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  • Post last modified:January 29, 2025
how to set language learning goals

I would like to remind you that you shouldn’t be too strict with your language learning goals. Language learning is an activity you have to dedicate some time to, concentrate on, and be consistent.

You need to stay strong and motivated throughout the whole process. And it has to be fun. By now, I have learned 3 foreign languages, and every time I start with a language, I set my language learning goals.

So, in this article, I’ll guide you through my process of how I set achievable language learning goals and give you specific tips to keep you on track and to finally learn your dream language.

Are you ready? Let’s do it together!

Why Should You Set Language Learning Goals?

It’s important to set language learning goals to keep track of your learning and help you achieve it. If you don’t have a clear schedule, you might get lost in the process or postpone the language learning.

However, if you have clear goals for what you are learning and also write down when you are learning it, you’ll learn the language much easier in the long run.

โœˆ Language Resources For Your Learning โœˆ

Here are some of my favorite language-learning resources I use to learn foreign languages:

Practice speaking on iTALKI
Listen to a podcast on COFFEE BREAK LANGUAGES
Read 101 CONVERSATIONS IN SIMPLE ‘LANGUAGE
Get my LANGUAGE TRAVEL NOTEBOOK to keep track of new words
Watch TV Series & Movies on LINGOPIE.

A 9-Step Guide To Set Language Learning Goals

Here is my step-by-step guide that I follow to set my language learning goals every time I learn a new language. It’ll help you to stick to your goals and learn that language, so keep going.

Scroll down to read a description of each step and how to approach it:

  1. Choose a method to learn a language
  2. Define your ‘Why’
  3. Set short-term goals for learning a new language
  4. Set specific language learning goals
  5. Use SMART goals formula for learning a new language
  6. Write your goals into Language Travel Notebook
  7. Use Language Calendar to keep up with your goals
  8. Share your goals with a friend
  9. Celebrate every small win

1. Choose A Method To Learn A Language

The first essential step is defining your language method to learn the new language. If you don’t know how you’ll learn the language, it’ll also be hard to define specific language learning goals. If you don’t know what you are learning, how are you setting up any goals?

So, think about a method. I have my own method for learning languages, which consists of learning topic-specific vocabulary.

I recommend choosing different situations/topics within which you want to speak the language (it can be any regular day situation, a travel situation, a business or work-related topic).

๐Ÿ‘‰ READ ALSO: How To Learn A Language By Yourself: My Proven Language Learning Tips

how to learn a language by yourself my proven language learning tips

2. Define Your WHY

Next, define clearly why you want to learn the language. This step will keep your motivation on the most difficult days when you just don’t feel like learning anything.

My reasons for learning English, German, and Spanish have always been to work and live in those countries, be able to communicate with locals, have fun travel experiences, and also become a tour manager and guide groups through Europe.

Whenever I had a hard time learning the language, I just thought about my ‘WHYs’. I pictured myself already in those countries, speaking the language. It made me feel so good, and I made an effort to pursue my language-learning goals that day.

๐Ÿ’ก PRO TIP: Write your reasons and WHY down in your journal and keep it with you to remind yourself of it!

how to set language learning goals my why travel and becoming tour manager
My reasons for learning languages: travel, living in different countries, and working as a tour manager

3. Set Short-Term Goals For Learning A New Language

Let’s say you are going toย travel to Spain in 3 months. You have theseย 3 months to learn some Spanish before you set off. Don’t say you’ll learn Spanish in 3 months to communicate with locals. You’ll feel pressured and stressed because you set up too excessive, long-term learning goals.

Learning a language (to fluency) in 3 months isn’t a realistic goal. If you are very busy and tell yourself such a sentence, you’ll probably feel stressed and won’t make it. It will discourage you; in the worst scenario, you might leave it all behind.

That’s why it’s so important to set short-term and smaller goals.

Even if you aren’t traveling to the country where your language is spoken, break your language learning goals into each month. Define what exactly you’ll learn this month. After the month, review what you have learned, celebrate, and set new goals for what you’ll learn again at the beginning of the next month.

