10 Tips To Help You Learn A New Language

It seems like just about everyone that I've talked to has at least attempted to learn a new language. Whether it be French for a year in high school or Spanish freshman through senior year, lots of people get discouraged, lose interest, or just plain forget. With the world becoming more and more connected, it's more helpful than ever to be able to speak multiple languages. With the internet so widely accessible, it is also easier than ever to learn a new tongue.

1. Set concrete, measurable, and realistic goals.

Via kidbloggernetwork.com

An example could be:

I will spend 30 minutes Monday through Friday studying French so that in 6 months I will be able to comfortably chat with a friend from Montreal about a variety of common topics.

A couple good questions to ask yourself are...

What language (and dialect) do you want to learn?

Sounds obvious, but it's important. Many languages have several dialects that can differ significantly from each other. For example, if you planning a trip to Portugal, learning Brazilian Portuguese may make things a little confusing for you and those you want to communicate with while you're there.

How much time do you have per day to commit to studying it?

If you want to learn a new language quickly, you're gong to need to spend some time everyday to see the results you want. You may only have a few spare minutes a day, and that's alright too. Not everyone has 2 hours everyday, but anyone can find 10 or 15 minutes to spare. Consistency is key.

What exactly do you want to do with it?

Taking a trip to Paris and want to be able to converse with the locals? Just took a new job in Beijing? Have a Russian friend you wish you could have a conversation with? It's good to know more or less what you want to accomplish with your new tongue. You can focus more time and energy on learning vocabulary that's relevant to what you want to do.

And, as I mentioned, be realistic. If English is your first language, I'm sorry, but learning Mandarin to fluency in 1 month is probably not going to happen. Setting your expectations at a reasonable level keeps you from getting too frustrated.

2. Start with the basics

Via highfrequencywords.org

Now this probably sounds like another obvious one, but if you jump into the deep end of the pool before learning to swim, you're going to drown. In most cases, the ultimate goal is fluency. In this case, let's assume fluent means that you can effectively communicate what you are thinking and understand what is being said to you without too much effort. In order to do this, the fundamentals are key. One of the most helpful tactics when learning a language that you have little to no previous knowledge of is starting with the most commonly used words in that language. You can find these lists for a ton of different languages by googling 'most common words in {insert language here}' . There are more verified, in-depth versions of these, called frequency lists, however, the websites and companies that create them will typically charge you a little bit to get them. You can then take these lists in English (or any other language really) and translate each word into your target language. It will help you understand a lot more of what you're hearing when you're first listening to the language. In addition, you can work your way around gaps in your vocabulary. If you can't remember a certain word or never learned it at all, you can ask questions like, "What is that thing? You use it to wash your hair in the shower?" To which someone may reply, "Oh, shampoo?", either reminding you or teaching you a new word in a much more natural and memorable way.

3. Learning Resources

Via stepbystep.com

There are thousands of different resources you can use when learning a new language. There are apps for your phone, websites with lessons, tests, and worksheets, textbooks, bilingual dictionaries, children's books, online language exchanges, traditional classes, tutors, and YouTube videos galore. You can, and should, use anything and everything that you can!

I'll give you suggestions for some of these here:

Online Dictionaries:

www.wordreference.com

This one is my personal favorite. It has many different options for each word with examples that let you more accurately find the word you're looking for. It also has translations of lots of common phrases, as well as forums where you can ask questions when you're having trouble finding what you need.

Google Translate

If I'm being honest, I do not recommend Google Translate as a tool to be used by itself. Now, that being said, when used in combination with another site (like wordreference), it can actually be useful. Use it to double-check already translated sentences or combinations of words, or to work backwards from the target language to see if it generally translates well into your mother tongue. Like anybody that speaks, learns, or teaches languages can (and probably has told you), Google Translate has a lot of shortcomings.

Apps: *most of these apps also have connected websites*

Duolingo

They offer a large variety of languages to choose from and are constantly updating the app and adding new languages. It provides you with a good mix of reading, writing, listening, and even some basic speaking activities. They also give explanations of grammar rules while you complete activities, allowing you to ask questions through the app. It's also divided up into topics and progressive stages that you have the ability to 'test out' and skip over. Even though you could make your way through a lot of lessons in a short period of time, the app recognizes that you may have forgotten certain words and concepts that you haven't covered in awhile and allows you to 'strengthen skills'. Although it may be questionable, Duolingo also gives a 'percent fluent' rating as you complete more and more lessons. You even have the option to connect your account to your LinkedIn profile and post your language learning progress.

Others -- Mango Languages, Babbel, Busuu, Memrise, Mondly, Rosetta Stone, Innovative Language 101

Online Language Exchanges:

italki.com

On this site you can find a person from the country where your desired language is spoken who will chat with you to help you practice. You can choose to video chat, instant message, or write and receive corrections. As English is a highly desired language to learn around the world, you typically exchange a few minutes speaking with them in English for a few minutes in their language. It's mutually beneficial and you could even end up making a friend on the other side of the world!

