Secrets of learning a new language.

Disclaimer:

This blog post is from a real English Language Student.

Alvademy did not alter or change its content except for clarity reasons.

This is just to show the reader what our students can do. Learning a new language is the product of many years of studying, learning and practicing.

If you are trying to learn a new language in a short period of time, you may learn many things but we do not guarantee you will be fluent in the new language if you have no knowledge of it beforehand.

Everybody learns differently. Be patient and learn the new language step by step. Ultimately, you will discover your time and effort were well worth it.

I would like to start by telling you that learning a new language is not a fast process and it never will be.

If you want to know a foreign language well the process of learning that language takes time and it requires your patience and effort. But it’s definitely worth it. I am sure, because I have my own experience. You can read about my experience of learning a new language here -

https://www.alvademy.com/post/review-of-albert-s-classes-the-founder-of-alvademy

Now, you might think that I am wrong when I tell you that learning a new language isn’t a fast process, because you can find some blog posts and articles on the internet about how to learn a foreign language fast. But, let me makes it clear and share my opinions with you.

If you make a decision to learn a new language fast, you might learn some things, but you will lack of knowledge of many things which could be useful for you. Maybe you don’t need to know those things now, but you may need to know them in the future. It’s better being patient and learning slower than faster. At the end, you realize it was worth it.

As Bill Gates once said ‘‘patience is a key element of success.’’

Why it’s good to learn a new language

Learning a new language is good for many things. Because if you can speak in second language it can definitely makes your life easier.

And if you will be determined and responsible while you are studying a new language, one day you can get to the point where life give you many amazing opportunities.

For example, you can find a better job with a higher income. You can travel around the world and you will understand what other people talking about.

Also, a lot of people have dreams to move to the foreign countries and living and working abroad. And in that case it's very important to speak in a language of the country where they want to live.

So as you can see, you can make your dreams come true so much easier by learning a new language.

Believe in yourself!

When you make decision to study a new language it is very important to believe that you can do it.

Learning a new language isn’t easy, it's challenging thing. But, if you want it and when you make an effort, you definitely can do it.

Also, if you believe in yourself and have beliefs that one day you will be a good English/Spanish/French/etc speaker then there is nothing what can stop you. There is only one person who could stop you, and that person is you. Don’t give up and quit!

Motivation and the desire to learn are important

The desire to learn and being motivated are important. You are the only person in your life who can make the decision to learn and study a new language.

You can have a great time and so much fun by learning and studying a new language. But first step is up to you, and it is want to learn and being motivated.

Be patient and don’t give up

Like I already mention above, when you are learning a new language being patient is very important. It’s one of the most important things in studying process.

Also, in the process of learning and studying, there will be some times and situations when you want to quit. But even at the toughest times just keep going and never give up!

Frederick Douglas once said ‘‘If there is no struggle, there is no progress.’’

In life there are ups and downs, but we all have to keep going and do what we want to do and what is good for us. Also, we should do what can help us in our lives, and studying a new language is one of those things.

Use the new language every day

It is very good and helpful when you use the language that you learn every day. Because in that way you can practice that language on a daily basis and also you can learn many things by doing that.

You can practice it by communicating in a new language with your classmates and friends through the social media. Also, you can practice it face to face when you are hanging out with your classmates or while you are having get-together. You all can agree on to speak only in the language that you learn.

There are also more helpful ways how you can use a new language every day.

For example, watching movies, TV series, documentaries or videos in the language that you currently study. You can watch it with subtitles.

Another thing that is very helpful is to write down the words you don’t understand to notes, notebook, laptop or cellphone. It can help you remember and don’t forget them.

Also, if you don’t have enough time to watch the whole movie, documentary, etc. you can watch short videos on Youtube every day. It doesn't take a lot of time and it still can help to practice a new language that you learn. You can watch whatever you want and what you are interested in.

One of the things that helps me to practice my English is that I use to watch English-speaking motivational videos every day. It is helpful not only for my personal growth but also for practicing my English.

Don’t be ashamed of your mistakes

Always remember that you are a student and you learn your second language. And everyone makes mistakes. I make many mistakes as well. And it’s obvious that you will do either. Just don’t be ashamed of that.

Have in mind that there is no one who expects you being perfect in a language that you learn. So, making mistakes is absolutely okay. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

The important thing is that other people understand you when you’re speaking with them and also that you understand them. Other people don’t care about your mistakes, they care whether they understand you or not.

The key is easy. Stop being ashamed of making mistakes and start speaking confidently.

Having a good teacher is important

It is important to have a good teacher you’re happy with. Because if you have a good teacher you can connect more with him/her and you will learn more things. Because your teacher will be able to help you so much more to learn a new language.

Also, when people decide to learn a new language, one thing happens often. It is that many students want to have as a teacher a native speaker whose language that he/she teaches is his/her native language. Of course that it is very good to have a teacher who teaches his or her native language. But, if you don’t have that kind of teacher it's okay. No worries.

There are many very good teachers who don’t teach their native languages. And it is very good to have that kind of teacher. Because if you have lessons with a teacher who was also a student of foreign language then your teacher understands completely how difficult it is for you to learn a new language.

I am an English student. And during these 4 years since I’ve been studying English I had several teachers and no one of them is a native speaker of English language. And I’ve had excellent teachers. I learned a lot with them. I am very thankful for them and I appreciate so much their hard work and everything what they did and are doing for their students. And they did and are doing a lot.

Things that helped me learn English in class

Yes, I learned many things outside the classroom. But I also learned a lot in class.

In class you can learn not only from your teacher but also from your classmates.

And it is important to attend your classes and lessons as much as you can.

Here are the things that helped me the most learn English in class.

