I actually speak 4 foreign languages. And you know what? You can do it, too!:)
In this post, I would like to share some tips with you that have helped me the most.
1. Books and films
At one point I told myself that English classes twice a week were not sufficient. I needed more. I wanted to progress faster. I realised that I need to adopt the language in my everyday life. But how? I did not have international friends at that time...
I decided to start reading books.
First, I read something easier - I think it was The Wizard of Oz. It was a bilingual book – one page in English and one page in Slovak. I definitely recommend these types of books, especially for beginners. Nothing can discourage you more than looking up every second word in the dictionary. If you have a bilingual book, you just look at the other page and you see the translation of the word that you did not understand.
Later on, once I enriched my vocabulary, I started reading Harry Potter. This book is perfect for English language students! The vocabulary is not too difficult, I loved the story and the best part of it – there were 7 books to read which motivated me to continue and read in English.
Anther great tip is getting a kindle. I have got Amazon Paperwhite and I love the dictionary function. You just highlight the word that you don't understand and the translation is shown straight away. Perfect for language learners!
If you are not a reading type and enjoy your movies and tv shows more, definitely go for it! I remember when I was a small child, me and my brother were watching Pokemon in German pretty much every day. Did I understand everything? No, of course not! But gradually I started to understand. It started to make sense. Just combine the video and the language and it will all start making sense at some point:) You just need to be persistent.
Movies are also great to sharpen your listening skills. Different actors have different accents. Try to watch an American movie, British movie and an Australian movie and you will note the difference straight away.
Also, if you are a beginner, I would recommend you using English subtitles at first (if English is the language that you are trying to learn), so that you have it a little bit easier. Get used to the actors' voices and pronunciation and then try to watch it without the subtitles.
2. Duolingo app
I love this app! You can even learn Klingon on it! There so many reasons why to use this app – it's fun, it is effective, it's free, it reminds you that you need to practice and it has a very friendly interface. Also, you can practice your writing, listening but also speaking skills using your phone microphone. The exercises are fun as well. Just choose the language that you want to learn and go for it!:)
3. Living abroad
The third tip might be the most powerful one. Just pack your bags and go. You will need to communicate with local people, you will need to ask for direction, you will need to try to speak the language in tough situations.
When I first came to Spain, I couldn't even understand when the shop keeper was asking me if I wanted a bag. I spoke intermediate Spanish but the Andalusian accent was really really really hard to understand at first. The first half a year in Spain, I spoke English maybe 50% of my time. However, I told myself that I needed to change that. I could not waste my time in Spain in this way any more. I took more classes in Spanish at the university and I started to speak Spanish in my everyday life and found more Spanish friends. It helps a lot that Spanish people are usually super nice and can appreciate when foreigners are learning their language. After one year, I was fluent.
Now, I understand that not everyone can live abroad for a year or longer. If this is your case, think about trying a language course abroad. That's what I did two years ago when I was learning Italian. I went for a two weeks language course in Florence. I improved greatly, made new friends and experienced the atmosphere of this beautiful city. Highly recommended.
How many languages do you speak and what is your strategy for language learning?
Thanks,
Your Inspiranka