Having short-term goals will make you actually learn things. If you tell yourself you want to learn the language in a year, it would rather feel overwhelming, and you might get lost in the process.

๐Ÿ’ก PRO TIP: I recommend breaking down your learning into each week. I’ve created a language learning calendar for you where you can write what you will learn each day of the week. Click on the image below and get the calendar for free:

4. Set Specific Language Learning Goals

Be specific; the more specific you are, the easier it’ll be for you to learn the language. I suggest choosing 3 to 5 situations in which you’d like to communicate in that language (once you travel). It can be ordering food & drinks in a restaurant, checking in to your hotel, making reservations, small talk in a business meeting, etc.

Then, say you’ll learn a dialogue for how to order food & drinks in a restaurant within 2 weeks. In the next 2 weeks (after you have mastered one topic), start with another one. And keep going until you set off.

Afterward, incorporate more resources, such as listening to a podcast or reading a book, and write down in your language learning calendar exactly what week you will listen to that podcast and read that book.

how to set achievable goals when learning languages
Setting achievable language learning goals with my calendar

5. Use SMART Goals Formula For Learning A New Language

You can also use the SMART concept many businesses use to set up your goals and make it even easier. SMART goals for learning a language will help you get closer and gain the language skills you want. So, what are the SMART goals? SMART stands for:

๐Ÿ‘‰ SSpecific  MMeasurable  AAchievable RRealistic  TTimely

By now, you need to have your language learning goals defined. Think about what you want to achieve and how much time you can dedicate (as I described in the previous steps). Keep in mind that the goal has to be short-term and specific.

Let’s take this example. Suppose we are traveling to Spain in 3 months. My language learning goals, in this case, can be:

  1. I’ll learn food vocabulary and how to order some food at the Spanish market in 2 weeks.
  2. Learn vocabulary for the airport โ€“ how to check-in luggage, vocabulary necessary to travel on a plane, vocabulary that stands on a plane ticket in 2 weeks.
  3. I’ll learn vocabulary related to accommodation, greet the receptionist, ask for a room key, hotel/hostel rooms, and amenities in 2 weeks.
SMART language learning goals

SMART Goals For Learning A New Language: Examples

Now, let’s analyze whether these language learning goals are specific enough to achieve them. We’ll use the SMART formula for that.

SMART language learning goals S

โœ… Are These Goals Specific?

Yes, each goal works with a specific topic or situation you’ll face when traveling โ€“ food vocabulary, airport vocabulary, accommodation vocabulary.

SMART language learning goals M

โœ… Are These Goals Measurable?

Your language learning goals, in this case, are also measurable because you can measure your success if you manage to learn the specific vocabulary within 2 weeks. Then, you’ll jump onto the next topic.

SMART language learning goals A

โœ… Are These Goals Achievable?

This is an individual process, and you have to set goals to achieve at the end of the month. I know I’ll be able to learn food vocabulary in a month. In this case, my language learning goals are achievable.

SMART language learning goals R

โœ… Are These Goals Realistic?

Again, be realistic. If you don’t have that much time, you should dedicate 2 months to learning food vocabulary. Take your time, and be realistic with the goals. Otherwise, you’ll be discouraged if you can’t follow your plan.

SMART language learning goals T

โœ… Are These Goals Timely?

It’s closely related to the previous one. Set up a specific time you’ll dedicate to the learning process. It’ll help you to stay on track with your language learning goals.

6. Write Your Goals In Language Travel Notebook

Don’t forget to write down your language learning goals in a planner or a journal. Have it on your desk and look at it daily to remind yourself of what you need to learn and see your progress.

This step is also very important, so don’t skip it. You can write them down anywhere, but just do!

I have created a language travel notebook for you to make it easier to track your goals and follow my language method, thanks to which I’ve already learned 3 languages.

