How To Learn A Language Faster
How to learn a language faster
Let our experts guide you on the road to learning a language.
If you want to learn a language fast and easy, we are going to tell you what works best.
Full immersion is best. In example:
If you go to London and spend 24 hours a day with native speakers, combining your stay there with classes, you'll learn English fast and easy.
But the key is:
- How to achieve it from home, with your job and your normal life?
- How to prepare your trip to a country where they speak your target language, if you want to improve your level of that language first?
- What tricks can help you feel more confident with your new language in your work or studies?
We are not going to give you a list of grammar books or academies, but rather 18 creative tricks for your daily life that will allow you to improve your fluency in you new language quickly and easily. And it won’t break your bank account either.
1. Learn the 1000 basic words
Of all the words in the language, in the end we always end up using just a few.
For example, in Spanish, there are over 300.000 words in current use. Yet, you only use the same 1000 words 85% of all the time. The top 5000 words will get you 95% fluent. How crazy is that?
Learn the essential words first, and you will notice impressive progress!
It is a series of simple steps that help you improve your level step by step. A frequency dictionary. You can practice on your way to work, in the evenings or in your free time. It's a quick and easy way to improve every day. Check them out here.
We offer free ebooks with the core vocabulary. You can learn a language quickly to a basic level by learning important new words first.
Of course, beyond vocabulary, you need a base understanding of grammar, speaking, writing and listening skills... That's why the other tricks in this list are also important to read.
2. Sing in the language you want to learn
If you like music, or even singing in the shower, pick up some songs that motivate you and learn the lyrics well.
You will become familiar with the accent, new vocabulary words... and most importantly, you will enjoy it!
It is proven that when we enjoy ourselves, we learn better.
Another thing you can do to learn a language for free is to start listening to podcasts. Why? Because often, the most difficult is listening in a new language. Therefore, it is important to practice it. This way, you will greatly improve your listening skills while learning new words at the same time.
3. Find a flirt in your target language.
If you like dating apps and are open to experiment, try to meet a native a language speaker from a country where they speak your target language.
This way you can practice the language you’re learning, with the incentive of excitement, curiosity and intrigue that go hand in hand with meeting a special person.
- Tinder
- Mamba
- Badoo
- PlentyofFish
4. Watch movies and series in a language
Do you watch TV or Netflix daily? Change the language and add subtitles, and it will be fun AND productive.
If your level of a language still doesn't allow you to follow the thread of the series, add subtitles in English. If you’re more advanced, add subtitles in the language you’re learning.
There are many websites where you can find movies and series, such as Netflix, Rakuten and YouTube. You can watch them in their original version and gain a whole new experience. Often, series are better in their native language.
5. Learn a language in your sleep
[img] Learn a language-sleeping
We’re not joking. It is possible to learn a language in your sleep. If you learn a language just before sleeping, you will let your unconscious mind assimilate the language better.
If you want to know more about this topic, we encourage you to read this article.
6. Do a language exchange online
language-exchange
Look for people on the Internet who want to do a language exchange. For example, a person who wants to learn English, and in exchange, can teach you their language.
(italki aff link)
Learning a language will be easier when you combine a language course with real life situations, like talking with another person who can give you feedback.
7. Think in your new language
We spend the whole day talking to ourselves. Sometimes unconsciously, and sometimes we realize we’re talking to ourselves. Try to think in your new language, and your brain will become more used to that language.
For example, if you are writing your shopping list, thinking about something that happened to you yesterday. Or when planning your weekend, think in your new language. You’ll probably encounter words you don’t know yet, and that's why you need point 8.
8. Buy a notebook to learn vocabulary
Every time you learn with the rest of the tricks on this list, you will need to write down what you have learned about vocabulary.
Write down everything you learn, and spend ten minutes at the end of the day reviewing what you've learned.
9. Download language learning apps on your smartphone
Nowadays, there are many apps for learning a language. They cater to all levels and learning styles, and are available on both iPhone and Android.
When you go by subway or bus, take advantage of small periods of the day to do some language study. Eventually, you'll be able to travel all the way to a country where they speak your new language, and communicate with locals there - you just need to put in the time to learn a language.
10. Ask your partner to speak a language with you at dinner.
One trick that can work well for you to learn a language quickly and easily is to ask your partner, family, a friend, or a co-worker to make a commitment to speak a language with you daily.
You can, for example, assign language practice to dinner time at home.
It works best if your partner speaks that language well. But don't worry if others are not fluent in a language either. The idea is to force yourself to speak, make mistakes, and test yourself. You should combine this trick with the others on this list, so as not to pick up mistakes from non-native speakers.
11. Read the news in your new language
If you read online media every morning, try to make the effort to seek media in your target language. Find out major news channels in countries where they speak your language. This way you can find out what's going on in the world while practicing a language.
12. Expand your vocabulary further with a frequency dictionary.
A simple and powerful technique to improve your vocabulary in your new language is to get a frequency dictionary. These dictionaries provide you with a list of the most common words in a language, listed by how often you use them.
Take advantage of downtime in your daily life to memorize new words, and remember to write them down in your notebook.
13. Play games with Google Translate
Think of a sentence in English, and then how you would say it in your target language. Then type it in the translator to discover how it translates. Do you translate better than Google Translate?
That means you are already improving, because Google Translate is imperfect. It is a machine and does not always understand the context of the sentences!
15. Read simple books in your target language
If you find novels too complicated, look for an easy and fun book to read in a language.
Think of reading as an element that you should include in one way or another, because this way you can improve your spelling in the language.
We offer a series of bilingual books. These books have the English version on one half of the page, and the other half of the page contains, for example, the Spanish translation. This way, you don’t have to waste time looking up unknown vocabulary in a dictionary or app.
16. Watch videos of Youtubers and imitate how they talk
Find YouTubers who speak the language you're trying to learn, and watch their videos daily. You will learn common words, typical phrases and learn common idioms. Youtube often allows you to add subtitles, which are often not 100% exact, but can serve as a guiding tool..
17. Do memory exercises with mnemonics.
When you look at your notebook at the end of the day, you may find it a little difficult to memorize all these new words.
Use memory hacking rules, like spaced repetition, chanting the words or associating them with things you like. Create visual images in your head to remember vocabulary better.
18. Find memes in your target language
It is obvious that fluency in your new foreign language will not improve too fast if you only do this one. However, it is one more helpful tool to boost your foreign language skills quickly and easily.
Go join some foreign language meme Facebook groups, or search for sites with memes in your target language. You will laugh while practicing reading in a language.
Laughter is a great friend of learning. Don't think you are “wasting” your time if you spend about ten minutes a day looking at foreign language memes.-
The Most Important Factor When Learning A New Language Faster
To achieve fluency, remember that in addition to these tricks, you need to motivate yourself every day. Let go of laziness and approach it like a marathon.
A bit by bit, daily. Language learning is not a sprint. Instead, it is many little changes over time, that eventually lead to big changes.
Best of luck and success!