How To Learn A New Language With Smart And Useful Goals
For a long time, I had a difficult relationship with goal-setting. As a fully-fledged questioner, I find it hard to take anything at face value, let alone the idea that I must have a goal to achieve anything.
When I was learning languages in full-time education environments like school and university, the goals weren't on my mind. My school sorted that out for me: turn up to classes, write essays, take exams. But since I've started working with independent language learners (and since I became one), goals have taken an entirely different role.
As an independent language learner, you need to know what to do. It's easy to think that you're already doing the work by stating what you want to achieve. But let me have an honest moment with you here:
Those goals don't help you do things.
In this article, you'll learn about the two types of goals you need for language learning.
Goal Type 1: Vision Goals
Let's have a look at those language learning goals I see online again and again.
- "I want to become fluent in Spanish"
- "I want to have a 15-minute conversation in German" Or here is one that I set for myself last year:
- "I want to speak Welsh at the Eisteddfod festival in August"
I am sure you have often heard about SMART goals. In many areas of life, our goals will only serve us if we make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
In my mind, these fail the SMART list on a bunch of counts:
They're not specific and realistic enough because they are your inspiration
They aren't measurable, because concepts like "fluency" or "fluent conversation" just aren't
They aren't time-specific either, unless you want to make yourself sad by setting a painfully ambitious deadline
None of this is a bad thing in itself. If you are motivated and driven by a vision of your future self speaking a foreign language without hesitating, then that is an amazing image to hold on to. It should be one of the many vague and inspiring concepts you hold dear, and in fact I would even advise you start visualizing your success.
But those visions aren't useful goals, because they just won't help you when it gets down to doing the language learning work. You need that vision.
And for times when you've carved out that half hour to get to business and really learn a language, you need goals.
The Little-Known System for Success in Language Learning
Goal Type 2: Path Goals
In my Welsh studies, I've been completely independent from the start. I don't have that external structure of tutor, group class, exams, and it took a while before I found a way to use my time for language learning. At first, I tried ideas like "I want fluency" and even "I want to speak Welsh at the Eisteddfod in August". They worked as a motivator, but failed to give me a clear idea of the steps I wanted to take to learn a language.
My current path goals in Welsh
I needed something that would help me know what to do when my study time comes. These goals are what I call path goals. They guide you when you're in study mode and mark the milestones on your path.
Here's what you need for making good path goals:
Structure
Structure is the thing that stops you from starting every study session wondering what you'll work on today. It's absolute gold for independent language learners, because you simply don't have the time to faff every single time. Decision fatigue is real, and it's going to paralyze you if you allow it.
Learn more about how this works when you study more than one language.
- Schedule the days when you're going to study your language, so you can treat them like any other appointment.
- Use your path goals as simple "next steps" so you spend zero time deciding what matters.
- Get some external structure. Follow an established course, work with a tutor, or use a textbook or online course. Even without that, you can be just as successful. Set your goals up to match the four core skills, and this should provide you with the sense of variety and progress you need.
Core Skills
The four core skills are the essential set of everything that makes language learning a success for you. You will want to focus on some more than others, but ultimately you need to put work into all four for becoming that inspiring future self.
The four core skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. (I wrote a book about this!) Structure your goals around improving in each one, and you're guaranteed to succeed.
There might be other areas you want to focus on too, such as improving your pronunciation and vocabulary. But if you've got the four core skills covered in your goals, I would advise you not to worry too much about any others. They will come naturally as you improve and respond to your needs in every situation.
Variety
Variety is a key component of the path goals you set for yourself. It's realistic to acknowledge that moods, motivation and focus can vary from day to day. So on one day you might be excited to crack open the textbook and work your phrases, but on another day all you want is speaking practice with a tutor.
Having varied goals (I recommend at least 4 to cover each core skill) allows you to pick from a short, focused list of tasks and make progress in every single study session.
Recap: The 2 Goal Types You Need for Learning a Language
So there you have it. Goal setting isn't the holy grail of productivity. But when you do it right and know your goal types, each step can give you the right support you need to progress today.
1. Set Vision Goals
You can call this an intention, a vision, a goal. This is the imagined, vivid image of your future self that will keep you going.
2. Set Path Goals
Path goals are not big visions, they are the structured next steps that will help you when it's time to work on studying
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Set a Smart Goal for Learning a Language?
Start by creating your big and inspiring vision goal. This is about where you see yourself once you have mastered your language. This grand vision will help you get excited and keep you motivated throughout your language learning journey.
