Steve Kaufmann

In 1968 the Canadian government sent me to Hong Kong to learn Mandarin. My textbook had no audio. It wouldn't be released for 8 more years.

My tone breakthrough came from xiangsheng comic dialogues on cassette. I'd listen for hours, understanding maybe a third.

Today I'd do it all inside LingQ. The tools change. The principle doesn't.

I learned Chinese in 1968. Here's how I would do it now 🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-...

Tim Ferriss once claimed he could deconstruct any language in 10 or 12 sentences and reach fluency in record time. After learning 20+ languages, I can tell you that isn't how it works. Even between languages as close as Spanish and Portuguese, it takes time to internalize the differences. Even between Mandarin and Cantonese, where the writing systems overlap entirely.

The shortcut doesn't exist. But here's what 50 years of learning languages has taught me: when you stop chasing speed, you actually get there faster.

In my new video, I talk about why learning slowly is the most effective approach I know. It's also the most enjoyable. The journey itself is the reward.

Watch the video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zVpk12Uz0U

Why SLOW IS BETTER in language learning ✍🏻 How to actually learn a language (course): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiFB-yYuG2hiwcilvwSe63wzTZexBPQNL 🔥 Learn languages like I do: https:/...

I get asked this constantly: "I've been on Duolingo for two years, why can't I have a real conversation yet?"

The honest answer: Duolingo isn't built to take you to fluency. Its courses get you to roughly A2 on the CEFR scale, which is upper-beginner. Fluency starts at B2.

Getting from A2 to B2 isn't more flashcards. It's spending real time with the language. Reading books, listening to native speakers at normal speed, letting yourself be a little confused and trusting that comprehension grows. This is how I've learned every language I speak.

I'm not saying quit Duolingo. Use it for what it's good for. But if you've been at it for a year or two and still can't do what you wanted to do with the language, the answer isn't more Duolingo. It's what comes after.

Full breakdown on the LingQ blog:

Can You Become Fluent With Duolingo? Here's the Honest Answer – LingQ Blog Can you become fluent with Duolingo? Not quite. Here's what Duolingo delivers, what it doesn't, and what's needed to reach real fluency.

The killer app for language improvement is massive concentrated reading.

I noticed this again last week. After an hour with a difficult Persian podcast in sentence mode at LingQ, my sense of control of the language jumped noticeably. The same thing has happened every time I've finished a print book in a language I was learning.

The challenge today isn't access to material. It's distractions. The phone, the email, the well-meaning textbook exercises that turn reading into a comprehension test. We need to clear all of that out.

We read for enjoyment. We read to acquire the words and phrases of the language. Not to prove we understood every sentence. It's like going to the gym. We're training, regardless of pace.

Commit to massive concentrated reading, combined with listening, and the improvement compounds.

Watch the full video:

Why reading is the KILLER APP for language learning 🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-...

Can adult learners sound like a native? Honestly, no. And I don't think it should be the goal.

80% of learners never get past A2. The handful chasing native-like fluency are a tiny sliver, and most still get caught out eventually.

Aim for comfort fluency instead. B2. The level where the conversation just works.

I speak French well. I have no illusions I sound French. Doesn't matter. I can read, I can talk, I can enjoy the language. That's the goal.

Full video on my channel 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Q2-ptF9wI

Can we learn to sound native in another language? 🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=e2Q2-ptF9w...

One of the most common fears in language learning is not understanding enough.

Beginners panic when they miss half of what they hear. Intermediate learners get frustrated when a native speaker podcast still feels overwhelming. Advanced learners wonder why they still hit words they don't know after years of study.

In my latest video I break down the 3 stages of comprehension every learner goes through and explain why each stage is supposed to feel exactly the way it does.

The short version: you don't need to understand everything to keep learning. You just need to keep going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPiwdoyUeoA

The 3 stages of comprehension every language learner goes through 🔥 Learn languages like I do: https://www.lingq.com/learn-languages-like-steve-kaufmann?utm_source=yt&utm_medium=desc&utm_campaign=syt&utm_content=mPiwdoyUeo...

I have been learning languages through comprehensible input for over 50 years, long before I knew what to call it.

The concept is simple: read and listen to content you mostly understand in your target language, consistently, and fluency follows. But when people ask me what that looks like in practice, the honest answer is more specific than the theory suggests.

Which content at the beginner stage, when almost nothing is comprehensible? What do I actually read at an advanced level in Russian or Japanese? How do I use passive listening during the day?

I wrote up the full breakdown here, with examples for every level and specific resources by language.
https://blog.thelinguist.com/comprehensible-input-examples

Comprehensible Input Examples and Strategies That Actually Work Looking for comprehensible input examples that actually work? Steve Kaufmann shares the strategies he has used to learn 20+ languages.

I sit down with Hasan Alhamwi, my Arabic teacher and founder of Arabic All The Time, to talk about why comprehensible input might be the missing piece for Arabic learners.

Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve 39 likes, 5 comments. "Answering the most common questions about learning Arabic"

One of our users kept a Duolingo streak for 3,800 days. Over ten years. And after all of it, he estimated his Italian at A0.

This is not a criticism of Duolingo. It does some things well. But exercises are not the same as language. Drilling translations is not the same as understanding real speech.

When Jonathan switched to reading and listening to authentic Italian content on LingQ, his comprehension went from near zero to B1. The effort was the same. The method was different.

I have said for years that input is how we acquire languages. Jonathan's story is a clear, lived example of why.

Read it here: https://www.lingq.com/blog/duolingo-alternative-lingq/

The Best Duolingo Alternative for Italian? 3,800 Days Later, He Found It – LingQ Blog Jonathan kept a Duolingo streak for 10 years and still couldn't speak Italian. Here's the Duolingo alternative that got him to B1.

I put a question to AI about language learning and the answer genuinely surprised me. The single most important factor isn't motivation or method. It's time.

That raises a harder question: how do you actually find more of it? In this video I share three things that have worked for me across more than 20 languages, including how to set goals that self-nudge you without feeling like pressure.

Watch here:

Steve Kaufmann - lingosteve 101 likes, 4 comments. "3 ways to find more time for language learning"