How to write in a foreign language (even as a beginner)

Summary

The speaker discusses their language learning journey, highlighting their preference for reading and listening over speaking and writing. They admit to neglecting output in languages they've self-studied, such as Italian. To avoid this with Greek, they've developed a writing routine using a planner for daily practice, focusing on vocabulary and grammar consolidation. They emphasize the importance of input through reading and watching content in the target language and use a dictionary and translator for support. The routine involves choosing a weekly topic, compiling relevant vocabulary and grammar, and writing without the pressure of perfection. The speaker shares their progress, including improved spelling, reading speed, and speaking ability, and expresses interest in receiving feedback on others' writing practices.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker admits to being more adept at reading and listening than speaking or writing in languages they've learned in a classroom setting.
• 🇮🇹 With Italian, the speaker has focused more on reading and has neglected speaking and writing, resulting in a comfortable ability to read novels but difficulty in speaking or writing.
• 🔍 For Greek, the speaker is determined to balance input and output by incorporating writing into their learning routine, even as a beginner.
• 🗓️ The speaker uses a 2019 planner for writing practice, taking advantage of its daily sections and a special section for important notes.
• ✏️ Simple writing tools like a black pen and highlighters are used, with the latter to mark new phrases for easy reference.
• 📚 Resources for language input are considered essential for language output; the speaker uses books, YouTube videos, and online materials for inspiration and vocabulary.
• 📝 The writing process involves compiling a glossary of important vocabulary and grammar to minimize distractions during writing sessions.
• 📖 Writing topics vary weekly, allowing the speaker to avoid boredom and write about different subjects, improving their language skills incrementally.
• 🔤 The speaker chooses a weekly topic and records relevant vocabulary and grammar in the planner to practice throughout the week.
• 📈 Writing daily for a short time helps maintain consistency and sustainability of the practice, with the speaker noting improvements in spelling, reading speed, and language consolidation.
• 🔄 The speaker is open to repetition in their writing topics, using the week to master a specific subject by varying their approach and building on previous knowledge.
• 👩‍🏫 Future goals include typing up texts for feedback from native speakers and re-evaluating old entries with new linguistic knowledge.

Q & A

What is the main challenge the speaker faces when learning new languages?

The speaker's main challenge is that they are more comfortable with reading and listening than speaking or writing, especially in languages they have studied on their own without the necessity to speak or write.

Why does the speaker feel more comfortable reading Italian novels but struggle with speaking or writing in Italian?

The speaker has neglected output in their language learning process, focusing more on input, which has led to their ability to read but not to speak or write effectively in Italian.

What is the speaker's current language focus and why did they decide to start writing in it?

The speaker is currently focusing on Greek. They decided to start writing in Greek to avoid falling into the same pattern of being able to read but not speak or write, which was the case with Italian.

What tools does the speaker use for their writing practice and why?

The speaker uses a 2019 planner for writing practice, a black pen, highlighters to mark new phrases, and resources like books, YouTube videos, and online materials for language input. They also use DeepL as a translator and Glossb as a dictionary.

How does the speaker compile a glossary for their writing practice?

The speaker compiles a glossary by dedicating a couple of pages in their planner or using sticky notes to note down important vocabulary and grammar that they anticipate using frequently in their writing.

What is the speaker's approach to deciding what to write about in their practice sessions?

The speaker chooses one topic for the entire week, which could be related to a textbook chapter, content they've listened to, watched, or read. They write down important vocabulary and grammar related to that topic in a specific section of their planner.

Why does the speaker avoid committing to a specific writing format?

The speaker avoids committing to a specific writing format to prevent boredom and the repetitiveness that comes from writing about the same thing every day, which they experienced while journaling in Italian.

How does the speaker ensure that their writing practice is sustainable and not overwhelming?

The speaker keeps their writing practice sustainable by not spending more than 10 to 15 minutes per day on writing, focusing on writing rather than learning new grammar structures, and not expecting uniform quality across all writing sessions.

What are some of the benefits the speaker has noticed from their writing practice?

The speaker has noticed improvements in spelling, reading speed, writing fluency, and speaking ability. Writing has also helped them consolidate information and identify areas of difficulty in their language learning.

What are the speaker's future plans to improve their writing practice?

