All Episodes

Three Months in Italy to Bring My Italian Back

My completely free digital immersion setup

I prepared for one career and built another

Why More Language Study Isn’t Always the Next Step

Why it's good to be the worst in the room

Summer language project: Boosting my Irish

Celebrating 23 years of speaking from day one

The Pros of Being Somewhere Touristy

You Don't Need a Good Memory to Learn a Language

Everyone in the Room Thinks They're the Worst

The Instant Community a Language Hands You

Mexico or Spain Spanish? You're Asking the Wrong Question!

The conversation you're having with ChatGPT doesn't count!

I forgot I was speaking Spanish

The Mexican States project

Major cities vs deeper travels

Update and my daily routine during my Chinese project

Are you not ready yet, or is the situation what’s wrong?

Why My First Mandarin Project Almost Broke Me (And How I Fixed My Approach)

Wrapping up Malaysia and Brunei

Benny's next language project

My 50th country! But, what's the right number to visit?

Life challenges that made me a better language learner

How ADHD made me a better language learner

Kicking off my Malay/Malaysian adventure

End of year language boost

Benny's next travel/language project is...

How I’m immersing myself in Irish… in Texas!

My story with the Irish language

Life in the US and visiting all 48 contiguous states

Language updates: ASL and... Irish!

Converting between units quickly

The logarithmic advantage of beginners

Which Operating System is best for language learners?

Travel update: 4 new US states

Comparison is your enemy in a big project

Finding meet-ups and friends while travelling solo

Benny’s last big US road trip

Why you should learn a sign language

Juggling and maintaining multiple languages

Thoughts after 4 months of deep travels through Indonesia

The disadvantage of intensive language learning projects

Is travelling alone... lonely?

The Day I Made a Friend Entirely Through Indonesian

Time to ditch Duolingo

The language talent myth

The confidence plateau

Month 2 Language Project update

Your language learning space: A simple but effective hack!

The benefits of AI for language learners

Solving the listening comprehension problem

Month 1 update on my 2025 intensive language learning project

How I became an alien of extraordinary ability: US visas

Future of travel: Go to popular places ASAP!

Future of travel: Avoiding the "hotspot problem"

Picking the right teacher for a language project

Kicking off my 2025 language learning project

Saving money with the world's easiest language

Announcing my big 2025 language and travel project!

What is it like to visit every state of Brazil?

Moving abroad: What to think about (part 2)

Moving abroad: What to think about (part 1)

Improving language skills through learning other new things

Several tools to share your travel itinerary

Using travel to get in shape

How I became a polyglot

Travel Health Hacks: Avoiding and Managing Illness on the Road

Escaping Depression? Why Travel Isn't the Answer

Getting detained by the Federal Police: Travel mishap story

Area codes around the world to help with your travels

21 years a nomad: What's changed since 2003?

Benny Travel Update: 3 Months in the Amazon

Benny's travel update: 3 huge South American travel projects for 2024

Benny shares his optimism and enthusiasm about his favourite AI language tool

Ask Benny: Benny Shares His Skepticism About AI's Role in Language Learning

Ask Benny: Other ways to avoid being an obvious foreigner

Ask Benny: The interesting trick; teaching people other info so they´ll put up with my bad language skills

Ask Benny: How to be the 1st ever

Ask Benny: Mental health struggles and being a language learner

How to dive deep into dialects (Benny's 2024 language plan)

Ask Benny: How to learn a language in 2024: Taking a resolution and turning it into a true project

Ask Benny: Geoguessr, Geography, country studies (How Benny relaxes)

Ask Benny: When should I move on to the next language, if I want to be a polyglot?

Ask Benny: What are the resident logistics of a nomad? Benny's Travel update and long-term travel plan

Ask Benny: Melting ice: Constant work to push through a plateau

Ask Benny: Travel update: downsizing

Ask Benny: Dialects: when should you learn them?

Ask Benny: Dance lessons and online tutorials in your target language

Ask Benny: Why November 1st is the most important date in my language learning story

Ask Benny: Virtual immersion: Do what you normally do in the target language!

Ask Benny: Benny's late-2023 language learning update

Ask Benny: Deep thought: Does age make us worse learners or is it something else?

