I had to learn a language in 7 days (ft.  

📲 Our Pick Up Limes app is finally here (1-week free trial!): bit.ly/PUL_app 🎉

I so love the honesty here and how openly you shared the whole process. I’m extremely proud of you and what you’ve accomplished!! Geweldig! Haha

Truth of life - No matter what's your age, exam can make you cry like baby.

“At least you’re swearing in Dutch.” That’s a good sign.

I was pleasantly surprised that this video was really about how to learn a language, I totally expected her to advertise a language learning app, given that she is a professional RU-vidr. So thanks for this really great video.

" i love learning , but i don't like being quized on what i learned" -Sadia 2021

Next challenge: make a pick up limes video fully in Dutch!

"At least you're swearing in Dutch." oh Robin, you are so supportive (and your parents!) I am very inspired by seeing you share your process and introducing us to Nathaniel.

When I moved to France, I started going to a French school where no one knew or understood my native language - italian. SO I didn't really have a choice and was totally immersed in it.. In two months time it became my second language and it is just like italian for me now !

I love how raw it is here. In your other videos, you are yourself, but you seem to have almost absolutely everything together. Seeing you struggle and overcoming hardships was motivating, and endearing. You did great Sadia!

Can we appreciate that she never clickbaits us?

I really love how you kept the part of how vulnerable and frustrated you felt before your exams. It truly shows that no one is perfect. And with that said I would like to share my own experience. I'm a Swede, and found love in a frenchman. So I moved down to the French country side where no-one speaks even a word of English. And now 3 years later I am fluent and I got 2 jobs. I didn't go to school or anything but I learned because I had no other choice. I have a friend that is Spanish and a workcolluege that is Turkish that both struggle with talking French and they always asks me how it was possible for me to become fluent so fast because they feel so awkward and insecure when they try to speak. My biggest advice is to accept the fact that you not gonna speak perfectly when you do. You are gonna use the wrong words, the wrong order of words and the wrong pronunciations ALL.THE.TIME. And that is okay, most importantly is too accept it and try to do better next time. People can hear on my accent that I am not French so they already understand if I say something the wrong way, and even if I don't have say something 100% correctly, who cares if they understood what I tried to say? That's the most important thing, if people understood what you wanted to say, then that is all that matters. The details comes later 😊

“The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time.” You got this Sadia!

I really liked that you included the clip where you're crying. Learning a language can be so intimidating and a vulnerable experience

Sadia having a stress breakdown in front of her bf is the most relatable thing on this channel

Awwww, who doesn't want to just give her a hug when she's breaking down at the table?? Being forced to take a test you are not prepared for... it's like all of our nightmares come true, only we get to watch it happen with the relief that it isn't happening to us. So happy to see that this story had a good ending!

This video is so close to my heart. I did my PhD in the Netherlands and we had an Dutch intro class. But as you said, the Dutch are so good in English so I didn't feel too motivated to learn the language apart from being able to talk in the open market. Thanks for bringing us in your journey Sadia.

Nathaniel is so right when he said that your relationships and experiences will be richer for knowing the language. I’m a French teacher and I tell my students that there are certain concepts that are better explained in French than in English. You can connect with the people and their way of living so much better. Congratulations on your achievement!

Your transparency and vulnerability is SO inspiring and encouraging! Thank you for being so open. We are all human.

It makes me birthday is the cutest part😂

The eye roll after molar is such a mood

“If you don’t get out of the box you’ve been raised in, you won’t understand how much bigger the world is.” Do you agree?

Agree “I love learning I don’t like being quizzed on what I’ve learned”

I'm not learning any language, for some reason RU-vid decided to recommend this video... First video from this channel, instant subscriber! You have a great personality.. love it.

"It makes me....birthday 😂🤣 ....sad" too cute 🌸🤭 lol

I was crying when your were crying, laughing when you were laughing and was nervous when you were waiting for your results. Thankyou for being so raw and an inspiration!

It's so weird how we put so much pressure on ourselves even when we're doing an amazing job. Robin was super supportive, you're so blessed.

I knew you could do it Sadia! The fact that you were close to attending med school before shows your high level of intelligence and commitment to learning.

