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How to Learn a Language the Lazy Way
Not your average ‘learn French in 90 days’ article.
Learning a language is tricky because you always end up thinking there is one special trick you have to do, study grammar points for six hours a day and vocabulary for ten, then spend the next eight hours on speaking practice. A surefire way to learn, all you have to do is: give up on everything else in your life.
That’s not fun. And if you’re a lazy guy like me, it’s not going to work.
Language learning is first and foremost about understanding and engaging with a language. You can study grammar points and vocabulary all day and still struggle when someone finally comes up to and asks ‘Posso pegar essa cadeira?” You’re at a loss even though you’ve spent the last 5000 hours of your life studying a language.
Put your brain on stand-by mode
How about you watch Netflix for a bit? Turn off everything related to your native language and what a show completely in your target language, with subtitles in your target language too. Give up on understanding things 100% all the time. Lower your standards, try to see if 40% understanding is enough for you to get the big picture.
I’m not the first person to say how much more fun it is to binge-watch Terrace House…
