Featured Resources Rebel with a Clause Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode: Motivation around learning and how to make progress when you feel like you’re bad at something Dr. Oakley’s 3 language survival tools Advice Dr. Oakley would have given herself when she was starting out with language learning How to get back into a language you stopped learning How ...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Spanish learner, Hez, chats with Benny and Shannon about fighting perfectionism and practicing patience in language learning. We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here . Featured Resources Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Join Our Patreon Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and ...
Sep 12, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 116
In this Ask Benny episode, Benny discusses his next language project. Benny will rediscover a language he already studied back in 2010 by flying from Brazil to a new surprise destination. He discusses his new approach to learning the language and his plans for preparing himself ahead of landing. Discover Benny’s next language project in this episode! To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com.
Sep 07, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Gabby Wallace, creator of Go Natural English, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about teaching English online, how renovating houses is like learning languages, and what it was like to live in a favela in Brazil. Featured Resources italki Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode: Building a language teaching business online Learning languages to trav...
Sep 05, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 115
In this Ask Benny episode, Benny gives an update on his current language mission in Jericoacoara, Brazil, and the new hacks and strategies he has worked on and used. If you're looking into vocabulary-learning tips specifically, this episode is for you. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com.
Aug 31, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Luca Sadurny, co-founder of Mosalingua, talks about how learning French helped him discover that everyone can learn a language when using the right method. A discovery that later led to the foundation of the popular language learning resource Mosalingua. Featured Resources Mosalingua Join Our Patreon Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives. Mentioned in this Episode Mosalingua Luca’s website Episode Overview Some of the topics discussed i...
Aug 29, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Elena Mutonono, former ESL teacher and now coach for language teachers, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about language teaching, the ethics of the online language teaching space, and sustainable language teaching. Featured Resources Online Bound Podcast Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode: Redefining what a “good” language teacher is Things la...
Aug 22, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 113
Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Bosnian learner, Damian, chats with Benny and Shannon about finding connection with friends and family through languages. We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here . Featured Resources Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus question...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 112
This Ask Benny episode is about flashcards, and how you can use your lessons or conversations with a tutor to create your vocabulary list. Benny explains how his tutor helps him make lists of words and phrases during lessons, and then what he does to turn this into flashcards using Anki. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com
Aug 10, 2022•9 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Steve Kaufmann, renowned polyglot and founder of LingQ rejoins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about the LingQ language learning app, how intensive your language learning really needs to be and more. Featured Resources LingQ Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode: The origin story behind LingQ Steve’s philosophies and practices in motivation and habits...
Aug 08, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Language Hacking Podcast co-hosts, Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy, bring on Kittichai, known as “The Duke” to talk about his role at Fluent in 3 Months, learning English and Japanese, and becoming a travel vlogger. Mentioned in this Episode Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Kittichai’s Youtube Channel Episode Overview Some of the topics brought up during the interview are: Learning Japanese using the Speak from Day 1 approach How Kittichai learned English and how it differed from his experience lear...
Aug 01, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Benny is a big fan of using social media to practise his languages, and in this Ask Benny episode, he shares tips and tricks for getting the most out of each social media platform. From making multiple profiles and choosing who to follow, to training the algorithm, Benny has figured out how to make Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok work for him. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com
Jul 27, 2022•13 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Creator and proprietor of The Grammar Table, Ellen Jovin, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about traveling the country to discuss grammar, learning the languages of New York, and finding joy in learning grammar. Featured Resources Rebel with a Clause Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode: The most common grammar questions Ellen encountered on the...
Jul 25, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 109
In this Ask Benny episode, Benny explains how he goes about making a personalised phrasebook. He shares examples of useful sentences that he knows he needs to use when introducing himself, as well as phrases for talking about his interests and work. Benny then explains how he compiles a vocab database, how he makes flashcards, and what other resources he uses during the process. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@lang...
Jul 13, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Creator of the immensely popular YouTube channel LangFocus, Paul Jorgenson, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about building a Youtube channel around a passion for languages, living abroad, and language dabbling. Paul also shares his secrets for effective time management as he balances family life with his life as a creator and language learner by using non-negotiable routines. Featured Resources italki Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get acces...
Jul 11, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Spanish learner, Zsuzsanna, chats with Benny and Shannon about finally finding success in language learning, the importance of friendship and connections in language, and being a gregarious introvert. We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here . Featured Resources Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Patreon Extended Epis...
Jul 04, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 106
Benny explains how to apply the Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 rule) to language learning. Benny shares how to go about focusing on 20% of a language to get you 80% of the results. He explains his ideas for what you can save until later, and what you should prioritise, so that you can keep your learning as efficient as possible, and make as much progress as you can without wasting time and effort on non-essential elements. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking)...
