Everything you need to know to learn a language

Download the full guide for the rest of my advice

Most people who try to learn a language give up before they ever really get started. Not because they’re bad at it, but because nobody gave them a clear picture of what they were actually doing or why.

That’s what this guide is for.

The Language Learner’s Handbook is a free, no-fluff, practical guide to learning any language from scratch.

You’ve already read the first few chapters on this site. The full guide picks up where those leave off, covering the skills and strategies that take you from complete beginner to confident intermediate learner.

What’s in the Full Guide?

In the full version, you’ll unlock even more valuable insights and strategies, including:

How to use input effectively: understanding what to listen to and read, and how to use it so that language actually sticks

Grammar and vocabulary, done right: not just what to learn, but how to learn it faster and retain it longer

Flashcard techniques that work: including how to build your own cards and why most people use them wrong

Speak well and avoid mistakes: understand where mistakes come from and how to avoid them

Techniques for clear pronunciation: learn how to sound more like a native speaker and never be misunderstood

Plus my guide on how to choose a language that aligns with your goals as an appendix

The guide doesn’t tell you what I personally do, or push one single method. It brings together the best strategies from effective learners all over the world and helps you build an approach that works for you.

Download the guide

The guide has no minimum price. You can download it for free, or pay whatever feels right. $9 is the suggested amount, but there’s no pressure either way

If you can’t pay, no problem, just download it and enjoy! Language learning should be open to everyone. It’s the reason this guide exists.

Making a book is no small task. If you include research, writing, re-writing, and plain old thinking, this guide has taken many hundreds of hours to complete.

If you find it useful and want to support the work that goes into keeping it updated and keeping this site running, paying something is a genuine help and I’d be grateful for it.

If you are getting it free, my only ask is that you consider joining my newsletter via the opt-in form on the checkout page. Don’t worry, there’s no spam and you can opt out any time. Check here if you’d like more info.

Take your learning a step further

While you can simply pay a small price for the book, for just a little bit extra ($11.50 total) you can get a bundle of everything on my store.

What’s in the supporter bundle?

In addition to The Language Learner’s Handbook, you will find:

  • A mini guide: Hack The Algorithm: turn social media into a language learning superpower
  • A whole additional book: The Principles of Language Learning

The Principles of Language Learning

The Handbook gives you the how. This book gives you the why. Once you understand that, you can make good decisions about your own learning for the rest of your life.

It covers 24 core ideas that explain why some methods work and others don’t: how memory actually functions, when to push yourself and when to consolidate, how to identify what’s holding you back, and how to adapt your approach as your level grows. It’s less about activities and more about developing the instincts of an effective language learner.

If you’ve ever felt unsure whether what you’re doing is working, found your motivation flagging, or just wanted a clearer mental model of what you’re even trying to do, that’s what this book is for.

You already know how to start. This teaches you how to think.

Download a sample here.

Buy it on The Mondecast Store

There are more options, but the best way is with my new store. You have two options:

Pay what you want

$0-30

If you’d like to get it free or pay a small amount, head to this part of the store.

Get the book on its own

the supporter bundle

$11.50

If you want to support my work, I have an affordable bundle that includes The Principles of Language Learning.

Get the supporter bundle

Store not working? Prefer to use an established retailer? There are more options below.

Learners rarely fail because of technique, they fail because they lose motivation. If you’d like a little help, join my newsletter for tips, resources, and motivation. Posts every second week. More info here.

Alternatives

If you want to buy The Language Learner’s Handbook from established retailers, there are two options:

Leanpub

$0-20

If you’d like to choose what you pay, you can purchase it on Leanpub.

Buy on Leanpub

amazon

$5

If you prefer to purchase from a well-known retailer, you can get it on Amazon.

Buy on amazon (US) buy on amazon (EU)

Feedback on The guide

Don’t take my word for it, here are a few of the many kind messages people have left me online.

  • “Stumbled across your pdf and appreciate how comprehensive it is and how honest you are about the learning process. Thanks!“
    Anonymous
  • “With the help of Simon I have managed to improve my skills in my first language and pick up basics in a second language. Your book has helped me so much, I am forever grateful.“
    Sean
  • “Thank you so much for the time you’ve put into this guide. Your passion is apparent!“
    Anonymous
  • “Massive thank you for the guide as I hope to one day become a polyglot and this will help me start that journey!”
    Alex

An Overview Of The guide

You don’t need to read the full guide to get started. Just the essentials will be enough to get you on your way. After that, you can return to later sections to improve your technique.

Here’s an overview of what’s in the guide:

Part I: the essentials
  • Key resources.
  • Routine.
  • Key activities.
Part II: Advice for Beginners
  • Using your resources well.
  • Reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
  • Grammar & vocabulary.
Part III: Advice for Intermediate Learners
  • Choosing what to study.
  • How to learn effectively as an intermediate learner.
  • Intermediate activities.
Part IV: Extras
  • Building your own method.
  • Becoming conversational in lots of languages.
  • Learning theory.

Give it a go:

Pay what you want

$0-30

If you’d like to get it free or pay a small amount, head to this part of the store.

Get the book on its own

the supporter bundle

$11.50

If you want to support my work, I have an affordable bundle that includes The Principles of Language Learning.

Get the supporter bundle

Contact

If you think something is missing, you have any queries, or would just like to say thanks, I’d love to hear from you! Please use the contact form here.

Popular questions

I used to put it here, however I am constantly making improvements, and maintaining continuity between the website and the ebook was taking a lot of my time. I still want the most important info to be easily accessible and for people to come across it online, so I’m keeping first few sections here, but the overall task is now a lot less of a burden.

I put it on Amazon to reach a wider audience, and I use Leanpub because it lets people pay what they want.

Yes, I’m happy for you to share it with any individuals in your life you think might want it.

Many hundreds of hours. Though you might only see a few words on a page, every chapter has required a lot of thought about how I can best structure it to be maximally useful. Basically every chapter is the result of many hours of research and has has gone through extensive rewrites. There’s always improvements to be made, which is part of why I’m still releasing regular revisions years after it was first released.

I receive emails from people only very rarely, and feedback is even more rare, so I’d love to hear from you no matter what you’ve got to say. Please use the contact form here.

I initially made this guide out of a desire to help people in the language learning community on Reddit. The idea started when I saw people were constantly asking how to learn languages, and regular users were having to constantly repeat themselves. I decided it would be a good topic for the FAQ we have there, and began writing up some key steps based on what I’d learned over the past few years running that community. As I kept adding info, it quickly grew to be the largest article in the FAQ. At that point, I moved it to its own page so it wouldn’t crowd out the other articles. It eventually outgrew even the wiki functionality on Reddit, so I then made it into a PDF ebook to take advantage of the enhanced formatting and other features a PDF file gives you. I eventually started my own website and made it available here, hoping to reach a wider audience.

It’s always been a labour of love, and the occasional messages of thanks and donations are immensely gratifying.

Those of you who have been here before might have noticed a new name. I decided the previous name, Teach Yourself a Foreign Language, despite being perfectly descriptive, was not particularly exciting. At the end of the day, I am trying to encourage as many people as I can, and an eye-catching title is a part of that. It turns out that finding a name that is eye-catching, descriptive, and not already taken is quite a challenge! I eventually landed on The Language Learner’s Handbook; I found that name was the best combination of interesting and accurate I could find.