Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Immerse yourself in the language environment
• Method 2 of 3: Focus on what matters most
• Method 3 of 3: Use a language learning app
• Tips

Would you like to know how to quickly learn a new language without spending money on expensive language courses or foreign language learning software? There are no secrets or tricks in this - you just need to set a goal for yourself, prepare for the hard work and, most importantly, not be afraid to make mistakes. Read on for more secrets to help you learn a new language quickly.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Immerse yourself in the language environment

1. 1 Meet a native speaker. The easiest way to learn a new language is to speak it. Very often people spend all their time learning the grammar of a language and memorizing a lot of words, instead of putting all their learned minimum knowledge into practice. Start talking to a native speaker and it will give you more motivation to learn the language - much more than a book or computer screen.
   • You may be able to find a friend or colleague who knows the language you want to learn and who can work with you and help you practice the language. If you do not have such friends, then you can advertise on local forums or in newspapers that you are looking for a teacher to practice a foreign language.
   • If you can't find anyone who speaks that language, you can try meeting someone on Skype. Very often people from different countries would like to meet people from other countries and communicate. Another option is to create an account with Hellotalk.
2. 2 Learn the language every day. Very often many people complain that they have been studying the language for "five years" and cannot start to speak it fluently. But when they talk about five years, they probably only spend a couple of hours a week learning the language. Let's agree on one thing - if you want to learn a new language fast, that is, in a few weeks or months, then you will have to devote two hours to learning a new language in a day.
   • Learning a foreign language is all about repetition - just repeat something over and over until it sticks in your memory. If you take too long breaks between classes, then most likely you will forget everything you learned and you will have to go back to remember what you learned.
   • To really learn a language in a short time, you must practice everyday... There are no miracles in learning a language - in order to master a language, you need to learn it.
3. 3 Always have a dictionary handy. Take a dictionary with you everywhere - it will help you avoid confusion (if you do not know a certain word) and will save you a lot of time, so we recommend that you spare your money and get a good and convenient dictionary!
   • It may be more convenient for you to install the dictionary on your mobile phone so you can quickly look up the desired word.
   • If you have a dictionary with you, you can always spy on the right word. This is especially necessary when communicating with a native speaker, when you do not want to interrupt the interlocutor because you do not know some word that he used. Plus, if you look at a new word and use it right away, you'll remember it much better.
   • You can also browse the dictionary and choose random words to memorize when you have a free minute - for example, when you are waiting for your turn, at lunchtime, or while in a traffic jam. This way you can memorize up to 20-30 additional new words per day!
4. 4 Watch movies, listen to music, read and write in the language you are learning. Immersion in a language environment assumes that all the usual actions that you usually did in your native language, you will do in the target language, regardless of whether you are reading, writing or listening to music, radio, etc.
   • It may be easiest to watch TV shows or movies in the language you are trying to learn. Try not to use subtitles, or you will rely on them too much. To make it easier for you to understand speech, try watching TV shows or movies that you already know or something simple, such as cartoons or children's programs. Knowing the content will help you understand the meaning of various words and phrases.
   • It is also recommended to read and write in the target language. Grab a newspaper or magazine and try to read at least one article a day. Try to check the meaning of words you don't know using a dictionary. Try writing simple sentences in your target language - no matter what it is, you can write a greeting card or make a shopping list.
   • Download podcasts or turn on radio stations in the language you are learning. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the language environment, especially when you are on the road. This will not only allow you to listen to speech, but will also help you remember the correct pronunciation of common words and phrases.
   • Change the language settings on mobile devices - this will allow you to learn a few new words in a new language.
   • Listen to music in the target language. Try to learn the lyrics, and then check what the song is about. Knowing the lyrics helps you to expand your vocabulary very quickly.
5. 5 Visit the country that speaks the language you are studying. Of course, the best way to improve your language skills is to travel to a country where the language you are learning is spoken. Just go there and spend some time there.
   • Try to communicate more with the local population - it doesn't matter if you need to find out the way or make a purchase in the store - just say hello and talk to people. Native speakers will be happy if you want to learn the language.
   • It doesn't matter how good your speaking skills are - just try to speak, and very soon you will notice an improvement not only in speaking, but also in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.