Did not expect to cry at a “learning a language in 7 days” video but here we are 😅 Always love seeing glimpses into your & Robin’s life, Sadia! 🥰

There is a difference between passing a test, and sounding like a native person. And she actually often sounded like a dutch person. So thats quite impressive.

This is so fun to watch when you’re Dutch! Je hebt het heel goed gedaan! Gefeliciteerd! Funny to see what a perfectionist you are. Don’t worry, it’s better to make mistakes then don’t learn anything at all!! 😘

I am 13. I stay in Oman (a Middle Eastern country ). I need to study Arabic. And I have exams in school. It is so tough for me coming from a family in which no one speaks Arabic. Not even friends. I used to have really bad mental breakdowns and used to think only I used to have it. But you including the breakdown part really increased my self-esteem. I have my Arabic Exam in 20 days. I am sure I will do great. Thank you, Sadia! Love Gouri

I had tears in my eyes watching your beautiful journey of learning Dutch. Thanks for sharing the struggle and the happy moments. It gave me a bit of hope for learning Danish. :) And congrats on rocking those exams.

When you're ready, you should try to make an entire PUL video in Dutch. It would be so interesting. Or even a grocery haul video.

this situation sounds like an absolute nightmare come true, Sadia - but super impressive (and not at all surprising) that you did it!! congratulations, and on to the next challenge, right? 😉

This was such a beautiful share. How kind and loving the support you had around you through feeling low. Congratulations 🎉

Love this! Thanks for being so authentic with your process of learning!

I can not express how helpful this is. Sadia crying was literally me on Friday. I’m trying to learn my parents home language (which is Tamil for anyone wondering) and I had a test the next day . I started crying. I just came to the conclusion I was going to fail but there is always next time and I’ll use these tips to hopefully pass 😂.

Congratulations Sadia ! Your story resonates with my parents who immigrated from Kabul and had to learn French. So complicated and a never-ending process, but I’m still super proud of them !!

This was wonderful!!!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing the process! You got this girl!!! You’ll be fluent in no time !

Congratulations! This was a wonderful video. I'm so happy for you and PLEASE continue to immerse yourself in the language.

Oof I started tearing up when Robin’s parents applauded.

The “it makes me… birthday” 😭😂 same. I’m learning a language and you’ve inspired me to keep going because I’m so scared of speaking with people! It’s so stressful not being able to express myself in the language and I don’t want to sound dumb but trying is so much better ❤️

This is so well put together! That really shows expert story telling skills that we don't otherwise see in the usual videos.

So happy to see two favorite bloggers here TT wholesome and beautiful!! love!

My favorite video from PickUp Limes! Im also learning Dutch and gotta say... It's the hardest language I've ever had to learn 😅😅

I just love how supportive your man is.

I loved this - the frustrations, the joy, the culture, the discovery - so wonderful. Congratulations on passing and hope you are immersing yourself more too!

Congratulations, Sadia! Thank you for sharing some insight of what you went through and your honesty. So happy for you and Robin.

What a nice interesting video! When Nathaniel spoke about the importance of speaking and practising, I felt like he hit the nail! Having people around you to whom you can talk to in the language that you are learning is great, I'm so happy for you! I've started learning french but I'm afraid I have no one to talk to yet haha

As a dutch person, I would probably not pass the exam on dutch politics & culture 😂

This is so inspiring! Thank you SINCERELY for showing this vulnerability. I am more impressed than ever. Congratulations!

I love this type of real week in the life style vlog from your channel!!!!

hey I am a English language teacher and I encounter this with my students every day. They want to be and sound perfect and that is not what learning a language is about. I watched a great Ted Talk the other day and I use it to help my students: "English is not an art to be mastered, it is a tool to get a result and it is your tool". This can be applied for learning any language. Don't focus on getting everything right, focus on what you need to achieve and get done. You did awesome and you need to be proud of yourself :)

“who needs this language anyway, every Dutch person speaks English” 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you for sharing such a raw and personal challenge. Congratulations and I am so very happy for you! Way to go!!!

Congrats! I have watched both you and Nathaniel on RU-vid for a couple of years. How fun to learn you are friends!

