🗺️ My realistic language learning journey

How I've been learning 5+ languages

Dear reader,

I’ve been wanting to make this post for ages, to reference it when I speak about my learning journey. I didn’t want to it to be this “polyglot speaks 6 languages” kind of post, and I held back from writing this. Chatting with

Oleg

helped me realise it’s also our duty as learners to share the realistic journey we took on, while making sure we don’t over-glamourise the skill.

This is me writing about my journey in my favourite hobby. I’ll try to keep it short, but this is by no way objective or scientific. Or short.

🇫🇷 French

As I was born and raised in France, I’m a French native speaker. Apart from 6-month internships, I lived here my whole life, since 1997. I live in central France and have a neutral accent.

I’m also interested in teaching the language, and experimented with it during COVID and while searching for a job. I collected a bunch of resources and references for learners of all levels.

🇬🇧 English

How I got started

Like all French pupils, I started learning English in school. I’d always been a good student, but I truly fell in love with the language when I first got access to the internet in late middle school. Back then, I had a few friends who got me into online gaming¹.

A few weeks later, I was chatting over TeamSpeak with a couple of English guys, trying to figure out their banter and stories while we played. At some point, I realised I could possibly speak with anyone on the planet. That’s when I truly fell in love with English.

Started actively learning in: 2012

How I got better

After that, I started consuming lots of contents online in English (YouTube, music, books, games…). Like most of us learners of English as a second language, I quickly became fluent through immersion. I was confident with my speaking, which helped me improve even faster.

Main resources: YouTube, books, online games.

My current level

I feel as comfortable in English as I do in French. I make small mistakes in both languages, and learn advanced vocabulary from time to time, especially from books in technical fields. To this day, English is still my favourite language. I love that I can connect with so many people from around the world - like you! 😊

Average understanding: 95-100%

🇩🇪 German

How I got started

I started German in school around 6th grade (~10 years old). I used to dislike it because it was so different from everything I knew, which made it quite hard to learn. In addition, I didn’t necessarily felt like learning another language back then.

However, about 10 years later, I had an excellent German teacher in engineering school. She helped me make progress and land an internship in Germany in 2019.

Started actively learning in: 2019

How I got better

I learnt to use the language in a professional setting, but I was still using a lot of English in the office. This trip made me realise how much I was missing out by relying on English too much.

That’s when I started studying the language at home, because I wanted to, not because I had to. My technique was lacking though. I had no idea how to study, and made paper flashcards to review random vocabulary out of context.

However, my mindset change was enough to make me more outgoing and willing to try to speak in German. The highlight of my trip was my final presentation, fully in German, in front of the whole IT security department. I presented my technical work and answered questions. It wasn’t easy, but it showed how much I’d grown.

Main resources: School classes, travel.

My current level

I haven’t been practising German lately, and forgot a lot. I can listen to podcasts on familiar topics, watch TV shows² , and I help someone with directions or make small talk if needed.

My level is probably around a higher B1 to a scholar B2, and I feel confident I could get more comfortable with practice. German is not a priority today, but I really like how I can watch content in this language when I feel like it.

Average understanding: 30-60%

🇳🇱 Dutch

How I got started

This is when things got a bit out of hand. After finishing my internship in Germany, I thought I could start learning a language in 2020. I still had a lot of work to do to graduate that year, so I thought I would start slow by dabbling in Italian.

That when COVID hit. My exams and internship got cancelled, and I found myself stuck at home with nothing to do. After the initial anguish, I decided it was a good time to learn languages. I found an online study group on Discord which had a few Dutch people in it, and we decided to exchange French for Dutch lessons.

Started actively learning in: 2020

How I got better

Keep in mind that I had literary nothing I could do for 2 months. With my experience in German, grammar seemed easy, and I recognised lots of words. Within weeks, our lessons turned into conversation practice, with native speakers available 7 days a week.

It was my first experience learning by speaking first, without any structured course. I made crazy progress, and could speak comfortably over small talk after just a couple of months.

I even applied to Dutch-speaking positions in the Netherlands, and got hired in a company. I ended up not staying for personal reasons, but that was the craziest progress I made in any language, ever.

Main resources: Discord, YouTube.

My current level

Even though I haven’t practised Dutch since then, I sometimes watch their news³. I can understand conversations on simple topics. Learning by immersion and constant practice really anchored the language, and I feel comfortable starting up conversations even without warming up.

My level was around higher B2, although I forgot a lot. My vocabulary is limited, and I rely a lot on confidence when speaking. I don’t have much content to watch in Dutch, and didn’t keep in touch with my Dutch-speaking friends. My level is bound to keep decreasing, but I don’t mind too much.

Average understanding: 40-70%

🇰🇷 Korean

How I got started

At this point, I was really in love with learning languages. I found it both challenging and rewarding, and wanted to set the bar a little higher.

I had always been intruigued by east-asian languages. I found Japanese to sound beautiful, and Chinese to sound interesting. I knew nothing about the Korean language or culture, but when I heard it for the first time, I found it sounded… Insanely cool. Just like that, I started learning it in summer 2020.

