How Can You Learn a Language Faster?

You may have heard that it is hard to learn a new language. I mean, I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy to learn a new language. But there are things that you can do to learn a language faster. Below I will give you all of the things that I use for learning languages.

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Tips to Learn a Language Faster

Frequent Immersion

Being in contact with the language that you are learning often, will make it so much easier for you to pick it up. It will also help you to learn how it is used in real life, because, as you might have noticed, real-life language is not quite the same as in your textbooks. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Read in Your Target Language

1. Read children’s books in your target language.
2. Read short stories in German or whatever your target language is. Reading other books, or articles about topics that interest you is also a good idea.

Listen to Content

1. Listen to music in German or any other language that you are learning (sing along to the songs that you can).
2. You can also listen to podcasts in your target language to help you on your journey. I have an article with German podcasts in case you are learning German.

Watch Videos

1. Watch some movies in your target language. (Here is a list of some great German movies.)
2. You can also watch dubbed versions of movies you already know in the language that you are learning. (If you are learning German, take a look at my post about Netflix or YouTube videos that are dubbed in German.)
3. Watching series in German or any other language that you might be learning can also help you to learn the language more naturally.

Talk as Much as Possible

1. Hire a tutor for one-on-one lessons. (If you want an English tutor, I can help you with that. Book a free trial lesson with me today.)
2. Find a friend who can also speak the language that you are learning.
3. Talk to yourself out loud while you’re learning – this will help you learn how to pronounce words correctly and improve your listening skills.

Constant Repetition

1. Use flashcards for memorizing vocabulary words.
2. Take advantage of language learning apps like Duolingo, Memrise, or Anki. These apps all use spaced repetition to help you learn, which is great because if you are learning something new, repeating it often is key.

Use Your Time Wisely

We all have only 24 hours in a day. What you do with those 24 hours, well, that is up to you. I know, sometimes life gets in the way and we end up prioritizing other more important things. But if you want to learn a new language, you will have to put in the effort.

There are, however, some things that you can do to help you win some time that you would have wasted otherwise.

1. Use your commute wisely; listen to podcasts or music in your target language while driving around town. You can also use an app like Memrise or Duolingo if you are using public transport.
2. If you are waiting in line at the bank you can also use one of those apps to learn a few new words. Alternatively, you can put flashcards in your pocket and go through a few while you are waiting.
3. Sometimes you think of a word that you don’t know in your new language or you hear a word in that language, but you don’t know what it means. However, in some cases we just don’t have the time to look it up immediately. Instead of forgetting about it, make a note of it and look it up in one of those spare moments in which you are waiting for something like the kettle to boil.

Use Spaced Repetition

I mentioned something about this earlier when I was talking about the apps. When learning a new language we often feel like we can’t remember any of the information. This is exactly why I like to use flashcards to learn languages faster.

They make it easier to memorize important vocabulary by helping you learn bite-sized amounts at a time. This is the best way for your brain to process new information. You’ll also feel less frustrated because you won’t feel so overwhelmed by loads of information. Here are some reasons why I love flashcards:

Bite-sized Information

Our brains are wonderful things and if we study in an effective way we can accomplish much more than we think. By learning a small amount every day your brain has a lot of time to process the information leading to better retention.

Take your flashcards with you when you take a coffee break and when you wait in line at the grocery store. You can use them when you are lying in bed in the morning not wanting to get up yet, or even before you go to sleep.

Studing on the Go

Like I mentioned earlier, you should use the time that you spend going from one place to the other. Flashcards are easy to carry around and access anywhere making it easy to study on the go. You can store flashcards in an index card box or use the app Quizlet.

Keep your flashcards in your briefcase and learn a few while you are on the train to work or school.

Visual Clues

You can create your own flashcards with pictures, colours, and more. The association with pictures and colours helps our brains to remember the new vocabulary words more clearly. 

Flashcards help students learn new vocabulary words more easily by associating them with pictures and definitions

Set Goals for Yourself

If we have something to work for, we tend to be more motivated.

1. Set a time that you want to use every day and make it your goal to stick to it. Even 30 minutes a day can help a lot.
2. You can also set goals like finishing this book by the end of the week or learning 5 new words today.

Final Thoughts

I hope that I managed to show you some ways in which you can learn a language faster because let’s face it, it can seem daunting to learn a new language, but it is possible! What are some of your tips to learn German faster?

xoxo,
Charlé

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