19 replies to this topic

[krispypuff]

Hey everyone. I am currently trying to learn a foreign language and was wondering if you could tell me the best ways to learn a language fast. Obviously, it takes many years to really learn a language but I'm going to Italy and Spain this summer and I want to be able to converse in the native tongue. As of right now I can carry minimal conversations. Any help would be appreciated.

[NuHoaXuLa]

With me , best way is learning a new language is :
- Compare it with a old foreign language .
- Same learning two foreign language at the moment .
- Search features of nature of two language as a game .
- Think and action as the people of that country .

[thebluekirby]

well for me, the best way to learn a language is to first learn like simple part of the language, like how to say "hi" and "bye". Then try learning a few sentences such as "my name is..." then try memorizing it and teaching it to other people (like make a web page) it kinda sorta helps. Sometimes even making up a game or flash cards can help ^__^ but over all, you have to really find a way to practice that language yourself

[byrdhouse]

One very effective way is to make a new friend with a person who speaks the language you want to learn and ask them to mostly speak their native language to you. Then hang out with them when they go to social events where others are speaking the same language. Ask alot of questions and try to learn the language conversationally, especially since you are planning on going to another country. Learning how to write it can come later. Also,, their are some fairly good language software programs that you can buy fairly cheap. The nice thing about these is that you can work at your own pace.

Hope this helps,
Adios,

Byrdhouse

[Dodger]

I think the best way to learn ANYTHING is through interactions.

[webaurores]

i'm Uruguayan (in south america), and i've been learning English for 6 years, with a teacher. but i learnt that the following things are good to improve your speaking/writing language:
well, if you have a base knowledge, buy an English-(other language) dictionary and read books or surf the net. when you find a new word, try guess what it means and then use the dictionary. or find a pen/mailfriend.

that's for writing. improving your speaking language is a bit harder.
try watching films or listening to music. if you watch dvds, hear, at least, the inteviews in the language you want to learn.

[katif]

I learn foreign languages at school, but you must have a really good teacher and you must want to learn the language..
But the best way to learn a language is to go to that country where that language is spoken and stay there for some time. You'll understand it soon..
When you have a friend who speaks that language very well then you can practice that language with your friend. He/she corrects your mistakes and it's just fun too I guess.. Try to read something easy at first or watch tv..
But the most important thing is whether you really want to learn it or not!

[gotcha41]

i think the best way tro learn a language is to study the main verbs and the most impartant words and then communicate with persons who only speak the foreign language. In this way you are forced to make correct phrases and you are forced to develop your (foreign) language skills. In my opinion, the last statement isn't being perfomed enough at at schools.... you should learn a language by using it.

[eiteljoh]

i travel a lot, and spend months at a time in spanish speaking countries - mostly s. america and spain, i don't have a good hold on the language yet, but i find i make big improvements when i think to myself in spanish, all the time. walk outside and it's hot as hell, i tell myself it's hot in spanish. also, i send emails to my friends in mexico in spanish ... that helps as well.

good luck ... and depending where you are going in spain, you will learn fast because you will have no choice!!! there's lot more english in asia / s. america than in spain!!! hahaha. i'll never forget my first train ticket there ... dos billets por destino pampalona a ocho horas manana de la manana. i got a big smile from the guy, and 2 tickets to pampalona at 8:00 the next morning!

[Dooga]

I think in order to learn a new language, you have to first find a teacher. After that, you should find some resources and read them! It's good practice if you chat with some people who actually speak the language and learn from their accent and their way of speaking. I personally know 3 languages, one is my native, one is a language I learnt in Canada, and the last one is a language I took in secondary. The languages are mandarin, english, and french. Good luck in whatever language anyone is taking!

~Dooga

[SpiltBlood]

i would buy one of those pocket dictionarys and cary it around and on the plane or however you are getting there and even before try to learn phrases you might say frequently. things like hello,goodbye,where is....,how can i find....., just different thing you may need when your trying to navagate a city you may have never been too before hope this helped

[Dooga]

Oh I love those pocket dictionaries! You can bring them anywhere and they fit in your pocket (obviously...)

