8 Language Learning Tips To Master Any Foreign Language
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If anybody says: Man, you know so many languages because you are just talented for it. Or man, you know those languages because you were grown up in a bilingual family. Don’t believe them. Yes, these are all big advantages of acquiring a language. If somebody is lucky enough to be in these situations, then great for them.
But these are certainly not requirements for knowing a foreign language. Everybody can learn a language without having a special talent, or without having grown up in a bilingual family, or studying in that special school.
Everybody can learn a foreign language with the right language learning tips. With that said, I am giving you 8 language learning tips that have worked for me to learn 4 foreign languages until now. So follow these language learning tips to learn any language on your own.
At the end of each tip, I give you a comment on how I personally use it when learning a language.
List of The Top 8 Language Learning Tips
Below, I am giving you the 8 very important language learning tips to keep on track with your language learning process, never give up, and eventually achieve your language goals.
- Set up your goals & have clear reasons
- Find interesting materials
- Expose yourself to the language a lot
- Make a study plan
- Use a variety of materials
- Learn vocabulary on your own
- Find language partners
- Let it become an essential part of your life
1.Set Up Achievable Goals & Have Clear Reasons
Having goals to achieve what you want in the language is essential. If you don’t have the direction, it’ll be hard to track your success in language learning. So firstly, take some time to set up achievable language learning goals.
If you have goals, you constantly know where you are going. This helps you to overcome difficulties on the way, days when you feel fed up and unmotivated. In addition, goals will help you to stick to your plan. This is very important when it comes to learning a language.
If you want to set up your goals successfully, check out my article about how to set up language learning goals. Inside, I also talk about 4 language levels. It’ll help you organize yourself and think about what you want to achieve in your chosen language.
Secondly, you need to have a clear reason why you want to learn the language. Usually, it’s pretty hard to stick to the learning process if you just tell yourself you want to learn Chinese because somebody told you it’s a good thing. If you don’t feel it inside and don’t have a bigger reason, you’ll give up on it. So have a clear reason why you want to learn the language.
My goal and reason are to mainly learn a language for travel. This motivates me and always reminds me why I’ve started learning the language.
2.Find Interesting Materials
Next, you have to have fun and interesting materials that’ll keep you motivated. The language learning process should be as natural to you as when you go to bed every night.
With great materials, this action comes naturally. The language learning process has to be fun. You have to enjoy it. And for that, you need great materials. That’s why I’ve also come up with various language resources to study, improve, and practice your chosen language.
For instance, I love learning a language, different things about a culture, and love to travel and get to know countries more in-depth. So to me, reading a foreign language magazine about travel and cultures sounds fantastic. It motivates me because I can learn interesting facts about the countries and learn their language on the way.
Language Materials & Resources For You
I have several articles for you where you can find resources to learn a language. Check them out in my language resources.
For instance, I have the best language learning apps for speaking for you (can be used for any language).
Also, check out the best language learning app, which will give you various resources on one platform (I talk about Spanish, but it can be used for other languages as well).
Read some foreign language books for beginners with interesting stories.
If you like to listen to something on the way to work or school, I’ve selected the best language learning podcasts for you that offer various languages.
Or try these audiovisuals if you don’t really feel motivated to learn a language today, but want to work on it at least in some way.
Check out my list of gifts for language learners that contain additional ideas and language games that will boost your language learning.
3.Expose Yourself To The Language A Lot
You need to work on your language every single day. Well, there are days when you might miss it because life is just unpredictable. Still, you should find yourself at least 20 minutes a day. The best is 1 hour, to be exposed to the language. You can choose the language skills you feel like practicing on that day.
Maybe you feel too tired, so you won’t read because there is a high chance of falling asleep. So instead, you can listen to a podcast.
Or maybe you feel like doing absolutely nothing that day, and you’re unmotivated. Still, you know you have not completed your language learning time that day yet. So don’t worry, just watch your favorite movie or a TV series in that language instead of watching it in your native language.
You can also cook your dinner tonight, thinking about how to say the ingredients you use in a foreign language.
You see, there are many ways to constantly be exposed to the language you want to learn. Just be creative and find the ways in which you want to learn in a day. Don’t force yourself because then it becomes ineffective. Just expose yourself to language learning in a natural way.
If you need more inspiration on how you can incorporate language learning into your daily life, check out my article with 7 useful tips on how to improve language skills. These are the ways I learn languages. They keep me motivated and excited about language learning every day.
4.Make A Study Plan
Similar to setting up goals is to have your own study plan. If you have it in front of you, you know what you have to learn that day or that week. You’ll most probably stick to that.
At the end of the week, you can tell yourself that you made it. You know where you are heading and how much you have already achieved. This motivates you again a lot.
To keep track of your language learning, get my Language Learning Calendar for free now.
Get your LANGUAGE LEARNING CALENDAR here
5.Use A Variety Of Materials
As I explained in the material section, you must switch the ways you learn and improve the language. If you feel like reading one day, open the book and read. If you feel like you want to study, take your flashcards and study vocabulary.
