Although English is my mother tongue, I learned mandarin and Cantonese when I was a kid, I learned the french at school, and I know Spanish since my recent trip to South America. Over the years, I have discovered a few things that are useful to learn a foreign language quickly.
1 immersion
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| How to learn any language you want @wikihart |
It is almost impossible to learn a new language, or at least to learn it quickly, if you don't think in that language. But how to think in a language we do not speak?
Simply immerse yourself in this community. Traveling to a foreign country allows you to hear the sounds, rhythm and intonation of the language you wish to learn, in the street, on the bus, on TV, etc. Your brain then began to assimilate and interpret the new language.
A more efficient method of travel is to force himself to 'function' in this new language, participating in a volunteer program, or by working abroad. Be in total immersion with the inhabitants of the country (living in a foster home for example) and avoid dating people who speak your language is the key to your success.
Immerse yourself in the daily life of Aboriginal people: discover their music, their media, their political news, their sports, their families, etc. Are you attracting the good graces of the community which speaks this language, and you have already done half the way!
2 forget the literal translation and think like a child!
How do children learn to speak a language? By imitating, by repeating the sounds they hear, and above all, by experiencing no shyness or discomfort.
No matter if your pronunciation is not perfect, or if you don't remember the good conjugation of a verb: try to express yourself, even if it looks like to gibberish. Resist the temptation to translate everything in your native language and you can then make giant steps in your learning.
Instead of reciting the server a learned by heart formula or to include in your host family a sentence made to express what you want to eat, listen to the inhabitants of the country order their dishes, and imitate them by doing the best you can. This technique also works when it comes to greet, or having a short conversation with Aboriginal people. Look at their facial expressions when they speak, pay attention to the way they move their lips.
Imitate those facial expressions and sounds just as would a child. You can understand what is said or not, you will begin to use these sounds, these phrases, these words in appropriate situations; they will come out of your mouth as if by magic. It is in this way that we started thinking in a foreign language.
3. How do you say?
In addition to expressions of greetings, it is always smart to remember the questions "How do you say? What is this called? "in the language you want to learn.
A curious traveler who always questions made friends among the inhabitants of the country. You will see that they will quickly be open to you, giving you the opportunity to engage in conversation more easily. These daily interactions with the locals are a major asset in your learning. Set a daily goal, decide to engage a number of conversations with Aboriginal people and talk to them about things that interest you but you do not know the vocabulary. Even if you can't finish your conversations, you are on the right track.
4. write
After your conversations, write what you remember hearing, but that you do not understand (this can also help if you have a travel blog).
When you have a moment, re-read what you have written and use your dictionary. Look for the words, try to reconstruct the conversation in your head. The next time you talk to a resident of the country where you're traveling, use new learned words.
When I was learning the french and Spanish, I made grammar sheets where I wrote the verbs to learn their conjugation. In addition to helping me focus, these cards were of very good reference guides.
5. use words related and make links
Have you ever noticed that some words are exactly the same in several languages? The so-called related words. Once you have discovered them, you can add hundreds of words to your vocabulary. For example, most words that end in "ion" in Latin languages, are the same in English.
Source : Duolingo
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