Polyglots Reveal: 6 Most Effective Tricks to Learn a New Language

Polyglots Reveal: 6 Most Effective Tricks to Learn a New Language

Do you want to learn a new language but you don’t know how to start?

Have you been considering some useful tricks and methods of learning a language?

There are some tips and tricks that can teach you how to learn a language fast and fluently, and yet efficiently.

Language learning isn’t reserved only for students and people who have too much spare time.

After all, what do you think about how do polyglots manage to learn so many languages successfully? They surely don’t have so much free time.

The secret is in organizing your daily routine. Or at least one of them.

Let’s not waste anymore of your time and dive in.

6 Most Effective Tricks to Learn a New Language Successfully

#1 Bind Your Language Learning to Repetitive Tasks

Have you ever considered learning a foreign language several times a day a little bit?

Even if it may seem that it’s an almost impossible thing to do and that you need so much time, in practice, it is the other way round.

Let’s start this way.

Ho many times do you drink water? More than 6, we guess. And you spend about a minute or two drinking a glass of water, right? And, at the end of the day, you’ve drunk around 2 liters of water, which is necessary for your body to function properly and you to be healthy. Moreover, you haven’t noticed that you’ve ‘reached’ your ‘water’ goal for that day.

Apply the same with learning a language. Every time you drink a glass of water, dedicate several more minutes to learn 5 to 10 new words. 

Not only will you boost your vocabulary, but you won’t have to remind yourself of doing it because, after a day or two, you will make your routine, like drinking water.

One thing that may seem dull, you turn into an everyday routine and create an efficient language learning tool.

You carry your mobile device all around with you, so make the most of it and use it for learning new words and phrases. After all, using vocabulary apps is not only productive but also fun.

#2 Immerse Yourself Into the Language

Immersion approach. You hear that a lot, don’t you?

And do you know what that means and how it can be applied in learning foreign languages?

The immersive approach to learning foreign languages means that a student is exposed to the language every minute of every day. The perfect example of immersion into the language would be living in a country which language you want to learn. That way, anywhere you go or whatever you want to do, you have to speak in your target language. Even though it is the hardest way of learning any language, it is, on the other hand, one of the most efficient ways. 

Thanks to the internet and the technological century we live in, you can immerse yourself into the language the other way, which can be as efficient as living over there.

Listening to podcasts and radio, reading blogs or newspapers, or practicing your speaking skills with native speakers are only some of the immersion methods.

1-on-1 lessons with them aren’t held the old-fashioned way. You can discuss anything you want, listen to music while talking or playing entertaining games, and practice the language. That way, your brain is forced to work and think in your target language and give its best effort to use the vocabulary you’ve given it.

#3 Practice the Language in the Morning

It is a well-known fact that learning right before you go to bed is productive because, during the night, your brain is processing what you’ve learned that day.

But not many people are familiar that learning early in the morning is as efficient and productive as learning at night, even more.

In the beginning, it can be hard to get up early, especially if you aren’t an early bird, but right after you wake up, your brain is fresh and ready for new information. So, why don’t you repeat words and phrases you’ve learned the previous day while brushing your teeth and making a coffee?

You can also repeat some grammar rules, make sentences of the phrases you already know, or explain out loud what you were dreaming.

#4 Include Flashcards as Your Daily Learning Routine

Using flashcards to learn a foreign language on your own is one of both entertaining and effective methods of expanding your vocabulary.

If you still haven’t, you should try using flashcards as soon as possible.

If you are an old-fashioned person, you can make your own flashcards. You will need paper and a list of the words and phrases you want to practice and study.

For those more technology-based learners, using flashcard apps is as productive as using paper ones. The great thing about these apps is that you can use them whenever and wherever you want. You can use them when you, for example, are going back to work. What would you do on the bus anyway?

You can use them with friends or classmates. Make a ‘flashcards evening.’ Get some snacks and drinks, invite several people, and have fun together. You can also prepare some other games to play and practice the language at the same time. The entertaining evening is guaranteed!

#5 Choose Key Words And Phrases

When it comes to learning any foreign language, vocabulary is one of the essentials. It’s simple: you can’t say anything if you don’t know the words and expressions in your target language.

Instead of learning random words and phrases, try making a list of the ones you learn every day and those expressions that are related to your interests.

If you, for example, are fond of animals, make a list of animal-related vocabulary. 

Moreover, learn words and phrases to talk about yourself and to express your opinions about everyday topics. Maybe you don’t like to talk about the weather but it is one of the favorite topics for light conversations, so it’s essential to know how to say whether tomorrow will rain or it will be sunny.

#6 Don’t Forget to Practice Pronunciation

Pronunciation is very important for any language learner.

It’s not rare that there are some sounds you don’t have in your native language, so you have to work hard to learn how to pronounce them.

Many language students agree that learning proper pronunciation and accent with tongue twisters is pretty fun. 

If you learn German, you are familiar with their specific sound, especially the ‘R’ sound you have to practice day and night to learn it. But, with German tongue twisters, you’ll not only succeed in it, but you will laugh out loud while trying to pronounce them. 

The same is with French. As much as the famous French ‘R’ sound seems charming, it can give a pretty bad headache to the French students. With French tongue twisters, fun is guaranteed, especially if you take a look at other people saying them on Youtube.

Final Thoughts

So, those were some of the efficient tricks polyglots use to learn a new language.

As you may see, you don’t have to sit down and learn from boring textbooks or read dull dialogues and repeat the words until they don’t stay in your brain.

The point is to be creative and well-organized. Moreover, it is vital not to think only about the language you want to learn, but to actually learn the language.

If you have any other tips and tricks that might help language learners on their path to fluency, share them with us in the comments below.

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How to immerse yourself into a foreign language?

The immersive approach to learning foreign languages means that a student is exposed to the language every minute of every day. The perfect example of immersion into the language would be living in a country which language you want to learn. That way, anywhere you go or whatever you want to do, you have to speak in your target language. Even though it is the hardest way of learning any language, it is, on the other hand, one of the most efficient ways. Thanks to the internet and the technological century we live in, you can immerse yourself into the language the other way, which can be as efficient as living over there. Listening to podcasts and radio, reading blogs or newspapers, or practicing your speaking skills with native speakers are only some of the immersion methods.

How to use flashcards to learn languages?

Using flashcards to learn a foreign language on your own is one of both entertaining and effective methods of expanding your vocabulary. If you still haven’t, you should try using flashcards as soon as possible. If you are an old-fashioned person, you can make your own flashcards. You will need paper and a list of the words and phrases you want to practice and study. For those more technology-based learners, using flashcard apps is as productive as using paper ones. The great thing about these apps is that you can use them whenever and wherever you want. You can use them when you, for example, are going back to work. What would you do on the bus anyway? You can use them with friends or classmates. Make a ‘flashcards evening.’ Get some snacks and drinks, invite several people, and have fun together. You can also prepare some other games to play and practice the language at the same time. The entertaining evening is guaranteed!

How to practice pronunciation in a foreign language?

Pronunciation is very important for any language learner. It’s not rare that there are some sounds you don’t have in your native language, so you have to work hard to learn how to pronounce them. Many language students agree that learning proper pronunciation and accent with tongue twisters is pretty fun. If you learn German, you are familiar with their specific sound, especially the ‘R’ sound you have to practice day and night to learn it. But, with German tongue twisters, you’ll not only succeed in it, but you will laugh out loud while trying to pronounce them. The same is with French. As much as the famous French ‘R’ sound seems charming, it can give a pretty bad headache to the French students. With French tongue twisters, fun is guaranteed, especially if you take a look at other people saying them on Youtube.

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