3 useful tips on learning a new language
People say building a good habit requires around one month of time. If we have three months time, is it possible to master a new language? Three months seems a little too short to master any language, but it is definitely enough time for you to get started and build a good foundation for the new language that you want to learn. Here are my top 3 tips for learning a new language.
1. Watch TV shows
Yes, that’s right. The first tip is to watch TV shows. Obviously, it has to be shows that are in the new language that you want to learn. There is a pretty high chance of you not getting anything out of the show at the very beginning (But hey, that’s what subtitles are for, right?). Watching TV shows not only gives you a chance to listen to the new language, but also allows you to learn how to properly use the language in daily conversations. Those dialogues are very similar to those that we are going to have in a day-to-day basis, so you are able to get a lot of useful phrases and vocabularies out of just watching TV shows.
When I first started learning Korean, I suddenly realized that numerous hours I spent on watching variety shows and dramas actually helped me to absorb the material faster. I’ve already heard so many useful vocabularies unconsciously when I was just having fun by watching my favourite shows. Having a large vocabulary bank is definitely helpful for speeding up the learning process.
2. Shadowing
If you want to get the most out of watching TV shows, you can also try shadowing. Shadowing is a technique used to improve intonation and pronunciation, which means it will help you to sound more like a native speaker. All you need to do is play the part and listen to it carefully. Then, play the part again and imitate the speech. By doing this, you are able to focus on your pronunciation solely and try to produce the sound in the most natural way possible. Also, you can play back instantly to listen to the native speaker for correct pronunciation, tone and intonation. (Bonus point: We can pretend that we are the main character in the k-drama (or any shows that you want to watch, of course).)
Many people say that the easiest way of learning a new language is to speak with a native speaker. Sometimes, it is not easy to find someone who is willing to practice with you whenever and wherever you want. Also, we tend to be shy and unwilling to speak when we are not confident in the new language that we just started learning. In this case, shadowing will be the perfect method for you. Through talking with the native speaker (on the screen :P), you can practice to perfect your pronunciation and intonation.
3. Keep a journal (aka write in the new language)
When you are thinking of starting to learn a new language, the first thing that come into your mind will probably be buying a full set of textbooks and start learning the grammar, useful expressions and individual vocabularies. You might be very familiar with this process. This is indeed a good start, but after a while, you might wonder why are you not able to use the language fluently even though you’ve been learning it for some time? That is because you haven’t had much chance to put everything together. Keeping a journal in the language that you want to learn will be the perfect chance for you to actually process and think in that language. This way, you can finally connect the dots and put those grammatical structures, useful expressions and vocabularies that you’ve learned into context.
In fact, writing paragraphs using the new language is exactly the same idea. However, “writing paragraphs” might seem a little too broad and hard to keep doing every day. On the contrary, keeping a journal or diary sounds a lot easier to do. If it still sounds too hard for you, you can try writing “3 things that you are grateful for” everyday. It is even good for your mental health as well! To be honest, what to write is not the main point here at all. The main idea is to train our brain to get used to thinking in the new language that we want to master.
These are three useful tips that will help you to learn a new language faster. As long as you expose yourself to the new language, continue to practice and think in that language, you will surely master and sound like a native speaker in no time.
