How to Learn a Foreign Language Efficiently

Learning a foreign language can be difficult and time-consuming. Sometimes different grammatical structures can be for some people overwhelming. Besides, the alphabet may differ from Latin-based languages like English. To help the students, we outlined some procedures that might be useful. For example, they are recommended to the learners by the tutor as part of our French lessons at TutorLogic.

If you follow these procedures, mastering a language will become more enjoyable and gradually easier to learn. Getting into this routine will simplify the learning tasks.

Translation keyboard for various languages

Get Ready to Start Learning

It is undeniable that the success of studying any subject depends on how organised you are. You must set up the learning environment starting with the actual sitting place. Make sure you have all the necessary equipment ready for the lesson. Nothing should interfere with your studies to avoid any distractions.

Think of the best time you are most active – mornings, afternoons or evenings. It is advisable to find a regular time to do your lessons. Not doing them regularly will slow down your studying progress. Be positive and ready to challenge yourself in order to succeed.

Set the Objectives

Before starting to learn a language, ask yourself what your targets are. Would you like to be able to speak on holidays or do you need to be fluent in all aspects of the language for work or studying? Once you answered these questions, you must make a plan that will identify your short-term and long-term aims. It is very important to learn gradually as this is a subject that needs a lot of repetition and consolidation. To achieve your goals, use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) targets.

A specific target is about what you would like to do:

Discuss a particular topic using correct grammar and vocabulary
Pass an exam

A measurable target is how much you will be able to learn daily or weekly and the time you can spend regularly.

An achievable aim answers the questions:

Will a particular amount of words you are going to study, be enough to speak on holiday?
How much grammar and vocabulary do you need to pass an exam?
Is there enough time to prepare for your exam?

A relevant target is about:

Whether you will use what you are learning in real life
Whether it is necessary to learn something now or leave it for later

A time-bound goal is about:

If you have enough time to achieve your aim
How much you can learn in a day, week or month

Frequency of the Lessons

To learn the language effectively, you should study independently at least 3 times a week or ideally every day. You should spend approximately 20–40 minutes daily. This will reinforce what you have learnt with the tutor online. Do not force yourself to study for 2 or more hours in succession. Otherwise, it gets tiring and results in losing concentration. It may have an adverse effect on your studies. If you wish, you can have more online lessons a week with a tutor. It can certainly boost your confidence because you are not left on your own for the rest of the week.

Is it Always Necessary to Translate from Another Language into English?

When speaking or writing, do not be tempted to translate from another language. The reason is the grammar structure and vocabulary units are sometimes not the same. Try to remember the equivalents when learning new grammar or vocabulary. In this way, you will learn to think in a target language. Do not reach for the dictionary trying to look up every word you come across in a text. You can very often deduce the meaning from the context.

There are two types of reading:

Synthetic - understanding the main ideas of the text with at least 80%-85% knowledge of vocabulary
Analytical - learning every word in a text to build up vocabulary (100% understanding)

When translating into English, if necessary, use the lexical and stylistic means of the language. Never do the word-per-word translation. If in any doubt, use a dictionary as there may be some idiomatic expressions in the text that cannot be understood by their constituent parts.

Learning Style

Depending on your preferred way of remembering new material, you can write words or verb conjugation on flashcards. It is useful to keep them at hand at all times. You can listen to audio recordings to improve your listening skills and pronunciation. When studying new vocabulary and grammar, always read separate phrases or sentences out loud. This will engage your brain activity with the articulation apparatus. In this way, you will be able to speak effortlessly and understand the person you are speaking to.

Stay positive, enjoy your studies and avoid being frustrated. Sometimes you may have problems remembering certain things. Highlight or underline vocabulary or grammar in your handouts which present some difficulty. Then your tutor will go over your queries and clarify them for you. In this way, you will have more success in mastering the language. After you learnt a new word or grammar structure, try to use them in your own sentences. Make up at least 3-5 simple sentences and say them out loud quickly. If you cannot do it fast enough, it means that you have not learnt the material properly.

Practise Every Day

It should not take you long (10-20 minutes) a day to revise and consolidate what you learnt so far:

Describe what you see around you
Talk to yourself about your working day
Listen to the radio or watch the news on television
Talk to somebody who is also learning the same language
Read a book or newspaper
Listen to music and find the lyrics on the Internet
If possible, go on holiday to an overseas country
Read articles and watch films or videos online about various countries, their culture, cuisine, places of interest and so on
Enrol on a language course in your area
If you are on holiday and staying in a hotel, turn on the television. Even if you do not understand everything the presenters are saying, use it as a background to get used to the intonation, pronunciation and so on.

The Key to Success

It is very important to be consistent in learning the language. Doing it on your own may prove difficult as there is often nobody to help you with things you do not understand. It is a good idea to have a dedicated private tutor who will give you all the help and answer all your queries. Moreover, it ensures regular speaking practice. Nowadays, a lot of tuition is done online, which suits many students who live far away or do not have time to travel.

While travelling abroad, try to talk to locals asking them for directions, for example, even if you already know how to get there! Receptionists at hotels, airport staff and restaurant workers tend to speak English. Ask them to speak the language you are learning because you need some practice. If you make mistakes while speaking or writing, find out what the correct variants are and do some exercises to remember.

The Joy of Learning a Language

Learning a foreign language should not be really time-consuming. It is really exciting to know that you can speak to and understand people in different countries. Some people know several languages. They can travel without having any problems finding a place, ordering a meal in a restaurant or buying a train or plane ticket.

It is much better to read a book in the original as the translation may not always be accurate. When you watch a film with subtitles, they only render the meaning but you do not understand the exact text the actors or actresses are saying.