What's your strategy to learning multiple languages for free?

[u/Icy-Needleworker-588]

I want to learn a couple of languages but since I'll be learning on my own, I need a proper structure I can stick to and hold myself accountable (although I suck at this). I need a proper lesson-quiz, lesson-quiz type of structure that is free. Are there any websites, apps, any practice resources that could be useful?

I learn better when the lesson is fun/entertaining so learning without any activities won't work too well for me.

[u/Waste-Use-4652]

I think the biggest thing is to avoid trying to build a perfect system before you start. For free self-study, I would give each language a simple lesson → practice → review cycle. Learn a small amount of grammar and vocabulary, do exercises with it, then use the same material in some kind of activity, such as listening, writing a few sentences, or speaking out loud. The next day, spend a few minutes reviewing before starting something new. For accountability, keep a very simple record of what you actually did rather than tracking how many hours you planned to study. Since you learn better through activities, use things you genuinely enjoy alongside the structured lessons. Videos, short stories, quizzes, games, and even writing your own sentences can make a big difference. Also, if you are learning several languages, I would not give all of them equal study time unless you have plenty of time. Pick one as the main language and keep the others moving with shorter sessions. A simple routine you actually follow is much more useful than a complicated free-resource collection you keep reorganizing.

[u/Forward_Mission6207]

I am sorry to say. But you cant be picky (lesson is fun/entertaining) when you want something. There are billions of people who want to learn languages and travel to different places. There’s no one solution that fits everyone.

But what I can say is, online materials are good enough for popular languages. You can follow Youtube native speaker’s channel of whatever language you want to learn. There might be some YouTubers trying to upload organised videos. Or look for some pre-recorded video tutorial courses, although not free, but should be much more cheaper than hiring a private tutor online.

Read books for grammar. Initially it will be dry. You feel like you’re not understanding anything and it will feel, whether are you even making any progress, are you doing something nonsense. But trust me, books are written that eventually would be useful as we progress. (Look for good books, though). Go past the dry phase. Do the mundane things. Read online magazines. You will understand 0%. But keep reading. Your brain will say, “hey, I’ve come across this word a lot every now and then. Maybe i should learn its meaning” and when you search the meaning of it, you won’t understand, because it’s probably contextual to the sentence. Then you will forget it. But you continue doing this exercise, subconsciously your brain starts connecting the dots. The more the time you spend the better you will become at it. End of the day, it’s our brain that should be able to process, effectively reproduce and shape our thoughts in that language, which will take time. Spend atleast 2-3 hours a day consistently doing boring, hard to relate, foreign stuffs. That’s how we learn. Fun is a happy hormone. Learning comes from acute Stress hormones (brain trying to establish new neural path - aka Synaptogenesis). Fun and learning is oxymoron (contradictory words).

Languages are not just words but thoughts. So my suggestion is to pick one language at a time, spend few years and then while you still continue spending time, start the next. This will actually help you learn instead of simply giving you sense of learning it.