Next, break down this vision into SMART path goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These smaller, well-defined goals act as stepping stones towards your ultimate vision, making the learning process manageable and less overwhelming.
What is an Example of a SMART Language Learning Goal?
Let’s create a SMART goal example: suppose you have a language learning podcast you enjoy. Instead of a vague goal like “listen to a language learning podcast,” make it specific and actionable.
Instead of saying “listen to language learning podcast”, you could try and say: “Listen to episode 4 of the [Podcast Name] and write down 5 new words by Friday.”
This goal is specific (listen to a particular episode), measurable (5 new words), achievable (within a week), relevant (improves vocabulary), and time-bound (by Friday).
Such SMART goals keep you focused and make your progress trackable. For more detailed guidance, consider exploring the full Language Habit System® I created specifically for language learners.
What is the Best Way to Learn a Language?
The best part about learning a language is that everything will work a little bit. Rule one should be to do what you enjoy the most. You are NOT doing it wrong. The beauty of language learning lies in its flexibility, and almost any method can contribute to your progress.
It will help you massively when you set yourself goals that help you along the way. Think about why you are learning the language, and where you want to be in the future. For the day-to-day process, add in SMART “Path Goals” that make it easy to take action.
How to Structure Your Language Learning Routine
Do you want to follow the system I explained in this article and start to discover your ideal language learning routine? Then I recommend you check out the Language Habit System, my hands-on course to help you learn any language with personalized milestones.
--> Click here to learn more about the Language Habit System® <--
5 Steps for Planning a Productive and Successful Language Learning Week
Many people plan ahead for business goals, upcoming deadlines, events, meetings at work, fitness or meals. But did you know that making a language learning plan can actually help you learn a language faster?
In this article, you'll learn 5 steps to help you get the ball rolling.
The weekend is a great time to spend an hour looking to the week ahead by mapping out goals and intentions.
Many people plan ahead for business goals, upcoming deadlines, events, meetings at work, fitness or meals. But did you know that making a language learning plan can actually help you learn a language faster?
When you plan, set goals, and know what’s coming up, it’s like winding up a little engine so you can hit “GO” and learn in the most effective, productive way.
To celebrate the brand new weekly language planner in the Language Habit Toolkit, here are some steps to help you get the ball rolling.
Step 1: Set Path Goals for your Language Learning Week
To start your plan, focus on what’s right in front of you and answer the question “What should I do next?”. Look for Path Goals: specific, achievable, relevant actions that will help you learn a language right now.
With Path Goals, smaller is better. It’s better to meet all your “not so difficult” goals than to aim high and miss the target.
For example, in a week my Language Learning Goals might include
- Completing 2 pages in my grammar book
- Watching an episode of a TV show in my new language
- Writing 10 texts or sentences in my target language
Don’t overload the week. Keep it simple and focus on your system. If you want to go deeper with goal setting, use the Language Goals and Vision Goals worksheets from the Language Habit Toolkit.
Step 2: Check Your Schedule
After you have set your initial goals, it’s helpful to look ahead at what’s on your schedule every day. Have you been realistic? Will you be able to fit in all the sessions you are hoping to complete?
Sometimes, you may find that your list of goals and tasks feels like it might give you a heart attack. Remember that it is okay to aim for what you know you can do, and move some goals to the “not this week” zone.
Productivity does not mean having to do everything all at once.
When I’m thinking about running, it can be hard to motivate myself because doing less than 5k feels lazy. But then I remember this line:
Even when you run 10 steps, you are still faster than everyone on the couch.
It is ABSOLUTELY OKAY to aim for the minimum, because everything you do builds on each other. In the next step, you’ll learn how to make progress even when you don’t have a massive goal in mind.
Step 3: Ensure Daily Contact with Your Target Language
In the Language Habit method, it is not critical to count how many minutes or hours you spend with your language learning materials each day. The first aim should be contact with your target language on a daily basis.
The Golden Rules of Daily Language Learning:
- Aim for contact with your target language on a daily basis
- You have to find a convenient way of finding contact - the easier, the better.
- You should prioritise fun and find something you enjoy in your target language
For example, here are a few easy ways that I incorporate Welsh language into my daily routine:
• Following Welsh language accounts on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, so all I need to do is scroll through my feed
• Watching a new TV series or subscribing to a podcast, so I always have a next episode queued up
• Downloading different language learning apps, so I can follow my mood and spend a few minutes doing Duolingo, Clozemaster, Memrise, etc
• Leaving a magazine or book open on my breakfast table or setting the Welsh news website as my browser homepage
None of these activities are designed to take many hours of study, but they all do their part and keep my brain engaged with what Welsh looks and sounds like.
