Some practical tips!

How to boost your language learning? Whatever the target language, in order for you to learn, you need to be motivated! There has to be a reason for you to learn the language be it related to work, relationships, travelling or something else. If the motivation is there, things will get much easier. Where there's a will, there's a way! 

1) Learning new vocabulary

• Not all vocabulary is the same. If you are a beginner, start with the 100 most common words in the target language. Whenever possible, try to use them. The best way to learn vocabulary is to talk, talk and talk. I believe we learn most through actively participating. Be also ready to accept that you'll make mistakes, it's totally OK. All language learners have been there, including me.
• Challenge yourself to learn 1-20 new words every. Even if you went for only one word a day, you'd still end up with 365 new words a year! If you did 20 words a day, well, then wow! That would lead to 7,300 new words a year! Depending on how you like to practise, you can, for example, jot the words down in a notebook or use Quizlet to create different vocabulary sets. Quizlet is easy and fun to use, you can choose whether you want to just read or listen to the words, or if you'd like to give a try at writing or playing games (btw. I'm not being paid by Quizlet, I just think it's a great help for language learning). Make learning new words a routine, you can really make great improvements in a short period of time. 
• As said before, it's good to talk. Always aim to use the new vocabulary. If there's no one to talk to, talk to yourself! Or to your pet, or to your plants. Just make sure you talk!
• Use a pocket dictionary, there are so many apps where to choose from! 
• Spend time reading in the target language. Whether you are at the beginners level or already at the advanced level, this will increase your vocabulary and familiarize you with the structures of the language. 

2) Improving your listening comprehension skills

• Whenever possible communicate with the target language as much as you can. There really is no substitute for this. 
• Listen to the target language as much as you can, choose something that really interests you: podcasts, audiobooks, radio programmes, TV, Netflix, music, etc. The more interest you have towards the material, the more you want to do the listening. Make it fun and interesting! Get used to the rhythm of the target language. If you are a beginner, then you can start by listening to useful phrases. 
• The internet is full of excellent material for language learning. In fact, at the moment I'm teaching a course for upper intermediate and advanced level EFL learners and I have gathered some excellent websites for my students to improve their listening skills. I'll share these super great tips in my following post. Until then have a great time learning!

Best, Minna

What are your best tips for improving your language learning?