And then, if you feel unmotivated and tired, just watch your favorite movie in a foreign language. Or listen to an audiobook. Find the material that fits your learning style, and you’ll see how learning the language will be so much fun.
I like to listen to a podcast or an audiobook in a foreign language when travelling by train/bus. Listening works great for me in the late afternoon when my energy levels start to get low. But I’m still consuming the language and its sentence structures.
When I feel the most motivated in the morning, I focus on something that requires a lot of attention and awareness. This is vocabulary learning for me. I try to learn words and create sentences out of them.
In the evening, I might just watch a movie in a foreign language, which is half relaxing, yet educating.
6.Learn Vocabulary On Your Own
Remember that you also have to produce the language. Once you can actually speak and produce the language yourself, it’s one of the most satisfactory feelings on your language learning journey. It feels like you have achieved that milestone, and you can now speak and produce those sentences. For that, you need to start learning vocabulary on your own.
When learning vocabulary on your own, you start to understand the connections between words. You’ll understand the meaning of words and start creating your own sentences.
With Voices of Travel, I teach people to learn languages based on topic specific vocabulary. First, you’ll basically select situations in which you want to communicate. After, you’ll learn vocabulary and create sentences to speak in that situation.
Check out my article about how to learn a language by yourself that’ll guide you through the entire method. Also, learn how to learn vocabulary fast. I’ve put together some fun and effective strategies to learn vocabulary. So check them out.
7.Find Language Partners
Learning a language on your own can get frustrating from time to time. Especially if you don’t have friends or family around you who can share your achievements.
So one of the most important language learning tips is to find a language partner online and practice the language. Not only will it encourage you to speak, but he’ll also guide you and correct you. You can start learning vocabulary on your own. However, you then have to learn how to pronounce those words. And how to put them together to create the right sentences. This is when your language partners come into place.
They’ll even give you some insights into that country’s culture where the language is spoken. This will motivate you and makes you even more interested in the language.
I start learning a language on my own. First, I learn basic words and try to create my first sentences. Then, I use iTalki to find my language partner and practice what I’ve learned. They help me with pronunciation and kick me off to start speaking.
If you want to learn about platforms where you can find such language partners, check out my article about how to practice speaking foreign language.
8.Let It Become An Essential Part Of Your Life
Don’t stress yourself too much. Remember that the most important thing when it comes to language learning is to have fun. You have to enjoy the process. Don’t set too unrealistic goals.
Instead, let the language process become part of your life. You’ll soon see results. But you have to integrate it into your daily routine.
Suppose you can watch TV or Youtube every single evening. In that case, you can also establish a habit of learning a language for 45 minutes of 1 hour every day. Let this activity become part of your life as everything else you do throughout your day. Then you don’t have to force yourself to learn. It’ll come naturally. You’ll learn more efficiently, and you’ll see much better outcomes.
These are my 8 language learning tips for you. Remember, you don’t have to be talented to learn a language. You can master any foreign language if you dedicate at least 20 minutes of your time every single day to learning a language. Use the resources I suggest you make it natural and a fun process. Enjoy, take these language learning tips for your journey, and don’t stop learning.
If you still find it difficult to stick to the learning and don’t know how to achieve your goals, read my article with 5 useful tips for how to achieve goals when learning languages.
The 2 Essential Things to Learn a Language
Lastly, let’s talk about the 2 most important things when it comes to language learning. These are MOTIVATION & DETERMINATION.
Once you have the motivation, the language learning process comes naturally. You know why you want to learn and will do so. You won’t have to force yourself to learn a language.
Then you have to be determined and dedicate time to the language learning..
MOTIVATION
Firstly, it’s a MOTIVATION. Maybe you expected something else. But you don’t have to dig deep and study several methods hard to find out how to learn a foreign language. A simple motivation is the core of every language learning process. Without it, it’s difficult to learn a language. But when you have it, it’ll guide you through your language learning process, and you’ll soon be able to achieve your language learning goals.
DETERMINATION
Secondly, it’s DETERMINATION. Being motivated is the first step. After, you have to get round to the learning process and keep up with it. You have to dedicate time to it. You have to have the determination, the purpose, and the goal for why you want to learn the language.
With these things, you’ll achieve the language level you long for and will be able to master any foreign language.
My Biggest Motivation: Travel
For some of us, it’s already set. We want to learn a language for travel. This is our biggest motivation. We know that once we learn a language, it’ll be much easier and enjoyable to travel to the country where it is spoken. We’ll feel more connected, speak to locals, and have an overall better travel experience. That’s why we are here for. We only have to be determined to learn the language and keep the motivation.
But how do you keep the motivation? With the top 8 language learning tips, we’ve talked about in this article. So stick to them.
Get My Language Notebook
Follow my language learning method to finally learn a language. Get the Language Notebook now and start learning a language with me today. This language notebook will guide you through the process of language learning. It’ll help you to stay motivated and determined. And eventually, achieve your language learning goals.
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