Identify your why
There are lots of reasons that people may
want to learn a language, and they will be different from person to person. You
need to consider why you want to learn a language.
Maybe you want to be able to have unique
travel experiences, or maybe you’re living in a country and you want to be able
to chat with your neighbor. Or maybe your partner’s family doesn’t speak
English, and you want to make a good impression. Identify why you want to learn
a language to help you stay motivated.
Set a goal
Practice each skill
There are four skills you need to master to be fluent in a language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. To get fluent, you should work at each of these skills. However, also consider what your own interests are. For lots of people, the ability to write in a language is less important than the ability to speak. If that’s you, focus your practice on speaking, listening, and reading.
Persistence
Getting fluent will take regular practice.
The good news is you can practice with things you already do every day, like
scrolling through Twitter, reading the news, watching YouTube, or listening to
podcasts (we’ll get to all that).
But set yourself up to be persistent by
thinking about how you’re going to build language practice into your daily
life. Using activities you already do will help you keep at it for a
whole year.
Time
You can only learn a language if you invest
time into it. How long it takes will depend on how effectively you learn, how
often you practice, and on the language you’re learning.
Make mistakes
Honestly, the biggest challenge I see people
face in learning a language is they think they shouldn’t make mistakes. Get
past that idea right at the beginning. Mistakes are a crucial and
necessary part of learning a language. You’re going to make
them. Trying to be perfect will only end up slowing down your learning.
Make mistakes — even make the same mistakes
hundreds of times. Imagine yourself as Edison trying to invent the light bulb.
You’ll make thousands of mistakes. If you persist, you’ll eventually end up
making fewer and fewer.
Learning on your smartphone
Speaking a language doesn’t just mean
flashcards.
You’ll need to try many different
approaches when kicking things off. Whether it’s a Skype call, flashcards,
textbooks or apps, all of these resources will help you to build a strong arsenal
when learning.
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