The Fluent Show

Today’s theme: How to Learn Specialist Vocabulary

Thank you to Bonnie for this episode introduction.

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Like all podcasts, the …

You can't see their faces, you can't see their hands, you can't hear their voices. But somehow, you still know how people are feeling when they communicate with you online. How does that work? 🤔

In this episode, I'm …

In this episode you'll hear how courses like the Michel Thomas series change the script on language learning and why they work. I'll share my personal language success mixture, and why I don't debate study methods on …

This episode effortlessly covers the full language world, from Sean Paul to the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

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How can you keep an older language fresh while starting on a new one?

Do you have to worry about forgetting everything you've learnt within weeks?

…

This week, I'm answering a listener question with help from a special guest.

Gareth Popkins is a serial language learner with decades of experience. He's a native English speaker but fluent in Welsh, Russian, German, …

How do you feel about your memories of learning languages at school?

Did you leave feeling like you were just not a language person? Got tales of …

“If we can produce proficient, correct language, it seems all is great no matter how we feel about it.”

My guest for this week’s podcast is María Ortega Garcia, who you will get to know well during the course of our …

I'm continuing the Fluent Show's little business series with a solo episode about online language teaching.

Last week you already heard a little …

This week…something completely different. If you ever wondered what it’s like to run an online business in languages, this episode is for you. Lindsay and I offer you one of the most in-depth looks we have ever offered …

This week I'm answering a listener question from Erin who was curious about applying her skills when she cannot attend a language retreat!

The key with a retreat is to step out of learner mode and step into speaker …

It's Top Tools time!

In this regular feature, Lindsay and I dedicate the full episode to bringing you our tips for the most exciting language …

In this episode, I am answering a listener question from Leandro.

I'm going through a really hard time on learning languages. I'm a Portuguese native speaker and I'm learning English and French. Most of time I'm …

Learning a language gives you a huge career advantage over others who don't have a language. One example is working for the EU, one of the world's …

In this episode, I answer a listener question with the listener on the line!

My friend Nicky Roberts (near-miss Welsh learner of the year 2018) meet up with me at last year's Welsh national festival and during our …

“The merit of all things lies in their difficulty.”

• Alexandre Dumas

In this podcast, Lindsay and I discuss what makes a language easy or hard …

In today's episode, my retreat group from the summer retreat in Munich

• What happens when you only speak your target language for a week?
• How do you …

Don't forget that German Uncovered is open for enrolment - check it out here. The course closes on April 11.

This episode, I'm bringing you an …

Click or tap here to get the free guide to building your language learning habit

Thank you to Bonnie Z for this episode introduction.

Today’s question comes from Elizabeth - here's a summary of what she's asking:

I …

Inspired by one of the discussion panels at Women in Language, Lindsay and I dedicated this episode to creativity in language learning.

We shared 9 …

¡Hola Radioyentes!

This week I'm answering a listener question (asked in Spanish AND English!):

What's it like to realise you're getting good at the language you're learning?

Where do you go when you don't need handholding anymore?

In today's …

Do you love languages, and want to live and learn, create a successful career or travel the world as a multilingual person?

This year, let the Women …

Alessia, 17 from Verona asks:

How to switch quickly from a language to another? Is it just a question of practice?

Click or tap here to read …

"I don't know how I knew this word, I just knew it."

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you speak without thinking?

In a moment like that, you trusted your gut. But how the heck does your GUT know …

In this episode, you'll hear about the results of the Fluent Show survey, followed by your questions on my personal language learning thoughts and …

Khady comes from a bilingual family and grew up speaking Wolof and French. And as such, we …

Today’s episode is based on an Instagram question from Iye, who is learning Norwegian.

She asks

Do you have any tips for how I can go about creating my own language learning materials?

Listen in to discover how …

Linguist hour! Lindsay and I bring you an interview with one of our favourite podcasts, the linguistics show Talk the Talk from Australia.

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

We don't often have …

It's January, time for new year's resolutions and long weeks waiting for pay cheques.

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

If …

Happy New Year! 🎇

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

In this episode, I hung out with friend of the podcast Shannon Kennedy to …

It's so annoying when you say a word in your target language and you're 100% SURE it's going to mean one thing...and then it turns out to mean something completely different. Ugh, awkward!

When those words look the …

This week, my guest on the podcast is Cara Leopold, an English teacher who focuses on helping her students enjoy TV and films in English by improving …

What's more frustrating than speaking at intermediate level, where we stutter and stumble over words, and leave....lo o o o o ng...um....gaps in sentences because the words just won't come into our brains.

This week on …

Self-care, backstop, vegan, glamping, problematic - those are evocative words and they have the power to sum up a whole year.

Join us as we delve …

Click or tap here to read the full show notes on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Learning a language is a long journey, and even after many years of …

Can you imagine how fun it would be to speak to a fellow language lover who's encouraging you to share ALL your language questions, from comma …

Every other week on the Fluent Show, I answer your listener questions.

