A lot of people would agree that language-learning is tough work. Memorization, grammar, and drills make it feel like a full-time job, which can sap your energy and motivation. But there are so many creative ways to practice! Ready for some new ideas?
Acting out Movie Scenes
We love watching TV and movies, and many language learners use foreign Netflix shows to brush up on their language skills. But what if we add a twist to this method and actually act our favorite scenes out ourselves?
This allows us to do so many things: Build our vocabulary, practice speaking and listening, and have fun with friends or fellow students.
How to do this, you may ask? First, make a Youtube playlist of the scenes you want to practice:
Use the following procedure:
- Pick a scene and watch it once all the way through.
- Go back to the beginning and write down each spoken sentence. This is your script.
- Translate anything you don’t understand.
- Play the clip again and read your script along with the characters at the same time.
- You can continue with the video, or get your language partner involved and act out the scenes together!
TIP: It’s a good idea to find a scene with subtitles in your target language just in case you can’t fully understand the speech.
Take Quizzes
If you like online quizzes, then this method might work for you. For example, the BuzzFeed website has different editions in languages such as English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. You can select the edition in the menu at the top of the page and see articles in the country’s corresponding language. Then just head over to the quiz section and start learning!
While the quizzes themselves may be nonsensical and silly, you’ll really learn some natural patterns of writing and slang in your target language.
AskReddit Questions
Sometimes when we’re talking to someone in our target language, we run out of interesting things to say. One trick to keep the conversation going is to ask an unconventional question. And what better inspiration for weird questions than one of Reddit’s most popular subreddits, AskReddit?
One nice thing about AskReddit questions is that the answers often involve telling a personal story. This is great for language learners because we level up our skills when we can learn to recount personal anecdotes and build the appropriate vocabulary for them. Suddenly you’ll find that you have lots more to talk about!
Conclusion
Well there you have it: 3 more unusual methods to learn a language. Take a break from the language books every now and then, and stay motivated!
The Computer Chick 