Learn languages with YouTube

Have you ever thought of YouTube as a way to learn languages? Sure, there are many more videos on the platform. But here are a few tricks to get the most out of YouTube's language resources.

First. There are many language channels, mostly on one language (mine is on more than one). Just type in 'learn Spanish' if you're learning Spanish in YouTube's search function. Check the names of the channels. Click and subscribe on those that contain the words Spanish. Also view some videos, and see if it's still being updated.

YouTube teaches languages! ©

Second. Remember that YouTube isn't a good place to teach anything. Making money isn't easy on YouTube. That's why better teachers stay away from it, or use it as a way to get clients to their websites. On their website, you can buy their products.

Third. Search for single topics. If you're struggling with the Greek alphabet, search for 'Greek alphabet'. You will find many videos. Don't expect that there are well-structured quality courses on YouTube, especially not for smaller languages.

Fourth. Thought of language learning tips? YouTube is full of videos (this one is good) with ways you haven't thought of learning languages.

Fifth. If you're advanced in a language, why not change the language settings of YouTube? It's just two clicks away, on the bottom left.

Sixth. Into academics? There are many academic language lessons on YouTube about how people are learning languages. Take the title of one I uploaded: Language lecture: authenticity and legitimacy in Multilingual second language acquisition (SLA). Good luck with that one!

Get your free copy of my book for more language learning tips!

Learn languages with Udemy - a good idea?

Learning languages online is a challenge, as there's almost no social pressure to attend classes and to ask for your groceries in the language you're learning. That's one of the reasons why many learners prefer to learn languages online.

One of the platforms offering courses is Udemy. That's where I also teach courses. There are many other language courses though, ranging from Chinese to German via Arabic. Let's put some pro's and con's of learning with Udemy next to each other.

Pro: it's cheap. Maximum price is 50$ and there are many free courses available. It's easy. You can learn anytime, anywhere. You can also review any of the lessons anytime, without having to pay. There are different levels, from beginners to experts. You can ask questions to your teacher. There are certificates.

Learn languages online with Udemy ©

Con: no face-to-face contact with your teacher. Some students pay but never start the course. Not all teachers reply to questions (I do!). There are not many options for 'smaller' languages. And, the quiz system is not made for language courses.

Despite these caveats, I still think it's a valuable way to learn a language. Especially if you need to repeat more often than other students. Or if you find a course that really suits your needs.

Some best practices: always check if there are free previews available. Most teachers give some of their content away so students know what to expect. Also, see how many and which ratings the courses have. Udemy strictly checks if those are fraudulous, so you can trust these ratings are right. 52 reviews and a 4.7 rating on a course is better than 2 5-star ratings.

Finally, buying a course is more like a stepping stone: it's the beginning. Many teachers include links to more materials, so use those links!

And don't forget to get 100+ language tips in my free ebook!

Free language learning website

In our quest to learn languages, we're always on the lookout for free materials. Now, I've found a great website that has a wealth of links, phrases and more than you can imagine. I'm very happy I found this little treasure to learn a language. Or two.

However, there's one thing: the homepage looks a bit scary. There's loads of Constructed Scripts, Astrolinguistics, and other Secani's. They are no animals, to my surprise, but subjects related to language.

The easiest way to find learning materials for the language you're studying, is like this: find your language on this list, and scroll down below to the learning materials, phrases and other websites where you'll find way more information, such as online language courses and learning websites.

Happy learning!