How to

Learn Languages
Like Crazy
Even if you have a crazy life!

Michele Frolla
TheIntrepidGuide.com
 Ciao, Salut, Hallo, Hei,
I’m Michele…
• Originally from Melbourne, Australia.
• Lived in Rome for 3 years
• Studied Italian, French, Afrikaans &
Norwegian
• I run the language and travel blog, The
Intrepid Guide (videos, guides, cheat sheets,
language course)
• I help travellers connect with locals so that
they can have unforgettable texperiences

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 Life getting in the way of
your language goals?
• We’re all busy, so how do you learn the foreign
language you’ve always dreamed of when you
never seem to have the time?
• Get my 3-step approach to learning languages like
crazy.
• You’ll get practical tips, strategies, and tools so
that you can inject meaningful language learning
time into your day that will kickstart your journey to
success

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 Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.

Chinese Confucian philosopher Xunzi (312-230 BC)

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 What is passive language
learning?
• Passive language learning is where you receive content
that someone else produces but don’t engage or interact
with it. eg. Watching a movie in your target language on
Disney+ expecting to learn by osmosis.

Ways to learn languages passively

• Sticking post-its around your house
• Listening to podcast, audiobooks, internet radio
• Watching TV shows, movies, YouTube
• Revising flashcards
• Just ‘being’ in a place where your target language is
spoken but not really engaging with people.

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 What is active language
learning?
• Active learning is where you take control of your
language learning and actively work to reproduce the
language. eg. Watch a movie in your target language in
10 minutes chunks, jot down new words, then write a
summary of the scene.
• Focusing on 10 minutes of a movie at a time is infinitely
more valuable than not focusing on anything at all in a
2-hour movie
• Active learning is tiring but that’s good!
• If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you!

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 What is active language
learning? [cont.]

Ways to learn languages passively

• Write a journal
• Join a language classes and contribute to discussion
• Translate lyrics of your favourite songs
• Conversation lesson on italki
• Start shadowing
• Complete grammar exercises
• Write a summary of TV show, documentary, or movie
• Give a presentation
• BONUS Teach someone else

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 Passive Learning vs.
Active Learning
• Active learning - After 30 minutes you feel tired then
feel exhausted. You feel a sense of accomplishment.
• Passive learning - Can do it for long periods of time
and it doesn’t tire you. You’ve not learned much
during that time. It’s not a waste of time but passive
learning isn’t going to help you reach your language
goals when you have limited time.

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 How to include language
learning into your busy day
• Identify your “dead time” when you’re doing little
• or no activity.
• Dead time can last anywhere from 5 minutes to an
hour.
• Use these recurring timeblocks to fit in meaningful
active learning time.
• Not all “dead time” is created equal.
• For example, listening to a podcast in your whilst
doing the dishes but not taking notes of new words
VS listening to a podcast on your train ride to work,
taking notes of new words, adding them o your flash
card app or notebook, writing a practice sentence
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 How to find your dead
time

• Your task is to find as many active learning

dead time opportunities in your day as
possible.
• Stuck? Thing about the time between tasks,
doing things that aren’t important, waiting for
things to happen, on the toilet…
• Even if it’s 10 minutes, don’t beat yourself up
• Small efforts lead to big results.
• Shoot for progress, not perfection.

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 What kind of learner are you?
• Choosing the right language learning tools, methods, and resources
that will work the best for you, is key!
• Identify your learner type. Take the test → http://bit.ly/Learner-Type
• Keep language learning material relevant to your learner
type on your phone or in your bag.
• Are you:
• Visual - Use visual-based materials eg. watch YouTube lessons,
listen to an audio book with the text
• Aural - Use audiobooks, podcasts, movies, 1:1 lessons
• Verbal - Learn best when putting pen to paper. eg. write down
lesson material and repeat it back
• Kinesthetic - Anything that incorporates hand to eye coordination,
electronic games, sign language, acting, group lessons, immersion

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 3-Step approach to learning
languages like Crazy
• Step 1 - Focus only on active learning
• Step 2 - Identify potential active
learning dead time in your busy day
• Step 3 - Visit http://bit.ly/Learner-Type
and take a short quiz to find out your
learner type so you can pick language
learning tools, methods, and resources
that work best for you!

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Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.
 Grazie, takk, dankie, merci
Thank you!

Keep in touch
michele@theintrepidguide.com

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