How I Learned a Second Language (and you can too!)
A special language edition of Itchy Feet
Hey, fellow Itchy Feeters!
This is your friend Daniel Catena.
As always, I want to send a virtual hug your way.
Thank you for being here and supporting this newsletter.
You’re here in a 72-member group of cool cats🐱 from 10 states and 14 countries.
I’m excited you’re here.
Alright folks, buckle up! 💺 🟢
In case you missed it, our last newsletter talked about never getting lost. Give it a read here.
Let’s chat about something just as important.
Let’s face it, the world will open up to you if you can speak more than one language.
You can enjoy places, situations, and people a lot more.
In 2010, I decided to learn Spanish.
In 2024, I’m fluent (with a heavy gringo accent).
It was a long journey but if I can do it, YOU definitely can do it.
Here was my process:
1. Start building vocabulary.
I bought Harry Potter in Spanish and started reading it every day. It took over a year to finish. It was a very slow burn but it helped me read faster.
I suggest finding a book you’ve always wanted to read in English that’s a teen or children’s book then find it in the language you want to read (Amazon usually has it).
To complement this, use flashcard applications on your phone to memorize words. I love:
Quizlet: The best because you can practice writing each word.
Once you have some vocabulary, then begin practicing listening, speaking, and writing.
2. Listen to music, radio, or watch movies.
Start exposing yourself to the target language. It’s ok if you don’t understand. Over time, it will slow down!
I love:
Netflix: Now you can change the language preferences and it’s amazing.
Spotify: Similar to Netflix, you can now read the lyrics of most songs.
TuneIn: Listen to radio stations from all over the world for free.
Notepad: I started journaling in Spanish to practice, it wasn’t pretty at first but over time it got better.
LingoClip: Listen to songs and fill in missing lyrics.
3. Take classes.
You should get some actual training to understand the grammar of your target language. Sounds expensive right? It doesn’t have to be!
• Verbling: Find private language teachers from all over the world. I recommend finding teachers from Eastern Europe, Latin America, or Asia. The price per hour can be very fair, especially if you live in the US or Western Europe.
• Abroad: There are LOTS of language schools across the world. You can visit a country and take immersive classes at sometimes very cheap prices (I did this in Ecuador).
4. Practice!
Find people to practice with. You can cheat and fly to a country that speaks the language, or you can find people in your city or online to chat with.
My favorite resources for this:
• Meetup: Find language exchanges in your area.
• Couchsurfing: Meet travelers and or find language exchange partners.
• Facebook groups: There are language exchange Facebook groups out there.
• Conversation Exchange: I’m biased because I met my girlfriend (Hi Yesi!) here.
If you need any ideas or help learning a new language let me know!
It’s the best decision I ever made.
⚓️ Travel quote of the week
“Everybody laughs the same in every language because laughter is a universal connection.”
– Yakov Smirnoff
🧐 Did you know?
According to Babbel, 28 countries around the world use French as their official language. France has the second-highest number of native French speakers.
Vraiment?
Oui!
The Democratic Republic of Congo ranks number one.
This central African nation’s official language is French and has the most native speakers on Earth.
Worldometer reports that DR Congo's 2023 population is 104 million people, well above France’s 64 million.
Also, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) released a 2022 report and found that 450 million people worldwide speak French.
⛩ Culture corner
When you’re about to perform in front of an audience, a common phrase you may hear is:
Break a leg!
In English, we use this to say “good luck” and it’s a phrase that has always perplexed me.
I did some research and learned about the origin of this saying.
Word Origins mentions that “break a leg” in English is a variation of the German phrase “hals- und beinbruch” which translates to “broken neck and broken leg.”
The German version has the same meaning and was used in hunting and horse racing in the 1900’s.
The article says the phrase became popular in theatre in 1913. The actual English origins remain murky.
Here are some possible answers:
It’s possible the phrase stemmed from President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865.
John Wilkes Booth, an actor, broke his leg while attempting to escape the Ford Theatre after shooting LincolnIt’s traditionally common to bow after a successful performance, which causes you to “break” the crease of your pants.
The curtains on both sides of a stage are called “legs” so when you break through them it usually means the performance went well.
There is speculation that “break a leg” was born in 1915.
The phrase supposedly was used to wish people as much success as Sarah Bernhardt, a world-famous actress who had her leg amputated that year.
🌆 City Showcase
New York, USA🗽
It’s a city where one story can be told 800 different ways.
According to World Atlas, the Big Apple is the most linguistically diverse city in the world.
There are approximately 800 languages spoken within the cities’ five boroughs.
NYC’s 2022 population was 8.3 million people according to the US Census Bureau.
Time Out had a fascinating article about the top languages spoken (besides English and Spanish) in each NY neighborhood.
Here are some highlights:
Chinese is the dominant language in 15 neighborhoods, making it the third most spoken language in the city.
Russian is fourth (eight neighborhoods).
Bengali is in four neighborhoods.
French, Italian, and Haitian are most prominent in three.
So, if you’re trying to brush up on a second language in New York, consider the map above for guidance!
Bonus: Papua New Guinea is the most linguistically diverse country on Earth. The World Economic Forum says there are approximately 840 languages spoken there.
Refer friends to Itchy Feet, get cool stuff:
Alight friends, that’s it for this week’s newsletter. Let’s pull over to a rest stop.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post.
Take care!
-Daniel
P.S. Check out
for another excellent read!
Moi aussi! I love to travel and attend language schools in different countries. I've learned French and Spanish by doing this. I stay with host families, so I am fully immersed in the language. It is a wonderful way to meet people and learn about the culture, and it is also inexpensive.
I have been studying Spanish for maybe 10 years and I hope this is the year I become fluent. We are flying to South America to take 6 months of Spanish lessons. The hardest for me is peaking and hearing. Hopefully 6 months of immersion will work.