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Summary

In this video, Adrià Solà Pastor shares his unconventional strategy for rapidly mastering foreign languages. He emphasizes the importance of committing to an exam date to focus learning, engaging with native speakers early to grasp essential vocabulary, and using spaced repetition for memorization. Adrià also highlights the significance of basic communication over perfection, suggesting that conversational logic and native feedback are key to language acquisition. He recommends Cambly for connecting with native tutors and offers a promotion for his audience.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Adrià Solà Pastor is a triple major in political science, law, and philosophy at the Sorbonne and Columbia University, emphasizing his academic credentials and passion for entrepreneurship.
• 🗣️ Adrià introduces a secret strategy for quickly and effectively learning foreign languages, which is unorthodox compared to traditional academic methods.
• 📚 He advises to avoid traditional language learning materials like grammar books and instead focus on practice and real-world application.
• 📅 Step 1 of his strategy is to schedule an exam to create a sense of commitment and urgency in language learning.
• 🤔 Parkinson's law is mentioned to highlight the importance of setting a deadline to focus and complete the language learning task efficiently.
• 🌐 The second step involves engaging with a native speaker, leveraging technology to find language partners online.
• 📝 He suggests recording conversations with native speakers to identify and learn the most common words and sentence structures.
• 📈 The use of spaced repetition systems, like Anki, is recommended for memorizing essential vocabulary effectively.
• 💬 Communication is more than just speaking; it involves understanding the logic of conversations and using gestures or simple words to convey messages.
• 🔄 The 'Feedback Loop' from native speakers during conversations helps in correcting and improving language skills naturally.
• 🚀 Adrià emphasizes the addictive nature of language learning when progress is seen quickly, hinting at a follow-up video for further strategies.

Q & A

Who is Adrià Solà Pastor and what is his educational background?

Adrià Solà Pastor is a passionate entrepreneur and a triple major in political science, law, and philosophy at the Parisian University of the Sorbonne and Columbia University in New York.

What is the main topic of Adrià Solà Pastor's video?

The main topic of the video is his secret strategy for learning and mastering foreign languages quickly and effectively.

What is the first step in Adrià's unorthodox language learning strategy?

The first step in Adrià's strategy is to schedule an exam, which creates a public commitment to achieve a certain language level within a limited time.

Why does Adrià suggest avoiding traditional educational methods for language learning?

Adrià suggests avoiding traditional methods because they often focus on memorization and theory rather than practical language use and communication.

What is the significance of Parkinson's law in Adrià's language learning strategy?

Parkinson's law is used to emphasize that the completion of a task expands to fill the time available for it. By scheduling an exam, one limits the time and forces focused learning.

How does Adrià suggest meeting with a native speaker early in the language learning process?

Adrià suggests using technology and platforms like Cambly to communicate with native speakers over the internet, even before one has started studying the language.

What is the purpose of recording a conversation with a native speaker according to Adrià's strategy?

Recording a conversation allows the learner to write down the most basic words used in the conversation, which can later be memorized and used in real-life communication.

What is the role of spaced repetition in Adrià's language learning method?

Spaced repetition is used to memorize the essential words and sentence structures intelligently over time, helping to overcome the forgetting curve and solidify memory.

Why does Adrià emphasize the importance of achieving a basic level of communication in language learning?

Adrià emphasizes basic communication because it allows learners to understand and be understood using simple words and gestures, which is the core of effective language use.

What is the 'Feedback Loop' that Adrià mentions in the context of speaking with native speakers?

The 'Feedback Loop' refers to the constant corrections, improvements, and suggestions received from native speakers during conversation, which helps learners to improve their language skills naturally.

How does Adrià suggest integrating grammar learning into the language learning process?

Adrià suggests that grammar and verb conjugations should be learned in a more formal way once the learner has reached an advanced level, filling in the gaps after having established a basic understanding of the language.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Unorthodox Language Learning Strategy

Adrià Solà Pastor introduces himself as a triple major student at prestigious universities and shares his passion for entrepreneurship. He presents a new video series on foreign language learning and offers a non-traditional strategy that contrasts with conventional academic methods. Adrià's approach emphasizes the importance of practice over rote memorization and theory, and he claims it enabled him to master languages quickly, including French in just four months. He encourages viewers to follow his advice for effective language learning and promises to reveal his secret strategy in the video.

