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Calling all language learners!

Good day all, I'm hoping if there are any either self-taught language learners (or course learners) what their methods are of learning a new language and what do they find works for them best?

One of mine is having "beautifully crafted" (not) documents on my wall with all types of subjects including basic phrases, pronouns, subjective and accusative, masculine, feminine and gender neutral mutations, tenses and much more to help me understand the rules of learning a language (in my case, Polish) and how I can construct my own phrases with the correct grammar - I tend to look at these every morning as I wonder why I bother getting up for the occasional lecture and it eventually drills in to my brain.

Drop us a line and share your techniques and methods! :smile:

Thanks

Reply 1

lordfrancis8th

I use apps, I find them to be very useful especially since I am normally on my phone. I suggest using Memrise or Duolingo - I like Memrise more, because I fell that people that actually speak the language to the highest proficiency input into the different language courses. For example I can also speak Italian, but when I went on Memrise and saw the Italian course and compared it to the one in Duolingo it felt much better and the way the pronounciate the words and stuff sounded much more realistic and closer than that of Duolingo.

My other way of picking up languages is constantly watch programs with the different languages in and if you can put in subtitles. Try and catch words and pause it from time to time and repeat what they say, I found it very useful while learning English, and to some extent - French and Dutch.

I hope this helps! :biggrin:

Reply 2

NoPunInThisName

Duolingo has been a huge help but I haven't been aware of Memrise until now! I'll check it out!

Yeah I also watch a fair few Polish films and TV shows and try and take snippets of what I can.

Reply 3

lordfrancis8th

Yeahh that'sthe way forward to be honest.

But I'd really suggest you check out memrise, I do love that app

How do you keep moivated to learn a language? Because I find it quite difficult

Reply 4

Reality Check

I bang on all the time about the importance of listening practice - and consistently challenging yourself with your listening. Not just a few sentences of the most basic stuff you can find, but really stretching yourself, and always making it harder. Of course, this needs to be done within the confines of your current level in the language (no point listening to a radio documentary on the E.U. when you're at A1 level), but I think nothing helps more with grammar, vocabulary (and importantly, vocab in context) idiom and an overall sense of how the language is really used day to day.