Jun 29, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Enthusiastic learner, New York resident, musician, and polyglot, Fiel Sahir, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about finding mentors, learning heritage languages, studying Chinese with the Language Hacking Mandarin book, and using languages in a non-language-related field. Fiel, in his own words, says one of his greatest strengths is his endless curiosity. It’s led to him making incredible connections, learning lots of languages, finding community, and a life of learning. If you’re i...
Jun 27, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Dutch learner, Corentin, chats with Benny and Shannon about “redefining” yourself as a language learner and finding success in your new identity. We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here . Featured Resources Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Patreon Extended Episode Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get ...
Jun 20, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Benny shares the reasons he learned Esperanto and why it's so useful, despite it not being an officially recognized language. The international Esperanto community is one that Benny loves being a part of, not least because they know how to throw a good party! And learning this as one of your first languages has been shown to have significant benefits for learning subsequent languages, giving you momentum, confidence, and skills that are highly transferable. To ask Benny a question, leave a comme...
Jun 15, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Linguistics expert and language enthusiast, Simon Ager, talks with Benny and Elizabeth about creating one of the internet’s biggest (and first) encyclopedias of languages and writing systems. On his website, omniglot.com , Simon has cataloged over 340 writing systems and collated information about more than 1,600 languages. Simon has studied a wide range of languages including Chinese, Japanese, French, German, and he has a particular interest in Celtic languages. Mentioned in this Episode Simon...
Jun 13, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Professor, polyglot and all-round language expert, Alexander Argüelles, talks with Benny and Elizabeth about his routines, methods, favourite activities and language learning interests. Professor Argüelles employs his vast experience to help people learn languages through a variety of methods, including reading circles and videos on his YouTube channel, and he shares a lot of advice and inspiration during this conversation. Mentioned in this Episode Professor Argüelles‘ website Professor Argüell...
Jun 06, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 102
This week Benny shares some exciting news in a special Ask Benny episode. Benny is heading back out on the road, to live the nomadic life he loves. This means new language challenges and lots of interesting updates from his travels. Things are also changing for the podcast, as this week we launch the option to support us on Patreon. The podcast is still continuing as normal on the usual channels, and if you sign up to Patreon at https://languagehacking.com/patreon you'll now get access to extend...
Jun 01, 2022•9 min•Season 1Ep. 33
World traveler, tour coordinator, and language learner, Scott Brills, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to chat about “faking” comprehension, deep-diving into cultural experiences, and cross-country adventures around the world. Scott has an impressive travel résumé having taken part in the Mongol Rally, traversing India in a rickshaw, and building a business that provides travelers with rich cultural immersion experiences. If you’re interested in travel, living abroad, or multicultural entre...
May 30, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Our first ever Language Hacking Podcast guest, author, and course creator, Scott Young, revisits the show to catch up with Benny and Shannon and share what’s changed for him over the last two years with his language learning and projects. Scott is an expert on learning and how to work better. He’s a best-selling author who took on the MIT Challenge, A Year Without English, and many more intensive learning projects. In this episode, he shares many of his thoughts on momentum, confidence, and bala...
May 23, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Language Hacking Podcast co-hosts, Shannon Kennedy and Elizabeth Bruckner catch up and talk about how this last year has been a time of learning, and building self-compassion and resilience in both language learning and life. Mentioned in this Episode Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Pimsleur Shannon’s Spotify French Sunnyside Language Conqueror: Mindfulness Power of Now When Good Things Happen to Bad People Alcoholics Anonymous Al-Anon Overeaters Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous Debtors Anonymous Epis...
May 16, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 99
This new episode is all about language islands. Benny explains how creating these specific areas of language knowledge, based on your personal needs or interests, is a solid way to build confidence and get speaking when you start learning a language. And using these topics as a focus will help you reach fluency quicker, as you're able to talk about your islands in depth, and with confidence. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can e...
May 11, 2022•8 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Language Hacking Podcast co-hosts Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy catch up and share what their own recent language learning projects, takeaways, and milestones have been, as they approach the 100th episode of the podcast. Mentioned in this Episode Fluent in 3 Months Challenge Benny’s Instagram Benny’s Facebook Benny’s Twitter Shannon’s Instagram Shannon’s Website Episode Overview Some of the topics brought up during the interview are: What Shannon and Benny have been working on in the last year...
May 09, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Italian learner, Louisa, speaks to Benny and Shannon about how she learned as much about herself, as she did about languages, while taking part in the Challenge. Louisa found as many opportunities to personally develop in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge as she did as learned Italian. We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find ...
May 02, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Benny shares how he uses the "Pomodoro Technique" in his language missions,, and explains how you can use it to work or study for longer periods of time. The Pomodoro Technique is a very accessible system of working that requires nothing more than a timer and a little bit of self discipline (but not that much!). Benny has found it really helps him to manage his ADHD, maintain focus, and not give into distractions. To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitte...
Apr 27, 2022•8 min•Season 1Ep. 31
