Education logo

Learning a Language: Made Easy!

Do you strive to learn a language but feel like you’re not progressing? Read on! I’ll share my language learning tips from throughout the years...

By Charly MillerPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like

I’ve been learning languages ever since I was younger, during primary school up until this very day. Some that I gained experience in at school were French, German, Mandarin, and some Spanish! I self-taught myself some Russian and Colombian, too. Recently, I’ve been educating myself about the world of Dutch. It’s important for me to learn it and to learn it fast, that’s why I’m sharing my tips on how I progressed so much in just a few months!

1. Find a language that motivates you.

Find a language that you’ve wanted to learn for a long time! You should want to read in-depth about sentence structures, difficult words and overall culture of the place it’s spoken in. I recommend to immerse yourself in the culture of the place, go on holiday there, read about the traditions, watch videos about the festivities that they may have.

2. Find your study aid.

Are you kinaesthetic (action), visual, or listener? Let’s give a few examples:

Kinaesthetic: Make little matching games for words and phrases.

Find a language buddy! Someone who either already speaks the language or someone who you can learn with. This helps so much and you can progress so much easier!

Visual: Make flashcards for words/phrases and meanings.

Buy a book for cheap on Amazon! The “dummies” books are good as are the pocket-sized “phrase books” which come in handy if you want to impress your friends!

Watch movies with subtitles of the language you want to learn.

Listener: Watch videos on YouTube of people speaking the language and listen carefully to pronunciation. Listen to music of that particular place and try to find words you may know!

I think downloading apps on your phone, such as Duolingo, Babble, and busuu go into every category. Try at least five minutes every day and you’ll definitely find yourself piecing together your own sentences in just a month!

3. Speak it.

SPEAK THE LANGUAGE! Don’t feel embarrassed; it’s a great thing you’re accomplishing!! It doesn’t matter what or when you say it, just saying goodnight to your family in the language, asking for a cup of tea, even teach them a few phrases! This boosts your understanding, learning, and motivation... I mean who wants to be sat in front of a book or computer just reading and not actually putting that knowledge into action?

4. Start with the basics.

Start with your first 100 basic words. YouTube is a great way to learn a language as you can hear the way they pronounce it. They generally slow it down so you can comprehend it better. Try saying these words a few times after they are spoken to you!

5. Boy/Girlfriend Who Speaks the Language

This is how I came about learning Dutch! My boyfriend lives in the Netherlands and it’s more efficient if I learn the language due to some of his family not speaking English. I also wanted to learn because whenever I would hang out with his friends, they would all speak Dutch and I would love to join in... unless they’re using it as a secret way to talk about me, then maybe not! But because of this, I have learned the language faster than I ever thought I could!

6. Make friends.

Before I met my boyfriend, I already had friends who spoke the language! So I already knew a few words. Interaction with someone who is a native speaker is great, like having your own free tutor! They can help you with pronunciation and can teach you the most important words you need to learn.

7. Make it fun.

Find your own ways to make it fun such as going to events, maybe you have societies at university or language learning clubs. Make sure when learning your language that it’s fun and not boring as you won’t be motivated and motivation is key to learning a language!

I hope these tips helped you out in some way! I wish you the best of luck in learning your new language! Tot ziens! (See you soon!)

how to
Like

About the Creator

Charly Miller

Hey there! I’m quite weird... so you should definitely read my stories!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.