how I learned English by myself in a lazy way without studying (advice from a polyglot)

baobaopearly

24 May 202314:07

Summary

TLDRIn this video, the speaker shares how they learned English in a fun and relaxed way without attending an international school or living in an English-speaking country. They provide practical steps, such as watching videos without subtitles, mimicking speakers with emotion, and incorporating reading and self-talk. The speaker emphasizes the importance of enjoying the learning process and involving emotions for faster improvement. They also discuss how putting oneself in an English-speaking environment can significantly boost fluency. The video concludes with a personal story of their motivation to learn English, inspired by a desire to sound 'cool' speaking the language.

Takeaways

😀 The speaker learned English independently, without attending an international school or living in an English-speaking country.
📚 They completed both their bachelor's and master's degrees in English-taught programs.
🎥 The first step is watching YouTube videos or other media for 30 minutes a day without subtitles to develop a sense of the language.
🔤 Watching videos without subtitles helps reduce stress and encourages focusing on how the language is spoken.
📺 In the second step, after a week, the speaker recommends watching videos with English subtitles, focusing on familiar topics like travel vlogs.
🗣️ The third step involves mimicking short video clips with emotion, including facial expressions and gestures, to improve speaking skills.
💭 The speaker suggests talking to oneself about anything, especially during emotional moments, as this helps enhance fluency.
📖 The fifth step is to start reading English novels after six months, focusing on fiction for better engagement and understanding.
🏫 Immersing oneself in English-speaking environments, like taking courses or interacting with English-speaking clients, can accelerate improvement.
💡 The speaker’s motivation to learn English started when they admired people speaking it fluently on the streets, which drove them to become fluent.

Q & A

What was the speaker's primary method of learning English?
-The speaker primarily learned English by watching YouTube videos and other media without subtitles, focusing on how the language is spoken, and mimicking tones, rhythms, and expressions.
Why does the speaker recommend watching videos without subtitles in the first week?
-The speaker believes watching videos without subtitles helps reduce the overwhelm from too many new words and allows learners to focus on how English is spoken naturally, including tone, rhythm, and body language.
How does the speaker suggest learners involve emotion in their English practice?
-The speaker suggests mimicking the speaker's emotion, tone, facial expressions, and gestures when repeating sentences from videos. This makes the learning process more engaging and improves speaking skills.
What type of videos does the speaker recommend for beginners, and why?
-The speaker recommends watching travel vlogs that are under 10 minutes long because they are entertaining, easy to follow, and offer changing scenes, which help beginners guess the meaning of sentences.
Does the speaker recommend looking up every new word encountered while learning English?
-No, the speaker advises only looking up words when curious and not stressing over memorizing vocabulary or following strict rules for learning new words.
What does the speaker mean by developing 'language sense'?
-Developing 'language sense' refers to understanding how the language works by observing how people speak, including their tone, rhythm, and body language, rather than focusing solely on vocabulary and grammar.
How does the speaker recommend practicing speaking English alone?
-The speaker recommends talking to yourself about anything, especially when experiencing strong emotions, as this can help improve fluency. They found that emotional expression helps with speaking English more naturally.
When does the speaker suggest learners start incorporating reading English novels?
-The speaker suggests starting to read English novels after consistently practicing English for at least six months, choosing books where the learner can understand around 60% to stay engaged and motivated.
What was the speaker’s initial motivation for learning English?
-The speaker was motivated to learn English at the age of 12 after seeing two strangers speaking fluent English. They thought it was 'cool' and decided to become just as fluent to feel confident and impressive.
How does the speaker suggest immersing oneself in an English-speaking environment?
-The speaker suggests joining English-speaking programs, online courses, language exchanges, or even making videos in English. Immersing yourself in situations where you must use English can accelerate language improvement.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 How I Learned English in a Fun and Lazy Way

The speaker introduces their journey of learning English without attending an international school or living in an English-speaking country. Despite this, they managed to achieve fluency through a fun, lazy method. They discuss how they completed their bachelor's and master's degrees in English and have made videos on language learning tips. The speaker emphasizes enjoying the learning process and suggests watching videos without subtitles in the first week to develop a natural language sense. They also recommend observing body language, tone, and facial expressions.

05:02

📺 Watch Videos with Subtitles to Enhance Learning

In the second week, the speaker suggests watching videos with English subtitles to deepen understanding. They recommend shorter videos, preferably under 10 minutes, and travel vlogs to aid in guessing word meanings through context. The speaker highlights the importance of familiar topics, like Japan travel vlogs, for beginners to make the learning process smoother and more engaging.

10:08

🗣️ Mimic and Speak with Emotion to Improve Fluency

The speaker advises learners to repeat after speakers in videos, mimicking their tones, rhythms, and emotions. This emotional involvement enhances fluency, especially in speaking. The speaker shares a personal anecdote from their teenage years when they memorized Nigahiga's scripts and acted them out for fun, emphasizing how involving emotions makes learning more enjoyable and effective.

💬 Talking to Yourself Helps You Practice Speaking

The speaker explains the importance of talking to oneself as a way to practice speaking. They recommend talking about daily experiences or videos watched, especially when feeling strong emotions like anger or excitement. The speaker humorously notes how they become more fluent in English when complaining about frustrating situations, underscoring how emotional engagement aids learning.