Step 4: Choose a Reward
Try writing down how you will reward yourself at the end of the week.
No matter how many minutes or hours you study, you will be working hard (even procrastination is work, right?). For ideas and thoughts on the psychology of reviewing, check out my recent podcast episode.
Great rewards can be small and low-cost like borrowing a new book from the library, enjoying a drink with friends, or going to a concert. It’s your call whether you want to make these related to your target language. Just make sure it’s something you’ll enjoy, and that you know you earned it with a great week of study.
Step 5: Raise the Bar with Bigger Language Sessions
Every day, you have the opportunity to grow your language learning routine through bigger study sessions. These are focused, dedicated times when your focus shifts to improving your language skills.
Take speaking practice for example: These are usually around an hour long and challenge you to be 100% engaged, think on your feet, speak the language, understand native speakers, and get over the mistakes you’re making. A session like that is an intense learning experience, doing wonders for your level.
Sometimes you may not have a chance to practice speaking, but your big sessions might involve working through a textbook chapter or listening and summarising a piece of audio.
Remember: You are Building a Habit
Habits have to be built over time, little by little. Just like you don’t train for a marathon by running one marathon once a month, your brain will adjust to your new language learning practice and help you get better with time.
Try to banish perfectionism, especially when you are working with the perspective of setting a weekly goal. You don’t have to be the best in order to be good.
For me, it’s rare to find time and focus for more than three big sessions in an average week. When I’m in a phase where I work on more languages, I may vary the contact days or determine that Thursdays are for French, for example. You can read more about learning more than one language in this article.
Finally, remember that you can do this! Every day spent in contact with your target language is helping you learn it.
Want to learn more about creating a productive language learning plan for yourself? Don't miss my free video training! You can sign up to watch it right here
#clearthelist April 2020: Should I Stop Learning Chinese?
Catch up with my latest update on my own language learning projects. I’ve now been learning Chinese for a while, but progress isn’t fast. Will I drop it? Read on to find out!
Hello and welcome to another blog post in the Clear The List series, the monthly language learning round-up about language learning goals and progress.
What can I say. It’s been two months rather than one month since my last update. That’s less than 100 days, and still the world has turned upside down for many of us.
Earlier this week, my husband stated that one “corona day” is about 6 days in the real world. Do you feel like this too?
What Happened in February and March 2020?
Back in February, I enjoyed running a brand new live round of my course Your Solid Vocab Memory. The course also got a brand new sales page, check it out here.
I also got inspired and launched the Language Dabbler’s Guide to Welsh. This class was refreshing and fun for me and for my students. It’s a chance to enjoy a fun introduction to the Welsh language, entirely designed for language lovers.
After 5 energised, positive weeks, I was just as swept up as you in the anxiety and shock that hit the world when Coronavirus became a cruel reality in our lives.
I got sick with a cold, then the world got sick with a global virus, then I moved house on the last day of March. I had been looking forward to being a speaker at the first ever Polyglot Cruise in April 🛳, but as you can imagine this even has been postponed to 2021.
The Fluent Show
My favourite episode from February and March is this discussion of language teaching methods with Lindsay: \
The show is now on a much-needed break until 6 May so I can produce new episodes and tinker with the format. But you don’t have to miss it for too long, as I’m publishing mini episodes called Fluent in Isolation over on Patreon during the current Coronavirus crisis. The episodes are about 5 minutes long and give you tips for learning languages during the crisis.
Learning Languages at Home
This year is becoming an indoors-themed year, with announcements of an event-free summer coming thick and fast.
My favourite Welsh language event, the National Eisteddfod, has fallen victim to this as well, and it’s been cancelled for this year. The same goes for Machynlleth Comedy Festival, where I volunteered at the Welsh stages last year.
One of the things that keeps me motivated and excited when learning Welsh is the prospect of travelling to Wales. I love practicing my language with people out there, and of course we’re under lockdown right now.
Luckily, I maintain a healthy language habit and I know what works for me. A more routine-focused person than me may find that these things ruined all progress and activity in language learning. As it is, I don’t follow my own routines anyway so I’m still here and still going.
