How to Learn A Language?

I speak four different languages. English, Spanish, Italian and Japanese (French unfortunately went by the wayside). I have thought long and hard about the processes that I went through and what best worked for me. So, without further ado, here are my 7 top tips on how to learn a language!

1) Embrace grammar!

Tackle grammar first! Grammar is the basis of any language. Think of it as the skeleton, and then you build in the flesh and brains with vocabulary, pronunciation and intonation afterwards.

2) Speak!

Start speaking from Day 1! Remember that the main purpose of any language is communication. So, if you can’t speak to anybody after years of studying, what was the point of that time?

I understand that people study languages for a variety of reasons. Some of them can be quite surprising. For example, one of my English students told me that he wanted to study to be able to watch English films in the original language because he hated dubbing and disliked having to read subtitles. Other people merely want to learn a language to do book translations, or read in that language. However, I would say that the vast majority of people learn a language with the aim of speaking it. So speak! From Day 1! Repeat “Hello, my name is [Dave], what’s your name?” and any other basic phrases you may learn until you no longer need to refer to your notes. Also, make sure to repeat them again just before you go to bed.

3) Revise all the Smegging time!

Revise your notes first thing in the morning and just before you go to sleep. This doesn’t just go for languages, this goes for any skill you are working on! I have lost count of the many times I practised piano the night before, failing to string a melody together with any real rhythm. Then, having done that evening practise, I woke up the next morning feeling like Mozart had snuck into my body overnight and given me his piano skills. The same goes for languages (or anything!).

Repeat what you are learning, aloud, and you will be amazed at the progress you make. Frequent revision is brilliant for progress! I highly recommend a flashcard app like AnkiDroid and, if you are studying English, use Mometrix for a more hands-on approach as they have specially built flashcards ready to tackle the major English exams, IELTS, TOEFL or TOEIC.

4) Language exchanges!

Once you have some sort of base down, join a language exchange Meetup group and attend the events for a very small fee. Or, you can use the app HelloTalk to use your skills with real people completely for free! With apps such as HelloTalk,  you can receive instant correction on your mistakes. However, you will probably have to ask the person you’re messaging to correct you first as the majority don’t do so unless asked.

5) Dating sites!

If you are a younger learner, perhaps steer clear of these. But, for you young (or perhaps not-so-young) adults out there, get onto the dating apps for real language skills. You can find people that genuinely want to talk to you and who might not speak your native language. Therefore, they will be more willing to put up with your dodgy language abilities than someone who might be fighting to practise the language that you speak in a language exchange. Check out apps such as Tinder, Bumble, Badoo and Pairs (if you’re in Japan).

6) Find love!

Get a boyfriend or girlfriend that speaks the language you are learning. I swear that this is the main way I have learnt languages (sorry ex-boyfriends, I promise that I wasn’t just using you 😂). When you’re in a relationship with someone, as a general rule, you speak to them every day and therefore get double or triple the amount of language practice you would get from mere friends or acquaintances. You also learn words and phrases that you wouldn’t usually learn otherwise. Plus, you can also get quite good at arguing and debating too, depending on who you are dating!

7) Live the language!

Live in the country of the language you are studying. You might be thinking “I have no money”, or “It’s scary”, but I moved to Japan with only £200 in my bank account, and without a single word of Japanese under my belt. There are so many platforms nowadays that enable you to make friends, and loads of different ways to meet other expats. So, if you really want to learn a language, the best thing for your development is to be surrounded by it. Learning about and living the culture itself will also unravel many language mysteries for you.

I hope that these tips really help you out! I only wish that I had known some of them before I embarked on my own language-learning adventure all those years ago.

Ciao for now!

Jade xxx