89 speaking Speaking is a skill, just like playing guitar or driving a car is. Nobody learns how to drive by reading books all day. Why would speaking a language be any different? To get better at a skill, you need to practice it. That’s why it’s important to get the language on your tongue as soon as you can. Even if you’re alone at home, it’s always better to repeat out loud the exercises you go through in your textbook. In the end, the more you speak, the better you’ll get. These days, with websites like italki, it’s really easy to find language exchange partners or tutors from all over the world wherever you are. At first it can seem like a daunting thing to do, but believe me, you’ll get used to it faster than you think, and then you’ll make some really great friends from all over the planet. reading If you want to get better at reading, it’s important to read as much as you can, but there are a few caveats. You should preferably read what you find interesting. The brains works so much better when positive emotions are associated with a task. Another important thing to keep in mind is that you should deal with material that too high above or below your current skills. In both cases you’ll get demotivated and you won’t learn much, and you may even get frustrated. Find suitable material to your level and as you progress, move to more advanced stuff. Trust me, it works! MOST EFFECTIVE LEARNING LANGUAGES METHOD IS: There are so many creative ways of learning languages; it would be hard to pinpoint just one. Personally, I enjoy learning languages through multimedia and inspiring videos such as TED Talks. I’ve even written a post about it. I also think it’s an interesting idea to change the language of your electronics, and use social media as a platform to learn your target language. People waste so much time on their smartphones and computers these days, why not waste it while learning a language? Switch your settings on Facebook, Twitter, and the likes to your target language and start following people who speak and write in the language you’re learning. Unexpected results may ensue! METHOD THAT I DO NOT RECOMMEND: I’ve written a popular article on the 10 most common mistakes that language learners commit. It might sound trivial, but I think that approaching language learning as homework is a huge mistake that way too many people commit. You really need to find a way to enjoy what you’re doing. I mean, if you’re going to be doing it, why not having fun along the way? Also, be flexible in your approach to learning a language, and don’t be scared to experiment. Everybody is different, and some methods might work well for some but not so much for others. If it seems like you’re not making any progress, try something else! RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE LEARNING TOOLS: Media, apps, online courses: We’re all busy, right? And you’ve probably told yourself more than once that you didn’t have the time to learn a language. Well, of course, we all know that’s false. But that’s why I love (and recommend) audio methods such as Glossika or Pimsleur, because they’re so easy to carry along with you. If you’re driving or busing to work or school, for example, you have a wonderful opportunity to practice your language. Just turn on your MP3 or put a CD in the car, and off you go. A lot of great apps are also available these days, which make practicing language on the go as easy as playing angry birds. Busuu, duolingo, lingua.ly, and anki are great apps that I would recommend, just to name a few. Books, magazines: It’s good to have a balance of audio methods or apps and textbook methods too. A classic for most experienced language learners is Assimil, but I’ve found that series such as Teach Yourself or Living Language are pretty good too.
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