My Positive Goals for Language Learning
The key for me at this point is to revisit the language learning goals I had set myself and to set out positive, exciting goals for myself. In tough times, excitement and joy are even more important than they have always been. Tough times also call for tough decisions, so let’s start with the first one.
Doubting My Dedication to Chinese Learning
Back at the start of February, I felt a little more confident with my Mandarin studies. Then, most of March disappeared. I continued studying Chinese using Lingq (so handy!) and my Teach Yourself course book. On a placement test, I am now classed as a ‘middle beginner’ and that seems right.
But even though I can communicate a little better in Chinese and I appreciate the language very much, I still feel self-conscious about the super slow pace of my progress.
When you’ve studied Celtic, Germanic and Romance languages in the past, it’s way slower to add an Asian one.
Not impossible, but slower and more challenging as a result.
Back in January, I said I’d give me & Mandarin another 3 months. It’s time to move on from Chinese as my focus language. That doesn’t mean I’m going to drop it completely and utterly. In fact, I’m still curious. I feel the benefits of the time I’ve invested and I wonder if I’m about to turn the corner. But am I? Not sure!
Decision Time
My dilemma is this:
- I’ve made progress in Chinese, but it’s been a bit of a slog
- I don’t want to start feeling frustrated here
- There are other interesting languages I’d like to study for a while
- I don’t believe that my Chinese is strong enough to stay active if I stop studying now.
So here’s the big polyglot question:
Can I have it all?
Well, why not? No one is measuring my progress in Chinese. In fact, no one cares except me. I can continue to pootle along here at my own pace. The real answer is not for me to double down or go home, or any of that macho kind of BS. It’s to continue doing what I’m interested in!
(Funnily enough, I used to feel this same way about Welsh and that didn’t stop me from becoming better and better anyway.)
At times like these, only one thing works: Getting back into planning with the Language Habit Toolkit, working out my goals for the month and becoming very consistent about tracking until the habit is established.
For the month of April, my one Chinese goal is to track what and when I study by writing it into my bullet journal.
Ok, but what about the other languages?
YEP the other ones!!
I am so excited to see more Welsh online tutors becoming available, so I’ve booked a lesson with friend-turned-tutor Dafydd and I’ll keep my skills up with Welsh in the same way I always have.
I am feeling drawn to a few other languages, but I won’t go beyond any dabbles at this point. My energy is low as a result of moving house and fearing Coronavirus, so for now that part of my life is reserved for fun.
What do you think? Can we have it all?
If you’re a multi-language-learner like me, I’m sure you know the odd feeling of frustration and temptation. My tendency is always to stick with my efforts for a little longer, just to see what happens. What about you?
Clear the List November 2019: No-English Lessons as a Beginner?!
Welcome to my latest check-in on language learning goals. In October, I studied three languages: Mandarin Chinese, Welsh, and a wildcard language that you can read about in this article. Join me in setting new goals for the month!
Clear the List November 2019: No-English Lessons at My Level?!
Hello and welcome to another blog post in the Clear The List series, the monthly language learning round-up about language learning goals and progress.
That’s right - NOVEMBER goals! October was a very interesting month for my language learning as I tried out something I had never tried before. Exciting stuff!
This check-in is part of the #clearthelist round-up hosted by Shannon Kennedy and Lindsay Williams.
What Happened in October?
I was busy signing up participants for the next Fluent German Retreat, and then I travelled to the USA again! This time, my time was spent at a retreat in Colorado and it took up about half of the month. So that means I had half of the month for studying languages.
I don’t usually allow a lot of my weekend to become language study time as I want to spend it with my husband and my inner lazybones, but this month I challenged myself and took several lessons on Saturday afternoons. It was actually great fun, and definitely a time of the week that now feels open for languages.
The Fluent Show in October
I travelled to London to record my first ever interview in person! The interview was with David Peterson, the remarkable creator of languages for TV shows like Game of Thrones, The 100, and Defiance. The resulting show is out on 11 November so look out for it in your usual podcast locations.
Recording in person was a new adventure for me and I travelled up to London with brand new microphones, cables, and mic stands! It’s worth it for a special recording atmosphere, I can’t wait to record in person again soon. If you listen to just one episode from October 2019, I recommend this deep dive into finding a perfect language teacher with my co-host Lindsay Williams.
Reminder: The Fluent Show has opened a Patreon page. This allows all listeners to become involved in making the show with a small monthly pledge. If you want to become a part of the community, please visit our Patreon page.
