You don’t need to pay to learn — As someone who has paid hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to learn languages, I’ve learned that there are resources you can use for free that are sometimes better than the paid ones. Busuu and Memrise are great apps to learn a language. …

You will miss out on many experiences — When I asked my brothers where we were going next for a road trip, they winced. The younger one replied, “plan it out better first” and the older one nodded. My eyes widened but I shrugged in agreement. While spontaneous road trips might be a nice adventure, planning the trip…

Duolingo should not be your only method of learning — Some people’s new year’s resolutions included learning a new language or continuing one they had abandoned and wanted to pick up again. However, using one tool to learn a language will cause them to lose interest. If you want to learn a language, diversity is your best friend. You should…

There are better alternatives to achieve fluency — I’ve been attempting to learn Italian for a few years now. Note that I said attempting. Frankly, learning a language is not easy. Like any other skill, language learning requires dedication and time, something not always available to full-time workers. When looking for resources available to learn a language, I…

Use the four areas of language proficiency to improve fluency — I noticed the difficulties of becoming fluent in a language by observing my ESL (English as a Second Language) students. I also experience difficulty in language learning, as I am a beginner Italian speaker. Most beginner language learners do not progress after learning basic vocabulary. …

Focus on maintaining a conversation instead of a daily streak — After showing my students the film La Vita e Bella, a movie about Italians in the Holocaust, I hinted I knew Italian. One of them raised his hand. “If you’re on a beach and you see a shark, how do you call for help?” he asked. I stayed silent. I…

Learn to do it the right way and achieve your learning goals — There are so many apps, websites, videos, podcasts, and classes available for you to use to learn a language. How do you know what to choose from? How do you know your way to learn will help you achieve your goal? How do you know you will achieve fluency? …

Artificial intelligence is the future of language learning — As an aspiring language learner, I’ve come to a realization. Despite the many methods and resources available to learn a language, none of them can achieve true mastery. They all lack certain elements that force us to rely on multiple resources to achieve fluency. The most critiqued product for learning…