What is the best way to learn a language?

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   PierrePierreposted 14 years ago

   What is the best way to learn a language?

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      Sekhargposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The best to learn a new language is to put yourself in the middle of the people who speak that language.
      
      You will grasp it very quickly and start speaking in record time.

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         richtwfposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Absolutely agree! And would add to that ... complete immersion in the language by being in the country of the language that you wish to learn.

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         Dennis Jrposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Unless you have the time and resources to pull yourself away from your life, I would have to say use Rosetta stone, I've heard good things about it and would be the best way for a busy person, who can't "walk away," from obligations, work, etc. to immerse themselves in a culture.

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      Charlinexposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It depends if you have the access to the native speaking environment. If not, then you can repeatedly play movies and songs of that language in addition to the textbooks.

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      Elefanzaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Full immersion is the best way. However, be prepared for the mental strain that comes because you will miss your language at times and it will take time. It doesn't happen as automatically as everyone assumes. I studied abroad in Spain for three months and while I picked up the accent, I didn't start to have more success picking up the language until I left.
      
      Listening to movies and shows in the other language is good. Just listening to that language as much as you can, actually, will help you with hearing and understanding the language.
      
      As for picking up the writing and vocabulary, you could consider trying to blog and write fan fiction in that language. There's a German guy who tells the funniest fan fics in English as his way of learning. Also, reading books and even comic books in that language helps. As for vocab, a friend of mine dedicated herself to learning 10 new words every week as a means of learning English.

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      Katzkyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Constant practice... or the simplest way.. USE IT..

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      Stories Inc.posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Cartoons with subtitles. A lot of them. You need to be surrounded by the new language constantly, preferably keeping actually 'studying' it with all the negative connotations attached to that to a minimum. I think. It always helps me...

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      LeslieAdrienneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Total immersion....if you are in a position where it is a survival language, you will learn it much more easiliy than if you are in a casual mode.
      
      Otherwise, Rosetta Stone is really good.

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      shakeeebposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      visit
      http://hubpages.com/hub/LearnLearn-Englishgramer
      and learn english easily.

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   JayDeckposted 14 years ago

   Sekharg is right. Full immersion is the best way. However, if you want to keep the language after you've left the place it is spoken, you will have to supplement with books, classes, or regular use among native speakers available to you.

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      thirdmilleniumposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, this is best
      If it can not be done, shun grammar while learning.
      
      You may want to  have a look at this hubber's ranting at :
      
      http://hubpages.com/hub/Never-Learn-Gra … rn-English

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         LeslieAdrienneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I agree...grammar will come....

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   Georgie98posted 14 years ago

   The best way to learn is from childhood. If you're learning as an adult then I agree, immersion into the native speaking crowd will be easiest.

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   richtwfposted 14 years ago

   Agree with all the above - full immersion. Also spend some time with youngsters, you'll pick up the language very quickly when you're amongst them. Finally if you're single then having a foreign girlfriend or boyfriend will also motivate you and help you to speed up your learning of a foreign language too!

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      Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Having a foreign boyfriend or girlfriend could speed up the end of your current relationship too
      
      I recently had a chance to try out Rosetta Stone.  It's expensive stuff, but it's as close as you can get to total immersion without actually being immersed. I and others have written hubs about it; the OP  might want to do a search here and read the pros and cons.
      
      My daughter has also used RS several times. She shares my opinion, which is that it can get you started and bring you to the point where, with a lot of hand gestures and pointing, you might be able to have some basic communication with a native speaker. Fluency would require much more.

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   LaMamaLoliposted 14 years ago

   Listening to the radio or watching a tv channel - if possible- is helpful too. I do that to keep my spanish fluent as although I am bilingual, you lose a LOT of vocabulary when you don't use the language regularly. It also keeps you up to date with the "slang" words.

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   miss_jkimposted 14 years ago

   By far total enculturation is the best. I took 3-years of French in high school and retained very little.
   
   I lived in Germany for 10-years and became nearly fluent.

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   monsterfreekposted 14 years ago

   heyy what up im new here

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   prettydarkhorseposted 14 years ago

   "Rosetta Stone" is interactive, it is nice.

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   Lady_Eposted 14 years ago

   If you can afford to - spend sometime living in the Country of the spoken language you are studying.

