How to Learn a Foreign Language

Language immersion is a very effective way to learn a language and a great way to immerse yourself in a language is to be exposed to it frequently throughout the day.  By including small bits of learning all the time, you will learn faster and more efficiently.

 

Here are several small things you can do to continue your studying throughout the day.  Whenever you have a free moment, pick one of these up and start studying.  You can do it on breaks at work or between classes if you go to school.  You can do them during commercials of your favorite show, or just whenever you want.  Be creative.

Vocabulary note cards   

Pick up your stack of note cards, both your regular vocabulary and the words from your translating, and study them whenever you have time.  If you already know your regular vocabulary, use the time to learn the new words from your books, newspapers, and other reading material.

 

Even if you already know the vocabulary words, look over them every once in a while to really solidify them in your mind.  The more you see them, the better you’ll know them.

 

Also, there are different degrees to knowing a vocabulary word.  You might know what it means if you see it, but that doesn’t mean you would be able to use it immediately in your speech and writing.

You really know a vocabulary word when you know it if you see or hear it and when you can say it immediately without having to think hard about it.

Grammar note cards 

The next small bit will have to do with grammar.  With other free moments, take out your grammar note cards.  Look them over and try to see if you still understand the grammar point. 

 

You can either try to think of a few sentences to use the grammar points and say them out loud, or you can keep a small notebook with your note cards and write the sentences down.

 

Again, if you can use these grammar points off the top of your head, then you know you truly understand them.  Keep practicing and you should know them inside and out.

Writing  

In your spare time, you should spend more time writing.  It’s a perfect way to build your skills. 

You can write anything you want.  Try to spend a few minutes everyday writing in your journal.  Even if it’s just a few sentences.  It will pay off.

 

If you have a pen pal, you can spend time writing to them, too.  Learn more about how to get a pen pal.

Just keep writing.  Still try to use everything you’ve learned in your writing, especially the hard stuff.  You can focus on the new things you’ve learned, but include everything so that you don’t forget how to use what you learned in the past.

Listening and other miscellaneous 

Finally, in times that you can’t concentrate enough to read, you can listen.  Pop a CD program in while you drive or listen to your mp3 player while you are riding a bus or train.  Even if you can’t respond out loud, it’s a great way to keep in touch with the language.

 

There are so many different programs out there to learn a language.  There’s no rule saying you can’t use them all.  If you like software programs, you might use an extensive one such as Learn to Speak Series.  You could use it as your textbook or just on the side.

 

There are also programs like the Berlitz Self-teacher series.  They are great to carry around with you and read every now and then just like you would a regular novel.

 

By including these small bits throughout the day everyday, you can stay immersed in your language.  Include all these steps and study hard, and, depending on how much time you devote, you should be speaking in no time.

If you spend a couple hours a day, there’s a good chance you will be speaking a considerable amount in just a couple months of studying.  Keep studying and watch the success!

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