6 tips to master a new language
Alexandra Clement
Marketing Assistant, France
Taking classes is often essential to learn a new language, however in this article we will tell you how you can improve your practice of a language on your own, and ideally in the case in which you would do a foreign exchange and would like to master the language of your new country.
01 Make your own dictionary
This method might sound a bit academic but it is really helpful, You get a small notebook and write down the all new words and new expressions that you’re learning and you read it regularly before going to bed so that they will remain in your memory.
You can also use post-its and stick them on your wall or anywhere else that will help you learn some difficult to remember words
02 Use Duolingo
I personally found it very hard to find a good and free website to learn a new language. When a friend published something about Duolingo on Facebook, my quest had finally come to an end. It`s super fun to use website and smartphone app, it`s basically a language learning game, it also has social features so you can compete against your friends and see their progress, you can use it as often as you like, like on your bus on the way to school !
03 Change your Facebook language
I’m sure you already know all the options of Facebook by heart. So why don’t you change your Facebook settings to the language you are learning? It`s simple and doesn’t ask too much effort. You can do this for various items you are using on a regular basis, like Spotify, or even your smartphone and computer !
04 Movies & Music
Try to watch movies with subtitles in another language, It doesn’t matter if you don`t understand every word, it will help you get used to it, also search for the lyrics of the songs you like and translate them into your language !
The internet is your best friend here, you can find tons of material on youtube, google and even on Facebook
05 Practice with your roomies
We know this can be hard, specially if most of your roommates are from the same country as you, but not all is lost ! you can set some spanish-only areas of the house with penalties for speaking other languages, like for example a jar where you put 10 pesos every time you speak the wrong language, and at the end of the week or month you can party with that money! you could also do it with shots of tequila instead of money,but maybe only on the weekends !
06 Practice as much as possible
Get out there and practice ! every conversation is another chance to learn, for example when you go to the grocery market, while you’re in the Uber or Bus, don`t be shy to ask people to explain words or phrases you don`t understand, people in México are generally very warm and would love to help you out
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