The Top 5 Tips For Learning A Foreign Language

Learning a foreign language is not easy, but hopefully with our tips you will be able to successful master the foreign language you are studying or want to study. Our tips are based on the philosophy that “practice makes perfect”. That is to say, the more you practice the greater chance you have of mastering the foreign language. So without further adieu here is The Top 5 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language.

Tip #1
BE COMMITED.

This is an extremely important tip. Many people have the intention of learning a foreign language but fail to back it up with the proper commitment. Why take lessons and buy study material if you are not going to be serious about learning?

Spending 1 hour a day will not be enough. Our goal is to master the foreign language, this means putting serious effort into this endeavor. It may mean giving up your free time to master the foreign language. It might be hard to commit the time required to study but once you find your groove it will be easy.

Learning a foreign language might help you land a well paying job. Many US firms are global, so many employers will be looking for qualified personnel and personnel that can speak a foreign language. There are also many foreign companies who have companies set up in the US that need bilingual employees too. So be committed to learning and there will certainly be employment opportunities.

Tip #2
HAVE GOOD STUDY MATERIAL.
Having good study material makes learning easier.

If you are learning a foreign language through school or through the University you are stuck with the study material they give you. However, that doesn’t mean that you cannot go out and purchase additional study material to supplement what you have. Our goal is to master the language, passing the course will happen naturally if you master the material you are studying.

Tapes, cds, dvds, mp3, software downloads are good because you can listen to it over and over and over again.

Tip #3
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Practice reading, practice writing, practice speaking.

Practice makes perfect.

You should study enough so that you feel like you understand the material inside and out. A good way of testing how much you know is to talk to your classmates or friends and explain to them what you learned. If you cannot teach what you have learned, then that means you have not mastered it and need to go back and study it harder.

1 hour of class will not be enough. So be prepared to do more. If you have any questions go see your instructor, teacher, or anyone that can help you, they would be more than willing to help you out. Put yourself in the frame of mind that you are going to a foreign country and will have no one to help you so learning the language is a must for your survival.

Tip #4
DO NOT TRANSLATE SENTENCES IN YOUR HEAD.

I see this all too often. Many newbies will form the English sentence and then mentally translate it to the foreign language they are learning and then speak the sentence. They also do the same thing when they are listening to the foreign language.

You will never master any foreign language if you translate sentences in your head. It takes too long and it is very tiring.

You will also never have a long conversation because you will be worn out translating sentences back and forth.

I live overseas and I see this in my foreign co-workers. I always tell them to stop doing it and to keep on studying and practicing so forming sentences become natural. In the beginning it will be hard but after awhile it will come more naturally. As we mentioned before “practice makes perfect”.

Tip #5
IMMERSION IS THE KEY

Find a native speaker for the foreign language you are learning and talk to them every day, don’t be shy.

You would be surprised to find out how many people are willing to teach you their native language. There are many people in the US that speak foreign languages, find that person(s). This will pay huge dividends. The native speaker can help you with your pronunciation, your sentence structure, and more.

If your parents are native speakers of the language you are studying you’re in luck. Have them speak to you in that foreign language every day. You will learn so much more quickly and efficiently.

A toddler will learn whatever language is being spoken in his environment. His parents could speak English, Spanish, French, Chinese, etc. The toddler is exposed to the languages 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year. My kids are bilingual because I speak English them and their mother speaks to them in a foreign language and also English.

We don’t give our kids any extra schooling to learn both languages. We just go through our normal day and talk to the kids and read them books like any other American parent teaching English the only difference is that they hear two languages every day.

I know of some kids who speak 4 languages! Can you believe that? That is possible because their parents speak a couple of languages apiece. Immersion is a very powerful learning tool, use it!

There you have it the “Top 5 Tips for Learning a Foreign Language”. With these tips I’m sure you’ll have a better chance at mastering a foreign language.

One last note, after you have mastered one foreign language there are other foreign languages that are similar that you might be also interested in learning. Learning Spanish will give you a leg up if you want to study Portuguese, French, or Italian. So no matter what foreign language you master there will probably be another foreign language that is similar to it and mastering that is a definite possibility if you follow our tips.