Language learning tips that work are worth money. I’m not going to charge, because I love you guys. I’m going to give them to you in a short series called, wait for it, “Language Learning Tips.” Let’s get started…
Today’s post on language learning tips is going to wow you, amaze you, and rocket you into the language learning stratosphere! Or, at least you’re going to get some value out of it. That I can promise.
I have written extensively on various language learning tips you can utilize to increase your language exposure. While I’m sure thousands exist, the bottom line is that by using a few simple methods, consistently and correctly, you can have tons of success in your language learning. I wrote an entire e-book on this vital subject which includes this tip and 8 others. If you want to learn a language use these language learning tips to help speed up the process! (warning: work is still required on your end!)
Language Learning Tip#1: Learn Languages Fast Through Massive Input!
We get a lot of input every day. We read the news, books, emails, texts, signs, lists, calendars, check engine lights, gas prices, and millions of other things. We watch movies, TV shows, and informational programs. We need to maximize the number of these things that are in our target language.
If you don’t have a great command of your target language at this point, that’s fine. Don’t worry! Utilize things made for children. Children learn languages in a similar way. They learn small, important words first. You won’t see any big words like ‘infrastructure’ in a children’s books…. It’s more targeted towards words children need to know and are likely to know. Words like give, eat, take, say, come, go, to do, etc. These are words the language learner also needs to know!
Find your “child level” and get cracking. After a few months of German study my wife and I went to Germany. We went to a book store and I bought some books. I was at maybe a 1st grade reader level. I bought several books up to a 7th or 8th grade reading level. If I could speak German like a 7th grader, that would be incredible. A 7th grader knows a lot of language… it’s quite surprising!
The point is, don’t overestimate yourself… unless you’re at a pretty high level, you’re probably still in elementary/junior high. Accept reality, it makes everything so much easier! Using the appropriate resources will also make life a lot easier.
Let’s get straight to the language learning tips on how to inject as much of your target language as possible into your life (or add it into your input):
Do you like to watch movies? Watch them in your target language!
If you don’t a high enough level in your target language, don’t worry! Leave the audio in English and put on the subtitles; or do both. It’s much easier to catch everything if you hear it and see it written. This helps you “get over the hump” of almost understanding but still getting lost sometimes. Also, the pause and rewind features are pretty nice. (warning: Your spouse may dislike this slightly..)
This is easiest if you’re learning Spanish or French, as most movies in your local video store are subtitled in Spanish and French or one of the two. You can look on the back of the video case to see which subtitle sit has. If your L2 is a different language than Spanish or French, or if you just want more movie options, download the full e-book on language learning tips here. There is special information on steps to take to get movies subtitled and/or with audio in any language, anywhere in the world!
Fun Fact: Disney movies are translated and dubbed very well. Kids can’t or don’t want to read subtitles, so the dubbing has to match the video well or it will not be successful. For that reason, they are very high quality. Also, the vocabulary, sentence structure, and everything else is on a level specifically for children making it easier for adult language learners. Plus, they are entertaining! Who doesn’t want to watch Brave in German?
Why Are Movies The Best Way To Learn A Foreign Language? Well…
I’m not going to say that learning a language through movies is the best way to learn a new language, but it is surely an easy way to get input. My wife and I love to watch movies, and when we first got together she didn’t speak English well enough to follow a movie in English. Therefore, we had (and still do, honestly) subtitles on every single movie we watched. I can’t even begin to think of all the words, phrases, colloquial sayings, and myriad of other things I learned by watching subtitled movies. They are a great resource to have in your language learning toolkit.
Things To Remember When Using Movies To Learn Languages: Language Learning Tips Extras
- Although you’re enjoying the movie, this cannot be a completely passive activity. You have to read the subtitles or concentrate on what’s being said. You have to notice differences, ask yourself why it’s like that, or make a mental note (or even better, a real note) of new vocabulary/etc. A lot of vocabulary will be repeated several times throughout the movie so some of it should stick on its own.
- Go with action flicks at first. Action movies have, well, a lot of action. This means slightly fewer words and more straight forward things. Drama’s and comedies are more difficult to understand.
…also covered in this same chapter, one of the 9 information-loaded chapters, in my e-book are the below ideas with specific tips for each…
Read the news in your target language.
Listen to music in your target language. *special tip to make this much easier than you think and/or are currently experiencing.
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