05:05

📅 Committing to Language Learning with an Exam Schedule

The first step in Adrià's language learning strategy is to schedule an exam, which creates a public commitment to achieve a specific language proficiency within a set timeframe. He explains how this approach combats the common issue of procrastination and lack of motivation in language learning. Adrià shares his personal experience of learning French in four months for university admission, emphasizing the urgency and necessity that drove his success. He also introduces the concept of Parkinson's law, which states that the time we allocate to a task directly affects its completion.

10:08

🗣️ Engaging with Native Speakers for Authentic Learning

Adrià's second step involves engaging with native speakers or fluent individuals in the target language. He suggests using technology to find and communicate with native speakers online, as he did with Cambly to improve his English pronunciation. He highlights the importance of learning the 800 most common words in a language to achieve basic communication and suggests recording conversations with native speakers to identify essential vocabulary and sentence patterns. Adrià also mentions a historical reference to 'The General Basic English Dictionary' to illustrate the significance of these core words.

15:09

📝 Memorization and Practical Application of Language Skills

In this paragraph, Adrià discusses the importance of memorizing essential words and sentence structures using spaced repetition techniques, specifically recommending the Anki app for active recall. He argues against the traditional focus on perfection and complex grammar, advocating for the acceptance of ambiguity in language learning. Adrià emphasizes the value of basic communication skills and the natural acquisition of grammar through conversation with native speakers, which he refers to as a 'Feedback Loop.' He also teases the continuation of his language learning strategy in a follow-up video.

📣 Conclusion and Invitation to the Language Learning Community

Adrià concludes the video by inviting viewers to subscribe to his channel and engage with the community of language learners. He encourages sharing the video with others who might benefit from his strategies and asks viewers to leave comments with their questions, comments, or personal language learning techniques. He expresses gratitude for the viewers' time and attention and looks forward to connecting with them in future videos.

Keywords

💡Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship refers to the process of designing, launching, and running a new business, which typically involves risk-taking and innovation. In the video, Adrià Solà Pastor identifies as passionate about entrepreneurship, indicating his interest in starting and growing businesses. This passion likely fuels his drive to learn multiple languages, a skill beneficial for global business ventures.

💡Triple Major

A triple major in academia means that a student is simultaneously pursuing three separate fields of study, leading to three distinct degrees or areas of expertise. Adrià is a triple major in political science, law, and philosophy, showcasing his intellectual breadth and depth, which also reflects his multidisciplinary approach to learning languages.

💡Foreign Language Learning

Foreign language learning is the process of acquiring the ability to understand and communicate in a language that is not one's native tongue. The video's central theme revolves around this concept, as Adrià shares his strategy for quickly and effectively learning and mastering foreign languages, which is the main focus of his new video series.

💡Non-traditional Strategy

A non-traditional strategy refers to an approach that deviates from conventional or established methods. In the context of the video, Adrià introduces a non-traditional, unorthodox strategy for language learning that contrasts with the traditional academic methods taught in schools, emphasizing practical use and real-world application over rote memorization.

💡Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law is the adage that 'work expands to fill the time available for its completion.' Adrià uses this concept to explain the importance of setting a deadline for language learning, arguing that committing to an exam date forces one to focus and complete the task within a limited timeframe, as he did when learning French in four months.

💡Native Speaker

A native speaker is someone who has spoken a language from early childhood. In Adrià's strategy, engaging with a native speaker is crucial for language acquisition, as it provides authentic exposure to the language and its nuances. He suggests using technology to find native speakers for practice, as he did with Cambly to improve his English pronunciation.

💡Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which optimizes memorization. Adrià recommends using this method with applications like Anki to memorize essential words and phrases, helping to overcome the forgetting curve and solidify language knowledge.