I'm here to support you all the way through, just wanna say you're SO inspirational 😭❤️

I love how authentic you are in all of your videos, but this one especially! Showing the struggle and all those embarrassing, frustrating moments of learning a language was really ‘real’ - very different from the romanticized language learning videos we are used to seeing. Thank you for this!

The collab I didn’t know I needed!! Big fan of you both! All of your videos are amazing, but this one truly stands on its own, very raw and unique, I love it!

Sending so much love to you, Sadia! I think we all appreciated the vulnerability demonstrated in this video! Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

Picking up Dutch may not be as easy as picking up limes, but as a dutchie myself I really think you did a great job, gefeliciteerd!

I’m feeling this way as well when it comes to Arabic. I feel this is my sign to keep going. Thank you for being so raw and open about your whole process, it’s inspiring and congrats on passing everything.

YES!!!! The exchange is what matters!! I've been learning Chinese for a loooong time (10yrs) and when I let go of how I felt and just focused on being understood/understanding with what I know I was able to communicate with anyone. It would take time but people appreciate the effort and the care it shows when you try to communicate in their language. It opened my world and I can't wait to get back to my second home! This video is so real with those emotions and the highs and lows of language learning...took me back for sure! (Who are we kidding...I'm still there!) I feel like it's a humbling experience that can only add to your life. So amazing the support you had! It makes ALL the difference! Keep up the amazing work!

So inspiring! Thank you for reminding how fun the language learning process is! And you did a great job! It looks like we are the best when the time is short. So, it is matter of will and strength to imitate that it is urgent. I don't know how else to make myself to start learning again really.

As a native Belgian that speaks Dutch (Flemish), I must say that your speaking abilities are AMAZING! I went through the same stages learning British as I moved to Liverpool for an exchange program. I struggled a LOT with the language in the first days, but once I only spoke English during the day, my language proficiency went uphill! As a Dutch and English language teacher, I loved the fact that you made this kind of video. It really shows the importance of a language. Have a lot of fun with learning Dutch, it's a very fun language!

26 years ago when I studied in Germany, most of our German level was that’s of a four year old. Super basic but yet all of us decided to speak in German to eachother ( with the exception of Americans, a guy from Wales and the British that hang out together and only spoke English). All of us with a great mention to our awesome Irish friends, we spoke in German. A version of miming and German: one guy from Malta, one guy from Iceland, a girl from Bulgaria, three Greeks, bunch of Italianus, bunch of Spaniards, one Portuguese, bunch of Hungarians,etc. I cannot imagine living in a country and not learning the culture and language of that country! Glad you are learning Dutch which is from the same root as English so should not be so difficult.

Wow what a journey! Thanks for sharing this! And congratulations!

I'm watching your great videos for years. I'm so happy that you passed all the tests!! I love your personality, your good vibes, and your calm tone.. keep smiling!!!!!

That hit me so hard when she started crying. It happens to me a lot too. I get so frustrated learning new languages and yet I continue. Nathaniel is my legit favorite RU-vidr. So glad to see him here.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader

Of all your videos, I feel like I truly enjoyed this one the most. I loved seeing you as a real person, with real insecurities and struggles. Sometimes it is hard looking at personalities that seem to be so perfect and have it all together. Makes little ppl like me feel even smaller. So thanks for opening up and sharing something so personal. Congratulations on your success.

Great job! Keep immersing yourself. We love your backpack.

An idea for submerging yourself in language: put on the radio (preferably the talk/news radio station) and try to folow. This really helps, because it is so fast. It helped me tremendously in France, when learning to speak (and listen to) french. Good luck, and keep up the work you've already done!

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” ― Leonardo da Vinci “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” ― Aristotle “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” ― Abigail Adams “The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you

THANK you for being so vulnerable. I have always been so embarrassed to learn something in FRONT of others. I love to HAVE learned, but tend to struggle during the learning process. I thought maybe for everyone else it's easier. You had a hard time but pushed through it and I really admire you for not just doing it, but sharing it with your viewers. Thank you!

Thank you. I'll be showing this to my students who move to America knowing little English. It's amazing to see thier growth over 4 years. Congratulations on your daily growth!

