Do you want to know how to learn another language quickly without the need for classes or expensive computer programs? In reality, there are no secrets or shortcuts; You just have to commit to learning another language, be willing to study hard and not be afraid of making mistakes. Read the steps below to find out more.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Immerse yourself in the language
Step 1. Get in touch with a native speaker
Arguably the best way to learn a language is to speak it. Often times, people spend all their time studying grammar and memorizing word lists instead of going out and putting everything they have learned into practice. Talking to a real person will help you feel much more motivated to learn a language than if you just look at the pages of a book or a computer screen.
- Try to find a friend or colleague who speaks the language you want to learn and who is willing to sit down with you to help you practice. You could also post on online forums or local newspapers to find someone who can teach you or to do a language exchange. Another good option is to use the Hellotalk site.
- If you can't find anyone who speaks the language, try connecting with someone on Skype. Many foreigners will be willing to exchange half an hour of conversation in their mother tongue for half an hour of conversation in Spanish.
Step 2. Study the language every day
Many claim to have studied a language for "five years" and still do not speak it fluently. However, when they refer to that many years, they may mean that they have studied it for only a couple of hours a week during that period of time. Let's be clear about the following: if you want to learn another language quickly, that is, in a few weeks or months, you will have to commit to studying it for a couple of hours every day.
- Language learning is based on repetition, which means that you will have to repeat something over and over again until it is recorded in your brain. If too much time passes between each study session, you will have a much greater chance of forgetting what you learned last time and will waste your valuable study time, because you will have to review what you have already learned.
- You can reduce wasted time studying every day. There is no miracle shortcut to learning a language, you just need dedication.
Step 3. Always carry a dictionary with you
Carrying a dictionary will save you a lot of time and frustration, so buy one as soon as possible!
- It could be a paper dictionary or an app on your phone; all you need is to be able to consult it quickly every time you need a word.
- Carrying a dictionary will allow you to find the necessary word at any time. This will be especially important when you are talking to a native speaker and you do not want to interrupt the thread of the conversation because you cannot remember a word. Also, looking up the word in the dictionary and using it immediately in a sentence will help you fix it in your memory.
- You could also use the dictionary at any time of the day: when you're in line at the grocery store, when you have a break from work, or waiting in traffic. This way, you could learn 20 to 30 more words per day!
Step 4. Observe, listen, read and write in the chosen language
Immersing yourself in a language implies doing all the activities that you would normally do in your mother tongue, but with the language you are going to learn, be it reading, writing or listening.
- It's probably easiest to watch TV shows or movies in the language you're trying to learn. Avoid placing subtitles, as you will inevitably depend on them. To make things easier, watch the shows or movies with well-known plots, such as cartoons or dubbed versions of movies that you have seen; knowing the context will help you decipher the meaning of words and phrases.
- You could also read and write in that other language. Try to read a newspaper or magazine article every day and look up the words you don't understand in your dictionary. You could also try writing a few simple sentences, be it a supposed postcard or a shopping list.
- Download podcasts or tune in to radio stations in another language. It will be excellent to immerse yourself in it while you are away from home. Not only will it help you improve your listening comprehension level, it will also allow you to hear the correct pronunciation of common words and phrases.
- Change the language settings on all your electronic devices so that you can pick up words that you already know in Spanish, but not in the new language.
- Listen to songs in the language you want to learn. Try to learn the letter and then check its meaning. That way, if you listen to it again, you will be able to know what the conversation is about at that point.
Step 5. Go to a country where that language is spoken
Obviously, if you go and spend some time in a country where the language you want to learn is spoken, your learning skills will improve considerably.
- Force yourself to interact with locals, whether it's asking for directions, conducting a store transaction, or simply greeting them. This way you will have a new appreciation of the language and the speakers.
- The important thing will not be your level of oral skills, they could be very basic, but even so you will have to push yourself to speak, you will see that in a short time you will notice a considerable improvement in your vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Method 2 of 3: Focus on the Most Important Points
Step 1. Learn some greeting words in the new language before learning the alphabet
This way, when you learn the alphabet, you will already know some basic words. For example: “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “How are you?”, “I am fine”, “What is your name?”, “My name is ___”, etc.
Step 2. If necessary, learn the alphabet of the new language
That way, it will be considerably easier for you, and you will be able to read and pronounce words, which will help you memorize them more easily. Also, it is better to pronounce the words instead of looking at the romanization of the words.
Step 3. Learn the vocabulary
Mastering a basic vocabulary is probably one of the most important things when learning another language. Even if you can't understand complete sentences, the ability to grasp the keywords will help you understand the general meaning of the speech or text.
- Focus on the 100 most common words. Choosing the 100 most common words in any language will be a great place to start. From there, you can move on to the 1000 most common words. It is estimated that learning the 1000 most common words in a language will allow you to understand 70% of any text.
