Hello-Hola-Hallo-Salut-Ciao-Привет-Привіт!!!

If you want to become a polyglot OR learn any language, read this article :)

Besides, you'll find out about: 1) How my girlfriend unexpectedly dumped me. 2) How the depression helped me to become a polyglot. 3) Why I dropped out of the university in the middle of the last year! Let's get it started!

1. Who the F*** is Andrew.Polyglot?

Hi again! My name is Andrí, but you can call me Andrew! I'm from Ukraine & I speak 6.5 languages :) Why 6.5?.. You'll get the answer later ;) In this article, I'll tell you my story. 4 crazy years in 10 short chapters. I hope it's gonna inspire you to learn new languages & travel more ;) ![IMG_3811.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWq1fPFXsq8gVWJbRxTpMxBX5cNq38wYbXbKZPZb4aQ2B/IMG_3811.JPG) And if you opened that article because it says, "Sex of the Polyglot", then keep on reading! We'll talk about sex too ;) But let me ask YOU something first.

Have you ever wanted to be a polyglot? You know, speak many languages?

I haven't. I always thought it was impossible! ![2014_02_Puzzle.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmR3b1GkGEQG2Y66k5ymHqabFwA17BRm6QrN7ooiU7ywX5/2014_02_Puzzle.jpg) I thought, "Well, maybe you can become a polyglot if you're super-talented OR if you get hit by a lightning :D"

However, I have learned 3.5 new languages in just 1 year. From scratch.

How?! And why "3.5"??!! I'll explain :)

2. How come I speak 6.5 languages?

During 2017 I was learning & practicing: 1)Italian 2)Spanish 3)French 4)German You might say,

"But that's 4!"

And you'll be almost right :) Nevertheless, as you might know, Italian & Spanish are sister-languages! The thing is, I was learning Italian for 2 months, then stopped & started with Spanish. Now, after 10 months I'm fluent in Spanish, plus I speak ITAÑOL (ITAliano + espaÑOL). That makes up 1.5 languages 😀

Everything starts with English

So: Ukrainian + Russian + English + French + German + Spanish + Itañol = 6.5 languages. However, it hasn't always been like that. In 2014 I used to not speak any foreign languages whatsoever... Not even English! In fact, I used to hate English with its notorious 16 tenses & all the grammar!!!!!

Like most of us, at school, I was bad at languages. So I thought I just "had no talent".

After 10 years of the notorious "Ukrainian school English" I was terrified by the scary English grammar, I didn't know many words and MOST IMPORTANTLY: I was afraid to even try to speak to another human being in English!!!

But it all changed in one moment!

The moment I revealed The Golden Rule. ![2015_08_LosAngeles.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcKQEDvFo2tDdD2oxubm3kwDUqqGaTm6fdVoT3cMTXhY9/2015_08_LosAngeles.jpg) The Golden Rule is a simple truth. In fact, you already know it. We all know it.

3. The GOLDEN RULE & how I finally learned English

Here it is. The Golden Rule,

"If you want to speak like a native speaker, LEARN LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER!"

Anyway, my next article will be 100% about The Golden Rule for LEARNING ANY LANGUAGE! And if you're interested in learning foreign languages, I'll write a detailed practical guide to The Golden Rule :)

However, let’s get back to the incredible story of Andrew.Polyglot and his sex 😉

From my experience, successful learning of any language consists of just two steps: 1) WHY? (Motivation) 2) HOW? (Method) That's why language learning at school is usually fruitless. 1. We don't know have enough reasons "WHY?". 2. We are given a shitty "HOW?": lots of grammar & boring books. My journey of finally learning English also started with a big "WHY?".

Step 1. WHY?

It all started when I entered the university. I come from a humble family. So I chose "Software Engineering" (i.e. programming) hoping to make good money in the future. And I didn't know ANYTHING about programming! The only thing I knew for sure is that

You can't be a good programmer if you don't speak English.

