Thanks for this video; speaking is the biggest hurdle for me, so I’m very tempted by this course. I’m mostly just commenting, though, to say that the 30-day banjo course looks awesome and I’d love to see you try it out!
You're welcome Elizabeth! Yes I feel you… Especially if you are an introvert it can feel really daunting. But once we have started and the basics are there then it gets easier and easier. Right now I'm in Italy and everybody is giving compliments for my Italian and it feels so rewarding… All the hours that I have invested. So 30-day banjo course it is! Don't know yet when I'll do it, but it will come! First I need to get a Banjo of course :D.
@@DustinSchermaul So glad to hear you want to give it a go, I love the banjo! With regard to acquiring one, in my experience having bought other instruments I’ve found that even for complete beginners it’s often better to buy an instrument that’s a bit higher quality than the kind beginners are generally encouraged to get. Low-quality instruments are difficult to play, sound terrible, constantly lose their tuning, and generally make the learning process more unpleasant than it needs to be. Not to mention, it’s sometimes only a matter of weeks before you outgrow them. A beautiful instrument you love is one you’ll want to spend time with. :) If you don’t take up the hobby, it’s generally pretty easy to sell a nice instrument (whereas beginner instruments can be very difficult to get rid of) so there’s not actually as much risk in taking the leap as it may at first seem; before buying, you can check the used market and see which brands/models tend to sell most quickly and inform your buying that way. Of course if you prefer a beginner instrument, there’s no shame in that either, I just wanted to point out that you needn’t feel limited in your choices. OK, enough of the unsolicited advice, I’ll get back to my vocabulary flash cards now!
@@Elizabeth-ei7ne Thank you so much for the advice! Yes that's what I already thought. If you buy cheap you buy twice… That's true for all areas of life :). Will review which brands are most used and also see the advice from the guy who is running the course. Good luck with your learning :).
I will try Lingoda Super Sprint for learning German, which was a language quite difficult for me. I attended traditional schools, but it didn't work too well. I hope that the small class sizes and the consistency of studying every day, including weekends, will help me. Thank you very much for sharing your experience and the other tools you have used.
Very cool, let me know how it went! I can completely relate to your situation. For me, it was exactly the same in school… Within large groups, I have a hard time to focus. I really have been positively impressed, by how good it actually works, even though I'm not the biggest fan of following a strict curriculum.
Thanks for this great review 😊 was really interesting to watch. I wondered for a long time how lingoda works. Seems to be effective and engaging when you combine it with more comprehensive and compelling input 😁👍
You're welcome Bumble :). Exactly that you got it! I wouldn't have thought that it works that well, but I'm really impressed. That's how school should be… But it's not realistic to have such small class sizes, unfortunately.
@@DustinSchermaul yes unfortunately. But that would be awesome. I was really bad in school at languages. The way they teach languages in school doesn't work for the most of us. But to implement massive Input and a lot of talking in small groups would help i think. And less testing by vocabulary tests and instead acknowledging when ppl getting their points across.
@@DustinSchermaul really cool that we both have found our passion for languages on our own :) a whole world of magic to discover. No... many worlds of magic :) or new pairs of eyes for all the magic
@@BumbleBauz Exactly :). Endless possibilities. Once you start you become addicted to learning more and more. If there would be just more time to learn all languages :D.
I'm halfway through my Super Sprint (Spanish) now and am loving it! I definitely agree with the constructive criticism you shared and wish there would make those improvements in the future. Thanks for the additional resources you shared, these apps look great to supplement what I'm learning. On a side note... Are you using Jira to track your learning?? How smart! I use that at work to manage projects haha.
Hey Chanel :), very cool glad that you also like it. I'm also thinking about doing another sprint at some point… Maybe next year :D. Also, happy that you've found the other tools I've shared useful. At work, I'm also using Jira, but it's not flexible enough for my personal use. For that I'm relying on Notion, which I can adapt fully to my needs. This way I can visualize everything what I'm doing and also planning my whole life :).
