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Viewing Do Not Just Learn a Language! Practice It!Do Not Just Learn a Language! Practice It!
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By Amaury Hernandez I've met several persons who have told me they'd love to learn a foreign language - particularly English. When I hear them say that, sometimes I ask them to practice with me (having a conversation in that language), and 90% of the times they refuse to do so, replying with 'It's embarrassing!' I understand them, because I too have felt embarrassed many times, but about a couple of years ago, I learned the lesson. One day, I was chatting with one of my best friends, Martin, who lives in Canada. Chatting with him (in English) was something usual, but then, he asked me if I had a microphone. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I told him I did have one. He asked me if I wanted to have a voice conversation with him. Again, fortunately (or unfortunately) I replied yes. Even though our chat conversations were fluent and natural, it was a completely different story with voice conversations. My responses were reduced to shy laughs, yeses and nos. After several sessions of voice conversations with my friend, I noticed I was getting better, and not just that, but I was speaking with a wider vocabulary. I'll explain this. When I chat with someone, I usually try to use a minimal vocabulary, as I don't want to waste my precious finger's energy (he he he). However, when I have to use my voice to communicate, it's a different story, as it's far easier. So, this means if you speak the language instead of writing it, you'll most likely be using a wider vocabulary. And the most interesting part is you'll not just be using it, but getting used to it. When I began learning German, I liked to learn up to 100 words per day, and I was happy because I was starting to understand some German articles. However, after around a week (that would be 700 words learned), I tried to write some phrases in German and noticed it was hard for me to do so. I opened my German course book, and there wasn't any problem at remembering the words, I knew their meaning, but just couldn't make any sentences. Now I understand that when you're starting to learn a foreign language, you need to speak it, not just memorize words and/or understand its grammar. If you learn that 'le chat est blanc' means 'the cat is white' in French, try to practice that phrase and its components all you can. Don't just leave all that learning floating in your brain! Also, don't be shy, and if you find an opportunity to practice what you know, do it! About the Author: I and some other people are working towards making a language learning community, where anyone can come by and start practicing new languages for free and/or help others learn. Visit our Foreign Language Learning Blog and start discovering some valuable tips and information for your language learning. We are working hard at this project, and we hope you can visit. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com |
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