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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Tips For Learning a Second Language

By Preston Lore

Despite countless claims on the internet, you only need a few basic tips for learning a second language. These tips boil down to motivation, goal setting, and immersion. See, no matter how many learning books you buy, educational videos you watch, or language courses you attend, without these three basic tips, you're not going to improve your language skills. This article tells you exactly how to learn a second language fast.

In my personal experience with learning German, I found that I constantly needed strong motivation. It's easy to slip back into a "well, everyone speaks English anyway" mentality, even when living abroad. I started learning my second language when I was 21 and living in Switzerland. As a red blooded male, I used women as motivation. I would often get frustrated when I couldn't approach a woman in a bar because I just didn't have the language skills! So, I decided to learn a few basic phrases an "wing it", so to speak. This proved great fun, and I truly believe it was what helped me stay motivated. You'll have to work out your own motivations obviously.

Another excellent tip for learning a second language is to set goals. If you're an absolute beginner, I would recommend learning 10 words a day. I know it sounds like a lot, but it only takes an hour to do. If you're living abroad, pick 10 words that you didn't understand in your day. At the end of the day, look them up in a dictionary and LEARN! After one week you'll have learned 70 useful words. For an even more powerful method, I recommend computer software for learning words.

No, the last tip can be quite difficult. the aim is to totally immerse yourself in the language. For example, listen to music, watch DVDs, and read exclusively in the language you want to learn. This will be hard for absolute beginners, but you'll pick it up fast. Use your dictionary to translate. If living abroad, tell your friends to stop speaking with you in English. This is extremely powerful.

Obviously these tips for learning a second language are only one thing you can do to help you learn. If you're deadly serious about learning a language, check out this Language Learning site, which gives you directions to the most powerful educational products available.


Preston Lore is an energetic and original writer with a passion for music, fitness, lifestyle, politics, geography, history, entrepreneurship, and business. He updates his product review site regularly at http://www.productreviewcorner.com

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