@@DustinSchermaul I'm already thinking about when I'll take my next Sprint as well haha. I feel like it's going to be so strange not to have a daily class when this finally ends! Did you continue on with the Lingoda subscription or are you taking a break? Ahhh Notion, also a great tool. What a smart way to stay organized, thanks for the inspiration! 😉
@@hotchocolatekss Yes has been definitely the same for me :). You'll get used to it quickly. For now, I'm taking a break, because I got so many other commitments going. But I'm continuing learning my languages ofc on a daily basis :). You're welcome! :)
Phew, hard to tell. So I started basically at zero, but you have to take into account that I have already learned French and Italian a lot before starting to learn Spanish. That helps a lot! Maybe after Lingoda I have been at an A2 level? But as said I'm not good at estimating such things, and I've also been doing other things at the same time.
@@DustinSchermaul for sure I really want to do the super sprint but my kids calendar won’t allow it. The regular Sprint I can work around their activities.
Phew, that's a really good question! So according to Lingoda it takes 50 hours to fully complete one level, which means A1.1 for example. If we just do all the lessons, so A1.1, A1.2, A2.X etc. it would be in total 400 hours. That means if we do 20 hours per month it would take 20 months. But I would recommend to also consume comprehensible and compelling input on the side to assimilate the language better. At least I need that, because otherwise I would miss too much.
@@DustinSchermaul Thanks, This course sound good due to focus on speaking so far I have not done any speaking in my learning. I signed up as free member for now. For French, i noticed that there are 3 sub-levels at B, . So. A1.1-2 (100h) + A2.1-2(100h) + B1.1-3(150h) + B2.1-3 (150h) so about 500hrs. Largest paid plan they have is 40 classes at $320 per 4 weeks (after discounted). So I will need to budget ~$4k+ to complete the whole program in about just over a year ( 500/40 = 12.5, 12.5 *320= $3850 ). Trying to avoid the sprint since I can't do more than 1 class per day if I want to. I am wondering if at some point it will be better/faster to just work with a private tutor on italki to speed up learning? someone who can tailor the learning specifically to my level and identify any gap in knowledge. Any advice on that? Or at what point can we just focus on consuming content to learn french, B1/B2? So far I have been using Alice Ayel stories for comprehensible input, and listening to MosaSeries on mosalingua , some games and refold flashcards, dabbled in some apps also watched some french series. Not much structure imo.
@@nsevv Aaah okay 3 sublevels, I didn't know that. Yes that's quite some money, but if you do all that straight through the progress will be significant, because of the high intensity. To have a really good italki teacher and one on one lessons can be even more productive, I'm quite sure. Because you will have even more exposure to speaking, but you need to find a teacher, who can really teach and knows on which topics to work on in order to master the language. I would always try out a bunch of different teachers and see how they resonate with you. It should be someone, with whom you could easily be friends in real life, because it will make everything way more pleasant. Consuming content should happen anyway on the side and during your dead time. You can start at any level and once content gets too easy you can move on to more complicated and challenging stuff. It's important to hit the sweet spot, where you can still learn, but where it also doesn't get overwhelming. I have never used Alice Ayel stories or MosaSeries, so I can't tell much about that. Refold flashcards seem to be a very good way to build a solid basis. For me it's important to have structure in order to progress through the language and to stay motivated. In the end it's just about spending lots of time with the language, so if you dabbel in multiple resources it doesn't have to be bad, as long as it doesn't keep you from spending time with the language.
Thanks for this video; speaking is the biggest hurdle for me, so I’m very tempted by this course. I’m mostly just commenting, though, to say that the 30-day banjo course looks awesome and I’d love to see you try it out!
You're welcome Elizabeth! Yes I feel you… Especially if you are an introvert it can feel really daunting. But once we have started and the basics are there then it gets easier and easier. Right now I'm in Italy and everybody is giving compliments for my Italian and it feels so rewarding… All the hours that I have invested.