The movement when Sadia cry 🥺🥺 !! I also feels like crying 😭😭😭

the german bees say zoom zoom (summ summ) too 😂 you should really keep up the learning, your pronounciation sounds great! even though the dutch speak english so well every language is an investment in yourself, you will notice your personality is a bit different in every language and also you will be able to pick up new languages much faster in the future

What a neat story from a fellow Canadian! Thank you for sharing your journey. I loved hearing Dutch speak and I think there is so much value in learning new languages.

So raw and honest…very refreshing! Congratulations 🎈🎊🎉

I feel for you Sadia. We Canadians do not learn how to speak a second language in a useful way. Too much vocab but never really learning how to build complex sentences. It also makes it more challenging if your love language between your partner is in English. But you're smart and extremely capable. I can't wait to hear you speak more Dutch on the channel :)

I love this video so much! It’s so honest and vulnerable. I’m Dutch myself and the reason I speak English fluently is because I followed bilingual education, meaning I had been speaking English all day through since I was 13, but with close to zero English experience before that. I remember how frustrating that was, how many times I came home crying because I felt like I had spend a day at school learning nothing because I could not understand the language. I remember being at an English website and chatting with people and being mocked at because my grammar wasn’t good enough (I was 14 and Dutch). It felt so demotivating. But now I speak English fluently and even though it’s a little rusty now, grammar wise I hardly make any mistakes (a lot of natives do worse than me). Still it’s not my first language and I make mistakes, you will always hear my Dutch accent, but I can see how much I’ve grown. I think it’s really cool what you’ve been doing and i have a lot of respect for you. Learning Dutch is a lot harder than learning a mainstream language like English. You’re doing great and I hope you keep on practicing to become even better!

That is so amazing! I loved how you shared your story. Thank you. Learning a new language can be so mind boggling. I'm in my 7th month of learning Korean and I don't think I could have past one of those tests. Awesome job!! Love your channel and wish you both all the best.

Gefeliciteerd!!! you did so well and this video is gorgeous. awesome work by you and your support network!

Yay! You did it. I love learning new languages. I just started learning Dutch in Duolingo for the first time like an hour earlier. And now I got the notification of this video. What a coincidence! It's cool to see Nathaniel in your video too. I've watched the videos of him having conversations with his grandmother multiple times and I'm always so impressed.

Really appreciated your vulnerability! I'm currently in the same journey of learning Dutch and this raw and real peek into your journey was really inspiring and gave me a boost of motivation, Thank you!

That’s amazing! Never easy to learn a language, especially under that tight of a deadline!!! Félicitations 🥳

Oh dear Sadia. Watching this beautiful video made ma cry every time you walked out of that building with a smile on your face. I know the exact feeling. I've been living in Australia for the past 10 years and the requirement for each visa application was to sit that language competency test. In English, it's pretty much the same structure; consisting of speaking, reading, writing and listening. Oh boi, it is an understatement to say the test is nerve-wracking! Even tough my English is quite proficient, sitting the test made me feel incompetent. Watching your video made me feel so happy! Knowing that I'm not the only one who felt this way prior the test is comforting! Groeten van Perth, WA!!

This video was so stunning on all levels ❤️ Thanks for the vulnerability, truth and humour, and congratulations!!

I'm very impressed and absolutely happy for you. Congratulations!

Everyone learning a language needs a partner like Robin for sure .. you gays are adorable

Your videos are so inspiring. Your willingness to be genuine and open are so beautiful.

I LOVE these kind of videos, I’m sooo up for this

I’m also learning Dutch living in Amsterdam, I could totally relate to what you were going through- yes it makes me feel stupid not to be able to express what I want and it’s been a very slow process for me to learn this language..but people here are so generous, patient and understanding-With this video, you kicked my bud! Really great you went for it. Thank you for sharing your courage:-)

Your channel is one of the best! Love it! Love your delivery of content

This is beautiful. Thank you so much for your vulnerability and sharing your story! Ga zo door😃💪

I live in The Netherlands now, and I really hope one day randomly running into Sadya. haha, you are wonderful. and your video has just inspired me to do the impossible

Thank you for sharing your vulnerable moments when studying, I just wanted to hug you through the screen to tell you, je doet het geweldig! Gefeliciteerd met het behalen van je inburgeringsexamens!!

Beautiful story. Congratulations on such a big event for you. Thank you for sharing.