Today a question from Sheela: How to Simplify Your List of Languages To Learn

Here are a few options for getting more clarity in your ‘to learn’ …

Our theme for today’s show is language learning friendship and having buddies who truly love language learning.

We are recording this week in …

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Every month, a staggering amount of new ideas, apps and …

In today's episode I discuss the question of how to have the best memory possible for learning a langauge. There are a bunch of rules of thumb to …

Click or tap here to get inspired with a gallery of inspiring pages from the best instagram journalers

What if you had a language learning tool …

Every other week on the Fluent Show, I put aside a little time to answer your listener questions. Email your question to me at …

Here on the show, we love to celebrate this day. 3 years ago, Lindsay and I got together to bring you a HUGE quiz, we’ve made videos, we’ve spoken lots of European languages. We …

In today's episode, I had planned a Q&A but what you'll hear is more of a Q&D: a question and discussion session with special guest Olly Richards from I Will Teach You A Language. You already know Olly from our …

After our live episode for number 100, we're rolling 'back to school' and reviewing summer motivation and new routines before cracking on with our …

Listeners, this is a big question and let me tell you I wrote several pages of notes to answer it. Listener Simon from Dublin was feeling a MAJOR case of frustration and wrote in to the show. Here's some of what he said:

Lindie Botes is a designer, polyglot, and popular YouTuber sharing videos with her audience of over 55,000 viewers. She loves to study languages from …

Wow wow wow wow, our episode 100 live show was a blast, with busy chatroom and over 80 listeners tuning in live from all around the world. Today's podcast episode is a replay of that live broadcast, featuring five …

Our Next Episode Is Episode 100 and we are celebrating with a LIVE episode! Make sure you receive your invitation and join us in a live party by registering at http://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/100

Lindsay is freshly …

This week’s question comes from Instagram:

I speak French, Arabic, English.. I’d like to start learning German but I really have no idea how to begin because I’ve already started but ended up by giving it up, I’ve …

Is it possible to start learning a language from scratch when you're in your 30s? With a baby and a dog (and a husband) to look after?

Of course it is!

In this podcast episode, I am speaking to my friend Daniela. …

This week on the show, I answered a question from Twitter user @akalious:

I’m so curious how you learned English to IELTS 9* even before you went …

It's a philosophical one with Lindsay this week!

Quick note on the topic of audio quality: In this week's episode, you'll hear Lindsay coming …

In this week’s episode, I have a fascinating Q&A question, which didn't at all bring the answer that my questioner might have been expecting.

My question asker Andy is learning Russian, and finding the amount of …

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Bonjour les auditeurs, and welcome to a special édition …

How do you feel about learning two dialects of a language at the same time?

The Dictionary of Linguistics defines dialect as a variety of a …

In this podcast and blog article, we're discussing words that mean a lot to many people, answering questions such as:

What is "fluency" and how do you know you're fluent?
How can I achieve "mastery" in a language?
What …

You can find language tutors on sites like italki, in online communities, or by searching for your target language on social networks. Instagram is …

Click or tap here to read the full list of top tools on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

It's time for our seasonal countdown of what's hot in language …

Today’s show is based on a question I have been asking myself. And that is…

This week, I talk to language and grammar fanatic Ellen Jovin. Ellen has spent the last (nearly) decade learning and forgetting over 20 languages, and reviewing hundreds of language learning materials.

Re-learning sounds like a daunting task, but today's episode will guide you through what you need to think about.

In this episode, you'll

• learn …

When I first moved to the UK, I had no idea that Welsh was a living language. Now it's 15 years later and I can speak it, watch TV in Welsh, and connect with thousands of learners around the world.

Welsh is considered …

Great news, everyone! The Fluent Show is now newly available on Spotify, TuneIn Radio, and I Heart Radio. How do you listen?

Shout out to our new sponsor, Smartcards Plus.

In Today's Show: A Q&A with a question …

This week on the podcast, I am joined by Olly Richards from I Will Teach You A Language.

We present to you a project that we have been working on together for a while: German Uncovered, a course for beginners who want …

Rebecca from New York asked

Can you talk about how to set up a reasonable weekly schedule for language learning?

In this show, I've got five …

The most rewarding way of practicing your language is by connecting with people on a 1-to-1 basis. It takes commitment to make any language exchange …

Today on the show, I'll share a few tips and considerations about studying languages at university. Plus: My own story of doing Translation Studies at the University of Manchester.

Chenelle asks:

I wanted to know did …

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

In this episode, we caught up, talked about a new …

Elisabeth asks:

“How do you fit hearing comprehension into your daily routine? I find myself daydreaming a lot during my hearing comprehension time.”

