6 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language
(updated 1-10-2018)
Learning a foreign language is for many a necessity - for others a way to expand their horizons, enhance their travel experiences and sharpen their communication skills.
But if you just WANT to learn a new language - even if you don't NEED to - here are six common-sense tips that will make you progress faster:
1. Find a fun entry into language learning
Learning a new language should be a fun adventure, not a tedious chore. It should also be affordable for you.
If you like games, we obviously recommend our games and courses as a fun (and completely free) way to get started - but there are lots of good materials on- and offline. For many, Duolingo or Lingohut are easy - and also free - ways to start a learning habit.
2. Practice frequently
As with any new skill that you're trying to learn, your best progress comes with regular and focused practice. A good daily routine is 15-20 minutes a day.
If you can build a habit by doing your practice always with your morning coffee or on the way home from work, all the more power to you. Your smart phone with earbuds is a great tool for listening to podcasts or even do a course lesson or two while waiting or commuting!
3. Repeat words and phrases often
Focus as much as you can on “real” language. The phrases and sentences you learn and practice should be useful and become part of your foreign-language conversational toolbox.
"Listen and repeat" is a tried and true technique for practicing pronunciation and trying out speaking. To record and play back your own voice, use the recording program "audacity." At first you may feel that you're way in over your head, but you'll be surprised how quickly you improve.
4. Listen to songs you like
As soon as you can, sing along. In her article "Language Learning Tip: Use Music to Learn a Foreign Language" Susanna Zaraysky explains:
“The neurological links between language and music are vast but the basic thing to remember is that music activates more parts of the brain than language does, on both the right and left sides of the brain. So if you remember something to a tune, you are more likely to recall the information than if you just read it or heard it spoken.”
With songs you not only learn and remember words and phrases, you also internalize intonation, language patterns, and specific grammar points (such as the right article, a specific case form, or a type of contraction).
(Language Zen, for example, lets you learn Spanish with music.)
5. Start reading things that interest you
Follow Facebook or Twitter posts in the language you're learning. Find online news texts or get news alerts from a foreign newspaper. Reading is a powerful way to boost your language learning. Often you can guess the meaning of new words from the context of a story or report. Because many words get repeated again and again, they become lodged in your memory.
(Google now has an instant translation service for any text. The translation may not always be be perfect, but you'll certainly get the gist of the meaning.)
If you can also listen to the audio as you read the text, you'll get a double benefit. LingQ, for example, has tons of materials to hone your listening and reading skills, and build your vocabulary.
6. Boost your learning with things you enjoy
Watch a movie from time to time, with or without subtitles. Find YouTube videos or Ted Talks on interesting subjects. Follow the news or listen to audio books in your new language.
Try out one of the many social networking sites and find a language-exchange partner. Conversations via Chat or Skype are a great way to stay motivated.
These tips are not just for beginners, but they work really well when you're a beginner with a realistic approach to learning a language.
Disclosure: Neither Ulrike Rettig nor GamesforLanguage have a business relationship with any of the sites mentioned.