10 Tips on Learning a Second Language Without Spending a Dime on Classes

If you are eager to learn how to speak a foreign language, you may have searched high and low for the best methods and resources available. You’ve probably done a great deal of Internet research, and have come across a slew of advertisements promising to make you proficient in the foreign language of your choice. Companies with ads like learn Spanish today, learn Spanish at home, learn Spanish fast, learn French, learn to speak Hebrew, and so on may deliver on their assertions that you will speak a second language. However, the problem is that there is no guarantee that they will. Just as they might deliver on their promise, they might also not deliver. This would translate into wasted time, money, and effort. Also, taking a foreign language class is about as old and useless as a worn-out pair of shoes. Experience has taught me personally that if you really want to learn a foreign language, you are better off devising methods and strategies that will make it possible. Unlike 20 years ago, you no longer have to hold yourself hostage in the classroom, and you don’t have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to learn and master a second language. If you follow these steps the way they are outlined, you will stand a better chance of reaching your foreign language proficiency goal far more quickly and effectively; and you’ll also save a whole lot of money. So, if you’re ready, let’s get started. 

The traditional study resources for foreign languages in the past 100 years have been textbooks, study guides, dictionaries, and audio programs.  While these are still useful resources, you can now find even better ones on the Internet. The best part is that they are free, and are accessible from wherever you happen to be. Whether you’re at home, work, school, or even sitting in your car; it is very easy to study interactively on your laptop computer, netbook or iPod. The four most common online resources used often are podcasts, online tutorials, downloadable programs, and foreign language social networks. You can use one or more of these at a time if you wish. However, it might be best to try to use all of them. Try to practice using these methods everyday. You can devote as much time as you want, but for optimal learning, try to study for at least 30 minutes everyday. Don’t skip days, and don’t make excuses. Be committed and stay on track. For more efficiency, make your study time fun. Don’t make it a compulsory event where you have to do it to stay committed. Instead, try to make it as an enjoyable an experience as possible.  

The major part of any language skill is the ability to speak it. If you were to travel to Spain, and could read, write, and understand spoken Spanish; you would still be at a grave disadvantage if you couldn’t speak it. Conversely, if you traveled to Spain and had some trouble with reading, writing, and comprehension, but could speak Spanish well; you would get around the towns and cities without much difficulty. With that said, this is the skill that you must become most proficient. Therefore, you will need to speak it every single day. If you have someone that you can practice with, then employ this method as often as possible. If you don’t have someone to practice with, then you will need to practice speaking to yourself. Learn some good phrases and say them over and over until they become second nature. Practice easy common phrases like ”I’m so tired”. Then, practice more advanced phrases like “People are sometimes worse than wild animals.” Afterwards, move on to even more advanced phrases like “To face life without self-confidence is a serious handicap.’ By doing this, you will increase your speaking flow and improve your arsenal of verbal phrases and expressions.

You must read in order to improve both your vocabulary and overall comprehension. There are a couple of tools that you should have within reach when you begin your reading assignments. The first is a writing pad and a pen. The second is a good dual-language dictionary. Don’t rely on the small pocket-sized dictionary. It will be far too skimpy, and you won’t receive the greatest benefit for your language learning. Instead, find a complete hardcover language dictionary that contains exhaustive information on each given word other than just the translation. Then, you’ll want to find reading sources. They can be books, magazines, newspapers, or whatever you enjoy reading. In fact, you can even read online. Whichever source you choose, make sure that it is at least equivalent to an eight-grade academic level. When you read, don’t merely pick up the source and skim through it. Don’t try to read through it quickly as you would read a similar source in your native language. Instead, read it slowly and patiently. Every word the doesn’t look familiar to you, look it up in your dictionary and write it down. Then, try to use it in a sentence. Read for fun, but also read for growth. Read the same material repeatedly until you have mastered it. Then, move on to the next. Make this a regular practice in your foreign language study.    

The main reason that learning a new language is so difficult is that there are tens of thousands of new words and expressions that you have to learn. You’re not going to learn them all at once, but over time you will have a good set of them committed to memory. The best way to learn a new word is by reading regularly. When you come across a new word, write it down. Then, go to your trusty dictionary, and look it up. In a good dictionary, each word usually has several sentence examples that illustrate its proper use. Write down some of these examples, and say them aloud repeatedly. Continue to do this until you have mastered the word. Another method is to watch your favorite English-language movies in your second language. What makes this method so great is that you not only get to learn the word itself, but also get the added benefit of its proper use in dialogue. Therefore, whenever, you come across a new word, learn it as it appears in the dialogue. Again, say the word and phrase repeatedly until you have mastered it.

