Description: Latin and Classics tutor Emily shares her thoughts and tips on how to learn a foreign language sufficiently.
Learning a foreign language can seem incredibly daunting at first. When you’re a beginner and you listen to a native speaker, it can seem impossible to distinguish even individual words, never mind keep up with the flow of conversation! But if you are motivated and determined, you can make real progress and you’ll never regret the time you have spent mastering a new skill. Here are some of my top tips for independent study of a foreign language:
Keep a Grammar Book
This one might not initially fill you with excitement, but I guarantee that you will find it helpful. Use a textbook or resources online and gradually build up your own grammar book. Keep notes in bright colours and copy out important tables like verb endings and pronouns. Not only will writing these down actually help you to memorise the rules, but you will also have something to refer to when you’re writing. With time and practice, these rules will become embedded in your memory.
Learn Vocabulary
It is so important for building your confidence. You can make your own lists of words or you can search for resources online. A good place to start is often a proscribed GCSE list if one is offered in your language. Using online flashcards, in an App such as Quizlet, can really help to make this a more engaging activity than you might be expecting!
Keep it Relevant
When you eventually have conversations in this language, you are going to want to talk about things. These might be things that are important to you or everyday matters that you speak about frequently.
One of the best ways to build up relevant vocabulary is to keep a diary in your chosen language. It can start off incredibly simple, just a few lines about what you have done today and how you feel. You can increase the complexity over time and you will find it gives you confidence in talking about the things that matter to you.
Set Goals
Many people will find setting themselves a specific goal very motivating. You could aim to try a GCSE paper at a certain point; you can often find Foundation and Higher papers online. Or, even better, you could book yourself a holiday and aim to have mastered the present, past and future tenses and be able to hold simple conversations before you go!
Make it a Habit
If possible, try to set aside some time every day to study. If you can study vocabulary at the same time every day, you will find it quickly becomes a habit that you can stick to. Don’t feel like you need to study for hours though, the key is consistency.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Learning a language is such a wonderful thing for anyone to do. It gives your brain an epic workout, adds to your skillset and can ultimately open up wonderful opportunities for travelling, socialising and working abroad. Good luck!
By tutor Emily. Contact Us