📚 Incorporate English Novels to Strengthen Reading and Grammar

After six months of daily practice, the speaker encourages incorporating English novels into the learning routine. They recommend choosing fiction over non-fiction for its engaging content and suggest selecting books that are at least 60% comprehensible. This helps with grammar, writing skills, and staying focused, particularly for those in academic environments.

🌐 Put Yourself in an English-Speaking Environment

The final step is to immerse oneself in an English-speaking environment. The speaker reflects on their own experience of joining an English-instructed bachelor's program, but suggests alternatives like joining online courses, finding language exchange partners, or interacting with English-speaking clients at work. They emphasize that immersion is crucial for rapid improvement.

😊 Have Fun and Stay Motivated in Your Language Learning Journey

The speaker wraps up by sharing their motivation for learning English, which stemmed from a desire to be as 'cool' as fluent English speakers they once observed. This simple goal drove their progress, and they encourage viewers to find similar motivation while enjoying the process. The video ends on a light-hearted note, with the speaker wishing viewers good luck and reminding them to have fun while learning.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Self-learning

Self-learning refers to the process of independently acquiring knowledge without formal instruction. In the video, the speaker shares their experience of learning English on their own, in a 'fun and lazy way,' illustrating that it is possible to achieve proficiency in a language without attending formal classes or living in an English-speaking country.

💡English subtitles

English subtitles are text translations or transcriptions that accompany visual media. In the video, the speaker advises viewers to first watch videos without subtitles, to focus on how the language is spoken, and then later to use English subtitles to reinforce learning by connecting spoken words to their written form.

💡Language sense

Language sense refers to the intuitive understanding of how a language works, including its rhythm, tones, and natural flow. The speaker emphasizes the importance of developing this sense early on by observing body language, expressions, and the nuances of speech while watching videos without subtitles.

💡Emotion in language learning

Emotion in language learning involves engaging feelings and expressions while speaking or mimicking a new language. The speaker highlights that involving emotion, such as mimicking tones and gestures, makes the learning process more effective and enjoyable, as it accelerates speaking fluency.

💡Repeating after videos

Repeating after videos is a technique where learners mimic what speakers say in videos, sentence by sentence, to practice pronunciation and intonation. The speaker explains that this method helped them improve their speaking skills, particularly when they repeated sentences with emotion and tried to imitate the speaker's style.

💡Familiar topics

Familiar topics refer to subjects that the learner already knows about, which makes understanding the context and guessing vocabulary easier. The speaker recommends watching videos on familiar topics, like travel vlogs about places they know, as it aids comprehension and retention when learning a language.

💡Talking to yourself

Talking to yourself is a self-practice method where learners speak out loud to improve fluency and confidence in using the language. The speaker encourages learners to talk about anything, especially during emotional moments, as it helps them become more expressive and fluent when speaking in English.

💡English novels

English novels are works of fiction written in English, which the speaker suggests incorporating into the learning process after gaining some basic language skills. The speaker prefers fiction over non-fiction, as it tends to be more engaging and helps readers stay focused while learning new vocabulary and sentence structures.

💡English-speaking environment

An English-speaking environment is any situation where learners are required to use English, either for communication or academic purposes. The speaker emphasizes the importance of placing oneself in such environments to accelerate language learning, whether through online courses, language exchanges, or even social settings like meetups.

💡Fun in language learning

Fun in language learning refers to the enjoyment and playfulness of the learning process, which the speaker believes is crucial for success. Throughout the video, they stress the importance of having fun and avoiding strict rules, as they found that learning English in an enjoyable and stress-free manner helped them progress significantly.

Highlights

The speaker learned English without attending an international school or living in an English-speaking country.

They achieved proficiency in English in a 'lazy' and fun way, completing both a bachelor's and a master's degree in English.

The speaker recommends watching YouTube videos or other media without English subtitles for the first week to develop a language sense.

They suggest paying attention to how English speakers use tone, rhythm, facial expressions, and body language.

After a week of no subtitles, the speaker advises using English subtitles on videos to help with understanding vocabulary and context.

Travel vlogs are suggested as good beginner content due to their changing scenes and familiar topics.

The speaker encourages repeating sentences out loud with emotion, mimicking the speaker’s tones, rhythms, and even gestures.

They recall memorizing entire scripts from Nigahiga's videos during their teenage years, which helped improve their speaking skills.

They emphasize that looking up unfamiliar words should only be done when curious, rather than following strict rules.

Talking to oneself, especially when experiencing emotions, can significantly help in improving speaking skills.

The speaker shares that they are often better at speaking English when they are angry or emotional.

After six months of consistent practice, they recommend incorporating reading English novels into the learning routine, choosing books that are at least 60% comprehensible.

Reading fiction is preferred over non-fiction to stay engaged, especially for language learners.

They highlight the importance of placing oneself in environments that require English usage, such as academic programs, online courses, or language exchanges.

The speaker’s initial motivation for learning English at age 12 was seeing strangers speak fluently, inspiring them to want to be 'cool' by speaking English as well.