💡Basic Level of Communication

The basic level of communication refers to the minimal language proficiency needed to convey simple messages and understand others. Adrià emphasizes that achieving this level is more important than striving for perfection in language learning. He suggests that even with basic vocabulary and simple sentence structures, one can communicate effectively.

💡Feedback Loop

A feedback loop in language learning refers to the process of receiving corrections and suggestions from native speakers during conversation, which helps learners improve. Adrià mentions that when speaking with native speakers, they naturally correct and complete sentences, providing a valuable learning experience that integrates grammar and vocabulary in context.

💡Cambly

Cambly is an online platform that connects language learners with native-speaking tutors for one-on-one lessons. Adrià recommends Cambly as part of his language learning strategy, highlighting its benefits for pronunciation practice and cultural exchange, and mentions a special promotion for his audience.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique where learners actively attempt to remember information without immediately looking at the correct answer. Adrià suggests using this method with flashcard applications like Anki to reinforce memory of essential language elements, which is a key component of his language learning strategy.

Highlights

Adrià Solà Pastor introduces a secret strategy for quick and effective foreign language learning.

The strategy is non-traditional and contrasts with academic language learning methods.

Adrià's method has enabled him to excel in language studies at top universities.

He emphasizes the importance of practice over rote memorization of grammar rules.

Adrià suggests avoiding traditional educational settings for language learning.

Parkinson's Law is referenced to explain the importance of setting a time limit for language learning.

Scheduling an exam is the first step in Adrià's unorthodox method.

Meeting a native speaker early in the learning process is crucial for language acquisition.

Technology facilitates access to native speakers for language practice.

Cambly is recommended as a platform for interacting with native English speakers.

The importance of understanding that 85% of a language can be learned through 800 essential words.

Recording conversations with native speakers to capture essential vocabulary and sentence patterns.

Using spaced repetition systems like Anki for memorizing vocabulary effectively.

The myth of needing complex language structures for effective communication is debunked.

Accepting ambiguity and imperfection in language learning to facilitate communication.

The value of 'Feedback Loop' from native speakers in improving language skills.

The upcoming second episode of the series on foreign language learning.

Invitation for viewers to subscribe, engage, and share their own language learning techniques.

Transcripts

Welcome back, my name is Adrià Solà Pastor.

I am a passionate about entrepreneurship and a currently a triple major in political science,

law and philosophy at the Parisian University of the Sorbonne and Columbia University

in the city of New York.

In today's video I would like to share my secret strategy

for learning and mastering foreign languages quickly and effectively.

This video introduces a new series of videos dealing with foreign language learning;

I am pleased to address various aspects of this process; techniques, habits and psychology,

including myths about foreign language learning;

In this video, more specifically, I would like to introduce you to a non-traditional,

unorthodox strategy, that is, completely different from the one you have been taught

in academic institutions or at school, but which, nevertheless, is extremely effective

in guaranteeing long-lasting and rapid language learning.

This strategy has allowed me to study at the best universities in the world.

Rank me as one of the best students in these universities.

To give speeches in public institutions.

To be able to participate in debates on politics or international security, international relations,

all over the world, in different languages, to learn French in only 4 months.

To be considered as one of the best French speakers after delivering more than

40 minutes of speeches, some of them in the famous Pantheon in Paris,

all of them without written support or any kind of paper.

I sincerely hope that you too will be able to benefit from the great advantages

that language learning offers us. If you follow my advice to detail

this unorthodox but very, very, very effective strategy.

I assure you that you can achieve the same results.

Step 1: Schedule an exam.

Like everything that is related to the school environment

and the traditional educational system.

Language learning has been presented to us as a boring, repetitive and arduous task.

Not only do we spend hours and hours repeating out loud absurd words

or studying grammar to the point that the only verb we learn to conjugate is to dream,

and we find teachers who emphasize absolutely everything

except the most important thing in the language learning process: practice.

In other words, my secret strategy invites you to:

stay away from the 4 walls of any school or academy.

Avoid ineffective memorization of verb conjugations or grammatical rules

and burn right now any kind of books on grammar or language learning that you have.

