Simple enough really, what methods do you find most effective for learning, understanding and becoming fluent in a language?
I thought you were never going to ask me! There's not a best way in my opinion. I do the following things in a mix: Reading newspapers While I do this, I make notes. I write down sentences and words and I include the translation. It helps when you are interested in the subject. For instance, I don't want to read news about celebrities in Dutch newspapers. I feel the same about reading news like that in a foreign language. Listening to online radio In Dutch, I prefer those with songs, but in a foreign language, I prefer people talking as well. Even when you don't understand much, you still get used to the vowels, consonants and such. You get used to hearing the language. Moreover, I know various good songs because of listening online.. Which brings me to the following.. Listening to songs Although some say it doesn't really help, I feel that it does helpt me, especially when I like the song. I try to translate the song, and I really like to learn a language by listening to a song. Watching television This is a very nice way to learn a language!! Especially when you like a certain show, it's a very good way to learn a language, and it's enjoyable as well. Probably one of the best ways to get used to a language, and a good way to learn it as well. Some shows have informal language, and that is very convenient for someone who learns a language! Diving in the grammar/syntax Yes.. You won't learn the vocabulary this way, but it's convenient to do this. For instance, when learning Dutch, it's so much easier when you understand how the grammar works. I find myself enjoying languages more because I know grammar, as in "Hey! They used a future tense there!" It may sound silly, but it brings some joy when you are able to understand the grammar, even when you don't know all words. Reading internet posts Yes, grammar mistakes may appear, but it's a good way to dive into the way people speak. Learning from books is nice, but people tend to have their own way of expressing themselves. Reading out loud Read a text out loud. You may even want to record yourself (it's scary, I know!) and see what is correct and what is a bit odd. Don't go too hard on yourself here. Reading out loud is a nice way to become used to speaking a language. Writing Ask yourself a question (in English for instance) and answer it in the language. For instance: "What are your hobbies?" Work on the answer. It may take some time (or a lot of time), but it can really help you. Other ways Other ideas are: joining a language forum to talk with others, Skyping with natives, ..
Let's see. I have friends who are native speakers of this language. Let's see with the one's that I know. I have to speak the four that I know every single day. I watch programs in the language (news, the Simpsons, Phineas and Ferb, other cartoons, interviews, etc.) I write to my native speaking friends either on Skype or Facebook every single day. I've used other language learning sites which include multilanguage chat rooms for me to practice in the desired language. I ask a billion questions! I try to speak to myself in the mirror and/or sing songs in that language in order to pronounce everything correctly. I write down everything: words (WITH gender included), verbs, and phrases on sheets of paper and memorize them. I try to join clubs at school and go to meetups in my city in order to speak the language of my choice. I still partake in a Spanish and French meetup in my city and go to them on a monthly basis. I help native speakers of the language that I'm learning in exchange for English, if they're learning it. I read articles online, newspapers in that language. I have fun with it!! When I was 11 years old, I thought that I'd never need another language, but I speak four now. I'm so happy that I get to make friends and converse in something that's not my native language, along with being able to travel more and go to more places. It's a hard process, but it's totally worth it in the end .
I go on language learning sites, and then I read other things to cover the stuff the site does not teach. When I get sufficient vocabulary, I write short little poems. They always turn out lovely, and I usually have to search up a little bit more words for it, so I learn that way too. It also helps to listen to speakers just talk.
There's been some really good advice so far Conversing with native speakers is a massive help. There's really no substitute for it, once you're at a decent conversational level. Practising forming new sentences is also a great way to improve your fluency and confidence. You can say something completely ridiculous like 'I enjoy dancing with a blind squirrel on Tuesdays' or 'I would eat a pancake with a plastic spoon if you made me one,' as long as it makes grammatical sense.
That is very true! :icon_bigg I don't like that when I don't know the language that well, when I'm only starting, but it's definitely one of the best ways to learn a language (once you know a bit). :icon_bigg
1) I try to get a general overview of the grammar. Start with common phrases, vocabulary building exercises. Then start forming basic grammatical structures, work on nouns, verbs, conjugation, declension, tenses, moods, complex sentences et cetera, as I become more comfortable with the language. Grammar is the most interesting part of the language to me, so I like to start with it. Once I get the grammar, watching shows in the language with english subtitles is easier. 2) Immersion. Best way to learn a language is hear it, read it and think it. You just have to have a certain mindset – you have to really focus on listening to the lines, analysing the sentences, memorising words – you don't learn a language just by watching TV. 3) I already have an understanding of a good deal of languages, and I am good at taking advantage of those to help learn new languages. English has a lot of loan words from Latin, French and so on, so having a massive English vocabulary actually helps me understand French and Spanish. English, Swedish and German complement each other, so understanding two helps with learning the third.
Well, the three ways I use to learn a language or maybe four There is obviously no substitute for native speakers I didn't used to speak Spanish like at all, but my parents did. I heard them talking and even though I had no idea what it meant, when I took spanish class I recognized lots of the words and it was easier to remember and speak it. I have an app called Duolingo, it's great for giving you that basic jump so you can try on native speakers. I'm using it for Dutch which is surprisingly similar to English
I'v learned most of my English from watching tv/videos, playing videogames and reading/writing on forums. It's the same with spanish for me. Even though I don't understand most of what's said in a movie I'll still watch it with spanish audio and subtitles. The best way I think is to try and "live" the language. Read it, speak it, listen to it, think in it; do it every day. Eventually you'll get better and understand more.
