5 Actually Helpful Tips For Learning A New Language

As someone who speaks English, Japanese and is currently learning Korean, encouraging people to pick up a new language (or two) is something I'm really passionate about.

While a lot of people have experience learning languages during their school years or dabbling in Duolingo, keeping up studying a language (and getting to the conversational stage) requires a bit more effort — but it's easier than you think.

I have a few tips and tricks here to help you start learning a new language and make sure you stick to it. Of course, everyone's language-learning journey is different, so do what works best for you, and make sure you have fun with it.

Yup. My first piece of advice is to watch TV. Specifically, TV in the language you're trying to learn — your target language.

If you're trying to learn Spanish, watch Dora. I, for one, have never even tried to learn Spanish and still remember everything Dora taught me when I was a kid. You can even watch it with your own children, if you have them, and help them start learning a new language. The series has actually been rebooted into a cute CGI show on Paramount+. You can sign up for a subscription here.

If you're trying to learn Korean, watch K-Dramas. There are comedies, thrillers and romances to try out.

Want to learn Japanese? Watch some anime. Especially if you can find a children's show that interests you because it will help you pick up the basics of the language.

While watching TV might not be the same as sitting down with a textbook, it's a great way to improve your listening skills and pick up some commonly-used phrases.

You can also choose which level of content and language you want to engage with. If you feel like really focusing on the show, you can sit with a notebook and jot down any words you're unfamiliar with to look up later. Or, if you're trying to relax, just sitting and letting the language wash over you is also a great way to get a bit of study in.

When it comes to learning a new language, it's important to make sure you're using a wide range of resources. While Duolingo is good for a quick study session, it isn't going to help you become fluent unless you combine it with a structured learning plan, a textbook (or two), and other language-learning websites and apps.

Firstly, having a learning plan is a great way to achieve your language goals in a timely manner. Mapping out how you want to learn your target language over a three to six-month period can help you stick to your goals. You can even ask ChatGPT to plan it out for you, if you don't have the time or money to take face-to-face lessons.

One of my favourite prompts to ask ChatGPT is "I want to learn (target language) over the next six months. I'm a complete beginner. Write me a six-month learning plan to help me become conversational in the language."

You can also ask the AI to quiz you on the language.

From here, investing in at least one textbook is a good idea. There are lots of websites that offer free online textbook-style pages for different languages, or you can buy a PDF or physical copy of a textbook and work through it. You'll also want to get a dictionary. If you don't want to get a physical one, there are plenty of websites and apps you can use.

Other great websites and apps you can use to aid with language learning include YouTube and TikTok, as well as Google Translate — which is a great resource when you're in a pinch, and it's constantly getting updated, so the translations are much more accurate.

One of the best things you can do to help immerse yourself in a language is to speak to other people in the target language. If you have a teacher or other students learning the same language, they're usually the easiest people to chat with, but if you're teaching yourself the target language, you likely won't have access to a teacher.

In this case, there are other ways to speak with people. Firstly, there are apps like HelloTalk that connect language learners across the globe. You can choose to meet up with a language partner, but if you're more comfortable talking on the phone or over text, that's also an option.

There are also online language-learning communities on Facebook, Discord and Reddit where you can chat with other people with different levels of fluency.

If all else fails, just talking to your partner, friends, pet or even yourself in the target language is a good way to get in a little bit of speaking practice every day.

Speaking of getting in a little bit of practice every day, it's important to make sure you're consistent with your study.

While it's ideal to study for at least half an hour or more a day to quickly learn a language, sometimes we just don't have that kind of time available to us. This is where the 'five-minutes-a-day' rule comes in. This rule was taught to me when I first started learning Japanese — thank you, Leonie-Sensei.

Essentially, if there are days when you can't stick to your study schedule, engaging with the target language for at least five minutes on those days is better than not studying at all. Of course, you don't want every day to end up only being a five-minute study day, but it's good when you're flat-out with other commitments, or even just not in the brain space to study.

It's important to remember that learning a new language, firstly, is difficult. Especially as you get older and you have less time to spend studying. So don't be too hard on yourself if you find you're struggling — it's not meant to be easy!

Secondly, it's something that takes a lot of time and effort. Language learning is a journey, not something that happens overnight.

So, whether you're practicing writing Arabic letters on your lunch break, or watching Dora on Paramount+ with your kids, be kind to yourself, stay motivated, and you'll get there eventually.