Have you always wanted to learn another language but don’t know where to begin or how to get started? That used to be me too, but now I’m reading Spanish at a second-grade level and continue to see progress every day! Keep reading for the tips and tricks I’ve used to get started and stick with it. These tips mainly focus on reading in a foreign language and are for beginners with very basic knowledge and vocabulary of the language they are trying to learn. Get started today!
Why Learn Another Language
First, what are your reasons for wanting to learn another language? Determining why you want to learn will help you stay motivated and focused throughout the process. I have always wanted to learn another language. Reasons being: I like to travel, the challenge that goes along with learning a foreign language, and I want to be able to understand and communicate with more people.
I took 3 years of Spanish in high school and realized it was hard work, it took a lot of time and dedication. While I did well in my classes, I knew I wanted to do something biology-related for my career. Consequently, my other classes were more of a priority than Spanish. And in college, I didn’t take any Spanish so I forgot most of what I had learned. Also, in the Midwest, there wasn’t much need for Spanish. Now that I live in LA and am around so many people who speak multiple languages, I was motivated to learn again.
Have you always wanted to learn another language?
There are many reasons to learn including:
1. Traveling or Moving to a Foreign Country
Being able to speak the language where you are going is always helpful. Being able to at least read or write makes communication much easier.
2. Mental Stimulation
Learning another language is a challenge and will put your brain to work. There are even studies that suggest learning another language can help prevent Alzheimer’s.
3. Honoring Family Heritage
Maybe your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, or ancestors speak another language and you want to be able to communicate with them or carry on that tradition.
4. Learning Other Cultures
A great way to learn more about a culture is to learn their language. It gives a lot of insight into how they feel about things and what is important to them by the words they use to describe it.
5. Improving Communication Skills
If you know more than one language you can communicate with more people. Also, learning a 2nd language will help you understand your 1st language better, by understanding word origins. Knowing the origins of words will help with spelling.
6. For Fun!
Many people simply find joy and a sense of accomplishment in learning another language. Maybe learning is fun to you and accomplishing your goal will make you happy. You don’t have to have any more reason than that!
I’m sure there are many more reasons for wanting to learn another language, pick anything as long as it motivates you to get started and stick with it. Keep your reason(s) in mind when it gets tough because it will help you to push through any mental blocks and keep you going. What are your reasons for wanting to learn?
How to Get Started Reading in a Foreign Language
Growing up, you spent years mastering your first language. That can make it a daunting task to learn another one, but with these tips and the right attitude, you can do it!
Start off small, just like when you were growing up. First, learn the alphabet of the language you want to learn. Before you begin reading in a foreign language, you need to know the letters and sounds they make. Next, start learning vocabulary. Simple, everyday words are best at first. Try to think of words for things you use or do throughout your day. If you frequently come to a word you don’t know, look it up so that you can start to ingrain more vocabulary in your daily routine. Pretty soon, you’ll be reading simple sentences and start to pick up on grammar and the finer details of your new language!
Flashcards and Children’s Books
In my opinion, flashcards and children’s books are the best place to start. And a lot of people must agree since we keep using them for kids. On your way to reading in a foreign language, you’ll need to learn a lot of vocabulary. Vocabulary is the best way to begin because you can’t make sentences without words. Get some flashcards and learn basic verbs and nouns. Learn words you would use every day, like things related to friends, family or food. Study simple phrases like ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the bathroom?) I have seen several jokes about ¿Dónde está la Biblioteca? (Where is the library?), one of the first phrases they teach in high school. Because how often are you going to say that in everyday life, let alone in another language? Try to learn things that will actually be useful.
Children’s books are great because they usually have pictures to help kids begin to associate the words to things they’ve seen. For you, this works the same except you have the added benefit of already knowing the words in your first language! Unfortunately, buying a bunch of children’s books can get expensive. So be selective in which you buy. You want ones with pictures but also plenty of new words for you to learn. Sometimes, there are also bilingual versions available that have the story in both languages side-by-side!
Download an App
Another good place to start learning vocabulary and simple phrases is Duolingo. I downloaded the app and it has helped me a lot. They have every major language and more. It’s fun and set up like a game to keep you motivated. There is a free version with ads and a paid version without ads that has a few other perks. I use the free version and it works great! You learn vocab and how to form sentences of your own. It even tests your listening and speaking abilities. I would definitely recommend Duolingo to anyone trying to read in a foreign language.
Other Options
I know many people swear by Rosetta Stone. I have not tried it personally, but if you are super serious and want to learn fast I would say to start there. Since I am lucky enough to be living in LA now, I have plenty of friends and coworkers who don’t mind me practicing Spanish with them. Hopefully, you also know someone who already speaks the language that you can practice with. If not, another option would be to find a tutor or take a class. If you’re a book learner, there are many books available for learning any language you can think of.
Don’t get discouraged if you forget a word or struggle with reading comprehension. Remember, you didn’t learn your first language in a day. It takes time to become fluent. I’m not fluent yet, either, but have seen a ton of progress! I am currently reading at a 2nd-grade level and I have used a variety of techniques to get to this point. Below are the top 10 tips and tricks I use to keep getting better at reading in a foreign language.
10 Tips to Reading in a Foreign Language
1. Practice
You have to practice to keep up your vocabulary. Repetition helps to remember words you already know and when adding new words. It doesn’t do any good to move on if you are just going to forget what you already learned. It gets frustrating fast if you have to look up words you should know. Just like sports or anything else, practice makes perfect. So practice every day.
