List Of Best And Simplest Ways To Learn A New Language

There are many ways to learn a new language, such as listening to foreign songs, referring to familiar objects in the language, or just reading.

Sure, you might need to learn 10,000 words to become fluent in it. Some languages are tough to learn, such as Mandarin and Japanese, while others are quite easy to pick, like Spanish and Norwegian. But there are ways you can master them.

This guide will highlight some of the best ways to learn a new language and become fluent in it. Although nothing can be achieved if you don’t work hard, you can work smartly and make the process easier.

So follow the steps highlighted below, and you will be on your way to master a new language. Read on.

1. Integrate the language in your life

If you want to master a language, you will have to make it part of your daily routine. Integrate the new language in your life by referring to objects, completing daily tasks, and thinking in the language. 

Language learning is not just about picking up a dictionary and memorizing five words a day.

After all, language is a skill that is acquired throughout life. You are not born with it. Even your mother tongue has to be taught as you grow up, so you can learn how to communicate with people around you.

Here’s how to integrate the language practically.

Refer to objects in the new language

Whether you are sitting on a sofa watching television or driving a car, you can start by recalling the vocabulary you have learned so far and refer to the objects with those words.

If you don’t know a word for the object in the language, you can search for it, write on a postcard, and use the word whenever you see the object once again.

By starting with the small items here and there around your house, workplace, or institution, you can begin to incorporate the new language into your surroundings.

Complete basic tasks in the language

Try changing your google settings from English to another language and navigate across the internet. You might be able to see the words you already know, recall their meaning, and make sense of what is written on the screen.

Are you trying to find a recipe online? Want to read the news? Try doing these tasks in the language you are learning, and you will pick up the language faster.

It will not only be a good revision but will also be a significant boost of confidence.

Think in the language you are learning

Try to communicate with yourself in the new language. You can start with one sentence at a time and set a time limit. 

It might seem hard at first. But you can give it a shot.

Talking to yourself in the new language will allow you to analyze your learning regularly. There will also be words that you haven’t learned yet but always use them in your mother tongue. In this way, you will be intrigued to learn new words.

2. Read, read, and read

Reading does help, especially if you want to learn about word combinations, grammar, and sentence structures. Most importantly, it improves your vocabulary.

You might have heard this a lot. You might have brushed off this advice. After all, how can you read well if you don’t even know the language and have to stop at every word to see its meaning?

Here are some tips for reading productively and efficiently in the language you are learning:

Choose the texts that you enjoy

Pick a text that you will like to read, be it literature, magazines, newspapers, or even an online blog. Read for a short time in the beginning. Start with a single paragraph, understanding the meaning of every word and analyzing how the words fit in a sentence.

You don’t have to read the entire text in the first sitting. 

Highlight the words and re-read them

Always keep a highlighter with you when reading the text. Mark important words or sentences that you will want to revisit. Once you are done with reading, give yourself some time and try rereading the text.

This time keep the dictionary away and see if you understand the entire paragraph. This exercise will help you to analyze your own learning.

3. Speak the language from day one

Try speaking the language and also interact with those who are competent at it to learn from them. After all, experiential-based learning is one of the quickest ways to learn something.

Reading and memorizing words in the new language is crucial. But you cannot master a language if you don’t speak it, especially to someone who knows the language already. 

Here are some tips to get you started.

Practice with a friend

 If you have a friend who is also learning the language, you can set some goals for both of you and work towards them. You can fix a particular number of words you both want to learn in a week. At the end of the week, you can update each other about your progress.

As social animals, working with others and sharing our experiences can help us accomplish more objectives.

If you have a friend who already knows the language, then you can simply ask them to converse with you in that language and point out your mistakes.

Make use of the social media

If you are learning French, you can search for French hashtags, converse with the natives, and even make new friends.

Social media and the internet have made it super easy for the world to stay connected. So why not use it for learning a new language? 

But also don’t forget to listen

Sure, speaking is excellent, but learning also comes from active listening. Are you traveling on the bus? Tune in to some French music. Want to watch something? Choose a Spanish movie!

As you try to understand these mediums, you will find yourself jamming to foreign music in no time.

4 Tips to learn a language faster

You can learn a new language faster by spending enough time studying daily, choosing an easier language, and using tools like flashcards. 

Here are some tips to learn your new language faster.

1. Study your new language for 30minutes every day

Usually, half an hour of active study with an hour of language exposure every day is preferable.

However, everyone has a different learning style and speed, which is why there is no fixed amount of time to study a new language. 

If you have only limited days on your hand to learn the language, you can increase the amount of time. But this is a sustainable model to practice the language and reach fluency without overburdening yourself.

2. Aim for at least 250 words as a beginner

You should know about 250 to 500 words to be considered a beginner. If you go up to 1000 or 3000 words, then you can take part in everyday conversations. More than 4,000 words will make you an advanced language user. And if you manage to learn around 10,000 words, you will surely become fluent in the language.

Nonetheless,  you can consider a rough estimate to set your goals.

Just like time, there are no fixed words that you should know to be fluent in a language. This is because language scholars have different measurements and standards that they use to evaluate fluency.

3. Start with the easiest language

Well, experts have different opinions on the easiest language to learn. But we can name a few:

• Norwegian

The language belongs to the Germanic family of languages, just like English. This is why both languages share a lot of vocabulary. The grammar in Norwegian is also quite straightforward, and its word order is similar to that of English.

• Swedish

Also belonging to the Germanic family of languages, both Swedish and English share words from the same ancestral language. This is why some words in these languages sound similar. It also has simple grammar rules.

• Spanish

This might be no surprise to most people. Spanish is one of the most common languages spoken worldwide, and many people are exposed to it thanks to the media. Spanish words are also straightforward when it comes to pronunciations.

4. Use smart techniques

Electronic or paper flashcards can prove to be beneficial during revisions. Similarly, visualizing the word by remembering or referring to the object can be helpful as well.

You can either go a long way or use smart techniques to learn a new language. Quick learners employ a mix of techniques and tools to aid their learning.

The best way to learn a language on your own 

1. Take small steps

It’s ideal to think that you can learn 2,000 new words in a month. But is it possible? Perhaps not! 

So make sure you are setting realistic goals for yourself that you can truly achieve.

2. Use online resources and tools

There are tons of tools and resources online to aid your learning, such as an online vocab list. Using them will give you a direction to learn effectively.

3. Meditation and rest are important

Take a nap if you want. Go for a walk. Sit with your family. Have an ice cream. Or maybe meditate while learning the language. But don’t dismiss rest and sleep.

In setting big goals, you should never underestimate the importance of rest and relaxing. So instead of exhausting yourself, you should take breaks, do what you like, and then resume studying.

Conclusion

Deciding to learn a new language is one of the best goals to have. But you can’t achieve any goal if you are not willing to invest your time and energy in it.

So whether you are going for the easiest language or learning something like Chinese from scratch, try speaking in the language with your friends, reading texts, and using smart learning techniques. 

For instance, you can communicate with the natives over social media or simply use flashcards to memorize the words.

But most importantly, be consistent! If you are not committed to learning, it’s very easy to forget what you already learned and give up. 

If you’re learning Spanish, start by listening to Wordey’s English/Spanish meditation!