How I learnt Norwegian on my own

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares personal strategies for mastering Norwegian, emphasizing the importance of motivation and learning like a native. They discuss listening extensively, reading repetitively, and using technology like Google Translate to practice. The speaker also highlights the value of memorizing stories for vocabulary retention and pronunciation, and encourages speaking to oneself to build confidence and fluency. The video offers a wealth of tips for language learners, regardless of the language they're studying.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of motivation in language learning, highlighting that intrinsic motivation can lead to better language acquisition compared to learning in a school setting.
• 🎯 Having a clear goal in mind, such as speaking Norwegian like a native, can significantly boost one's language learning journey and maintain motivation.
• 👂 Listening extensively to the target language, even without understanding, is likened to how children learn their mother tongue and is a recommended strategy for language acquisition.
• 📚 Repetition of texts or messages in the target language, similar to children memorizing books, helps in internalizing the language's structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
• 🔍 Utilizing tools like Google Translate for pronunciation practice, despite common reservations, can be beneficial when used in the context of full sentences.
• 📝 Creating a list of frequently used words and actively seeking out sentences containing these words to learn in context is an effective vocabulary-building technique.
• 📖 Reading and re-reading the same sentences or texts helps in automatic learning of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation without the need for formal grammar exercises.
• 📝 Writing one's own stories in the target language, even with the help of translation tools, aids in learning new words and conjugations in a personalized context.
• 📚 Reading books in the target language, even if they are too difficult initially, can be a source of motivation and a way to gradually improve comprehension.
• 🎧 Listening to audiobooks while following the text can improve pronunciation and fluency, as it helps the brain to associate written words with their spoken form.
• 🎥 Using series and movies as learning tools by watching scenes multiple times with different subtitle settings can enhance listening and comprehension skills.
• 🗣️ Speaking to oneself in the target language is a valuable practice for building confidence, working on pronunciation, and making language use more automatic.

Q & A

Why did the speaker decide to make the video in English?

The speaker chose to make the video in English to make it accessible for people who haven't started learning Norwegian yet and to provide tips that could be useful for learning any language.

What is the speaker's experience with learning Norwegian compared to learning Spanish at school?

The speaker has been able to speak Norwegian fluently after three years, unlike Spanish which they learned at school for a longer time without being able to form sentences, highlighting the difference in motivation and learning context.

What was the speaker's main motivation for learning Norwegian?

The speaker's main motivation for learning Norwegian was the goal to speak it like a native, which was driven by their desire to live in Norway.

How did the speaker approach learning Norwegian as an adult by mimicking a child's language learning process?

The speaker focused on listening to Norwegian as much as possible, similar to how children listen before they speak, and tried to make sense of the language without initially focusing on grammar exercises.

What method did the speaker use to learn grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation from a single text?

The speaker would find a message or scene from a movie or TV series, write it down, and read it repeatedly to understand the words and mimic the language's melody, using tools like Google Translate for pronunciation.

How did the speaker use sentences with known words to improve vocabulary retention and usage?

The speaker would make a list of useful words, find sentences containing those words in various contexts, and write them down to read out loud regularly, helping to remember the vocabulary and its usage.

What role did writing stories in Norwegian play in the speaker's language learning process?

Writing stories in Norwegian allowed the speaker to practice creating sentences and learn new words and conjugations in a personal and contextualized manner.

How did the speaker use audiobooks to improve their reading and listening skills in Norwegian?

The speaker would read a book while simultaneously listening to the audiobook, allowing them to follow the text and improve both their pronunciation and listening comprehension.

What technique did the speaker use to learn from series and movies?

The speaker would watch scenes multiple times with different subtitle settings (none, Norwegian, English), and write down useful sentences to read out loud and learn vocabulary.

Why is learning sentences by heart considered beneficial by the speaker?

Learning sentences by heart helps with remembering vocabulary, understanding grammar, learning conjugation, and improving accent and pronunciation, making it easier to speak fluently without breaks.

How did the speaker practice speaking Norwegian when they were alone?

The speaker practiced speaking Norwegian by talking to themselves, imagining they were the best at speaking the language, and describing pictures or scenes to practice vocabulary and imagination.