Rita
What strategies do you use to learn a secong language?

Thre are many ways to learn a second language. I invite you to share your experience and ideas. 

Jul 18, 2014 10:05 AM
Comments · 3

Well, I have a problemto learn a second language because there are sounds that is very hard I pronounce. For listening I listen most of the time radio and watch TV with and without subtitles. I try only listen radio about news, not music, and only that has transcripts. For speaking I try to talk with people here on this website and read aloud some text. And get some books about pronuciation that helps so much to identify the sounds.

Writing is my weakness, I started doing copy of text and worked very well for me. Because I could identify the structure. Besides, I get some text and highlight the struture and phrasal verbs and collocations.

I try to read everything that I find. Since books until magazines.

 

 

July 18, 2014

HI, Rita
I learn English language actually by reading books, articles etc, in order to learn vocabulary and structure. Listening to podcasts, radio or songs in order to train listening skill, by join italki and make language exchange to find partner to practice speaking etc. :)

July 18, 2014

That's a wonderful question. I too am very interested in hearing what strategies others follow. But Rita, you asked us about our strategies and didn't share yours? I invite you to share your methods and experiences of learning a second language.

 

Here are some of mine - 

 

First and foremost - listening. I mean reeeaaally listening - to the SOUNDS that native speakers make. Earlier I used to listen but than interpret them my head the approximate pronunciations of the words I heard. And that's why my own pronunciation used to suck. But then I stopped interpreting and actually started listening to the actual sounds that native speakers make. I watch TV shows and movies and try to figure out what they are saying. If I can't understand something they say, I turn the subtitle on only for that particular dialog, listen to it again, and then turn the subtitle off. This has really improved my understanding. I just keep listening - podcasts, movies, TV shows, audiobooks. I listen to them whenever I can - doing housewold work, during commutes, while cooking - basically every opportunity I get. 

 

Second thing I try to do is imitate. I DO NOT speak the WORDS that I hear. NO! I imitate the SOUNDS the native speakers make. I do it all the time I can. There are many sounds that don't exist in my first language. So I do not try to interpret the words in my mind and speak them with sounds that are similar in my own language. Instead, I try to make the exact sounds the native speakers make when they talk. 

 

These are the two things I do as much as I can. I am really happy because all my teachers have told me that I sound almost like a native speaker. Some say I am as close as 95%. It motivates me even more to try harder. It might not be possible to sound 100% like a native speaker but I will be happy even if I can reach 99%. 

 

 

 

July 18, 2014