I also recommend those really cool electronic dictionaries because you can access it very fast and have it handy with you whenever you want! Just don't use it when the plane is landing, taking off, or in turbulence...

Also, use it for playing games... no one hates playing games!

Speaking of games, you can also play educational language games... like french hangman or monopoly or something...

[varalu]

krispypuff, on Jan 21 2005, 05:15 AM, said:

Hey everyone. I am currently trying to learn a foreign language and was wondering if you could tell me the best ways to learn a language fast. Obviously, it takes many years to really learn a language but I'm going to Italy and Spain this summer and I want to be able to converse in the native tongue. As of right now I can carry minimal conversations. Any help would be appreciated.

The best way to go about it is to start talking that particular language for all practical means.

[paulp]

I think for me the best way has been to use an audio course in conjunction with some written reference materials...I used these to learn Spanish, and I ended up traveling quite a bit with my skills!

Pimsleur languages - audio courses for learning languages. The amount of levels you can do depends on what language it is. Spanish has 4 full levels, but Twi for instance only has 1.

WordReference dictionary - look up any word in a variety of languages, and get results instantly. Really good for being stumped on something you forgot.

Also you can look for "501 Spanish Verbs" (also available for other languages) at your local bookstore or online, usually costs less than $15. It's a good cheat-sheet for verb conjugations and spellings which can be really tricky for the first few years you speak a new language.

Hope this helps!

krispypuff, on Jan 21 2005, 12:45 AM, said:

Hey everyone. I am currently trying to learn a foreign language and was wondering if you could tell me the best ways to learn a language fast. Obviously, it takes many years to really learn a language but I'm going to Italy and Spain this summer and I want to be able to converse in the native tongue. As of right now I can carry minimal conversations. Any help would be appreciated.

[webishqiptar]

In my opinion to learn a new language, best way is to write it. Let us give you an example, if you want to write a story about something the best way is to make search about that story, learn and translate from dictionaries the words, and then go down and write a good summary. This takes you time, but will improve your grammatical and writable abilities drastically. This is hard and difficult but the best way to do.

But before you try to do so, you must have previously, very well learned grammatical concepts. This is the key, the sentence and grammatical theory. If you know the basis on how to build a sentence than everything else is just words taken from dictionary and than learning an language becomes a matter of knowing more and more words.

And if you think clearly, this is the best way because people tent to forget what is learned mechanically. If you learn something in a logic way, you will it remember for a long time.

[networker]

I'd get a really good book that has good beginners tutorials.
I'd also try to concentrate on real life most used scenarios first(i.e
eating and ordering in a restaurant,asking directions,saying hello to people,
etc).
I'd also try too look at popular movies that have been translated to that language.
Viewing these and comparing them to the English version,you
should be able to learn a lot that way.
That's my opinion.Best of luck.

[africa]

The most practical way I have found of learning a langauge is to find a good teacher as said, and associate as much as possible with other people who speak the language fluently.

Just learning from a book has the disadvantage of pronouncing the words wrongly. I have been staying a foreign country for some time but its can't speak the language used here. You have to be willing to learn it over years too!

Good luck!

[stranded]

In my point of view, the best way to learn a foreign language is to first learn some basic words of that language then live with the people who speak that foreign language. Gradually, you will learn their language by interacting with them and trying to make them understand what you're saying. Its better if you find a teacher too.

[DivX]

I think best way to learn is play some RPG or MMO games, what is true interesting to play.
With playing i have improved my English language

[The Simpleton]

Since you want to learn Italian and Spanish, I recommend that you go to these two sites and listen to some of their audio lessons. They're really helpful in giving you a headstart to learning new languages. The lessons are free and you get to hear the natives speak the language. Then you can practice on your own. I found out that this really helped me and that's why I'm not giving any more sites except these two.

Italianpod101
Spanishpod