Practice your writing skills as often as possible. To do this, you should invest in two hardcover journals with blank pages. They don’t have to be fancy. In fact, they can even be composition notebooks. Just make sure that you use them only for writing in your second language. In your first journal, you will copy existing phrases. These include quotes from famous people, excerpts from written media sources, and sentences from books. Copy them straight into your journal. After you copy a sentence, learn it. Master it until it becomes second nature. With your second journal, you will do your own writing. You won’t copy. Instead, you will write while thinking in the language. Take some of the sentences from the first journal, and change them around. Then, write the new sentence in the second journal. In your second journal try to write several one-page stories about things you care about. The first story should be about you. Give a written exposé about when and where you were born, where you grew up, and how many brothers and sisters you have. Write a story about your parents and grandparents. Write about your foreign language learning, and explain when you started studying the language and for how long. Write about where you went to school, and the jobs that you’ve held. Write about your career interests and future plans. Then, after you’ve written a great deal about yourself, write something on different subjects like science, psychology, zoology, or whatever you like. Doing this will help improve your writing skills and increase your vocabulary.

The important thing that you most probably lack in your foreign language study is the daily exposure that is required to achieve your language mastery. As you may not have either friends or relatives that you can practice with, you will need to come up with a strategy to keep you exposed. It was mentioned earlier, that you must practice speaking by yourself daily. The same is also true for listening. The great thing about language study today is that you don’t have to rely on a second person, and have them talk to you. You can now get on the Internet, and tune into your favorite podcasts for direct news and verbal commentary. As you listen, don’t make the mistake of trying to catch every word, and don’t stop and try to mentally translate words that you’ve forgotten. Instead, just listen. There are always going to be words spoken that you will not understand. Don’t worry about it. Let that word go, and try to keep up with the program. The same is true if you’re watching a television program with no available translation. Just listen. Also, don’t become discouraged by the spoken speed. If it’s a bit too fast, don’t worry about it. Just keep listening. After awhile, you will pick up a little more with each session, and the speed will no longer be an issue.

Thinking in the language will take time to master. However, once you have used each of the practice methods outline here over a period of time, you will begin thinking in the language subconsciously. To begin, try to think of how to say certain phases in your second language. Each time you say something in your native tongue, try to repeat the same phrase in your second language. Also, do this whenever you overhear a conversation. Every time someone says something in your native language, think of how you believe it would be said in your second language. Then, say it aloud. Repeat phrases that you hear someone say in your second language whether its from a foreign language DVD or on a live podcast. Once you begin thinking in the language, you will have an easier time expressing your thoughts.

A good thing that you can do is to network with as many native speakers of your second language as possible. If they can’t or won’t come to you, then you will have to go to them. Join cultural organizations like the Alliance Française; if French is your second language. If you’re currently a college student, join the campus foreign language club, and participate in as many campus social events as possible. Visit neighborhoods and communities where many of the natives live, work and socialize. Start practicing with a few people, and then try to get their contact information for future meet-ups. Visit outdoor street fairs where the majority of the natives gather. Go where they go, and try to make as many friends as possible.

Learning and mastering a foreign language takes time and a great deal of effort. If you’re not willing to invest the years that it normally takes to at least become proficient in the language, then your efforts won’t really amount to much. You will soon forget what you have learned, and end up right back at square one. Therefore, if you plan to take foreign language study seriously, then you will have to keep in mind that it will take you years to learn it. You can relate this to your native language skills. You didn’t master your own language in a couple of months. It took many years for you to reach your level of fluency. The same is also true with learning a second language. You have to stick with it no matter how frustrating and impossible it appears. Hang in there, and don’t give up no matter what.

This is something that you may want to think about doing at some point in the future. Although learning a language today can be done efficiently without traveling abroad, it’s never a bad idea to plan doing so. Therefore, start saving some money, and begin putting it away for your overseas trip. Your travel plans will not be strictly for pleasure. It will be part of your foreign language learning program. Don’t make it a party where you invite a bunch of friends and family members to go along solely for the enjoyment. If you wish to bring others with you, see to it that their purpose is similar to yours. Otherwise, you will be better off going it alone. Find out about vacation rates and travel fees beforehand. Also, get some feedback from others who have been to the same place that you plan to visit. Get information on the best places to stay, dine, and sightsee. Until then, practice, practice, practice. Bon voyage.