HOW TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint.

Don't go crazy!

           Before we begin talking about how to learn a new language, it is helpful to understand how you have acquired your first.  None of us were born with the ability to write sonnets or win oratory competitions from the get-go.  We learned our first language by mimicking others (yes, even without knowing what we were saying!), making gestures if we couldn't find ways to say it, listening carefully, repeating the sounds we heard, making noises (experimenting with sounds), practicing facial expressions (laughing, smiling, frowning, etc.), and playing games.  We graduated to understanding basic words that were repeated often to us; like "mommy", "daddy", "bye-bye", etc.   Before most of us were a year and a half old, we definitely understood how to communicate "NO" by using the word and the appropriate body language.  Soon we are pointing to things ("Look at the puppy!") and we began using the power of words to get things.... candy, milk, etc.  Did we do it with perfect pronunciation and grammar the first time?  High doubtful.  Did we get what we needed?  Were we able to communicate what we wanted?  Highly likely! 

            Listen carefully to toddlers speaking.  Sometimes you will hear them say things like:  "Yesterday, I walked around the park with Dad and then I readed a book with Mom."  Do you understand their point?  YES!   Is it perfectly stated?  NO!  Why may toddlers say "readed" instead of "read'?  They are applying rules of grammar as they hear them   to the words they want to say.  Eventually, they will hear someone say it correctly and they will understand the new rule - but it is not a conscience choice - it's practice!  Learning a foreign language takes just as much practice - and just as many basics as learning your first.

            Pronunciation is key to being about to communicate clearly.  Practicing how to say words, what they sound like, and how to use them in a sentence (or a question) will help greatly!  Mimicking sounds, repeating words, and practicing with others is vital.    In class, participation in every aspect of practice (repeating, group work, reading, dialogues, etc.) is essential.  Take advantage of the opportunity to learn with others, practice, learn from your own mistakes, listen to tips from your classmates about how they remember/learn something new, etc.  By fully utilizing this time, you will make your individual practice - outside of class - much more successful.
WAYS TO PRACTICE AND LEARN OUTSIDE OF CLASS

Be an exchange student!  Travel to a country where they speak the language you want to learn!  Go, explore and TRY IT!  While you are there, try NOT to hang out with only English speakers and practice at every opportunity available! (Shopping, restaurants, hotel, phones, directions, maps, places of interests, kiosks, etc.!)

 

Use a tape recorder.  Record your voice, your teachers, friends, etc.  Play it back and practice. 

 

Practice new vocabulary by USING it whenever you can!    Studying food?  Write grocery lists or party menus in your Spanish!  Write out a recipe substituting what you know in Spanish for the English words.  Studying clothes?  Label the clothes in your closet with words in Spanish.  Write out what you are going to wear the next day in Spanish.  Figure out how to describe the clothes in order to differentiate them (stripes, solids, patterns, etc).

 

Write new vocabulary words on flashcards (English on one side and Spanish on the other).  Hang the cards around the house and quiz yourself when you find them.  Hang them everywhere!  Are you a soda drinker?  Stick a couple flashcards on your soda cans....every time you go for a pop, quiz yourself!  Put them on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, bedroom door (inside and out!), favorite coat pocket, lamps in the living room, on your CD player, on the computer monitor, etc.  Place the most challenging words in the most frequented places.  Consider using just 10 words, mastering those, and then adding more!

 

Use a DRY ERASE marker (or wet wipe marker) to write the vocabulary, grammar, etc on the windows of your bedroom, bathroom mirror, etc.  There is no way to space out without seeing them!

 

Watch movies, listen to the radio, watch TV/Cable shows in Spanish. (Note:  In Olympia, you can get the radio station 1360AM which is a Spanish-speaking station.  You also have access to Spanish cable channels!  You can also find restaurants and some stores that cater to Spanish-speakers in town where you can practice your Spanish.)

 

READ, READ, READ.... Read about the people, culture, news, geography, countries, etc.  Read magazines (Latina, People or Sports Illustrated en español, etc.) in Spanish.

 

Use the internet to explore the language.  You can find websites in Spanish, magazines in Spanish, email-pals in Spanish, etc.  You can also find sites to practice pronunciation, learn new vocabulary, etc.

 

Practice with your friends!  When you talk, substitute English for the words you don't know in Spanish.  You'll be amazed how much you can say after practicing for a short period of time!  Keep up this practice - it's difficult at first - but INCREDIBLY rewarding later!

 

Listen to music in Spanish!  Circuit City, Best Buy, and many other stores sell the top Spanish musical artists.

 

Try keeping a journal in Spanish.  Write as much as you can in Spanish and substitute only when necessary!

 

Want to know how to say something you don't already know?  Make a WISH list of words, phrases, or ideas you want to be able to express in Spanish.  ASK your teacher, friends, AND seek out answers on the internet!

 

USE it or Lose it!  PRACTICE anyway, anywhere, anyhow!  Those few minutes that you spend in the lunch line?  PRACTICE SPANISH?  While brushing your teeth, mentally recite your new vocabulary!  While taking a shower, getting dressed, riding in a car/on the bus, doing laundry, going for a walk, fishing, running, hiking, biking, ...... basically any "down" time, could be spent practicing, practicing, practicing!  WRITE, READ, SPEAK, SING, and CONVERSE in SPANISH!

 

Have fun!  Find your own CREATIVE, ENERGY INFUSING ways to learn!  Whatever works for you - do it! As long as it is active, you will benefit from it!

 

ABOVE ALL:  REMEMBER that ACTIVE PARTICIPATION and USAGE is ESSENTIAL in order to learn a foreign language.  You MUST SPEAK, READ, WRITE, and LISTEN to Spanish FREQUENTLY in order to learn it!

 

Have more ideas?  Send them to me! 

I'd be happy to post them and give you the credit!