Why you freeze
What actually happens in your head when your mind goes blank mid-conversation, and how to get past it.
Does pronunciation really matter when speaking another language?
Fear of mispronouncing something, or accidentally offending a native speaker, stops a lot of people practising. Three reasons it matters less than you think.
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Why you forget the most basic words when speaking with natives
When you're relaxed and on your own the words come easily. Under pressure with a native speaker, they vanish. That's a retrieval gap, and here's why it happens.
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The secret to speaking back to natives without freezing up
You can recognise a word and still not be able to say it. Understanding the gap between recognising and retrieving is how you train yourself out of the freeze.
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3 things that will get you speaking with natives more fluently
Understanding the grammar and vocabulary is one skill. Talking with a native speaker in real time is another. Here are three mental techniques for the second one.
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The technique I learnt to stop freezing when speaking with natives
Four psychological reasons your mind goes blank mid-conversation, and what to do about each one so words actually come out.
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What happens if you speak for 10 minutes a day for 30 days
Hours of apps, videos and vocabulary still leave you freezing in real conversations. Ten minutes a day of actual speaking is a different skill, and it adds up fast.
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The real reason you're scared of making mistakes
Babies aren't scared of getting words wrong. Adults are. Here's where that fear comes from and how to build evidence that mistakes are okay.
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Why you shouldn't be corrected while you're speaking
Being interrupted mid-sentence knocks your confidence and your focus. Here's why corrections work better after the conversation than during it.
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Why your mind goes blank when speaking with natives, and how to stop it
The four psychological reasons you freeze up mid-conversation in another language, and a practical fix for each one.
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Moving abroad
Getting ready to live in the language, when you have months, not years.
You have one month to learn a language. Here's how.
A 30-day plan for getting as far as possible before a trip or a move: common words first, daily exposure, real speaking practice, and a deadline you can't postpone.
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Moving abroad? Learn less of the language, not more
How to prepare for a move abroad in a few months. Pick the situations that matter to you, learn 15 to 20 phrases for each, and practise them one at a time.
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Staying motivated
Why some people enjoy the process and keep going, while others give up after two weeks.
Accountability is the one thing stopping you from getting fluent
Motivation gets you started and discipline keeps you going, but having someone to answer to is what makes most people actually reach their goal.
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Why most people quit learning a language, and how to trick yourself into not quitting
Four common reasons people stop, from learning at the wrong level to running out of motivation, and what to do about each one.
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How to learn a language when you struggle to focus
Five practical ways to cut distractions and get more done if you sit down to study and your attention goes everywhere.
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The real reason you keep giving up on language learning
A few weeks in, most people quit. It's not a lack of willpower. It's your brain's reward system, and here's how to work with it.
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The weird psychology of people who enjoy learning a language
Why some people love the process of learning a language while others give up after two weeks, and how to make it enjoyable enough that you keep going.
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Understanding natives
Following fast speech, and when to start speaking.
How to understand natives when they speak quickly
When a native speaker says a lot at once, stopping to decode every unknown word is what keeps you stuck. A polyglot explains what to do instead.
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When should you actually start speaking a new language?
Two people with opposite views, a listening-first learner and a speak-early learner, find where they agree about when speaking helps and when it hurts.
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Learning from content
What you can and can't get from watching videos, TV and podcasts.
If you use Duolingo but struggle to get fluent
A daily streak builds discipline, but an app alone won't get you past the conversational stage. Here's what to add to it.
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Should you look up words and use subtitles when you watch TV to learn a language?
A conversation with Jeremiah of Jeremiah Language Ideas on looking up words, subtitles, TV shows versus movies, and how to decide what to work on.
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Can you get fluent just by watching videos?
An interview with the founder of Arabic All the Time on comprehensible input, subtitles, when to start speaking, and why showing up matters more than the method.
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Making time
Fitting a language into a busy life, with habits that stick.
How to learn a language using the principles from Atomic Habits
Seven ideas from James Clear's Atomic Habits, applied to language learning at any level, from the two-minute rule to thinking in systems instead of goals.
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Five things busy people can do to learn a language
If you can't find an hour or two a week to sit down and study, here are five activities that fit around the life you already have.
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Free email course
Freeze up when it's your turn to speak?
My free 5-day email course shows you how to stop freezing and speak with natives. Each email takes about a minute to read.