Welcome to Your daily
pinch of Spanish! Today I bring you some tips to have some fun studying and
practicing your new language.
If you start feeling
that your method of study is becoming dull a while after you started learning
your new language, you might feel a little discouraged to continue. But it
doesn't have to ever get dull if you use your creativity. Learning a new
language is fun! It's challenging in a very entertaining way.
Here I give you some
tips from my experience to make your study time more fun:
1) You can make your own flash cards!
To do this, simply cut
small squares of paper (any type of paper or cardboard you want, it's your
choice!) all the same size. Then write a word of the language you're learning
on one side, and its meaning in your own language on the other side (make
sure if you use a pen that it doesn't run to or show on the other side of the
paper).
What I do with the
flash cards I prepare for myself if that I take note of some of the words that
I don't understand when listening to songs or watching dramas and television
programs (I do this for Japanese language, mostly; it's one of the languages I
study) and I write the words and their translations on the flash cards as I
mentioned above. Then I study with these flash cards until I'm sure I've
learned the words, and repeat the process.
2) Use the new words you learn during the day in
every possible situation
This is not only fun,
but actually very useful. It helps you develop your skills and gain more
confidence in your new language. Always repeat the words aloud when you first
read them, and make sure to use them during the day even if you really don't
need to. Make them part of your day, use the flashcards if you have some at hand
for review. A good way to use the new words is by replacing their
corresponding English word by the new word, like for example, if you just
learned today the word 'verde', which means
'green' in Spanish, replace the word green with the word 'verde' every time you
have to use it.
Eventually you won't
even have to think when translating certain words from your own language to
your new language; they'll just come naturally.
3) Involve your friends
You need to practice
your new language, and not only by reading, you need to speak it too! And a
nice way to do this is to get your friends involved in learning with you. You
can take a class together, or you can get together to study and practice; you
can challenge each other and test each other, and even come up with games for
practice.
If your friends don't
want to, you don't have to stop there to get a study partner. You could try and
get a family member involved, or your spouse or partner. Just don't force
anyone to join you, though; make sure they want to get involved before you sit
around them to practice or put flashcards and language tests on their hands.
4) Talk to your pet! He/she won't mind
You know who
will never get irritated with you practicing your new
language around them? Your pets! Talk to your dog when you take him or her out
on a walk, tell your cat the new word you learned and its meaning, have a chat
with your parakeet, etc; the possibilities are endless if you have a pet.
5) Start a diary in your new language
Don't have a pet?
Friends and/or family are nor interested in your language learning endeavor?
You can always prepare a diary for practice. Even if you have study partners,
preparing a diary or written record in the new language is fun and a great way
to keep the language fresh and make progress. You can practice this way the
written language as well as the spoken language as long as you read aloud what
you've written. The best part is that you can write about whatever you like,
and when you've advanced, look back and see a record of how far you've come.
6) Read simple stories for children
Children's stories are
usually written in simple language, especially the ones written for children
who are just learning how to read. They are usually easy to understand, and
short. Most of the time they're fun and adorable too. If you're an intermediate
learner or have been learning for a while, chances are you will understand a
lot; take note of the words you don't understand and look them up afterwards.
This is a great way to learn (I've done it before myself.)
7) Label things around the house with the words on
your new language
I've seen a couple of
books suggest this. And it should work well, especially if you tend to be
forgetful or have a lot on your mind. You can do this using colorful
"sticky notes". Using labels, your own things remind you of the words
you've been learning just by looking at them. I'm pretty sure that preparing
the labels is pretty fun, too. (I haven't tried this method, but I'm sure it's
helpful, especially if you're a busy person and don't have time to prepare
flash cards or to sit and review constantly with books.)
8) Watch TV shows in your new language,
even if at first you understand next to nothing
This is probably my
favorite thing, next to making and using flash cards. Seriously, your learning
is guaranteed. By watching shows in the language you're learning you don't only
pick up new words, but also learn how these words are used in context, and you
can hear how they are pronounced by native speakers. It's great for people like
me who don't have the advantage of living in a place where the language is
spoken. You start imitating the sounds you hear, and acquire fluidity, plus you
get the reward of entertainment on the way.
Just make sure you
don't rely too much on the subtitles, if you're an intermediate or advanced
learner. If you're a beginner it's okay to look at the subtitles; I know by my
own experience that you will gain the benefit of getting used to the native
pronunciation regardless of your beginner level.
9) Listen to songs in your new language, and
translate the words you don't understand
A song is what
inspired me to start learning Japanese in the first place. Music is a great way
to learn; it's entertaining and you get to practice and broaden vocabulary.
It's the next best thing to watching shows in that language. Many songs use the
same words, too, so you get to review words while learning new ones and build
up your vocabulary.
10) Prepare tests for yourself
Prepare a test with
the answers on the back. Leave it for a few days or a week, and then answer it
to test how well you remember the words or concepts you've previously learned,
which you included in your little test. It's rewarding to see in paper how much
you've progressed. Just don't look at the answers before you're done! Don't
cheat.
I've tried this one
before and personally found it fun.
These are just some
ways you can make your study time more fun. I'm sure there are even more ways,
and I'll probably write more about it, but for now, this is it. I hope you can
find this helpful and that you've enjoyed this blog. I wish you buena suerte!
(Good luck!)
Until next time!
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