Listening comprehension will …

As a German native speaker who speaks English all day long, I find the prospect of bilingual parenting both daunting and fascinating. I have been looking for an expert on bilingual parenting, and here she is: Marianna …

"How Can I Get Off The Intermediate Plateau?"

If you're stuck somewhere in the language weeds, this show will help you untangle them and get those …

A deaf woman wanted to attend a pop concert with her young daughter, but had to fight and even sue the company until she was granted a sign language interpreter. Is this fair?

We discuss what …

It's 2018, guys. Time to admit something major:

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR A 4 WORD PODCAST TITLE 😂

As of today, I am so excited to announce that this podcast is now The Fluent Show, and we are going WEEKLY. Every …

Click or tap here to read the full show notes

In the News...

Kazakhstan is going to change the official script of its language from the Cyrillic to …

Click or tap here to read the full show notes

German Learners: Click this link to download a full transcript (bilingual) of our conversation, so you …

Hello from Kerstin and happy new year! In today's show, I've got notes for you on what really mattered for language learning in 2017, and how you can make the most out of these for your own path to fluency.

Lessons …

Click or tap here to read the full shownotes.

Bilingual lyrics, Spanglish and Justin Bieber of all people winning a …

These days, the Polyglot Gathering pulls in hundreds of language learners who share and enjoy community in the heart of Europe. A lot of this is …

Beware listeners: This episode contains a discussion of a few English swearwords, so if you are listening with kids please skip the first 20 minutes.

And on to what's in this show:

Language Stories: Lindsay has a new …

On this show, I spoke to Gabriel (Gabe) Wyner, a well known name to many language learners thanks to his bestselling book "Fluent Forever".

In this interview, you will get to know the story of "Fluent Forever", the …

I've been out in the wild, seeing and discussing words in the English language, and in this episode I presented the best of them to Lindsay to discuss what they can reveal about us …

In this episode, I'm presenting two interviews with women who are working to change people's lives through the power of language.

Community Interpreter …

In this episode, polyglot expert Shannon fills in for Lindsay - we catch up on our language learning and Duolingo, and then discuss why and how …

This podcast episode is a bit like a Wundertüte - a lucky dip bag of interviews with wonderful people who made the 2017 Langfest event what it was. …

Speaking your new language for the first time can be so nerve-wracking! Will they switch to English? Are you good enough? Will you even get the words out? In today's episode, join me to start beating those gremlin …

Why does pop music matter for language learning?

• What influence does the industry have for which music gets made and which doesn't?
• Why is English …

Welcome to Creative Language Learning Podcast episode 56, with our popular roundup of this season's hottest language learning resources and tools.

In episode 55, friend of the show Kris Broholm from Actual Fluency joined me to discuss mindset and accountability in language learning that come …

It's one of my favourite episodes of the year - the live clips are in, so you can experience the Polyglot Gathering in 2017 with the Creative …

We love having you back with the show. WELCOME if you are a new subscriber. HIGH FIVE if you've always been with us.

A lot has happened over the …

This episode of the Creative Language Learning Podcast is as fun as ever, covering the ultimate Good, Bad and Struggling and our Top 5 Language …

Do you speak Sindarin?

In this episode, Lindsay and I went full-on nerd and we were loving it! The world of fictional languages is richer than a …

Hey everyone, welcome to episode 49 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast.

Routines lapsing for the summer, looking forward to September, and permission to half-ass online courses …

Hello and welcome to Episode 48 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast!

We started off our episode with some insights into what's going on with our language learning - in a new format! It's called the good, the bad …

In this episode, we let you guys take us where you wanted us to go with your awesome listener messages.

• Where to go when …

Don't forget to catch the mention of our good friends at Flashsticks, the language learning post-it guys. You can purchase vocabulary post-it notes …

In our introduction, we take you on a tour de force German kids' TV, Icelandic football cheering, and the pronunciation of Montréal.

Don't forget to catch the mention of our good friends at Flashsticks, the language …

Episode 44 is kindly sponsored by our friends at Flashsticks. Check out their new app Flash Academy is out now. It's a language playground offering you light lessons, games and quizzes. Go check it out for free at Flash …

Dear listeners,

As this is our first show since the UK's historic EU referendum, we wanted to take a minute to talk to you guys about Brexit, Britain's exit from the European Union.

Lindsay and I both stand firmly on …

Oour good friends at Flashsticks are back as podcast sponsors - go check out their awesome new app and post-it notes in 8 languages at Flashsticks.com and claim 10% discount using code KERSTIN10.

"This is one of the …

Today's episode returns to the topic of making money with languages. We ask if that's something you should be doing and how it can work.

In this …

This episode brings you the best mindset tips for learning a language for your next trip - even if you're completely busy and scared of talking to …

We're getting excited about the Polyglot Gathering in Berlin! Here is a preview of the talks we are not going to miss.

