Tips For Improving Your Language Skills

I do not subscribe to the theory that you can only fully learn a foreign language by living in the country in which that language is spoken. There are many things you can do based at home in order to improve your language skills. Time is the real key in this case. Here are a few tips which I found very useful when I was studying languages. I will share more in subsequent articles. Listen to music in your chosen language and start to sing along, this will help with your pronunciation and simply get you more accustomed to the sound and rhythm of the language. Google is a good source for finding lyrics.

Watch films in the original language but use English subtitles. If you are at a more advanced stage then use the subtitles in your language of choice.

If you are studying Spanish, for example, try to meet people for a language exchange. There are many people from Spain and Latin America who live in the United Kingdom and are looking for people with whom to practice their English. At the same time you can practice your Spanish, or whatever the language may be.

While I do not believe you have to live in another country to become fluent, at the same time it does not hurt. A good idea is to take a trip to Madrid or Lisbon or Rome and spend a week or two, perhaps on your own, utilising your new languages skills. When you return to the United Kingdom you will likely feel proud of yourself and more confident. I believe that to achieve a good standard, one lesson per week for ten weeks is a good pace. Follow that with a break of one month before resuming studies again. Do not worry to much about memorising vocabulary between classes.