As we wait to slowly get back to normal, now’s a good time as any to learn a new language. While language learning is best done in a class or a country where your chosen language is widely spoken, learning how to speak a new language even if you’re stuck at home is entirely possible. Some people have turned to language learning in the past year and Duolingo has made it easy for them to start learning. But what if you want to take your learning a step further?
You’re in luck because almost everything can be accessed online. If you’re getting serious with language learning, here are some tips and resources to help you acquire that new language.
Commit to a study schedule
Once you’ve decided you really want to learn that language, you should commit an hour (or more) a day for learning. Scheduling your language learning will force you to sit down and just study, and you really need to do that if you want to acquire a language. All of the hours you put in will add up in the end and it’ll help you learn a language faster.
Expose yourself to the language
Expose yourself to the language until it becomes natural to you. This means constantly reading and listening to the language of your choice. Change the language settings on your phone so you’ll be forced to learn certain words and phrases, and watch foreign language movies or listen to foreign language podcasts.
READ: 6 Podcasts That’ll Keep Your Mind Sharp While Staying at Home
Practice speaking the language
Before you can become a fluent language speaker, you first have to start practicing how to speak certain words and phrases. Listening and repeating will help you get a feel for the language, and you can find a lot of resources that you can listen and repeat from. A good and free place to start is Language Transfer. Choose the language of your choice and it will redirect you to a number of tracks.
If you’re ready to use the language in conversation but don’t know anyone who can speak it, there are language exchange sites that will connect you to people from all over the world. One site is Conversation Exchange. Find someone who can help you learn the language and you two can learn via chat or call.
Learning a new language is challenging, but you’ll find that all the hard work will be worth it as it can expand your horizons.
Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels
