I Drank a Beer. So What? Why Facts and Results Are Not the Same Thing

One of the most common questions I hear from students learning German is: “Why is it ich habe gemacht here, but ich bin gegangen there?” Most textbooks answer this question with a rule. Some provide lists. Some offer charts. Some simply tell students to memorize the verbs. I prefer a different approach. Instead of asking: […]

A student once asked me what seemed like a simple question. What is the difference between: At first glance, this looks like a grammar question. It is not. It is a question about meaning. And that difference is one of the reasons why I do not start language lessons with grammar tables. I start with […]

There is a sentence I have repeated to students for many years: “Your problem is usually not that you do not know the language. Your problem is that you do not know what to look at.” At first, many people are surprised by this idea. They come to a lesson expecting another explanation of grammar, […]

Column: Why Your Language Learning Didn’t Work Levitin Language School You didn’t fail at learning a language. But something definitely failed. And most likely — it wasn’t you. Because I see the same story every single week. A student comes to me and says one of these sentences: “I studied English for 8 years.”“I had […]

Real Fluency Is Not About Memorizing Rules — It Is About Understanding Meaning Instantly If you want to learn English naturally, the first thing you must understand is this: Grammar alone is not communication. Many students spend years studying English rules, memorizing vocabulary and completing exercises.And yet, when real conversation begins, they suddenly hesitate. Why? […]

המילים שאתם מכירים — המשמעויות שאינכם מכירים טור אישי | טימור לויטין על שפה, משמעות וכבוד מאמר מונוגרפי מאת טימור לויטיןLevitin Language School • Language Learningsשפה. זהות. בחירה. משמעות. הרעיון שמאחורי הסדרה כמעט כל אדם בטוח שהוא “מכיר” מילה הרבה לפני שהוא באמת מבין אותה. זוהי אחת האשליות המסוכנות ביותר בלימוד שפה: המוח מחליף בין […]

Des Mots Que Vous Connaissez — Des Sens Que Vous Ne Connaissez Pas CHRONIQUE D’AUTEUR | TYMUR LEVITIN SUR LA LANGUE, LE SENS ET LE RESPECT Une étude monographique de Tymur LevitinLevitin Language School • Language LearningsLangue. Identité. Choix. Sens. L’idée de cette série Chacun croit « connaître » un mot bien avant de le […]

Prečo vás slovenské slovesá nútia premýšľať o čase inak Category: Autorská rubrika — Slovenský jazyk, význam a myslenie Väčšina študentov očakáva, že učenie sa nového jazyka znamená naučiť sa nové slová pre veci, ktoré už poznajú. Stôl je stôl. Okno je okno. „Včera“, „dnes“ a „zajtra“ existujú v každom jazyku. Potom sa však stretnú so […]

Author’s Column — Slovak Language, Meaning and Thought Most students expect that learning a new language means learning new words for things they already understand. A table is a table. A window is a window. “Yesterday”, “today” and “tomorrow” exist in every language. Then they reach Slovak verbs. And suddenly they discover that Slovak does […]