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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.

Here’s a Simple Way to the Win the Battle Against Learning Frustration

We all have tough moments in our language-learning journeys.

And as much as we would like, preventing them entirely is impossible.

Any kind of learning involves at least some pain:

Whether it’s study frustration, or embarrassment from pronouncing a word incorrectly in a conversation…..

No matter what you do, some frustration is inevitable in order to grow. You can’t learn something worthwhile without challenging yourself.

That challenge can be felt as a kind of pain, a frustration. A frustration that can quickly build up, and when it does, you just might want to throw all your learning materials into the trash can.

And if your learning material is digital, you might want to smash your Smart Phone into pieces as well.

The trick, then, is to not let that frustration get the better of you.

A simple shift of mind is usually enough to accomplish that.

How to Set Up a Successful Language-Learning Schedule (Even if You’re a Screw Up Like Me)

Some people are like robots.

They set out to do goal achieving activities every day, and they follow through on them without fail.

Day after day, they show up to get one day closer to whatever their end goal is.

They get things done….and they’re going places, while screw ups like you and me (yeah, I’m talking to you) can’t get adelante.

Don’t those people make you sick?

They used to make my stomach feel like a bag of bricks, and me like a total screw up.

Not anymore.

I stick to my schedule now. Even though it’s a very flexible one.

Here’s how I do it:

How to Measure Your Language Learning Progress

Sorry!

You can’t learn a new language in a month.

No matter what they promise you, it’s not going to happen. (At least not until they invent a language chip they can insert into your brain.)

Learning a new language is a rather lengthy process. It’s not something you do for a while and then you’re done. Some would say it’s a lifetime project.

the road to fluency

Are You Stuck in a Language-Learning Plateau – and Not Sure What to Do?

Ever felt like you’ve come to a standstill in your language learning?

It sucks, right?

Long gone are the early days of your language journey when learning was a breeze:

The prospect of speaking a new language excited you so much … and picking up new words and grammar rules was almost as easy as breathing out.

Now, however, all you seem to do is maintain what you already learned.

If that…

11 Questions for Kerstin Hammes : Language Learning Gets Personal #6

“My entire life could not be possible if it wasn’t for other languages.”

Time for the 6th installment of Language Learning Gets Personal!

Today we have the charming and encouraging language teacher and blogger Kerstin Cable(*).

She is German but if you listen to her, one thing immediately stands out: her excellent English accent, testimony of her extensive knowledge of language learning and the efforts she’s made to get to where she is now.

An Unconventional and Superior Method for Learning Vocabulary?

When it comes to learning foreign vocabulary, rote learning is what most language learners dread most.

Fortunately, research now suggests that vocabulary is best learned by using the different senses.

According to a recent study, done by the Max Planck Institute, performing gestures while learning new words is particularly effective.