TED Talk: The Secrets of Learning a New Language, by Lydia Machová

 Watch the video and answer the questions.

1. How many languages does Lydia speak?

2. Why did she decide to go to a polyglot event?

3. Do all polyglots use the same methods? What do they all have in common?

4. What did she do to learn Spanish and German?

5. According to Lydia, what are the four principles you need to apply to learn a language
fluently?

6. Is it possible to learn a new language in a short time?

TED Talk: The Secrets of Learning a New Language, by Lydia Machová

 Watch the video and answer the questions.

7. How many languages does Lydia speak?

8. Why did she decide to go to a polyglot event?

9. Do all polyglots use the same methods? What do they all have in common?

10. What did she do to learn Spanish and German?

11. According to Lydia, what are the four principles you need to apply to learn a language
fluently?

12. Is it possible to learn a new language in a short time?

TED Talk: The Secrets of Learning a New Language, by Lydia Machová

She speaks eight languages.

She decided to go to a polyglot event to ask them about the methods that they use.

Everybody has a unique way/ they all use different method, but they make sure it is something they
personally enjoy. The one thing they all have in common is that they find ways to enjoy the
language-learning process. They have fun.

Lydia got the Spanish translation of Harry Potter. She didn’t understand almost anything at the
beginning, but she kept on reading because she loved the book. By the end of the book, she was able
to follow it.

She decided to watch her favourite sitcom in German. At the beginning, she didn’t understand
anything, but she kept on watching and after some time the dialogues started to make sense.

It is crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning, but it is not enough. You will also need to
apply three more principles: you’ll need effective methods; create a system in your learning; you
need patience (to learn a language fluently).

It’s not possible to learn a new language in a short period of time, but it is possible to make a visible
improvement.