How to Learn Any Language: 9 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Learning a new language can be difficult, but there are techniques that may be helpful to you. There is no magic wand to learn a language, but by working hard and practicing, you will be fluent in no time.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Starting with the Basics

Step 1. Find out what your learning method is

This is the only important thing you need to know when you want to learn a new language. We each learn things differently, especially when it comes to foreign languages. You need to find out if it is easier for you to memorize using repetition, or by writing words or listening to a native speaker.

• Decide if you are your learning style is visual, auditory or kinesthetic. A trick to find out is this: choose a couple of words in your language and reread them several times. If you remember them the next day, the visual style is probably the most suitable for you. Otherwise, have someone else read them several times, without you seeing them. If you remember them the next day, your style is auditory. If it doesn't work, read and rewrite them, repeat them aloud, listen to them read by another person, and associate memories and sensations. If you remember them the next day, your style is probably kinesthetic.

  

• If you have studied languages in the past, try to rethink what you have learned and figure out which methods worked best. What helped you to study? What hasn't it done? When you understand all these things, you will be ready to start learning a new language.

  

Step 2. Learn the pronunciation

Even if the language in question has the same alphabet as yours, it does not mean that the pronunciation is the same (just ask a Pole how he pronounces the letters "cz").

Sites like Duolingo or Babbel allow you to learn a new language for free and also have valuable advice on pronunciation and step by step exercises

Step 3. Focus on the grammar

This is the most important part of a language besides the vocabulary. "Paul want Mary go store" might convey an idea, but it is by no means correct English. If you don't pay attention to grammar, you will sound incomprehensible in any other language.

• Look at the structure of the language, how the articles work (masculine, feminine, neutral), in short, the morphology. Having an idea of the structure of the language will help you understand how to articulate it once you have learned different words.
• Make sure you know how to ask questions, positive and negative sentences in the past, present and future using the 20 most common regular and irregular verbs.

Step 4. Memorize 30 words / phrases per day

In 90 days you will have memorized almost 80% of the language. Memorizing is half the job, and there are several ways to do it.

• You can practice writing each word at least a dozen times, and this will help you learn how to use the word in question as well.

  

• Try to use the words in different sentences. It will help you practice and remember them when you need them.
• Don't forget to review the words already memorized when adding new ones. If you don't repeat them you will forget them.

Step 5. Practice with the alphabet

Especially if you are learning a language in a different alphabet, you need to know how letters are made and how to use them.

• Try to associate images and sounds with each letter, so your brain will have an easier "way" to remember the letter and the accompanying sound. For example, in Thai the letter "า" is pronounced "ah". If you are a boy you might associate it with the jet of your pee when you do it against a tree and the related sigh of relief you give when you free yourself. The associations can be simple or even stupid, the important thing is that they help you remember.
• Maybe you need to get used to reading from right to left, or from the top of the page to the bottom. Start with simple things and then move on to more complex ones like newspapers or books.

Part 2 of 2: Practice the language

Step 1. Listen

Listen to the language, through movies or TV shows, or audio files from online language courses, or through music. This will make it easier to memorize the words. But listening is not enough. You have to repeat the words aloud.

• The method called "shadowing" is considered very useful by many polyglots (people who speak multiple languages). Put your headphones on and go out. As you listen to the language files, walk briskly. As you walk, repeat aloud and clearly what you hear. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This will help you connect Chinese (movement) with language and retrain your concentration without being obsessed with memorizing words.

• Use audio books or recorded lessons. You can listen to them on your way to work or jog in the park. This will also improve your listening and understanding skills. Repeat listening to segments from 30 seconds to one minute until you are sure you understand them perfectly. Sometimes you will have to listen to the entire lesson more than twice to learn it perfectly.

  

• Watch TV shows and movies without subtitles. This includes TV series, news programs, even those shows that already exist in your language. It is a fun way to practice and apply what you have learned.

  

• Listen to music in the language you are studying. It's easy, fun, and hopefully keeps your interest in what you're doing. You can put on some music while you wash the dishes or go for a walk. Pay attention to the lyrics of the songs.

  

Step 2. Read in the language of your choice

Start with simpler books and then, as you improve, move on to more complex ones. Try reading without a dictionary and understanding the meaning of the sentences on your own.

• Children's books are perfect for getting started because they are designed to teach children to read, write and understand their own language. Since you are a beginner, it is best to start with something simple.

  

• Find some books that you liked when you read them in your language and try reading them in the one you are studying. Your knowledge of the contents of the book will help you decipher the words and keep interest in what you are reading.

• Try reading popular magazines or newspapers in the language you are studying. Choose a topic that interests you. Magazines are a good way to learn contextualized common idioms. Magazines and newspapers cover a wide variety of subjects, and are usually quicker to read than a book.

  

• You can buy a good dictionary of the language you want to learn or use the free ones online. When you come across a new word, underline it. Then, copy the word, its definition and an example of use in a notebook. Then, study that notebook. This will help you think in your chosen language.
• Sometimes an illustrated dictionary is useful for learning common names in some languages. Use it for Japanese, for example, because many of its terms have different meanings in Italian.

Step 3. Talk to native speakers

If you don't speak the language, you won't learn it well and you won't memorize it. There are programs that help people who are learning a language and native speakers to get in touch via Skype. If you can't do this, look around your city. You may find someone who can direct you to the right person who can help you practice. A language school can be a good place to start.

• Learn some idiom, proverb, or saying. As you level up, learn some language or even some slang. While you won't use them much, it will help you recognize and understand these elements when you hear or read them.
• Don't be ashamed if you still don't speak the language well. It takes time to learn.
• This step can never be stressed enough. If you don't practice speaking a language, you will never master it. Talk to native speakers, study it with a friend and practice with them, talk to the television …

Step 4. Practice

Don't be afraid to speak in public and with native speakers. It will help you improve. Also, don't be ashamed if someone corrects the wrong pronunciation for you. Nobody knows everything. Constructive criticism is welcome. Check your knowledge on every social occasion.

• Keep watching movies and TV in their original language. If you like soccer, for example, watch it in Spanish so you don't forget the language. Also swear when the game isn't going your way, in the right language, of course.
• Challenge yourself to think in the language you are learning.

Advice

• Choose the language that interests you the most.
• Nobody has the extra time to do something! So why not use the time you have? On your way to work, you are in the car or even while taking a bath. You just have to listen and repeat. ¡Adelante pues! (Let's go!)

Warnings

• Don't be too hard on yourself. Self-criticism is one of your worst enemies. You will make mistakes and it is normal. The more confidence you have in yourself, the easier it will be to learn a language fluently.
• Just watching a show, or reading a children's book won't help you perfect your language. You have to practice speaking and thinking in that language before you get to a pretty high level.