Teen Speaks Over 20 Languages

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  • Опубліковано 30 тра 2013
  • Prodigy hyper-polyglot Tim Doner has been teaching himself languages since he was 13. He now speaks nearly 20 languages! Join Tim on a cultural tour of New York unlike any you've ever heard!
    See more of Tim: / polyglotpal
    PRODIGIES is a bi-weekly series showcasing the youngest and brightest as they challenge themselves to reach new heights and the stories behind them.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 782

  • @GuitarHeroSkara
    @GuitarHeroSkara 11 років тому +14016

    I'm 17 and I'm just sitting here eating my oreos.

  • @kuroneko4447
    @kuroneko4447 9 років тому +25273

    you sir are amazing. I'm barely bilingual

  • @ExtremeSupremeX
    @ExtremeSupremeX 11 років тому +15380

    Im kinda jealous

  • @digitsdigitsdigits808
    @digitsdigitsdigits808 11 років тому +3586

    He's no prodigy. He's just dedicated.
    He says it himself.

  • @hauziae
    @hauziae 11 років тому +14506

    they could have coloured most of the map if he speaks spanish

  • @DmitryPilaev
    @DmitryPilaev 10 років тому +16558

    Currently I can speak English (my native language is Russian), German, Mandarin. Studying Swedish and Japanese, soon going to pick up Arabic and Spanish. Thanks for inspiration, Tim!

  • @notti9351
    @notti9351 11 років тому +4838

    Wasn't surprised when I realised he was left-handed too. 4:17

  • @cget
    @cget 11 років тому +4233

    I don't think this kid realizes the type of careers he could get into. . .

  • @badreligion292
    @badreligion292 9 років тому +10005

    I hope this kid grows up to become Daniel from Stargate SG1

  • @JessbecauseKeniam
    @JessbecauseKeniam 10 років тому +7357

    Awesome! i know three languages and was trying to choose between Japanese and Korean maybe i should learn both!

  • @StudioAnnLe
    @StudioAnnLe 11 років тому +3779

    That's fantastic!! I need to learn another language!!

  • @03455146644
    @03455146644 10 років тому +3951

    I speak Pashto, Urdu, Hindi and English. I understand some Arabic and I am learning Spanish. And I am here thinking that I speak a lot of languages!

  • @neoazazello
    @neoazazello 10 років тому +3977

    really inspired meee:) thanks fellow

  • @axelmairtons3095
    @axelmairtons3095 9 років тому +9639

    huh,i didnt know my language (greek) was dead haha :P i guess he means ancient greek but i wouldnt call it dead people never stopped using it the language never died,it just involved we are taught ancient greek at school(kinda) so a lot of greeks can either read or speak ancient greek or they can do both

  • @Mf7d89
    @Mf7d89 11 років тому +10000

    Omg so what if he doesn't know Spanish, he speaks 20 other languages!! He could learn Spanish in a day if he wanted to, relax guys.

  • @Lucasdbv2604
    @Lucasdbv2604 11 років тому +791

    His voice changes depending on the language he's speaking lol

  • @Junhishiryu
    @Junhishiryu 11 років тому +3108

    I can speak five languages: Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, English, Indonesian (and little bit malaysian). Too bad no one supports me and often times I'm just self studying. I only rely on available resources - internet for example. I don't have money to afford formal education about languages. But by the way, this guy is really awesome. If he's going to speak filipino, primarily the tagalog, the grammar has a resemblance with Indonesian and Malaysian so it's not that hard to learn.

  • @kippensaus20
    @kippensaus20 9 років тому +5611

    before i watched this video i read the title, and i was 100% sure he coudn't speak dutch ''yet''. en ja hoor, ik had gelijk ;))

  • @JohnShowalter1
    @JohnShowalter1 11 років тому +167

    What impresses me the most about him is his humility. He is willing to ask anyone for clarification, even during this video. Well done, sir! :D I only have half the languages he does, and I'm much older!

