Laugh: how to use humor to learn a language

While I was teaching Dutch and my student was talking about her week, she said she went shopping for food. In Dutch, that’s ‘boodschappen doen’. However, she had to buy lots of things, so she added: ‘ik heb grote boodschappen gedaan’. Which means literally ‘I have done a big shopping.’ I started laughing.

Laughing: always a good idea ©

Why? Literally, it was a good guess – it was a good student. But figuratively, it means going to the ‘big’ bathroom in Dutch… So I taught her the expression and we both laughed.

Humor is one of the reasons students forget they’re in a classroom. Which is why as a student, I also use it when I’m following classes. It’s so much more fun!

Even as a teacher, it’s important to laugh during classes. It makes it so much more fun! You’ll look forward to your next class, time will fly and you’ll enjoy your lessons.

How to laugh more in class
There are some jokes that always work. For example, if the teacher is asking for a volunteer, just say the name of another student. Or when your teachers asks you a difficult question, say ‘too difficult. Next question please.’

Another riskier one, is to give the wrong answer to a question that’s too simple. Make sure to smile at your teacher when he/she looks at you. Or when the teacher gives you the solution to a question, and you reply ‘correct!’

Humor outside of class
Don’t limit yourself to your lessons. When a native speaker gives you a compliment about your language skills, reply their skills are also good. Laughter guaranteed!

A trickier one is to tell something very rude, and say someone taught you it was something very nice to say… Beware to choose the right context for this…

And one last trick: don’t overdo it. Lessons are meant to be nice, but don’t think everyone should laugh all the time, it’s a language lesson, not a comedy lesson.

Learn languages with Udemy – a good idea?

Learning languages online is a challenge, as there’s almost no social pressure to attend classes. That’s one of the reasons why many learners prefer to learn languages online. One of the platforms offering courses is Udemy. That’s where I also teach courses.

On Udemy, there are many other language courses though, ranging from Chinese to German via Arabic. Let’s put some pros and cons of learning with Udemy next to each other.

Pros and cons

Pro: There are many free courses available. It’s easy. You can learn anytime, anywhere. You can also review any of the lessons anytime, without having to pay. There are different levels, from beginners to experts. You can ask questions to your teacher. There are certificates.

Learn languages online with Udemy ©

Con: no face-to-face contact with your teacher. Some students pay but never start the course. Not all teachers reply to questions (I do!). There are not many options for ‘smaller’ languages. And, the quiz system is not adapted to language courses.

Despite these caveats, I still think it’s a valuable way to learn a language. Especially if you need to repeat more often than other students. You can always review the videos at a later time. Even after years. It’s also handy if you find a course that really suits your needs.

What to do on Udemy

Some best practices:

  • Always check if there are free previews available. Most teachers give some of their content away so students know what to expect.
  • See how many and which ratings the courses have. Udemy strictly checks if those are fraudulous, so you can trust these ratings are right. 52 reviews and a 4.7 rating on a course is better than 2 5-star ratings.
  • Finally, buying a course is more like a stepping stone: it’s the beginning. Many teachers include links to more materials, so use those links!

Also check out my Facebook page, where I share free links for paid language courses!