Ask Benny: Different types of language exchange events: Stand-up and sit-down

#141 Dan Mirea on TikTok, Psychology & Linguistics

Ask Benny: What Was Your Biggest Mistake During Your Korean Mission?

Ask Benny: What Are Your Favourite Korean-Learning Resources?

#140 Peggy on “Little Victories”

#139 Will Scott on Learning French Daily

Ask Benny: How Did the Korean Mission Go?

#138 Anika on How to Learn Telugu

Ask Benny: Can I Learn a Language With My Partner?

#137 Victoria Galmarini on Mundo Lingo and Language Exchange Events

Ask Benny: Why 3 Months?

#136 “Grammar Girl” Mignon Fogarty on How to Make Grammar Less Boring

#135 Azren on Going from Window Cleaner to Language Teacher

Ask Benny: How Do You Start Speaking From Day 1?

#134 Pierre on Beating Fear & Shyness

#133 Zac on the Power of Music for Language Learners

Ask Benny: What Language Is Benny Learning Now?

#132 Emanuel on “Stage Fright” in Language Learning

#131 Deanna on Avoiding Language FOMO

Ask Benny: How Do You Prepare For a 3 Month Mission?

Benny's Fluent in 3 Months Projects History (+ a Big Announcement)

#130 TY on Finding the Fun in French

#129 Philippa Wentzel on Lingoda and Language Technology

#128 Greg on “To-Do” Lists to Learn Czech

New Year's Special: Reflections and Resolutions

#127 Honorée on Learning Languages Through Passion and Asking for Help

Ask Benny: What is Christmas like for a solo traveller?

#126 Miguel on Community and Connection in Language Learning

#125 Michael Campbell on the Power of “Reps” for Language Learners

Ask Benny: How do language exchange events work?

#124 Olly Richards on Creating the StoryLearning Method

#123 Kelsey Lechner on Speaking 6 Very Different Languages

#122 Brian Powell on How Learning a Dead Language Changed His Perspective

Ask Benny: How Do I Create a Language Immersion Environment at Home?

#121 Nina on How to Break the Intermediate Plateau

#120 Melanie on Learning French With Her 7 Kids

Ask Benny: New Language Goals Plans! Focusing on 5 Languages From Now On

#118 Joaquin on the Bilingual-Trilingual Journey

Ask Benny: How do you learn vocabulary while traveling?

#117 Dr. Barbara Oakley on Learning How to Learn

#116 Hez on What to Do When You Want to Learn Everything at Once

Benny's Next Language Project - Next Stop: Another Continent

#115 Gabby Wallace on How Language Teachers Learn a Language

Benny's Language Project Update (+ Mini Discovery Related to Learning Vocabulary)

#114 Luca Sadurny on Mosalingua and Ikigai

#113 Elena Mutonono on Tutoring in Ukraine and Creating an Online Business

#112 Damian on Surprising His Friend by Learning Bosnian

Ask Benny: How Can My Tutor Help Me Make Flashcards?

#111 Steve Kaufmann on the Evolution of LingQ

#110 Kittichai Boonthong on Learning English and Japanese, and Cultural Differences

Ask Benny: How Can I Use Social Media to Learn Languages?

#109 Ellen Jovin on “The Grammar Table”

Ask Benny: How Do I Make A Personalised Phrasebook?

#107 Paul Jorgenson on How to Make Difficult Languages Easy

#106 Zsuzsanna on Learning Languages as a Family

Ask Benny: What is the 80/20 Rule?

#105 Fiel Sahir on Learning a Language Without “Studying”

#104 Corentin on How to Reinvent Yourself as a Language Learner

Ask Benny: Why Learn Esperanto?

#103 Simon Ager on Creating an Encyclopedia of Languages

#102 Professor Argüelles on Learning a Language in 15 Minutes a Day

Ask Benny: Two Big Announcements!

#101 Scott Brills on World Travel & Language Survival Basics

#100 Celebrating 100 Episodes with Scott Young

#99 Shannon and Elizabeth on Self-Compassion in Language Learning

Ask Benny: What are Language Islands?

#98 Benny and Shannon on Language Learning When Life Happens

#97 Louisa on Learning About Herself Through Italian

Ask Benny: What is the Pomodoro Technique?