  • @Lexig7197
    @Lexig7197 10 років тому +5369

    I have watched so much anime i have watched over the years and i cant speak Japanese. SMH

  • @Atldoc1
    @Atldoc1 10 років тому +3141

    he should run for secretary of state

  • @Ginjinkun
    @Ginjinkun 9 років тому +7307

    OMG he's watching Psycho-Pass to study Japanese xD
    おいおい、サイコパスじゃないか(笑)
    他在看【心靈判官】學日文啊!
    애니메 PSYCHO-PASS를 보고 일본어를 공부하고 있어요!
    Está vendo o anime PSYCHO-PASS estudar Japonês!
    ...yep that's all I got T_T

  • @user-xm7hu4gp9b
    @user-xm7hu4gp9b 10 років тому +2337

    Thnkr: Prodigies, Restoring hope for the human race.

  • @kathleenmae3362
    @kathleenmae3362 11 років тому +481

    I'm FIlipino but I grew up in HK and I speak English, Tagalog, Cantonese and Mandarin fluently. The fun thing about knowing different languages is that I can think of a phrase in a language and translate it around when I'm doing a composition for school.

  • @Lions4322
    @Lions4322 11 років тому +288

    Being dedicated is a huge part of being a prodigy.

  • @LadyBellaCookiez
    @LadyBellaCookiez 11 років тому +625

    I only know, English, Portuguese, and Spanish. What an amazing 'talent'!! :)

  • @liliheidari564
    @liliheidari564 10 років тому +667

    omg i just know Persian ,Arabic and English. i wanna learn more
    good luck Tim

  • @destinydcp
    @destinydcp 11 років тому +723

    This video is great! It's inspiring. I want to learn Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Shona and ASL :)

  • @DistortedV12
    @DistortedV12 10 років тому +3146

    ummm.....does he have something against the Spanish language?

  • @TheCookiDoctor
    @TheCookiDoctor 11 років тому +470

    I understand the way you learn with TV because that is the way I learned English. I'm from Serbia and I can speak fluid English because when I was a kid Disney Channel and Jetix didn't have serbian subtitles so I had to make myself understand.

  • @IvdW_
    @IvdW_ 11 років тому +667

    Wtf this guy speaks Dutch? I speak Dutch as well and I don't understand the language sometimes. It is awesome that he speaks a language that about twenty million people speak.

  • @ToddShannonmusic
    @ToddShannonmusic 11 років тому +160

    Show me a prodigy that isn't "dedicated". Pure dedication might account for being fluent in 3 languages at age 17...but 20? That is exceptional ability. Don't see how his dedication makes him not exceptional.

  • @golbinnom
    @golbinnom 11 років тому +2553

    oh he didn't learn spanish >

  • @vobiesie
    @vobiesie 11 років тому +541

    this kid is going to work for the CIA

  • @diego777cas
    @diego777cas 11 років тому +402

    I have loved learning languages too, but as I keep getting older and more busy, I can't find time to continue studying :( So far, I know Spanish and English at high levels, but French is getting up there. I know introductory sign language and German. I need to work on those and Arabic as well as begin on Mandarin.

  • @Urstupidumbass
    @Urstupidumbass 11 років тому +55

    This young man is either going to be personal tutor for the most prominent people in the world or a one-of-a-kind translator for the leaders of the world. Very impressive.

  • @esraaa8d
    @esraaa8d 11 років тому +53

    I've got so much respect for this guy.
    I'm a Turkish girl who lives in The Netherlands and I can speak English fluently. So I could help him, but he's to far from here :P. I was learning Japanese, Korean and Arabic (in my own time), but because of college I didn't had the time for it. This guy gives me the feeling to start learning these languages again, and I'm gonna do that :D.
    Thank you Tim :)

  • @MrPantherVII
    @MrPantherVII 11 років тому +46

    i speak english and turkish and i must say his turkish is pretty impressive for someone who speaks an additional 19 languages

  • @demon6937
    @demon6937 11 років тому +366

    this man doesnt need subtitles watching anime dubbed in japanese seriously cool and with games that are exclusive for example in japan where the final fantasy series are in japanese

  • @JunkGathere
    @JunkGathere 11 років тому +59

    In Denmark it's common to speak 2-3 languages fluently and understand even more, but this is damn beautiful. 20 languages... Unbelievable

  • @thedaver8
    @thedaver8 11 років тому +62

    his English is incredible. :)

  • @SPK7777-7
    @SPK7777-7 11 років тому +1

    there was a great point there - learning languages is like learning its cultures -- exactly my point. Good for you and best wishes on new ones!

