Podcasts are a powerful way to improve a language

Today I wanna talk about how podcasts changed my approach to learning things, especially languages.

Background

Almost everyone who started to learn a new language already listened to short boring audios of conversations about the weather, work presentations, and so on. As a class student or an independent learner, these kinds of audios are helpful but no interesting. So I constantly saw all of my classmates, myself included, going to the classroom, listening to these audios, and waiting for the time to pass so we could go home and do something interesting.

Based on this fact, the process of learning new languages changes from fun and fascinating thing to tedious stuff you MUST accomplish.

I'll give you a spoiler of what happens next: you just stop learning.

And that happened to me. I quit my English course and decided that I was going to learn by myself.

Long story short: It was the best decision I made.

So, I give myself a try in 2020. Like everyone else, I stayed at home for most of the year (by the way, I'm still doing it).

Around May 2020 I started to think that I needed to improve my Spanish skills

So I established to watch and read something in Spanish every day.

From the beginning, I read the news.

Overwhelming.

So I started to listen to short audios.

Boring as hell.

I was thinking I was a failure.

Then I found Steve Kaufman on Youtube

When I first watched Steve's videos I wasn't much sure if I really believed him.

He says we need a language by exposure. Part of me already knew that cause I learned most of my English by listening to songs and watching tv shows.

Thank you Taylor Swift, One Direction and Friends ;). I own you that one.

But I thought I could do it just with English, cause we have this subject at Brazilian schools

(hey verb to be!)

and American music is everywhere in Brazil.

So I decided to try it. In a language I didn't know ANYTHING: French.

I call it MAGIC... for real...

In a few days, I saw myself lost in the polyglot community on the internet. I was really enjoying it. For the first time ever I was really enjoying to learn languages. Not just because I was watching tv or listening to music. I was fascinated by learning languages.

I started to watch youtube videos in Spanish and English every day.

Then I started to listening Podcasts

I could do it wherever I wanted. I didn't need a comfortable place to do it. I could to it everywhere.

The noises became words, the words became thoughts

That's the BEST feeling. A few months listening short podcasts about interesting stuff.

Se regalan dudas / Stuff you should know / OuiPodcast / InnerFrench, ...

I was listening 30 minutes, 1 hour of native content. I would never imagine that in my entire life. I couldn't set up subtitles so I trained my ears.

I could identify words and expressions and almost think about an answer or something to say in those languages.

With English and Spanish, was almost natural.

With French, It was a huge challenge. But I did it!

So, by the end of 2020, I transcribed my first French Podcast.

It was a 5min podcast (OuiPodcast) but took me a lot of effort.

I was writing words I never heard. But I was writing them! I was really understanding and it was a delightful feeling.

Just a few months of effort. Just a few months of language learning passion. Just a few months to realize I was capable to learn wherever the hell I wanted.

If you are a lonely learner...

Keep going.

Enjoy your language path.

I swear you, it worths every single struggle.

See you next time!