my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything
[click images for high quality]
[transcript under the cut]
Other advice posts that may be of interest:
How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To
How To Do Uni Readings
Active Revision Tips
don't neglect any of the key skills
We all have our strengths and there will definitely be a skill that you find easier. It is really tempting to therefore do more of that skill because it is not as difficult or to only focus on your weaker skills. But you should try to develop all of them simultaneously because they will only enhance one another. Each of the skills will teach you vocab, structures and grammar that will be transferable.
read children's books
Reading is a great way to learn new vocabulary and challenge yourself. However, often in your enthusiasm in learning a language, you choose a book that is way too complex. In doing this, you’re not giving yourself the chance to develop good reading habits because if you are constantly stopping to look up new words you won't get into the flow of a native text. You also won’t be able to pick up words via context if most of the language is way above your head. Therefore, it is best to read children's books at first so you can develop your reading and language skills so that when you are at the level to begin reading books you actually want to read you can tackle them effectively and successfully.
strive to understand grammar
Regardless of the language, grammar is always tricky for non-native speakers. Even in your own language, grammar is often difficult and needs to be practised. Because we know this when learning a language, we often fall into the trap of just doing exercises and drills to simply memorise grammar. But this is incredibly unhelpful because in normal situations and conversations you won't know when to use it. Therefore, try to understand WHY the grammar works that way and how it impacts a sentence and the words within it.
use different sources
Read articles and check dictionaries - this method improves your vocabulary and learn how a word is used in a sentence. Listen to the radio or watch TV shows - it's best to listen to dialogues than songs, unless you want to learn to sing because this will help you get used to the rhythm of the language and how it normally sounds. Talk to anyone in any possible opportunity even if you are worried about sounding weird because speaking to natives if one of the best ways to learn and you get to communicate with new people! Using visual elements is also one of the best methods to learn new words, as they cause associations in our head, making it easier to remember permanently, not just learn by rote.
don't try to understand everything
When you learn a foreign language, it’s needless and virtually impossible to remember ALL the words - even native speakers don’t use them all. As you become more equated with the language you will quickly learn the most frequently used words. Verbs are often very useful to learn because you can't have a proper sentence if you don't have a verb. Furthermore, while for nouns it is relatively easy to describe or use synonyms, if you don't have verbs, it often stops you in your tracks. So google the most common verbs in your target language and spend some time getting familiar with them. Also, practice techniques for dealing with words you don't know by trying to figure out the meaning from context or examining the word's prefix, roots and suffix for clues to the meaning.
don't just learn common phrases
If you take a look at all language learning books, you will find many similar stock phrases. However, do you really use those phrases in your real life? Not really. And just learning these phrases limits you because you are just parroting rather than understanding. Therefore, it is important to learn the basic building blocks of sentences - the kind of words you will actually use - so that you can start to have a conversation at the very early stage of your learning journey.
Learn the following:
Question words/structure
Basic tenses (past, present, future)
Numbers
Day and time
Frequently-used verbs
Pronouns
try to use the language in your everyday life
Have imaginary conversations in your head using the vocabulary you are learning. Narrate your day. On the way to work or school, in the car, whenever! It'll get you used to using the language for real, and you'll get familiar with the syntax. It will also help you practice finding a way to reword things if you don't know the word and find out what words you want to use often so that you can look them up.
don't just learn the language
When you learn a language, you also need to learn about the culture or you won't get very far. Language is rooted in culture and vice versa so you can't really learn one without the other. Take some time to get to know the culture, history and people of the country (or countries) that speak your target language. This is one of the great joys of language learning because it gives you a passport to another world of understanding.