Download podcasts or tune in to radio stations in your new language. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the language while you’re on the go. Not only does this help with your listening comprehension, it also allows you to hear the correct pronunciation of common words and phrases. Listen to songs in that language. Try to learn the lyrics, then check what they mean. That way, if you hear it again, you can tell what the conversation is about at that point.
You should also try to write a few simple things in your new language—whether it’s a pretend postcard or a shopping list. Change your language settings on all your electronic devices so that you can pick up words you know already in English but not in the new language.
For example you can learn phrases like: Hello, Goodbye, How are you?, I’m doing well, What is your name?, My name is… , and so on.
Picking out the most common 100 words in a given language is a clever way to start. From there, you can work your way up to the most common 1000 words. It is estimated that learning the 1000 most common words in a language will allow you to understand 70% of any text. Focus on the vocabulary that is most relevant to you – learn business vocabulary if you’re learning a language for business, don’t waste time learning the words for different species of fish (which you might want to do if you’re traveling to go scuba diving!) You should also learn words and vocabulary that pertain specifically to you, so you’re able to talk about your life and your background to people you meet.
Pronunciation can be difficult to learn from a book – so this is where chatting with native speakers (or using interactive software programs and applications) comes in handy. You need to actually say the word out loud in order to learn how to pronounce it correctly. [5] X Expert Source Tian ZhouLanguage Specialist Expert Interview. 19 March 2021. If you’re practicing with an actual person, make sure that they’re not too timid to correct you when you pronounce a word incorrectly, otherwise you may never fully get the hang of it. Remember – pronunciation can be the difference between speaking a language well and speaking a language fluently.
Of course, there’s no denying that grammar is important – you need to learn how to conjugate basic everyday verbs and have some idea of the correct word order in a sentence. The point is that you shouldn’t spend hours and hours learning verb tables by heart, or worrying about the specific circumstances in which a certain preposition can be used. You’ll learn these things as you go along!
Try to find a friend or colleague who speaks the language you wish to learn and who’d be willing to sit down with you and help you practice. Alternatively, you could try putting ads in local online forums or newspapers to find someone to tutor you or participate in a language exchange. If you can’t find anyone who speaks your language nearby, try to connect with someone online. People in foreign countries are often willing to exchange half an hour of speaking in their native tongue for half an hour of speaking in English. Check out platforms like Hellotalk, Italki, and Skype.
It can be an actual, physical dictionary, or a dictionary app on your phone – you just need to be able to consult it quickly whenever you need a word. You can also peruse the dictionary at random moments throughout the day – when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, when you’re on a coffee break at work, or sitting in traffic. You could learn an extra 20 or 30 words a day this way!
Duolingo gets users to read and speak their new language by seeing, hearing, and internalizing it. Users gain points as they complete lessons, giving Duolingo a fun, game-like feel. [11] X Expert Source Tian ZhouLanguage Specialist Expert Interview. 19 March 2021. Anki helps you to effectively memorize words and phrases using flashcards. You can upload your own deck of cards with the specific vocabulary you wish to learn, or you can download one of the many pre-existing shared decks to get started. Memrise is another flashcard-style program that allows users to memorize words and phrases using memory tricks, images, and other useful tools. Memrise allows users to compete against other users as you complete language-learning activities, making it a fun, informal way to learn. Babbel is a fun, interactive language learning tool that helps users improve their vocabulary, grammar skills, and pronunciation. It can also identify your problem areas and offer targeted exercises based on your individual needs. Drops heavily focuses on vocabulary as users match words to pictograms, and pictograms to words. You will also have to practice writing non-Latin characters for languages that do not use the Latin alphabet. Note that you are limited to five minutes per day unless you purchase Premium.
Language learning is based on repetition—hammering something into your brain over and over again until you remember it. If you break too long between study sessions, you are much more prone to forget what you learned last time and you will waste valuable study time going back over what you’ve already learned. You can cut down on this wasted time by studying every day. There are no miraculous shortcuts when it comes to language learning—you just need to commit.
You’re bound to get yourself in a few embarrassing situations, but what’s the big deal? The native speakers might have a good chuckle, but they’ll still appreciate the effort you’re making and be willing to help you out.
Force yourself to interact with the locals—whether you’re asking for directions, completing a transaction in a store, or simply saying hello—and you will gain a new appreciation of the language and its speakers. It doesn’t matter how basic your oral skills are, keep pushing yourself to speak and you will soon notice a vast improvement in your vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