So 30-day banjo course it is! Don't know yet when I'll do it, but it will come! First I need to get a Banjo of course :D.
@@DustinSchermaul So glad to hear you want to give it a go, I love the banjo! With regard to acquiring one, in my experience having bought other instruments I’ve found that even for complete beginners it’s often better to buy an instrument that’s a bit higher quality than the kind beginners are generally encouraged to get. Low-quality instruments are difficult to play, sound terrible, constantly lose their tuning, and generally make the learning process more unpleasant than it needs to be. Not to mention, it’s sometimes only a matter of weeks before you outgrow them. A beautiful instrument you love is one you’ll want to spend time with. :) If you don’t take up the hobby, it’s generally pretty easy to sell a nice instrument (whereas beginner instruments can be very difficult to get rid of) so there’s not actually as much risk in taking the leap as it may at first seem; before buying, you can check the used market and see which brands/models tend to sell most quickly and inform your buying that way. Of course if you prefer a beginner instrument, there’s no shame in that either, I just wanted to point out that you needn’t feel limited in your choices. OK, enough of the unsolicited advice, I’ll get back to my vocabulary flash cards now!
@@Elizabeth-ei7ne Thank you so much for the advice! Yes that's what I already thought. If you buy cheap you buy twice… That's true for all areas of life :). Will review which brands are most used and also see the advice from the guy who is running the course.
Good luck with your learning :).
I will try Lingoda Super Sprint for learning German, which was a language quite difficult for me. I attended traditional schools, but it didn't work too well. I hope that the small class sizes and the consistency of studying every day, including weekends, will help me. Thank you very much for sharing your experience and the other tools you have used.
Very cool, let me know how it went! I can completely relate to your situation. For me, it was exactly the same in school… Within large groups, I have a hard time to focus.
I really have been positively impressed, by how good it actually works, even though I'm not the biggest fan of following a strict curriculum.
Dustin this was great!! Thanks for making quality CZcams videos.
Thank you so much Emily! This means the world to me! :)
Thanks for this great review 😊 was really interesting to watch. I wondered for a long time how lingoda works. Seems to be effective and engaging when you combine it with more comprehensive and compelling input 😁👍
You're welcome Bumble :). Exactly that you got it! I wouldn't have thought that it works that well, but I'm really impressed. That's how school should be… But it's not realistic to have such small class sizes, unfortunately.
@@DustinSchermaul yes unfortunately. But that would be awesome. I was really bad in school at languages. The way they teach languages in school doesn't work for the most of us. But to implement massive Input and a lot of talking in small groups would help i think. And less testing by vocabulary tests and instead acknowledging when ppl getting their points across.
@@BumbleBauz Same here… School in general had been a big disaster for me. I couldn't agree more to what you have written.
@@DustinSchermaul really cool that we both have found our passion for languages on our own :) a whole world of magic to discover. No... many worlds of magic :) or new pairs of eyes for all the magic
@@BumbleBauz Exactly :). Endless possibilities. Once you start you become addicted to learning more and more. If there would be just more time to learn all languages :D.
I'm halfway through my Super Sprint (Spanish) now and am loving it! I definitely agree with the constructive criticism you shared and wish there would make those improvements in the future. Thanks for the additional resources you shared, these apps look great to supplement what I'm learning.
On a side note... Are you using Jira to track your learning?? How smart! I use that at work to manage projects haha.
Hey Chanel :), very cool glad that you also like it. I'm also thinking about doing another sprint at some point… Maybe next year :D. Also, happy that you've found the other tools I've shared useful.
At work, I'm also using Jira, but it's not flexible enough for my personal use. For that I'm relying on Notion, which I can adapt fully to my needs. This way I can visualize everything what I'm doing and also planning my whole life :).
@@DustinSchermaul I'm already thinking about when I'll take my next Sprint as well haha. I feel like it's going to be so strange not to have a daily class when this finally ends! Did you continue on with the Lingoda subscription or are you taking a break?
