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Do you fancy learning a new language? Are you astonished by people who can speak multiple languages?

People say it’s frustrating learning a new language, especially when your older. It’s pretty much established that children can learn new languages faster than adults But this shouldn’t be an excuse to start learning!

 Here’s a simple guide to start with, separated into 2 parts.

Learning New Language Tips Part 1

Find a purpose

In OMD, we always stress finding a purpose when doing something. In this case, the same applies.  If you don’t have a significant reason that induces you to use the language regularly, it will be difficult to command a language proficiently.

Don’t just learn a language for the sake of learning a language. Don’t tell yourself to learn a language for future use. Learn it now, use it now.

Good reasons may include:

• You want to learn the language because you want to communicate with people who speak the language.
• You want to have friends who are from another country, but don’t speak your language.
• Maybe you want to go to another foreign country to work, or travel for a significant period.

In a nutshell, if you don’t use it frequent enough, you will likely forget the language.

Of course, I’m not here to discourage anyone who just wants to learn a new language. If you have the perseverance to do it, by all means, you can shouldn’t stop. But with a purpose, perseverance arises.

Grammar Rules: To abide or not to abide?

Every language has its own rules in grammar. Those rules must be followed when you speak so it makes sense to those listening.

However, should we remember the rules one by one? No, I think this is unnecessary. We shouldn’t neglect basic structure, but memorizing a bunch of grammatical rules really wont help you learn any faster.

When you learn a language, you should listen more, read more, and speak more. Because by practicing, we can indirectly learn about the structure of the grammar without forcing ourselves to remember them by heart.

Language is something we can mimic, especially after listening to it or using it a couple of times. That is why we have language tapes that make us repeat a certain sentence or phrase repeatedly.

So, do not cram the grammatical rules into your mind, instead practicing the correct grammar by repeating multiple times. Experience shows that after mastering one language, those vocabulary and sentences that are frequently spoken are those that had lodged in our minds.

Learning New Language Tips PART 2

Be exposed

Find something you are interested in.  This will be more helpful because you won’t feel taxed as much, even while working hard to learn. I have heard many people who are fans of the Korean wave, who learned the language just by watching Korean dramas!

This makes great sense. When you are exposed to something regularly, you will absorb it without noticing. Language is the same.

Try to immerse yourself in the media of the language of your choice. I still remember when I was learning English. I was exposed to English media a lot, be it TV shows, newspaper, radio, or the Internet. Basically, before long I had picked up the language without realizing it.

Be courageous

There shouldn’t be any spaces left for you to be shy while speaking a new language. It’s true that we humans learn by making mistakes, in a repetitive matter.

It’s no doubt you will make embarrassing mistakes while trying to command your new language. However, if you are ready to correct your mistakes, you don’t need to feel shy or feel bad about it. Sometimes the more mistakes you make, the faster you will learn.

Find a mate

Everyone knows that practice makes perfect. Language, where pronunciation is very important, should be practiced more often. But from my experience, you will need someone to guide you along.

This stage is actually very important, because if you don’t correct the mistakes, it will become a habit that is hard to change in the future. Sometimes you don’t realize the small mistakes you repeatedly make while you speak a new language.

That’s why we need someone who can constantly point out the mistakes we made. In this situation, the more embarrassed you are, the bigger the impression will be. This way the mistakes you make will be harder to forget and not so easily made in the future.

If one of your reasons is to make new foreign friends than connecting with people is your best option.  People are typically impressed when you want to learn their language, and most often will be happy to aid you with their mother tongue.

Besides, this is a good chance to bond with them while understanding their language and culture at the same time. So, go find out to where the language is spoken, and start to hang out and make some new friends.

Pushing the limit

As someone who can speak four different languages, I think the environmental element has a big impact on one’s language skills.

For instance, I came to South Korea to study. I went through an intensive Korean language course. However, I still lived in a community of Malaysian students who came with me. So, most of the time, I was still using the language I was comfortable with. I didn’t practice much either. So, I wasn’t fluent with the Korean language while I was studying.

After graduating, I found a job, lived and worked in a community where was the only foreigner. To comfortably mingle with the locals, I was forced to learn all over again, and use the language every day. As time went by, I was able to master the language more than I had when I was studying the language.

Sometimes, forcing ourselves is very effective. When there are no other options left, we learn to adapt and survive in the end. Try putting yourself in a place where the language is a must. You will find it difficult to accept, but this could be the best and the fastest way.

Learning New Language Tips Conclusion:

Language is a skill that will benefit you in the long run, either in your social life, or your professional life. Of course, everyone has his or her own way in learning.

Lastly, the most important thing is determination. Without it, nothing fruitful will be produced. Therefore, do not give up, and good luck.

If you have tips of your own that you want to share, please don’t hesitate and share with us on the comments bellow.