  • @NatalieAmor
    @NatalieAmor 11 років тому +34

    OMG he is amazing!! It makes me so inspired to keep learning French! I live in Australia and it is very similar to the US in the way that we are only raised learning English. My school never had a full second language course for students, there was one option, but I never really had an interest as a teen. But I'm taking up learning french as a hobby now :-)

  • @Gruess2you
    @Gruess2you 11 років тому +34

    man this guy motivates me even more to learn more languages! thank you!

  • @Giguit
    @Giguit 11 років тому +1375

    But... Greek isn't dead.

  • @mistytinker13
    @mistytinker13 11 років тому +110

    I've been teaching myself Japanese for a while, and I find that what is actually difficult is not learning vocabulary, more the sentence structures and how different they are.

  • @AbdullahhMurad
    @AbdullahhMurad 11 років тому +132

    He can speak my language!!!

  • @JonahGhost
    @JonahGhost 11 років тому +341

    you kick ass tim! 완전 멋저!

  • @BritishGuysAreHot123
    @BritishGuysAreHot123 11 років тому +249

    What no Korean? Hahaha! 20 languages, I can barely speak three! I'm amazed!

  • @demon6937
    @demon6937 11 років тому +205

    he has no problem playing games with many language support

  • @ciprianmarinescu8503
    @ciprianmarinescu8503 11 років тому +2

    I'm really impressed, amazing job!

  • @MarioDoiron
    @MarioDoiron 11 років тому +15

    His french is excellent. Bravo jeune homme, continuez votre beau travail!

  • @nickscan7763
    @nickscan7763 9 років тому +1187

    mantenere apprendimento della lingua italiana di romanticismo

  • @kyokushin0283
    @kyokushin0283 11 років тому +6

    I'm learning English in NE who is from Japan. I respect u so much!! Actually I was thinking about studying other language, but my English is still poor so I just focus the English that's why I gave it up. However I changed mind that I will try some language soon!! Your presence gave me courage. Thank you!
    日本語も頑張ってください!!

  • @AlphaGeminorum1
    @AlphaGeminorum1 11 років тому +116

    Two things immediately stand out about this amazing young man. He's left handed and he speaks English at an extremely rapid rate. This tells me his brain is wired differently than most people's brains.

  • @NickBond007
    @NickBond007 11 років тому +21

    Good job man ;)
    Glad you picked up Farsi!

  • @HeliusSlayer
    @HeliusSlayer 11 років тому +3

    I love Tim. He is awesome. Such a smart dude.

  • @Dragonight4135
    @Dragonight4135 11 років тому +16

    This is just amazing! I admire such talent. I can barely get myself to speak two!
    If you were to learn Spanish, you would cover a lot more of the world, which would be the coolest thing ever. But I understand that he probably learns the languages with the history that he's interested in.

  • @knightryder600
    @knightryder600 11 років тому +1

    Of all the THNKR prodigies, this is the one I envy most!!

  • @myloveforanimerocks
    @myloveforanimerocks 11 років тому +58

    Wow he is amazing! U know what? I'm going to start learning Spanish soon in my junior year and practice some Italian and Japanese at home by myself.

  • @Ponyxlnl
    @Ponyxlnl 11 років тому +4

    Fantastic! This guy is my Hero!

  • @bengkulujambi2012
    @bengkulujambi2012 11 років тому +2

    Holy moly....that was amazing man.....unbelievable....

  • @slocorini
    @slocorini 11 років тому +19

    This is awesome. I've been learning German for about 2 years now in school, but even then I couldn't compare with him in his Hebrew or anything. It's inspirational! I love learning it, though I definitely wish I was better at actually speaking it and communicating vs. just being able to write and read it. But this motivates me to practice speaking it much more! Language learning is so much fun!

