Learning a new language is an exceptionally rewarding experience. Languages provide us with a new perspective of the world and allow us to interact with people in a different way.
Being able to express ourselves through different grammar structures that might not exist in our native language doesn’t just enrich our speech, but also makes it easier for us to understand the thoughts and feelings of the people we speak to.
As fulfilling as it can be, the reality is that learning a language takes time and effort. While the amount of time needed can vary based on the complexity of the language, reaching fluency nevertheless still takes years.
The good news is that with the world at our fingertips it’s never been easier to access the tools we need.
While there are many methods to approach how you learn, most of them feature a few common aspects. Here are the three key elements you need in order to make your language journey a successful one:
1) Immersion
The key here is to put your brain in the mode of the language. Being surrounded by the language will force you to hear, see and experience everything around you in a different context to what you’re used to.
The best example of this would be living somewhere where the language is spoken. What better way to pick up French than by renting an apartment in the center of Paris overlooking the Eiffel Tower and ordering croissants for breakfast in a little cafe by speaking français to the waiter every morning, right?
If only life were that simple. Moving half way around the world isn’t the only way to gain the exposure you need. Spending time in a suburb in your city where that language is spoken is a great option too. Restaurants are always hubs of activity and a regular meeting point for people.
Years ago when I started learning Turkish a kebab shop opened up in my neighbourhood. Aside from giving me an excuse to indulge in a döner every so often, it provided me with a real world opportunity to practise Türkçe. Being able to use common phrases like greetings and how-are-yous and eventually placing orders on a regular basis started to build some confidence in my ability. Over time I got to meet more people. I would use the opportunity to sit down and chat for longer periods.
Being surrounded by the language, even for just a few hours a week, can make a huge difference especially in the beginning. Attending a language course for your target language, for example, accomplishes exactly that.
Until the last few decades when formal learning material such as language courses, textbooks and grammar guides became widespread, one of the only ways to learn a new language was by being around the people who spoke it and picking up on it over time.
Indeed there are many people for whom this is still the only option today, such as people who emigrate to other countries for job opportunities.
This is why immersion is the most important factor overall. Through immersion alone people have been learning languages quite literally for all of human history. Together with the other two elements too, immersion will speed up the learning process by a factor of 2 to 3 quite easily.
2) Study material
Study material these days come in many forms: Textbooks, video courses, flash cards, verb tables among others.
One of the main purposes of possessing good quality study material is that it provides a solid foundation of the principles. This is particularly true for grammar, but also for other aspects such as pronunciation. Improving your level of proficiency will rely on your understanding of these basic principles and being able to build on top of them as you progress.
Tenses are a great example of this. Compound tenses are structures present in many languages which simply combine multiple simple tenses. These simple tenses are typically taught early on (- think of the present tense or the simple past tense). The better you understand the rules around simple tenses, the easier it will be to form the compound tenses later. Good quality study material that make these concepts easy to understand make a huge difference.
The other benefit to using study material is one of consistency. It’s common to see different publications or platforms teach the same grammar topics from different perspectives. For example in Italian, certain textbooks prefer to teach verbs by focusing on their mode (Indicative, Subjunctive etc.), whereas others prefer to highlight the tenses (Present, Imperfect, Future etc.) and introduce the mode at a later stage less prominently.
Together with your study material you want to ensure you have equipment for taking your own notes. These don’t have to be fancy — simpler is usually better. A notebook gives you somewhere to note down any particular rules to reference later, but also gives you a place to do grammar exercises and practise writing. Using a pencil instead of a pen will allow you to scribble down your thoughts quickly without having to worry about it being too presentable.
3) A teacher
Having someone else involved in your journey with knowledge of grammar and prior experience of the language learning process is a big advantage. A competent teacher can lend insight that simply can’t be provided by books or even a native speaker.
Consider how many native English speakers know the difference between the past perfect tense and the ordinary past tense. Probably not many. A native speaker wouldn’t know that sort of thing and they’re not supposed to — because they’re a native speaker. The language is native to them. A teacher’s background would enable them to clarify a matter such as this.
Context such as how common certain grammar rules are or mistakes that could be offensive is another area they could shed light on. These are aspects than often change over time or from place to place and are difficult to be picked up on through books. A teacher can provide a more realistic understanding of the language compared to the more formal definitions.
A teacher would be able to point out your mistakes and crucially provide explanations on how to correct them. Them being aware of your learning path would make it easier to explain what goes where and why.
Conclusion
Learning a language is a journey and like every journey there are easier ways to reach your destination than others. These are three factors that can make the process a lot more straightforward.