Innovative Ways to Learn a Foreign Language

Learning a language has always been one of the most common new year’s resolutions around the globe. Every year millions of people start learning a new language but many surveys show that more than 50% people give up within the first few weeks and another 25% in the next few weeks.

Most people find learning a new language very tedious and it also gets boring at times for many new language learners. However, the truth is that language learning doesn’t have to be boring or tedious. We have compiled a list of innovative ways to make the process easier and fun for you all.

11 fun and innovative ways to learn a new language:

1.  Watch Movies & TV shows: What could be better than watching your favorite TV shows on Netflix or Amazon prime and learning a new language at the same time. Of course you’d need to use the subtitles in the beginning. Keep doing this exercise for enough time and one day you’d realize that you no longer are reading the subtitles.
2.  Join Language Exchange Clubs: Nowadays there are many online platforms which allow you to join online and offline language learning events. This is the best way to get a first hand experience of the language you’re learning. You can start by listening to others talk and gradually start participating as you feel comfortable.
3.  Play Games: Change the language of your favorite games to your target language. You will still be able to understand and play the games as usual and will learn a few words and expressions at the same time.
4.  Change your Phone and Facebook Settings: Change the language of your phone and social media accounts. It will seem unusual but gradually you’ll start to understand and use the phone without any issues. This way you can force your brain to think in the language that you want to learn.
5.  Disney Movies: Watching Disney movies can be magical. Even if you do not know much, you will still be able to understand a lot by watching the hand movements and the expressions of the actors. I have seen many of my friends learning languages with Disney movies.
6.  Read Children’s Story Books: Most of the story books have a lot of pictures and illustrations which makes it super easy to understand the story. Also it will trick your brain to learn the kid’s way.
7.  Travel Solo: Everyone wants to travel and take an unknown path and dream of the adventure. If you’re one of them, then wait no more, pack your bag and go backpacking to South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or wherever your heart takes you to. Travel to a country where they speak your favorite language and speak with them. Learn from the best, learn from the natives, learn from everyone.
8.  Teach Someone: If you’re an intermediate speaker, then teach the beginners. If you’re at an advanced level, teach someone who is not. Teaching is considered one of the ways to learn something. As a teacher, you have to be a super amazing student as well.
9.  Listen to Music: There are plenty of websites and Apps which will help you listen to amazing songs and read the lyrics at the same time. You can also watch the videos on YouTube.
10.  Learn Phrases: Learn 5 – 10 sentences or phrases in your target language everyday. So not worry about the grammar or rules. Just remember them as is, and then change a few words and try to use them in different situations. This way you’ll have a phrase bank full of phrases and sentences to use. This will make you more confident and you’ll sound more natural.
11. Make Mistakes: Never worry about making mistakes. Only if you make mistakes can you really learn and be better at something.

It’s never too late to learn anything. Do not worry about how much time will it take or if you have free time or not. Just start with five or fifteen minutes a day. Make sure to study every single day and never give-up.