How to learn new languages?

Hello everyone! Hola amigos! Mucho gusto!初めまして！

I am finally starting to learn Spanish now.

This is not my first time learning Spanish. I’ve tried learning by using the Duolingo app, which didn’t last long enough for me to keep it up.

In fact, I downloaded and deleted the app 3 times before. I recently re-downloaded couple days ago. However I’m already not doing that everyday. Somehow the app is not the way to learn new language for me.

I tried learning by the text book on my own. I bought the text book and got my vocabulary card to really study Spanish. That didn’t last me for long either.

YouTube is another way to learn languages. Of Course!

However those really didn’t work well with me in order to really learn and continue studying any new language. I think all these can be supportive learning however it’s definitely not my main resources of learning new language.

And now I’m starting to think, well? how did I learn English then?

Answer is I learned from people around me.

Let me get back to my back ground and what I meant by leaning from people around me.

I was born and raised in Japan until when I was 18. My mom is American and my dad is Japanese. Did I learn English from my mom? Answer is yes. However, did I become fluently with English from my mom? Answer is no.

The reason why I didn’t learn English enough from my mother is because I knew she can speak and understand Japanese. Also I didn’t have the “WILL” to learn English back then because I lived in Japan and no one around me spoke English besides my mom. (I'm sorry mom) In Japan English class is mandatory for everyone who attend to elementary, junior and high school. Although they are really for exams and not for speaking. At least that’s how it was back then when I grew up.

So then how did I really learn English?

I believe there are three reasons why I became fluent with English.

One, I came to the United States and no one around me spoke Japanese at all.

Two, I took Speech Therapy to improve my pronunciations.

Three, I happened to have good friends around me who were willing to correct my english every time, each times for both my grammars and pronunciations.

So conclusion for me how to learn new languages are learn from people and be surrounded by whichever languages you’d like to learn.

Again, finally I started to learn Spanish now.

Since I moved to Alaska, now I have 3 roommates from Spanish spoken country and they are my amigos now! Technically 2 amigos because 1 amiga is from Brazil where they use Portuguese.

In order for me to go around the world via bicycle, learning Spanish is mandatory. If I know even just a little bit of Portuguese too, that’s awesome!

Anyway, I am looking forward to become fluent in Spanish so that I can talk with people I meet and also I can understand history boards or information boards on my way of riding bicycle.

Now, my English today is not perfect. I would say fluent but not native. And that’s good enough for me to travel and understanding what people are talking about. I don’t need to be native speaker. I just want to be fluent.

That’s it for today! Buenas Noches! Hasta luego!!

Let me know, how did you learn your second or third languages!

Leave me comments and I’d love to learn from you as well!

Thank you for reading! Obrigado! Gracias! ARIGATO!

Best,

Bicycle Baron