Language advice
Stage I. Beginning a language
Time: A few weeks
What you ought to do first is to research the structure and resources for the language itself, so you know exactly what you’re undertaking. A common story, for example, is that of the anime fan wishing to watch shows in the Japanese original. Not knowing it is among the world's most difficult languages, they squander their months in vain suffering before giving up. To avoid this, I’d recommend looking at a Wikipedia page about the language’s grammar. You should also research what resources are available for your language — look at websites, YouTubers, and so on. Some languages (e.g. Ancient Egyptian) are very hard just because there are no resources.
If you wish to get far, do not use Duolingo. At most, use it for the basics, and solely for popular languages; more obscure ones are often taught incorrectly. More advisable is a textbook — not buying one is probably people’s most common regret with languages. Pirate a few people recommend online, and buy whichever you like most.
The textbooks and online resources mainly help you with grammar, but also look for online lists of your language’s most common words and memorize them. I’d suggest making physical flashcard decks here — writing the words out helps you memorize them.
If you already know a language from your target language’s family, it’ll be substantially easier; for example, if you’re a Pole learning Ukrainian or a Spaniard learning French.
Also, this is the most frustrating stage of learning a language — it gets easier over time, so don’t be discouraged:)
Stage II. Transitional
makes it more fun
Time: Many months, a year or two
Here, I work through textbooks on a regular schedule, memorizing tables of conjugations, declensions, and stress patterns. For writing practice, I often begin a journal in the language (see this page for writing prompts.) For reading and listening practice, I’d advise listening to music, or finding websites with stories for beginners.
When I get to this stage, consider Anki/Quizlet instead of physical flashcard decks. You will learn a plethora of words, and digital flashcards are more portable. I suggest “100/1,000 most common words” decks that others have made.
Stage III. Reaching Fluency
Time: Infinite
This stage is the longest; you will have to learn massive swathes of vocabulary and idioms, but it’s easy since you’re used to the language. It’s also the most fun stage because you get to absorb the language through its very culture. I've been learning Latin idioms through Pliny's Epistles, Russian pronunciation through films and through friends who speak the language. You could also consider restaurants, musicians, blogs, or even travel.
Travel may be expensive, but friends tell me it is singlehandedly the best way to practice a language. However, avoid it, and any real social interactions, until you're at an advanced level. Otherwise, things will quickly grow awkward.
If importing books is expensive, you can buy some off an immigrant on Facebook Marketplace, or look in a library’s foreign-language section.
Something that’s rarely discussed is how lonely it is to know another language. You’ll grow to know and love so much culture and history that nobody around you knows. You’ll listen to so many beautiful songs, watch amazing films, frequent so many foreign websites, observe so many holidays; but you can’t tell the people around you about them, because they won’t understand. I’m the only one who cares about Rome enough to celebrate Saturnalia here, and whenever I mention German to my family, they make jokes about the Nazis. You begin to feel like a foreigner in your own country!
See my other page for reviews of specific languages.
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Page created March 2024.