Get my language travel notebook below and start learning:

language travel notebook voices of travel
Language Travel Notebook

7. Use Language Calendar To Keep Up With Your Goals

I also highly encourage you to use a calendar to keep track of your language learning goals.
You can have a weekly or monthly calendar, but the more specific you are, the better. So a weekly calendar, I feel, works the best.

It helps you to visualize your language learning plan. Write down what you will learn each day of the week.

Let’s say you know in 2 weeks, you want to learn how to order food in a restaurant.

๐Ÿ‘‰ MONDAY: you can find new vocabulary for your dialogue in the restaurant and write it down in your native language.

๐Ÿ‘‰ TUESDAY: you’ll translate this new vocabulary into your foreign language.

๐Ÿ‘‰ WEDNESDAY: you’ll start learning these words using fun and effective methods.

๐Ÿ‘‰ THURSDAY: you’ll keep learning the vocabulary.

๐Ÿ‘‰ FRIDAY: you’ll start creating sentences and a dialogue using these words. And so on.

8. Share Your Goals With A Friend/Tutor

You know what they say if you share your goals with someone, you’ll be more prone to hold onto them and be more accountable. And it really works. I encourage you to find a friend who also learns a language, and you can even create these language learning goals together and motivate each other on your journey.

Or find a tutor on iTalki and share your language goals with him. It’s the same as having a fitness coach waiting for you at the gym every other day.

If you didn’t have a coach, you might skip the workout and not come to the gym because it’s winter and it’s cold outside. But if you know your coach is waiting for you, you just go because you don’t want to disappoint him.

It’s the same with language learning goals. Sharing them with someone who can relate will keep you on track.

โžก Find a tutor on iTalki and keep yourself accountable with your language goals.

me and my language and travel friend how to set language learning goals
My language and travel friend with me in Barcelona

9. Celebrate Every Small Win

Last but not least, celebrate. Be proud of yourself every day or every week that you have stuck to your language learning goals and learned everything in your journal or language calendar.

It’s important to celebrate to keep going. I always love to appreciate the little things in life, and it’s the same when celebrating and achieving your goals.

You might not have accomplished learning to speak on different topics yet, but you’ll get there. So celebrate after each week as you’re getting closer to your big goals.

Have a meal in a Spanish or Italian restaurant, or cook a meal from the country where your language is spoken. It can be anything; just celebrate and acknowledge your progress.

find motivation how to learn a language for travel

How To Set Language Learning Goals: Examples

This is what your goal-setting each week could look like. Follow my 9-step guide, choose a method and short-term and specific goals, check them using the SMART formula, and then write them down somewhere: into your journal, language travel notebook, or calendar.

Here is an example of how to write your language learning goals into a weekly calendar:

Let’s say this week’s topic we want to learn is an airport, and the 3 situations we wrote as goals. So we break it down and write what we’ll learn and focus on each day:

๐Ÿ”† MONDAY: Airport – learning vocabulary to check-in luggage and talk to the airport assistant.

๐Ÿ”† TUESDAY: Airport – learning vocabulary on the plane ticket

๐Ÿ”† WEDNESDAY: Airport –  learning vocabulary to understand a flight attendant on the plane

๐Ÿ”† THURSDAY: Listening to a podcast talking about the airport and air travel

๐Ÿ”† FRIDAY: Creating my own sentences. I would say at the airport

๐Ÿ”† SATURDAY: Reading a few pages from a book (best some topic related to the airport)

๐Ÿ”† SUNDAY: Have a lesson with your tutor on iTalki; ask your tutor to practice airport vocabulary and practice speaking with him

These are my language learning goals and the exact schedule I would follow if I started learning a new language. And that’s what I always do when I start one. Currently, I’m learning Italian this way ๐Ÿ™‚.

learning topic-specific vocabulary for travel
Me learning topic-specific vocabulary for travel

Timeline For Reaching Your Language Learning Goals

Letโ€™s reflect on what a realistic time is in which you can achieve a certain language level.

I like to divide language skills into 4 different levels.

The first and second language level is where we are heading when we learn a language for travel. The third and fourth levels are more advanced, where you achieve fluency in the language.

