It’s not easy to motivate students so I often use computers and the Internet. They like it and this way of learning makes them more active.

I think English should import the Swedish verb ‘fika’, which means (approximately) ‘to have a social coffee break’. English and American workplaces would be much better if we fika’d every day.

Read newspaper articles everyday and watch films as often as you can – regularity is key when learning a language.

Without doubt my number one tip is to maximize exposure to the language.

Be proactive: learn to criticise and correct yourself; imitate people like an excited parrot until people start complementing you on your pronunciation and writing.

To really learn a language as an adult, you either need a whole lot of determination and discipline, or a plane ticket to the land where your target language is spoken.

My favorite word of all times is the Brazilian Portuguese word ‘saudade’. I can still remember how long it took for our professor to explain its meaning…

I think it is marvelous to have different languages, different cultures with different perspectives in the world…

If you want to—seriously—learn a language, keep the learning switch on… at all times.

…what is the sexiest accent and what is the reason for it? French, without the shadow of a doubt. I can’t think of a rational explanation, I just love the way it sounds…