I feel like a genius!
I just learn five new Italian words and reviewed 15 from earlier this week.
And they were so easy!
Guess what the Italian word for police is…
It’s polizia!
Guess what the Italian word for rice is…
It’s riso!
And guess what the Italian word for corn is…
It’s mais!
Ok, that one is a little different from the English. But it’s actually very similar to the original Indian word, maize. Plus, I can easily use a memory trick and imagine mice (that’s how it’s pronounced in Italian) eating the mais. Mice eating the mais. Easy!
Before Italian, I was struggling with the Czech language for years, feeling like Forest Gump every day.
Guess what the Czech word for corn is…
It’s sladka kukuřice
That’s like hitting a paper bag (Italian) vs fighting Mike Tyson (Czech).
So, I like Italian.
Great way to start the day!
Already I’m thinking about my first conversation. But I know I must wait. This is very important. I’ll tell you why in a second.
But first, if you’re new to these emails, here’s the backstory.
I’m waiting out the virus on my family farm in Northern Virginia. Every day I write, I learn, I create new material for students, and I get to go outside and hike in the beautiful Virginia spring. I’m very lucky to be here and not in the tiny apartment I used to have in Prague.
So let’s talk about the correct way to learn a language.
First, it helps to break it down into smaller pieces.
“Learn a foreign language” is a huge task. Most people give up before they start. But when you see it in pieces it feels more manageable.
If you were learning tennis, you would learn the grip, the rules, the serve, the backhand, etc.
Those are the pieces of tennis.
So what are the pieces of English?
Well, there’s vocabulary, understanding, grammar, speaking, pronunciation, writing…
Now, what order should you learn them in?
Does it matter?
Every English text book I’ve seen gives you a little bit of vocabulary, a little bit of listening, a little bit of speaking… all in the same chapter.
But I say that’s wrong.
The order in which you learn the pieces of English – the order you learn any skill – is very important.
So think about what you think the order should be and I’ll tell you what I think, and why, tomorrow.