How to learn a language through stories with Olly Richards

Stories are an incredible way to learn a language according to Olly Richards, polyglot and creator of the StoryLearning® method.

Olly says his near-death experience on a mountain in Argentina got him started with reading stories in Spanish. Since then, he has used this method to learn 8 foreign languages and has authored over 30 books on language learning. Through his books and website, I Will Teach You A Language, Olly teaches languages using the StoryLearning® method, a unique method that helps people learn languages faster using the power of story. 

You’ll have the chance to ask Olly questions live, and learn:

📖 How to learn like polyglots do—through stories
🧠 Why stories help our memory of a language
🥊 How Olly would coach you to learn a language from scratch


Subscribe to Preply’s Youtube channel for more live talks.
Explore Olly’s books and resources.
Get 70% off your first 1-on-1 online language lesson with Preply.

🕰️TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Intro
02:10 - Why Olly started ‘I Will Teach You a Language’
03:50 - How to learn a language in 90 days
09:51 - How did Olly discover the StoryLearning method?
14:27 - How to find good reading content
17:16 - Why are stories effective to learn a language?
21:30 - How to make reading more useful
28:00 - The importance of “Tolerance for ambiguity”
32:20 - Why start with pronunciation first
34:00 - Is Harry Potter great language learning material?
36:25 - How Olly overcomes the intermediate plateau
40:05 - What are “language islands?”
41:40 - Can you learn a language while you sleep?
42:05 - Using parallel texts to learn a language
45:05 - Why Olly doesn’t recommend TV as a core method
47:43 - Can you learn multiple languages at the same time?
51:25 - Find out what works for you
52:25 - Outro