So you’ve taken the 16Personalities quiz (otherwise officially known as MBTI – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test).
You’ve had the ‘this-is-totally-me’ moment, as you’ve combed through your personality profile.
Your love life has flashed before your eyes, your professional relationships nailed on the head, your strengths and weaknesses laid bare for all to see.
And while you’re a little freaked out by the accuracy of your results (I mean, who wouldn’t be?!), you’re also utterly fascinated – and you’re dying to know more.
Well, from the insights gathered by 16Personalities based on the Myers Briggs methodology, we at Busuu have delivered.
We’ve delved into the characteristic traits underpinning each of the 16 personalities to bring you intel on your own learning style.
Because when it comes to activities like learning a new language, it always helps to know how you work best.
Did you know you can learn up to 12 languages with Busuu?
Curated by esteemed experts, our online language courses have been designed to help learners with all different learning styles power through their path to fluency.
With insights gathered from whether you lean towards…
…we can now tell you how to best approach the mammoth task of learning a language.
So what are you waiting for? Dive in to unveil what your 16Personalities quiz results say about your language-learning style.
Click on the links in the coloured boxes to skip to your personality type.
Ahh, Architects: they’re rare and capable jewels. Deep, analytical thinkers, they find it easy to spot patterns, so tend to grasp grammatical structures in record time.
Driven by a fervent desire to become true masters of a language (and avoid slip-ups along the way), they often get caught up in grasping the pernickety details, whether they be irregular verbs, idioms or general exceptions to the rule.
And as to how Architects learn best? Well, they prefer to learn by themselves. Partly because they’re introverted, and prefer to focus without interruptions. But also because they’re perfectionists, so they learn best when they control their own lesson agenda.
While these ‘big picture’ thinkers might crave time alone when trying to get to grips with the finer points of a language, what Logicians really need is to have a conversation with a native speaker.
Because no matter what they tell you, Logicians who withdraw when learning always need a soundboard – someone to help them get out of their own head and put their knowledge to good use.
As to Logicians’ biggest learning strengths? They can spot regularities in a language in their sleep and are willing to try speaking off the cuff. They just have to try and not let their tendency to overthink things stop them from trailing off mid-sentence!
Commanders are full of charisma and confidence – traits that serve them very well when learning a language. They believe no language element – whether it’s something as easy as adding a few extra funny phrases to their vocabulary, or as tricky as understanding the Spanish subjunctive – is impossible to master, provided you have the time, patience and the correct tools at your disposal.
Now, part of that winning ‘correct tools’ formula involves practising with others. Because no commander would ever shy away from the opportunity to try out their skills in a real-life scenario.
Although they must ensure that their high standards don’t hinder their progress: their obsession with correctness makes them afraid to make the mistakes you inevitably make when you’re pushing your skills up a notch.
As with any interesting project, Debaters attack the task of language learning with gusto. Despite preferring not to make mistakes, they enjoy practising their newfound language skills (freestyling, rather than sticking to a scripted roleplay) with others. Ideally, with those whose language level exceeds their own.
They’ll have a natural aptitude for pattern-spotting – so Debaters will breeze through even the trickiest grammar points.
Keeping focus, though, is the biggest challenge they face when trying to learn a language. Their love of challenging conquests means they may take on one too many projects at a time, and struggle to give language learning the due time and attention they’d need to achieve fluency.
Passionate and strong-willed, Advocates devote themselves fully to any commitment they make. So if they’ve set their mind on learning a language, they’ll follow through – especially if their reason for learning involves helping or communicating with people they care about.
And while they have an innate sense for sentence structure and are unafraid of making the odd mistake here and there, they still prefer to spend most of their time studying alone. Not because they don’t enjoy being around others, but because Advocates need downtime to recharge and rehearse dialogue in their head before practising in the company of others.
One last quick word of advice on studying: Advocates should always remember to try not to push themselves too hard. They sometimes need reminding that there are only so many hours in a day to avoid burnout.
These eternal optimists and bountiful givers prefer to keep to their own company when learning a language, or, at a push, in small, intimate groups.
Led by emotions and their desire to do good, in order for Mediators to truly excel in their language learning, they’ll need a strong, altruistic motive.
Once they have that, they’ll devote themselves fully to their learning. They’ll progress quickly, spotting patterns left, right and centre, and will launch straight into conversations, without worrying whether they sound polished or finessed.
As natural-born leaders and ultimate believers in the people, Protagonists like to learn in groups.
Perceptive to the tee, they’ll pick up recurring grammatical structures and verb endings with ease, and don’t mind making a few blunders on their path to fluency.
