How I did it, and how you can do it too

When I moved to Brussels, Belgium in 2018 I didn’t know any French. It took me two months to become fluent in French with non-traditional methods.

That’s the story for how I did it, and of how you can do it as well.

In these videos I talk about how I’ve managed to learn French and with non-traditional methods. I will share four tips on how to learn a new language from scratch.

I also share useful resources for your French learning experience: my favorite books, podcasts, apps… so get ready to take notes!

Speaking multiple languages has changed my life

Speaking different languages has definitely changed my life, both personally and professionally.

Professionally, because I got to travel the world and live in 5 different countries over 5 years, becoming more competitive in the job market.

Personally, because it enabled me to connect with many people from different countries and culture.

Besides, speaking multiple languages is MIND-EXPANDING.

Language is a tool to have access to another world, but to me that’s not quite all. The process of learning a language, in this case French, has shaped my perception of reality.

Each language has its own personality and has its own distinctive way of expressing ideas. Varying grammar structures force you, the speaker, to rethink how you emphasise certain concepts.

An essential part of language learning is embracing these personality changes and being comfortable with them. 

The process of language learning taught me that things are not black or white, they are not an absolute. And that concepts are a social construction.

Some words that exist in Italian, for example in French don’t.

That goes back to culture, and to the way a language shapes the way of seeing the world. Learning a new one, to me, means deconstructing what I know, opening up a new drawer of my brain which contains ideas, structures, even feelings that I have experienced in that particular linguistic context only.

Deconstructing means making room for a new perspective, making sense of and opening up to a new reality.

Knowing a language to me also means co-owning it. I see language heritage is a shared and collective property, where language is not only the reflection of a world, but also an on-going process which is the result of a collective, everyday effort.

Learning a language is possible for everyone, at every age. It will give you access to a whole new world. You will see.