How to get good at pronunciation
Some of these you might already do, some not, but I hope it helps a bit!!
And not just listen, read the lyrics (you can also use this opportunity to learn new words) and say them! Sing them, read them out, mutter under your breath on public transport, try to mimic the exact way the singer says it, try to get your mouth accustomed to the way the words are shaped.
Listen to podcasts, if possible
This makes you more accustomed to the sound of the language as it is in an everyday context. In music, people often give words a different rhythm than natural, or slur their speech and omit syllables, so podcasts can help provide you with more "usual" speech too.
Actually take a book on phonetics and study it, with rules and exceptions and preferably audio example.
Every time you learn a new word, check the pronunciation
This goes especially for languages with inconsistent pronunciation or where the stress changes the word a lot! Listen to the Google/Yandex translate audio of it, or check wiktionary, and try to say it out loud too. Sounds frustrating and pointless but does genuinely help
When you encounter a new word, don't type it into the translator, use voice recognition instead
Say the word until it recognises, check the meaning and the correct pronunciation, and if you were wrong at first, say it a few times out loud again. This helps build your intuition about correct pronunciation
If it's possible, ask the opinion of native speakers
They can give you feedback and point out any consistent mistakes, it helped me more than I expected
Remember, practice makes perfect
Most importantly, remember that it's okay to have an accent and it sounds really pretty :]
Most native speakers find it pretty if you have an accent in their language! The main goal is just to be understood, your accent doesn't make you bad at the language. Keep up the amazing work 💜