Others -- wespeke.com, papora.com, speaky.com, babelvillage.com, Tandem (app), HelloTalk (app)

Textbooks:
When it comes to textbooks, they can be very helpful in building up an initial foundation in a language. They are, however, one of the most expensive resources that you could use. There are a couple of ways to bring the cost down though. Go to your local library, they will usually have a small selection of older textbooks available. Look up a nearby used book store. They are likely to have older textbooks or even hardly used ones in a range of languages. Amazon is also a good place to find older editions of books and many times have rental options that will save you hundreds.

4. GOOGLE IMAGES

Via google.com

One thing that I found extremely valuable when I was learning Portuguese was Google Images (or Yahoo, Bing, whatever you prefer). When you learn a new word, specifically one translated from your mother tongue to your target language, type the word in your target language into a Google Images search. The results that come up will show you what that word looks like to many people that speak the language. This is how you can make sure that the word you just looked up is the most accurate representation of what you are trying to communicate. Not to mention, it can also help you learn more about the culture surrounding the language. You may realize that a certain word is the name of a famous singer or popular TV show, something you may not have ever learned otherwise.

5. Little Questions Everyday

Via languageshelper.wordpress.com

As you're walking around, watching TV, studying, eating dinner, or doing really anyting, look around. What things do you see? Test yourself to see what objects you know the words for. Keep a running list on a sheet of paper or in the notes section of your phone. At any given time I probably have a list of 50 words on my phone of objects, actions, or phrases that I wanted to learn in several different languages. As an example, I may be making some coffee in the morning and realize that I never learned the word for mug in German. I would write mug [Deutsch] in my notes, then, at the end of my day, go on wordreference, find the translation, check it on Google Images, then write it down ( mug [Deutsch] - Tasse). A few days later, when I'm grabbing for a mug I challenge myself to remember the word. If I can't remember it, I can just go to my notes and check it again. After awhile, you should be able to remember the word and you won't need the note. By linking the new word to something that you see on a regular basis, you are also much more likely to remember it.

6. Shower Talks

Via self.com

This trick is very similar to the previous one in that you ask questions about things that you want to know. Once you reach a basic level in your target language, take your time in the shower to try to mimic real life conversations as best as you can. Go ahead and have a dialogue with yourself. "Hey, How are you doing?" "I'm doing alright, I'm very hungry though." and keep it going as long as you can. Given that you pronounce the words well, this should help you strengthen the muscles in your mouth, throat, and tongue that physically allow you to say each word. As it becomes easier to pronounce words and phrases, you'll be able to speak faster and more comfortably. You'll also be able to question whether or not you know certain phrases in your target language. For example, while I was using this tactic for Spanish, I realized that I was not sure I knew the term for "goosebumps" in Spanish. I originally thought it was a direct translation (bultos de ganso), only to learn that it's actually "piel de gallina" (hen's skin, in English). By doing this in the shower, you utilize several minutes of free time and it is arguably the only place you can have a conversation with yourself in a foreign language without getting strange looks.

7. Listening Practice

youtube.com

Listening comprehension is usually one of the things that people learning a new language struggle with the most. This typically comes from lack of contact with a foreign language. For example, if you're trying to learn Romanian, you probably won't get much practice walking the streets of Atlanta. This is where tools like YouTube comes in handy. You can find videos specifically targeted at language learners and lots of them will have subtitles too. Once you get to a higher level, you can step it up and find videos in your target language about topics that interest you. I personally find the channel Easy Languages (Learning Languages From The Streets) on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/magauchsein) great for this. They interview people on the streets in a certain language then include subtitles in both that language and English. They're usually just a few minutes long and focus on certain cities or special events to help people learn about the people and cultures of these places as well. TED Talks are also given in lots of different languages and can help you learn more advanced terminology. YouTube has an option to slow down or speed up videos too, which may help if the people in any of the videos you are watching speak just a little too fast.

8. Want to get better? Do it more!

Languages are a mix of skill and knowledge. They're also similar to muscles in that you need to work with them in order to maintain and improve them. Like I said before, even a few minutes a day will help you in the long run. When it comes to improving your abilities in a certain area, you need to practice more and more and more. Want to better understand more of what you hear? Listen to more audio. Want to develop a more native-sounding accent? Speak more. Want to write better? Write more. As you do each more and more, it will come to you easier and begin to feel normal.

9. Don't worry about making mistakes

Via cfigj.org

You cannot be afraid of mispronouncing something, using the wrong word, or not following grammar rules. You will make mistakes, and that is perfectly alright. A crucial part of the learning process is making mistakes and learning from them. Plus, we tend to remember something better when we struggled with it or got it wrong the first time.

10. Have Fun

No matter what the reason that you are trying to learn a new language, you should enjoy the process. Choose materials that interest you, find new ways to practice, make your learning process unique to you. It can be frustrating at times, but if you can find a way to have fun with it, it will be much easier. When it comes down to it, you're never done learning a language.