It will help to learn IPA, the International Phonetic Alphabet, as most dictionaries use it. [2] X Research source The Foreign Service Institute offers free online language learning materials, which include audio recordings which help with learning pronunciation. The Duolingo app and BBC Languages also offer various languages and useful pronunciation tips. [3] X Research source
Look at the structure of the language and how the articles work (masculine, feminine, neutral). Getting a handle on the structure of the language will help you understand how it fits together once you start learning different words Ensure you know how to express questions, affirmative and negative statements in the past, present and future using the 20 most common regular and irregular verbs.
You can practice writing each word a dozen times, which will get you used to using the word itself. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/4/4d/Learn-Any-Language-Step-04Bullet01. jpg/v4-460px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-04Bullet01. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/4/4d/Learn-Any-Language-Step-04Bullet01. jpg/aid67111-v4-728px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-04Bullet01. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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<br />\n</p></div>"} Try using the words in various and different sentences. This will help you practice the words and make it easier to recall the words when you need them. Don’t forget to keep practicing the words once you move on to memorizing other words. If you don’t practice them you will forget them.
Try associating images with each letter and sound, so that your brain will have an easy path to remembering the letter and the sound that accompanies it. For instance: In Thai the letter “า” is pronounced “ah. " If you’re a guy you can think of this as the path taken by your pee if you’re urinating against a tree and the accompanying sigh you make as you relieve yourself. Associations can be as simple, or as silly as you want, as long as they help you remember. [7] X Research source You may also have to accustom yourself to reading from right to left, or from the top of the page to the bottom. Start simple and work up to more difficult things like newspapers and books.
The method called “shadowing” is considered by many polyglots (people who know many languages) as a useful technique. Put your headphones in and go outside. While you play the language, walk briskly. As you’re walking briskly repeat aloud and clearly what you’re hearings. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This will help you connect kinetics (movement) with the language and to retrain your focus so that you aren’t obsessing about memorization. [9] X Research source Use audio books or audio language lessons. You can listen to these while you commute to work or while you jog around the park. This will help your listening skills. Repeat listening to short segments of 30 seconds to one minute until you feel you have complete comprehension. Sometimes you may have to listen to the course completely more than twice to fully catch all that it teaches. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/e/e1/Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet02. jpg/v4-460px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet02. jpg”,“bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/e/e1/Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet02. jpg/aid67111-v4-728px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet02. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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<br />\n</p></div>"} Watch television shows and movies without the subtitles. This includes soap operas, news shows, even shows you already know that have been dubbed into the language. It’s a fun way to practice and apply your knowledge. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/b/b8/Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet03. jpg/v4-460px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet03. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/b/b8/Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet03. jpg/aid67111-v4-728px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet03. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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<br />\n</p></div>"} Listen to music in the language you’re learning. This is fun and easy and will, hopefully, keep you interested in what you’re doing. Just put on some music while you’re doing the dishes or going for a walk and pay attention to the words in the songs. You might also want to listen to classic songs because they are easy to catch on to. [10] X Research source {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/b/bd/Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet04. jpg/v4-460px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet04. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/b/bd/Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet04. jpg/aid67111-v4-728px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-06Bullet04. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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Children’s books are a great place to start because these books are meant to teach children how to read and understand their language. Since you are just starting out, you will want to start somewhere easy. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/8/80/Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet01. jpg/v4-460px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet01. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/8/80/Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet01. jpg/aid67111-v4-728px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet01. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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<br />\n</p></div>"} Find books that you have enjoyed in your native language and read them in the language you are trying to learn. Your knowledge of the book’s contents will help you decipher the words and keep you interested in the reading material. Try popular magazines or newspapers in the language you wish to learn. Choose a topic that interests you. Magazines are a good way to learn common idioms in context. Magazine and newspaper articles cover a variety of subjects, and they’re generally much shorter than reading an entire book. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/2/2b/Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet03. jpg/v4-460px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet03. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/2/2b/Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet03. jpg/aid67111-v4-728px-Learn-Any-Language-Step-07Bullet03. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">
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<br />\n</p></div>"} You can purchase a quality dictionary of the language you wish to learn or you can use a free online language dictionary. When you encounter a new word, highlight it in the dictionary. Then, copy the word, definition, and an example sentence using the word into a notebook. Then, study the notebook. This activity helps you think in the language. Sometimes a picture dictionary is helpful for learning common nouns for some languages. Use a picture dictionary for Japanese, for example, because many of their words carry a variety of meanings, as in English.
Learn some idioms, proverbs and expressions. As your level advances, learn about some of the idioms and even slang in the language. Even if you don’t end up using them much, they will help you recognize and understand these elements when you hear or read them. Don’t be embarrassed if you aren’t speaking the language properly yet. It takes time to learn. This step cannot be stressed enough. If you don’t practice speaking the language you won’t be fluent in it. Talk to native speakers, get a friend to learn the language with you and practice with them, talk back to the t. v.
Keep watching movies and television shows. If you are learning Spanish, for example, and if you like soccer, watch it in Spanish to keep the language fresh in your memory. Make sure to yell at the t. v. in Spanish when the game isn’t going your way. Challenge yourself to think in the language you are attempting to learn.
