Learning a language is a big undertaking, I’ll just be honest. And there’s a lot that goes into it, from grammar to vocab to listening skills and more. But it’s definitely doable.
If you need to know how to learn a language fast and fluently, here’s my number one tip: Consistency!
This is part four of my language learning series all about how you can learn a new language by yourself. It’s been updated with new tips to help you learn a language by yourself! After learning how to build a winning strategy, picking the 3 best resources, and knowing what language learning mistakes to avoid, this final installment shares my number one necessary secret to becoming fluent.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link.
I’ve been learning Norwegian for three years and in this last year finally reached B1 level (yay!).
Sometimes I feel embarrassed saying I’ve been studying one language for so long and not having reached fluency yet, but guess what? The only reason it took me so long is that I wasn’t consistent with my studying.
The first year, I took an entire six months off.
Six months!
And when I did study, I only did Duolingo (not to bash Duolingo, it’s great for an introduction to the language. And the Norwegian tree is great).
No flashcards. No attempts to immerse myself. Nothing.
But I won’t bore you with all the mistakes I made in this post, you can read all about them in part three of this language learning series!
So this last year I took a look at myself. What was keeping me from progressing? What could i change? Well, a lot.
How to learn a language fast and fluently? There are a lot of small tweaks you can do to learn faster, but the number one thing is to be consistent. Decide how you’re going to study, and keep doing it day after day. You’ll soon see progress.
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How I Got on Track to Learn a Language Fast and Fluently
I started listening to music regularly.
Yep, this one’s pretty simple.
Also, quick tip: Find music in your target language that you actually like!
You’d think this is a no-brainer, but I used to give allowances to artists who sang in my target language, just because it was in my target language.
I didn’t like it that much, and if it was made in my first language I know I wouldn’t listen to it. I ended up not listening to that music very much anyway.
So I really made an effort to find music that I love, so that I listen to it regularly and it doesn’t feel like a chore.
I started taking weekly italki lessons.
I can’t rave about italki.com enough. Weekly italki lessons with a native Norwegian teacher kept me accountable and was key in boosting my speaking skills.
I found a great teacher, met with her regularly (I still do!), and made sure to get the most out of my italki lessons by sharing my goals with her so she knows how to best help me.
This also helped me balance out my language learning routine, which you’ll learn more about below!
RECOMMENDED: Italki: The One Resource I Can’t Live Without!
I Created a Strategy and Schedule.
Before, I was just studying whenever I felt like it and didn’t really have a strategy.
Now, I plan my study time for each day.
I know that I’m going to study for roughly an hour at 6 pm and do my flashcards and writing practice at around 9 pm. It’s common that I’ll do other things throughout the day, but it helped to know when my core study time was.
I also created a strategy that balances both input and output. So instead of watching hours of Norwegian movies and calling it a day, I now balance that with speaking and writing in my target language almost daily.
I Focused on the 3 Resources I Actually Needed, and Got Rid of the Rest.
As discussed in part two of this series, I realized that I don’t need a slew of resources. In fact, they were kind of slowing me down.
I stopped using multiple apps and just picked one, settled on just one well-rounded textbook to use at a time, started using my Anki flashcards in earnest, and started being more intentional with my input sources (I’m a big fan of music and youtube for short, easily-ingestible content).
There are more things I did, but the gist is…
To improve my language skills I picked a few things to do, and kept at them.
As cliche as it may sound, language learning is a marathon, not a sprint.
Relying on bursts of motivation and thinking what you learn in a week’s time will carry you to fluency just won’t cut it.
To learn a language fast and fluently, you need to study consistently. This allows for a few thing:
1. You can find what works for you and what doesn’t.
When you start doing something regularly, instead of every so often, you’re able to see if it’s working for you or not a lot faster.
If you decide to watch a movie in your target every week but you end up falling asleep each time you do it, you can reflect.
If you only watched a movie once in a blue moon and fell asleep, you might just think the movie was boring or you were really tired that day.
But if it kept happening week after week, no matter which kind of movie you picked or at what time you watched the movie, you know that it’s not you, it’s that study method that isn’t keeping you engaged.
You have enough data points to make that call, and then you can adjust accordingly.
2. You’re practicing and building upon what you’ve learned prior.
You’re building upon what you studied last, rather than learning something, forgetting it, learning it again, in an endless loop.
This is what I was guilty of and what kept me from progressing.
If you don’t study consistently, you’ll forget what you learned the last time you studied.
It’s like they say: if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Whether you do something daily or weekly (and different tasks will have different intervals for when you do them), by doing them repeatedly, you’re allowing your brain to build those neural pathways and actually learn!
Recommended: How to Learn a Language When You’re Busy
3. Consistency creates habits and builds momentum.
If you’ve been consistently doing something, you’re less likely to stop. Compare this to if you only did something once in a blue moon.
It’s like Newton’s first law of motion: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion.
So to tie this back to language learning, if you have a habit of studying flashcards before bed, you won’t have to think about studying. You’ll just do it.
So you get it, consistency is important when it comes to learning a language.
But how do you go from studying whenever to studying consistently?
Well, that’s where I can help. I made this free language learning checklist to include easy, simple tasks you can do every day to stay consistent. Just put your email in below and I’ll send it your way:
How Do You Use the Checklist?
You can print out several in preparation for the week, or you can download it to use digitally. Whichever way floats your boat!
Either way, you don’t have to think about what study method you’re doing that day, you can just look at the list, and start checking them off.
Each task ranges from 5 minutes of work to 30 minutes, and if you want to learn a language fast and fluently, I recommend challenging yourself to check off every task on the list.
Whether you download the checklist or not, the message is the same: Consistency is key.
All in all…
Being consistent is the number one tip I’d give anyone starting to learn a language today.
It helps you quickly recognize which study methods are working, and which ones arent, you’re able to build upon what you’ve been learning instead of just forgetting, and being consistent creates a lasting habit.
To make being consistent easier for you, don’t forget to download your free language learning checklist.
Happy studying!