hello !! ok so today i want to share some of the things i’ve learnt in my years of being a languages student, particularly regarding vocab & grammar. i personally love learning languages and there are many obvious benefits, communication being one of the fundamental ones.
tbh vocab and grammar are probably the backbones of any language - they play a huge part in developing your translation, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
pt i: vocab
have a list. the simple act of writing is one of the most effective ways to retain information tbh ! it’s good to keep a seperate section / notebook / document for this so everything’s in one place & i personally like to keep prescribed textbook words and words i look up during translations / exercises in seperate places as well, for the sake of organisation. also you can flick back through later and feel accomplished :-)
flashcards. write the word in your language on one side and the translation + relevant grammar info on the other side, and use that to test yourself. quizlet + anki are great online flashcard tools !
mnemonics. short [or long!!] phrases / acronyms /stories are super useful, especially with words with multiple meanings or words which look annoyingly similar.
word / pictorial association. ok word association is obviously easier in languages of the same family because so many words look / sound similar but pictures are great too, especially for more visual learners.
this article contains some excellent tips for studying a language with a different alphabet
pt ii: grammar
make up chants / songs [hand gestures can help!!]
look for patterns.
take the french present tense -er verb endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.
and the imperfect tense -er endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
not too different right?? learn to spot these similarities + use them to your advantage !
repetition is key. sounds boring but repetition is one of the best ways to drill things into your brain; whether it’s verbally, mentally or just by writing out the entire table. i often repeat things over and over to myself whilst doing everyday activities like washing the dishes and it really helps.
learn the exceptions to the rule. because there are always exceptions. just learn them. i do recommend making summary notes or flashcards for harder concepts simply to gain a better understanding and also because you can look over them quickly & easily
also just !!! practice !!! often things make much more sense in context, so practice by doing exercises and translations
pt iii: general tips / links
read !!! reading exposes you to so much more culture + vocab and grammar in the way that it’s used in a day to day context
similar to above; watching tv shows / movies and listening to music is super fun too + develops listening and therefore speaking skills
practice practice practice. whether it’s just going over vocab or scanning through a text or listening to music or writing a short passage, try to engage with your target language on a daily basis. trust me, it helps a lot.
find a partner !!! learning new things with friends is so much less daunting + you can study together and motivate each other and maybe even travel together one day
apps / sites like duolingo, memrise, omniglot, babbel, bbclanguages and 101languages can make language learning more fun + engaging
+ some youtube channels !
each language is unique so for more specific resources, check out some of these masterposts: japanese, latin, spanish, chinese, italian, korean, french, [etc]
remember: learning a language is hard. adapting your brain to understand a whole new set of words and rules is hard. it’s supposed to be hard. but it’s ok to make mistakes. it’s ok. you got this. and in the end, it’s so rewarding - knowing another language is a skill you’ll have for life. good luck + i hope this was useful !
- joanne