The speaker plans to type up their texts and potentially upload them to websites for corrections from native speakers. They also want to reread their older entries to spot mistakes with their current knowledge.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Language Learning Through Writing

The speaker admits to being more adept at reading and listening than speaking and writing in languages they've learned, particularly in Italian. They have taken classes for languages like English, Spanish, and Korean, which required them to practice speaking and writing. However, for self-studied languages like Italian, they have neglected output, resulting in strong reading skills but limited speaking and writing abilities. To avoid this with Greek, they've started a writing routine. They use a 2019 planner for writing practice, highlighting new phrases and relying on resources like books and YouTube for input. They emphasize the importance of consuming language to produce it effectively. The speaker also uses DeepL as a translator and Gloss B as a dictionary.

05:01

📝 Developing a Writing Routine

The speaker describes their writing routine, starting with compiling a glossary of essential vocabulary and grammar in their notebook. They write without a specific goal or format, varying the content weekly to avoid boredom. They choose one topic for the entire week, related to their current study material or recent language exposure. They write down important vocabulary and grammar for the week in a designated section of their planner. The speaker stresses the importance of input before output, as writing without prior exposure to the language is challenging. They use dictionaries and translators for new vocabulary but avoid complex grammar structures until they understand them better. The speaker aims to keep the writing process simple and sustainable, spending no more than 10-15 minutes per day on writing.

10:02

🔄 Embracing Repetition for Mastery

The speaker discusses their approach to writing, which includes repetition over a week to master a topic. They write about the same subject each day, making slight changes to improve coherence and vocabulary. They find satisfaction in the progress made by the end of the week, as they have had multiple opportunities to practice. The speaker acknowledges that writing quality varies based on topic familiarity, energy levels, and the complexity of the subject. On days with low energy, they may copy texts from other sources as a form of practice. They are proud of maintaining their writing habit for over a month and are considering future improvements such as typing texts for feedback and reviewing older entries for mistakes.

15:02

🌟 Reflecting on Writing Practice Benefits

The speaker reflects on the benefits of their writing practice, noting improvements in spelling, reading speed, and handwriting. They also observe a positive impact on their speaking skills due to the interconnectedness of language skills. Writing has helped consolidate learning, making it an active process rather than passive reading. The speaker is curious about others' writing practices and invites feedback in the comments. They thank the viewers for watching and express their eagerness to share more in upcoming videos.

Keywords

💡Language cloning

Language cloning refers to the process of learning a language by mimicking or replicating the language patterns and structures. In the video, the speaker admits to being more adept at reading and listening than speaking or writing, indicating a preference for passive language learning over active language production. This term is central to the video's theme as it sets the stage for the speaker's journey to improve their language output skills.

💡Output

Output in language learning refers to the active use of a language, such as speaking or writing. The speaker mentions neglecting output when learning Italian, which led to a lack of fluency in these areas. The video focuses on the speaker's efforts to improve language output, particularly in writing, to avoid a similar situation with Greek.

💡Planner

A planner is a tool used for organizing and scheduling tasks or activities. In the context of the video, the speaker uses a 2019 planner for their writing practice, highlighting its utility for daily writing sessions. The planner's structure allows for consistent practice and the tracking of progress over time.

💡Highlighters

Highlighters are a type of writing instrument used to mark or emphasize text. The speaker uses highlighters to mark new phrases in their writing, which aids in memorization and quick reference. This tool is part of the speaker's writing routine and contributes to the learning process by visually reinforcing new vocabulary.

💡Input

Input in language learning refers to the exposure to a language through reading, listening, or other forms of consumption. The speaker emphasizes the importance of input, stating that one cannot produce language without consuming it. This concept is integral to the video's message, as it underscores the need for a balanced approach to language learning that includes both input and output.

💡Dictionary

A dictionary is a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with their meanings, etymologies, and other information. The speaker uses a dictionary, specifically gloss b, to look up words while writing. This tool is essential for expanding vocabulary and ensuring accurate language use in the speaker's writing practice.

💡Glossary

A glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in a specific field of knowledge with their meanings. In the video, the speaker compiles a glossary of important vocabulary and grammar in their notebook to avoid looking up words during writing. This strategy helps maintain focus and flow during writing sessions.