So I started looking for a way to finally learn English. Books, articles, videos... I was trying everything! But nothing seemed to work... Until I came across a YouTube video, where The Golden Rule was revealed to me! In its most simple & practical form,

"If you wanna learn English fast, just watch series in English”

And so I did. No more books. Only series. ![BURNING.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmY73WxXSerauyJ9DE78WzThmcTTrTSBjwst7F496GKRiU/BURNING.png) I started watching "Modern Family", "Friends" & "Desperate Housewives" (yeah, I know the "Desperate Housewives" a bit girly :D)

3-5 episodes every day!

That’s the beauty of watching your favorite series in the original language! It’s both effective AND pleasurable -> addictive 😀

In 6 months of intense "work", I was fluent in English.

I began freelancing, collaborating with clients all over the world & making $500/month. (really good money for Ukraine, considering that the minimum wage was $50 at that time)

English is the language of opportunities!

And I kept learning English every day: 1. Watching series & YouTube videos. 2. Listening to podcasts. 3. Communicating with my clients.

Thanks to the fluent level of English I got an opportunity to fly to America!

Being 19 y.o., I had never been outside of Ukraine. Honestly, I knew nothing about traveling. I hadn't even visited Kiev (our capital) at that time!!!

So in 6 more months, I went to the United States.

![2015_08_SF.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNpLruy5mCQnKj7CaCPWfLzyR475TSo25BPsvHUyoJjgM/2015_08_SF.jpg)

4. The US & how I got dumped: [Ups & Downs]

I come from a humble family, so I invested my trip 100% by myself. I was able to see the United States thanks to the money I made by freelancing. And again, all that thanks to the English language! I participated in a student cultural exchange program (from May to September), where I first had to work hard in a kitchen for 10 weeks [65+ hours a week] And then I had 6 more weeks in the US to do whatever I want (i.e. TRAVEL!) 😉 "10 weeks of HARD WORK for 6 weeks of CRAZY TRAVEL? Totally worth it!!!" Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Niagara Falls... Incredible experiences! ![2015_09_NewYork.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbBtN9gxg3MZrmk3BrDaFWR3wYaSTyxMrerV2gdE4pXnG/2015_09_NewYork.jpg) However, when I came back to Ukraine, my girlfriend broke up with me. After almost 3 years together... At first, I thought I also wanted to break up. And I seemed to be doing great!

Finally FREE!!!

But you know, it's always like that in the beginning :)

Then the depression came & I started feeling like shit.

Thanks to that dark period in my life, I began trying new things. English speaking clubs, Gym, Translating articles, New haircut, Bunjee jumping, Learning German, Boxing, Mountaineering…

>>>I started LIVING!

![2015_09_NewThings.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbZWu5NVpeD75nKnHWVmkFw5ryEAujNtWpn5ckBRwuiKQ/2015_09_NewThings.jpg) As a result, thanks to the English Speaking clubs & my new online jobs (Translating, writing articles & transcription in English) I realized a simple truth,

"I like programming. But I LOVE ENGLISH!"

That's how in the middle of the 3rd year I decided to drop out of the university 😉

But I didn't do it. Not at that time. However, I did stop studying. In fact, I didn't attend almost any classes :) Instead, I was working a lot and learning English every day. Besides, I started investing in offline English courses :)

5. How I decided to become a polyglot

By the end of the 3rd year of the university, I wasn't programming & was only doing things directly related to the English language.

I was a programmer who’s not programming at all...

Instead, I was 1) Working with Microsoft on an English transcription project. +Creating articles about IT in English. 2) Making $1200-$1800 a month online. 3) Location independent.

So I went on my first trip to Europe: 7 days in Poland & Hungary :)

None of my friends "had free time", so in April 2016 I embarked on my first solo trip! Having visited Krakow & Budapest, I met lots of great people & for the first time after coming back from the US I enjoyed a bunch of interesting conversations in English. ![2016_04_1stTrip.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWo8H9xYXmas2a3PJdGHoS4PNfexUxsAZXQ69ZCL7yojM/2016_04_1stTrip.jpg)

By the way, that's where I also got inspired to become a polyglot!

