How I learned 4 languages
Learning a language can be a pain in the ass. I know, I’ve been there. Don’t get me started on the grammar and all its exceptions either. However, the more experienced I got with the languages, I got the hang on what works best for me. So here they are.
1. Learn vocabulary first. The first thing I did with English and Dutch was to learn as many words as possible. I didn’t bother on how I had to write them. I simply focused on how I had to pronounce them I tried to remember them. If you think about it, that’s exactly how babies learn how to speak. They start with simple words and then start to add on.
2. EXPOSURE. This is what will make the difference. For English, I listened to an unhealthy amount of music. And I watch all Friends episodes subtitled in Spanish so I could slowly pick up what was going on. This way I even learned new phrases. Like how to pick someone up with a “how you doin’?” and a wink.
3. Learn some basic sentence structure. I try not to go full on the grammar but introducing it bit by bit as I familiarize with language. And I play around with the sentences. I try asking for different things and I translate the sentences I use the most so I practice with those first.
4. Befriend a native. THIS THO. When I was learning Dutch and English I became best friends with a Dutch girl in my class and a guy that speaks English like a native. We had this thing when I made a grammar mistake I had to give them 25 cents and that 25 cents quickly piled up so I picked up my pace and I actually learned to speak proper Dutch and English in a matter of 6 to 8 months. I’m not kidding, those 25 cents were the best 25 cents I’ve ever spent because no teacher would have helped me as fast as these 2 did. Now, 8 years later, we’re still besties.
5. Study of grammar. I studied grammar properly after I was more familiarized with the language so I could definitely perfect it. And I think this was actually an advantage because most of the rules and structure of grammar suddenly came like second nature to me. There were, of course, some things that I wasn’t applying correctly, but it was actually very easy to fix them from then on. But think about it, you don’t teach a baby grammar first thing. So why would you do too?
In a nutshell, start by familiarizing yourself with the language you want to speak. Learn a lot of words, get a lot of exposure so you can get a feel of the pronunciation and culture of speaking. Befriend a native, and make it interesting so you can learn and practice. And then try to truly understand the grammar. Do you have any other tips? Feel free to share!
P.S: Spanish is my first language. I learned Papiamentu, which is the language of some of the islands of the Netherlands Antilles. And then I learned Dutch and Spanish.
