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Noel van Vliet

Noel is the founder of Smart Language Learner. When he isn't learning languages or writing about it, you can find him enjoying the good life of Costa Rica, where he lives with his wife and 4 children.

FluentU vs Yabla: I Tried Both – Here’s the Cold Truth

In the overwhelming sea of language learning apps, most apps don’t offer anything new.

FluentU and Yabla are different.

With both, you can learn a language by watching interesting videos.

The language spoken in the videos, is the real-life version of the language. Not the overly formal language most apps serve you. (This is good in some cases, but not so much for intermediate learners and above.)

In this post I talk about the strengths and weaknesses of both FluentU and Yabla.

Alcohol Can Help You Better Speak a Foreign Language

Yeah, this will be a controversial post.

But it’s true:

Alcohol can help you with speaking a foreign language.

Some claim it doesn’t, but I want you to know the truth with as less hypocrisy as possible.

When I say alcohol helps you to speak a foreign language, I’m not talking about getting drunk. (Although that may help you speak a foreign language no one has ever heard about.)

What I’m referring to is what’s called moderate drinking:

A beer here and there to loosen up your tongue, but not so much that it gets all tangled up!

In this post I’ll talk, somewhat reluctantly, about the reasons why alcohol is beneficial if you want to learn a new language.

Two Essential Rules for Senior Language Learners

Even at old age, you can still learn a new language.

But you gotta let go of certain prejudices that exist about older language learners.

These prejudices hold you back from even giving it a go.

When readers ask me for specific tips for older learners, I always share my two rules for older language learners with them.

The rules aren’t tactical. They’ve got more to do with the mindset of older learners.

Here they are.

The Come-to-Me vs the Go-Get-It Mentality

If you want to get fluent in a new language:

You’ll have to go get Fluency, it won’t come to you by itself.

Too many people are sleepwalking their way through language learning.

They have too much of a Come-To-Me mentality, instead of the superior Go-Get-It mentality.

With the Come-To-Me mentality, you can do a lot of language learning without making strides.

You’re busy, but not really advancing.

Are You an Introvert? Don’t Worry!

Most experts agree:

Extroverts are better language learners than Introverts.

If you’re an Introvert, you’d better learn to change your personality or you’re doomed. You won’t be able to learn another language well if you’re an Introvert.

Well, what a load of ……..

The idea that Extroverts are better language learners is only partially true and hurts Introvert learners.

The Right Amount of Time You Should Spend on Language Learning Each Day

Let’s get straight to the point:

There’s no ideal fixed amount of daily time you should spend on your language learning.

There is a right amount, though.

But…

While it’s sometimes a good idea to schedule a fixed amount of daily language learning time, I now believe you won’t optimize your language learning time this way.

Not all days are created equal, and thus, the time you spend learning each day should take that into account.