This legendary story includes: 1) One tipsy Hungarian polyglot who spoke no English (only Hungarian, German, Spanish & Italian) 2) One heavy bicycle 3) One soon-to-depart train. (+ One beer he bought me for helping him get to the train station) ![2016_04_PolyglotDream.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWgSffH6dcuXtgo8d71jrSNqvKvtdnARH3rBkuPwJzmBQ/2016_04_PolyglotDream.jpg)

Long story short: the tipsy polyglot needed some help in getting to the train station.

I had a map. He couldn't go by subway with the "SHITTY BICYCLE!" (his own words in German). I helped him & while walking we shared some interesting conversations. One minute before the departure he literally threw his bicycle into the train, then jumped in & the train went off :D At that time I knew some German (school leftovers) & a few phrases in Spanish (after working with some cool Latinos in the US). So we communicated in those 2 languages + gestures :D ![2016_04_Polyglot.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVGtf6VWZygMsgQLp1fgpHp9iA28wLnTXkmpE1niyCjn9/2016_04_Polyglot.jpg) It may sound weird, but this experience made a huge impact on my life! It showed me that Languages let you have incredible experiences, which you can only get by knowing a language! My first solo trip brought: 1) Amazing people 2) Incredible experiences 3) The Polyglot Revelation! However...

All good things come to an end

So after I came back home I discovered that although my traveling & working lives were great, my university teachers still wanted me to visit classes & pass exams :D To sum it all up, I was: 1) Not studying. Not programming. 2) Working a lot. 3) Traveling.

As a result, my situation at the university got SO MESSED UP that I almost dropped out

But that year — the 3rd year — I wasn’t determined enough to drop out of the university... So the pressure of my parents, friends & teachers made me stay & somehow pass the exams. I did finish the 3rd year at the university, even though I had to sacrifice a lot. 1. I was barely getting any sleep. 2. I didn’t have time to work & wasn't making any money. 3. I was feeling like shit. So I passed all the exams & went traveling. However, I didn't "learn from my mistakes".

My 4th year was even more extreme :)

1) I focused on my new business (Outsourcing the Microsoft transcription to my Ukrainian coworkers). 2) I invested more money in learning (an English course & a business coaching). 3) I started traveling more & working less. ![2017_04_FREE_From_Politekh.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmU62MCe76xpo2zFPYxVr2KU69t8LyULpdVfCF6Jz1XH4B/2017_04_FREE_From_Politekh.jpg) Long story short: I did drop out of the university in March 2017 — in the middle of the last (the 4th year). Why? Quoting The Bible: "Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven"

6. Why did I drop out in the middle of the last year?!

I get this question A LOT! The answer is simple,

"I had no reasons to stay there"

At that time I had been working in English transcription for 14 months!

And I practically hadn’t programmed anything for 1 year! However, I was still “studying to be a programmer”…
WHY?!

![2017_04_SadFace.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmctWpcXyFHoe8AC599APhHBpkMUBxv23ZLjTA7MHPaK9Y/2017_04_SadFace.png) "Why do I need the programming degree if I don’t program & I have no intention to learn, grow & become a professional in that sphere?!” And then it hit me! In March 2017 I finally understood that

I ALREADY GOT ALL I NEEDED FROM THE UNIVERSITY!!!

1. Fluent level of English 2. A trip to the US 3. New experiences: 1. Living apart from my parents 2. Studying at a university for free 3. New friends & a “Student's life”!

The university was draining my energy & only TAKING instead of GIVING!

I felt that even at my 3rd year! And despite the “loving advice” of my parents, friends & everyone who has a degree, I made the decision.

I wanted to stop the vicious circle!

So on March 21st, 2017 I stopped wasting my time on going to the university & trying to pass exams. Instead, I focused on making money & fulfilling my dreams. And you know what?

April 2017 became the most profitable month of my life!

Despite the fact that me & my friend Uli had a week-long trip to Barcelona :) ![2017_04_BarcelonaCanvaNEW.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmW9FpwZJDuq2J8UJaiHU2ekg5CHhLbcQB9SJxQhVfLnaw/2017_04_BarcelonaCanvaNEW.jpg)

7. The power of FOCUS

I believe in FOCUS. That's why after I finally got rid of the university & set up the business to be as automatic as possible,

I FOCUSED 100% of my attention on my passion: ON LANGUAGES.