💡Journaling

Journaling is the act of regularly writing down personal experiences and thoughts. The speaker clarifies that their writing practice is not journaling, as they do not have a specific format or goal for each writing session. Instead, they write on various topics to keep the practice engaging and to avoid repetition.

💡Topic

A topic in this context refers to the subject matter chosen for writing practice. The speaker chooses a topic for the entire week, which could be related to a book chapter, a video, or any other content they have consumed. This approach provides a focused direction for the week's writing and ensures consistent practice with relevant vocabulary and grammar.

💡Repetition

Repetition in language learning is the act of repeatedly using certain words or structures to reinforce learning and memorization. The speaker is not afraid of repetition, as they see it as a way to master a topic within a week. This strategy aligns with the video's theme of focused practice to improve language skills.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video refers to maintaining a language learning routine over time without becoming overwhelmed or losing interest. The speaker aims to keep their writing practice sustainable by keeping the sessions short and manageable, which has helped them maintain consistency in their language learning.

Highlights

The speaker admits to being more proficient in reading and listening than speaking or writing in languages they've learned.

They have taken classes in English, Spanish, and Korean, which required speaking and writing.

Italian is an example of a language learned without formal classes, leading to strong reading skills but weak speaking and writing abilities.

To avoid the same issue with Greek, the speaker decided to start writing despite being a beginner.

A 2019 planner was repurposed for writing practice, with sections for each day of the week.

Highlighters are used to mark new phrases, aiding in future recall during writing.

The importance of consuming language through books, videos, and online materials for inspiration and vocabulary is emphasized.

DeepL is used as a translator, and Glossb as a dictionary for Greek.

A glossary of essential vocabulary and grammar is compiled in the planner for quick reference during writing.

The speaker does not journal but writes on varying topics, avoiding boredom and repetitive content.

A weekly topic is chosen for writing practice, inspired by books, videos, or other content in Greek.

The speaker writes without the pressure of using all new vocabulary in one entry, spreading it across the week.

Exposure to content in Greek is necessary before writing to ensure smooth writing sessions.

Dictionaries and translators are used for new vocabulary but not for grammar to avoid complicating the writing process.

The speaker does not expect uniform quality in writing and sometimes copies texts for practice.

Repetition in writing is embraced to master a topic within a week.

The speaker plans to type up texts for feedback from native speakers and to reread older entries for self-improvement.

Writing practice has improved spelling, reading speed, and speaking abilities in Greek.

The speaker finds writing helps consolidate learning and identify areas of difficulty.

The video concludes with a call for comments on the viewer's writing practices and a thank you for watching.