Language Goals and Progress
During the month of October, I pushed myself to take as many italki lessons as possible in the italki language challenge.
If you’ve never heard of italki, click here to find out more and get $10 credit - it is a platform for finding online language teachers, and it’s excellent.
Now before the big reveal, lemme tell you a thing: italki sets the challenge goals in lesson hours. But for me, language lessons are rarely an hour long when I’m crouching around somewhere at an early level. With the approach I took in Chinese, an hour would have felt very exhausting for me and the tutor so I chose to take lots of lessons but many of them were half an hour long.
And on that note, I totally didn’t meet the goal of 12 study hours. But I hadn’t expected to.
Instead, I took 6.25 hours of study time split over 9 lessons. The results were surprisingly positive, I felt reinvigorated and reminded how much I love languages! Here are the specifics.
Mandarin Chinese
Wow! Considering I was tutor-less a month ago, the italki challenge absolutely pushed me to find a new style and tutor that worked for me. And in Chinese, I tried a whole new approach this time.
Instead of choosing an experienced and formally qualified tutor, I decided to go with what italki calls a “community tutor”, i.e. someone who is ready to help and teach but who hasn’t formally studied the language as much.
This was 100% the right decision for someone like me who is
- an experienced language learner
- already working with 1 or 2 guiding resources
- pretty confident about knowing what to do.
Going for a tutor who approaches teaching less formally suits my own informal style perfectly, especially since I tend to follow up after class and do my own homework without prompting.
By the way, you can learn more about the differences and what they mean in this month’s podcast episode about language teachers.
No-English Lessons at My Level?!
I took inspiration from Scott Young’s interview on the Actual Fluency podcast (episode 164). In this interview, Scott mentioned that he used to hire tutors and tell them beforehand that he doesn’t know a lot but he wants to eliminate English during the class, so he will heavily use google translate.
I had previously taken lessons that involved a tutor working through a textbook with me, and I did not enjoy them so much. So I figured “what the heck” and decided to throw myself in at the deep end and speak terrible internet Chinese to a few people. They get paid, after all!
And the result was totally positive! I enjoyed each class, had lots of fun, experimented, and understood almost nothing my partners said to me. But it didn’t matter! We came away after 30 minutes feeling like there had been some level of conversation.
I am NOT speaking well yet, but or the first time since I started, I was having fun in Chinese.
If you want to try this out for yourself, go for it! The key is having good follow-up.
Each tutor was very diligent about typing what they said for me, so that after the lesson I took time to copy it into my notebook and I reviewed it for myself. This added about 30 minutes of follow-up time to the lessons, but it’s how I was able to remember things, and it’s also writing practice. Worth it!
App and Book Update
I’m enjoying Lingodeer and Assimil’s “Chinese False Beginners” workbook.
LingQ has fallen by the wayside because I’ve now finished the beginner’s material and there is a big gap between beginner and intermediate. No one wants to review 50 expressions after every page.
Welsh
I also took online lessons with a new Welsh teacher, who was lovely! After my US trip I noticed that I was particularly rusty, so getting right back into an hour of conversation was crucial. Looking forward to more!
In other goals, I have finally booked my next trip to Wales! I’m going to Cardiff/Pontypridd for a Sadwrn Siarad on 23 November and I cannot wait. Love Cardiff, and it’s been too long.
Wildcard Language!
My wildcard language for the italki challenge was BSL (British Sign Language), and I loved each of my 2 classes so much that it left me very eager to learn more and more. In reality, this would come at the cost of either Welsh or Chinese…what to do? Maybe I end up being a learner of all my local languages?
Language Goals for November 2019
Let’s get into detail then! November is a month without international travel, and I’m grateful for it.
Listening
When I’m a beginner in any language, listening without the visuals makes me feel more lost than supported. So this is all about my intermediate/advanced language, Welsh. I regularly listen to the radio and watch TV in Welsh, so my goal is to continue the good work with radio 2-3 times a week and TV for at least 2 hours without subtitles.
When I’m in Cardiff, I’ll also see if I can’t make it to a gig in Welsh.
In Chinese I’ll take a bit of Yabla practice but it’s not my main focus.
Reading
In Chinese, I read a lot as it’s my main source of information. My goal is to complete 2 more chapters in the Assimil workbook and to review the handwritten lesson notes I make.
In Welsh, once again I will finish Ffenestri. I WILL!!! It’s an important goal because then I can take it to Cardiff, give it away to another learner, and get a new supply.
