How to Learn a New Language When You Don’t Have Much Time
Are you tired of spending months reading language textbooks without any progress? You need to learn that language as quickly as possible, but endless grammar and vocabulary drills don’t seem effective.
There are many polyglots who can learn a couple of languages in less than a year. Do they have superpowers? Nope, they have a strategy, and you can develop one too. Just follow the steps below.
Top Strategy for Learning a New Language
A good learning strategy starts with clear goals. What do you need the new language for? What level of proficiency are you pursuing? What level of proficiency do you need?
Once you’ve defined your main objective, you can break it into chunks. For instance, you can make a detailed learning plan for every week. And I’m not talking about some complex plans, like building a curriculum or something. Simple goals, like “this week I’ll learn 20 German words, and I’m going to learn them well,” work best. If 20 words sound too easy, you can try with 30 or 40, but don’t force yourself to memorize 500 words in a week. Unrealistic goals can kill your motivation and make you feel frustrated.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
The fastest way to learn a language is to be efficient. Instead of studying an endless list of words and phrases, move your focus to a list of the 1000 most useful words in the language you’re learning. You’ll also have many ready-made lists of the most frequently used words in any language online.
Similarly, you most likely don’t need to know the usage rules for every verb tense. Even the native speakers of a language typically use just a limited number of tenses in everyday speech. So why would you need to know more? Instead, focus on the key tenses and practice using the most common verbs.
Develop the Right Mindset
You probably know that our beliefs have a massive effect on our performance. If you feel you have control over the language learning process, you’ll become more proficient than you would be otherwise. So, take charge of your learning, and you’ll do great. It’s proven.
The Best Way to Learn a New Language is to Use the Best Resources
Long gone are the days when the list of available language learning resources consisted of uninspiring textbooks, paper, pen, and, if you’re lucky, some audio recordings of dialogues without any context.
Today, we have many fantastic tools that previous generations couldn’t even imagine. Various mobile app developers have brought electronic flashcards to perfection and made vocabulary learning a breeze. Also, there are innumerable podcasts, video lessons, and interactive courses available throughout the internet.
Online tutoring is probably the most important asset that we have today. Before the internet revolution, it was almost impossible to find a native language speaker to teach and guide you unless you moved to that country. But today, thousands of fantastic language teachers are just a click away from you, at an affordable price – and sometimes even for free.
Make Language Learning a Daily Habit
Language learning is an active process, and it requires full immersion in the language you’re learning. In addition to regular lessons, you should spend additional time practicing the core language skills every day, without exception.
That might sound hard, but it is entirely doable. For example, you can start your day with a coffee and a new episode of your favorite podcast in the language you’re learning. Then you can take a couple of breaks during the day to solve tasks on your favorite language learning app. Don’t forget to immerse yourself in a ton of entertaining video content in your target language. What a smart way to procrastinate, isn’t it?
Practice All Language Skills
Reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills are equally important. Vocabulary and grammar complement each other. Don’t mistake practicing one aspect of the language at the expense of something else.
Enjoy the Process
Don’t forget this important aspect of learning. Sometimes, the most effective ways to study anything involve lots of fun. Language learning is one field that makes learning possible while watching TV shows, listening to music, and enjoying just about any type of content, as long as it’s produced in your target language. Take advantage of this fact, and have a great time! Happy language learning!