Look out for the very special …

Episode 38 is brought to you with friendly support from italki. Do visit their …

Episode 37 is brought to you by italki, where you can find a language partner for any language. We tested it with rare languages like Icelandic, and it totally delivered. Get an awesome free lesson deal at italki.

A feedback question from James led us to discussing why we chose the languages we are learning right now.

We don't need them for our working lives, or our everyday lives.

We don't have Welsh or Korean family.

We're not …

Episode 35 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast is brought to you with support from HelloTalk. Go visit them now, because you're totally missing …

The first 20 minutes of this episodes are a lot of feedback and catch-up and shout outs to our readers, including:

• Progress reports of how Lindsay …

This episode is about habits and how we build and create them. Listen to find out what our tendencies are and how we use them to make our language …

Welcome to Episode 31, where Lindsay and I took a deep dive into revealing our TV watching habits and how they aid our language learning. Plus: Listener feedback and over 20 show …

We discuss language progress. Lindsay has been extremely disciplined, and Kerstin's been to a community class.

• How to find the time for language even …

Note the episode contains two mild swearwords!!

Welcome to Episode 28, a fun collection of language learning news. Lindsay and I shared our progress in Japanese and Welsh, read out wonderful …

This episode is brought to you with support from Other Cats to Whip, a super cute book of French idioms. Get 10% off with the code FLUENT at www.othercatstowhip.com.

In this episode, Lindsay went out and discovered the …

This episode is brought to you with support from Other Cats to Whip, a cute French book that you can buy for 10% off using the code FLUENT.

Take just 2 minutes and win prizes by telling us about you in our Creative Language Learning Podcast Listener Survey.

In Episode 25, I enjoyed a conversation with Shannon Kennedy. Shannon writes the travel, language and …

Welcome to our first ever LIVE episode of the Creative Language Learning Podcast! In episode 24, we treat you to a piece of the European Day of Languages broadcast which was the first time ever that Lindsay and I tried …

It's episode 23 and I'm back with another lovely and inspiring interview. Tammy Bjelland sparkles with all the energy she brings to language learning …

This episode features two core themes of discussion: travel and tutor tips.

"I buy everyone a little lollipop in my lessons"

Big news for the ladies of the Creative Language Learning Podcast in episode 20: Lindsay is engaged and Kerstin is married! 

In this episode, you’ll …

“Languages are ultimately designed to bring people together.”

Welcome to an inspiring interview with one of my favourite language bloggers: Ron …

Episode 18 was packed full of language learning news and chat with Lindsay from Lindsay does Languages, my trusty and lovely co-host. I hope you'll …

This episode is supported by FlashSticks, the printed language learning post-its. Use code KERSTIN10 for 10% off.

My guest this week is Angelika Davey, owner of the blog angelikasgerman.co.uk. Angelika has been teaching German independently for many years.

Listen …

Beyond what it is that the Memory Palace can actually do for you, Anthony and I dug a bit deeper and discussed some really interesting perspectives.

…

Hey, welcome to lucky episode 13 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast. In this episode, I'll be sharing a delicious foodie article and talking …

In Episode 12 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast, I interviewed a fellow podcaster! Chris Broholm is a language learner with a big mission: 10 …

You wanna learn a language? Then I've got the guy for you! In today's podcast episode, I'm speaking with Olly Richards, the man behind I Will Teach You a Language. Olly is an expat Brit with a lot of travel experience …

This time, I am talking to an expert in the area of course design and online education. Breanne Dyck knows how to make people learn, she's got lots of information about neuroscience and learnt quite a few languages …

Welcome to episode 9, where I'm featuring an AMAZING article of the week and an interview with Benny Lewis from Fluent in 3 Months.

In Episode 8, my guest is Lindsay Dow, a really enthusiastic and cool independent language teacher from the UK. Lindsay is well-known for her great …

Welcome to episode 7 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast with Kerstin Hammes! In today's episode, I'll be sharing a news article about getting …

In Episode 6 of the podcast, I’m talking to an everyday language learner. My longest-standing student Randy is our guest, and he talks about what …

Hey folks, welcome to episode 4 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast. This one is a solo show, just me sharing what's new and what's been …

In today's episode, you will hear from Jade Joddle, a coach in English and Speaking Skills from Jadejooddle.com. Jade and I found something in common: We are both very strong examples of the introvert and extrovert …

In today's episode, you will hear from Jason Levine, the Fluency MC - one of the most creative and unusual language teachers out there. Jason has …

We know that learning more about another language and culture is at the heart of success in international business, and also that Britain is way …

The world is full of English speakers and English learners, and we can safely say that English must be one of the most popular languages to learn. …

I'm so excited about today's article, which has a new format that I am trying out for you guys: It's a podcast (in your RSS readers this shows up as podcast, though no artwork or intro have been created yet)! The first …