Beatrice Allen
Are you trying or wishing to learn a new language but finding it hard on how to start or what to use? Then look no further because this article has it all covered! From experience - I’m currently attempting to learn Russian and have been for over a year now - I know it’s tricky and a little overwhelming learning a new language. All the new words and grammatical structures or even simply what website or app should I use; so using this knowledge I’ve put together some tips (and my advice).
What can I use?
You may be wondering, what can I use to learn my target language? My recommendation is Duolingo. Duolingo is a very effective and engaging way to learn a language. With the help from a green owl you’ll be progressing in days. In covering most languages, it has a wide range of options to pick, from Hawaiian to Latin. Furthermore, Duolingo is free and can be accessed as an app or website.
Another favourite of mine, if I need a particular word in English or another language is wordreference.com. The website is an online dictionary of around 18 languages. Translating English and your target language is interchangeable, for example English to French or French to English, therefore making translating easy.
Memrise is another good website I have recently discovered and is also free to use. Finally, I’d just like to say that Google translate is a handy tool covering just about any language you could want but it may not be accurate so wordreference.com is probably the best.
Make realistic and personal goals.
Donavan Whyte, vice president of enterprise and education at Rosetta Stone, says: “Language learning is best when broken down into manageable goals that are achievable over a few months. This is far more motivating and realistic.” Don’t set yourself the target of reaching fluency, because let’s face it - that might take a while. Instead make your goal something achievable such as being able to introduce yourself or be able to read a book in your target language.
Prioritize One Phrase a Day.
Instead of trying to learn a load of words all at once, choose one phrase a day and commit to it. For example, it could be something as stupid as: “No, this is not my bicycle” or “what time do you wake up in the morning”. Initially, you might think, when am I really going to say these sentences to someone? However, even if the phrase itself is crazy, they are packed with useful words. If you keep on practising the phrase you're sure to remember it and those helpful terms!
Immersing yourself.
I find the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it. Connect with those who are fluent, like a family member or friend; to learn a language you must be exposed to its nature. However; if you can’t talk to anyone who speaks your target language, find books instead. Whether this be a book aimed at little children (like an alphabet book, I especially recommend this for a language that uses a different alphabet to ours) or a book you’ve already read so you can learn the words. For instance, say you’ve already read Harry Potter (or maybe something a little shorter just to get you started), why not get the book in French (again I’m just using this as an example) and by already knowing the English version, you’ll find that you’ll learn new vocabulary and understand those confusing grammatical structures.
A fun way to learn!
You won’t progress in learning a new language if you aren’t having fun. So, here is a fun tip I use. Gather some household items like a book or apple and stick a post-it note with the word in foreign and possibly the pronunciation as well. For example, on a milk carton I’d put a post-it note with: молоко (moloko). Which is Russian for milk, so in the morning I won’t just be pouring milk on my cereal I’ll be learning Russian vocabulary!
So there you have it! I hope these 5 methods will help you master the language you wish to conquer! As the Chinese proverb goes, ‘to learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world’. Or perhaps you have seen this article and perhaps will give learning a language a go? You don’t have to learn something because you have to, it can be fun and useful at the same time!
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