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    Cheeky Girlposted 14 years ago

    Buy books our get library books in the language. Language Cds work for me to an extent. If I write a thing down, I remember it. And definitely knowing someone who already speaks the language is a boon, as you will immerse in it more, and can converse more.
    
    Also check out language learning on the web. It is another great way to learn. You could even try Google Translate if you feel really brave!

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    tritrainposted 14 years ago

    Immerse yourself and completely stop talking and thinking in your previous language.

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    Home Girlposted 14 years ago

    When you have a necessity - like you have to work and earn money to survive, - you can learn it pretty fast. Immersement and necessity - key factors. You have to see it, hear it, respond to it, depend on it.  And not afraid of it.

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    PR_amposted 14 years ago

    The best way to learn a language is to be around native speakers and of course speak it. Start with learning simple vocabulary of the foreign language, then speak speak speak without minding grammar errors at first, then improve.
    
    Best of luck!

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    Beth100posted 14 years ago

    complete immersion without any use of your mother tongue; interactive activities such as writing, reading, listening to music/radio/tv, watching tv/news/movies/people; live the way the culture lives

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    Sue Bondposted 14 years ago

    Many big cities in the US, Canada and Europe are multi-cultural so you could probably find a community of people who speak the language you want to learn locally.  You may also find international students who speak the language you want to learn at local colleges and universities.

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    megs78posted 14 years ago

    for sure full immersion is important, but its even more important to not have a choice but to learn that particular language.  sometimes we can sabotage ourselves if we don't absolutely have to speak the language (if we have a friend with us, for example).  I recommend marrying someone from that language and then have them move you into their hometown, with all their family and friends and VOILA, you will be bilingual in NO TIME!  Well, thats how it happened to me anyway

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    Maria Ceciliaposted 14 years ago

    I wish to learn Korean Language but looks like it won't be that easy, maybe enrolling myself in a school that teaches the language can help but  staying in a place that spoke the language of your choice can make you apply what you learned from school.

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       LeslieAdrienneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Check online for paid volunteer work in Korea....you may be able to spend a few weeks there.

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          Maria Ceciliaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          thanks Leslieadrianne, but I can't leave my country for now....love ones can't live without me (LoL)

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    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    I agree with everything everybody said here bout how to learn a foreign language - basically immersing yourself in the culture helps. I live in Spain with a Spanish partner and only have Spanish TV and radio.
    But what I have found that helped me tremendously was watching a DVD with the sound and subtitles in the two languages. A US or English film is best, because the other language when dubbed on had to slow down their speech to match the mouth movements of the actor speaking.
    So I listened in Spanish with the subtitles in English.
    The first one I remember was a fantasy film when this woman with her arms outstretched said "Dame el nino (ninyo)" while the subtites said "Give me the child". You get the words and the pronunciation and also where those words would be used. You also pick up all the swear words lol

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    sannyasinmanposted 14 years ago

    The best and quickest way is Total Immersion - where everyone speaks your target language and (ideally) no-one speaks any of the languages you already know. 
    
    Also, unless you learn the language as a child, you will NEVER speak/understand everything like a native speaker (jokes, slang, double meanings, etc).

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    DzyMsLizzyposted 14 years ago

    As many have already pointed out, immersion is the best.  That said, the younger you are, the easier it is; the older you are, the harder.  It is not without effort, and if you have no opportunity to practive, it is difficult to maintain.
    
    Because of family heritage, I studied French in high school, and again later in college.  However, my father had forgotten most of his childhood French, and only one of my aunts still spoke fluently and could even read novels in French--probably because in addition to it being her first language, she was abroad in the Army Signal Corps during WWII, in France as a telephone exchange operator. In later years, however, she and my dad never spoke to each other in the language.
    
    For myself, growing up in California, no one outside my dad and my aunt spoke French, and Spanish would have been a more useful language to learn.  So consider your need and where you will expect to use the language before you undertake the effort of learning--remember, it's "use it or lose it."

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    You can only truely learn a language when you live among the people who speak that language

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    smelloftruthposted 13 years ago

    An expensive solution is to hire an online tutor and learn the language from him/her.

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    perfectperceptionposted 13 years ago

    There are numerous sites that offer free spanish lesson and they will help you along.  If spanish is your thing, one that comes to mind is Aaron Lossness on youtube.com.

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