First of all, let me thank you for your detailed answers and the advice that you are giving. Second of all, I never said it’s sufficient for a language never will. All I am saying I am taking other routes that are more useful for me. Again, Lingq is great, but I am not as hooked on it as before because of my learning methods. I didn’t use Lingq as my main source to learn; actually, I read a lot of books, watched like 100 thousand videos, and used apps to talk to other native speakers for more than 550 hours. Just a question: if the words are still yellow, does that mean that they’re not going to count as a known word? Because I leave like 70% of the words that I am not perfectly good at (I can use them in conversation or in text). I am pretty sure there is a misunderstanding because my goal isn’t to master the French language as a native. No, absolutely. I am super fine with the level I am at right now. The point of my post is motivational, not to tell people how to get C2 in French. That’s why I said I am here for any questions. However, I completely disagree with this part “but I didn´t know any words relating to hand crafting things” even if you don’t use it, or find it often in context, or at least every once in a while, you will forget about it. So that’s why I am not here anymore, it is about my needs, my way of learning, and my goals. I just want to watch something or use French for what I need and to step up my game naturally.
I think the thing is this - you´re writing in the open forum and then saying you have used Lingq to the full extent you can right now, but if anyone has any questions about how to use lingq, please ask.
Personally, I´m not sure how you thought this was going to be received?
If you gave it context, such as “I am a university student in French language” or “i am studying in order to pass a test to get into French universities” and explained how you used Lingq as an aid to your learning, it would be informative.
The only thing people can take from what you have written is that you perhaps didn´t think “what do other people use lingq for?” and “do I use lingq in the way other people also wish to use lingq?”
I would say for most people, Lingq is completely different. People have said things in passing like “I have complete Portuguese…” etc, and I wonder “what?” and then it turns out they have used every available lesson in the libraries… yet this is almost a bit sad as that was not the point. Those are just there, you can import books, film scripts, newspaper articles, all of wikipedia. So when writing something like this it comes across a bit odd because we have no idea what your original goal was and why 666 days is significant.
For me - I want to take a test in Swedish proficiency, however once I pass that test I do not think I will need to not use Lingq anymore. I don´t see how the two are related. So I´m not sure why any other goal = no need for Lingq anymore. A situation I have experienced is before I used lingq I´d happily go to a cinema, watch a film in Swedish, watch TV shows in Swedish with or without subtitles, and think I hand understood everything. Then when I used Lingq I realised I had missed a lot of subtext and nuance.
As far as world levels, that is ultimately a personal choice. 1-2-3 = not in your known words. 4-5 = known words. If you think you know the word, and can use it in conversation, then why it would be not learned/known I am not sure. If you know the word to the same confidence you know words in your native language, then you should happily put it to learned/known in my opinion. This does not mean you have perfect recall (I forget words in English/spellings etc, wouldn´t classify them as “unknown”).
If you have forgotten it, or are unsure after a while, feel free to put it back again to yellow. However this is ultimately personal taste.
There are people who claim that they don´t include names etc, however I think this is a shortsighted step as different languages change names, so a name (Martin in English, Martin in Slovak) is a word, whilst in Slovak you also have 6 Martins as there are six cases, thus you need to be very sure you know “which” Martin you´re dealing with, the nominative, accusative, dative, genitive, locative or instrumental.
In French, there are so many conjugations ( Faire - French Verb Conjugations - Lawless French Verb Tables I think it is fair enough to mark a word as known so long as you recognise it when used.
I think you should also include for interested readers what goals you actually had with French and why it was important for you, because it really seems opaque why you have used Lingq in the manner you have described and it probably makes more sense if you put it in context.
I am sure you are very good at French, but there is a circular argument that if you are so good in French, Lingq was essentially a witness to your other courses/interactions and then perhaps you didn´t necessarily explore Lingq as much as you would have if you relied more on it. Therefore perhaps you have missed quite a few of its unique features and benefits, which if you knew… you wouldn´t be quitting it. Anyway, just my point of view! 
Once again, as you said at the end, “Anyway, just my point of view” and that’s about it, not everybody will see it that way. Using Lingq for 666 days is a lot, which means I enjoyed using it and benefited from it big time. However, that doesn’t mean I will rest in here forever, otherwise, I am not going to learn, even if there are other tools in here that I didn’t use. Again, again, my post was about thanking the people behind all of this, celebrating my achievement, and being here if anyone has any questions about learning not only about Lingq because the world of languages doesn’t revolve around Lingq, it’s a tool for learning languages. So, when you post in Lingq doesn’t mean it’s for and only Lingq and my experience here. Maybe you are right, according to your point of view, nonetheless, people’s approaches are different. In the end, thank you for stopping by and giving your time and energy to show me and others how to use Lingq better.
