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Iām learning German intensively at the moment and something that helped massively was watching a TV show I was v. familiar with in German (I chose BoJack Horseman). The main thing that helped was to have absolutely no subtitles (English or German) because it forced me to really focus on the melody of the language and pick it apart. Iād also really recommend finding a podcast series that you find engaging, because the conversation is just so much more realistic. My teacher explained that the most important thing is to surround yourself with the language in every way (music, YouTube, even changing your phone language) even if you donāt understand everything, because that way your brain will naturally start to internalise the language :-)
Jun 11, 2024
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š§Iāll switch my phone interface to that language to help recall better. Flash cards, translating from one language to another mentally, also works. Also making music playlists and definitely watching films/shows in that language help too
Jul 20, 2024
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š§ extremely satisfying when you can begin to recognise individual words, then entire phrases, then sentences
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š1. Learn the basic building blocks for your language of choice (i.e. pronouns, action verbs, common objectsā literally the essential words youād need to formulate the most basic sentences to communicate simple ideas). That can be done by googling things like āessential verbs in (insert language of choice here)ā or ā100 essential words to learn in _______.ā Pair that up with any beginners grammar language book that you can take out from your local library. At this point, you donāt need to know how to speak the language, just have a general idea of how different elements come together to form coherent sentences.
2. Once youāve acquainted yourself with those principles, the fun and most critical part comes into play: immersion. Since youāre not at the talking stage just yet, you need to treat yourself like youāre a baby hearing words for the first time and trying to associate meaning to them via their context. The best way Iāve found to do this is by watching kids tv shows in the language you want to learn and also finding YouTubers who are native speakers of that language. Turn on the subtitles and also keep them in the same language. This will allow you to start matching visuals with words and understand how sentences are composed in more organic ways. It will also force you to make language connections the way children do when learning their native tongue. You want to remove the buffer of thinking in your mother tongue and then translating the word in the new language. Instead, you want to start making immediate semiotic connections to the things youāre seeing. Like š is manzana in Spanish, but you wanna avoid thinking āoh that means apple in English which translates to manzana in Spanish.ā Itās an extra loop you have to jump through that makes the language learning process less natural and more arduous imo.
3. In tandem to immersing yourself by listening to the language being used, hereās where you can start applying it bit by bit. This can be by either repeating the sentences you see in the tv shows youāre watching and start challenging yourself to write & say very basic sentences with your knowledge from step 1. In an ideal situation, having a friend or acquaintance who speaks the native language and can start talking with you is also incredibly useful since they can actively correct you while you practice. Though very beneficial, I know that that may not be an option for many people, so practicing on your own with the aid of the media youāre watching in the native language still works very well!
This is a very long response, but I hope that these suggestions can help create a more structured approach to learning your new language. Good luck!! āØ
2. Once youāve acquainted yourself with those principles, the fun and most critical part comes into play: immersion. Since youāre not at the talking stage just yet, you need to treat yourself like youāre a baby hearing words for the first time and trying to associate meaning to them via their context. The best way Iāve found to do this is by watching kids tv shows in the language you want to learn and also finding YouTubers who are native speakers of that language. Turn on the subtitles and also keep them in the same language. This will allow you to start matching visuals with words and understand how sentences are composed in more organic ways. It will also force you to make language connections the way children do when learning their native tongue. You want to remove the buffer of thinking in your mother tongue and then translating the word in the new language. Instead, you want to start making immediate semiotic connections to the things youāre seeing. Like š is manzana in Spanish, but you wanna avoid thinking āoh that means apple in English which translates to manzana in Spanish.ā Itās an extra loop you have to jump through that makes the language learning process less natural and more arduous imo.
3. In tandem to immersing yourself by listening to the language being used, hereās where you can start applying it bit by bit. This can be by either repeating the sentences you see in the tv shows youāre watching and start challenging yourself to write & say very basic sentences with your knowledge from step 1. In an ideal situation, having a friend or acquaintance who speaks the native language and can start talking with you is also incredibly useful since they can actively correct you while you practice. Though very beneficial, I know that that may not be an option for many people, so practicing on your own with the aid of the media youāre watching in the native language still works very well!
This is a very long response, but I hope that these suggestions can help create a more structured approach to learning your new language. Good luck!! āØ
Feb 19, 2024
Top Recs from @elisawtaf
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šItās one of those moments where you look at the baby sister that you grew up with and realise that youāre both becoming young adults in your own right. Nothing compares to dancing at 4 am in a Berlin nightclub with someone who you used to have dance parties with in your living room whenever your mum was out of the flat. All those moves you practiced? Their time has finally come! And what makes it even better is the absolute freedom that comes from it - knowing that you couldnāt care less what other people think, because you get to dance with your sister, and that makes you the luckiest person in the room š¤
Jun 16, 2024
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š«§I once heard the concept of treating yourself as if you were a child on days when you need to rest and recuperate. I think itās based on the idea that everyone still has an inner child that needs to be looked after in some way, but sometimes weāre so overwhelmed by having to be an adult (cleaning, cooking, studying, emailsā¦) that we neglect that side of ourselves a bit.
Depending on how you're feeling on your self-care day, you can literally just do exactly what you want - your dream day - but in a way thatās measured and will allow you to slip back into your routine for your upcoming exams.
For example, my dream day during an exam season would be waking up relatively early, having a really nice breakfast, reading a book in the morning and then having lunch. After a quick call with someone who I love, I would then go swimming, before going home and watching a favourite movie of mine while eating a few of my favourite snacks. Then Iād just prepare a few things for slipping back into my exam routine and go to bed pretty early.
I guess the point is to try and see which part of you needs to relax more (your body, your mind) and to allow that to happen. I hope that this makes sense and that itās helpful to you! And good luck with your exams :-)
Depending on how you're feeling on your self-care day, you can literally just do exactly what you want - your dream day - but in a way thatās measured and will allow you to slip back into your routine for your upcoming exams.
For example, my dream day during an exam season would be waking up relatively early, having a really nice breakfast, reading a book in the morning and then having lunch. After a quick call with someone who I love, I would then go swimming, before going home and watching a favourite movie of mine while eating a few of my favourite snacks. Then Iād just prepare a few things for slipping back into my exam routine and go to bed pretty early.
I guess the point is to try and see which part of you needs to relax more (your body, your mind) and to allow that to happen. I hope that this makes sense and that itās helpful to you! And good luck with your exams :-)
Jun 23, 2024
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šøFor some reason, the past few years Iāve had this obsession with completely ignoring the existence of spring. Oh, itās the first of May? Then summer is officially here! But no, why should I ignore one of the most important seasons of all? If summer is the goal, then spring is the journey, and we all know that itās the path that counts not the destination. And once Iād made this realisation it took such a heavy weight off of my shoulders; I realised that I actually had some time to shed my moody winter persona, and to slowly crank up the outgoing summer persona who wants to speak to absolutely everyone and do absolutely everything. So for me, spring is officially the best season of the year, and itās made me feel like having an amazing summer in 2024 if within my own power, and not something that I have to blindly hope for.
Jun 16, 2024