how often does everybody listen, read, write, speak per day or week?
I am studying german (intermediate one is about my level)
I am studying spanish (no knowledge)
Want some advise about how much of each of the four elements of language to do?
for both languages, would be great if you could let me know
I would normally listen to podcasts or radio for about 2 hours a day and read for other 2 hours. Writting and speaking just when I have a chance to chat online. So normally 4 hours a day, but I try to split them between the languages I study.
The more the better. But of course, we are limited by our free time. We have to work(or to study), we need some time for our social life, for our family and our friends,for resting. So, I think 1-2 hours a day sound more realistic. But for two or three languages it isn’t enough.
Here are my daily activities for learning foreign languages
Chinese
- talking with native tutors 1 hour a day
- watching “Happy Chinese” on CCTV for 15 minutes-1 hour
- listening and reading “Hanyu Jiaocheng” (reading aloud, shadowing) 15 minutes-1 hour a day
- sometimes lingqing, reading and listening other resources on LingQ
French
- reading, lingqing (and sometimes listening to) daily news on Radio Japan
- sometimes talking with my Fench Friend on Skype for half an hour
- sometimes lingqing, reading and listening other resources (including Radio France International) on LingQ
English
sometimes lingqing, reading and listening (and sometimes reading aloud, shadowing) interesting resources (including VOA) on LingQ
All languages
leaving messages on Forum and on users’ walls
When I used to go to school two years ago, I spent more time for English using English trainer as the following.
- Listening a short talk or a dialogue one time and guess what they say
- Checking up new words and then reading the translation
- Checking up the speed of reading using stopwatch
- Listening, reading aloud and shadowing the same text at least 10 times
- Listening to the same text again
Listening to other resources, for example VOA, Friends, etc.
Everyone should do a lot. How much you exercise in you mother tongue? I mean how much you speak, read, watch TV? You had better do exactly the same in you second or third language. Of course if you want to advance anywhere.
I don’t really count my time, although I can see the benefit of doing so. I just work on whatever I am most interested in for as long as I am interested in it. That means I mostly end up doing listening or reading. French I need to know for school, but I know it well enough and German and Japanese are just hobbies (right now), so it doesn’t matter how much or how well I learn. I am afraid that if I get too picky about measuring my learning I either won’t enjoy it or the time I spend measuring will take away from the time I actually spend learning.
If even we are studying several languages at the same time, we have to choose what language would be the most important for us for a while otherwise we can’t concentrate our efforts and therefore we can’t advance really. I agreed with Laura that other languages can be as our hobbies at least for this while.
I study whenever I have free time. Often I am totally swamped with work, short on sleep etc., but I try to do it anyway.
Well, I haven’t kept track but I know that I spend at least 1 hour listening to audio language learning material. Then maybe another half hour translating online Spanish text. After reading everyone’s study schedules I’m thinking about coming up with a more defined plan to track my study time much better.
For me personally, I don’t do a lot of writing. I find it hard to juggle between the four elements. So I set myself small achievable goals. This month I am concentrating on 30 minutes a day on just listening attentively, while trying to shadow when I can and with the script in front of me when I do not understand.
I like the idea of just concentrating on one aspect of the language for 30 days, making it into a routine, then going onto something else. For me it works better than trying to tackle all four elements at once, then after 3-4 weeks I burn out and take a break.
So for me this month, it’s just 30 minutes a day on each language of concentrated listening. Also, I try and talk in my target language as much as possible. Korean to Koreans, Cantonese to my parents, French to my girlfriend.
I’m a pretty advanced learner.
I’m so interested in listening and reading the stuff I’ve got, that, even though it was produced in another language, I don’t call it study.
I just can’t wait to get at it.
But I think that one hour a day is OK. According to your goals you can increase this amount.
Today, I have suddenly got an international telephone call from my old friend living in Africa, whom I miss every day. She said that she would come back to Japan in two years. I think that this surprising event will motivate me spend more time for learning French.
I carry my ipod with me everywhere I go, if I’m walking or riding my bike I’ll listen, if I’m riding the bus I may watch a TV show. So I’m usually spending at least 2 hours a day if not more listening to content in Chinese.
Of course there is so many good podcasts to listen to in English it can be hard to coax myself away, thus the TV shows can serve as a measure for when I’m not interested in just listening.
My Intermediate 1 Russian daily routine:
write diary (100 words) in Russian: 15 minutes, over cup of tea.
Read 6 000 words (1 chapter of Harry Potter) over more tea, 30 minutes or so.
Speak: maybe 30 minutes per week with tutor. Swear in Russian as desired.
Listen: 2 hours a day, about 2 chapters of Harry Potter (some parts twice) on mp3 player, while resting/walking/washing up avoiding family.
I’m not sure if you could call any of it actual STUDYING. It’s just what I do 
- creating and learning LingQs, on netbook while kids are watching TV and winding down for bed, 40 mins a day.
I study also but at the same time a have a job,so per day I try read,watch,to communicate and etc…so I spare about 2 hours per day,but I just started my English lessons.
wow skyblueteapot you spend around 4 hours a day studying russian, thats amazing
4 hours a day yes, but I’m not necessarily thinking very hard about it. I’m mostly doing leisure activities, that I would otherwise do in my native language, in my target language. It would be very difficult for me to find any time where my family would let me lock myself away and write essays undisturbed. That’s one reason I’m not studying with the Open University
since I’m on holiday I study about 1-1.5 hrs of japanese per day (listening to podcasts while taking long walks)