Let’s study!
Road to polyglot
Where do I start? In some ways I consider myself a polyglot, but I am also very much aware of all the work that still must be done to get better at the languages I already speak. Languages in general are always on the move. In that I find both beauty as a huge responsibility to study harder. Sometimes all a grasp is what I can get. Other times it just flows. But that wouldn’t be able to happen, if it wasn’t for the days that all I could was just grasp.
I chuckle every time when I start to get a language lesson at random times, mostly weeks after I studied them. It could be a show I am watching or when I am studying another language. I guess that is the life of a polyglot, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a lover of stories, becoming a polyglot adds so much colour to my life. The books I can read, the shows I can watch, the connections with people I have made… Learning about different cultures and starting to understand history better. It’s amazing what studying languages has done for my life. And I am far from done on this road to become a much better polyglot!
But how will I do that? For 2026 I decided to bring down the numbers of languages I am studying and focus on just a few languages. So in 2027 I can hopefully stack languages. As an example, I want to study Italian, but I am going to do so by studying it in French.
Focusing on less languages this year, hopefully makes me level up faster. And it also allows me to study the languages more in depth when it comes down to history and culture.
Let’s get into all the languages I want to focus on for this year!
German – B2
It’s lovely when a language finds its way into your daily schedule. Actually a day hasn’t gone by in at least a year without me thinking in the German language. It helps that I like to read German books and watch shows, but I also have been actively working on my speech. Even if my speech doesn’t sound right right away, my brain naturally figures out how I could say it better next time without me putting in too much effort. Since last year I feel confident enough to call German my third language.
However, there is still so much work left for me to do. My reading skills are already at C1 level, but most of my other skills are at B1 level, so I need to get those other skills to B2. I have a business trip planned later in March, by the time that rolls around I want my speech to an advanced B1 level. Using the momentum of my business trip I hope to get my speech even at a higher level. But I will for sure take the rest of this year to get to a complete B2 level.
Korean – Level 4
A huge chunk of the basic stuff I already have a grasp on, besides that I am incredibly happy that I understand more and more when watching a K-drama. Like I said in other language updates: I can even hear when watching a show if the translation is correct or not, or when the nuance doesn’t exist in English.
Of course there is still room for lots of improvement! Currently I am at level 2, but before the end of the year I want to get to level 4. I am taking classes with Talk To Me In Korean and I will shadow the language as much as I possibly can.
French – B1
Last year in May I officially tested for A2. Over the rest of the year I kept on expanding my vocabulary. Mostly by focusing on A1, A2 and some B1 level words. For this year I want to keep on building since I am foreseeing a trip to Paris to meet a friend, so I will also need to brush up on my speaking skills and other skills needed. It is my plan to get my reading, understanding and speaking skills to a B1 level.
I want to do this by reading French books/texts, expanding my vocabulary and practicing speech. My trip to Paris is planned for autumn so I have time, but that doesn’t mean I am going to slack off. It is too beautiful of a language to not give it my all.
Which language(s) will you be studying this year?
Love,
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