Transcripts

I'm going to be honest with you and I

think a lot of you can relate when it

comes to language cloning I'm much more

of a reading and listening than speaking

or writing type of person so with

languages like English Spanish Korean at

least at some point in my life I did

take classes so I had no choice but to

speak or write if I were asked to do so

but the situation is very different when

it comes to languages I have studied

completely on my own and my Italian is a

prime example of that I have to admit I

have really neglected output and when it

comes to learning Italian and as a

result at this point I can comfortably

read contemporary novels but if you ask

me to speak or write I can barely string

a couple of sentences together with

Greek the language that I'm focusing on

right now I did not want to find myself

in the same situation so I decided to

start writing despite being a beginner

who hasn't even reached A1 yet so

today's video is going to be all about

the writing routine that I've developed

so far and that I think works really

well for me let's first look at the

tools that I use this is kind of random

but I thrifted this 2019 planner a

couple of months ago and I decided to

use it for my Writing Practice somehow

it works perfectly for me because it has

sections for every day of the week and I

can use one every single time I sit down

to write and then it also has this

section right here which is really

important for my process and later

you're going to see why I also usually

just use a black pen and a couple of

highlighters to highlight new phrases

that I use in my writing so that the

next time that I'm writing something and

I want to use that word or phrase that I

had to look up specifically to write

something a couple of days ago it is

much easier to find that phrase

highlight it and another thing that is

really important even though it's not

really a writing material or anything

like that is any type of resources that

you use to get input at this point I'm

basically convinced that you cannot

produce language unless you also consume

it so I use my books I use YouTube

videos and any other online materials

just basically to get a inspiration for

topics and be an idea of what vocabulary

and grammar I can use and the last thing

is a dictionary or a translator in my

case most of the time I use deep El as a

translator and then gloss b as a

dictionary and now that we've covered

the tools let's look at my process so

the first thing I did after getting the

notebook is compiling a glossary of most

important vocabulary and grammar that I

know I will be using a lot the way you

can set it up is by dedicating a couple

of pages specifically to that glossary

or by putting information that you need

from week to week on a sticky note that

we'll be traveling with you from page to

page and the reason why I do this is so

that I don't have to look up those words

when I sit down to write I don't mind

looking things up and that's why I keep

the glossary in my notebook but I just

don't really want to get distracted by

picking up my phone or by flipping

through a physical dictionary to find

that one word that I'm looking for some

examples of the kind of vocabulary I

write down days of the week as I've

already said sentences describing

whether names of the months time related

phrases for example from this time to

this time or today tomorrow now then and

things like that of course the type of

vocabulary you'll be using totally

depends on you what kind of things you

choose to write about what level you are

as you have noticed I am still a

beginner in Greek so there's a lot of

really basic vocabulary that I'm not

comfortable with yet and so I have to

write those things down hoping that at

some point I will memorize them and I

will not have to use the help of my

little glossary

so because I use a literal planner as my

notebook you might think that what I do

in it is journaling but in reality it's

not really the case the truth is I don't

really have a specific goal or format

when it comes to what exactly I'm going

to write and it basically differs from

week to week it might be journal in one

week talking about human emotions the

next week then describing my daily

routines or daily routines of the people

that I know and so on and I feel like

this approach allows me not to get bored

by writing basically the same thing

every single day which is something that

would happen to me when I try journaling

in Italian my vocabulary and my

knowledge of grammar was not really good

enough to describe a lot of different

things in detail so my journal entries

looked like oh today I did this I ate

this I went there and now honestly it

wasn't really fulfilling in any case of

way so now I basically try to avoid that

by not committing to any type of format

unless I'm really sure that that's what

I want to do

so how do I choose what to write about

them glad you asked instead of deciding

on a topic every single day what I do is

I just choose one topic for the whole

week this might be connected to a

chapter in my book that I'm currently

working on such as jobs or daily

routines or things like that it might

also be based on just content in Greek

that I listen to or watched or maybe

even read for example I recently watched

a video about how to describe emotions

in Greek and then I basically dedicated

a whole week to writing about this topic

and no matter which topic I decide to go

for I always use this little section

that I talked about in the very

beginning of the video to write down

important vocabulary and grammar that

I'm going to be using throughout the

week if the topic is based on a textbook

chapter I will just go through the

vocabulary and grammar sections in the

book and then I will copy what I

consider relevant and if the the topic

is based on an article or a video I will

just write down phrases and usage

examples the nice thing about it is that

throughout the week I will have seven

different opportunities to use all of

that vocabulary and grammar that I just

wrote down so in that sense I don't

really feel the pressure to Clump them

all together in one entry I've mentioned

this already but I just want to double

down on this I have noticed that writing

for me is the hardest if I try to do it

without exposing myself to content in

the language first so if for example I

neglect my textbooks or I don't really

watch any videos in Greek for a couple

of days even and then I sit down and I

try to write something chances are it's

not going to work as smoothly as it does

when I first receive some input and then

I sit down to write

do I use dictionaries and translators so

most of the time I'm okay with looking

up new vocabulary here and there and

using it in my writing but I cannot

really say the same about grammar also

because there's really not a lot of good

