Episodes

  • The 3 stages of comprehension every language learner goes through

    The 3 stages of comprehension every language learner goes through
    May 7 2026
    There are three stages of comprehension in any new language. Early on, you barely understand anything — and that's fine. The goal at that stage isn't comprehension; it's letting your brain pick up the patterns. Then comes the long middle stretch where you're learning words but listening still feels patchy, until one day you notice you understand more than you used to. Where are you right now?
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    8 mins
  • Answering the most common questions about learning Arabic

    Answering the most common questions about learning Arabic
    Apr 30 2026
    I've been chipping away at Arabic for years, and I recently sat down with Hasan Alhamwi, the founder of Arabic All The Time. He left a career in civil engineering to build the largest library of Arabic comprehensible input on the internet. We talked about why videos beat textbooks for Arabic, when learners should finally start reading, and whether all those dialects are really one language or many. If you're learning Arabic, what's giving you the most trouble?
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    20 mins
  • 3 ways to find more time for language learning

    3 ways to find more time for language learning
    Apr 23 2026
    I asked AI what the most important element in language learning is, and the answer surprised me — here's why it comes down to time.
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    8 mins
  • Want to speak another language? Learn from Europeans

    Want to speak another language? Learn from Europeans
    Apr 16 2026
    Every time I watch interviews from places like Budapest, I'm struck by how well young Europeans speak English. It isn't because their schools suddenly got better — I don't think classroom instruction has changed much at all. What changed is access. The internet, social media, YouTube, and streaming platforms mean people are surrounded by English all day, and that lowers the friction while raising the motivation. I think the same forces are starting to spread to other languages, and speaking three languages could soon be completely normal. Where did most of your language exposure actually come from — school, or something else?
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    9 mins
  • Why massive input beats flashcards every time

    Why massive input beats flashcards every time
    Apr 9 2026
    Flashcards feel like progress. But are they actually helping you learn a language — or just keeping you busy?
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    10 mins
  • CEO studied French for 6 years and still can’t speak it. This is why

    CEO studied French for 6 years and still can’t speak it. This is why
    Apr 2 2026
    The CEO of Air Canada spent 550 hours studying French over six years — and still couldn't speak it. Here's why traditional language learning fails, and what actually works.
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    6 mins
  • The pros and cons of Duolingo

    The pros and cons of Duolingo
    Mar 26 2026
    Duolingo has 135 million users — but most of them aren't using it as the gateway to real language learning that it can be.
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    10 mins
  • I learned Japanese in 1971. Here’s how I would do it now

    I learned Japanese in 1971. Here’s how I would do it now
    Mar 19 2026
    After learning Japanese in Tokyo in 1971 and speaking it for over 50 years, I share the five things I'd do differently today.
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    13 mins