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01:20 AM

Conseils pour l'apprentissage des langues :

Tips for Learning Languages:

I would like to share some advice that I have found useful during my years studying foreign languages:

Practice every day.
Practicing every day, even if only for 15 minutes or so, is very important! Not only does "practice make perfect" but if you stop studying completely for a period of time (like during semester breaks for example) you will quickly begin to lose what you have learned.
Make flash cards.
I'm sure everyone's heard this one before but it's true! Flash cards are easily transportable and a great study tool! Try studying just a few words a day/week on a set of flash cards. You can carry them with you and use them when you're standing in line, waiting for the bus, etc. You'd be surprised how easy it can be to get results this way! Don't forget to go back and refresh your memory on older sets of cards that you've done in the past once in a while just to make sure you haven't forgotten them.
Label things in your house with post-it notes!
This one may seem a bit silly but it's a fun way to study vocabulary words. Write French words on post-it notes and then stick them to things like your desk, bed, refrigerator etc. This is an especially good way for visual people to learn vocabulary words.
Always study nouns with their genders!
In the French Language, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. This plays a huge role in French grammar so it is very important that you learn the gender of each vocabulary word you are studying.
Listen to music or podcasts.
Oftentimes when people are learning languages via a textbook, they tend to forget that the listening/speaking portion is just as important if not more important than the reading/written aspect. Online radio stations and podcasts in various languages are readily available online for free and are a great way to tune your ear to the language you are trying to learn.
Watch movies.
Many DVDs have options to watch them in different languages or with different subtitles. You can try listening to the foreign audio track with English subtitles but I also suggest watching the movie with the foreign audio track AND the foreign subtitles. This is an excellent way to practice pronunciation by reading the foreign words as they are spoken.
Also, if you have a Netflix account, you may be surprised to know that they stream many foreign language movies! Try searching terms like "French movies" and with any luck you should have a number of titles. Just a warning to the younger learners however--many of the French movies on Netflix tend to be quite sexual and aren't always rated.
Try listening to something multiple times.
No, really! Try listening to the same song, podcast, movie, etc. multiple times and you will be surprised to find hat they more you listen, the more you will begin to recognize words/meanings you didn't catch at first.
Take advantage of your smart phone.
Many smart phones offer language learning apps, dictionaries, translators, etc. I've found quite a few good ones for iPhone that I can eventually list if anyone is interested.
Social media!
It might not be evident, but social media also offers leaning resources. Sites like Twitter, tumblr, FaceBook, etc. allow you to follow things like "word a day" pages and other resources.
Keep a journal.
This may be a bit difficult at first when you don't know a lot of vocabulary but you can start with very short entries and then make them longer as you learn more vocabulary. This is a great exercise for tracking your progress in a language and practicing vocabulary. If you have to study a list of certain words for school, you can try incorporating them into your journal. You will also find that you will want to look up words that you don't know which is a great way to practice new vocabulary.
Write silly sentences!
I find that it's easier to remember things when you make them memorable. Try making a silly sentence for a group of vocabulary words. This should help you member the word more easily and also give you a better idea of the word's meaning in context.
And finally... Don't get overwhelmed!
I know this may sound easier said that done, but really, learning a foreign language isn't something that happens overnight! Studying a smaller list of things at a time is a lot more manageable than trying to go all-out and biting off more than you can chew. Don't get overwhelmed by everything you DON'T know but rather celebrate what you DO know!