dictionaries for Greek I often use

translators so let's say I need the verb

to drive as in to drive a car I look it

up and if I see that it doesn't did look

like a verb because I've been exposed to

the language already and I have an idea

of what verbs look like in Greek I'll

use it but if I were to look up a phrase

and then I saw that it had grammar that

I don't know I would not use the phrase

and I would just try to simplify the

idea that I have and the reason for that

is that looking up new words is quick

and easy but if I want to use a certain

grammar structure I actually want to

understand what it is that I'm using and

my writing time is reserved just for

that for writing not for understanding

learning new grammar structures I have

my textbook time for that so in that

sense it's just me trying to not over

complicate things and keep this habit

sustainable because most of the time I

don't really spend more than 10 to 15

minutes per day on writing and I feel

like it's partially why I have been able

to maintain this habit for over a month

now despite not really being consistent

with writing ever in my life

when it comes to what I'm writing about

I am not at all afraid of repetition the

way I see it is I have a week to perfect

or Master a topic obviously according to

my level because I'm still a beginner so

I won't be able to write something very

complicated but because of that I think

it's totally fine to write about the

same thing every single day for a week

for just a week so for example last week

I was learning to talk about myself and

so every day I would just do that but

each time I would change some things

here and there I sometimes would add new

vocabulary or grammar sometimes I would

just make the structure more coherent or

simply add things that I didn't think of

the day before and needless to say I was

the most satisfied with my writing on

Sunday because I had the whole week to

polish my writing on that topic the

writing process was also much smoother

because by that time I have already

memorized a lot of the vocabulary and

grammar that I had to use in my writing

and so I didn't really feel the need to

look up as many things or to double

check if I spelled them correctly

something that I don't do however is

expect that my writing will be of the

same quality every single time for me

obviously the quality of my writing

depends on the topic how familiar I am

with it how many times I have practiced

writing about it but also more often

than not it just depends on my energy

levels and if there's a particular day

when I feel like my energy is really low

what I will do sometimes is I will just

copy somebody else's text sometimes I

will find something in my textbook

sometimes I will go online and see what

simple text I can find on the topic that

I'm writing about so for example

recently I wanted to write about human

emotions and it was a little bit hard

because the topic is kind of abstract

and then I accidentally stumbled upon

this children's book that explains two

kids in very simple terms what sadness

is and so the first day of my writing

practice that week I just copied that

text amid in some things that were too

complicated for me because I didn't know

the grammar and then what I did the next

day and the day after that was I

basically wrote about other emotions

that were not Sadness by using that text

about sadness as a template and I think

that worked really well for me

even though I'm really proud of myself

for being able to stick with my right

and practice for as long as a month or a

little bit more than that I also

recognize that in the grand scheme of

things I haven't really been doing it

for that long and there's still a lot of

things that I could improve about my

process for example one thing that I

would like to do in the future is to

start typing up my texts and then

potentially uploading them onto websites

like high native or journally or learn

correct to get Corrections from native

speakers I also want to try to reread my

older entries and see if I can spot any

mistakes with the knowledge that I have

right now compared to let's say the

knowledge and the skills that I had a

month ago but for now even thinking

about those things is a little bit

overwhelming for me so I choose to focus

only on my writing and then once the

writing process itself gets easier I

will consider improving my routine so

basically what I'm doing right now is

just keeping it as sustainable as I can

so that I can keep doing it consistently

and not get overwhelmed and just stop

doing it all together because I couldn't

make this routine perfect

okay so now I've told you about the

tools that I use I've told you about my

process and I wanted to discuss some of

the benefits that I have noticed already

I definitely am better at spelling right

now compared to when I started writing

Greek specifically is not really that

hard when it comes to spelling it's

nothing like English for example but

there are some tricky aspects for

example there are six different ways to

spell the sound e and so write in words

and actively thinking about how to spell

them really helps me with memorization I

also Now read faster especially when it

comes to my own handwriting in Greek

because I'm not gonna lie in the

beginning it was kind of a struggle and

I think this is part because I'm getting

a lot more exposure to the language but

also part because my handwriting in the

process has become a little better so

obviously since I've been practicing

writing hopefully I am a little better

rating but I've also noticed some

improvement when it comes to speaking

because I think those skills are pretty

much related and then the main reason

why I wanted to practice writing was to

consolidate the information that I was

learning instead of just passively going

through chapters in my books which is

something I used to do with pretty much

all of my languages I feel like the

practice helps me both with memorizing

new vocabulary and grammar and with

being better at noticing blind spots or

things that I find difficult because a

lot of the times I'll just go through a

textbook chapter and I'll be like okay I

understand this I understand that but

when you actually sit down to write

you're like wait a minute no I I guess I

didn't really understand that because I

will have to look that up again so yeah

writing definitely helps a lot in this

area but this is pretty much everything

I wanted to talk about in this video I

am super curious to know if you guys

practice writing and if so how do you do

it how do you come up with what to write

about how regularly do you write do you

Journal do you write about something

else please let me know in the comments

below and as always thank you so much

for watching this video and I will see

you in my next one bye bye

foreign