How to learn a new language on your own
I have been away from my blog for one year and just started writing again a few month ago. Why? I undertook the long process to move to a new country and I had to take care of a lot of issues. But, more important, I've been busy learning a new language, and this is what I want to talk with you today.
I studied languages through all my life. I speak Italian and I have been studying English for 17 years (:-o), Spanish for 14, French for 9 and Portuguese for 6 years. As I find it very easy to learn a new vocabulary or a new grammar, I decided to face a new challenge and try to learn a language that is far from easy and almost completely different from every other language I have studied so far: Dutch.
I never actually lived or stayed in one of the countries where these languages are spoken. I reached a very good level just studying them, practising them at home or in class, reading and listening to radio and TV in those languages. But for Dutch it is different.
I moved to the Netherlands and started studying it on my own, without any help or attending any course. And here is the interesting part: how do I do it?
When you repeat a process many times, you interiorize it. If you cook the same receipt one, two, three times, you will eventually learnt it. This is what happened with me. When it comes to learning a new language, now I know where to begin, what my weakness and my strengths are , what I need to do and when to do it.
Where do you begin?
I started looking for the best gratis tool to learn Dutch. And I chose Duolingo, which is fairly good, has grammar explanations included in the exercises and employs a learning method based on repetition, image-word association and intuitive learning.
After that, I started writing my own Dutch grammar book. When the available exercises and explanations aren't enough, I search the web for other trustworthy and richer sources.
Face weaknesses and optimize your strengths
I know that my strongest skills are writing and reading. When I learn a new language, the first thing I can handle well is writing without making too many mistakes and soon after starting reading and understanding the written language. But when it comes to listening, speaking and understanding the spoken language, it is totally a different story.
Knowing my weaknesses, I can tackle them for example spending more time listening to radio and TV and speaking with local people (now that I can do so!). Or I can do more listening comprehension exercises and less reading comprehension exercises, as I know what are my strengths.
What do you need to do?
After starting on your own, writing your own grammar book, optimizing your strengths and so wasting less time and focusing on you weaknesses, you should be ready for a real language course with real people.
Maybe you are wondering "Why should I start learning a new language on my own and then attending a course?" Because this way you can enjoy more of your language course and really learn interesting thing. You won't need to focus on basic grammar rules, but on employing them the right way. You can learn more vocabulary and focus on improving your weaknesses during the course.
You can also find the course that fits better your needs and interests, because you already know what you want to learn, what you want to improve and what target you want to reach.
Last but not least, you can save money by starting your course from a higher level compared to the absolute beginner level. ;-)
When to study and how much time is needed?
It depends on how fast you want to learn a new language. I started speaking and understanding French after 6 months of full-immersion study on my own. I did French 24/7. Every moment was good to do it, every bit of free time was dedicated to it and to finding good ways to improve it. So if you have a short period of time to learn a new language, go for it! If you want to reach a good level rapidly, you need to use your time wisely and instead of reading the news in your language, you should read it in your new language. If you are a translator, you can make a great use of voluntary translation. It is a great way to start working from the new language you are learning and really understanding it and its structure.
And what if you have plenty of time? This is my situation about Dutch learning. I have time and I am taking it slowly, I am letting new words and concepts soak in. And so, yes, I do it every day, but just one or two hours and I don't necessarily study it. I often entertain myself trying to understand the news or the radio. Having one or two years to speak and understand a language means that you can focus on every aspect of it and after reaching a medium level, where you can interact with other people, you can start learning idioms or particular structures that you wouldn’t focus on if you hadn’t so much time.
Let’s sum it up!
If you have already studied a foreign language, you know where and how to start, and you can identify your weaknesses and your strengths. Improve the first and optimize the second. Depending on how much time you have to learn it, create your learning plan, decide when it’s time to attend a course and enjoy the new language!
