7 Tips You Need to Know To Learn Another Language Fast

// make it fun

Using interactive apps with pretty little graphics and fun games makes it a bit easier to learn without it really feeling like learning. This allows you to do quizzes and the repetition is good for the memorization aspect of learning. Duolingo is good for this.

+ learn grammar

While apps like duolingo are fun, I think it's important to learn the basics of grammar elsewhere, like queonda.com, which has more detailed notes that allow you to more understand what it is you're practicing on duolingo.

//use study cards

When you learn new phrases and words it can be helpful to write them on study cards. That way you can flick through them when you have 5 minutes and also get others to test you or test yourself. There are also  study cards apps for if you don't want to lug physical cards around in your bag. Study cards help you to practice everyday & learn your grammar. Repetition is how we learn!

 + write in the language

 Many people can fluently read or listen to a language but have extreme difficulty writing in the language because they don't practice writing it. This is where I fell down in my high school examinations, but now I've found a free website called Lang-8 where I can submit a journal entry in the language that I'm learning and have native speakers of that language correct my entries. This helps you as sometimes how you learn the basic grammar rules is changed when you conversationally speak the language so you get an idea of how things are said in your given country.

If you try writing at least a few sentences about your day each day for seven days and submit it to the site, then you'll receive corrections and expand your understanding of the language is spoken in tiny but useful increments without taking too much time from your day.

// Practice everyday 

Doing a little bit of the language everyday ( utilizing any of the methods above or others ) really help you to learn. In school we didn't get language classes every day and I remember sometimes being so lost after a few days break looking at things that I had written down in class. If you commute by train, carpool etc - do at least 30 mins or an hour every day while you're travelling & then you'll learn rapidly while just passing the time.

+ Use subtitles on programs you normally watch

This is one of the easiest ways to expand your vocabulary without proverbially bursting your brain. While I watch my series' on Netflix I select the option to have my subtitles in Spanish. I've learned SO many words without really noticing by just having the subtitles on. Whilst I don't remember every word/phrase it has helped me learn many words that I wouldn't have otherwise come across.

// listen to music in the language you want to learn

 This is one that will take a while to get used to. At first it seems reallly fast and loud and can be hard to grasp but after a few times of listening to the song you start to recognize phrases and words. Since I want to learn Spanish one of my favorite artists to listen to is Shakira and she even has English versions of some of her Spanish songs, so if I know what the song is saying in English I have a fair idea of the words general meaning in Spanish and it kind of filters into your brain after a while without conscious effort.