To pick up - or to, what we would say, "acquire" - a language, to really know a language, you have to understand the language.
To pick up a language, all you really need to do is understand the language you are listening to or reading.
If you can't understand it, you can't learn it - or we would say, you can't "acquire" it.
Of course. you can't acquire a language unless you understand it. But it isn't really obvious at all.
In fact. I think that for many people. they spend their whole lives not understanding this basic idea.
Many people spend years trying to improve their English, and they do all sorts of things.
> their study grammer, they memorize vocabulary, they make lists, they make flash cards - little pieces of paper to try to memorize a word - they try to repeat everything they hear or everything they read, they tak tests, they give themselves quizzes, they take examinations - they do all of these things thinking that these things will help them improve their English.
What I'm telling you tody is that none of these things are necessary.
In fact, some of these things might actually make your English worse.
The only things you have to do to improve your English is find things you can mostly understand in English and then read or listen to them.
Your brain will acquire, or pick up, all of that English you don't know, automatically.
ESLPod Guides learning note.