Hey Everyone! For anyone who is new here, Each Friday I’ve been sharing tips on how to learn a second language based on my experience and the advice of others. This is post 4 out of 5. Here’s a recap of the previous steps.
#1 Know your why– where I shared how to choose which language to learn and be clear about your language goals
#2 Beginning Steps– where I shared some basics to getting started.
#3 Learning to Speak– the basics
Today, I’m sharing step #4 which is learning how to be more comfortable with speaking and increasing your vocabulary.
Here are some tips to help you become more comfortable with speaking a foreign language, and to learn more vocab.
Make or follow a script when talking to someone
Make a mind map to learn words that are relevant to you and use them in conversation
Practice speaking at least 2-3 times per week with a native speaker and practice speaking on your own everyday (you can record yourself if you want to track your progress or listen to your pronunciation in comparison to native speakers).
Ask lots of questions, look for answers. Blog posts like this one, books, and YouTube videos have a lot of helpful tips on learning a new language.
Work on understanding and being understood…not on getting every single sentence grammatically perfect. The goal of a language is to communicate. Don’t be afraid of mistakes, that can keep you from growing.
Start focusing on the basics of grammar.
Have a good attitude. It’s okay to be a beginner.
For Vocab: learn the most common words in your given language. It’s usually around 1,000 words to start. You’ll probably already know the top 50 by this point.
Also learn the words that are relevant to you. If you’re into baking, learn words related to the kitchen and food. This will help you become fluent.
Have a good day!
Bonne journée!
brie toujours 