2. Start a Routine
Set a routine and a goal. Even if it’s something simple like studying 10 minutes every day. Again, it does no good if you aren’t being consistent. Consistency is key when trying to make a habit and the best way to do that is by making goals and setting routines. I set a goal on my Duolingo app to do at least 2 rounds a day after I get home from work. In addition, I try to read a children’s story out loud for 20 minutes once a week. Set your routine and stick to it.
3. Start Off Small
Be realistic about your abilities. Don’t bite off more than you can chew or you may be disappointed in your abilities. It’s better to start off small and find it too easy so you can advance quickly than to start off too hard and have to go backward. Some apps will let you test out of lessons if you already grasp the concept. Be careful using this feature though, as you don’t want to struggle later because of something you skipped.
I find it interesting that in high school and with the apps, they don’t put much emphasis on learning the letters and the sounds that they make. If you are a true beginner with no experience I would recommend starting there. Then learning vocab and then putting sentences together. Also, I found it interesting that high school pushed more learning the conjugations of all the words, where the apps push more conversational Spanish. My guess would be because school is trying to teach you “proper” Spanish whereas the apps focus more on getting you a basic understanding.
4. Read Out Loud
Sometimes you know how to pronounce a word in your head but when you try to say it out loud your tongue doesn’t do what you want it to do. This happens to me a lot or I will want to say it in English and not Spanish. It’s okay to sound silly at first. You have to start somewhere. I know I still have a bad accent when I try to speak in Spanish but I am working on it. A coworker gave me the advice of “if you’re saying it easily, you’re probably pronouncing it wrong.” This is good advice for newbies to take their time and pronounce it right. Shortcuts will not help in the long run.
5. Act Like You’re a 5-Year-Old Learning to Read
You wouldn’t give a 5-year-old a chapter book and expect them to be able to read it. Also, you wouldn’t be upset if they stumble over words. I definitely sound like a 5-year-old when I read out loud. If I don’t know a word I sound it out until I get it.
The first book I read in Spanish since studying again was ¿Eres tú mi mamá? (Are you my Mother?). It’s a book I read and liked as a child. It’s about a baby bird who is looking for his mom and comes across many other animals who are not his mom. For practice, I read it multiple times out loud in Spanish until I felt I had mastered it. It helps to read something you already know and something that has a lot of pictures. That way you already have a general idea of what is happening and you can use the pictures as clues.
6. Slow and Steady
Especially in the beginning, you will feel like you want to jump straight into reading storybooks. Too big of a jump can be discouraging if you’re struggling with the words. I made the mistake of making too big of a jump and it pushed me more than I liked and I wanted to give up multiple times. But then I remembered why I wanted to learn in the first place and where I started from. I have made too much progress to give up now.
7. Immerse Yourself in the Language
If you are fortunate enough to be able to travel, go to the country of the language you are learning. Look at the signs and talk to the people, absorb as much information as you can. I would love to go to Spain but that’s probably not going to happen any time soon.
If you can’t travel but are lucky enough to live in a big city like me, find the community of the language you want to learn and get involved. Kevin and I recently went to the LA Public Library for the Los Angeles Libros Festival and picked up a 3rd-grade and a 5th-grade Spanish book. Hopefully, I will be able to read and comprehend them soon. Reading the signs and interacting with the people was a fun and easy way to get involved.
An easier way to immerse yourself is by watching a show or movie. Dora the Explorer is a good one to start with, but if you don’t want to watch a children’s show you can watch a normal show with the subtitles of the language that you want to learn. Sometimes I like to watch a show I have already seen a lot and know what’s going on with Spanish subtitles. I am definitely a visual learner and it helps me to see the words even if they are still speaking in English. As you advance, you can flip the sound and subtitles with the ultimate goal of eventually watching and understanding only with the new language. Sometimes I watch the Spanish channel but that’s still hard for me to keep up with.
8. Grasp the Concept
This is for when you start reading slightly harder books. Not every single word will translate perfectly into your language. But as long as you get the general understanding of the sentence, paragraph, and page you will comprehend the book. Be sure to go back and reread books later and you will grasp a little more each time.
9. Don’t Give up
Don’t be too hard on yourself. You need to be disciplined with your studies but also give yourself a little slack. Even a little bit of progress is still progress, so be proud of how far you have come and try not to worry too much about when you will be fluent. It’s a long process and it’s going to be very hard to master but don’t let that discourage you. I still haven’t mastered English! Never give up.
10. Have Fun
You can’t be serious the whole time or you will get bored. It’s a life long process so make sure you have fun along the way. Learn to tell a joke, flirt, or maybe a few swear words. Whatever keeps it interesting for you, do it!
These are the tips I use for reading in a foreign language. I would recommend starting with flashcards. You can make your own, buy, or use an app for flashcards. Then start reading children’s books you know or ones with the translations already there. Duolingo also has podcasts for beginners to listen to if you are trying to learn more than just reading. If you are super serious about learning I would suggest getting a tutor, taking a class, or Rosetta Stone. I don’t expect to be fluent any time soon but I am proud of how much I have learned and I want to keep learning.
Do you read in another language? What are some tips for reading in a foreign language you have used? Feel free to practice your Spanish with me!
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This is such a great start for those wanting to read in another language! I love this!
Thank you so much! That means a lot!