Speaking
I want to build on the good work from October and take another 4 italki lessons in Chinese.
In Welsh, I’m obviously going to a whole day about siarad (speaking), and will also try to hang out with local friends when I’m in Cardiff. I am so excited.
Writing
This is one for Chinese study, where I want to continue my discipline in terms of following up on each lesson with hand-written notes that I can review easily.
What About You?
How do you work with online tutors? How was your October? Leave a comment below or if you’re an Instagram fan, click on the post below to share your own goals in your stories with my template.
Clear the List October 2019: My italki Speaking Challenge Plans
Hello and welcome to another blog post in the Clear The List series, the monthly language learning round-up about language learning goals and progress. Gretchen Rubin says
The days are long, but the years are short.
Well, I get the feeling that the days were >< this long in September. Nothing like a check-in post to remember what even happened!
If you’re inspired to try your own check-in, why not join our #clearthelist blog round-up hosted by Shannon Kennedy and Lindsay Williams.
What Happened in September?
In the last week of September I spoke a lot of German! My husband is a fairly inactive German learner and we switched to the language for all conversations for a bit. I have not found it realistic to just “teach him German by speaking all the time”, so that short-term effort is unlikely to stick. Read this if you want to know more about learning languages through a partner.
The Fluent Show
First of all: The Fluent Show has opened a Patreon page. This allows all listeners to become involved in making the show with a small monthly pledge (though you can send a huge one if you like).
If you want to become a part of the community, please visit our Patreon page.
If you listen to just one episode from September 2019, I recommend the exciting recap of Langfest in Montréal. You’ll be transported there instantly!
\
Language Goals and Progress
Here’s the short summary of what you’re about to read: I didn’t do much in one big chunk, but I did lots of little things and they added up. Or in another Gretchen Rubin quote…”what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”
Mandarin Chinese
I am feeling progress with this language. There is not a huge jump ahead as I’m not putting the big hours in, but still it’s going from noisenoisenoisenoisenoise to noise-word-noisenoisenoise-something-I-know. And phone typing in Chinese is also easier now. Hooray!
Here’s how I did with my goals:
- Look for a tutor and ask for listening support
I did look but I didn’t book. Hah! Must do better in October.
I did use Yabla this month to start a bit of TV in Chinese. I found a fun reality TV show on there and I’m excited that there are a few more learning materials available to me compared to Welsh.
- Use LingQ 4 days a week
No LingQ but it’s been an appy month anyway (GEDDIT?), as I moved ahead and levelled up with the wonderful Lingodeer. It is the best app-based course I’ve seen in Chinese.
By the way, I contacted Lingodeer and asked them for a discount code so you can now get 15% off Lingodeer membership using the code FLUENTSHOW.
- Vague speaking ambitions
I recorded myself reading the Chinese challenges on Lingodeer, but beyond that there wasn’t much progress. Again, stuck on getting a tutor.
Welsh
File under “what you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while”. In other words: I spoke Welsh, I read Welsh, I heard some Welsh, I typed a bit, but none of it in huge quantities.
Language Goals for October 2019
This month I need a little time to recover and focus on promoting the next Fluent German Retreat, and there’s a 10-day trip to the USA in my plans as well. Busy one, so I’ll be combining my goals for Welsh and Chinese.
Listening and Speaking
October is an italki challenge month, so I have a good reason to book lessons in both Chinese and Welsh, which should cover some of my speaking and listening needs.
The minimum hours to put in for a badge are 12, so I’ll divide mine into
- 4 hours of Welsh conversation (exciting)
- 4 hours of Chinese practice (terrifying)
- 4 hours of wildcard languages (exciting)
I’m thinking I might throw in a bit of French and BSL. What about you?
Reading
Apps and LingQ for Chinese, the final pages of Ffenestri in Welsh. My focus is not on this for the month.
Writing
I’ll see if I can make writing a part of my lessons somehow for the Chinese part. In Welsh, it’s a little easier since I have a few people I can always message in the language.
And that’s it for October’s #clearthelist!
How are You Getting On in Language Learning?
Boy, I’m so looking forward to my next trip to Wales. Nothing is booked yet and autumn is already going to be fairly travel heavy, but then..what’s better than learning in the country? This is why I run retreats in Germany after all!
What about you? Share your check-in and plans in the comments below!
Struggling with listening? Discover realistic tips, challenge prompts, and the best tools for improving your listening skills as a self-guided language learner