#96 Fiona’s 90-Day Italian Challenge

#95 Jeremy Ginsburg on "Beginner's Mind"

Ask Benny: What's Your Favourite Language App?

#94 Sam on Comedy and Humor in Language Learning

#93 Laetitia on How to Find a Great Language Tutor

Ask Benny: Does Daily Duolingo Really Help?

#92 Tom O’Neill on Language Learning for Introverts

#91 Manish on Juggling Multiple Languages

Ask Benny: St Patrick's Day / Seachtain na Gaeilge Special

#90 St. Patrick’s Day Special: Sadelle’s Irish Journey

#89 Elena Guillén on Going from Dabbler to Consistent Learner

Ask Benny: How Do You Gather the Courage to Speak?

#88 Cara Leopold on Fast-Talking Native Speakers

#87 John Fotheringham on “Anywhere Immersion”

Ask Benny: How Can I Find Content in a Less Common Language?

#86 Andrew Hamerlinck on What Sports Coaches Can Teach Language Learners

#85 Alicya on Wine Tasting to Learn French

Ask Benny: New "Language Hacking Mandarin" Book Release

#84 Dr. Gu on Co-Writing ‘Language Hacking Mandarin’

#83 Hugo Cotton on Learning Through Topics that Matter

Ask Benny: How Can I Incorporate the 4 Pillars of Language Learning into My Routine?

#82 Liz of “Talk the Streets” on How to Get Started with Portuguese

#81 Carine Lemaire on Fearless Language Practice

Ask Benny: Benny's 2022 Language Learning Plans

Ask Benny: How to Get Started with a New Language in 2022

Ask Benny: How to Make New Year's Resolutions that Actually Stick

#80 Yawhann’s 90 Day Language Challenge

Ask Benny: Mental Health and Language Learning

#79 Lina Vasquez on Holistic Language Coaching

Ask Benny: Reactivating My Catalan After 15 Years

#78 Christmas Special: Top Gifts for Language Learners

#77 Gabriel Silva on Learning Two Languages at the Same Time

Ask Benny: What if I Can't Prepare Before a Lesson?

#76 Ben Phillips on How to Live and Study Abroad for Free

#75 Doree Huneven on Worldwide Travel, Reward Systems and Sleeping Languages

Ask Benny: What's the Best Way to Prep for a Language Class?

#74 Stephen Krashen on the Comprehensible Input Method

#73 Juliana Russell on “Do Kids Learn Languages Better than Adults?”

Ask Benny: What Should I Do Differently in Speaking Lessons at Different Levels?

#72 Jeremy Bardo on Going Viral in Another Language

#71 Brittany Williams’ 90 Day Japanese Challenge

Ask Benny: How Can I Speak Zero English in a Language Lesson?

#70 Herr Professor on How Engineers Approach Language Learning

#69 Sara Maria Hasbun on the Psychology of Language Learning

Ask Benny: How Can I Start Reading in My Target Language?

#68 Anthony Metivier on Building a Magnetic Memory

#67 Mari Silvestrini on Energy and Momentum in Language Learning

Ask Benny: Should I Learn Verb Conjugations Before Trying to Speak?

#66 Anja Spilker on Creating a Language School in Mexico

#65 Alice Cimino on Learning With Downton Abbey

Ask Benny: How Can I Find the Right Teacher?

#64 Shahidah Foster on Starting Black Girls Learn Languages

#63 How to Become a Fearless Language Learner with Halima Salim

Ask Benny: How Can I Speak from Day One When I Don't Know a Single Word?

