Many people, including myself, can say that learning any language requires constant work. It doesn’t matter how many books you buy or applications you install on your phone if you don’t have the motivation to refresh your knowledge and gradually improve it.
Many people lack the motivation to start or continue to upgrade a foreign language level due to bad experience, lack of time, and even financial difficulties. Yes, to learn a language from zero and achieve a decent level is not that easy. You can overcome the initial barrier, but in order for you to see progress, you need to communicate with native speakers or at least tutors in your country. The latter will be able not only to correct your pronunciation but also to answer your grammar questions quickly. Besides, communication with other students in the class will help you memorize vocabulary and use it more actively in real life.
Make a new step in improving your language skills. Due to the availability of many free or almost free ways to learn a foreign language, you can at least concentrate on the so-called “passive” vocabulary, that is, reading, memorizing, and listening. Next, we will talk about how to start taking the first steps and achieve the first results.
Learning to Perceive Information
So, the first rule of your self-study is regularity. In order for new words to get to your short-term memory, you need to see them at least once, but repetition will help consolidate the result. This is why mobile apps like Duolingo or LinguaLeo are very popular. Regular notifications will remind you of the need to get back to your classes. You will be able to learn new words and phrases, as well as go over learned material if you have forgotten something; LinguaLeo has videos, and its mechanics are based on the gamification of tasks. In general, you should be able to reach a level somewhere between advanced beginner and early intermediate if you are really eager to learn. Therefore, if you decide to learn European or Eastern languages (such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi), this is a great start.
Speaking of online learning tools, one cannot but mention the Memrise app, which implements a scientific approach. With its help, you can replenish vocabulary using the spaced repetition method. The app will also remind you of itself at the right time and invite you to learn through voice, videos, and memes.
The Busuu app offers a somewhat different experience, as many people have gathered on this platform, helping each other acquire new knowledge and master languages. Users have access to elementary, intermediate, and upper-intermediate levels. The undoubted advantage of Busuu is that it gives you an opportunity to communicate with native speakers. Depending on your type of membership, you can get access to exercises for developing vocabulary, reading and writing, take exams, as well as gain access to audio recordings, video lessons, special training, and other materials for learning various foreign languages.
As you can imagine, the principle here is the same: you learn words, phrases, listen to their pronunciation, pass the knowledge test, and in fact, that’s all. This stage is, of course, important, but what can you do next? Move away from the feeling of constant “memorization” and “see” and hear the language you are learning. You can watch your favorite Netflix shows or interesting TED talks. This way, you will be completely immersed in modern culture, trends and boost your vocabulary; you will be able to write down unknown words and even repeat sentences after the actors/speakers. Having the subtitles on will help with better listening comprehension, and with time, you won’t even need them.
The ABA app also uses videos as the basis of its work, although it’s intended only for people who want to pump their English. Exercises for practicing writing, speaking, and listening are also available here. On the platform, you can ask a native English teacher for help.
If you prefer songs to the cinema, then you will love the Genius app. For now, this service is intended for learning English from song lyrics: you turn on a music video, read the text, and learn. You can find an explanation of slang and complex words in the comments under the video.
As for the standalone apps for learning other popular languages, I really liked the DW Learn German and Trainchinese apps (the names speak for themselves). Both apps can be used to learn from scratch. Those who are interested in German can take a test that will determine their knowledge of this language and then follow the adventures of the protagonist while learning the rules and words. Those who need Chinese can learn to read hieroglyphs and then memorize phrases and add them to a dictionary.
Such interactive learning will definitely be more enjoyable than using boring textbooks. I hope that some of the above methods will work for you and help you move to a new level of knowledge of your favorite language.
