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language learning tips?
- Thread starter Eddi
- Start date
Be as immersed as possible. Watch movies in that language with subtitles in English and practice, practice, practice.
And don't worry about making mistakes. Everyone does. Comes with the package.
To begin with, I think that vocabulary is more important than grammar in the first phase (to reach the A1 level).
As for Russian ...for example...the grammar is so complicated.
First learn basic conversation, vocabulary...to describe people and things.
Then start learning grammar gradually.
Step by step.
As for Russian ...for example...the grammar is so complicated.
First learn basic conversation, vocabulary...to describe people and things.
Then start learning grammar gradually.
Step by step.
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I found watching the news in the language you are learning and comparing to news in your own language that it showed modern usage of topical words and phrases.
There are several newspapers who publish lists of their 100/500/1000 most used words. These are the words in common everyday use. Grab the list, use google translate to give a matching list of the words in your new language. Learn a few words a day at your own pace. Soon you'll have the vocabulary for everyday conversation.
Edit : i just remembered another trick i used. Write the name of major household items, TV , fridge, freeze, table etc in the new language onto post-it notes and stick them on the item. As you walk around the house you learn
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Dual language books - on opposite pages - and there seem to be plenty available.
Kooky
Freedom from Sanity
How much have you advanced so far? Are you literally just starting out?
In that case, I would strongly advise to get acquainted with basic vocabulary to build a core understanding - I am talking about the kind of words that will inevitably come up in most conversations, texts, media etc. regardless of content. There are a few methods of doing this, but a lot of people recommend some kind of flashcard system. You can get at your basic vocabulary with pretty much any commercially available language learning textbook, tutorial or online course, I figure.
As a language teacher, I'm a big supporter of Stephen Krashen's principle that "input is king" - in that your knowledge of a language will grow if you manage to immerse yourself in media and language that is at least partially comprehensible to you.
What I mean by "partially comprehensible" is that you should have at least a broad idea of what the content you're consuming is about, and be able to follow the conversation to some degree, but you don't need to know every word, or even most of the words - the idea is that while understanding the gist, you will nevertheless acquire new words and new grammar structures simply by virtue of consuming media content or following conversations.
Here is a video of Krashen talking about optimal input:
In that video, he really stresses the importance of guided self-selected reading - that is, reading texts that are graded according to level of language learning or reading comprehension, which nevertheless feel interesting or relevant to you.
Depending on the language, this is not always a simple endeavour, of course. If you can't find anything else, then I would suggest that, once you've got your core vocabulary down pat, you start with children's books and similar material for entry level readers. It's not as ideal as finding stuff you actually like to read, but it's still natural language, but pared down for a level of understanding that early learners are going to be able to cope with.
In that case, I would strongly advise to get acquainted with basic vocabulary to build a core understanding - I am talking about the kind of words that will inevitably come up in most conversations, texts, media etc. regardless of content. There are a few methods of doing this, but a lot of people recommend some kind of flashcard system. You can get at your basic vocabulary with pretty much any commercially available language learning textbook, tutorial or online course, I figure.
As a language teacher, I'm a big supporter of Stephen Krashen's principle that "input is king" - in that your knowledge of a language will grow if you manage to immerse yourself in media and language that is at least partially comprehensible to you.
What I mean by "partially comprehensible" is that you should have at least a broad idea of what the content you're consuming is about, and be able to follow the conversation to some degree, but you don't need to know every word, or even most of the words - the idea is that while understanding the gist, you will nevertheless acquire new words and new grammar structures simply by virtue of consuming media content or following conversations.
Here is a video of Krashen talking about optimal input:
In that video, he really stresses the importance of guided self-selected reading - that is, reading texts that are graded according to level of language learning or reading comprehension, which nevertheless feel interesting or relevant to you.
Depending on the language, this is not always a simple endeavour, of course. If you can't find anything else, then I would suggest that, once you've got your core vocabulary down pat, you start with children's books and similar material for entry level readers. It's not as ideal as finding stuff you actually like to read, but it's still natural language, but pared down for a level of understanding that early learners are going to be able to cope with.
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