What is the best way to learn a foreign language?
Posted by Effective_Topic_4728@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 35 comments
Its fair to say that us UK residents generally struggle with foreign languages. I've been trying to learn a bit of German and started to pick up a few basic words. I'm going to have the latter 6 months of this year to really focus on learning, but in the meantime, I want to start with less structure but gain some basic knowledge. The problem is wherever I look on the best way to learn, I get a different answer. And a lot of the better looking resources (Lingopie?) need at least some knowledge first, same is true of the Easy German podcast, duolingo seems very inefficient and one dimensional, and I've seen mixed reviews of other platforms too. So if you have learned a second language, where is the best place to start?
Delicious-Pop-7019@reddit
I found Babel much more useful than Duolingo, it has actual lessons.
But outside of that, the things I used were:
Then I can’t stress how important this next one was for me: language exchange. Talk to and make friends with native speakers.
Apps like HelloTalk where you meet Germans learning English. I met so many friends doing this and spend so long chatting to people that it was probably the single thing that advanced my skills the most.
Then finally, once you’re level is good enough you can start consuming media aimed at native speakers:
It might be worth doing that early on, even if you don’t understand any of it initially. Just to get exposure to the language.
One final thing I think is key is variety. You see how many things I mentioned above, I did it all. Use a wide variety of resources and sources. You simply can’t learn a language to a usable level by doing 10mins of Duolingo a day.
Embarrassed_Soup_159@reddit
honestly, skip the structured stuff at first and just consume stuff you actually enjoy. german youtube channels, netflix shows, duolingo grammar gaps — whatever keeps you watching. i started the same way and switched to trancy for the bilingual subs plus instant word breakdowns, made it way less boring than grinding apps.
Objective_Sun5553@reddit
I really enjoy the Michel Thomas method.
Effective_Topic_4728@reddit (OP)
I've had a look at this and it seems to be one of the best places for me to start. But language transfer follows a similar method and is free so I'll probably go with that. I think I need a broad understanding of how German is structured before jumping in to actual spoken or written German.
BeardedBaldMan@reddit
How does it deal with languages where the similarities with English start and end at having nouns, adjectives and verbs? Especially those with more complex grammars where the grammar is something that you have to get to grips with even for A2 level
ben_jamin_h@reddit
I'm working on my French after spending two weeks there on holiday last year and enjoying trying to remember how to do it (learned at school, GCSE)
I found some cool books that have a french and English version of a story side by side, so you can read a page in french and then read it in English, and also some other books that are just a series of french stories written in increasingly more complicated language and grammar. Each one has a quiz at the end and there's a glossary of terms at the end of each story to help you get the new words you've picked up along the way.
parallel text - side by side stories
short stories in french - beginner
short stories in french - intermediate
I'm sure the same are available for German!
bikepackerWill@reddit
Kings College London has some excellent week-long courses around summer time. Cost about ~£200, but it actually does go in.
I would ignore just about every phone app out there. You’re never going to be able to actually learn when the app is only incentivised to keep your “streak” going etc… I have friends with 2,000+ days on Duolingo and yet they still balk when we’ve travelled to the destination they’ve been preparing for.
You need a real person keeping you honest, like a teacher. Another way is to get a trip booked to have a date to aim for — you learn quickly when you’re in a destination, and you can always ask local people what the word is for this or that. Just helps to memorise the term for this: (in German) “Was ist das Deutsche gewort dafur <>.”
taknyos@reddit
I learned a foreign language (Hungarian) to C1 level as an adult, after failing to learn more than 5 words in Spanish (2 years at school) and 5 sentences in french (5 years).
What worked best for me was having a basic grammar rule explained in English with a few example sentences in the target language. Then I'd spend a few days consuming material (listening, reading etc.) and looking out for that grammar structure and try to really learn it. I rinsed and repeated this technique until I read a grammar book cover to cover, and then I did it a second time. It helped immensely, it took me from zero to conversational.
Spending a lot of time listening to and reading material aimed at your level (beginner content, then graded content, then easier content aimed at natives like teen book or sitcoms etc.) is really important. Aim to consume like 1000 to 3000 hours worth of content over a few years.
I think that's where teaching in the UK (and abroad) falls short. We learn basic sentences, we learn some grammar and that's it. We don't spend anywhere near enough time using the language. It isn't really practical to do it in the classroom, but also, we weren't even told to do it. It's a lot easier to access material in any language now though, netflix and YouTube have a lot of great content.
Conversing is good practice, if it motivates you then start early. But some people say there's no rush, so don't feel bad if you don't practice speaking much in the early stages.
If I could go back and change anything about my learning, I would have spent more time practicing pronunciation when I started speaking (record yourself and listen back if need be) because unlearning bad pronunciation in a pain.
Also, regarding your point about living in Germany. I know people who lived in Hungary for 10 years and couldn't say more than "hello. Yes, please. Thanks". Living in the country really isn't that important. But lots of the world are fluent in English without ever visiting an English speaking country. You can create an immersive environment for yourself though, that's what many people do. Movies, books, TV, youtube, audiobooks, video games, it's all in German :)
hoverside@reddit
Free resources from German public media:
https://learngerman.dw.com/en/beginners/s-62078399
They go all the way from absolute beginner to advanced levels.
hoverside@reddit
And check out r/German, starting with the Wiki
Mickleborough@reddit
Former colleague learnt German in school and mentioned watching German TV as an aid. My personal plan’s to play language tapes / YouTube clips over and over again as background. Also maybe memorising vocabulary.
