In today’s globalized world, knowledge of foreign languages is becoming more and more fashionable from year to year. Let’s just say that for many of us, learning another language, and even more so the ability to speak it, seems to be something extremely difficult. I remember English lessons at school, where you desperately try to memorize “London is the capital of Great Britain”, but in adulthood you are afraid of a foreigner moving towards you.
In fact, it’s not all that scary! And languages can also be mastered by people with any predispositions and regardless of the “more developed hemisphere”, if.
Determine the exact purpose for which you are learning the language
This advice may seem obvious, but if you don’t have a specific (worthwhile!) motive for learning, you’re more likely to veer off the path. For example, trying to impress an English-speaking audience with your command of French is not a good idea. But the ability to speak with a Frenchman in his language is a completely different matter. When deciding to learn a language, be sure to clearly formulate to yourself: “I intend to learn (such and such) a language, and therefore I am ready to do my best for this language.”
Find a colleague
One piece of advice you might hear from polyglots is: “Part up with someone who is learning the same language as you.” Thus, you can “push” each other. Feeling that a “friend in misfortune” is overtaking you in the pace of study, this will undoubtedly stimulate you to “gain momentum”.
Talk to yourself
If you have no one to talk to, then it does not matter at all! It may sound strange, but talking to yourself in the language is a good option for practice. You can scroll through new words in your head, make sentences with them and increase your confidence in the next conversation with a real interlocutor.
Keep Learning Relevant
Remember: you are learning a language in order to use it. You are not going to (end up) speaking French Arabic Chinese to yourself. The creative side of learning a language is the ability to apply the material being studied in everyday life – whether it be foreign songs, series, films, newspapers, or even a trip to the country itself.
Enjoy the process!
The use of the language being studied should turn into creativity. Why not write a song? Play a radio show with a colleague (see point 2)? Draw a comic or write a poem? Seriously, do not neglect this advice, because in a playful way you will learn many language points much more willingly.
Get out of your comfort zone
The willingness to make mistakes (of which there are many when mastering a language) also means the willingness to experience awkward situations. It can be scary, but it is also a necessary step in language development and improvement. No matter how long you study a language, you won’t start speaking it until you: talk to a stranger (who knows the language), order food over the phone, tell a joke. The more often you do this, the more your comfort zone expands and the more at ease you begin to feel in such situations.