Fluency in a foreign language is an important goal and is also an excellent way to increase opportunities in the workplace. It involves the acquisition of different skills: oral communication, listening, reading, writing and basic knowledge of culture.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Improve Listening Skills
Step 1. Listen to native speakers in their natural contexts as much as possible
If you don't have this option, watch movies and TV shows in their original language, or listen to audiobooks or music in the language you want to learn.
Step 2. Focus on the specific sounds of the language, including inflections
Method 2 of 4: Improve Oral Communication
Step 1. Practice speaking daily
Try to learn new words and phrases every day. It is also important to frequently practice the first words you have learned, as well as the new ones. If possible, practice with native speakers and invite them to correct you.
Step 2. Practice pronouncing sounds that are most difficult for foreigners (for example "ra" and "tsu" in Japanese)
Step 3. Record your voice as you speak, then listen to the recording and compare your inflection and pronunciation with those of native speakers
Step 4. Make an effort to think in the foreign language as much as possible, instead of thinking in your native language and then translate
Step 5. Speak like native speakers, using idioms and abbreviations, instead of imitating texts, which are usually overly formal and repetitive
Step 6. Study the grammar
Grammar books illustrate the rules of the language. The phrase 'This that same is' is made up of English words, but it is not grammatically correct.
- Make an effort to learn and remember specific grammar rules to prevent native speakers from understanding you. Thinking in the other language will become easier and more frequent.
- Those who speak only one language often assume that the rules of their own apply to all others, or that they are the same everywhere. This is not the case at all. Learning a language takes more effort and effort than just learning words.
- Intensive courses often underestimate the importance of grammar. Opt for a foreign language course in which the teacher may be more experienced in helping you to better understand the grammar rules on a personal level.
Method 3 of 4: Improve your reading
Step 1. Read books, newspaper articles, and other "real life" material whenever possible
Based on the vocabulary you have acquired, try to translate, or at least to grasp the meaning and purpose of the content.
Step 2. Read something in the language every day
Step 3. Make a list of the new words you encounter
Try to grasp their meaning based on context and visual and auditory cues before looking up in the dictionary.
Method 4 of 4: Improve your writing
Step 1. Write something in the language every day
It could be a short sentence that sums up your day, a full journal page, or an article.
Step 2. Imitate the words you read
Step 3. Carefully study the syntactic structures of the language
Sometimes the written language is completely different from the spoken one.
Advice
- Don't worry about getting it wrong. Making mistakes you learn and you will probably be able to correct your mistakes in the future.
- Try to learn the language from multiple points of view; for example, learn how to master the language in the formal and informal register, to be able to develop the appropriate approach to different people and situations.
- Make a list and note all words, grammar rules and extra language information in a notebook or digital medium for future reference.
- To facilitate the memorization of words, associate them with images (visual or mental). By viewing the images used in real life situations you will be able to quickly remember the words associated with them.
- Expand your knowledge through various media. Learn the language structures of newspaper articles, formal / informal letters, casual conversations or even announcements to improve your understanding of the language.
- Study Esperanto for a couple of weeks. Some studies have shown that those who learn Esperanto for only two weeks learn another language - such as French - more easily than those who immerse themselves directly in it. Esperanto also includes many words that are easy to remember for native English speakers (such as ĉambro, which is pronounced tchambro, which means room) and is an international language, so if you study it for more than two weeks, it might come in handy!
Warnings
- Make sure you are familiar with the meaning of certain phrases used in slang before using them.
- Avoid literal translation, as ungrammatical sentences will result, due to differences in vocabulary and grammar. Consult a native speaker to correct your translations. Online translators are only suitable for coarse translations.
- Learn the basics of culture, to avoid offending the people you practice with. It may be helpful to learn the differences between the language used in the past and the one used today.
- If you want to master a foreign language, you have to practice it constantly. If you are not regular in the study, you will end up losing your fluency.
