Podcast
StoryLearning Podcast
Hosted by Olly Richards · EN
Got a burning language learning question? I’m Olly Richards and I've learned 8 languages through stories. Every Wednesday, I answer your questions and chat to world-class language experts. Whether you're learning Spanish, German, Japanese, or something else, tune in for insider tips and practical strategies to get fluent fast.
Each week you get:
- Answers to your biggest language learning challenges
- Story-based techniques to accelerate your progress
- Tried and tested tips from my 25+ years of experience
No flashcards or memorisation. Just story-based learning that actually works.
40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
543: The Introvert's Guide to Learning a Language FAST
2d ago00:14:39Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE guide, How to Read in Any Language: https://l.storylearning.com/6_steps_read I don’t know if you've noticed, but language learning advice is often geared towards extroverts - put yourself out there, just speak, don't be shy. That makes perfect sense if you're that way inclined. But if you're at all like me and you identify as an introvert, or at least have very strong introverted tendencies, that kind of advice is very, very difficult to take.So let’s take a look at what introverts can do instead to get fluent fast. Mentioned in this episode: The StoryLearning App: https://l.storylearning.com/app👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info #storylearning #learnthroughstories
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542: How to choose the perfect language to learn
1w ago00:09:43Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE Language Difficulty Guide: https://l.storylearning.com/difficulty_guide Today we have a question about choosing your next language. And it comes from someone who's already a polyglot, who speaks four languages and is a bit confused over what their fifth language should be. An interesting problem. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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541: How polyglots learn LOTS of languages FAST
2w ago00:31:11Tap to summarize👉 Get Your Free Guide, Dr Popkins' 8 Best Tips to Learn a Language and Keep Going https://l.storylearning.com/dr-popkins-tips In this episode, I'm very happy to welcome Gareth Popkins, longtime friend and language compadre, to the StoryLearning podcast. Gareth got the language bug in his early twenties and took his French further, learned Welsh and then worked on German and Russian. He’s had a rather chequered trajectory, starting as historian of Russian history. He then went to law school in his early thirties, continuing with languages and starting to blog and vlog about his language learning experiences. He now does that full-time, focusing in particular on teaching intermediate German learners. We come from a similar place in that our lives have been characterised by a love for languages. And we've since taken that passion and that experience and are using it to help other people learn. More from today's guest: Gareth’s website: https://howtogetfluent.com/Gareth’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DrPopkinsGermanGareth’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpopkinsgerman/👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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540: How to ACTUALLY understand FAST speech
3w ago00:14:59Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency-resourcesUnderstanding native speakers on the streets is one of the most difficult, challenging and disconcerting elements of language learning. But when you learn to deal with fast speech, it is the most exhilarating, wonderful, rewarding feeling you can possibly imagine. And this is the question we're gonna get into today on the StoryLearning Podcast.Links mentioned in this episode: Russian Immersion Lab: https://l.storylearning.com/russian-immersion-labConversations: https://l.storylearning.com/conversations👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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539: How to learn a language when you feel like quitting
Jul 800:12:54Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/free-fluencyToday I’m answering a question from a frustrated Japanese learner with a 650-day streak on Duolingo. Their question: What do I do? Do I keep on, do I switch to a different language? Do you have any advice for a frustrated language learner? I really like this question. I've got so much to say about it so I'm looking forward to answering, particularly as an often frustrated Japanese learner myself. Link mentioned in this episode: My Japanese course, Japanese Uncovered: https://l.storylearning.com/japanese-uncovered👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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538: The ONLY way to learn 2 languages at the same time
Jul 100:13:18Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner: https://l.storylearning.com/fluency_goalsIn this episode I’m going to be talking about this old chestnut: learning two languages at the same time. I’ve got two questions on this that have come from a recent video. Long-term listeners will be very familiar with my take on learning two languages at the same time. But my questions today are about a rather specific scenario, learning two very different languages together. So how would I approach this? 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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537: The ONE habit that made this American sound like a local
Jun 2400:32:00Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE guide, Dave Pinto's 7 Best Tips to Sound Like a Local: https://l.storylearning.com/sound-localI am absolutely delighted to welcome to the StoryLearning podcast, my longtime friend, partner in crime and fellow language enthusiast, Dave Pinto. Professionally Dave focuses on language teaching, but many language teachers that I've met over the years in different countries never really get to grips with language learning themselves. Dave is not that! Dave, to my ears anyway, passes as a native Spanish speaker. Discover what it took to get there and how you too can sound like a native speaker in your new language. Links mentioned in this episode: Dave’s Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@elprofeguiriDave’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/elprofeguiri/Dave’s website - https://elprofeguiri.com/StoryLearning Spanish Pronunciation course, taught by Dave: https://l.storylearning.com/spanish-pronunciation-mastery👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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536: How to learn a language with ZERO motivation
Jun 1700:16:11Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE Binge-Worthy Resources for Fluency: https://l.storylearning.com/fluencyIn this episode, I’m tackling a really difficult question that I feel a lot of sympathy for: how you can learn a language when you have no motivation? I taught English for five years in Asia and the Middle East. I met a lot of students who had to learn English because they needed it for their job. They had no desire to learn, but they had to. So if you’re trying to learn without motivation, I can imagine myself looking right into your eyes and understanding the situation you're in. Let’s see if I can help. 👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_InfoLinks mentioned in this episode: LanguaTalk is my favourite place to find 1:1 language teacher: https://l.storylearning.com/languatalk #storylearning #learnthroughstories
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535: I created the ultimate reading app for language learners
Jun 1000:11:46Tap to summarize👉Join the app waiting list: https://l.storylearning.com/app_wait_listIn this episode, I’m doing something a little bit different. I'm going to take you behind the scenes of the new StoryLearning app that I've been building. It's a work in progress, but I thought you might like a sneak peek. I'm pretty excited about it. In fact, I haven't been as excited about something since I wrote my first book of short stories over 10 years ago. I have the feeling that you’re going to find this app really useful. I’ve been using it daily to read in Italian.👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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534: How to read any language when you're a beginner
Jun 300:15:53Tap to summarize👉 Grab your FREE Language Goal Planner https://l.storylearning.com/goal_planHow do you bridge the gap between being a complete beginner and not being able to read anything and then doing what I did a few years ago, which is to learn Italian from scratch in 90 days through reading? That's what I'm going to cover in this episode.Mentioned in this episode: Olly Italian project playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9F81zlDaaE&list=PLQJscr8iS4eEuHPHQerHMBxZ68O8jiq12Details of the materials I used as a beginner are on my Italian project page: https://storylearning.com/italian-project-home👉 Got a question you want Olly to answer on the podcast? Submit it here: https://storylearning.com/ask_Olly_your_question👉 Get a 7-day FREE trial to one of my story-based language courses: https://storylearning.com/Language_Courses👉 Check out my all-inclusive VIP language programme with guaranteed results: https://storylearning.com/StoryLearning_VIP_Info#storylearning #learnthroughstories
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