When I was at secondary school, I studied French. I really found it hard to get a handle on the language. We seemed to spend ample time reading books, without much in the way of practical work. Lots of writing down our verbs and tenses not having real conversations. I think it bored me half to death. My enthusiasm really waned, and I don’t think I got the most out of the subject. Here are some tips to pick up a new language.

Travel to the Country

I think the best way to pick up a language is to travel to that country and really immerse yourself in the language. Classrooms are great, provided you have the right teacher. However, the quickest way to learn a new language is to practice it in that country with native speakers. I should have looked at the camping parcs in Paris for affordable accommodation whilst I was attempting my French GCSE. It is my lowest grade at a C. Sadly, I didn’t feel my teacher was the right person to ignite my passion in the language! I soon lost interest and didn’t work to my potential.

Avoid the Cities

According to this Telegraph article about becoming fluent in a language if you do travel abroad its best to stay outside of the cities where English is less widely spoken. The further away you stay from the city the more opportunity you should have to practice the language you came to learn. Otherwise you will probably be practice for other people in that country trying to learn English!

Stay Motivated

Learning a new language is hard so remind yourself why you wanted to do it in the first place. Think of all the positives that having a second language brings when you have moments of feeling unsure about yourself and your abilities. It can open-up new job opportunities and increase your concentration levels. Remember that in moments of self-doubt. Also give yourself access to lots of different apps and learning materials so you don’t get bored. My eldest has gone back to his Lonely Planet Kids book now he has Spanish lessons in school.

Watch Foreign Films

Watch films in the language you are trying to master. You will need to watch them numerous times to soak in all the information. Otherwise you might overwhelm your poor brain! You can make notes of the words you don’t know so you can begin to extend your vocabulary.

Focus on Topics

Sometimes it can help if you focus on a particular topic then you can build your vocabulary around that. This makes learning a language more manageable. Once you master one topic you gain confidence to attempt more.

It’s a real shame we never had a school trip to French in secondary school as I think that would have been the turning point for me! Perhaps I would have achieved a higher grade.