Method 2 of 3: Focus on what matters most

1. 1 Learn a few greetings before learning the alphabet. Thanks to this, when you start learning the alphabet, you will already know a few basic words. For example, “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “How are you”, “I'm doing fine”, “What's your name”, “My name is…” and so on.
2. 2 Learn the alphabet if necessary. It will be much easier for you if you learn the alphabet and learn how to read and pronounce words - this will also help you memorize words more easily. It is also much better to say words out loud by reading them in the target language rather than looking at their transcriptions.
3. 3 Learn the words. Probably one of the most important aspects of language learning is vocabulary. Even if you may not be able to understand the entire sentence completely, the ability to “pick out” individual words helps to understand the general meaning of speech or text.
   • Concentrate on the 100 most common words. Highlighting the 100 most common words in the language and learning them is a great start. Then you will be able to select 1000 new frequently used words. It is believed that knowledge of 1000 commonly used words in a language allows you to understand 70% of any text.
   • Pay your attention to the words that are most relevant to you. For example, if you are studying a language for business purposes, study business vocabulary, do not waste your time studying different types of marine animals - which can be useful if you are going to scuba dive.
   • You also need to learn words that apply to you personally so that you can talk about yourself, your life, and the people you know.
4. 4 Learn how to count in your target language. Learn to count to ten because numbers are usually very easy to remember. Add ten more numbers to this set every day. Keep studying numbers every day until you feel like you can count fluently in a foreign language. If you want a real challenge, try learning all numbers up to a hundred in one day!
5. 5 Don't worry too much about grammar. The main reason that most people still cannot speak the language that they spent years in school to learn is that the school curriculum concentrates too much on the grammar of the language and devotes very little time to speaking and writing skills. It is grammar that slows down everything - if you want to learn a new language quickly, the first thing you need to do is master the spoken language. The specifics of grammar will come later.
   • There is no doubt that grammar is important - you need to know how the verb forms change and imagine what the correct word order should be in a sentence.
   • The point is that you should not spend many hours memorizing verb forms or thinking about specific cases when you should use a particular article or preposition. You will master all these nuances later - in the process of communication!
6. 6 Work on your pronunciation. Pronunciation is another aspect you should focus on. There is no point in memorizing hundreds of words and phrases if you cannot pronounce them correctly to be understood. Therefore, it is very important that when learning a new word, you learn its correct pronunciation right away.
   • Pronunciation is difficult to learn from a book - this is where communication with native speakers or the use of interactive programs will be useful. You will need to say a word out loud to learn how to pronounce it correctly.
   • If you are practicing with a teacher or native speaker, ask him (or her) to feel free to correct you whenever you pronounce a word incorrectly. Otherwise, alas, your training will be of little use. Remember that it is pronunciation that can distinguish good language proficiency from free.
7. 7 Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Many foreign language learners are afraid to make mistakes. This fear will not allow you to go far enough.
   • Perhaps the mistakes you make while speaking a foreign language can lead to an awkward situation, but is that a big problem? Native speakers will always forgive you for mistakes, because they will most likely appreciate your desire to learn their language - moreover, they will always be happy to help you.
   • Your goal should not initially be superiority, but progress. Making mistakes (and learning from them) is what allows you to constantly improve.

Method 3 of 3: Use a language learning app

1. 1 Try Anki. Anki is a very popular application for computers and smartphones that helps you memorize new words and phrases using flashcards. You can upload your own flashcards with specific words if you need to learn specific terminology, for example, or download any of the card sets offered.
2. 2 Try Duolingo. Duolingo is a free language learning tool. There is an online version of the app, as well as versions for Android and iOS. Instead of focusing on memorization, it helps you learn to read and speak a new language by allowing you to see, listen to, and translate words and phrases. Users earn points by completing lessons, which makes learning a language with Duolingo a lot of fun.
3. 3 Try Memrise. Memrise is another flashcards app that allows users to memorize words and phrases using a variety of tricks, images, and helpful tools. Memrise allows users to compete with each other and take certain lessons. This makes language learning fun.
4. 4 Try Babbel. Babbel is a fun interactive language learning tool that is available both online and mobile. It can help users build vocabulary, improve grammar and pronunciation. It also identifies “weak points” and offers specific exercises based on individual requirements.
5. 5 Try Livemocha. Livemocha is a web-based product that offers online lessons and tutorials, as well as the ability to chat with a native speaker. And while most of the content on Livemocha is completely free, you can always pay for additional services, including personalized study programs and more advanced language courses.
   • Try MindSnacks. Choose any lesson you like to learn the language through a variety of games.

Tips

• Determine for yourself a specific amount of material (TV, radio, online newspapers or communication with foreigners) or the amount of time you will devote to the language every day and stay on the plan.
• Write down new words and their meanings on a piece of paper and always carry this piece of paper with you, sometimes looking into it - this way you will easily remember everything.
• Immersion in a language environment is the best way to learn a foreign language, but in most cases one cannot just drop everything and move to another country. However, be sure to try to communicate with native speakers - for example, using special sites on the Internet.
• Google Translate is a great tool to help you with correct pronunciation. But the translation of words and sentences obtained with it is not always 100% accurate.
• Start by learning ten words (nouns, adjectives, or verbs). Do this every day for three months. It may sound difficult, but it’s actually very easy. By learning ten new words every day, you can expand your vocabulary well. The more words you know, the easier it will be for you to form sentences and express yourself in a foreign language.
• Once you have mastered the basics of the language, you can start watching movies in the target language. Start with the simple ones - the ones you've seen and like. Watch movies with subtitles. If it seems difficult, keep the subtitles or audio in your native language.
• Use sticky note paper to expand your vocabulary. Post them all over the place - this will allow you to create direct associations between a word in a foreign language and its visualization.
• Don't worry about mistakes at first. You will not be able to speak a foreign language fluently on the first day of training, be patient.
• The main thing is not to give up!
• Start reading funny books in the target language - it is better if they are funny stories or anecdotes with pictures. For example, you can read anime, comics, magazines, and whatever else interests you. This will motivate you to learn the language - especially if you don't understand what is written. It is also helpful to start with children's books as they contain words that are easy to remember.
• Some people prefer to listen to music. Find songs in the language you are learning. Listen to them several times, try to understand what the song is about. You can also search the internet for lyrics and try to sing karaoke.