Tips to help you learn a foreign language

The fact that neuroplasticity, known as the ability of the brain to change at a young age, is high is closely related to the fact that children can learn languages ​​much faster. However, this does not mean that the language cannot be learned with age. Today, personal development is more resourced than ever before, and information is more accessible than in the past, and the competitive environment is getting hotter than ever; Requires 2 or even more foreign languages. While not necessary, you can start learning a new language at any point in your life to invest in yourself and keep your brain healthy, no matter your age. All you need is a few tips to help you and increase your motivation. After all One language, one person, two languages, one person… Here are some tips to help you learn a foreign language:

1. Decide what language you want to learn

Before embarking on a new language learning adventure, decide which language you really want to learn. For both your personal development and career planning, which language would be more beneficial for you to learn or think about what you enjoy learning. If you don’t decide which language it is, you may have difficulty setting goals and using the right methods. If you wish, you can first view the content in different languages ​​or find out which language is most used in the field in which you work, and thus make the right choice.

2. Set your goals

The first step in learning a new language quickly is to set goals for what you want to achieve. Seeing at a glance that there is so much to learn, you may feel overwhelmed before you even begin. But remember, you can’t master an entire new language in one day. Learning a language takes time and patience. Setting precise, short-term, and achievable goals will help you get on the right track. To the end goalwhat do you hope to achieve in the end– the desire to have is certainly important, but long-term goals may be too compelling to motivate you on a daily basis. Break down your ultimate goal into smaller pieces, set smaller goals, and write down your goals for each day, each week, or each month. Writing down your goals helps you stick to them.

3. Research Your Sources

Modern technologies make access to information easier than ever. So you don’t have to look far for resources. You can find many online courses, take part in online trainings and take advantage of the most widely used mobile apps focused on language skills such as Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise, Mondly. Even when you’re just typing in your browser to learn a language, you may encounter millions of results, language courses all around you, and apps you can download for free. Google is a magical world, you can get the information you need with just one click. You can watch YouTube videos, buy useful books you need, and draw your own conclusions by reading other people’s comments and experiences about the language you want to learn on forum sites.

4. Learn the alphabet

The basis of the language is the alphabet. If you have your own language or another foreign language that you know, check to see if the language you want to learn has letters, sounds, and special characters that overlap with those languages. If the alphabet is completely different, spend more time recognizing the letters first. The extra time you spend getting to know the letters of that language will make the process of learning the language faster and easier.

5. Pay attention to pronunciation

The next step after the alphabet should be learning the correct pronunciation of the most common sounds in the language. Even if the alphabet is very similar to the language or languages ​​you know, it does not mean that the pronunciation is the same. Learning the rules of pronunciation early will help you read correctly throughout the learning process and ensure understanding in the long run. In addition, sounds that are learned incorrectly from the start are more difficult to correct later. Although you don’t have to master the pronunciation first, you should try to pronounce it correctly, so you should pay attention to how the sounds are pronounced. Some sounds are very difficult to pronounce; It’s normal to have some problems at first. But if you know how they’re supposed to sound, you can get into the right place with practice.

6. Pay attention to key verbs

Learning the 4 or 5 most important verbs in the language you want to learn can greatly improve your understanding. When you learn verbs that appear frequently in sources that are used repeatedly or have more than one meaning, this can be a great advantage in both reading, writing and speaking practice; What’s more, you can quickly boost your motivation this way.

7. Use basic phrases

It is also helpful to learn a few simple, ready-made phrases in order to start using the language as soon as possible. Start learning phrases that will come in handy in your daily life or while traveling. After a few hours, you can start short conversations with such phrases. These suggestions will help you practice your pronunciation and let you dive deeper into the language.

8. Get familiar with the language

The most effective way to learn a language is to get to know the language as much as possible. Add new people around you who speak this language, change the language of your phone and computer, listen to songs in this language, watch TV shows, buy books, visit websites, subscribe to accounts on social networks. In short, make sure that everywhere you look there is something about the language you want to learn. The more you see, hear, watch, read, the more you become familiar with that language and encourage your mind to learn at every opportunity.

9. Use word cards

Word, word, word! Lists of commonly used words in most languages ​​can be found online or in printed books. Of course, you cannot learn and remember all the words in the language you want to learn at once. Think of it this way; Although Turkish is our mother tongue, do we have a good command of all the words in Turkish? But we can practice to learn as many words as possible. You can support the learning process by purchasing flashcards containing words in the language you want to learn. You can learn much faster if you prefer flashcards with visuals and example sentences where the word is given. Remember to use each new word you learn in your own sentence. So you don’t memorize, you actually learn.

10. Create different scenarios

With a little imagination and creativity, you can improve your language learning process and make it more fun. Imagine yourself in a restaurant or mall in the country where you are learning a language. What would you say or what should you talk about? By practicing in different situations, you can learn certain phrases and know where and how to use them according to your needs. You can even make a mini theater for yourself or someone you love and trust.

11. Think in the language you want to learn

Most people think that when learning a language, they won’t become fluent in it until they start thinking in that language. This is relatively true. However, you should not wait until you start to progress freely to start thinking in this language. For example, if you are learning English, it might seem easier to think about what you want to say in Turkish and try to translate it into English. However, this can lead to confusion and mistranslation. Because it is impossible to find the same equivalent for every word in every language. For this reason, thinking in a language while trying to learn as much as possible will keep you from making mistakes and speed up the process of learning, understanding, and speaking. It can make your job easier if you start thinking in simple sentences in everyday conversations.

12. Disable or change subtitles

Watching TV shows or movies in the language you want to learn helps improve your comprehension and listening skills. However, when you turn on subtitles, it may be difficult for you to focus on the language, as your attention will be diverted to reading the texts. For this reason, when learning a new language, you can turn off the subtitles of TV shows and movies you watch in that language, or you can translate both the voice acting and the subtitle language into that language instead of Turkish. Thus, you can hear on the one hand and visually study the structure of the sentence on the other. Rest assured, over time, you will begin to understand more than you think. Just trust yourself.

13. Play games

Most of us tend to learn best by having fun. That’s why we can do better by making language learning fun. If you love playing games, this recommendation might be for you. When you change the language of the games you play to the language you want to learn, you may find yourself progressing much faster than you expected. It must be what they call learning, having fun…

14. Find pen pals

The era, the era of technology… Of course, we understand that there are no pen pals, but the logic is still the same. You can meet people whose native language is the language you want to learn from various apps, social media accounts or online sessions, and you can strengthen your communication skills in that language by talking to them regularly.

15. Go abroad

Yes, we have come to the most effective method of learning a language, which has established a throne in the hearts … Undoubtedly, go to a country where this language is spoken. Although it is a little more expensive among other things, learning a language in a country where it is spoken as a mother tongue is both easier and faster. Because you can have the opportunity to constantly practice and become familiar with this language, whether you like it or not. If you have the opportunity, you can attend a language course lasting from 6 months to 1 year or longer in this country to invest both in yourself and in the language you want to learn, or you can plan a tourist trip for several weeks.

Finally, whatever your reason to start learning a language, your sources of motivation, your goals and the methods you choose, remember that learning a language is a long journey that requires patience and stability.

You may be interested in: Want to learn a new language: Find out which language suits you best