How To Learn A Language In A Year
I’ve always been fascinated by foreign languages.
I remember when they told me I would get to pick a foreign language in middle school. The choices were between German, Spanish, and French! I chose French because, as a middle school-aged American girl, learning French just screamed “Fanciness!”. I was excited to learn but quickly found out that even though my teacher was enthusiastic and encouraging… I wasn’t picking up on much. I couldn’t even string a sentence together! I loved languages but thought that they weren’t for me. I would marvel at my bilingual friends or family members’ ability and wished that I could be like them! To me, having another language means having access to a whole other world! I forgot about this dream for a while. Then after a few weeks of falling into a rabbit hole of suggested Youtube videos of “How I taught myself 20 languages,” I decided to go for it myself. “These people have taught themselves so many languages!” I thought to myself, “Surely I can learn just one!”. And I did! I want to share with you how I accomplished this so that you can do the same thing. Being able to speak another language is a gift, and I would love to share that with as many people as I can!
Write down all the reasons why you want to learn this language.
Learning a language is hard work. It is doable but certainly not easy! If you don’t have a strong reason as to why you’re learning your target language, you won’t show up to get to where you want to be. So write down (yes, on a piece of paper!) all of the reasons why you want this. What kind of people will you meet, and what friendships will you develop when you finally speak your target language fluently? Where will you go? What types of foods will you order in this new language? Have fun with this! There are so many possibilities on the other side of your hard work, and you should remind yourself of this. Every time you feel like giving up, you can then look back at your list of why you want this. It’s sure to re-motivate you when the going gets tough.
Set a game plan
Now it’s time to get some work done. Before you randomly jump into learning, it’s a good idea to set up a plan for yourself. Commit to learning every day for a set amount of time. Pick the apps you will learn with and for how long you will study each day. This way, you can honestly say if you hit your goal or not at the end of your challenge. I set out mini language learning challenges for myself every few months. Some may say this is a long period of time to set a goal for; I think it’s a personal preference thing! Decide how long you’re going to challenge yourself to learn this language in the beginning. Be sure not to miss a day! Make a real commitment to learning your target language, and you’ll be amazed at how much progress you can make in even a short amount of time!
Find a language partner to practice with
Okay, you’ve learned a lot after your challenge. After you know the core basics of the language, it’s time to start putting it into practice. A lot of people like to avoid this step. They think that they will become fluent in the language and then they will start speaking with native speakers! But learning a new language doesn’t work like this. You need to fail until you get it right! Only by speaking with someone else and learning from your mistakes will you become fluent. It’s scary at first, but it’s so worth it! Find a native speaker of your target language who is learning English and have a language exchange with them. Beautiful friendships can come out of these exchanges, and they’re so rewarding. It’s best not to take yourself too seriously in these moments. Be open to learning, laughing, and having fun. The first call is always nerve-wracking beforehand, but after getting to know your language exchange partner, you realize they’re just as nervous as you are, and there’s nothing to worry about. Make yourself a coffee, and make the area you’re learning in cozy and relaxing. Most importantly, treat this like a time where you are encouraged and celebrated for making mistakes! Every mistake brings you closer to being fluent!
Continue and don’t give up.
The last and most important thing is to stick with it. Everyone would be a polyglot if they only had to work for 30 days to learn a language. Do you want to know the real secret to learning a language in a year? Show up every day. Prioritize your dreams and the things that make you happy! Make time for the things your heart desires. Set aside a period of time each day that you will dedicate to language learning. You can start with a monthly challenge, but if you really want to speak your target language fluently, you will have to show up each day! Remember that your dream is possible, but you’ll have to work for it first. I wish you all the best of luck in your language learning endeavors. Please let me know what language you’re learning. I know you can do it, and I am encouraging you from afar! Bon courage!