Kickstart Your Language Learning Journey: 3 Essential Tips for Success
If learning a new language (or restarting your previous language learning journey) is part of your New Year’s resolutions, I have three things you could do to get a headstart.
1: Collect the basics
Good preparation is key, so having your tools ready will make learning your new language easier. That’s why I recommend collecting the basics: find exposure to the language you’re trying to learn, incorporate vocabulary into your learning journey, and plan when you want to sit down and study the language.
Exposure is the most crucial element of language learning. Without proper exposure to the language, learning is impossible. Exposure to the language, which could happen through listening to music, reading books, watching television, or gaming, gives you access to natural language use. Language books are helpful, too, but they sometimes contain unnatural language because the authors try to make it as accessible as possible, so the language used in language books can be fake or over-edited.
If you’re looking for some useful books teaching English, have a look at my article linked below.
Vocabulary, which are the words and phrases used in a language, is key when learning a new language. When you’re already fluent in one language (like your native language), you can lean on that knowledge when learning a new language by using translation aids or games to enhance your vocabulary acquisition. Learning a language through complete immersion has the highest return on investment, but for people who struggle with learning a language or when complete immersion is impossible, holding on to your native language can make learning your new language easier.
I’m generally not in favour of studying or teaching grammar in the native language. However, if you’re learning the language independently, using your native language or structures from your native language might give you some extra handles to grab onto. A caveat here is that you shouldn’t end up in a translation exercise, as you’ll create very awkward constructions.
Planning regular moments during the week at which you’ll sit down and spend time learning your language is also vital. Habits are developed through consistency (said literally by any motivational speaker/influencer ever), and planning when you want to sit down and study will help you be consistent. Marie Comes put it nicely in her 2023 article Motivation vs Consistency vs Discipline:
Consistency comes in when your motivation is taking the day off.
So, schedule time in your calendar to learn your language.
Tip 2: Use language learning apps
Language learning apps are indispensable in your language learning toolbox. Even though it’s quite simple to collect many of the things you need on your own, using language-learning apps that are built on communicative language-learning principles will skyrocket your language proficiency.
We cannot talk about language-learning apps without talking about Duolingo, and I looked at Duolingo last year to see whether it’s worth it. I still believe it is, but I think there’s a competitor that’s slightly friendlier and does not rely on streaks so much: Promova. Promova is built on communicative language-teaching principles, and many of the activities are provided in a natural context. The app can even connect learners to tutors for one-on-one sessions (but mind you, these aren’t free). My favourite feature is the AI chatbot, which tries to have a natural conversation with you in the language you’re trying to learn.
New to the table is Helm, an app that teaches language through reading news articles. The authors create summaries of hot-topic news articles and provide a direct translation when the user interacts with the page. The app is relatively young, and I haven’t had time to check every feature, but it’s worth checking out if you enjoy reading the news.
Tip 3: don’t forget to produce language
New language learners put a lot of time and effort into their receptive skills (reading and listening), and that is obvious: without a base understanding of the language, you’re unable to produce language. However, producing language is equally important. It can be pretty difficult to write or speak in the new language you’re learning, but by studying common phrases and words, you can slowly start producing language on your own. My recommendation is to keep a journal and regularly write short pieces of texts in different genres (when you’re ready for it, of course).
It’s important to keep getting feedback on whatever you produce: you need to know whether your actions are correct or you’re making too many mistakes. Mind that doing something incorrectly, too often, might result in fossilisation, and you want to avoid that. Tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid can provide feedback in English, and the Microsoft Editor in Word also offers great opportunities for basic feedback in other languages.
To practise your speaking skills, find an online community (like one on Discord) and participate in it. I know that the English communities have many teachers (like yours truly) who are part of the server and ready to help. The benefit of practising speaking in these communities is that you can find people who are at the same level as you, making speaking easier and lowering the threshold to join the conversation.
Kickstart your language learning in 2025.
With these tips, learning a new language will become easier this year. Of course, it takes hours and hours of exposure, dedication, and practice to learn a new language, especially if that language differs greatly from your native language (the term used for this is linguistic similarity).
What’s your language-learning goal for 2025? Do you have other tips or tricks for language learners?
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