subject: Not Boring Ways To Learn A Foreign Language [print this page] Immersing yourself in a language is by-far the best way to learn it. However, the process itself is difficult, frustrating, and exhausting. If you're a tad bit shy or would just prefer a more entertaining way to supplement your language course outside of the classroom, there are a few "fun" ways you can do so. Here are those ways:
First, listen to music
Music is a way to keep your language juggling fluid and natural. It makes the puzzle of a foreign language come together. It is one of the easiest ways to pick up a language and get a better feel for how words are supposed to be pronounced. If you're trying to learn English for example, there are typically several local radio stations that you can tune-in to. Then you can go back and try to print out the lyrics and decipher the meaning of the song as well.
What happens when you hear something in a song is that you are opening yourself up to the greater global picture of the language. Then when you learn what the words mean by using a dictionary or reading the translation of the lyrics or just guessing from the context, you are putting the puzzle of the language together. If you start with the puzzle pieces, you may end up using those puzzle pieces as a sleeping pill rather than as means to learn the language. Let yourself breathe in the language with music so you can get a rhythmic introduction to the language.
Second, changing the language settings on your cell phone can really intensify your learning experience too. Mobile phone is now indispensable to everyone. The symbols are all the same you know more or less how to answer phone calls and send text messages, but since you're forced to see the words for the terms everyday you'll learn how to spell and say those words in the appropriate language at a much quicker rate.
Third, study Menus
Another fun way to learn a language outside of the classroom is to "study" menus in the language of your choice. Most menus can be found online or at an "authentic" restaurant in your area. You should also practice ordering your food in the foreign language as well, after all practice makes perfect.
Last but certainly not least, watch TV/movies
In my opinion, it is quite helpful. The best way to learn to speak and understand a language, of course, is to hear native speakers speak it. If the option of going abroad is not available to you, then watching TV in that language is the next best thing. Subtitles are useful if you're a beginner, but intermediate and advanced speakers should wean themselves off of it. If you must use subtitles, at least use the target language's subtitles. I personally find it quite disorienting because the subtitles are often different from what's actually being said. I don't think that watching TV alone will make you fluent in that language, but it certainly helps you hear how the language is actually applied in real life. It helps a lot with one's oral comprehension, and is a great way to learn the country's slang and colloquialisms; stuff you often don't find in the textbooks and learning packages.
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