My Language-Learning Rule: It’s About Phrases, Not Just Words
We communicate with sentences, not separate words. And it is all about communication
So many people ask me just how many words you need to learn in a foreign language to speak it fluently, and this is perhaps one of the most irksome questions.
Learning a language isn’t about how many words you speak.
Instead, it’s about fluency, which means you can only speak a language when you’ve mastered enough phrases to hold a conversation or share your thoughts.
Single words won’t help you communicate effectively.
My Personal Language-Learning Journey
As a child, I learned to speak a second language in addition to my mother tongue. Soon, I began learning more languages, and I’ve since mastered 8 languages.
I learned early on that I could only learn when I understood a language, and understanding didn’t come from one word here or there.
To learn, to understand, and to use a language, you need phrases to help you really share what you mean and understand what someone else means.
Because I never learned single words on their own, I found language learning easier by focussing on phrases instead of just trying to collect one-word translations.
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Why Learning Phrases Is Best
There are several reasons why learning whole phrases is better than just picking up a few random words if you’re trying to learn and speak a foreign language.
Fluency and Natural Use
Languages are fluent, and while you may not understand the grammar rules of a foreign language, you’ve probably heard that it’s spoken in flowing sentences, not in simple one-word statements.
To become more fluent in a new language, you have to embrace learning sentences or phrases as these convey a whole meaning and not a fragmented concept.
Imagine asking someone for directions to the local bakery, but instead of asking that with a phrase, you end up saying the local word for bread. Most likely, people will think you are a simpleton.
It’s natural to speak a language by using phrases and expressions.
Better Communication
By using phrases, you will find yourself able to communicate better. You can ask with clarity for answers, guidance, and directions.
Single word communication is like seeing cave art on a mountain and not understanding whether the drawing is about an animal, local rituals, or someone’s dream.
The communication of single words is as limiting as a single cave drawing. Surely, we humans have progressed further than that?
Natural Conversations
The ultimate goal of language learning is to speak a language fluently, to have a conversation with a local in their own language. If you want to speak to native speakers, you have to create natural conversations that don’t sound broken up or fake.
Using natural phrases, you can create a more natural conversation. Even asking someone the time of day requires a phrase — unless you want to tap your watch with a dumb expression.
How to Learn Phrases and Not Just Words
So how do you go about learning a new phrase or two? Is it easier to learn a phrase than a single word or two?
Use Context
The brain is surprisingly good at remembering formulas. Like the steps to starting a car and driving away — you learned this little “conversation” or phrase and can now do it without thinking.
It’s all about the context you are working in. If you want to learn a phrase that relates to food, it’s important to remember the context of food, then practice the phrase.
Your brain will soon remember to associate the phrase with the context, making learning easy.
Sentences and Conversations
Use sentences and conversations to recall phrases. I love watching my favorite shows on Netflix in the language I am learning.
This way, I can easily pick up phrases and remember these in the context or scene conversation of a show. I still recall some Italian translated phrases from Friends.
Flashcards and Repetition
When you learned a few basic phrases in your mother language as a child, you were taught by a basic learning strategy — repetition.
Most likely, your teacher also used flashcards to help you learn.
Once you have a few phrases in your chosen language, you can create your own flash cards and carry them in your pocket to practice whenever you have a few minutes to learn.
It works like a charm.
Make Phrases Part of Your Language Use
My last strategy is using foreign phrases as part of your language use. My kids quickly learned to say goodnight in German when they began learning the language.
They can also pray in German, and they’ve even begun picking up some slang phrases simply by using it daily.
Take common phrases like “How are you?” “Can you help me?” and “I’d like to order lunch please,” and use the foreign variants instead, which will help you quickly learn the new phrases.
Useful Phrases to Learn
When I start a new language, I always create a “cheat sheet” of terms or phrases that I want to learn.
If I am traveling, I may focus on phrases I’d need in the country when I visit there. Alternatively, I use phrases from my own mother tongue to help me get started.
Greetings and Polite Phrases
Greeting by using the correct phrasing in a language you are learning is important. Being friendly, polite, and respectful will help foreigners be more friendly and helpful to you.
I focus on phrases like, “Hello, how are you?” “Good day, my name is Krystyna (but use your own name; otherwise, it’s just weird)” and “May I ask for your assistance, please?”
Idioms and Expressions
Idioms are less commonly used, but local expressions can be a valuable language aid if you’re traveling.
Try learning local phrases for “I am still learning your language” and “I’m feeling under the weather.”
You can even find local alternatives for “Spill the beans,” “Believe it with a pinch of salt,” and “Hit the sack.”
Situation-Specific Phrases
Of course, situation-specific phrases are also valuable to learn.
If you go see a doctor, you might want to tell them “I’m not feeling well” or “It hurts here.”
You can also use phrases like “Please, help me find the police” or “I’m looking for …”
Final Phrases
Languages aren’t static one-word systems, so why try to learn it like that?
It’s far better to learn phrases, which is what most language learning apps try to achieve.
So I urge language students to focus less on attaining a massive vocabulary and more on knowing phrases and using them.
Make phrase-learning your new rule.
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