  • @rcnacura
    @rcnacura 11 років тому +2

    This is very inspiring!

  • @TeamFilthyz123
    @TeamFilthyz123 11 років тому +4

    He is amazing.

  • @poetryrb
    @poetryrb 11 років тому +35

    This young man is so motivating. I'm living in Korea now and desperate to learn Hangul. I love the quote he mentioned from Nelson Mandela: "When you talk to a man in his second language, you talk to his brain. When you talk to a man in his first language, you speak to his heart." Tim is the kind of president America needs; he'd be someone who can connect with hearts of people all over the world.

  • @adrianagarciapinto3127
    @adrianagarciapinto3127 11 років тому +1430

    He doesn't speak spanish!!???

  • @gabssnake
    @gabssnake 11 років тому +785

    No spanish or portuguese? that's a whole continent with only two languages

  • @lovemypiano111
    @lovemypiano111 11 років тому +3

    I am amazed at the breath of his knowledge, besides studying the language he studies the culture as well. That's the only way to learn anything. Smart, smart kid with a bright future. I hope he becomes a diplomat!

  • @justinreck8440
    @justinreck8440 11 років тому +223

    Wait. Greek isnt dead.

  • @natcary7
    @natcary7 11 років тому +4

    People like Tim can bring the world much closer together, good luck to him!

  • @rstrela
    @rstrela 11 років тому +7

    This guy is amazing

  • @euphony93
    @euphony93 11 років тому +1

    I've been subscribed to his channel for a while. He's pretty amazing

  • @GhilleSasanach
    @GhilleSasanach 11 років тому +2

    I meet and chat with a lot of people around the world thru a few game and social sites. Being a house bound old person..I spend a lot of time on the internet.
    One thing that always amazes me is how folks from so many fantastic foreign countries speak to me in English...and THEN apologise for their "bad english"!!
    To which I respond that I cannot speak anything but English and I am amazed at their hard work and that they had absolutely nothing to apologise for, they were perfectly fine!

  • @_Checkmang
    @_Checkmang 11 років тому +4

    He is truly inspiring.. I'm curious to see how very linguistically diverse he will be in years to come!

  • @pwg0070
    @pwg0070 11 років тому +32

    He would make a great peace maker.

  • @kikme2642
    @kikme2642 10 років тому +486

    I know only english :( and I am learning arabic

  • @sturmkonigin4142
    @sturmkonigin4142 9 років тому +2380

    Pashto is an Indo-European language, not a semitic language, it's insulting that in the thumbnail of this video Pashto is depicted with an arabic alphabet, where actually its original alphabet is similar to those of Punjabi and Hindi. It's a sensitive topic because the indo-european populations of middle eastern countries are being heavily persecuted and forcefully assimilated by muslim-arab regimes, be more aware of that next time.

  • @kennethchan3276
    @kennethchan3276 11 років тому +1

    that's amazing and inspiring!

  • @ALICExMARIAHxROSE
    @ALICExMARIAHxROSE 11 років тому +9

    Wow. ^_^ that's exactly how I feel about learning a language! I took Japanese at school for the last 2 years (I'm 16 now) and this summer I'm learning Romanian. And at school next year I'm taking manadrin Chinese and Russian. (Russian isn't offered at school so I'm learning that on my own) ^_^ I wish someone had told me a lot sooner how FUN it was to learn languages!

  • @sorankurdi
    @sorankurdi 11 років тому +3

    wow that was awesome, this guy is an inspiration to me, i personally speak Kurdish, English and Arabic (in Arabic i'm not fluent), but its only in English i can read and write, in the other two i can only speak it.

  • @299312AA
    @299312AA 11 років тому +23

    I know Polish from my parents, Norwegian because I live in Norway and English from school. I am starting in mini-high after the summer, then I'm going to learn German. I am planning to learn Portugeuse, Spanish and French too so I can travel in Latin-America and such.