But their fluctuating self-esteem can sometimes hinder, rather than help. Constantly trying to live up to their own unrealistic ideals, they’ll sometimes fall short of their own expectations – and as a result, will put in a lot of extra hours rehearsing conversations in their head before attempting them in real life.
Armed with big dreams and even bigger ideas, Campaigners who decide to pick up a second language will throw themselves wholeheartedly into their studies.
They’ll surround themselves with people who share their passion for learning said language, and will be on the lookout for clever, innovative ways to learn and bring their group together.
They also don’t care if their attempts at speaking sound silly, which means they’ll happily dive into full-blown conversations with native speakers.
Though, in the long term, Campaigners must remember that language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. With a tendency to crumble under pressure and overthink things, they have to remind themselves that, when it comes to learning a language, slow and steady always wins the race.
You can always count on a Logistician to give their learning efforts their all. Taking great pride in everything they do, they’ll devote their undivided attention to completing every learning exercise and test they can get their hands on.
With such a careful and considered approach, they feel the need to lock themselves in a room to achieve the best results, rather than rely on anyone else for help.
And while their perseverance in grappling with the more testing elements of a language is one of their strong points, in order to make quick progress Logisticians sometimes need to remind themselves to spend less time on details, and more time on understanding the ‘big picture’.
Dedication is every Defender’s middle name – so when it comes to the momentous task of learning a language, this personality group will stick with it until the very end.
Though incredibly social for an introvert, when it comes to studying Defenders will take to a quiet room to practise alone. But if a friend, colleague or family member were ever struggling with their learning and asked to study alongside them, they’d never hesitate to come out of seclusion and lend a hand.
And although they accept they’ll probably make a few mistakes here and there, Defenders need to remember not to take their slip-ups to heart. They’ve just got to dust themselves off and try again.
Executives love anything that follows a set of rules. Order is like music to their ears, so things like learning long lists of vocabulary and reciting verb conjugations will make Executives feel right at home.
Heavily influenced by their love of socialising, they prefer getting to grips with a language in a group setting.
Their only possible barrier to learning is themselves. Executives are overly conscious of what other people think, and so may shy away from engaging in a spontaneous conversation, unless they have a strong idea of what they plan to say.
Often the much-loved head cheerleader or quarterback in their high school days, Consuls need a lot of support and validation from others when trying to learn a new language.
Highly practical and capable, they thrive in groups and have all the tools at their disposal to be great at whatever they set their mind to; they just need to be careful not to get too bogged down by their mistakes.
More than anything, Consuls need to reassure themselves that they won’t be ridiculed or critiqued for taking caution to the wind and giving their new language skills a go.
Problem-solvers with an excellent eye for detail, Virtuosos love sitting down by themselves and picking apart the elements of a language, then piecing them back together. They won’t rest until their understanding and execution of every pernickety detail are immaculate.
They constantly crave excitement and diversity, which means they won’t respond well to being chained to their desk in front of a lack-lustre textbook.
It’s important, therefore, that Virtuosos switch up their routine to satisfy their inventive streak. So that whether they’re experimenting with ways to learn Spanish, French or German, or any other language, for that matter, they don’t get bored and abandon ship.
They’re the first in line to explore paths untrodden, and the last to commit to anything long-term.
Which means that, in the beginning, Adventurers are often very eager to learn a new language, though unwilling to commit to a structured learning schedule.
But provided they allow themselves wiggle room and the freedom to mix things up, their carefree nature will see them making real strides in their learning in no time.
Space to work independently also wouldn’t hurt. That, and the support to reassure them that they’re heading in the right direction.
Entrepreneurs: they’re the life of the party, the apple of their loved ones’ eyes, and the most renowned rule-haters of all time.
They’ll be keen to learn a language, provided they can learn with others and have ample opportunities to be the centre of attention. Highly observant and perceptive, Entrepreneurs will happily lose their inhibitions and try out their newly learned vocabulary or idioms on native speakers.
But it’s normally the bigger, more time-consuming parts of a language, like sentence structure and grammar, that they struggle with. Entrepreneurs find it hard to accept that the path to fluency may not be easy – or short. Their biggest challenge is keeping their impatient self in check so they persevere and achieve a level of fluency they can be proud of.
“All the world’s a stage” – well, it’s certainly true for this personality type. Unlikely to pass up an opportunity to command a room, Entertainers need to be around others to flourish – and progressing in a new language is no exception.
Once in good company, they’re more than happy to try – and potential fail at – speaking in coherent sentences. As long as they gave it their best shot, they’re content.
Though with a morbid hate for repetitive tasks, traditional methods of learning vocabulary or verb endings won’t be entertained (see what we did there?!). Entertainers will have to keep their approach to learning fresh and inventive to stay on track.
Now that you know the theory behind your learning style, are you ready to get started?
