📅 Mid-year language learning progress
How much time did I spend studying?
Dear reader,
Can you believe we’ve been through half of 2023 already? Me neither. It's time for a mid-year update on our language learning journey. I’m tracking my study time in Toggl, and I’ve got charts for you.
📚 Total study time
In 6 months, I studied 195h 17 min total. It means 32h 32 min per month, which is a bit over 1 hour a day. How satisfying!
🥇 Most studied language
You won’t be surprised that my most studied language in 6 months is Korean. 🇰🇷 It was 76% of my studying with a whooping 148 hours and 25 minutes - about 49 minutes a day. It comes as no surprise since it was my priority.
Most of this time has been spent in immersion, listening to Korean content.
39.7% Korean TV (77:27)
24% Sentence flashcards (46:57)
6% Textbook lessons and workbook exercises (12:00)
Other: journaling, reading, recording, online exams, apps…
I am ending this first semester super motivated to study more Korean. I’ve noticed a serious improvement in my listening skills, which is pushing me to consume even more Korean content.
🎖️ Honourable mentions
🇮🇹 21 hours and 58 minutes of Italian (about 50 minutes per week): I have mostly been listening to Italian podcasts, although not every week. My short trip to Milan really helped me practise speaking, and counted for a lot of these hours.
🇨🇳 12 hours and 26 minutes of Chinese (a bit under 30 minutes a week): I wish I could have studied more, but the initial learning curve was too stiff to be climbed in so little time. I am still interested in learning Chinese, but I will keep taking it slow until I have more time to dig into it seriously.
🇩🇪🇳🇱 Still in the run
🇩🇪 7 hours and 19 minutes of German: TV shows have helped me practise my listening, which has been very enjoyable. However, it’s in direct competition with Korean TV, so I often skip it since it’s not a priority.
🇳🇱: 4 hours and 5 minutes of Dutch: I mostly just watch educational videos on YouTube. I have a bunch in my watch later playlist, but again, it’s competing with Korean for my attention, and it’s losing big time. I’m glad I can still maintain it in the background.
I will take a couple of weeks to think about my goals for the rest of the year. I’d love to see yours to find inspiration. Don’t hesitate to reply to this letter! You can even share with other readers in the comments. 😊
Wishing you the best,
Lou
✍️ Test yourself
I heard your feedback! This time the sentences are a bit more general, so everyone can find something for them. Can you translate them all in your target language?
🌱 Beginner
I like to cook delicious meals for my family and myself.
🌿 Intermediate
Reading books helps me understand other people’s perspective.
🌳 Advanced
Travelling allows you to immerse yourself in different cultures and understand them better.
Would you like to request a topic? Let me know !
I didn't realize you studied multiple languages! How do you guys do it? That's so impressive. I put in around 275 hours studying Japanese, reading in that language included. What do you use to track your study time?
You've done really well with your language studies! With my priority languages I spent 128 hours on Mandarin and 115 hours on French. I haven't yet set my goals for July or for the rest of the year but I have a feeling I'll be spending more time with French!