  • @march3883
    @march3883 11 років тому +3

    keep working on your goal. don't let others effect your motivation in a bad way. i am studying my second language even though its a bit late for me to do so. but my reward for learning the language is to go visit the country that speak that language and have a fun memorable vacation. ^_^

  • @Stalkie
    @Stalkie 11 років тому +3

    Wow, what a dude, quite cool. I'm trying to learn arabic as I am half palestian, and I am very astonished about his pronounciation in arabic! Wow!

  • @riaoo1518
    @riaoo1518 11 років тому +143

    I used to think it's abnormal that I'm interested in 15+ languages and usually all I do in my free-time is learning languages but now I feel normal again hahah It must be hard to keep all of them at the same level, I tend to forget even easy English words

  • @sabbysky
    @sabbysky 11 років тому +4

    I natively speak finnsh and I learned englsih at a young age, I studied japanese as a hobby and learned it, now I'm 21 and picking SPANISH as a hobby. Spanish seems very easy.
    I whole heartedly agree that new languages open up so many new things about people and cultures that it's more than worth it to learn more and mroe languages. :)

  • @Q8Police777
    @Q8Police777 11 років тому +1

    Amazing. Really mind-blowing.

  • @123admini2r
    @123admini2r 11 років тому +1

    Nice determination. Hope with his language skills and kindness, he would contribute to the development of societies

  • @Hamidnwo
    @Hamidnwo 11 років тому +85

    and of course he is left-handed :)

  • @Zalionn
    @Zalionn 11 років тому +2

    My goal is to learn 4-5. Feeling inspired.

  • @danfelbm
    @danfelbm 11 років тому +6

    tienes razón, algo a tener en cuenta es que formas idiomáticas, no son tantas, si aprendes inglés, muchas formas escandinavas serán similares (alemán por ejemplo) aunque, si él sabe francés e italiano, no le costará aprender español o portugues, de hecho seguramente lo entiende :)
    es por ese motivo que a hispanohablantes se les dificulta lenguas germánicas, y no tanto las romances...

  • @JennuYasha
    @JennuYasha 11 років тому +1

    I minored in Japanese in University but have kind of let it go in the last year or so and this inspired me to keep at it.

  • @nicsedge9400
    @nicsedge9400 11 років тому +3

    Yes, I noticed - he is indeed left-handed like a lot of creatives! What a great young man . . .

  • @martabortas4867
    @martabortas4867 11 років тому +39

    You can try learning croatian on serbian because if you learn one you also learn the former language of ex Yugoslavia.

  • @Tard1s2
    @Tard1s2 11 років тому +85

    this is what i want to do but now i only know English and a little bit of Russian

  • @aliaghamohamadi9911
    @aliaghamohamadi9911 11 років тому +66

    wow amazing you learned Farsi(Persian) as well?
    Really hard language ...

  • @TobiasTEEHEE
    @TobiasTEEHEE 11 років тому +4

    this is amazing - i hope to someday be fluent in mandarin, japanese and my mother tongue, malayalam

  • @lacsonj31
    @lacsonj31 11 років тому +66

    I'm 17 and I can speak seven languages.. I'm getting there!!!!!!! :D

  • @mybuddyrobin
    @mybuddyrobin 11 років тому +1

    Bravo young man! I have spent my life and heart travelling the world learning...welll ...trying to learn as much language as possible...you philosophy on language and culture is identical to mine. Sadly, I didn't know this about myself til mid 20's and now have a bit of damage to my memory section of my brain when I was late 30's. But I do hope to begin learning Ute soon. I am fluently bi-lingual and can get by in 3-4 others and can speak a bit of many many others....maybe 15? Good on ya!

  • @maxxiewong7149
    @maxxiewong7149 11 років тому +6

    Fabulous.I can speak Mandarin,Teochew,Cantonese,English.And now im learning Thai quite well.Next semester, i'll learn Japanese.Then,i'll learn French or Spanish.And,that's enough,i think.I love learning language,i wanna learn many kinds of languages,but I don't think i'll survive if i do so,in my country.Whatever,it's cheerful!