In this video I talk about why perfectionism has no place in language learning and how our brains actually use mistakes to learn.

STOP chasing perfection and START making progress

In this video, I talk about key ideas from Jeff Haden’s book The Motivation Myth and share my take on how motivation really works in language learning.

My 7 tips for staying motivated when learning a language

— Hybrid
“Mi Andenya MezCanta” floats between memory and melody, weaving Spanish, Italian, English—and a whisper of Amharic.
It doesn’t seek to answer the question “¿Quién sabe?”—it is the question.
A voice caught between lands, languages, and longing.


Una piccola cosa
Ogni giorno è
una piccola cosa.
Un respiro. Un respiro.
Un passo.
Un pensiero c’è,
nasce piano.

Ogni giorno
è una piccola cosa.
Non lo so,
non so che giorno.
Piccolo,
una piccola cosa.
Un respiro. Un passo.

Qualcosa che passa.
Un pensiero.
Un pensiero c’è,
nasce piano.
Piano.
È nascosto in un piano?

Non devo sapere tutto.
Non devo capire tutto.
Non devo capire tutto.
Solo camminare.
Solo sentire.
Solo esercitarsi.

E questo fosse.
Potevamo conversare.
Ma è stato interessante per me
perché le persone che parlavano spagnolo...

#LinguaMia #SpokenSound #LanguageOfTheHeart #HybridVoices #MultilingualExpression #EmotionalLanguage #Mezcanta #Amharic #Trilingual #Hybrid

Mi Andenya MezCanta

In this video, I talk about the challenge of understanding more than you can say, and share strategies for turning passive vocabulary into active vocabulary.

Understand everything but still can't speak? Watch this

Intensive vs. extensive reading: which is better?

In this video, I talk about why I’m skeptical of language tests and their ability to accurately assess someone’s language level.

Why I don’t trust language tests (and neither should you)

In this video, I share my impressions of Google's NotebookLM and discuss how I'm planning to use it for language learning.

How I'm using NotebookLM to power up my language learning

Hi a charaid,
Sia mìosan seachad, sia ri dhol... cò shaoileadh e? Tha a’ chiad leth den bhliadhna air a dhol seachad ann am priobadh na sùla. Ged a tha deagh bhliadhna no bliadhna dhoirbh air a bhith agad gu ruige seo, tha sinn an dòchas gu bheil thu air sonas fhaighinn bho na rudan beaga. Tha an t-Ògmhios a’ toirt a-steach toiseach an t-samhraidh, ràith a tha socair is trang aig an aon àm. A bheil thu fhèin dèidheil air cros-dhàn? Seo dhut fear airson a’ mhìosa  seo:
Òran no dhà aig na fèisean! Dè an t-òran as fheàrr leat fhèin? 
Grian gu leòr... tha sinn an dòchas. Tha Alba àlainn co-dhiù, ach abair gu bheil i eireachdail ceart nuair a chì thu a’ ghrian ag èirigh os cionn nam beanntan. Feumaidh tu a bhith an àrd tràth sa mhadainn gus seo fhaicinn, ge-tà!
Measan uabhasach fhèin blasta. A bheil thu dèidheil air sùbhan-làir, no rùbrab? Seo an t-àm far a bheil iad ri fhaotainn ann am pailteas. Eadar pàidhean agus silidh, ’s urrainn dhut an t-uabhas a dhèanamh leotha!
Hò-rò gheallaidh, ’s dòcha? Seo an t-àm den bhliadhna far a bheil sinn uile eòlach air cuideigin a tha a’ pòsadh! 
Itealach, ma tha thu a’ falbh air làithean-saora! Tha a h-uile duine eadar-dhealaichte nuair a tha e a’ tighinn gu làithean-saora. Bidh cuid againn a’ coimhead air adhart ri seachdain air an tràigh, agus ’s fheàrr le cuid eile a bhith a’ tadhal air na bailtean-mòra. A bheil thu fhèin a’ dol a dh’àite sam bith?
O chionn naochad 's a còig bliadhna air ais, rugadh Anne Frank air a' mhìos seo!
Spòrs, gu leòr dheth! Bho ball-coise gu teanas gu ball-basgaid, tha rudeigin ann dhan a h-uile duine!
Gus briathrachas fhaicinn a bhios feumail dhut sa mhìos a tha romhainn, thoir sùil air LearnGaelic.scot > Ionnsaich > Cùrsa Tòiseachaidh agus tagh air Ag innse càit an deach thu. 
Dè an rud as motha a tha thu a’ coimhead air adhart ris mu dheidhinn an t-Ògmhios? Leig fios thugainn le post-d no air na meadhanan sòisealta!
Sin e airson seachdain eile. Bho do charaidean aig LearnGaelic, mar sin leat. 


Beurla
Hi there pal,
Six months over, six to go... who’d have thought it? The first half of the year has passed in the blink of an eye. Whether you’ve had a good year or a difficult one so far, we hope you’ve found joy in the little things. June brings in the start of summer, a season that’s calm and busy at the same time. Do you like acrostics? Here’s one for this month:
Òran| A song or two at the festivals? What’s your favourite song?
Grian gu leòr... | Plenty of sun... we hope. Scotland is beautiful anyway, but it really is spectacular when you see the sun rising above the hills. You need to be up early in the morning to see this, though!
Measan uabhasach fhèin blasta. | Some very tasty fruits. Are you a fan of strawberries, or rhubarb? This is the time where they’re available in abundance. Between pies and jam, there’s loads you can do with them!
Hò-rò gheallaidh, ’s dòcha? | A hò-ro gheallaidh, maybe? This is the time of year where we all know someone that is getting married!
Itealach, ma tha thu a’ falbh air làithean-saora! | Flying, if you’re going away on holiday! Everyone is different when it comes to holidays. Some of us look forward to a week on the beach, and other prefer visiting big cities. Are you going anywhere?
O chionn naochad 's a còig bliadhna air ais, rugadh Anne Frank air a' mhìos seo! | Ninety-five years ago, Anne Frank was born on this month!
Spòrs, gu leòr dheth! | Sports, plenty of it! From football to tennis to basketball, there’s something for everyone!
To see some vocabulary that will be handy for you in the month ahead, go to LearnGaelic.scot > Ionnsaich > Beginners’ Course and select Ag innse càit an deach thu.
What are you most looking forward to about June? Let us know by email or on our social media!
That’s it for another week. From your friends at LearnGaelic, bye for now. 


An t-Ògmhios | June

In this video, I talk about my experience learning Persian as well as the challenges and successes I’ve had along the way.

Comfortable but not fluent: my honest Persian update

In this video, I talk about how memory changes as we age and what that means for older adults learning languages.

Why I’m still learning languages in my 70s

HYBRID ROOTS is the sound of balance—between love and law, sorrow and joy, movement and stillness.

Rooted in truth, humor, and family, my songs grow from hard soil and reach toward light.

This isn’t genre music. It’s life music.

Debut single “Life’s Balance” out June 13, 2025.

I speak 20 languages. I've been learning languages for over 50 years and I've tried all kinds of approaches. I talk about my experiences, my approach to language learning, what I enjoy about learning languages and all manner of other topics related to language. 

If you love languages, or think you would if you hadn't been discouraged by past experiences, this is the podcast for you. Anyone can learn a language. You just need the right attitude and the right approach!

LearnGaelic is your constant companion on your learning journey. Visit LearnGaelic.scot for online courses, an online dictionary, course finder, and more. These files provide audio support to the weekly newsletter.

New tracks tagged #languagelearning