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recently I've got a lot of questions

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asking how I learned Chinese and also a

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lot of questions asking how native

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English speakers learn English how do

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Americans remember so many English words

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so I thought I'd make a video talking

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about my language journey and also share

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some tips and techniques for learning a

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language as an adult without any

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language environment especially if you

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struggle with memorizing words this is

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going to be really helpful so make sure

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to stick around to the end I've been

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learning Chinese for about 6 years now

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and a lot of people have asked how I was

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able to reach a relatively fluent level

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and honestly being in the classroom

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environment really helped me a lot in

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the beginning it was really helpful to

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have a teacher teach me the basics and

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give me a foundation in this language

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but a lot of the work for me also came

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from outside of the classroom especially

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in situations where you don't have a

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language environment and you're not

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surrounded by this language every day

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and you can't practice these basic daily

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conversations so it's really important

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to try to make the environment for

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yourself and put in the extra effort

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outside of class I would surround myself

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with as much Chinese as I possibly could

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so I would constantly watch TV shows

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movies and I would listen to Chinese

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music while I was walking around campus

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and really anything to help me listen to

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more Chinese and get more input I would

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constantly take note of the new words

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and phrases that I heard and write them

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down and I have so many notebooks just

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filled with me repeating the same things

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over and over and writing everything I

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heard down but most importantly is that

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I would talk to myself in my head using

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Chinese for example if we learned a new

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word or phrase or even sentence

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structure in class then I would try my

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best to really Inc incorporate that into

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my inner monologue so even though nobody

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would be there to practice with me I

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could still practice with myself and

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this is really important because if you

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honestly want to improve in any language

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then the key is practice and spending

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time to really say all these words

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phrases and structures that you

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encounter and another key point is not

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just focusing on one single word or

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phrase but putting it into a sentence

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and understanding how it's really used

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in real life because if you spend a lot

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of time just repeating one word over and

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over and over you might be able to

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remember it but it's going to take a lot

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of extra effort and brain power and it's

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not really applicable if you don't know

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how to use the word properly so instead

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I would recommend finding some more

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examples of how to use this word and

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this way you can really understand and

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deeply feel the meaning of this word and

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you'll be able to use it naturally and

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when other people use it you'll be able

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to understand what they're trying to say

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this is also important because in real

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life conversations or when we're reading

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a paper or a book or something like that

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these words are never really isolated

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they're never just alone they always

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have some context and we can use this to

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figure out what they mean the use of

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context clues is actually how a lot of

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native speakers learn a lang language no

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matter what the language is for example

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if your native language is Chinese how

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did you learn it your parents and the

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people around you would constantly be

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speaking in this language so as a baby

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you just start to pick up on the sounds

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and the words and you eventually start

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to speak it on your own and this is the

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natural way of learning any language we

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connect words to real life objects and

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we learn new words based on how other

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people use them in different contexts

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even native speakers make mistakes when

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learning their native language but each

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mistake is just a step closer to fluency

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and we can use these methods when we're

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learning a foreign language as well I've

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had a lot of people ask how Americans

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learn English like do we have to

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memorize a lot of words too or do we

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have English classes or what do we do

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when we encounter a word that we don't

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know we learn English the same way that

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anyone else else would learn a native

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language but in order to go past a very

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basic level of English native English

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speakers also have to spend time

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studying English in school for example

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when we're younger we have to do a lot

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of spelling tests and memorize the

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spelling of new and longer words as we

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get older we also have to learn how to

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analyze English writing and we have to

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learn how to write an English paper and

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we spend a lot of time learning about

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English literature

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and also history as well so English is a

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big part of our curriculum English is a

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very wordy language so naturally there

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are a lot of words that we might not

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know the exact meaning of and even as

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native English speakers we have to spend

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time learning these new words there are

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a few different methods of learning

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these new words but I'm going to share

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one common method that is going to be

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very helpful we'll call this method the

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context clues method it's also used a

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lot for learning English when it's not

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your native language and I've summarized

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three main steps for you to follow but

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just keep in mind this method does

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require a little bit of a basic English

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understanding to use it when we see a

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new word that we don't know in a

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sentence first we need to figure out the

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basic and general meaning of the overall

