Intensive Track: New words / Word forms: Two to four cards per word Word Order: 1 card per word Normal Track: New words / Word forms: Two to three cards per word Word Order: 1 card per word Refresher Track: New words / Word forms / Word order: One card per word

Card Type 1: What’s this word mean? Can you say it out loud? (e.g., Chat is a [picture of a] cat, pronounced “shah” [∫a in IPA].) Card Type 2: What’s the word for this image? Can you say it out loud? (e.g., a [picture of a] cat = chat, pronounced ∫a) Card Type 3: How do you spell this word? (e.g., a [picture of a] cat, pronounced ∫a = c-h-a-t)

Personal Connections: Can you think of any personal connections with this word? (Do you like cats? Can you think of a cat you know?) (My cat’s name is Lily.) • Similar-Sounding Words: Can you think of any other (Hungarian) words that start with the same sound or spelling? (Matrac [mattress] also starts with “ma.”) • Related Words: Can you think of

Picture: Can you remember what this word means? What’s it look like? • Pronunciation: Can you say this word out loud?

Many simple cards are better than a few complex cards. • Always ask for one correct answer at a time.

At times, a foreign language can feel like a mask. It’s a game of make-believe. You’re playing the role of Some French Guy, and you’re acting out a conversation with some friends. In these moments, you occasionally catch yourself saying things you never would have said in English. You’re more open. You speak more freely. After all, it’s not really

My Italian words aren’t just the everyday words that I’ve used all my life; they’re a distinct set of memories that I formed with my own hands and brain. In learning that language, I created a new mind and a new personality for myself. That is the dearest gift of language learning—you get to meet a new you.

If translation’s not your thing, you might want to consider secret agent. Seriously.

5. Watch a full season of a dubbed TV show, reading episode summaries in your target language ahead of time. 6. Get a ton of speech practice. Get as much as you possibly can, either through an immersion program, a language holiday abroad, or through teachers on italki.com. If you get a private teacher, talk about the next thousand words from your freq