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How to Learn a Foreign Language Fast

How long do you think it would take you to become fluent in a new language? It depends on the technique and technologies you use. Here are some suggestions to speed up the process of learning a new language:

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 enough. To do this, a person needs to develop daily habits. Habits are key to behavior change because once you form them, you don’t need to rely on motivation.

The following 3 things can help you develop a habit:

• A signal to start the activity. This can be as easy as setting daily reminders in your calendar.
• Routine. This is the actual behavior 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

Some people believe they can't learn a new language because they have a bad memory. But the problem has 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 with 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 with word lists that are organized by topics. By focusing on what is relevent to you, you’ll be more likely to actually use the words you learn in real life. You’ll also find it easier to memorize these words.
• Perform tests regularly. In the past people used physical flashcards to achieve this. The problem with this approach is that you need to keep track of which words you know. It is better to use an application to achieve this.
• Use a phone application. Your phone is with you the whole time. You can use this to your advantage. There are many times during the day that you can use. For example: waiting for a friend to arrive, training in the fitness, walking to a meeting, etc. You can use this time 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 traveling 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 online videos that can help you.

Ideally, you should use language resources that are one level above your own. In linguistics, resources at this level are known as comprehensible input. The concept comes from the American linguist, education researcher, and activist Dr. Stephen Krashen. In his Theory of Second Language Acquisition he states that students are able to acquire new language when instruction is delivered in language just beyond students’ current level of proficiency. This means that you should be able to understand almost everything but not completely everything. You should be just outside of your comfort zone in order to speed up the learning process.

Speak from day one

Try to find native speakers to talk to.

Another option would be 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 turns with other learners. Also, classes often move as slowly as the slowest student.

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 tutor.

Be happy while learning the foreign language

Studies have shown that people who are happy while doing an activity finish it significantly faster and get better results. 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!

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