Knowledge of foreign languages ​​is an increasingly desired skill in the world; we have many more opportunities to emigrate between countries and get to know new cultures. Today, no one is surprised anymore that each member of the family lives and works in another part of the world. We have become a global village, which opens up new opportunities for us. More and more, we are faced with the need to learn new foreign languages. Learning them will make our way much easier in the changing reality. In this article we will describe some ways to facilitate the process of learning a new foreign language.

1. Find a reason

Since learning a foreign language means spending hundreds of hours studying, it is not without solid motivation. If we want to learn new foreign languages, we have to find something that pushes us to work tirelessly. In this case, we have to determine the purpose for which we want to learn. In most cases, this will be related to work, travel, family situation, etc. It is important that the objective that will guide us is defined in a simple and clear way. We need to set a realistic time to complete this task and the individual steps that lead up to it. If we create a whole action plan in which the key aspect will be the motivation of our conduct, then it will be much more difficult to abandon the challenge undertaken.

2. Words, words, and more words

As a first step, let’s learn as much vocabulary as possible. The truth is that in most languages, learning a thousand words will allow us to communicate normally with others. Even if our sentences are wrong from the linguistic point of view, the normal thing is that our interlocutor understands our intentions anyway and, after all, that is what the conversation mainly consists of. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the varieties and tenses used in a language, because even if we say phrases like “Kali to kill an elephant” our message will still be obvious. Over time we will begin to involuntarily learn stylistic correctness. This will be easier if we don’t have to waste time searching for translations for certain words.

3. Music and movies

Each of us finds that he is much more willing to get closer to activities that bring him pleasure. For this reason, it is worthwhile, as always, to combine the pleasant with the useful and start listening to music and movies in the language we want to learn. Don’t worry that you don’t fully understand everything you hear at first. Results will come with practice. Listening is known to be much more difficult than reading, so if you’re having particular trouble understanding context, it’s worth turning on subtitles. Over time, we will be able to understand a certain movie or song just by listening.

4. Set a certain language as default on phone and computer

Any unused muscle atrophies, as the classic said. Conversely, any unused abilities are forgotten over time. That is why it is a good idea to train the use of a certain foreign language constantly. For this, we can use the telephones and computers that we use daily. If we set the default language of the system with which we are learning, it will force us to use it unintentionally. We should always use this type of solution, as it allows us to learn quickly with little cost. As a rule, we already know what system functions mean without even thinking about the descriptions. Therefore, if we change the language of the system we will be able to immediately see what the functionality is called in a foreign language.

5. Talk to people

This is probably the fastest way to learn a foreign language. It must be recognized that if we do not have the opportunity to speak with specialists or people with the mother tongue in which we want to train, we can end up acquiring all the negative linguistic habits of our interlocutor. However, any opportunity to speak in the foreign language that we are learning is a blessing. Let’s not worry if it goes wrong at first. Let’s remember that that’s what we do it for, to learn. Also, let’s remember that no one speaks fully correctly even in their mother tongue, let alone in a foreign language.

In conclusion, we first need the right motivation, a ton of vocabulary, and, above all, experience. Everything else will come with time. Remember that we won’t speak a language perfectly right away, and don’t give up on learning.