One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way. ~ Frank Smith
You’re right. However much you want to learn a language, it’s not easy.
Between work and your part-time hustle, you’re constantly juggling. The thought of adding language study to the mix can feel overwhelming.
Maybe you long to regain the fluency you had back in the day. You’ve thought of taking up a new language, but life and family commitments—sorry, dear Husband, for how this sounds if you’re reading this!—keep getting in the way.
But you wanna speak another language so bad!
If only to know what people saying about you when they think you don’t have a clue.
So, how in the world do you do it?
HOW CAN WE MAKE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE STOP FEELING SO FOREIGN?
Most simply, by recognizing that we don’t so much learn a language as get used to it.
We get used to a language or anything else the more we come into contact with it, like how we learned our first language and how that one-time stranger is now our best friend.
By making language learning a part of what you do day in and day out.
So, relax, take a breath . . . smile. You can do this.
Fluency in your language of choice will be yours when you establish habits with what you watch and listen to on a daily basis.
To that end, outlined below are five such habits.
Apply them consistently, and you will improve your listening and speaking skills no matter what language you are learning or what skill level you’re starting out with.
The 5 Habits to Learn a Language (for Keeps)
A ONCE-A-WEEK HABIT TO LEARN A LANGUAGE
1) Watch a Movie in Your Target Language.
- Movies are tailor-made for language learning. And one movie a week is a habit our families can enjoy with us.
- Listening to dialogue accustoms us to the sounds and rhythms of language. The actions and attitudes of characters portrayed on the screen will help you to understand the dialog with its local slang. We also get the gist of how people communicate non-verbally that we wouldn’t “get” any other way. We experience the culture via the costumes, scenery, and soundtrack.
- Whether you watch a movie via Netflix or borrow it from the library, make sure it has not been dubbed into English. You want to hear the actors speaking the original language and come to understand what they’re saying through their actions. (Movies with subtitles are great. But once you’ve watched the movie at least twice—which I highly recommend—no more peaking, okay?)
- By the time the end credits roll, you may have a new gotta-go-there destination, having learned as much about the culture and history of the film’s location as its language.
A TWICE-A-WEEK HABIT TO LEARN A LANGUAGE
2. Meet with a Language Partner.
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- Practice makes fluent. Conversing with a native speaker regularly is a natural and fun way to improve language fluency. This is true whether you meet in person or online.
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- You can easily make initial contact with prospective language partners at any of several good language exchange websites. You’ll be surprised how many people speaking the language you want to learn will want to learn English with you. Here are some things to consider when vetting the candidates: Choose someone from a place you’re interested in who is eager to learn and get started with you. Don’t stress if all of your interests aren’t matchy-matchy. The very fact you have different interests will open the door to real conversation based on curiosity. And you’ll learn all kinds of new words.
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- Arrange to meet for 40 minutes to 1 hour per session.
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If a single language partner can’t meet with you more than once a week, then find another partner for your second session.
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- Having a language partner will help you focus. Your vocabulary and ease of speaking will grow with every meeting since you have something specific to talk about and someone specific to talk with to whom you’re accountable.
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In other words, if you don’t show up or are unprepared ~ you’re gonna feel like mud.
Motivationally-speaking . . . how cool is that?
Additionally, one BONUS of Practicing with a Native Speaker to Learn a Language is:
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- Having a language partner who is a native speaker can also, over time, give you a friend in that far-away place you’ve been wanting to visit. You’ll have an insider’s view of what certain words and expressions really mean, how they’re used, and how things work in his or her world.
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DAILY HABITS TO LEARN A LANGUAGE
3. Become a Stick-Up Artist.
“What’s that?”
Weren’t these your first words after “Mama,” “Dada,” and “Mine?”
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- Once you start gaining another language, your brain asks that question whenever you see a new object. Seeing new words attached to the things the words mean will give your brain the answers it seeks in a way it will remember.
