Monday 11 April 2016

5 tips and tricks to follow when learning a new language

Languages are great, they enable us to talk and communicate with others, they even  open up a world of job opportunities and can improve your brain power. But when learning a language, it can get frustrating, a lot. I have compiled of here are 5 tips and tricks to follow when learning a new language.
1. Patience, I get it,  when you start a new language  you may feel helpless. Not knowing what to say or do. Where to put the accent and why masculine and feminine are a thing.  There are plenty of ways to remember the facts you need, one of them being time. With time, you'll practice and get it easily, it's all a matter of patience. 
2.  Cause, know why you're learning the language. When you learn anything,  especially a language, a cause will keep you focused and motivated. Even setting weekly goals can go a long way if you have the right combination of determination and focus. Committing to a language is hard, but you need a genuine reason and a passion to learn it.
3. Shows and movies, probably the best way to learn a language. Watching shows and movies in your newly developing language is great when you want to learn the language informally. Starting with absolute beginner videos can be great and will help you a lot. In my experience, I've started with shows that are slightly above my level and gradually made my way up.
4.  Talking to people will help a lot too. When you learn a language with a person you can both talk to eachother and use eachother to practice your speaking skills. Then after speaking to your friend you will feel more confident when speaking to people who speak the language everyday.
5. Listening, a huge part of learning a language is to watch other people speak it. It's why we have two ears and one mouth, to listen twice as much as we speak.  From personal experience, it taught me to pronounce certain words with more flare or less expression.  Listening will be huge on your journey to a new language. Languages will sound weird for the first, but by exposing yourself to the language your actually familiarizing yourself with it and understanding it more throughout.
All in all, my main message is to keep at it. You'll have your highs and lows but it'll all pay off when you realize that there is nothing more rewarding than that sense of completion. Good luck and have fun with it. 
David.