The Lingoda Language Sprint is a motivating challenge for Lingoda’s students. To be in with a chance of winning the refund, you have to show determination, consistency and, above all, drive! We met with one of our English students, Claudia, a native German speaker, to discuss why she chose Lingoda and how online learning is helping her get confident in English.
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Why should you learn English?
At the beginning of 2019 I decided to improve my English because I hadn’t studied the language for over 15 years and it had somehow fallen asleep in my brain. Why am I learning English? Well, English is very important for my job and also my biggest hobby, travelling.
When I first started looking into learning English, I thought I wanted to go to a local language school once a week. However, due to my job, it wouldn’t have been possible to attend regularly, so I decided to start an online course from a popular online distance learning academy for 9 months. It was quite good but it was expensive. I found that with this school, I still had problems with my speaking confidence and thinking too long about the words I wanted to say. My fluency was terrible and it didn’t improve because there weren’t any speaking tasks or lessons during the course.
Finding Lingoda
At the end of 2019, I found by chance an online advert about Lingoda and the Language Sprint.
That was the first time that I heard about an online language school and I was fascinated by the opportunity to speak and learn with native-level teachers. It was also great that I could have lessons from home at flexible times.
I read all the information about the Language Sprint and it was soon clear to me that I definitely wanted to do this! I completed the Lingoda placement test to see which level I should start at. I came out as a B2 level and, after a few lessons, I realised it was absolutely the right level for me!
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Starting the Lingoda Language Sprint
I started the Language Sprint on January the 7th 2020. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous, I didn’t know if I was prepared enough for my first lesson and was afraid I would understand everything the teacher and the other students were saying. After the lesson, I was really happy because the teacher was very lovely and so were the other students. I understood everything and we had a good conversation. After only a few classes, I lost my anxiety to speak and to make mistakes. I realized that it’s totally okay to make mistakes when learning a foreign language. It’s normal!
The Lingoda teachers
What I like about Lingoda is that all of the teachers are native-level speakers from all over the world. It’s so interesting to talk about where they come from, what they do in their lives, and they all have good advice for the students about how to improve their language skills.
What I like the most is that they only speak the target language with you, it’s not possible that something will “accidentally” be described in your native language like it is often the case in local schools. It’s also good to meet students from all over the world, so you will easily learn to understand different accents.
What are Lingoda’s classes like?
When it came to planning when to take my classes, it was very flexible because they are available 24/7! I chose the days I wanted to do a lesson in advance and marked them in my calendar. I made sure that after receiving the 15 lesson credits each month I booked all my classes. Each class lasts 60 minutes and afterwards you have the opportunity to complete a small quiz about the lesson or do some related review exercises.
As I mentioned, my learning level is currently B2. Lingoda have divided it into 3 different parts: B2.1, B2.2 and B2.3. Each level contains 50 lessons and after 45 lessons on each sub-level you receive a certificate.
I finished the Language Sprint on April the 5th 2020. I decided to continue learning with Lingoda because the topics are very varied and I’ve learned lots of interesting things and words I have never heard before.
My English speaking confidence and fluency have improved a lot in this short time!
My Lingoda Language Sprint top tips
- If you want to do the Language Sprint or Super Sprint it is important for you to read the Language Sprint/Super Sprint rules very carefully to avoid any mistakes!
- I also recommend to read the lesson material of each lesson in advance and make notes so you are well prepared. It’s not a must to read it in advance but it definitely trains your memory and you will learn and retain more.
- Simply ask the teacher if there is anything you are not sure about or you didn’t understand.
Learning with Lingoda is fantastic! I can recommend it to everyone who wants to improve and or learn a new language. I only wish I had found the platform sooner!