Paying attention in class

When you are a student it is important to pay attention in class. It gives you many benefits you will be thankful for in the future.

It is also one of the signs that you respect your teacher and classmates. And isn’t it obvious that being respectful is one of the greatest virtues that human beings can have?

When you’re paying attention in class your teacher sees it and it shows him/her that you are interested to study.

Group work

Another thing that helped me learn English in class is group work.

We worked together with one or two classmates. It was very good because we could learn from each other and we also shared our opinions with each other.

Working in a group is a good opportunity to get to know your classmates better, connect more with them and making good friendships with them.

It is also very good for communication. Because talking to your classmates and teacher helps you to improve your speaking and communication skills.

Get answers to your questions

When you ask your teacher questions that you have, it's good and you should do it. Because afterwards you can get answers to your questions and you will understand those things better and you will learn and know more things.

I know and understand that some people may be afraid to ask questions in front of other people because they’re afraid that their classmates or even the teacher will think they are stupid. But it is not like that.

There is nothing wrong with asking questions.

And I believe that teachers expect their students to have some questions and ask them and also that teachers are ready to answer those questions.

Don’t be afraid of asking questions. Because you can learn many things when your questions are answered by your teacher.

The mistakes are corrected directly by your teacher

When you make mistakes your teacher will notice them and then your mistakes can be corrected directly and almost immediately by your teacher.

Don’t be confused please! I am not talking about that making mistakes is bad. Of course it's not. Like I already mention, everyone makes mistakes and it is totally fine.

I am talking about studying and learning a new language in class. And you study because you want to speak in a new language well and make as few mistakes as possible. And when you are in class you are there to study and your teacher is there to teach. And if you make some mistakes the teacher can correct them and tell the right words, phrases or grammar structures. So you can know it better and you will be able to make fewer mistakes.

And one day in the future, you might get to the point where you won't make any mistakes or where you will make just very few or insignificant mistakes.

Good explanations from your teacher

One of the things that helped me learn English in class is also that I’ve got from my teachers very good explanations of grammar, vocabulary, communication and all of the things that I needed to learn and knew. Also, students were allowed to ask the teacher questions they had or to ask about things they didn’t understand. And it was very helpful as well.

It can help you a lot when your teacher knows how to explain the things that you need to know and you are learning.

Exercises in class

When my teachers taught and explained something in class afterwards they gave the students some exercises so teacher and also students were able to see and know if students understood the topic correctly or if they needed some more clarification.

In classes we had several kinds of exercises. The most frequent were those that were focused on grammar skills, listening skills, reading skills and also the ones that were oriented on communication and understanding skills.

I liked all of them because they helped me understand better the topic and the things we were learning.

We had quizzes or tests

I know that most students don’t like tests or quizzes and they hate them. But, they are not literally bad and they aren’t made for stressing students. The purpose of quizzes is different. Having quizzes or tests is a good opportunity to see what you have already learned and what you know.

Many students think about themselves that they don’t know some things, but after a quiz when they get feedback from their teacher they can see that they know so much more than they were thinking. Also, some of the students think that they know many things, but when they get feedback from their teacher they are very surprised because they can see that they know fewer things than they were thinking. So tests can give students and also the teacher a clear picture of your knowledge about certain things that you have learned.

I really liked the time when we had a quiz or a test. I especially liked that I got feedback and results from my teacher, so I was able to see what I had already learned and what I needed to learn and improve to know it better next time.

Thinking in a language that you are learning

When I started studying English, I was thinking in my own language (Slovak Language). Of course that I did it, the same as almost everyone when they began to learn a new language.

But, it is significant to start thinking in a foreign language that you learn. Because every language has its own rules and structures.

You can’t speak in English for example but in the same time think in Spanish. Because these languages are completely different. And if you want to be a good speaker of a foreign language that you are currently learn, it is important to start thinking in that specific language.

I know that it isn’t easy to do that. In my case, it took a long time when I finally was able to start thinking in English and not in Slovak. In the beginning it was very difficult but as time passed it was easier each day. And my teachers helped me a lot with that.

Understanding the main idea of articles, videos, movies, etc…

What is also quite important is to understand the main idea when you are reading an article, watching a movie or video or when you are speaking with other people.

The point isn’t to understand every single word. The point is to understand the main idea. And at the end you will know what exactly the article, video, movie, etc. was about or what others were talking about.

Of course that it is very good to know the meaning of as many words as possible. And when you see or hear some words which you don’t understand, the right thing you can do is find and translate them in the dictionary. But, you don’t have to do it every single time. Because there will be times when you will need to understand something very fast and you won’t have time to look for the translation.

So it is necessary to understand the general idea.

Having fun in class

Now you may think that fun has nothing to do with studying or learning. But it has. No one likes boring classes. So, it's important to have interesting classes where you can have fun with your teacher and classmates. Because when you have a class and also a teacher that you like afterwards you will look forward to every upcoming lesson and then you will be able to learn much more.

I was very lucky that I had classes that were very interesting and also that we had so much fun. Thanks to my teachers and classmates that they made them interesting and funny.

When you decide to start studying and learning a new language, you can have a great time and so much fun. It is also very good for you, because when you speak in a foreign language afterwards you will be able to choose between more opportunities that you have in your life.

Studying and learning a new language isn’t easy. It is hard and it requires your time and patience, but it is definitely worth it.

And you can believe me without any doubts because this is an opinion by someone who is a student of English. And like I already said before, English is a foreign language for me.

If you want to start doing something new in your life and if you are interested in studying a new language, don’t hesitate and start study it. It is definitely worth it.

Good luck!

Thank you very much for visiting Alvademy and reading my blog post. Do you like and find it interesting?

Tell me about your experiences learning languages. How were they? How long have you studied English? Was it hard for you to learn a new language?

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