Donkeytonk@reddit
What worked for me was traveling to a country, living for at least 6 months and only friending locals. Get some good pod casts and books on the language and pay for some private weekly classes
sonybacker@reddit
Consume everything in that language. Podcasts are the best and also read, read and read (especially helpful on an electronic device where you can see words instantly).
Effective_Topic_4728@reddit (OP)
I certainly hope to reach this point; I've seen plenty of excellent resources. But to read or listen to podcasts with little to no knowledge is maybe a bit to advanced? Or perhaps it is better to go line by line and learn as I go?
sonybacker@reddit
You could learn some basics with very easy podcasts or books and once you're more confident start with podcasts or books that interest you in chosen language, not the language learning ones. The language will stick naturally. Also, when reading, read aloud or if you can't, then whisper to yourself. Also, don't rush with reading, enjoy the written art.
himit@reddit
this. find media you enjoy and just enjoy it
DameKumquat@reddit
Doing some of it every day for an hour or more.
Duolingo is handy as a vocab builder, but won't teach much grammar. Watching TV shows with German dub and German subtitles is good - or German original is easier.
Often just thinking of whatever you just said and working out how to say that in the target language, looking up words you need, helps you remember it.
Evening classes vary - if you get a class.full of people who never do homework it's very frustrating, other classes move fast... May be easier to sort out now you can do classes online.
Appropriate_Trader@reddit
Subtitles. Try and watch your normal shows with foreign subtitles or a foreign show without subs at all.
Ok_Listen_5358@reddit
The first question to ask yourself is what you're actually learning German for. If it's spontaneous, just because it sounds nice or it's something to try, the grammar will grind you down by month two and you'll quietly drop it. If you genuinely want it, you need something specific about the culture you love, music, food, films, whatever pulls you in. Then the rest follows, you end up spending real time there because you want to be there, not because an app told you to keep your streak. Without that anchor, no method holds up for long.
Effective_Topic_4728@reddit (OP)
If truth be told, it isn't Germany, its Austria. I absolutely love the country but I want to be able to go there and speak in their native language. I know that Austrian German is different, but I figured that learning regular German at least to a point, is the way to go.
rybnickifull@reddit
Good luck with that. I speak A2 German, not brilliant but not nothing. The other week I had some Styrians in my pub and was trying to work out what bit of Scandinavia they were from.
luxbritt@reddit
I don’t think Brits “struggle” to learn languages they just don’t bother !
kingslayyer@reddit
most people dont learn multiple languages for fun, its mostly because they have different language spoken at home vs language majorly spoken in the city/country they are in
Appropriate_Can8906@reddit
Well for the most part, we don’t really need to bother tbf.
Shot_Net3794@reddit
Exactly, we aren't uniquely stupid, just that we're very lucky to be native speakers of the language that the rest of the world has to learn for trade
If France had a more successful colonial phase and French took the place of English, I think we'd be pretty good at learning and speaking French
Choice-Demand-3884@reddit
I found that moving to Bavaria was the best way to learn German (and also an extremely easy way to put loads of weight on).
clutchnorris123@reddit
Only if you want Bavarians to understand your German it's like going to Glasgow to learn English
Choice-Demand-3884@reddit
Well, yes. The only place my German seems to work is Bavaria and bits of Austria.
MaxBulla@reddit
Watch stuff in German. A decent amount of German language stuff on Netflix, definitely tons on YouTube. Subtitles in the beginning, then move away from them as you progress.
Austrian who learned English that way many decades ago. Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers were one of the few tv shows in English I had access to. Obviously learned it in school etc too but that only goes so far.
Even met Terry Jones once in a pub in Highgate and got to thank him for it.
pockkler@reddit
Try to get as much exposure as possible. Meet Germans, go to language cafes. Do a tandem/language exchange. Read German kid's books. Watch TV. Every hour you spend sending German to your brain is better than not spending that hour being exposed to German.
RepublicWarm2383@reddit
Living in the country is the best way to learn the language
Overall-Error4057@reddit
this! I lived in germany for 7 months, studied the language there for 3 months (was in 2020 so had second lockdown from december) in an intensive course, 9-5, 5 days a week. I learnt more in them few months than I ever did in 5 years of school french. Probably helped that none of the staff actually knew or spoke english, and the other students also didnt know english
Difficult_Egg_4350@reddit
Duolingo and similar are quite helpful as starting points, to understand how the language works (eg different word endings for different tenses, whether adjectives go first or second, that sort of thing). And then immersing yourself in the language. Watch tv shows, read books, listen to podcasts or the radio - although from personal experience I would advise starting with really basic stuff for kids and working your way up or you'll struggle with the speed and complexity! Personally, I find reading a foreign language newspaper helpful because you get a lot of "real life" words you don't learn in formal courses, and with the added bonus of knowing what is going on in a country you might be visiting.
I work for a really large organisation and there are a few different language groups where you go at lunch and speak German/Spanish/Mandarin with native speakers. They welcome newbies as well as more advanced. Might be worth seeing if something similar exists in your local community, or just a friendly native German speaker who is happy to chat once you've got started?
HarissaPorkMeatballs@reddit
See if your local library offers Transparent Language or something similar, which can be handy for learning the basics for free.
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