Gabriel Wyner speaks five languages fluently. He didn't learn them as a child, pick them up in high school, or major in them in college--he learned them in the last several years, mostly working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources. Gabe, like most Americans, had studied a foreign language in high school and retained nothing. He realized two things- first, the way most of us learn languages is ineffective, and second, if language is studied properly, learning it can be easy. Anyone can do it--if they know how. Exploring the science of learning and memory, he shows how to make memories more memorable, why timing is everything, how to tap into your inner grammar genius, how patterns "lock in" knowledge, and why, when it comes to learning words, the right pictures make all the difference.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER .For anyone who wants to learn a foreign language, this is the method that will finally make the words stick.

"A brilliant and thoroughly modern guide to learning new languages."-Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of theNew York TimesbestsellerGuitar Zero

At thirty years old, Gabriel Wyner speaks six languages fluently. He didn't learn them in school-who does? Rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources-and here he wants to show others what he's discovered.

Starting with pronunciation, you'll learn how to rewire your ears and turn foreign sounds into familiar sounds. You'll retrain your tongue to produce those sounds accurately, using tricks from opera singers and actors. Next, you'll begin to tackle words, and connect sounds and spellings to imagery rather than translations, which will enable you to think in a foreign language. And with the help of sophisticated spaced-repetition techniques, you'll be able to memorize hundreds of words a month in minutes every day.

This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day.