In other words, stay away from theory at all costs.

If we want to learn and dominate a language it is because many of us can't resist

resolving that incredible frustration we feel every time we want to communicate

but can't with our counterparts coming from other countries.

However, if language learning is considered so tedious and boring

it is because we have been taught that learning a language means sitting in front of a book

and repeating meaningless verb conjugations like an ape

Then we find ourselves in a real situation and we cannot pronounce anything we have learned.

We don't see progress,

we get demotivated and we give up learning

and the secret is: First, personalize your learning, this learning process.

Second, apply the theory immediately, from the moment zero

and third: Make this process to your liking, in other words, look for fun

and my secret method begins with...

Step 1: Schedule an exam

You are probably thinking: Hey Adrià, are you crazy? have you gone mad?

I haven't even started practicing, nor learning what the articles are,

the masculine and the feminine, and you're already telling me to sign up,

to schedule an exam date?

Yes.

Ladies and gentlemen...This is the first step in my unorthodox method.

The main problem we encounter with language learning

is that we do not commit ourselves to learning languages deeply and seriously

in a limited period of time.

Parkinson's law tells us that the completion of a task will expand as much as

the time we have available or as much time as we commit to it.

By scheduling a test date, we publicly commit ourselves, at all costs,

to reach the desired linguistic level within a limited period of time.

and I am the first to apply this step every time

and the first time it happened to me was when I had to learn French in four months,

it was a matter of life or death

or I could get the c1 in 4 months, starting from 0

or I could not enter the university

and I had to spend another sabbatical year doing who knows what.

I don't know, where would I be right now, if it hadn't been for that first investment,

that main effort to take that c1 degree in those 4 months and the next step is...

Second step: The wisdom of the native.

We will have to meet with a native speaker or someone who is 100% fluent in the language,

but Adrià, you're crazy again, you're a fool, what's wrong with you?

How can we meet with a native speaker if we haven't even started to study the language?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen.

This is the key, the secret of my unique technique, of my unorthodox method,

but first of all, I would like to tell you that now you have no excuses.

Thanks to technology, we are very lucky to be able to communicate

with teachers or native speakers through the internet.

There is no excuse for not learning languages.

When I was preparing to get into Columbia University and I was preparing my candidature

and they required me to go through the process and I had to score 110 out of 120 on the TOEFL.

I decided to improve my pronunciation by taking classes with native speakers on Cambly.

Cambly is an amazing platform to learn English with native tutors

who are specialized in the topics of interest,

also during the process, you can make friends

and even learn a lot of things about the cultures of other countries.

It's amazing and it gave me excellent results and since I was going to recommend it.

Cambly is offering a super back to school promotion for my community

and all my subscribers who want to learn or dominate English to get the same results as me.

The guys at Cambly are offering this community 30% for their semester plan,

a unique opportunity that wasn't there before when I signed up

and 50% half price on their yearly plan

and since the guys at Cambly are amazing and treat us so well in this community,

they are offering us with this code that you will get here and in the description,

a free class to start with a native speaker.

Don't tell me it's amazing, really, I wish I could have had the same opportunity

two years ago when I was preparing my admission to Columbia University.

So, above all, if you want to get the same results as I did,

don't hesitate to visit the link in the description and check out Cambly, try that first class

and you'll see that it's going for nothing

and then... Why do we want a first class with a native speaker.

The key to this strategy is based on understanding that 85% of a language

is based on about 800 essential words, only by controlling these 800 words

you can speak the language, for example, the English, very aware of this,

at the time of colonization and imperialism, decided to write a manuscript called:

"The General Basic English Dictionary",

composed of the 850 most common English words,

which would would be used to promote the English language around the world.

So, the ideal would be to hire, meet with a native speaker who speaks the same language

that we want to learn, who dominates it and who also speaks our language,

in other words, who is bilingual and what we are going to do

is to start a discussion about banal topics, topics that we talk about every day, for example,

about the weather, the home, our routines, hobbies, meals and so on.

