📅 80 Hours of Language Study in March
And most of it was French (March 2024 Recap)
📝 March Language Study Stats
Mandarin: 7h 56m
French: 71h 24m
Icelandic: 27m
Spanish: 18m
80h 06m study total in March (2.6hr/day)
Resource: How I make my visualize my tracked study data + templates
This email may be too long, read the full post here.
✅ March Summary
March was an exciting month filled with new experiences. I explored Montréal and undertook the challenge of completing 40 hours of language learning in just one week.
This month stands out as the one where I dedicated the most time to improving my language skills. I look forward to reflecting on each month of the first quarter in my upcoming quarter 1 recap next week.
Although March was productive in terms of total study time, I am making sure to take things easy with my language learning so I don’t overwhelm myself.
Completed March Language Project Board
I successfully completed one column and one row on the board, alongside tackling a few other tasks. The majority were in French, but I also explored some in Spanish and managed to finish a few tasks in Mandarin
📅 April Language Plan
I find these language project boards enjoyable, so I've created another one for April!
As for my plans for the second quarter, I haven't finalized them yet, but I'm leaning toward concentrating on improving my reading comprehension and writing skills.
One addition to my project board is a progress tracker. Last month, my goal was to reach episode 20 of 三体 (The Three-Body Problem), but I only managed to reach episode 18. Because this task is incomplete, the corresponding square is empty, which may imply that I made no progress at all.
With the progress tracker, I can now visualize the progress I made towards completing a task, even if I didn’t fully achieve it. However, I'm still using my Notion resource tracker to keep track of my resources.
The April project board is my smallest yet. I'm keeping it simple as I figure out my plans for the second quarter. I aim to finish one French textbook this month, which has 17 chapters left. It might not be completed this month, and it could take some time, but I'm excited to give it a try.
🧧 Mandarin
March Plan
Reach episode 20 of 三体 (C4) ❌
Finish 三体 (Extra) ❌
I did quite well, nearly reaching my goal of watching 20 episodes. I made it to episode 18 but decided not to force myself to watch the last two episodes on the final day of March.
In addition to watching 三体, I had my first Mandarin conversation lesson in almost a year. It turned out to be a mix of languages. I unintentionally spoke French throughout. Since the tutor knew French, we ended up conversing in French, Mandarin, and English. While I was disappointed to have used French when I intended to use Mandarin, I now see that having a multilingual exchange like that was a valuable experience.
April Plan
Finish watching 三体 (B1)
On April's project board, I have a few generic tasks such as "read a book," which aren't specific to any language, so I may choose to complete some in Mandarin. My only Mandarin-specific task is to finish watching 三体.
After completing that, I'm eager to start a new drama for the drama-watching club. If you have any suggestions for a drama or show, please feel free to share them below.
🥐 French
March Plan
20+ days of journal writing (B1) ❌
Complete Easy French (C2) ✔️
Visit Montréal (B3) ✔️
Complete 1 section in Better Reading French (E4) ✔️
Complete French Tutor (Extra) ❌
It was a busy month for me in terms of French activities. I visited Montréal for the first time and took on a 40-hour language challenge, dedicating most of those hours to French.
My experience in Montréal was truly memorable, and I've detailed it all in this post. What made it special was that although I only did a few things, I spent my time doing what I truly enjoyed. I even had the opportunity to speak a little during my visit.
Most of my time during the 40-hour, one-week challenge was spent listening to podcasts. Unfortunately, I didn't write as much as I'd hoped, falling just short of my goal of 20 days with only 19. On a positive note, I finished my Easy French textbook and completed one section in Better Reading French!
In March, I attended the final lessons of my group classes. They provided a valuable opportunity to engage in two solid hours of focused French learning with a teacher and fellow language learners each week. These classes complemented the regular conversation lessons I have over the weekend.
April Plan
15+ days of journal writing (C2)
Complete French Tutor - 17 units remaining (C3)
Complete 1 section in Better Reading French (B3)
Like March, my goal for April is to complete another textbook, French Tutor. I had it as an "extra" task last month, but now that I've finished Easy French, I'm ready to get back to it. French Tutor has fewer exercises and more explanations, with a writing section at the end of each unit, which aligns perfectly with my focus on writing skills.
While I'm considering taking a DELF test, I'm primarily focused on building a solid foundation across all language skills before making a decision and beginning any DELF-specific preparation.
April marks the last full month before I reach my 1.5-year milestone in relearning French. At times, I feel like I should be further along in my progress, but then I remind myself that 1.5 years isn't a long time, and I've already achieved a lot.
🌤️/🏔️ Spanish & Icelandic
The little bit of dabbling I did this month was watching a short video in Spanish and completing one lesson in the Complete Icelandic textbook.
I’ve checked out a few Spanish graphic novels from my library but haven’t had the time to read them. Maybe I’ll read one of them this month!
How did your month of language studies go?
Let me know in the comments or by responding to this email
Looking for something else to read?
📁 Previous Monthly Recaps
Here are my previous monthly recaps for the year 2023. You can also view the archive to see current and future recaps.
Thanks for reading!
Written as part of the Sparkle on Substack Essay Club by .
Love your recaps <3
How often do you take lessons for your languages? How much of a change have you seen?
Seeing you take time to slow down as one of the most productive language learners I know is inspiring and reassuring. You are human after all! 😊
Since I haven't been focusing on language learning as a main hobby for these past few weeks, I was wondering how I should structure my quarter goals. Maybe yours will inspire me!