1. Language Level: 3 – 6 Months

The first language level is the level where youย learn vocabulary to get familiar with the language and to be able to understand a little bit once you are in that country. Youย start by learning vocabulary.

Once you travel, you’ll understand the signs and catch some words the locals will tell you. You can only say the words and create sentences you learned at this level. And you can already communicate in small conversations.

The focus is on a smaller conversation. You can normally predict the person’s answers (like small dialogues on the market, in a restaurant ordering food, check-in at your accommodation).

Depending on how many topics you want to learn, you’ll need about 3 to 6 months to achieve this level. Again, it also highly depends on how much time you’ll dedicate to your language-learning process. However, 3 – 6 months are usually enough.

2. Language Level: 6 – 10 Months

Once you achieve the second language level, you’llย feel more confident in that language. You will know a lot of vocabulary for each situation you focused on and can add more resources, such as listening to a podcast, reading books, and watching TV series/movies.

It’s the time use the vocabulary in a bigger context. At this level, you can create a basic conversation with somebody and also understand him.

It’s the language level we areย aiming to achieve as travelers. It’s just enough to reach this level if you want toย feel more confident speaking andย know basic vocabulary for everyday life in that country. At this level, it’s all right to get stuck and speak slowly.

To achieve this level, count 6 to 10 months to be confident in many aspects of everyday life in the country.

3. Language Level: 1 Year – 15 Months

The third language level is already the B1 level, where you know more words and can vary them in a conversation in a flexible way. You feel even more confident in speaking. You’ll be more fluent and fast in speaking. Understanding someone will be easier, and you’ll be flexible in replying (having more vocabulary and synonyms in your mind). 

You’ll already be familiar enough with the basic language in everyday situations and won’t forget it. 

With the first two levels, you’ll still forget much of the language if you don’t use it often.

To achieve this level, count with a minimum of 1 year to 15 months.

4. Language Level: 2 Years

This level is already fluent enough to have an interesting conversation. You can express your feelings in that language and communicate in any situation.

At this point, you don’t have any difficulties understanding people and will naturally reply to them. You’ll have a lot of vocabulary to use. You can also use difficult grammar while speaking and writing and will understand your podcasts and books well.

2 years are necessary to reach the point when you feel confident with the language and reach the fourth level.

FAQs

I’ve also answered some frequently asked questions regarding language learning goal setting. So check my answers below:

How Do You Write A Language Goal?

Language goal needs to be short-term and specific so you can stick to it. It can be something like ‘I’ll learn all the vocabulary I need at the airport (checking in my luggage, talking to the assistant, airport signs, boarding my flight, and words written on my flight ticket) within this month.

A language goal has to be what you’ll learn in that language and when you will learn it.

What Should The Goals Of Language Teaching Be?

The language teaching and learning goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. You need a specific goal for what type of vocabulary or dialogue you learn. It needs to be defined within a timeframe (1 week or a month).

Based on your schedule, it has to be realistic and achievable based on how much time you can dedicate to learning each day/week.

What Is The Best Way To Learn A Language?

The best way to learn a language is to learn topic-specific vocabulary. It’s the words and dialogues you’ll need when you realistically need to speak the language.

It can be for travel, a business meeting, everyday conversation, small talk, or ordering food in a restaurant. Learn vocabulary and how to speak in each situation, then practice in real life.

WRAP-UP: How To Set Language Learning Goals

This is my method for setting achievable language learning goals. Use the materials I’ ‘ve suggested in this article to make it faster and easier for you. Don’t forget to choose a language method that interests you and learn things within the language that will motivate you. And, of course, have your WHY to keep you on track.

If you have any questions or need additional help with language learning, contact me at info(at)voicesoftravel.com.

Happy Learning!

voices of travel about me profile photo

About the author: Nicoletta is a travel enthusiast and passionate language learner. While traveling, she loves to connect with locals using her language skills to learn about new cultures. Look for her skiing, hiking in the mountains, or exploring new destinations as she designs travel itineraries for her clients.

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