This is a guest blog post written by Lauren Siveyer, a French, English and Maths tutor on MyTutor.
The European Day of Languages is on the 26th of September and what better way to celebrate than to teach yourself a new language? As tutors, we’re so used to teaching others that sometimes it can be difficult to find the time to teach ourselves new things. Below, we’ll go through some tips on how you can effectively teach yourself a new language in a way that’s entertaining and fits your hectic schedule this new semester!
Learn simple greetings & phrases
It only takes a few minutes to google the ways to say “goodbye” and “hello” in different languages, so why not give it a try? Even if this language has a new alphabet, there are thousands of videos on YouTube to help you with pronunciation. This might also give you an idea of just what language you want to learn.
Turn on subtitles on your films & shows
You either love or hate them, but subtitles can actually be a really useful tool when learning a new language. It all depends on how you use them. The most effective way to do this is to watch a film/show in your native language, and have the subtitles in the language you want to learn – taking note of and comparing certain vocabulary and phrases. Or you could use subtitles in your native language and listen to the audio in your target language – this helps you to get a feel for the sounds and patterns of the language. As long as you’re understanding the gist of the film/show from the dialogue or subtitles that is all that matters!
Listen to podcasts and music
There are over a thousand genres of music out there, and whether it’s K-Pop or Italian Concertos, listening to music in your target language is a great way for you to hear the pronunciation of certain words and to quickly learn phrases!
What’s more, is that a lot of music streaming services have the lyrics available for you as you listen along to songs (including Spotify and Apple Music) – you can use these to improve your translation skills. Language podcasts can also be really helpful when getting to grips with the grammar and vocabulary of a new language. I’d highly recommend the Coffee Break series which offers lessons in several languages such as French, German, Italian and Mandarin.
Change your phone language
This can be risky as you don’t want your phone to be stuck in your target language because you don’t know how to change it back to your native one! Make sure you’re comfortable enough to translate the simple controls on your phone – slowly this will help you to learn new words and to see everyday terms in a new language.
Cook recipes outside your native language
Try following a recipe in the language you’re learning. You could try the cuisine from the country of your target language or translate a native recipe. Either way, you get to eat the food that you make – that’s definitely a win!
Make the most of social media
It’s worth finding content creators who speak or teach your target language. As they pop up on your Instagram or Tiktok feed, you’re exposed to small chunks of the language and can pace yourself depending on how many videos you watch.
Speak to your family and friends
This may be an obvious one but asking your friends and family if they know of anyone who speaks your target language is definitely worth a try! Even if they don’t, you could teach others the words or phrases that you have learned – this is a really effective way to solidify your own knowledge!
Side note: If you’re running short of time, see what languages are the easiest to learn based on your native language.
However you choose to learn a new language, one of the best tips I can give is to be patient and to keep going with it! It’s not easy, but little-by-little you’ll see a difference in your ability to understand and speak outside your native language.
As always, if you have any questions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us on tutors@mytutor.co.uk or 0203 773 6024.