When you were younger, you probably learned one or two foreign languages besides native, as part of your regular classes. There are many good reasons why it is best to start working on your polyglot skills at an early age. One of the most important is the ease of acquiring new knowledge and being free of life hassle. That is why kids can more easily dedicate themselves to learning new languages, adopting new skills, etc.
Learning a foreign language can be a daunting task if there is a factor of adulthood and lack of self-confidence. Although the process largely depends on motivation, it’s clear that speaking a foreign language will not be a piece of cake.
On the source below, find out why adults should learn another language:
https://experiencelife.com/article/why-adults-can-and-should-learn-a-second-language/
Still, it’s not an impossible mission. There are many good tips to help you learn and make it routine. This process requires real effort and attention. If you dedicate yourself to learning with a full heart and an empty mind (in the sense of making room for more knowledge), the results will come, and you will be happy with them.
Find Your Motivation
Adults often don’t have too much patience. Some of them give up very easily when they see that something is not going well for them. That is often the case with language course participants. If you went on two or three sessions so far, and you’ve concluded that your polyglot skills are not at a high level, you will probably drop out or stop learning.
It’s a beginner’s mistake. First, a few sessions is a short period to know if you are a language expert or not. Second, every start is difficult, especially if you haven’t had contact with a particular language so far. Be brave and keep going, even if you are convinced you are not good at it.
Quitters don’t make winners. Find motivation to move on. For example, you have met someone from a foreign country and want to communicate in their language. You might need this skill for work. Or you just want to spend your next vacation in the country where the chosen language is official.
Learn How to Learn
Take some time to look at books that are about learning methods. Some of these titles are free and available in electronic form, and they can help you learn how to learn. They may even list some games you can play along with it to make the experience more enjoyable. This combination may be enough to adopt some of the words in the language.
Have Your Learning Area
When you want to learn a language, you need some time alone with the literature and anything you use for learning. Being in a noisy room can disturb you in acquiring new knowledge. In fact, it may even make it worse.
A room with only white noise, such as a television or fan, is a great place to relax and clear your mind for learning a language. That will keep your brain from buzzing with all the different sounds and noises that it usually hears.
So why shouldn’t you prepare the space you’re learning in? You can do some minor rearranging to make this room or corner remind you of the language you are learning. For example, if you’re learning Italian, surround yourself with things that remind you of Italy.
These can be pictures or figures of some landmarks. Photos from a trip to that country (if any)can give you a burst of motivation. And you can treat yourself with pizza or a glass of wine while learning at home. As long as it’s moderate, it will have a positive effect on your motivation.
Rely on Online Courses
An online course would be an excellent alternative to language school, especially if you decided to start learning in the last few months. You can find useful information by checking resources like Language Throne and similar pages.
These programs usually cost less than a hundred dollars, but you can find them even cheaper if you opt not to have a tutor. Also, you can get all the language learning material you need for free, plus practice on an internet website.
What’s great about online courses is that you adapt them to your lifestyle. You can choose the learning pace and fit it into your daily schedule. Learn whenever you have time; you don’t have to make time for learning. Plus, you can repeat sections that you don’t quite understand. That way, you’ll get through the material a lot faster.
Start with Simple Phrases
The first of the tips on faster language learning is finding out the correct terminology for the language you plan to learn. Some people are not sure of which terms to use when trying to speak. If you don’t know what proper words are, you won’t be able to correctly use them when speaking the language.
Using the correct terminology will help you learn the language faster. With the right words, it will be easier to form sentences. Learn simple phrases first. Most languages have relatively easy verbs, making it easier for you to understand how they work when you have a vocabulary of the most common verbs.
If you try to learn more complicated verbs first, you may end up being frustrated. Just stick to the basic ones until you can master them. Once you have acquired these simple words, you can move onto the next tricky part of language learning.
Set Short Term Goals
No matter what method you choose to learn a language, you should set short-term goals and then work towards completing them. When you are realistic about your abilities and skills, such as learning 30 new words every day, you will be giving yourself an aim to work toward.
You can then give yourself smaller milestones, such as handling small talks. For example, this week you can learn how to talk with a native about the weather. Next week, the topic could be favorite celebrities and so on. Setting small milestones along the way will help you stay motivated. Also, you won’t feel so overwhelmed when you get to the end.
Use All Kind of Literature
If you are serious about how to make language learning your daily routine, then you will need to follow a course. And if you want to speed things up, you can try to incorporate learning into your daily routine that consists of the tools and learning methods you’ll need.
Some people learn better when they use audio materials. For example, if you want to learn Italian, you might decide that it would be more effective to listen to Italian music as opposed to reading words on a page of a grammar book.
Besides, using audio programs while doing housework or driving can help you learn common words and pronunciation. You won’t be even aware, but listening to the spoken word long enough will make it become embedded in your brain. You can repeat the lesson after the recording without having to worry about mistakes.
Other people are visual learners. They have a good eye for details, and they tend to learn more effectively when they can see the actions of the words being said. If you are one of them, you will want to make language learning your daily routine by watching Italian movies, TV shows, or music videos. Or, if you prefer ‘real’ learning, you can rely on audio-visual software that teaches basic sentence structure.
Make Lessons Fun
You should also try to make your lessons fun. You need to make sure you are doing something different every day, or you will not keep up. If you can string words together, you will be able to get through your lessons much quicker.
For example, talk to yourself. Stage a scene in which you will have both roles in the dialogue. Look at yourself in the mirror all the time – you will feel like you are watching a TV series. Plus, you will laugh if you make a mistake in pronunciation or accentuation.
Another great thing is pursuing a hobby, but in the language that you’re learning. For example, if you enjoy gardening, get books in Italian or find Italian websites or Youtube channels about this hobby. Follow or subscribe to Instagram or Facebook accounts related to this topic.
Be prepared to understand very little at the beginning. But photos and videos can help you understand what it’s all about. If this learning method becomes a routine for you, you will see that your knowledge will progress very quickly.
Learning a language can be a fun experience. No matter how fast or slow you think you are, you can always brush up on your skills. You can adopt described tips, but you don’t have to follow them blindly. But you may have to do something different to make them work for you. Don’t give up if you don’t see immediate results. Give yourself enough time and be realistic about your skills.