Hello, Lovely Soul Drop!! How are you feeling? I’m extremely proud of myself and how much I have improved through the years. Today, I’d like to share a few tips on how to learn a new language while still having fun. Disclaimer, this is all from my personal experience, not as an expert!
Put your phone in the target language: This will help you learn vocabulary and practice reading passively. I did this first with French and then with Hungarian. When my phone was in Hungarian I kept having issues like leaving a group instead of erasing the chat because I didn’t understand enough. However, even if I kept making mistakes and couldn’t understand most of what I read I still got to learn words and practice without realizing it. Then it felt weird not to read in Hungarian!
Listen to music and sing karaoke: Music is an amazing tool to learn languages. There are apps like Lyrics which use singing songs as a method to learn your target language. Search for your favorite genre and try to learn the lyrics, you could even try to translate them to your native tongue to practice or just learn by listening.
Watch series and movies: If you have the chance, watch Disney movies or other kid movies in your target language. When you feel ready, try to watch a series or a movie original from the culture you’re trying to get close to. As you’re doing this DO NOT use subtitles, if you have to, use the captions in the target language.
Talk to yourself: This might seem silly, but you should talk to yourself in the target language or language you wish to learn. Making up dialogues helps you to practice both sides of the conversation and it will help you see which words you need to learn to continue a common conversation.
Research the most useful phrases: Why are you learning this language? What phrases will you need: is it for tourism? Do you wish to make friends from that culture? Is it for work? Use your goal to help you determine which phrases are the most useful for your learning journey. Start learning there!
Use your surroundings: When you have free time try to use the objects around you and name them in the target language, preferably out loud. You can write post-it notes with the names of the objects and place them on top so each time you use them you’ll read them and drill them.
Write mini stories: Try to write a mini story using the words you have already learned. This will allow you to practice and to see which words you still need to learn in order to finish the tiny story. It’s fun, creative, and it’s still practice!
These are just a few tips to learn any language you desire. There’s many more, but you need to find the tools that help you the best. Read, use videos, podcasts, study groups, forums, and more! Motivation is key in the learning process, and learning is a choice so it’s in your hands to decide how you wish to learn.
I hope this helped you!! Which language do you want to learn? Let me know! Here are the podcast episodes of the week:
Let’s Connect Monday (Find the root): https://anchor.fm/bellemoon99/episodes/Lets-Connect-Monday-79--Find-the-root-e1fn1of
Let’s be Kind Thursday (How to better love yourself): https://anchor.fm/bellemoon99/episodes/Lets-be-Kind-Thursday-74--How-to-better-love-yourself-e1fs08i