Ok, so you’ve been toying with the idea of learning another language, but you just can’t seem to figure out how to go about doing it. If you're an expat, and a foreign language is spoken in your host country, then you're smack in the middle of the dilemma. It’s not like when you were in high school, and your lessons were planned out by teacher dearest. You’re doing it on your own time, but you still need a bit of structure, and you can't quite figure out what that is.
Well here’s a lesson plan that might help you to learn that foreign language that you’ve set your sights on. I recently decided that I wanted to work on my spanish, and this is what I have come up with, that has been working for me so far. This can be applied to learning your language of choice. I settled on the 6 broader aspects of the language that I feel will get me to a comfortable level, and I’m going for 1h30 to 2h per week. With a full working schedule, and life and what not, I haven’t figured out how to make more time for my new hobby. I just try to keep it simple and fun, giving each aspect -15 to 20 minutes per week.
Whilst this is open to discussion, most people would agree that in order to reach the stage where you can communicate with a certain level of ease, you need to get a good grasp of the following aspects of language learning:
- listening
- reading
- vocabulary
- speaking
- writing
- grammar
In this article, I explain how I work on these six aspects of the language; the tools and methods that I employ in order to get my spanish sounding and looking better on paper. So far this method has gotten me great results, as I can now engage (haltingly) in conversations with hispanophones. It is something that I was totally unable to do the same time last year, so I'll share what's helped me so far in case you're at that stage where you’re not quite sure what to do to improve your language skills.
Listening: You know that moment when you think to yourself, yesss, I’m finally understanding what these people are saying ... and then right after that you realise that it's just a speedy influx that you just don't get? Well it gets better. The more you listen to a language, the more you get used to speech patterns and expressions. Increasing this activity allows you to become more familiar with the sounds that you want to reproduce. How to go about doing that? Hello Youtube: Music videos are short, concise... not too boring ‘cause everyone loves music right? Go for a genre that you like. Search for short videos of stuff that you already have an interest in and know how it should work. Say like a video on how to cook pasta in your target language, or a how to video on anything that you already know how to do. See if you can follow the steps without subtitles. Keep it under 5 minutes to avoid losing focus. The fact that you can repeat the process as much as you need is also an added bonus.
Reading & Vocabulary: At some point in your language learning experience, you're going to need to up your reading and vocabulary game. Even the folks who wing it, and learn on the go eventually need to read some more to acquire vocabulary. How do you go about working on this bit? What's your level? Figure that out. If you're struggling, like not understanding anything in a Harry Potter story, then there’s always simpler. Read children’s literature until you build up sufficient vocabulary to go up another level. Internet again is your best friend: look up stories for kids in your target language. Try getting the pdf version so that you can print them out; they shouldn't be longer than 5 pages. Keep it short. Read the story three times. First, read the story all the way through to see if you get a general understanding of it. The second time is for active reading. Highlight all the words that you don't know, and look them up.
Then I suggest you download Anki. It's a flashcard app. All the new vocabulary that you learn should be added up into it . It’s pretty easy to use. You create your own deck. You’ve got a front and a back for the cards. One side for your new word, the other for its meaning. Everytime you come across new words you add them in, and use anki to revise. It keeps them present in your mind. That's how you're going to build and increase vocabulary.
The third reading is to be done once you've assimilated your new vocab. Your story should make perfect sense then. Try reading this third time out loud. Don't worry about your accent or what not. It's just to get your mouth and vocal cords used to making the new sounds.
Speaking & Writing: These two come hand in hand, and for obvious reasons are just as important as the other four blocks in your learning experience. For these two, you need to download the Hellotalk app. It’s a bit tedious, because you “meet” new people everyday, and sometimes it feels like the initial exchange is all you do, over and over again, but once you get a good vibe going with a language partner, then it’s all positive from then on. Here’s how it works: Language learners get matched up- You can speak English and want to learn French. You are going to be matched up with French speakers wanting to learn English. One of the cool things about the app is the possibility of correcting the grammar and phrasing of exchanged messages to show how a native would have said it. It has a translation option as well for those moments when you just can't figure out what is being said to you. You'll be able to practice writing and speaking at your own pace. Starting with just voice notes for orals, or nothing until you're comfortable.
Grammar: I'll be the first one to admit that it's the most annoying bit when it comes to learning a language. Some would even argue that it is not indispensable to your experience. Whatever camp you choose, you might run into difficulties sooner or later without sufficient mastery of this aspect of the language however, because like it or not, it's one of the building blocks of any language out there-so we might as well try to get a better grasp of the rules as they apply to our target language. Things just seem to fall in place better when you gain a better understanding of a language’s grammar. Figure it out. Figure out your weak areas and work on that. 10 to 15 mins of grammar every day should be a good basis to start off with. Don’t overdo it and become too saturated. But do it, because that's the basis. Do exercises. Verb drills, etc. There's tons of grammar sites that generate quizzes and the like; spend a few minutes on those. Or use a good old trustee high school grammar textbook.
That’s the plan in a nutshell. As you continue developing your language skills, you're going to discover new resources that will help you, or figure out new techniques that you find more suitable to your learning style. I hope this method is of some use to you in the meantime. If you've had success with any apps or techniques please let me know in the comments so that I can give them a try! ¡Buena suerte!
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