How to learn languages fast

How long do you think it would take you to become fluent in a new language? It depends on the technique and technologies that you use. We provide you with some advices how to learn new languages fast and easy.

Make language learning a daily habit

People complain that they can’t learn a language because it is too difficult or they aren’t "good" at languages. However the number one reason for failure is that they don't practice the language consistently and frequently. To to this, you need to develop daily habits. Habits are key to behaviour change because once you form them, you don’t need to rely on motivation.

The following 3 things can help you develop a habit:

Signal to start the activity. This can be as easy as setup daily reminders in your calendar
Routine - This is the actual behaviour that you perform. You can download our phone application and either listen to the words that you are learning or perform a test
Reward - This is a very important step that a lot of people skip. It will help you with developing your habit. This positive reinforcement will increase your chances of success.

Learn the right words the right way

The most frequent reason people give for being unable to learn languages is that they have a bad memory. But the problem is less to do with their memory and more to do with their technique. There are several techniques that you can use:

Learn the most commonly used words. To achieve conversational fluency you only need to learn 2000 to 3000 words. To understand 80% of a movie you need to know the top 1000 words. Our iPhone and Android application provides you the list of the most frequently used 5000 words
Learn words that are relevant to you. Focus on topics that interest you or that come up in your day to day life. Our iPhone and Android application provides you the words lists organized by topics. By focusing on relevant language, you’ll be more likely to actually use the words you learn in real life. You’ll also find it easier to memorise these words.
Perform tests regularly. In the past people had used physical flashcards to achieve this. The problem with this approach is that you need to keep track which words do you know. It is better to use an application to achieve this.
Use a phone application.Your phone is with you the whole day. You can use this to your advantage. There are a lot of times during the day when you have downtime. For example: waiting for a friend to arrive, walking to a meeting, etc. You can use this downtime to quickly refresh the words that you have learned. You will be surprised how much this will help you

Immerse yourself with free resources

It has never been easier to learn a language without actually travelling to a country where it is spoken. This is because there are now tons of free reading and listening resources that you can access online. Use them to immerse yourself in the language every day. There are a lot of youtube videos that can help you.

Ideally, you should use language resources that are just one level above your own. In linguistics, resources at this level are known as comprehensible input. Put simply, this means that you should only just be able to understand whatever you are reading or listening to. You should be outside of your comfort zone, but you should know just enough of the language to enable you to understand and interpret new language.

Speak from day one

The free option is to find native speakers to talk to. Sites like Meetup.com often have language exchange meetings that you can attend. One downside of this is that it’s not very efficient as you have to travel to the meet up and spend part of the time helping others with your native language.

Another option is to go to group classes. These can be nice from a social perspective, but if your goal is to practice speaking, they are not ideal as you will have to take it in turns with other learners. Also, classes often move as slowly as the slowest student.

However, the most efficient option is to take 1-on-1 lessons. The cost can be a little higher, but if you are taking the lessons online – this isn’t always the case. Moreover, you’ll be able to get extensive speaking practice with an experienced, native tutor.

Enjoy the language learning journey

Studies have shown that people who are happy while doing an activity, they finish it significantly faster and better. Try to use this to your advantage. Try to be in a positive mood while learning a language. It will help you a lot.

Start practicing now!

Start practicing now! We have developed a great free iPhone and Android application to help you learn a new language. You can download it here:

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