I have a question … your advise to not translate … I sm just starting with Spanish … and almost all the words are not familiar for me … how would I understand anything if I don’t translate? … what your advise for someone who is just starting with the language
Sorry, my advice was not clear enough. I mean, don’t translate word by word, just understand the whole phrase as is. In the beginning, you need to absorb how the language works more than what every single word means, why this verb is conjugated this way, or why this proposition is here. You can translate, but don’t give it too much attention and use it as side information in the back of your head. A huge piece of advice is to read a lot and hear a lot. It doesn’t matter how much you fully understand, you might feel it’s counterproductive, but believe me, it will work like magic. Your brain will get used to the language structure and as long as you are practicing, you will encounter a lot of the most commonly used words and verbs without the need to sit down and memorize them individually. Of course, you will need to memorize words, but I mean don’t stress out if you keep forgetting them or can’t understand some formulas; it is going to be much easier as far as you are studying. And remember, language is a long road, give it time, and you will be better than you think.
Ok, there are plenty of people looking for aid.
I want to learn french from scratch - Open Forum - LingQ Language Forums
Good luck on your journey, but 666 days on lingq? In itself this is completely without context. We have been using Lingq for a similar amount of time, I started Dec 21 having taken C1 courses in Swedish since 2012. That means I, as a person who has been at C1 level for nearly 10 years before finding lingq, found an awful lot of benefit in it. Whilst you as recently reaching C1 level are ready for lingq retirement! In the time I have been using Lingq I have read about 2.1 million words across multiple languages, with 1m in Swedish, 600k in Slovak and 300k in German with other languages making up quite a chunk. This is all whilst taking courses in all of these languages and living in Slovakia. For me Lingq is an aid which will always be there to reinforce what I learn. I think whilst it´s your right to post what you did, it´s only fair someone else point out to new users - you could streak for 10,000 days and you´d still have use for Lingq.
For me, this reminds me of a story from Joe Rogan about a guy who got a black belt in jiu jitsu from Eddie Bravo, then gave a speech about “I have now completed Jiu Jitsu, see you suckers later” and all the other black belts going “I only just started at black belt! I just realised how little I didn´t know!”
Understandable, but I am not using Lingq not quit learning. that’s the difference between saying I have learned everything and I will proceed with a different approach. I have not completed Jiu Jitsu, I am training with a different coach. Still, I will consider all your ideas and try the functions I haven’t used yet, I might change my mind.
That is a completely fair thing, but are you not hearing what I am saying:
Tell us!
For example, if you are going to move to a French speaking country how are you doing it. It is something people would really value and helps them get inspired as some people would be afraid to do this. Maybe there is a program people are not aware of (erasmus, European Volunatry Service etc) or you have a job. If you are getting a new coach who is it.
From what I can see, you haven´t said anything about why you even decided to learn French which is why I am saying everything seems out of context. If you´re joining the legion don´t worry, you can keep that private.
I am pretty sure I have mentioned that I am using French to do everything the same as I did with English, but you obviously must have missed it! French is part of me now, like taking courses in French, speaking in Discord groups in French, and getting in touch with my French friends pretty much on a daily basis in French. That is what I am trying to say, but you keep focusing on the Lingq part and why I am not using it anymore, leaving all the other things I have mentioned behind. As a matter of fact, I am moving to Canada, but even though you shouldn’t rely only on that giving that speaking isn’t enough either.
Again. again, my post might not be that informative, that’s fair, but you could have asked me anything you wanted directly like others did (if that was your point, “but are you not hearing what I am saying: Tell us!”). However, you started your conversation with, Why am I leaving while I have all these great futures? So your question was not clear. You were giving me reasons to keep using Lingq (while I don’t have proper stats and you have said numerous times that I am saying I am quitting learning forever since I am not using Lingq, which has never been said), and not asking me why I was leaving and what I was actually planning on doing. That’s surely two separate topics.
I would implore you to continue. Your French is ok but it’s very ‘English-ified’ - you can translate what you’ve written in French almost word for word into English.
You lack turns of phrase, idioms, natural phrasing and use of reflexive verbs.
About your imploration to continue, have you read the whole thing? Or you might not have comprehended it as I intended. “However, it’s not that beneficial for me anymore, and I would like to pursue a different strategy in order to keep learning efficiently.” That means I will keep going while using different methods, not quitting.
Regarding my typing, I am pretty sure it is not that good because I rarely write anything, let alone in French. and I didn’t read enough until the late stages. That bad learning behavior has led me to a very different level between writing and speaking.
