7 outrageous methods for practicing a foreign language

Everyone is familiar with the traditional methods of training a language; flashcards, repetitious phrases, and planned dialogues based on textbooks, to name a few. The list could go on and on. Even though these tactics are successful, everyone who has tried them would agree that they are not the most enjoyable pastimes.

Since they are so monotonous, they might serve as a deterrent to academic pursuits. Because of the sheer boredom they induce, they might eventually detract from the overall language learning process.

But don’t be alarmed! There are a plethora of language practice activities that are both entertaining and useful in terms of helping you grasp a new language.

7 different and entertaining ways to practice a foreign language:

 

1. Read from children’s books

Children’s books are generally short tales with extremely simple plots. Their stories, grammar, and terminology are straightforward. Children’s books also have illustrations, which means that even if you have a limited vocabulary, you will be able to follow along with the plot. It is possible to learn some of the terminology and grammatical patterns by glancing at the illustrations.

Memorizing a narrative may also be a significant advantage. Memorization will permanently imprint the language patterns and words used in the tale onto your brain, enabling you to apply them to your writing in the future.

Children’s books may be found almost everywhere. You may visit your local bookshop, which will most likely have a department dedicated to literature in other languages. There may even be a bookshop in your neighborhood that is completely devoted to books written in the language you are learning. Aside from that, Amazon is a fantastic resource for locating children’s books in different languages. Look for the left-hand sidebar and choose the language you desire to read a book from the drop-down menu.

2. Get to know native speakers in your area

Immersion is the key to success with this method. If you surround yourself with individuals who speak your foreign language, you will quickly pick up the language. Make some Portuguese-speaking pals and instruct them not to speak English with you. It is a relatively basic procedure when it comes to finding individuals who speak the foreign language you are learning. This may be accomplished via the use of Conversation Exchange.

3. Check out sports

If you regularly watch sports in your home language weekly or daily, you will notice a significant gain from watching sports in the language you are attempting to master. There are a variety of causes behind this. The first is that sports are a universal language that everyone understands. Even if you don’t understand the language, you can enjoy Japanese baseball. Because of its ‘universal’ character, it is simple to shift from one language to another.

Second, you’ll be familiar with the rhythms of what the announcers are saying at this point. Those of you who have seen basketball in Spanish will be familiar with the terminology used to describe who passes the ball to whom and when someone shoots.

7 outrageous methods for practicing a foreign language

The third reason is that the option to watch sports in your preferred language is readily available to the majority of the population. ESPN Deportes is a Spanish-language sports channel accessible to the majority of the people in the United States of America. Sporting video highlights from matches announced in a different language may be viewed online at your leisure.

In addition, several sports are played all over the globe, which makes this a very effective method. Baseball games are announced in various languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch, and Chinese. People reporting soccer (football) games may be heard on the radio in almost every major language. Basketball may also be found in nearly every major language.

Aside from being entertaining, reading about sports is an excellent method to improve your reading skills in a foreign language.

4. Work in an environment where the language is spoken

This isn’t a piece of advice on leaving your country (although that would help in your language learning endeavors). A Mexican restaurant, a Middle-Eastern restaurant, or a Chinese restaurant would be ideal to start your employment search. Most major languages are connected with a certain sort of cuisine associated with that language’s culture. People who work in those particular sorts of restaurants are more likely to come from the culture connected with that restaurant and hence speak the language of that culture.

Studying, practicing, and immersing oneself in a new language is one of the most beneficial things you can do if you have extra time or the necessity for work.

5. Enroll in a language class in your foreign language

This is not a recommendation to “Take a Foreign Language Class.” Affordably priced higher education opportunities are available in most major cities throughout the globe, and you should take advantage of them. Online language learning classes of Language Fluent provides courses such as programming classes and cultural lessons, and they often offer these courses in a variety of foreign languages. You’ll get to know not just the language but the culture and also meet fellow learners.

6. Modify the language settings on your electronic devices

You likely have a phone, a computer, and a few different internet accounts. If you change the language on these devices/funds, you will be completely immersed in your foreign language immersion experience. If the language you are learning is Spanish, make sure that the language on your phone is set to Spanish as well. As a result, every time you use your phone, you actively engage with the Spanish language. This leads to the ability to think in Spanish and, with time, proficiency in the language. The same notion holds whether you are navigating Facebook in Mandarin Chinese.

7. Get in touch with customer support!

When you phone customer service, you will usually be given a choice of many language choices. “To switch to English, press one.” To switch to Espanol, press two. “Press three to reach Zhongwen.” Is this something you’ve heard before? This suggestion is absolutely for you if you are feeling particularly bold and self-assured. You will be forced to engage in a discussion in your foreign language due to this.

It is all about exposure and practice when it comes to language acquisition. These suggestions provide chances to practice your language regularly.

Because these are activities you already do daily, following these suggestions is far less time-consuming than devoting time to studying. If you need to work part-time to help pay for school, look for a career that allows you to put your newly acquired language skills to use. If you are planning on learning how to Salsa Dance, it would be wise to do it in the language you are currently studying.

People believe they don’t have enough time to learn a foreign language too frequently. Utilizing these tactics, you will incorporate the practice into your everyday routine and accelerate your progress toward fluency at a pace you can’t even conceive!

Keep up the good job!

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