Started actively learning in: 2020

How I got better

This was my first time properly searching for resources online. I mostly studied with the Talk To Me In Korean curriculum and books, and explored learning in immersion. It was so different from anything I knew, I had to spend a significant amount of time studying grammar, vocabulary, and other difficult concepts like honorifics. I spent about 2 years on and off on a structured course.

After experimenting a lot with note-taking, I started using Anki for vocabulary. I built up 2 decks (sentences useful in conversations, and other important vocabulary), with a total of 1600+ sentences. I’ve been studying for 800+ days in a row, and it’s been insanely helpful to anchor useful words.⁴

Korean is significantly harder than any other language I had learnt. I just started feeling more confident after 3 years. Korean became the main language of the language I consume - with English as a close second.

Main resources: Talk To Me In Korean, YouTube, Netflix, Viki.

My current level

I’m entering my 4th year and still learning. I’m more confident since I can understand the best part of TV shows, but my lack of speaking practice makes it hard to keep up with conversations. Reading is still really hard for me, and I get lost easily when the topic is out of my comfort zone. I sometimes understand 80% of what’s going on, and sometimes I don’t even catch the topic.

Korean looks nothing like languages I’ve learnt before, so it’s really hard to estimate my level. According to my online exam results⁵, I’m making good progress towards a higher intermediate level. I’m still super motivated to learn more and become better at understanding and speaking.

Average understanding: 30-80%

🇮🇹 Italian

How I got started

Remember when I shortly dabbled in Italian in 2020? I waited until the beginning of 2023 to seriously pick it up again. I felt like I needed an easier language to balance off my hardships with Korean.

I initially picked it because it sounds beautiful, and as a sister language of French, I was confident I could make fast progress. I also love travelling to Italy, and wanted to make the most out of it.

Started actively learning in: 2023

How I got better

Italian is so close to my mother tongue, learning grammar was boring and inefficient. I quickly got into watching lots of content for learners, and listening to podcasts and books. I used apps⁶ to build my Anki deck. As I learnt vocabulary so much faster than Korean, it was easy to keep momentum.

I got the opportunity to go on a couple of trips the same year. I got out of my way to ask questions and chat with locals. The culture makes it very easy to interact with Italian people.

Main resources: Audible, podcasts, travel.

My current level

I feel super comfortable in Italian, although I make a bunch of grammar mistakes. When I listen to audiobooks, I understand 60-80% depending on the context. Again, I feel like I’m rating my confidence more than my actual level, but I feel conversational to fluent in some situations. Dare I rate myself a higher B2 to lower C1⁷.

Average understanding: 60-90%

🇨🇳 Who won? Who’s next?

I’m so happy with learning mainly Korean. The language is so challenging, it makes it even more rewarding when I’m making progress. I’m slowly discovering the culture, and it feel like I’m learning a lot more than just words.

I’m sprinkling some Italian in my studies, especially since travelling to the country is so accessible for me. I find the language beautiful and easy to assimilate. On a side note, I’m not actively trying to maintain Dutch or German.

There are a few languages who keep piquing my curiosity, especially east-asian languages. Mandarin Chinese is first on the list, and I also have my eyes on Thai and Japanese. If I didn’t have a full-time job, I would probably be learning Chinese on the side, but it doesn’t seem realistic today. I’ll reconsider in the next few years.

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This letter was longer than usual, but this is the type of experience I love writing and reading about. I would genuinely love to see my fellow language learners⁸ write about their learning journey: how did you start, get better, and where are you now? Can you relate to my story? Please write about it in the comments, or share the link to an existing post.

I hope you can learn something from my experience. I’m open to answering to questions or going into detail if needed! Have a lovely week.

Best,

Lou

✍️ Dear language learner

Learn your target language with useful sentences! Here are a few to translate to test yourself. If they’re relevant to you, you can add them to your notes or spaced-repetition system.

🌱 Beginner

I’m learning a new language.

🌿 Intermediate

I’ve been studying for about a year.

🌳 Advanced

I can’t get enough of how rewarding language learning can be.

Thank you for reading “I heard from Lou”. It can be hard to find people who share your passion for learning. If you have friends who might like this letter, let them know.

1. If you’re wondering, yes, it was League of Legends. know, I know, not my most glorious time. But even the games with the worst reputations can lead to something positive!

2. Dark was a bit difficult for me to follow, but Kleo has been really fun (although I watch it very slowly, like one episode once in a while).

3. Universiteit van Nederlands is close to Ted Talks, and Avonds met Lubach is an entertaining evening show.

4. I will write about my learning method with spaced-repetition one day, because it’s been working so well for me.

5. I test myself online every 3 months with the King Sejong Institute Korean Level Test.

6. Speakly had a good selection of basic sentences, although I only used the free trial.

7. I would probably flunk any test including grammar to be honest. I’m just winging it in conversations, but if the people I speak with are happy about it, I’m happy about it!

8. I’m looking at you

Victoria

,

Shea

,

Oleg

and the silent readers 👀🫰