This blog post is part one of my four-part blogging series—covering everything you need to know regarding how to learn a new language by yourself.
By the end of this post, you’ll have a good idea of what it takes to learn a language by yourself, and you’ll feel empowered to start your language learning journey.
Part 2 will cover the resources language learners need, part 3 will cover language learning mistakes to avoid, and part 4 divulges my number one secret to learning a language.
But First, Some Background…
When I first started learning Norwegian, I was a little lost. But the thing was, I didn’t realize I was lost.
I thought I knew exactly what I was doing!
I signed up for a language learning app, started watching shows in Norwegian (SKAM anyone?), and called it good.
No flashcards, no textbooks, nothing like that.
After years of off and on studying like that, I realized how much time I wasted not knowing what I was doing.
Because I didn’t have a plan, I had little to show for my time and efforts.
I remember struggling to put sentences together during my first italki lesson, and feeling embarrassed to say I’d been studying Norwegian for how long I had been.
So at the start of 2019, I was fed up. I knew it was time to get serious about learning a language.
I started thinking, and researching, and putting together a game plan. In 2019, I finally made the progress I was after. And since then I’ve made even more strides.
After being stuck at the beginner stage, I moved to intermediate. I finally reached the level I was always after: B1. I’m not fluent yet and still have a lot of work to do, but I feel like I have a path now.
I know that I’ll get there with more work, and I’m excited to share with you what I came up with.
How do you learn a language by yourself? First make sure you have the right mindset by having a strong “why,” being ok with the fact that it’ll take time, and being curious about the language. Then, plan out your strategy. It should work all four parts of communication (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) and have a mix of input and output. Finally, schedule when you’ll study and stick to it.
How to Learn a Language By Yourself: The Mindset
I know it might seem cliche, but having the right mindset going forward can make all the difference when learning a language alone. Try these three things to work on your mindset:
1. Identify your “why”
This is a must for any goal, language learning included.
To give you an example: My why is to move to Norway. In order to do that, I need to be at least B2 if I want to get a job and get a work visa.
Whenever I don’t feel like studying or start to slack, I remind myself of my why. So why are you learning a new language? To move to a different country? In order to communicate with loved ones in their first language? To get a job?
No matter the reason, just make sure it’s a strong one.
2. Realize that learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint.
Language learning is a long game. As such, I have three tips for making the most out of the journey.
- Be consistent.
- Of course, there will be times when you’re motivated, and times when you’re not. While I don’t advocate forcing yourself to study for long hours everyday, I do think it’s good to get into the habit of doing small, doable things instead of nothing on the days you don’t want to study.
- Need help with this? Snag my free daily language learning checklist. It includes daily tasks that can take around five minutes to complete. Complete them all or do one or two tasks to help stay consistent.
- Optimize your environment + Fake immersion
- Listen to music
- Watch movies with subtitles (use English subtitles to start and as you progress move to subtitles in the target language)
- Change your phone/electronics to your target language (an oldie but goodie!)
- NOTE: With one and two, find things you genuinely like and look forward to watching or listening to. Don’t watch a movie just because it’s in your target language, watch it because the plot is interesting and it’s also in your target language. You’ll stick with the study method more.
- Be prepared to make mistakes!
- Learning a language requires growth, and that is going to be uncomfortable. Mistakes are part of the learning process. Since this is a long term thing, you’re bound to times when it gets tough. So keep it in mind so it’s not an unwelcome surprise. Push yourself out of your comfort zone a little bit each day, or each week. When you succeed, it’ll build your confidence.
3. Be curious
Try to be curious about the language!
“What’s that word? How do I say that? Why is that sentence worded that way?”
The next time you get stumped over a new phrase or are introduced to new vocab words, try not to approach them with dread, but with curiosity instead. You’re entering a whole new world. That’s pretty cool, right?
How to Learn a Language By Yourself: The Strategy
Once you’ve worked on your mindset, it’s time to build a strategy. This is where I fell apart in the past, and what made all the difference going forward.
The four legs of language learning are speaking, reading, writing, and listening. A solid strategy will eventually include each one of these and have a good balance of input and output.
Input is when you soak in something in your target language (listen or read), and output is when you produce (speak or write).
I would have progressed much faster if I had started focusing on output as much as input at the beginning of my journey, so try not to make the same mistake I did!
Find some media for input, including shows, music, audio books or podcasts. Try to find content made for children to start off, as most native content will be incomprehensible right now.
To avoid getting overwhelmed, pick two forms of input to start off with (like music and a children’s show, for example).
In addition, you have grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation to think about, too.
My advice would be to build your strategy around one main resource, a good old fashioned textbook, which will start at your level and provide grammar and vocabulary.
It will include exercises for you to practice reading and writing, and may include audio for you to listen to covering the listening portion of language learning.
To build upon this, I’d throw an app or two in for supplemental practice that’s in a different format to keep things interesting.
Apps are great to use when you have spare time and need to fit in some practice.
Need Some Suggestions?
You could try Duolingo, which does a bit of everything but in tiny chunks. I wouldn’t recommend building your entire strategy around it, but it’s a great add on to your main resource.
Pimsleur is another resource that will work your listening and speaking skills, and also your pronunciation.
And flashcards are a great way to make sure you don’t forget the vocabulary words you’re learning!
RELATED: How to Learn Foreign Language Vocabulary
How to Learn a New Language By Yourself: The Schedule
Once you have your mindset + your strategy, set your language learning schedule.
When will you study? How often will you complete a chapter in your textbook?
My first tip is to be realistic about how much time you have.
If you only have an hour a day to study, and more time on the weekends, take that into account and plan accordingly.
Say you have to be at work at 9 am, so wake up an hour earlier to do a couple of pages in your textbook, do a lesson on an app, and watch five minutes of a children’s show.
While you’re on your way to work you may listen to some music or a beginner’s podcast.
On your drive home you do an audio-based language lesson where you speak out-loud to answer the prompts.
On days that you have more time, you can do more.
The point is to use your time wisely and be honest with how much of it you have.
All in all…
There are loads of other resources, but to keep you from getting overwhelmed, I’d stick with the basics, and stay consistent, within reason, according to your schedule.
Learn from my mistakes: Work on creating the right mindset, build your strategy, follow a realistic schedule, and get going!
This was just part one of the blog post series. Sign up for my email list to find out when part two comes out! In it, you’ll learn more about the resources I recommend beginner language learners to use and why.