Learning a New Language
Three simplified steps will lead you to mastery
Learning a new language can easily overwhelm a person. A person who sets out to do so is immediately overwhelmed by the sheer choices. Numerous (and expensive) websites, apps, software, classes, and books all claim to help you learn your target language in two months, 15 minutes a day, in your sleep, for free, for the low price of $10/hour, and so on.
Even when you get started, you may find the task to be monumental. Today, you learned ten words, only 1,990 to go to be conversational and 19,990 to speak like a native speaker. The next day, you forgot those ten words. In a month, you’ve learned a hundred words but you don’t understand why they get used in a certain way in a sentence, and the way the words are said on your favorite French TV show doesn’t sound anything like on the app you are listening to.
I have been learning French and it has not been an easy journey. However, as I have been learning my target language, I have studied the art and science of language acquisition, read tons of websites and research articles, and found methods and websites, most of them free, that have helped me along the way. This article hopes to distill all this information into three simple steps.
Before I introduce the steps, be aware that learning a new language takes time and patience. Some estimate that it takes five hundred hours to learn a language. That’s approximately sixteen months at one hour a day. However, how you learn a language also makes a difference. A person could spend those five hundred hours on unchallenging tasks and never gain but a rudimentary understanding of basic sentences. You need to spend those five hundred hours doing the right things.
You must also clarify what you mean when you say you want to “learn a language.” To “know a language” can mean a lot of things. You can spend a lifetime learning a single language and still not grasp every word in every circumstance. I am a native English speaker with a degree in English, and I still read books and come across words I don’t know. I still find myself lost in conversations with people talking about their field of expertise. I’m still “learning” English.
Be sure you know what you want. Most people want the ability to follow and contribute to basic conversations in their target language. They may also want to read books and write emails, tweets, or blogs in the target language. Determine what you specifically desire with your desired language. Adjust your learning accordingly. For example, if you want to translate marketing materials for your company, you should add focus to language that has to do with your company’s services.
Finally, do not give up. It takes time. Methods that teach you how to learn a language in one week do not work. As you learn a language, your brain develops new synapses and reserves a whole new corner for your new language. You learn new motor functions and strengthen the muscles around your mouth to help you pronounce the new words. Your ears are learning to distinguish different sounds that may not matter or even exist in your native tongue. The quick language fix will not lead you to mastery.
As you will see, the steps are simple, but the journey takes effort.
1. Learn vocabulary and phrases through testing and spaced repetition.
In my mind, digital flashcards offer the best challenge for acquiring the vocabulary of the desired language. The online world is an amazing place of flashcard programs, online quizzes, and so on. Try to find flashcards that give you both the written word and the pronunciation, if possible. I like flashcards that show an image of the item in question. For example, perhaps you see an image of a dog on one side of the flashcard. Then, when you flip it over, you see the written word (for example, “le chien,” if you study French) and hear audio pronouncing the word for you. Make sure you can both say the word and spell it accurately (depending on your goals with the language). Keep track of which words come easily, which words you can figure out with some difficulty, and which words you do not yet know.
Then, focus on spaced repetition. This means that you review vocabulary with more and more time between each review. For example, you memorize ten words on day one, you review them on day two, then again on day four, then again at the end of the week, then again a week later, then two weeks later, a month later, and so on, until they get embedded into your long-term memory. You will need more repetition with words with which you struggle.
I like the Anki App because it gives you spaced repetition automatically. When you attempt to remember the word in your desired language, the app asks you how you did (Fail, Hard, Good, Easy) and adjusts accordingly. You can usually find several sets of flashcards of common words for your target language, or you can make your own.
2. Practice speaking and writing in your new language right away
Speak words out loud often (I use Google translate to help me when I’m unclear about pronunciation). Learn common phrases and questions. Focus on good pronunciation but don’t expect perfection right away. Talk, talk, talk.
Find someone with whom to use your language, either a mentor or friend. You can find a lot of tutors online, but the HelloTalk app helps you to find a native speaker who might also be trying to learn your language. Find this person and struggle through the language. You will start with simple conversations, such as, “Hello,” “My name is Chris,” and “How are you?” but with time you will have more and more complex conversations and may even find a friend or two.
Don’t forget to write in your new language as well. Write scripts of simple conversations. Write stories or thoughts. Write to a pen pal. Writing will allow you to take your time with the language, look up words that you may want to use, and start developing your grammatical skills. At first, a native speaker of your desired language may find tons of writing and spelling mistakes. No matter. Practice makes perfect, and you will get better with time.
3. Listen to your target language and read
Listening to your target language, particularly in context, will help you learn the cadence, common sounds, and vocabulary, even when you may not understand most of what is said. Start with easier media, such as audiobooks, songs, and TV shows designed for children. You can often find several online (particularly on YouTube) or you can purchase them through various bookstores. Listen to the same items over and over. See if you can pull out new words, look them up.
And read. Again, start with what’s easy, such as short children’s stories or comic books and look up words you may not know. Add them to your flashcards.
A powerful method is to find audio and a script of a story or article. Listen and read at the same time. Look up words and learn them. Listen and read over and over until you can understand both the written word and the audio. Work on several stories in this way.
I give you no promises that you will learn your desired language “in no time.” But with time (and deliberate practice using the methods above), you will find that you can adopt your new language and hold your own in conversation. And you can spend the rest of your life with mastery.
Bonne chance!
