“Immersion is the best way to learn a language, diving right in. Moving to the country where the language is spoken. But sometimes you can't move to another country. Or you live in a country but still don't learn its language. The best way to learn is when you enjoy it. 

​

ELKE'S STORY: I grew up in Germany and started  English in 5th grade. But I learned English by listening to music and  BFBS British forces radio. Back then, it was difficult to find English shows. Luckily that has changed today. There are so many TV shows, movies, podcasts, documentaries, and YouTube videos.

​

I’ve lived in New York City for 25 years and have worked as an English teacher and program manager for over

10 years. Taking English classes is great, but I noticed students often don't practice a lot at home and don't know where to find good English websites.

​

I recently started watching Spanish and Swedish TV shows. I speak some Spanish, and only one word of Swedish: tak. Confession time: I watched A LOT of episodes. I started with a Mexican telenovela (La Fuerza del Destino) and moved on to"La Casa de Papel/Money Heist." First with English subtitles, then with Spanish. Something happened to my brain. I wanted to speak Spanish. I also tried speaking Swedish after watching "Bron/The Bridge." My Swedish has not improved. But my Spanish did because I added other things: I googled Spanish music with lyrics and started listening and singing along. I wrote my journal every morning in Spanish. I asked Spanish friends to speak Spanish with me. I started thinking in Spanish and realized: ¡Ay Caramba! This is a fun way to learn English - the YOYO way.”