Learn Foreign Language in Just 4 Months!

If you are learning a language, you might wonder: "How much of a new language can a person absorb when learning in four months?" "How much can a person's vocabulary and grammar improve within one-third of a year?" "How can I make fast learning progress?"

Do you want to know how to study language effectively? If so, do not forget to like ❤️👍 this post and subscribe 🔔 It will help the channel grow! Also, feel free to share this link with anyone who is studying languages, too! ✍️

With that being said, let's dive into the tips!

---

I was born and raised in bilingual main languages, English and Indonesian. Growing up, I realized that I wish to be a translator. At first, I thought that these two languages would be enough. However, as I met more international friends, I want to be a polyglot. Hence, I started learning Korean, Greek, and Spanish in January 2022. 📖✍️

I started these languages from zero, meaning that I had almost no knowledge about them beforehand. So, when I began my language journey, I had to start by learning the alphabet and memorizing them to the point that I could imagine the letter once I hear the sound. From January 1st to April 30th, I use various websites and resources to study grammar, gain vocabulary and do exercises. However, I do not limit my learning only when I face my notebooks. Instead, I try to implement my learning on a daily basis. How so?

Here are three useful tips that I can share based on my language journey so far.

First, I try to talk to myself in the language I am learning. Do not worry, talking to yourself is not as crazy as you think it might be. In fact, the research found that talking to ourselves allows us to develop our language skills faster because it develops higher-order cognitive and metacognitive abilities, which are essential for language self-mastery (Gould, 2018). For example, when I lose my eyeglasses, or when I wonder what to cook, I will not use the language I am good at (English or Indonesian) to think. But, I try mumbling my thoughts to myself in the language I am trying to learn (Korean, Greek, or Spanish).

What if I forget or do not know the words? Chill. As a beginner, I often do not know what to say. It is normal! But, once I know the vocab or the grammar for that certain expression, I try to use it often in my head so that I can contain it for a longer period of time. For instance, this is how I progress in my Korean self-talk from January to April:

January : "I need to buy coffee, bread, and milk."

February : "I need to buy 커피, 빵, and 우유."

March : "I need to buy 커피, 빵, 그리고 우유."

April : "커피, 빵, 우유를 사야 해요."

As you can see, at first I knew nothing about Hangeul, not to mention its vocab or grammar. But since I kept on trying to use them and familiarize myself with them, I could make progress! You can make progress fast in your language learning, too. Do not be afraid to replace the unknown words as you develop your linguistic skills! As time goes by, you will eventually get the gist of the whole structure. 📖✍️

Second, I have fun immersing myself in that particular language. I try to use the language in as many aspects of my life as possible. For instance, I do Bible reading in Greek, enjoy self-growth articles in Spanish, and watch K-Dramas in Korean. I also try to listen to songs in those languages and sing along, even though the pitch is off. Shadowing, or following through as native speakers deliver their talks in the podcast, also help me to become familiar with the accent and pronunciation! It might sound funny at first, but do not be embarrassed. Just enjoy the familiarity process and have fun experimenting! ❤️

Third, I communicate with native speakers or fellow language learners using the language I am trying to get better at, a minimum of once a day. This is not only to ensure that the vocabularies, phrases, and grammars I use are natural but also to keep my motivation high. There will be times when we lose our will to study the language. When it happens, exchanging success stories with people who used to struggle as we did can encourage us to keep on learning even though it is challenging! ❤️👍

Here was one of my conversations with one of my international friends, Kaique, who is also a polyglot. Kaique shared his experience as a Portuguese guy who started his learning journey as an English learner, then eventually shifted to learning Spanish, Japanese, and Korean. You can click the play button below to listen to the recording of our conversation!

In short, how much we involve ourselves with the language we learn determines how fast we can grow our ability in understanding and use that particular language. However, as you can see from my personal experience as well as Kaique's, we can accelerate our language learning process if we are familiarizing ourselves with the language we are learning. We can familiarize ourselves by talking in our head, immersing ourselves in it, and making communication with people who are also using that language. Try implementing these tips, I hope my tips are helpful for your linguistic progress! ❤️👍

References:

Gould, W. R. (2018, October 10). Talking to yourself is normal. Here’s how to master it. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/talking-yourself-normal-here-s-how-master-it-ncna918091

Zoe Languages. (2022). How to improve your speaking skills by yourself? The shadow boxing technique! [Video]. In Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVqcjjuDLRQ‌