The majority of people think that it is important to take a formal class in your target language in order to master it. However, many language learners believe that taking a course will cost them nothing but money. Of course, taking a course can be helpful, but it’s not the most efficient way to achieve accuracy and fluency in your target language.
I can speak and write Burmese (native), English, and Turkish, and I am on my way to learning my fourth language which is German. So, in this article, I am going to share some tips to help you achieve your language learning goals.
Learn Short Phrases
To begin with, you should begin by learning common phrases. You can find them on YouTube or google. Just watch them several times whenever you are free instead of memorizing them. The same thing goes for grammar. There are tons of free resources available on YouTube and Google. So, you don’t need to worry about language learning if you are on a tight budget like me.
Find a Speaking Partner
To receive corrections every time you make a mistake, you’ll need a speaking partner. Your partner doesn’t need to be a native speaker, but they should have enough knowledge and skills to notice and correct your mistakes in your target language. You can find your conversation partner through platforms like italki, Speaky, and HelloTalk.
Another effective way to find your language exchange partner is on Facebook or other social media. Furthermore, you should join a conversation club or informal language learners meet-up program to enhance your speaking skills.
Listen to Podcasts
Listening to podcasts plays a vital role in elevating your language skills to a new level. Make listening to a podcast or radio part of your daily routine. You can find thousands of podcasts on Spotify for free, and you can listen to them while doing household chores or commuting to work or school.
You don’t need to set aside extra time to improve your listening skills. By listening to podcasts daily, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the words you’ve already learned, or the ones you might not know at first.
Watch Films, Series, and Videos
Language learning should never be a painful or energy-draining. Instead, it should be enjoyable, and you shouldn’t spend most of your learning journey studying useless coursebooks. Hence, you should practice the listening and speaking skills in your target language by watching any films or series of your choice.
However, while watching them, make sure to take note of phrases or vocabulary that you have no knowledge of. Of course, you shouldn’t take note of every word or phrase that you come across. Just set a goal like taking note of five or ten words while watching the videos.
Read Articles and Books
To boost your writing skills, you should spend most of your time reading articles and books. You can learn a lot about different grammatical patterns by reading articles and books. Of course, it doesn’t have to be just articles and books. If you just like reading stories or news, that’s fine too. The goal is to learn something new by doing something that you love.
You don’t need to read fast; just read as much as you can digest, highlight the words that you don’t know, and look for their meanings in a dictionary. I recommend using Cambridge Dictionary as it is my favorite. Reading articles or books will help you greatly in expanding your vocabulary.
Write Something at Least Once or Twice a Week
The only way to hone your writing skills is by writing. If you don’t know what to write, type “write and improve” on Google, and you can find hundreds of topics. But before you start writing, I recommend doing some research on the topic that you are about to write to familiarize yourself with it. It will also help you gain new vocabularies and ideas related to your topic.
Every time you encounter a new word, look it up in the dictionary and find similar sentences. Then, write down the same sentence that you see, and create your own sentence using the words to help you remember its meaning. You can always use Quillbot or Grammarly to check your grammar. It is better to have someone who is skilled at writing to check your grammar.
Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is crucial when it comes to learning a foreign language. It doesn’t matter if you can only give 20 or 30 minutes a day to master your target language. For instance, dedicating 30 minutes every single day to enhance your language skills is like studying for 3 and a half hours a week. Consequently, you should be consistent in achieving your daily language learning goals.
In conclusion, learning a foreign language is not rocket science but a life-long process. Therefore, you shouldn’t rush your progress. It takes patience, discipline, and hard work, and you will get better over time.
