When Lýdia Machová gave a TED Talk about learning languages, she did not speak her first language, Slovakian. Instead, she spoke fluent English and shared that she can speak seven other languages. She learns a new one every two years. To many people, this seems impossible. However, Lýdia says she is not particularly intelligent, and she believes anyone can learn a new language. Through her own experience and from meeting other successful learners, she has found out some helpful methods.

Lýdia believes that there are many different ways to learn a language. You can study common words, practice grammar, use phrase books or listen to podcasts. Almost any method is fine – the most important thing is that you enjoy the learning process. For example, when learning German, she watched Friends in German. At first, she did not understand anything, but over time, she could follow the story. She did something similar with Spanish, reading Harry Potter books that she had loved as a child.

Another tip is about learning vocabulary. It is easy to forget new words, so she suggests reviewing them every day, one week and one month. This helps you keep them in your memory.

Finally, she says that speaking is very important. Don't be afraid of making mistakes because they help you learn. And with the Internet, you can practise speaking with people around the world without leaving home.