Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

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The Best Way to Learn Vocabulary in Any Language

2026-10-2914:43

People often tell me to learn 10 words a day and nail them down until I can use them. That has never worked for me. I read and listen a lot, look words up, and simply accept that I'll forget most of them at first. Over time, meeting the same words in different contexts is what makes them stick. Do you try hard to memorize new words, or do you let them come to you?

How to Understand Native Speakers in Any Language

2026-10-2211:52

When I start a language like Persian or Arabic, at first it's just noise. I can't even tell where one word ends and the next begins. So I listen first, every morning, while I make breakfast or do my exercises. I listen to a short story two or three times, move on to the next one, and come back to it later. Do you start a new language with listening or reading?

I Thought These Languages Would Be Easy. I Was Wrong

2026-10-1510:13

Portuguese should be easy for me. I speak Spanish, and the vocabulary, grammar and word order are almost the same. But when I go to speak Portuguese, Spanish keeps getting in the way. I had the same experience moving from Japanese to Korean, and with Persian words hiding in Arabic. Have you ever found a "similar" language harder than you expected?

How to Choose the Right Content for Language Learning

2026-10-0815:07

What makes language learning content easy? It's not about knowing 97% of the words. That's the goal, not where you start. What helps me most is repetition, short sentences, clear audio, and above all, content I'm genuinely interested in. What kind of content made a new language finally click for you?

Should you learn low-frequency words? My approach as a polyglot

2026-10-0109:18

Many learners are told to focus on the 1,000 most common words and stop there. I've never done that. In Arabic I now have over 35,000 known words at LingQ, and while I can't use most of them yet, they let me follow podcasts on history and politics and discuss difficult subjects with my tutor. A big vocabulary is my potential in the language. Do you stick to common words, or do you push yourself to learn the rare ones?

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