Ahhh Notion, also a great tool. What a smart way to stay organized, thanks for the inspiration! 😉
@@hotchocolatekss Yes has been definitely the same for me :). You'll get used to it quickly. For now, I'm taking a break, because I got so many other commitments going. But I'm continuing learning my languages ofc on a daily basis :).
You're welcome! :)
@@DustinSchermaul wonderful! Maybe we'll cross paths on Lingoda one day. Good luck on your language journey xx
@@hotchocolatekss Thank you very much Chanel :). Yes that would be really cool! I wish you the same.
So, what level did you start at, and then what level did you end with after 60 hours?
Phew, hard to tell. So I started basically at zero, but you have to take into account that I have already learned French and Italian a lot before starting to learn Spanish. That helps a lot! Maybe after Lingoda I have been at an A2 level? But as said I'm not good at estimating such things, and I've also been doing other things at the same time.
@@DustinSchermaul okay cool, I know some French and am probably B1 level in Spanish, so thank you for guesstimating.
You're welcome! : )@@TmissinglinkC
I’m thinking of signing up
Sure give it a try Kinyetta :). Just ensure beforehand that your calendar is not too packed, because it's quite a commitment.
@@DustinSchermaul for sure I really want to do the super sprint but my kids calendar won’t allow it. The regular Sprint I can work around their activities.
@@kt2babies25 The regular sprint is already a commitment and you will learn a lot :).
How long does it take to go from A1 to B2 using Lingoda? If we do 15-20 lesson a month.
Phew, that's a really good question! So according to Lingoda it takes 50 hours to fully complete one level, which means A1.1 for example. If we just do all the lessons, so A1.1, A1.2, A2.X etc. it would be in total 400 hours. That means if we do 20 hours per month it would take 20 months. But I would recommend to also consume comprehensible and compelling input on the side to assimilate the language better. At least I need that, because otherwise I would miss too much.
@@DustinSchermaul Thanks, This course sound good due to focus on speaking so far I have not done any speaking in my learning.
I signed up as free member for now. For French, i noticed that there are 3 sub-levels at B, . So. A1.1-2 (100h) + A2.1-2(100h) + B1.1-3(150h) + B2.1-3 (150h) so about 500hrs. Largest paid plan they have is 40 classes at $320 per 4 weeks (after discounted).
So I will need to budget ~$4k+ to complete the whole program in about just over a year ( 500/40 = 12.5, 12.5 *320= $3850 ). Trying to avoid the sprint since I can't do more than 1 class per day if I want to.
I am wondering if at some point it will be better/faster to just work with a private tutor on italki to speed up learning? someone who can tailor the learning specifically to my level and identify any gap in knowledge. Any advice on that? Or at what point can we just focus on consuming content to learn french, B1/B2?
So far I have been using Alice Ayel stories for comprehensible input, and listening to MosaSeries on mosalingua , some games and refold flashcards, dabbled in some apps also watched some french series. Not much structure imo.
@@nsevv Aaah okay 3 sublevels, I didn't know that. Yes that's quite some money, but if you do all that straight through the progress will be significant, because of the high intensity.
To have a really good italki teacher and one on one lessons can be even more productive, I'm quite sure. Because you will have even more exposure to speaking, but you need to find a teacher, who can really teach and knows on which topics to work on in order to master the language. I would always try out a bunch of different teachers and see how they resonate with you. It should be someone, with whom you could easily be friends in real life, because it will make everything way more pleasant. Consuming content should happen anyway on the side and during your dead time. You can start at any level and once content gets too easy you can move on to more complicated and challenging stuff. It's important to hit the sweet spot, where you can still learn, but where it also doesn't get overwhelming.
I have never used Alice Ayel stories or MosaSeries, so I can't tell much about that. Refold flashcards seem to be a very good way to build a solid basis. For me it's important to have structure in order to progress through the language and to stay motivated. In the end it's just about spending lots of time with the language, so if you dabbel in multiple resources it doesn't have to be bad, as long as it doesn't keep you from spending time with the language.