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- Put Post-its on everything everywhere. Whenever you encounter something you don’t know the word for in your target language, place a Post-it note on it. Then, look the word up in your pocket dictionary or online and write it on the note. (If, for some reason, you can’t find the word because your dictionary is not comprehensive enough or you can’t get an internet connection, the empty Post-it note will remind you to look it up later.)
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Get into the additional habit of putting a pad of Post-its and a pencil by the coffee pot at the end of each day so you’re sure to pick them up and be ready to use them at the start of every day.
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- Your knowledge of everyday vocabulary will soar and you will be able to share more detailed stories with your language partner about your daily activities.
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4. Listen to a Language Podcast.
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- You can listen to language podcasts almost anytime. Sharpen your speaking and listening skills while driving to work, working out, and walking the dog.
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- Subscribe to a language podcast on your mobile device. Listen as much as your schedule allows, but at least 30 minutes a day.
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- Among the multiple benefits: you’ll develop your ear by listening to native speakers, grow your vocabulary, and get a grip on how words really work together ~ all at your own pace.
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5. Watch a Foreign Language Television Program.
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- With very little effort on your part other than watching, you’d be surprised how much you pick up by viewing these programs on a regular basis. (And not just you. Four years have passed since I last watched Caso Cerrado ~ a court case show where the judge says “Caso Cerrado” (Case Closed) at the end of every case ~ yet my husband can still say in perfect Spanish, “Caso Cerrado,” And all he did was work in an adjacent room while I was watching it.
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- Find a TV program in your language that is at least 30 minutes long. You want it on a subject you’re interested in, to which you can commit to watching daily.
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- Newscasts are ideal since reporters speak the standard form of your target language clearly and consistently.
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Maybe your current entertainment package doesn’t provide a channel to watch daily newscasts in the language you want to learn. If that’s the case, such a channel may be available as an add-on. You may also be able to watch the newscasts online.
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- You’ll become savvy about what’s happening in countries where your language is spoken. This will inspire and help you shape your travel plans and give you current stories to trade with your language partner. It will also teach you new words and further develop your ear.
- You’ll become savvy about what’s happening in countries where your language is spoken. This will inspire and help you shape your travel plans and give you current stories to trade with your language partner. It will also teach you new words and further develop your ear.
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Five is not a large number.
But these five habits, combined consistently, will have you speaking and—this is crucial—understanding your new language in record time.
Besides, given your schedule, five is all you can handle.
How long will it take you to establish each habit? Some say 21 days, others 31. I give myself the luxury of 40 days to be sure a new habit is really mine, so I’m recommending the same to you.
However many days you choose, don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to acquire more than one new habit at a time. Once your 40 days are up, start in on the next one.
Language learning that sticks isn’t a sprint; it’s more like a marathon.
Language learning that sticks isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Share on X
Don’t you think it’s worth the prep time to develop a crazy-good skill you can enjoy and use to serve others for a lifetime?
WHAT NOW?
1) Get started on one of the habits right now. Listen to a podcast or watch a program like Caso Cerrado on YouTube. When choosing the latter, stay particularly mindful when deciding which episodes to watch. The kinds of cases presented include the straight-up silly and the scandalously sensational.
30 days from now ~
2) Put the pieces in place to begin your second new habit on time. For example, if you choose habit number 3, “Become a Stick-Up Artist,” lay in a supply of Post-it notes for stashing around the house, in your pockets, and;
3) Locate an easy-to-carry pocket dictionary or dictionary app appropriate for your level.
If you’re at a beginner-intermediate level, a bi-lingual dictionary in your native and target languages is what you want. If you’re advanced, a single-language dictionary in your target language will serve you better.
60 days from now~
3) Please contact me. I’d love to hear how far you’ve come and cheer you on in your progress!
PHOTO CREDITS
The featured image is Language Scramble by Erik Andresen. Also appearing is Doodle Language Courses Icons in Circles @minur 1 via Canva. The seamless pattern with “hello” in speech bubbles is by iliveinoctober.
