5 Ways To Find Relevant Intermediate Language Input

Summary: If you want to find good intermediate input, you first have to identify what’s relevant to you at the moment. Then, you have to 1. find resources that revolve around this kind of topic and 2. find ways to learn from the inside out. In this article, you will learn 5 ways to find great intermediate input.

Learning a language at an intermediate level is tricky.

As a beginner, you have tons of free courses that guide you through the most important steps. And as an advanced learner, your level is good enough to consume native content such as podcasts, TV shows or newspapers.

But for intermediate learners, the resources out there are more sparse. It can be hard to find material that is relevant for you and has just the right level of difficulty.

The Importance of Relevancy

Once you’re past a beginner’s level, you step away from the basic stuff everybody has to learn – such as greetings, basic tenses and so on – and start opening yourself up to broader sources of content.

And that can be overwhelming. Because that’s the moment you move from a small puddle to a whole ocean of things you don’t know. It’s hard to figure out where to start and how to navigate your way through that ocean.

See, you’ll never learn every single word of language. Even in our native language, we all have a different vocabulary, based on our needs and circumstances. So there’s no point in just memorizing everything that crosses our way.

Instead, you need to focus on the words that you use most frequently in your life. That way, you build a solid framework, make more progress and are more likely to stay motivated.

What Living in Ecuador Taught Me About Relevancy

When I was 18, I spent a year in Ecuador. I’d say I had a solid B1 level when I arrived there, so there was a lot of room for improvement.

After a year, my Spanish had become better than my English. Do you believe me when I say that I still remember every single Spanish word I learned when I was living in Ecuador?

It’s true! And there’s a simple reason for that:

I didn’t learn random words. Instead, every new word I learned was attached to a story, to something that happened in my life at that moment, something that was important to me right in that moment.

Actually, I even remember the exact story of each word I learned in Ecuador. For example:

Cuaderno (notebook): I can see myself standing in the classroom of the school I was working at. Realizing that I never want to be a teacher.
Saltar (to jump): This word will forever be attached to that one time I nearly broke my neck when doing swing jumping from a bridge.
Picar (to sting): The countless mosquito bites during the rain season. I literally smell the repellent when thinking about it.
Tender (to hang up): Reminds me of Sunday afternoons in the backyard, doing my laundry by hand, hanging it up to dry and enjoying the simplicity of life.

Everything I learned was important, and every single word I learned evokes a memory.

How Relevancy Changes All The Time

Relevancy changes based on person, moment and circumstances. That’s why, in my opinion, every person has to find their own learning resources.

When I was living at the Pacific coast in Ecuador, I needed to know words like “hamaca” (hammock) or “marea alta/ baja” (ebb and flow) in Spanish. But I didn’t know, for instance, how to say “vacuum cleaner” because we didn’t have one back there.

When learning Serbian or Turkish at my current stage of life, I rather go for content that’s revolving around freelancing, business or spirituality, because that’s what relevant to me right now.

So, How To Find High-Relevancy Input?

Here are 4 ways I find high-relevancy on an intermediate level.

External Input

1. Find Your Niche on Youtube

When I was looking for relevant Turkish language input, I asked myself: What am I interested in right now? What am I talking about when meeting with friends? What would I like to learn more about? One of the topics that’s relevant to my life right now is, for example, building a business and all that comes with it: Finances, personal growth, freelancing, creativity, writing, mental health, building habits and so on. So I wrote “şirket kurmak” (Turkish for “building a business”) into the Youtube search bar, and voilà:

I found a Turkish channel that talks about things like:

7 Life Lessons You Don’t Learn At School
The Power of Habits
11 Passive Income Ideas

These videos contain the exact vocabulary I need for my life right now. They’re not as difficult as, for example, news pages and not as easy as guided language courses.

2. Blogs + My Pro Tip

Stay tuned because this is my #1 Pro tip for language learning!

Find some online news paper, blog or any resource about topics you like, just as you did for the Youtube content: If you’re a freelancer, find something about freelancing. If you’re into spirituality or lifestyle, go for that. Blogs and written content have one huge advantage over videos.

Here’s my Pro tip:

Most websites have a search bar on the top of the page. Once you’ve found a word you would like to memorize, type it into that search bar. The website will now show you every single article that contains this word.

For example: I had just learned the Serbian word “suočiti se” (to face something). I understood what it meant, but I didn’t know how to use it myself. So I typed it into the search bar, and what I got was this:

For example: If I look up the Serbian word “suočiti se” on a blog I’m reading, I’m getting the following results:

Sa kakvim se problemima morate suočiti? = Which problems do you have to face?
Sa čime se sve suočava = What she all faces
Kada se suočite sa izavovom = To deal with a challenge
Kako se suočiti sa prevarom u vezi = How to deal with adultery in a realtionship

Just by seeing this context, I learn that about “suočiti se” can be used as “to face” or “to deal”, and I learned that’s used as a reflexive verb with the instrumental case.

If you want to go the extra mile, write down sentences related to your own life using that word. I guarantee you that you will be able to memorize it.

Learning From The Inside Out

Some weeks ago, I wrote a blog article about Learning From The Inside Out. By this, I mean that you have to take a look at what you naturally gravitate towards, what your’re excited about, and then try to talk about this in your target language. So, instead of relying on external output, take a look inside and find means to express it in another language. Here’s how I do it:

3. Take iTalki Lessons

Talking to a private tutor can be a great way to learn relevant words. That’s especially true if you work with someone who shares the same interests as you, allowing you to really deep-dive into different topics.

But I also found that, by just talking about what’s happening in my life, I’m learning so many new words and structures. When you tell someone about your day, your job, what’s on your mind, you’ll automatically figure out where your pain points and needs are without even making a big effort.

And the best thing: If you don’t know something, your tutor can give you the answer immediately! That way, what you need comes naturally to you.

Pro tip: Always ask your tutor to give you whole sentences and various contexts of a language – especially if a word has a broader meaning or if there are various translations. For example: The Turkish expression “belli olmak” literally translates to “to become/ to be specific/ clear, to decide, to reveal itself”.

There isn’t only one German translation for that word, so I asked my teacher to give me various example sentences, which helped me get a feel for how is word is commonly used.

4. Write A Text Without A Dictionary

Open a word document or a page in your notebook. Think about the topics that are on your mind right now. Choose one of them and and just start writing about it without using a dictionary.

If you don’t know a word, either write around it or leave it blank.

When you’re done, grab a dictionary and look up words you didn’t know or words that are more accurate than the ones you used. Use the my Pro Tip from point 2 to check how those words are used.

Rewrite the text with the new words. That way, you’ll tackle exactly the areas that are most relevant for you. You learn from the inside out.

5. Sign up for Story and Language Lab

I’m currently building my online Spanish community Story and Language Lab, where you’re going to get:

A Language Profile

A plan to define your goals and needs and a roadmap with the steps that will take you there

Learning Material and Smart Tasks

Weekly learning material based on the group’s interests and adapted to different levels. Designed for an immersive learning experience using the power of stories.
Writing and speaking challenges matching the weekly texts and designed to address your vocabulary, grammar and conversation needs

Bonus Material

Bonus: Access to a 200-page grammar hub
A chat function to practice your everyday Spanish

Curios?

Visit Story and Language Lab for more information or sign up here to be the first the be notified once the community launches!