Between work, school, family, and friends, it can hard to make time for language learning.
However, just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you can’t learn a new language.
I’m here to tell you, you can still learn a language when you’re short on time.
How? By doing small tasks each day. It’s almost become a cliché, but it’s true: Anything is better than nothing, and small actions build up over time to create something truly worthwhile.
Rather than trying to study for an hour a day, aim for a short amount of time each day. This not only helps with staying motivated and avoiding language learning burnout but also allows you to remain consistent when you’re busy.
To be clear, I’m not advocating trying to learn an entire language from scratch with just five minutes of practice a day. That would take you ages! These tips are for those of you who struggle to study daily for lack of time.
Instead of not studying altogether, try one of these methods to get some language learning done in 5 minutes.
Here are 8 things you can do to learn a language when you’re busy:
1. Write in Your Target Language
This can be one or two sentences or an entire paragraph. The point here is to actively engage in your target language in a short amount of time. Notice any words you blank on, and add them to your flashcard deck or write them down to study later.
2. Learn 3-5 New Words
I’ve always been confused about what language learners mean when they say “learn a new word”. For me, I don’t just look up the definition of a word, write a sentence with it, and boom! I’ve learned a new word! I think of this as yes, looking up the definition of a word, crafting a sentence with it, but in addition, making sure to return back to the new word later.
I rely strongly on spaced-repetition flashcards. If I don’t see a word multiple times, I’ll forget it. So on top of interacting with the word once, add it to your flashcard deck, or add it to your vocab journal, to review later.
3. Review Flashcards
This is linked with my point above, and it is really part of learning new words. While my Anki flashcard deck can reach 200 review cards daily when I’ve skipped a day or two (oops), if you’re really short on time, just aim to go through five minutes’ worth.
4. Listen to a Song
Ah yes, the classic input method. Songs are short and sweet. They’re also typically free to listen to in the age of youtube. If you’re familiar enough with the song, sing along with it to practice pronunciation at the same time!
BTW, is your target language Norwegian? Check out this list of Norwegian songs you can use to do some quick listening practice! All the songs are hosted on Youtube and therefore free to listen to.
5. Watch a Youtube Video
Another classic, but for good reason. Youtube videos are a great way to listen to native speakers using everyday language. It’s also common to find videos that are around 5 minutes long.
6. Conjugate a Verb
This tip ties into the second and third tip, but it allows you to dive deeper into a word rather than just focusing on the definition. I’d try to do this by memory first, and then with the rest of your five minutes look up the correct conjugations, and make sentences out of each conjugation!
7. Read a News Article
While news articles are often at a more advanced level designed for native speakers, they can still be useful. Since you’re short on time, read for exposure, rather than full comprehension. Write down new words, and—you guessed it—add those words to your flashcard deck for further study.
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8. Talk to Yourself Out Loud
For those that want to practice speaking in a short amount of time, try speaking to yourself! Whether that’s narrating what you’re doing at the moment, or talking about your day to yourself, this is a good way to practice speaking. To take this one step further, record yourself and play it back to see if you can pinpoint any areas where you can work on pronunciation.
All in all…
To reiterate, I wouldn’t recommend learning an entire language in just five minutes a day. While that sounds appealing, it would take you ages to learn your target language!
The aim of this post is to give those of you who need something quick to do on the days you don’t have time to study longer, ideas for what to do.
I hope these ideas were helpful, and that you give them a shot the next time you’re in a rush. Did I leave out one of your favorite quick ways to study your target language? Leave a comment and let me know! Plus, if you’d like to be updated when I post a new blog post, sign up for my newsletter. Vi snakkes!
