I’d like to learn Mandarin and also have interest learning Russian, Arabic and Spanish, but don’t really know where to start. I know apps like Duolingo and Mango exist, but are those the best options? Would I be best off taking a class? To my multi-lingual comrades, where should I start?
Edit: Thanks for all the great replies everyone! I have a lot of resources to look into now.
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The only thing Duolingo was good for was helping people build consistent habits. Even then, it wasn’t very good at that.
I used to be fluent in three different languages, and only one of those I spoke as a kid. Due to the lack of use, I’ve mostly lost one of them, which is a very common ocurrence when you stop using a language. This context is just so you know I’m not a professional, just merely a fellow language learner.
A few directions: There are several “methods” to learn a second language as an adult. Some of those methods work well for some people, and not so well for others. People are different, and they learn languages in different way. You’re likely to be better off combining different strategies than following one specific study plan.
The most important thing, by far, is to be consistent. Studying 30 minutes every day is much better than doing 8 consecutive hours once in a blue moon. By far, the most important advice. Be consistent.
Studying a language and practicing a language are two distinct things. You study a language when you study grammar using a book, do your flashcards, watch a lesson, etc. You practice it when you actually use it, that is, when you read a fiction book in your target language, when you listen to live radio, when you talk to people, when you watch a travelling video, etc.
Some “methods” propose only practicing, with no study. As I said above, I don’t like it. It’s more productive to mix it up. However, the opposite is definitely detrimental. Studying a language and never actually using it is a terrible idea.
As for how to study, it comes down to personal preferences. Anki is a good flash card app to memorise some words/sentences at the beginning. For Mandarin, there are several YouTube videos explaining the tongue positions you need to produce those sounds. Some are damn difficult, but you gotta persist. On RedNote, you’re gonna find some videos with minimal pair tests. Those were extremely useful for me, personally, when I was first learning English. (Peach x pitch, ear x year, so on.)
The beginning is actually harder than the lower intermediate level, in my experience. Once you can use your target language, you can practice more and study less, and that’s when you start to really make progress.
My 3 cents =P
I’ve been using this app and find it’s fantastic https://www.superchinese.com/
They break up the lessons into small chunks, and you practice speaking, learning sentence structure, and characters. I found it was incredibly helpful for me.
For Chinese, HelloChinese is pretty good.
I use Mango. The “premium” version is free with my local library card, it’s like a better version of flash cards. Anki is still pretty good. I used to use Duolingo but since Google bought them they have been evil
Whatever you can stick to over time is really the best option, since you won’t learn if the method you chose doesn’t work for you.
That said, anki flashcards are great for learning and remembering new words. They work well if you are studying slowly over time or have to cram over a few weeks e.g. for an HSK test in the case of Chinese.
I bought the Pimsleur polish course and it works really well, it uses a scientifically proven method developed by a professional linguist. Only problem is it costs about $50 per course, but it’s a one time purchase for permanent access, so at least it’s not a subscription.
I came here to mention Pimsleur as a good option too. You can get them as audio books through sites like Audible for much less than that, but I don’t know if it’s the same amount of modules per course as if you get it directly from Pimsleur.
I’ve seen people recommend Michel Thomas’ products too, and have seen others compare Paul Noble’s audiobooks positively to those. I’ve tried both and find them a pretty interesting approach.
This one was also recommended by someone on Lemmy a few weeks back: https://www.languagetransfer.org/ - I don’t know anything about it other than that (and that it’s free?)
I’m also learning mandarin (and spanish). The comprehensible input method I’ve found is really the best and simplest way. You can read about it and why it works from the ppl over at dreamingspanish.
For Mandarin I highly recommend https://www.vidioma.com/ . Videos are categorized by difficulty, and it keeps track of what ones you’ve already watched.
For Spanish, dreamingspanish.com . They do a phenomenal job and have hundreds of entertaining videos on so many topics and difficulties.
Comprehensible input is becoming a cult and I’ve seen good evidence this method does not really work.
Here’s the latest video in a series from a skeptic trying dreaming Spanish, he’s 800 hours in and he’s… well behind 800 hours in a classroom, at least.
I didn’t watch that video, but I can say it’s working for me. I’ve tried to do classroom learning (grammar exercises, vocab memorization), and flash card method, and it’s not as fast or enjoyabe as this. I can actually stand in a group of spanish speakers and understand most of what’s being said, which wasn’t something I could do for years of study in other ways.
Also if some random youtuber is blanket demonizing CI, that’s entirely anecdotal, because there have been many studies comparing its performance to other learning methods.
Also if some random youtuber is blanket demonizing CI,
I think this is the kind of accusation you shouldn’t make as someone who admitted to not even checking out the YouTuber in question. He’s not “blanket demonizing CI” he’s running an extremely long, intensive experiment to test the claims people make in favor of this method, and the results are not particularly impressive.
If he just wanted to “blanket demonize” anything he wouldn’t bother dedicating so much of his life to it (it certainly doesn’t make him much money!) he’s doing it because he’s passionate about language learning and wants to understand different methods of learning and their pros and cons.
CI is, by the way, of course a good component of learning a language. You should be using it. But the idea that it is, on its own, an effective method with no other studying or supplementation strikes me as obviously absurd, as shown by the YouTube series in question.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
I’d highly recommend using Preply, I’ve been using it for 2 separate languages over the last few months and have had a lot of success. One of the cheaper mediums for getting a 1 on 1 tutor, no app can beat that kind of interaction imo.
While it’s not an answer to your question, I recommend Hepsima’s videos. He’s a Finnish guy who speaks in Mandarin with people from China. His videos motivate me to learn Mandarin, and maybe when I reach a more advanced level, I’ll also speak with people from China like him to practice.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
