Good morning!
When people find out what I do for a living, they often say, “I wish I had time to learn a new language.”
Turns out, they do. And, so do you.
Here are some quick and easy ways to create time to learn a new language.
Wake up a bit earlier and study every day for 25 minutes.
If you need help with this, feel free to come to the morning classes I teach. We do exactly what I am suggesting you do. We wake up early and study every weekday for 25 minutes.
If you have a long commute, listen to podcasts, or language training audio on your way to work. And, on your way home. Leave the radio off. If you have a 20 minute drive to work, or school, that adds up to 40 minutes a day.
Add it to the 25 minutes you spend studying in the morning and you will spend over an hour studying each day. 65 minutes, to be exact.
While cooking, or doing anything mindless, listen to music, or more audio training in your target language. We all have something mindless we do for a half hour each day. Walking, running, yard work, washing dishes. You can find something. Listen to music, or podcasts in your target language.
Now you are up to 95 minutes.
Add an exercise, or two to your evening routine. Right after dinner chores, before turning on the TV, tackle an exercise or two in your textbook. If you spend 25 minutes in the evening working on some language exercises you are up to 120 minutes.
That’s two hours total for the day!
Make all of this part of your routine. It adds up.
If you did this for just 300 days, you would spend 600 hours studying the language you want to study. Using mostly dead time during the day!
It only takes about 1,000 hours to become proficient in a language. (I didn’t say fluent. That takes longer.) Proficient means you can read in the language fairly well. You can order food and have simple conversations with people.
You could do all of this in a year and a half. That’s a very realistic goal.
The classes:
Here is what we are up to. Since I record everything I teach, you are welcome to jump into classes any time.
Spanish – Monday-Friday 7:00 – 7:25 am Central Time Zone (CTZ).
In Spanish, we are in chapter 21 of the book All Spanish Method by Guillermo Aviles. If you are starting out this year, and you want to tag along, the previous chapters are all up on my site. Subscribers have access to them 24/7.
Keep in mind I am still learning Spanish. So, I am “teaching” this class. The truth is… I am simply learning Spanish publicly. You are welcome to join me.
French – Monday-Friday 7:30 – 7:55 am CTZ.
We are finishing chapter 6 of Le Francais par la Methode Nature. Last year, I took students through the first 20 chapters, or so. This time, we will try to make it to the end. There are 50 chapters. It will take a few years. I do not intend to start over next summer.
Keep in mind I am still learning French. So, I am “teaching” this class. The truth is… I am simply learning French publicly. You are welcome to join me.
Latin
If you really want to learn Latin well, and if you want to have a good time while doing it, read Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. Feel free to join the Lingua Latina class I am teaching every weekday morning. We are currently in Chapter 5.
Latin 2: Monday-Friday 8:00-8:25 am CTZ
We continue to work our way through Exercitia Latina. We are currently in chapter 22. This class is really for those who want to go even deeper into Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg. If you were in Latin 3 (Third Year Latin by Robert Henle), you would benefit from this class.
Latin 1: Monday-Friday 8:30-8:55 am CTZ
This year, we started Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg over again. Enough people asked. We are currently in chapter five.
Though I can’t believe it, every year some people come to every class I teach. I guess they just like my voice.
So, if you decide to come to them all, here are the same classes from above in chronological order:
7:00 – 7:25 am – Spanish 2: All Spanish Method by Guillermo Aviles
7:30 – 7:55 am – French 1: Le Francais par la Methode Nature
8:00 – 8:25 am – Latin 2: Exercitia Latina by Hans Ørberg
8:30 – 8:55 am – Latin 1: Lingua Latina by Hans Ørberg
Thanksgiving break is coming up in a month, or so. There will be noclasses November 22-26.
And now… the same thing I say every week.
Subscribers sometimes use my weekly emails as reminders to unsubscribe from my site.
Just keep in mind… I offer something no one else in academia (as far as I know) offers. Stick with me for 3 uninterrupted years and you will have a lifetime subscription.
I now know this is a dumb business decision on my part, but I have heard from many of you that it is a huge help, so the offer stands.
Of course, if you are just starting out in Latin, you may be happier with Visual Latin.
Visual Latin is a full-blown Latin course. It is rigorous, just not as rigorous as the classes on my site. The classes on my site are more “next level” classes, really.
By the way, if you are into etymology (the history of words), and if you would like to see me make a fool of myself, you might enjoy Word Up.
Five years ago, or so, we launched this series just to see if it would work. It did.
And, after years of listening to many of you beg for more, I finally gave in and agreed to make a fool of myself once again.
Volumes 2 and 3 of Word Up are available.
And… if you aren’t a member of my site and would like to join, click here: https://dwanethomas.com/join/.
I hope you have a very happy Saturday!
Dwane
P.S.
If someone forwarded you this email and you would like to hear from me every week, just go to this page: https://dwanethomas.com/
Scroll down a bit until you see my book, Via. Enter your name and email and you will hear from me weekly. You will also get a free copy of my book, Via!