We will speak to them in our language

and they will respond to us with the language we want to learn.

Also helping us to translate obviously

and why that.

Because what we are going to do is to record the conversation and once we are at home,

we will write down the most basic words of that conversation on a sheet of paper.

All these words will be added to the 800, 600 or 700 words that we will have found on the internet

as the main ones, the most used ones, about the language we want to learn,

even, in that list we can even write patterns of speech,

in other words, very common sentence structures

when it comes to put that language into practice.

The advantage of this is that we will not only have a list of sentence structures and words

that will be the most basic and most used in the language you want to learn,

we will also have a kind of context provided by the conversation that

we will have recorded with the native and we can also identify with these answers of the native the slang.

That is why it is so important that you subscribe to Cambly because they give us this first class,

you can talk to a native and write down all this list of words, wonderful.

Once we have this list of compound words, by articles, nouns and verbs without conjugation,

what we are going to do is to memorize them with a system of spaced repetition

we have already exposed this learning technique of memorization many times in this channel,

I do not think it is useless to provide its definition and scientific evidence,

there are many videos on the channel but use this system with an application, as for example,

Ankiapp from flashcarts, that allows us to do Actived Recall, in other words,

to think about the answer or memorize those words, over time in an intelligent way

for us to pass, overcome the curve of forgetting

and that training of remembering, memorizing that list of practical, basic words,

what it will offer us is the most essential thing in learning a language that is...

Step 3: Basic Level of Communication.

We have always been taught, we have always been convinced that to learn a language well,

to be fluent and to reach this final goal, we have to be able to elaborate, long descriptions

and even to be able to build grammatical or complex structures

without problems when pronouncing them, but that is a lie,

when we learn languages we must avoid perfection and accept ambiguity as a reality.

How many times have you been able to understand someone just with gestures.

Communication, contrary to what we have been taught, is not reduced to oral production.

Many times with gestures, simple words or verbs without conjugation, you can transmit a message

and be understood by your interlocutor, by the receiver of that message

and that is the least we need to put into practice our knowledge,

go out and talk to native speakers or continue to pass classes with native speakers online.

The key is to understand the logic of the conversations.

Sorry, I had to go change my shirt, it's hot as hell here, I was roasting with the mosquito repellent

that burns and gives off smoke and the candles behind me, it looks like a Turkish bath.

With the experience, what I have realized and for me is the most magical thing about learning

and speaking with native speakers, is that when you speak with a native person,

that person will correct you out loud, replace certain words or complete your sentence,

not to humiliate you, not to ridicule you, simply because they want to formulate with you,

with your help, a clear message that is effective for communication.

So, what happens in that conversation is that you are receiving a constant "Feedback Loop",

in other words, you will receive corrections, improvements or suggestions

from the person you are talking to.

Then, the grammatical structures, the conjugation of verbs and others

will magically fit in your learning, once you have a more advanced level to study

in a formal way the grammar or the grammatical structures, the verbs and others,

but in a magical way, you will be able to fill in those spaces that you had omitted,

that you had skipped in the beginning because you will be able to relate it

not only to a person with whom you were speaking but also to a context.

The key to all of this is that you will process it so quickly and see so much progress

so immediately that you will become addicted to language learning and the next step is....

In fact, there will be no point 4, because the video was getting a little bit long,

but don't worry, there will be a second episode very, very soon on the channel.

So remember, if you like this kind of content subscribe and do not forget to hit the little bell

and finally I would love to thank you for your attention for spending this time with me

and if you liked the video obviously I would love to ask you

to share it with those people who can be helpful,

especially those who are learning a language and want to make this process, a more dynamic,

fun and above all effective, that you give them like, that you give the little bell

to not miss any other video and if you want to obviously integrate this wonderful community

composed of wonderful individuals,

that you give it to subscribe and if you have any questions, comments, problems or want to share

techniques, methods, secrets that have helped you well in this process,

do not hesitate to write it in the comments I read absolutely all of them

and I try to answer each one of them and finally I would love to just thank you for your attention,

your time, wish you a good day and see you in the next video.