#62 Relearn a Language with Marissa Blaszko

#61 Svenja on Language Islands, Daily Habits and Finding Breakthroughs

Ask Benny: How to Learn a Different Writing System

#60 Katie Pascoe on Virtual Reality Language Learning

#59 Maria Ortega on the Poetry of Learning Languages

#58 Janina Klimas on Using Acting Techniques to Improve Your Languages

#57 Géraldine Lepère on Cultural Clues to Sound More French

#56 Jo Franco on Being a Netflix Travel Chick

#55 Elfin Waters on Falling in Lust with Languages

#54 Jim and May on Spanish and Go

#53 Anja Winter on How Engaging Language Content Keeps you Coming Back

Ask Benny: Update on Benny's Language Projects

#52 Mark Pentleton on Creating Coffee Break Podcasts

#51 Dustin and Ruben Share Accent Tips to Sound Like a Native Speaker in Spanish

Ask Benny: How to Stop Getting Tempted by Shiny New Languages

#50 Dayna Brockbank on Budget Language Learning with Cartoons, Anki, and italki

#49 Alex Rawlings on Speaking 11 Languages Fluently

Ask Benny: Is it Better to Learn Phrases Rather Than Words?

#48 Sarah Gillespie on the Treasure Hunt of Learning a Rare Language

#47 Luca Lampariello on Questioning Everything When Learning Languages

Ask Benny: How to Watch Movies in My Target Language?

#46 How Ashton Went from B1 to C1 Spanish in 48 Days

#45 Damon Dominique on Being a Travel & Language YouTuber

Ask Benny: Should I Learn Two Languages at Once?

#44 Lizzy Rimington Shares Insider French Secrets from 30 Years Living in France

#43 Eliza Simpson on Accent Training with Hollywood Stars

Ask Benny: When Do I Learn Grammar?

#42 Jessie and Kike on Lockdown Language Success

#41 Benny Lewis on How Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is Like Learning Languages

Ask Benny: How Do You Remember Vocabulary in Another Language?

#40 Kris Broholm on Anti-Goals in Language Learning

#39 Julie Ferguson on Speaking 5 Languages as a Deafblind Polyglot

Ask Benny: What’s the Simplest Thing I Can Do to Learn a Language?

#38 Chuck Smith on Why You Should Learn Esperanto

#37 Bryce and Michele on Falling in Love while Learning Each Other's Language

Ask Benny: What's Your Current Language Project?

#36 Lýdia Machová on Learning a New Language Every 2 Years

#35 Richard Simcott on Being a World Famous Polyglot

#34 Lindie Botes on Being a Third Culture Kid

#33 Katie Harris on the Joy of Languages

#32 Evelyn on Learning Korean During Lockdown

#31 Nelson Dellis on Building Memory Superpowers

#30 Nissa on learning Bengali in 3 Months

#29 Judith Meyer on Opening Up Opportunity with Languages

#28 Lindsay Williams the Language Dabbler

#27 Jessica Tefenkgi Ruelle on Mindfulness in Language Learning

#26 Jonathan Huggins on the “One Method” Strategy

#25 Learn a Language in 5-Minute Bursts with Drops

#24 Elizabeth Bruckner - from 10x Failure to Language Coach

#23 Michele Frolla on Living and Working in Rome to Learn Italian

#22 Steve Kaufmann - How to Learn a New Language from Any Online Article

#21 Avital Spivak on Forgetting French then Falling Back in Love with Languages

#20 Johan Tekfak on “Kaizen Power” in Language Learning

#19 Turia Pope - from False Beginner to Spanish Homeschooler

#18 Kerstin Cable on Slow Learning

#17 Jane T - The Motorhome Language Learner

#16 Will John on Mixing Football and Language Skills

#15 The Power of Friendship in Language Acquisition with Debs Bensaul

#14 Women in Language: Championing Female Voices in Language Learning

#13 How to Learn a Language “By Ear” with Idahosa Ness

#12 Suzanne - "I go to the Tapas Bar and talk in Spanish for hours"

#11 Nomadic Matt on Travelling the World for $50 a Day

#10 Nikki Prša on Little Moments of Language Practice

#09 Peter Galante on Creating Podcasts in 34 Languages

#08 Louisa on the Goldlist Method & Learning Chinese in 90 Days

#07 Caitlin Sacasas on Meditating & Binge-Watching Netflix to Learn Japanese

#06 Benny & Shannon Answer Your Language Learning Questions

#05 Olly Richards on Living Abroad and Story Learning

#04 Shannon Kennedy on Musicianship, Shyness and Scripting in Language Learning

#03 Paulette on Inventing Your Own Language Path

#02 Benny Lewis on Ignoring Destiny and Embracing "Failure"

#01 Scott Young on Learning Four Languages in One Year