largely on grammar and translation.
I recommend surrounding yourself with learning materials in each language - using daily vocabulary pracitce apps, leaving books in these languages around the whole flat ready to be picked up and read for a few minutes. It is also important to frequently consult different materials - language calendars, newspapers, websites, songs or books.
I wish you all best of luck and happy language learning
Sean, there is no one way to learn languages, but I find that a combination of a schedule along with freer study works best for me. Find some online Meetup or Facebook groups that meet at a specific time. Some schools have language cafés at set schedules. Find practice partners and schedule practice sessions at specific times. The rest of the time just do as you will with your languages. The most efficient way to quickly improve a language is to focus on only one language. However, we learn languages as much for the socializing and making new friends. Don’t let go of relationships you have with speakers of other languages just to focus on one language.