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sentence like what's the tone or what

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other words could we put in place of

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this new new word and still have the

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whole sentence make sense and this is

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the core of using context clues second

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we use context clues or the information

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surrounding this word to make an

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educated guess on what this new word

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really means and then the third step is

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to finally use a dictionary to confirm

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our educated guess and doing this also

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reinforces this word in your brain and

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helps with memorization this is really

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important because if you see a new word

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and you just immediately go to the

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dictionary or you immediately translate

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this word to understand what it means

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and then quickly move on without even

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understanding the context of how to use

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this word it's actually going to be

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really hard to remember the word and

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understand how it's really used so

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checking with the dictionary is

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important but it should be the last step

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using your brain to understand the use

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and meaning behind these new words is

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actually going to give you a deeper

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impression and help you understand the

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Practical use of the words and

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eventually this will make things a lot

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easier in the long run I also used this

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method when I was learning Chinese and I

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think it's part of the reason why I was

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able to pick up on things so quickly

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while I was listening to these TV shows

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and movies and anything like that in

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Chinese if I saw something new that I

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wasn't sure of exactly what it meant

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instead of just directly translating it

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I would look for it in other contexts

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and slowly start to understand the

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meaning and how it's used and honestly

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when you rely too much on direct

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translation of words and phrases then a

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lot of the times you'll start to lose

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the nuance and the feeling of a language

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it's also really important to remember

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that learning a language no matter what

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the language is takes a lot of time and

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persistence it's taken me about 6 years

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to learn Chinese without knowing

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anything about the language previously

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but only in the past year have I started

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to really kind of connect the dots and

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become a little bit more fluent in the

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language I spent years just

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understanding the sounds of Chinese and

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memorizing sentences and words and

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phrases and talking to myself a lot all

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of these steps were needed for me to get

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to where I am today so my biggest piece

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of advice is don't give up I hope this

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video was somewhat motivational for you

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no matter what language you want to

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learn and I hope that this technique is

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going to help you a lot in your studies

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so let me know if you have any other

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questions about language learning and

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I'll see you guys next time bye-bye

Tips for Learning a Language as an Adult Without a Language Environment

Learning a new language as an adult, without any language environment, can be challenging. Whether you are trying to learn Chinese or improve your English, the process requires dedication and effort. In this article, we will explore effective tips and techniques for language learning as shared by an experienced language learner.

Immersion is Key to Language Learning Success

One of the fundamental aspects of language learning is immersion. Surrounding yourself with the language you are learning will greatly aid in your progress. Watching TV shows, movies, and listening to music in the target language can help you familiarize yourself with the sounds and vocabulary. Additionally, creating opportunities to practice the language outside of the classroom is crucial.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice is essential when learning a new language. Repetition is key to remembering words, phrases, and sentence structures. Incorporating new vocabulary into your daily life, even through internal monologue, can significantly boost your language skills. By consistently using the language, you reinforce your learning and improve fluency over time.

Understanding Context for Effective Learning

To truly grasp a language, it is essential to understand how words are used in context. Focusing on single words or phrases may not be as beneficial as understanding their usage in sentences and real-life scenarios. By studying examples of how words are used, you can gain a deeper understanding of their meaning and application.

The Context Clues Method for Vocabulary Acquisition

When encountering unfamiliar words, using context clues can be a powerful way to decipher their meanings. By analyzing the surrounding information in a sentence, making educated guesses, and then confirming meanings with a dictionary, you enhance your vocabulary retention. This method fosters a better understanding of word usage and aids in long-term memorization.

In conclusion, learning a new language, whether Chinese or English, requires dedication, persistence, and a willingness to immerse yourself in the language. By utilizing effective techniques such as immersion, regular practice, and context clues, you can enhance your language learning journey. Remember, fluency takes time and effort, but with consistent practice and the right approach, you can achieve your language learning goals.

Learning a new language is like embarking on an exciting journey of discovery. By immersing yourself in the language and embracing the learning process, you open doors to new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities. So, don't be discouraged by the challenges ahead. Embrace the learning experience, stay persistent, and enjoy the rewarding journey of becoming proficient in a new language. Bon voyage on your language learning adventure!