Learning a Second Language

"Practice makes perfect," right? That's what all teachers will tell you! And, really, you can't practice enough! At the beginning of your foreign language study, you should practice something every day. Ten to 15 minutes a day is probably the minimum. Depending on the language you are learning, you may be practicing your verb conjugations, your accents or stresses on certain syllables, your tonal pitch, or whatever you're having trouble with. No matter what, though, please, do practice! It's in your best interest, as well as in the best interests of the people you speak with in their language!

How much practice you need will depend on what kind of learner you are. If you're a person who learns best when you hear something, then speaking your new language will probably be easier for you than for others. That doesn't mean you won't have to practice, though! If you're a visual learner, you'll have to practice talking more than an aural learner, but it doesn't mean you won't be able to learn the new language. And there's one thing that both aural and visual learners will have to do — study that grammar!

If you're taking a language class, after each class review what you've learned. Go over your notes and see if you can recall the particular subject discussed. Do you have the general idea? If you don't, write down your questions and be sure to ask your teacher or someone who understands how the language works.

Let's say that you're working on verb conjugations, such as the difference between saying, "I go" and "she goes." Start to read aloud the particular verb that you're working on straight out of your book (or computer screen) with all of its phrases. When you're comfortable, close the book and see if you can remember what you've been reading. If you can't, open the book (or computer screen), go back to the material, and start again.

Some students, especially the visual learners, may want to use flashcards with the different verb conjugations on each flashcard. Aural learners will especially benefit from saying phrases over and over again. And no matter what type of learner you are, you'll benefit more if you have someone else to repeat things to, even if the person doesn't happen to be learning the language with you. Who knows? Your enthusiasm just might get them interested! It's always good to have a partner in learning.

If you want to drill on vocabulary, Unforgettable Languages offers "survival courses" that you can download to you computer to learn about 200 vocabulary words in two or three hours.

One further point — don't forget to practice when you're alert. In other words, if you're a morning person, practice in the morning. And, if you're a night owl, give yourself something to do at 12 AM!

Don't Give Up

All of us get the "I'll never learn this language" blues. Some get it after only a week. Others are sailing along fine, and then … wham! They hit "The Wall," that mind-bending, brain-burning state in which you say, "My gray cells aren't made for this! I can't take it anymore!"

Another kind of "Wall" is when your dreams start to take place in your new language. You find the old and new languages colliding in your brain, and you may think, "I'm forgetting my native language!" You're not, and it's actually a sign you're progressing, but it can still discourage you.

How do you get past these "Walls"? Patience! What's the phrase? "This too shall pass." Yes, it's hard to learn a foreign language, especially when you're past your young adulthood. It may take you longer than younger students or others who happen to have a linguistic gift, but you can still learn. It's hardly impossible.

Every student has a gift for some aspect of a language. The challenge is finding out what your gift is. Do you have a good accent? Do you find it easy to remember new words? Do verb conjugations seem easy to you? Do you find it easy to understand people when they speak to you (although you may not be able to say much back to them, initially!)? Or, do you find that you can respond quickly, although in "Tarzan" tenses?

Look for something that you do well, acknowledge it, and build on it. Yes, you'll have to work on your weak points, but don't forget that you have strong points, too. Don't compare yourself with others; you'll just discourage yourself right out of class. The only one that you need to compare yourself with is yourself, two weeks ago, two months ago, two years ago. And, don't be too hard on yourself; making mistakes is just part of the learning process.

How Do You Know If You’re Progressing?

The easiest way to measure your progress is to speak with a good friend that speaks your new language. When I say a good friend, I mean someone who is not afraid to tell you what mistakes you're making or offer a suggestion to "help the medicine to go down." One key point: ask the friend to tell you your good points first.

If you're taking a class or learning online, you can also ask your teacher to test you beyond the in-class exams. Or write down both your good points and your bad points, and ask him what you can do to improve both lists.

Another way is to record yourself speaking your new language, once every two weeks, or even once a month. That way you have an unbiased record of how you're doing. After a few months, listen to yourself. You'll be surprised at how much you've learned!

Some language Web sites offer proficiency tests. For instance, donquijote.org and parlo.com will give you aptitude tests that they use to suggest what courses you should take in Spanish. ScuolaLeonardo.com will do the same for you in Italian. You can find the links in the Resources section below.

Here's an interesting way to test your reading abilities. Languages-on-the-Web has a section called "Home of the Daisy Stories." These are short stories translated into other languages. See how much of the stories you understand, and look up the words you don't. In addition, the site has a multitude of other resources, from online translators to language dictionaries to language DVDs.

You can also go down to your public library; most contain a foreign language section with different kinds of books. Even if they're children's books, take them out and see how much you understand.

Do your new language neighbors have books in their language? Ask to borrow them. Or, even better, ask your neighbors to listen to you read the book aloud. You may be surprised at how much they appreciate the fact that you're trying to learn their language, and how much help they will be.