- Start with the similarities
- Build Listening (Intake) habit – Find content you love
- Accountability – start talking
- Begin building vocab with most common words
First of all, congrats! Learning a language is an incredible journey. It’s an experience that will challenge you, open your mind, and lead you to incredible new people, cultures and memories.
Growing up, we are often “taught” languages in school, but rarely does anyone truly learn much. The way languages are “taught” in schools is antiquated and ineffective. More on that in another post.
The most important part of learning a language is ENJOYING the process! Whatever you do, resist the urge to go by a textbook. Instead, begin interacting with the language right away. Here’s how:
START WITH SIMILARITIES
To get off to a fast start, find out what you already know. Learn the key similarities and patterns shared between the language(s) you speak and the one you want to learn.
You already speak at least one language fluently, that means you have a huge advantage to leverage! Our brains our pattern-seeking machines. If we start with key patterns in our target language, we’ll accelerate our learning process.
Believe it or not, you may already know thousands of words in your target language. Many languages share similar words, called cognates, that can help you build a vocabulary base right away.
For example, if you’re an English speaker trying to learn Spanish, here are some helpful patterns:
1. tion -> ción
Words ending in “tion” in English end in “ción” in Spanish.
Examples: invitación, combinación, nación
2. ity -> idad
Words ending in “ity” in English end in “idad” in Spanish.
Examples: Comunidad, universidad, actividad
3. ous -> oso
Words ending in “ous” in English end in “oso” in Spanish.
Examples: Curioso, famoso, generoso
Use these patterns to build your vocabulary and start using the language faster and more effectively.
BUILD LISTENING HABIT
There are 2 essential elements of language learning: input and output. Listening may be the most underappreciated part of language learning. The more you listen to native speakers, the better.
At first, you won’t understand much of anything, that’s OK. Even if you don’t understand, listening to native speakers allows you to build familiarity with the language’s rhythm, sounds, and common filler words (e.g. “quindi” in Italian, “pues” in Spanish).
Many people start by reading from a book or textbook. This is a troublesome approach because we naturally apply pronunciation habits from our own language to words in the new language, creating bad pronunciation habits down the road. Instead, listen to the new language and start to playfully imitate the sounds you hear – have fun with it!
Start small. 5-10 mins per day is great. Listen/watch right before or after an already established habit, like commuting, cleaning, exercising, or before sleeping.
Here are some of my favorite places to look for content:
– Youtube
– Podcasts
– Netflix
– Soap operas
Look for content you enjoy in your native language in the new target language. Again, this is meant to be fun.
ACCOUNTABILITY – TALK THE TALK
Our goal is to maximize both input (listening) and output (talking) time. The hardest part of language learning is overcoming our fears of making mistakes or “sounding stupid”. This fear is what stops many people from ever starting to speak in the new language. You will never feel ready, and you will make plenty of mistakes. The beautiful thing is that nobody cares if you make mistakes!
Get over this initial hurdle by scheduling conversation classes right away. Set up time with a teacher or friend who will hold you accountable. Force yourself to start speaking. The faster you get over the “what if I suck?” barrier, the faster you’ll enjoy and grow.
Schedule at least 1 hour per week. The smaller the class size, the better. I recommend starting with 1:1 sessions with a native speaker from day one. Larger classes mean less time talking and more time listening to other beginners, the opposite of what we’re looking for.
For in-person sessions, look for conversation classes at language centers or google “native [target language] teachers in my area”.
If you travel a lot, it might be better to look virtually. On italki you can find “tutors” or professional teachers from all over the globe. I like to try out a class with a few different teachers, then schedule a weekly session once I find the right fit.
Generally, I look for someone who’s fun and enthusiastic, and actively points out ways I can improve.
BEGIN ADDING VOCAB
While beginning to listen and speak, you can start to build up your vocabulary. This is another area where traditional language teaching goes wrong, focusing on lists and lists of “theme” words. I remember spending weeks in Spanish class learning immigration-related vocabulary. Not only was it incredibly boring, but it was not useful at all.
Instead, look up a list of the most common 500 words in your target language and start learning a chunk per day.
Why 500? The 500 most common words tend to make up about 70% of spoken language. With these words under your belt, you’ll be able to understand what you hear and read, and express yourself on a variety of topics.
I generally start with the most common verbs, like these: to be, to have, to eat, to talk, to like.
Learn them and start to actively use them in your conversation classes.
The most effective way to retain these words, outside of using them, is to create spaced-repetition flashcards for each new word or phrase (I use Anki).
Two more quick tips to expand vocabulary:
1. Ask yourself, “How would I say that in Spanish?” Write down words you use or come across in your day-to-day that you wouldn’t know how to say in target language – again, focus on common words first!
2. Use opposites – if you learn the word for “cold”, look up the word for “hot” – learn two words instead of one. This will compound over time.
With each of these steps you’ll begin constructing the habits that will accelerate your journey.
As you get started, remember these guiding principles:
1. Make it fun
2. Maximize listening and speaking time
Good luck!