- Focus on the vocabulary that seems most relevant to you. If you are going to learn a language for business, learn that vocabulary. Don't waste your time learning the names of various species of fish (which you could do if you're traveling to dive!).
- You could also learn words and vocabulary that apply only to you so that you can talk about your life and your past when you meet people.
Step 4. Learn to count in the new language
Start by learning to count to ten, because it is usually the easiest thing to memorize at first. Each day, learn a new set of ten numbers and continue like this until you are satisfied with the number that you can come up with. If you are up for a challenge, memorize all the numbers up to one hundred in one day
Step 5. Don't worry too much about grammar
The reason why most cannot remember most of the language they learned in school is because the school curriculum tends to spend a great deal of time studying grammar and very little time practicing speaking. They are doing it almost the other way around: if you want to learn a language quickly, you will have to learn to speak it first. The details of the grammar will emerge later.
- Grammar is undoubtedly important, because you will have to learn to conjugate the basic verbs that are used every day and know the correct order of the words in a sentence.
- The point is that you should not spend hours of hours memorizing many tables of verbs or worrying about the specific circumstances about where a certain preposition can be used. You will learn them over time!
Step 6. Get into the pronunciation
Pronunciation will be another aspect to which you must dedicate your energies. There is no point in memorizing hundreds of words and phrases if you pronounce them so badly that no one understands. Therefore, it will be important that when you learn a word, you also learn its pronunciation.
- Pronunciation may be difficult to learn from a book, so talking to native speakers (or using interactive applications and programs) will be very helpful. You will need to say the word out loud in order to learn how to pronounce it correctly.
- If you are going to practice with a real person, make sure you are not too shy to get corrected when you mispronounce a word, otherwise you will never be able to fully master the language. Remember that pronunciation could be the aspect that makes the difference between speaking a language well and speaking it fluently.
Step 7. Don't be afraid to make mistakes
When learning another language, you can't be afraid of making mistakes, otherwise you won't get far.
- You could get into some embarrassing situations, but does it matter? Native speakers might laugh a bit, but they will still appreciate your effort and will be happy to help you.
- Your goal should not be to achieve perfection, but progress. Making mistakes (and learning from them) will help you progress.
Method 3 of 3: Use Language Learning Programs and Applications
Step 1. Use Anki
Anki is a very popular program and application that will help you memorize words and phrases effectively with flashcards. You can upload your own series of cards with a specific vocabulary that you want to learn or you can download one of the many existing series to start.
Step 2. Use Duolingo
Duolingo is a free language learning tool available online, on Android, and on iOS. Instead of focusing on memorization, it makes users read and speak in another language by seeing, hearing and translating it. Users earn points as they complete lessons, which makes Duolingo like a fun game.
Step 3. Use Memrise
Memrise is another flashcard program that allows users to memorize words and phrases with memory tricks, pictures, and other useful tools. Memrise gives the option for users to compete with each other as learning activities are completed, so it turns out to be a non-formal way of learning.
Step 4. Use Babbel
Babbel is a fun interactive language learning tool, available online and on mobile apps. It helps users improve their vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation skills. It will also identify your problem areas and offer you exercises according to your needs.
Step 5. Use Livemocha
Livemocha is a product that offers online classes and tutorials, as well as the opportunity to converse with native speakers of your chosen language. While much of the content on Livemocha is free, you will also have the option to pay for private tutorial services and more advanced courses.
Use MindSnacks. Choose the lesson you want to learn and have fun doing different games related to it
Advice
- Expose yourself daily to a certain amount of audiovisual media (television, radio, online newspapers or face to face). Be consistent.
- Write the words in the language you plan to learn and their meanings. Always carry them with you so that you can easily memorize them.
- The best way to learn a language will be to immerse yourself in it, but usually you can't just drop everything and move to a country where that language is spoken. For that there are so many web pages that will allow you to practice with native speakers.
- Google Translate is a good source to help you with pronunciation. On the other hand, their translations are not always completely accurate.
- Start by learning ten words (verbs or adjectives) daily for three months. It may seem difficult, but it is very simple, because you study a small number of words every day, which will improve your vocabulary. The more words you know, the more sentences you can make.
- As soon as you understand the basics, watch a movie that you like and have already seen in the language you want to learn. The subtitles will also be in that language. If it's too difficult, start by changing each of them into your own language.
- Use stickers to increase your vocabulary and stick them all over the house. Doing so will allow you to learn the word with visual association, which will help you learn it more quickly.
- Don't stress too much about speaking quickly or perfectly at first. You won't be able to do it at first, so be patient.
- Never give up!
- Start by reading funny books in the language you want to learn, preferably containing jokes and pictures. Choose to read anime, comics, magazines, joke books, or something that you find especially interesting. This will motivate you to keep reading and looking for more books until you understand what is written, especially in the case of jokes. You can also read children's books, as you will generally already know the story and the words will be easy to learn.