Do you think that active listening is a good way to learn a language?

[Wanda Kaishin]

It sounds like you mean just listening to the language in order to learn

ALG is probably the most famous of the listen only approaches. But the OP repeats sentences, which isn't done with ALG. BTW, I don't like ALG in case anybody is wondering.

[lingualbabe]

I think it can help especially if you want to learn the dictation and pronunciation properly! Of course, with meaning, grammar and such it will be of no huge help. But you can just supplement with other methods of learning for those. The key is to use different methods that work for you. As long as one method works, use that. If it's not enough, just supplement with other resources and methods.

[Rimzi]

I've heard of quite a few people who learned to speak English by watching American television shows. I sometimes watch Spanish speaking shows, because I've always wanted to learn to speak Spanish. I did purchase a CD set to help in learning the language. My plan is to listen to them as I'm driving to work.

[lushlala]

I too know of people who learned a foreign language mainly through watching TV. But I agree, for most people, listening alone isn't enough, you need a bit of a holistic approach. -and yes, I think going with methods that work best for you is a good way of learning. It's great that these days the advent of modern technology means we've got so many different options available to us. 

[esennyhc]

I can see the merits of active listening as a child, although I'm not too sure about learning multiple languages at once. I have a few friends here in the Philippines who grew up in Chinese-Filipino households that put emphasis on learning good English. So they learned Filipino because it's the native language of the country, and they learned English because it's how they were taught in school and at home. However, they weren't expected to learn to speak Chinese, so while they do understand the language while being spoken to, they never learned how to construct their own sentences and speak it for themselves.

[LCastellano]

Definitely. Actively listening to a language being spoken gives you a general idea of how they're actually spoken outside of the classroom or wherever it is you're learning it. 

[JasleenKaur]

It sounds like you mean just listening to the language in order to learn it. Like hearing people speak it or trying to learn it from a television show. This could be very difficult depending on the language and I wouldn't recommend learning that way. It might be easier for young children to pick up on stuff like that when they don't know anything else. However, if you're already fluent in a language and trying to learn a new one, things could get too confusing or take too much time.

I agree with you!

[hungary93]

Oh, yes. Active listening is everything, first of all as others said before me this is how you learn your native language. After a while you could try active reading, it really helps your brain, but its more like a delayed knowledge.

[mmegs00]

Yes, active listening is very important when you are learning a new language, especially when you are engaging with your new language. I feel that it helps us better understand what our minds are trying to digest. When I take a passive listening approach to learning a new language I feel that I don't get as much out of the learning experience. This is a great way to better help you understand. Excellent work, keep it up! 

[Wanda Kaishin]

I realize most people will probably ignore this post, but I just wanted to point out the OP's definition of "active listening" isn't what most of the recent posters think it is. Please read the first post to understand what I mean.

[jesolis]

Hello, my name is Jorge Solis and I speak three languages. My maternal language is Spanish, then I learned French after living in Paris for 3 months. Now, I also speak English. I can guarantee you that the fastest way to learn any language is through active listening. This is our natural method of learning; we developed this unique, natural method as toddlers, when we learned our first words.

[Lingua Franca]

Not so long ago, they used to promote learning in your sleep. It was very common, I never tried it and never did met anyone that did either, but it went along the same principle that you mentioned. While you were sleeping, you would put on some headphones and certain phrases were repeated over and over, your subconscious brain would pick these phrases up and you would learn the language. I never did find out if it worked.

[Wanda Kaishin]

Not so long ago, they used to promote learning in your sleep. It was very common, I never tried it and never did met anyone that did either, but it went along the same principle that you mentioned. While you were sleeping, you would put on some headphones and certain phrases were repeated over and over, your subconscious brain would pick these phrases up and you would learn the language. I never did find out if it worked.

As you might have expected, it doesn't. It just interferes with your sleep cycle.

[宇崎ちゃん]

Learning through active listening is as important to understand a spoken language, as learning through active reading is to understanding a written language.
Even if you learn a language for years and you still didn't listen to the language (or just a bit), you may notice that when you finally got to speak with a native speaker, he or she may speak way too fast for you.

It's no secret that when I started listening to English reviews, everything sounded like "skhdiujkasghbndfikjdnfjik" to me (even though I could even write English with proper grammar), but it all made sense over time as I continuously listened to new reviews and repeated the older reviews.
But it's not listening in the sense of "let that arsehole talk, I don't understand any way", but instead I tried to pick out all the words and/or sentences until no "sdjksjd"'s were left.

[mooray]

I think active listening is the best way to learn a new language. That is what works for me plus it really helps with pronunciation. At first, it may seem difficult but it gets better with time.