Tips to Learning a Second Language

        Do you remember that horrifying moment in middle school when you learned you were going to have to take a language class? For some, it would be the longest two years of your life...for others, it would continue on from being a two year requirement to a life-changing class.



        However, even those who continue on to study the language for several years often run into problems when learning the language, let alone beginners. Let's face it, teaching yourself to learn how to speak and understand things in a completely different way isn't entirely the easiest nor the most immediately rewarding past-times. For that reason, I've decided to give a few tips that will make your trip to bilingualism a tiny bit easier! Let's get started.

1. Listen to the language spoken naturally several times a week.

No, this doesn't mean you need to spend several hours each week attempting to comprehend some random French anchor. However, a short 10 minute podcast each day will go a long ways to helping you achieve the hardest part of learning a language - understanding the spoken language (completely). If possible, listen to the podcast a couple times - you'll find yourself finding it easier and easier to understand what's being said. This is an exercise that can be completed while driving somewhere!

2. Stay focused!

It's pretty easy to forget why you started learning a language in the first place! It's extremely easy to get thrown into the mindset that your level of proficiency is "good enough". Like learning any practice, learning a language has a rule of diminishing returns - the more and more you study, the less and less results you'll see. This can be discouraging, as learning a second language isn't something you can get a reminder of the benefits of every day. So stay focused and remember why you wanted to start learning in the first place!

3. Make fun activities into practice!

You can be surprised as to what simple exercises can become incredibly practice! For example, if you enjoy playing handheld video games (let's use Pokemon, as an example), it's relatively simple to change the language and play the game in that language! Pokemon, like most handheld games, is a rather simple game that doesn't really require a lot of understanding to play. Thus, it's perfect to use as a little bit of practice! Run around the world and play the game in that language, and you'll notice how many small, simple phrases you'll catch on to... thus, even a small game can become a great tool!

4. Once you reach a certain level of proficiency, READ.

Reading, as I'm sure you know, is the best way to test how well you understand a language. However, once you become relatively proficient and can understand the words being said, reading also begins to become a tool that helps you understand the grammar of the language. Without boring yourself with a plethora of rules, you'll merely pick up on them as you read. Thus, I'd recommend picking a simple, entertaining book (possibly one that you've already read before in English), and read it in the language you're learning. Besides being able to use context clues to learn new words, you'll also be absorbing the grammatical structure of the written language, which will indubitably aid you on your way to becoming fluent!

Remember - while some of these tips may be helpful to you, the biggest tip I can give is to just be motivated! The more interested you are in a language, the easier and quicker you'll learn it!

For more tips on how to learn a language quicker, check out this blog:
http://www.thepolyglotdream.com/