1. English (My dream was to help people to learn English & get new experiences) 2. Spanish (The first foreign language I learned by myself) I was only starting with this beautiful language & my speaking sucked. So I started taking Spanish classes on italki.com with native speakers.

I got very passionate about the Latin American culture!

I was so eager to discover it! Meeting more great people, traveling to many amazing places! That's why I FOCUSSED on learning Spanish.

9 months later…

Nope. I didn’t become a father 😀 9 months later I was LIVING my dream:

Celebrating the New 2018th Year’s eve in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Speaking fluent Spanish with lots of open, warmhearted Latino friends :) Plus, communicating in English, German & singing songs in Ukrainian 😉 ![2018_01_FelizAñoNuevo.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbvm1U4DcRFq6oMqS5XbAbVi2WyGmo3R1NrttoFETKYQ6/2018_01_FelizAn%CC%83oNuevo.jpg) I believe that every NEW year should be BETTER than the previous one The year of 2017 was the craziest & the best in my life (And I hope in yours too!) Now I’m sure that 2018 is gonna be WAY better for all of us! 😉

8. How to become a polyglot?

Let me give you a 100% proven algorithm: 1) Learn English. 2) Learn your next language. 3) Repeat step 2 as many times as you want :) That's what I did. As well as lots of my polyglot friends! AND IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM!!!!

9. How to learn any language?

Now let's go to more practical step-by-step advice ;) Let me share how I learned 3.5 languages in 1 year. All I did was following a simple algorithm. Three simple steps: 1) You can! [Anyyone, at any age, can learn any language!] And if you say you have no talent, that's not true!!

Yes, you can!

You have already learned your mother tongue! And you're 100% fluent in it!!! 2) Set a GOAL. Hard cold math. Numbers & deadlines. Of course, your goal should also fire you up!! It should be something exciting, something you're looking forward to!

For example, "I want to learn Chinese to the B2 level by August 2018 in order to go see the Great Wall, Shanghai & discover the unique Chinese culture.

3) LIVE the language instead of learning it! Remember how you learned your mother tongue when you were a kid? Did you learn grammar rules? Did you do lots of exercises? Did you read BEFORE speaking?!

As a kid you were learning in a fun way! Watching cartoons, playing with your parents & reading fun little books!

So why not just repeat your successful experience?!

How to LIVE a language?

![Captura de pantalla 2018-01-12 a las 12.15.56.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmc2ErPdXjspYAJS31Bse2226VCDfNECWZ2wb9UiTtfPsj/Captura%20de%20pantalla%202018-01-12%20a%20las%2012.15.56.png) As I always say to the students of my English course in Ukraine, "Отримуйте КАЙФ. Задоволення гарантує Постійність" Which translates to,

"Get PLEASURE. It guarantees Consistency."

And as you might now, "Consistency is KING". It beats everything. It's the most important factor in learning anything! Now, let me give you some practical advice on how to LIVE a language: 1) Watch your favorite series in the language you're learning. 2) Listen to the music, audio-books & podcasts. 3) Watch movies & YouTube. 4) Read interesting books, articles. 5) Switch your phone & computer to the language you're learning. I recommend you not waiting & doing the step 5 right now. If you really want to learn the language, of course. ![nike_justdoit_00.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVXxHLJ9mhS8txY2SQf1Ruxkz52XceHFefisnUJAYMf9b/nike_justdoit_00.jpg)

10. Conclusion

Finally getting to the SEX part ;) So...what can I tell you about my sex?! ... ... ... ... ... ... Well, that's obvious! I'm a man. So my sex is male :)

In English "sex" also means "gender" ;)

If you're not an English native speaker, I hope you learned a new word today :) And if you haven't, hopefully, the article was interesting, entertaining & useful for you. P. S. Let's pick the next topic together! Please, write down in the comments, which topic would be more interesting for you: 1) The Golden Rule: How to LEARN ANY LANGUAGE? (A much more detailed practical guide) 2) 6 ways to practice a language every day. 3) How to get rid of your accent in English? Looking forward to chatting with you in the comments! See you in the next article ;)