Tag: i need to dust off my germanic languages hhh

How to improve your skills in your target language

lovelybluepanda:

Reading

  • Use extensions like:

Flewent – translates a certain % of your article in your target language
ReadLang – translates the words you click on and adds them to a flashcards deck
Linguarana – same as ReadLang but it also translates expressions

  • Read as much as possible daily. Try to set a certain amount of pages daily/weekly. 
  • When you listen to music, find the lyrics and follow the singers while they’re singing.
  • Use wattpad if you like fanfiction. The site/app allows you to receive stories in a certain language if you look at the settings. Bonus: if you add the story to the library, you can read offline on your phone.
  • When you watch movies, find subs in your target language; regardless the language of the movie.
  • Find an app/site with manga. Many apps/sites have a pretty large selection when it comes to languages and if you are a fast reader, you can read quite a lot in 10-15 minutes. Bonus: many apps allow you to read offline.
  • Beelinguapp is an app with fairytales in different languages. It’s pretty useful for beginners or for people who don’t feel confident enough to try something else.

  • How to choose a book and study with it

Listening

  • Use audiobooks. If you want and have time, try reading the book at the same time. If you listen and read at the same time, you have more chances to remember the words and their spelling, pronunciation.
  • Choose a song in your target language. Read the lyrics and their translation once or twice. Then sing the song trying to remember the lyrics. Optional: listen to the song with the lyrics. I wouldn’t really recommend this because you might focus too much on the spelling and less on the pronunciation at some point. 
  • Many movies and videos. It will be frustrating at first but after a while, you will get used to it and focus on what you know so you can guess what’s the meaning of what you don’t know.
  • Try using audiocourse or courses that focus a lot on interaction and listening like Pimsleur.
  • Use apps like HelloTalk, Tandem, Skype, the audio messages on Facebook etc. if you want to practice with natives.
  • When you learn vocabulary, try to find the pronunciation on Forvo or just choose resources with audio.
  • Apps/Sites like 50languages, awabe, duolingo, memrise, busuu, babbel, lingodeer etc. have audio for most of their languages so they are worth your time.
  • Change the speed of the videos you are watching. Youtube has such a setting.

Writing

  • Read a lot. When you read you pay attention to what kind of structures are used in a text and the more you read, the more you get a “feeling” if the spelling of a word is right or if the strutcure makes any sense. If i ask an advanced learner why they write “i think of” they won’t be able to explain why “of” is there and not something else but they will know at any time that it’s a construction that need to be like that. 
  • Write daily something. A short text about anything. Topics to write about
  • Keep a diary. 

    How to keep a journal/diary in your target language

  • Talk daily to someone on facebook, tumblr, hellotalk etc.
  • When you watch a movie/video or read a book/chapter, write a summary.

Speaking