Many times, in your life, you have probably faced the problem of learning a new language, because of your job, to re-discover your family roots, or to spend your free time during rainy days.
Whatever your reason was, you experienced the hardness of studying a different verbal code that drove you crazy and led you to drop your studies, redirecting your intentions elsewhere.
What if I told you that there are some tricks to fasten the process of assimilation of concepts?
Yes, they are my "secrets", but there is nothing mysterious behind them.
I will help you to understand that anyone can train his, or her own ability to learn a foreign language without thinking it is an impossible mission.
Number 1. : MOTIVATION
Are you enough motivated to reach you goal? It may seem weird, but motivation is the most powerful engine in your learning process. It is not a notion coming from the outside! You do not acquire motivation, but you can create and feed your motivation. In other words, you are the sole responsible of yourself: so, stop finding excuses or saying that it is someone else's guilt. Explore your inner you and look for your motivation. Ask yourself "why do I want to start learning a new language?", "where am I going with this?"
For instance, if you want to learn German because you want to go to study in this country, just focus on the moment of your departure, of your landing, or even in a daily-routine situatuion at the university club. By doing this, your mind will find the energy to keep going. Set a high, strong and achievable motivation to be successful!
Number 2. : SMALL GOALS
What you have to remember any moment of you life is that you do not need to run to obtain good results. What the saying says, it is true: slow and steady wins the race. Especially if you are a beginner, you should set small goals within a short limited period of time. For example, during week one do your best to study how to write, pronunce and use correctly the days of the week and the months. It will be your personal goal to be fulfilled in seven days.
Remember, no rush! But give youself a deadline!
Number 3. : DO NOT LOOK FOR PERFECTION
One of the worst things you can do, while you are learning a language, is to look for perfection. Noone is perfect...even native speakers make mistakes, so do not wait too much to put into practice your skills.
Number 4. : BE OPEN
There is no time to be shy! Every single occasion is the best moment to show yourself your progress. If you are in the downtown, or near a turistic site, and you hear somebody speaking the language you are learning, do not hesitate to start a conversation with those strangers! Many people think it is rude to interrupt travellers just to start a conversation...but there are some strategies to be quite polite and not look like old psychopaths! (I will give you some pieces of advice in another article) In my opinion, this is one of the best methods that has ever existed and the most efficient in terms of making friends!
Number 5. : REPETITION
When you were younger, your parents, or family members, and teachers asked you several times to repeat what you had studied, in order to reinforce your knowledge.
Guess what? They were right!
The repetition of notions is highly important if you want to keep that information forever.
If you are learning vocabulary, create some flashcards to your personal use, or download apps like Duolingo. Here, you can work on language daily and revise the words of common use.
When your language starts to improve, consider writing small texts and read them aloud. You can use the vocaboulary you are trying to learn for a specific period of time, so you will not overdo. As I said before, it is important to set a deadline!
Number 6. : DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
I have heard many friends of mine saying that they were not as good at languages as I am. Well, it all depends on how far you want to go and this is part of your motivation.
One person can reach the advanced level in six months, while someone else will stop at the intermediate level studying the same amount of hours. The difference is that the two people made two different life choices, with different life goals. It is okay to say "I speak Spanish, but I am not proficient in it"!
The question is the same as before: where do you want to go with this?
You are unique, different from other people and your learning process is yours! Just remember not to procrastinate!
Number 7. : PASSIVE LEARNING
Start to consider passive learning as a dear friend that takes care of you. Listening to podcasts, radio, music or watching movies will train the perception you have of that language.
Now I will dispel a myth: you do not learn a language, but you get used to it. The more you spend time with a native speaker, the more your chances to get a clean accent and a correct grammar.
Number 8. : VIDEO-CALLS
Luckily, today we have a large amount of tools that can help us with distance learning and auto-teaching. Videocalls are an active way to communicate directly with native speakers and you have also the opportunity to live a 360-degree, linguistic experience. Not only do you practice the language, but also you enter the heart of the culture.
I would suggest you downloading two apps that are perfect for this use:
one is called Tandem and the other is Italki. On both you can chat with native speakers and start video sessions. Do not feel embarassed about meeting new people, for they are in the same situatuion just on the other side of the camera!
To conclude, I can say that all these instructions have a great potential if your motivation is strong. All starts from your mind!
