Snap Language

SUMMER 2025

  Listen to the newsletter as you read along.

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Welcome

Hello! Welcome to the Snap Language newsletter. With its long days and hot weather, summer is a great time to enjoy improving your language skills in English.

Find out what we have in store this season on our channels and website. Let’s make this summer your best learning season!

Sneak Peak & Announcements

In each episode, I talk about language language learning, culture, grammar, vocabulary, and much more.

As the channel grows and starts receiving financial help from viewers, there will also be interviews, games, and extended lessons to help English-language learners improve faster and more easily. Your support and engagement will determine what comes next.

New Lessons and Videos

I’m also working on new ESL vocabulary lessons on the Snap Language Learner channel. These lessons will focus on vocabulary that pops up all the time in everyday English, including phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions (like “get your foot in the door” and “put it over the top”), and useful everyday English vocabulary. Limited vocabulary is a major cause of poor fluency, so watch for these videos and materials on the channel and website.

Get ready for a fun way to learn! I’ve been working on “gamified” ESL grammar and vocabulary videos where you can test yourself and learn new words and grammar rules through short games. These videos are great for reinforcing what you already know and learning something new.

I’m excited about everything coming this summer and hope you are too. Stay tuned and keep learning with Snap Language!

Video and Podcast Spotlight

In episode 3, Why you are not fluent..., I talk about the “socio-cultural bubble.” This happens when language learners stay inside their own language and cultural groups even though they live where their target language is spoken. This “socio-cultural bubble” makes it hard to improve your skills in the new language.

Then in episode 4, 5 steps to break through the bubble and…, I discuss five steps to help you start using your target language more effectively in your daily life. These steps help you connect with your interests, join the language community in the host country, and still stay close to your own culture and language. As a result, your skills grow much more quickly and naturally.

If you haven’t watched or listened to these episodes yet, check them out and share them with others who are learning a second language.

Snap Language

There have been no “Word of the Week” videos lately, but they will be back. I enjoy making them, but they take a long time to produce. The main problem is to balance a job with a guaranteed paycheck and producing videos whose financial success depends on the support from viewers. (Definitely see “Our Community” below for an update about that.)

Our Community

After doing a lot of research, I chose to go with Ko-fi rather than YouTube memberships. You can now become a member at three tiers: Supporter, Learner, and Patron. Each tier has different perks, but everyone gets something in return for supporting my work.

  Check out ko-fi.com/snap and see “Memberships.” Supporters can also send one-time tips at any value they choose.

Your financial is crucial and greatly appreciated! If you can, please help me get the word out. Let your circle of friends know about Snap Language, Snap Language Learner, and the membership program.

Learner’s Corner | Tips and Updates

Yes, that’s easier said than done, especially at the basic level; however, you must start practicing that skill as soon as possible. The more you practice it, the easier it gets. For example, say to yourself, “I’m going to the store,” “It’s a sunny day,” or “I’m going to have chicken for dinner.” But what if you don’t know how to say “chicken” in your target language? Well, now you know to look it up.

This seems like a “basic” action and it may feel strange at first, but doing it repeatedly will help your brain get used to the language. With practice, thinking in the target language will feel more natural over time, and you’ll speak faster and more confidently.

Teacher’s Corner

In class, I get them to explain what they learned, which is a powerful way to learn as having to explain something forces you to understand it properly. Sometimes I also have them “teach the lesson to the class.”

I print the PDFs that are part of most lessons with practice, and students work in small groups to complete the exercise. (Note that exercises have answer keys on the last page, so remove them if you don’t want them in handouts.)

Season’s Challenge

This forces you to interact with the language daily, making it a natural part of your routine. You will learn new words related to technology, social media, and your daily tasks.

It is going to be uncomfortable at first. If it gets too difficult, set one or two devices first; set the other ones as you get used to it. Once you start, resist the temptation to set your devices back to your native language. You need to give yourself time.

Challenge yourself. Set your devices to your target language and see how you feel about it after a while. You might be surprised (and have better vocabulary) by the end of the summer.

😎 Thank you! – Marc Franco