#foreign language guide

1. Quizlet

In my opinion, this is definitely my most used app/website and I would recommend this to anyone, not just those learning a language, but for general revision of any subject. It is useful because you can use other people’s flash cards which will reduce the amount of time you waste trying to make your own, thus leaving more time to actually revise! Not only that, but you can also group your sets into folders based on subjects, for example. Classes can be set up so that you can share your work with friends and vice versa, which will also help cut down time as everyone can input a section each. The free app which can be downloaded is brilliant! It’s so quick to load and easy to use and comes in handy when waiting for a bus or when you just want to spend a few minutes now and then testing yourself.

2. Duolingo

Personally, partially because I started using this app after I was quite advanced in German and Russian, I found it tedious having to go through vocab which didn’t seem useful to me. However, I did discover the ‘test out’ option which will allow you to skip to a section that best matches your current ability. Looking back on when I had this app, I do think that it was actually quite useful in recapping basic knowledge which I had forgotten and reminding me of certain rules.

3. Verbix

For any exercises or essays you have to write which require conjugating verbs into different tenses and/or for different people, this is one of the easiest sites to use! I have only recently discovered it but the layout of the verbs are not only simple to understand but they could also be printed off as they are in a revise-able format.

4. ‘Easy Languages’ on YouTube

One of the easiest and probably most efficient ways to learn new languages is to listen to people speaking it. I love watching ‘EasyGerman’ videos – you can go to different channels based on which language you are learning – as although it doesn’t feel as though I am revising due to the interesting content in the videos, I actually do pick up a lot of useful phrases and words which native speakers use. You can revise your vocab and pronunciation of words at the same time which will save time and when it comes to revising, that is always helpful!

5. Films

So I know this is a very broad, general suggestion but try and watch as many films as you can as they will benefit you in the same way as watching YouTube videos will. Now, saying this, I think that the only way for this method of learning to be effective is by watching films which genuinely interest you as you are more likely to try and decipher the vocab accurately. Watching films from a country where the language is spoken will help with improving your understanding of the culture and traditions in that country which, when talking to native speakers, will provide more talking points and you might even impress them with your cultural knowledge.

6. Books

From my experience with revising for GCSEs, I know how difficult it is to know where to begin revising. However, here are a few pointers as to where to start.

Vocabulary:

A good place to start is by revising as much vocab as possible, especially if you are considering continuing the language further.

Take about 10-20 words each day and make it your goal to know them off by heart by the end of the day. Any words which you have difficulty remembering at the end of the day, write day on a separate piece of paper or a book and slowly begin learning these.

Go over these words whenever you have a spare minute or two: on the bus, while waiting for your train, in the adverts while watching tv…

Writing:

Begin by writing out the corrected work again, so that all the corrections you/your teacher have made do not distract you. This can either be written on separate pieces of paper or – as I prefer – in a brand new notebook, specifically for this language’s writing.

My method of learning is by writing all the questions out in one colour, followed by the writing in another colour. All of the different topics are separate so that I do not confuse them.

Every day/week aim to learn a few questions off by heart and regularly test yourself on all of the questions. So, instead of ticking them off one by one, keep going back to them, even weeks later, just to ensure that you really do remember them.

Usually, you will be given back your marked work which you are told to learn for your exams. Now, this can seem daunting at first but if you take it slowly, you will know it off by heart in no time.

Speaking:

With speaking exams, it is best to ensure that your pronunciation is spot on. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher for help; this is the best way to guarantee that you are correct so just ask as much as you need to.

Once you’ve learnt your piece, work on improving your timings – don’t just stop after you’ve learnt it but continue to go over it again and again, each time improving a different element. This could be your fluency, intonation, timing, etc.

Another tip is to record yourself each time to check your timing and your pronunciation and even to check for mistakes you may have missed.

Reading:

The only advice I have for this is to learn as much vocab as possible and go over as many past papers as possible, highlighting which words you don’t know.

You could also try and identify trends in the papers, such as which words appear to come up regularly but don’t use this as a prediction for what will come up in your exams.

Listening:

Again, go over as many past papers as possible.

Once you have gone through the paper, listen to the recording again with the transcript next to you so that you can follow it.

Underline any vocabulary which you found difficult to identify and begin to learn this.

Continue listening to the recording until you can confidently understand the recording without looking at the transcript.