I don´t know about you, but I think this guy doesn´t really understand how odd it comes off when he is offering people advice without really explaining their methods/techniques whilst there are linguistics professors on here who link to their research. From what you said it seems like this guy could gain a lot buy using the Lingq writing exchange function, or journaly.com. Anyway, it is a truly fantastic feat to go from beginner to advanced learner in 2 years, but is kind of what I did with Swedish. Looking back now I really had no idea how little I knew and I doubt I would have understood if someone told me. Just the way it is.
I still don’t get why you are so aggressive. I am a “guy” who had a small journey (never said it was complete, never said it was perfect, never said I knew everything about Jiu Jitsu). It boggles my mind that you continue to insist on these points. I just needed to give people hope who were on their way to giving up, who felt it was hard for them to begin, or how useful this tool is. I never said I was a French professor, and please ask me about anything about French because I have “completed” French. All I said was that I am open for questions about anything. Once again, you started the conversation in the wrong way, so please arrange your thoughts and try to understand how to ask questions properly before misunderstanding others. I also mentioned that in my last replay, but you dodged the question. So, you seem to have a hard time comprehending what I am saying. Hence, it is a waste of time answering you. Have a good one.
I’m on the Insane French Streak list, so I have been seeing your name at the top for all this time. I wondered who you were and what you were doing. Congratulations!
So, listen a lot, read a lot, and please don’t TRANSLATE at your first stages; just understand the language as is, and you will get it as you go.
I believe I understand what you are saying. How long are the “first stages”?
I’m intermediate. I do translate what I read. I can get the gist with a quick scan, but I really want to understand the words and how they connect. Some words and phrases are now automatic (like “il y a”) but otherwise I translate.
BTW – by your username I imagine it’s possible you are Chinese. If so, more kudos for your fluency in English and French.
Thank you so much!
The early stages depend on how fast you are going (timewise), but it is pretty much A1, A2, and false B1. In the stages when you can’t really understand the structure of the targeted language, you can’t get why this is here or that there. That’s why translating word-by-word is not at all recommended. You for sure understand what the nouns and verbs mean. but don’t give it too much attention, especially the formulas. For example, there are a lot of "que"s everywhere, some verbs will have different meanings in different contexts, and you will feel lost. But it’s all fine because you will gradually understand that your brain is memorizing the formula without you intervening or making a deliberate effort.
Side note: Don’t forget to use Anki cards; it is super super helpful, especially when you are using phrases with photos, not just separate words. Also, it will be better if you do it yourself without downloading the best 500 phrases or so.
I am actually Egyptian. Thank you so much anyway.
So I guess your home language is Arabic. That’s a long distance from English and French too!
I see your point for the early beginner stage. I didn’t worry about que vs. qui until recently. I looked it up and got the direct object vs. subject distinction, which was satisfying.
There are still plenty of times when I see the words and I know the words, but they are still “word soup.” Sometimes putting the translated words together in order will strike the spark I need for meaning.
For memorization I write down new words and their definitions into an 8"x10" notebook, along with the date and what I’m reading. I then mark the word “Known” in LingQ. During the week I’ll review my current work pages. After a month or two I’ll go back to my old notebooks and review again.
The main benefit (aside from avoiding stacks of index cards) is that I have a residual memory of whatever I read originally and that fills in context and adds assocations to the word-definition item.
I’m on an insane streak for a different language. When people disappear after a year or two I do wonder where their Korean language learning took them. Are they in grad school? Did they move to Korea? What are they doing now to keep up their skills? Maintaining an intense ‘insane streak’ for over a year in Korean or any other language is a serious time commitment. Congrats on your progress! And thanks for letting us know what you’re planning next.
Yes, it is Arabic.
Yeah, exactly! Thank you for mentioning it. Once you read something over and over, and one time you decide to read about it grammar-wise, it lights up your brain, and it’s like, Yeah, this makes sense. That is what I have been saying all along, but now I know the rule.
I totally agree with you.
That is also a nice technique, good luck with that. You seem organized and know your stuff, so just don’t give up. I can’t stress this enough, it felt like I was wasting my time when I watched a video or read some text and couldn’t understand a single word or couldn’t come up with any useful information. However, your brain is working behind the scenes, don’t worry.
Amazing! Yeah, you have got it all. I thought at first I would waste a lot of time making those, but I realized the time I am dedicating is so useful and is actually helping me memorize them.
Thank you for your insights.
Keep pushing! It feels great!
Thank you so much!
Personally i don’t think linguistics knowledge and language learning have a whole lot to do with each other.
My only comment was about their French being structured the exact way an English speaker would structure it and not a French person.
I have no interest in joining in whatever it is you’re attempting to do to the OP.