Need to learn a foreign language fast to be able to speak fluently? If you’ve set such an ambitious goal, this article certainly is for you. Here, I’m sharing my proven method for learning and boosting my foreign language level in 3-4 months. I call it a “method,” although, it is more of a set of the right actions and approaches I developed. I’ve used it twice in different contexts and with different languages. Both times, it has produced outstanding results. Moreover, everyone who saw my progress in real-time asked me how exactly I learned the language. The effect of my story on friends inspired me to summarize it in writing so that anyone can repeat my path.
Before turning to concrete steps, I’ll outline the key principles for approaching the process because adhering to them and understanding their essence is critical. The circumstances of your life and the language you are learning can be absolutely any.
1. Motivation Is Key
Regardless of the reason for learning a language fast – whether it’s a new job you are starting, a language test you are preparing for, or a new country you are planning to move to – a strong motivating context will double or even triple your chances of success. It’s important because motivation and specific time frames set the pace for this process. Say, you’ve just decided to allocate a few months to boost your language skills – that’s fine too. However, I hope you’ve got the right level of motivation to actually follow through as you may find it challenging to keep up with the pace required to achieve a similar result.
2. Set A Realistic Time Frame!
Why do I recommend four months? Based on experience, this timeframe is optimal for the method I’m describing to achieve the desired outcome. While four months is not the only possible timeframe for intensive language learning, anything less than three months would make it physically impossible to reach a decent level, and more than five months would make it physically impossible to maintain such a learning intensity. During these four months, you can prioritize language learning over less essential matters and entertainment without significantly impacting your life or distancing from your friends.
3. Be Realistic about the Weekly Hours You’ll Commit to Your Goal
Now, here it’s time to say that I’m sorry if you read this far expecting a magical pill like “15 minutes a day” method. If you want to learn a language in a few months, you should understand that besides taking the right actions, you would also need to dedicate the right amount of time, a minimum of 20 hours a week, and preferably more, to language learning.
It is important to note that we are talking about pretty extreme cases here, when you are limited in time and need to learn a language fast, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal. But pick wisely how you spend those 20+ hours because I know people who spent even more time and still didn’t achieve results in the desired term or made it at the cost of burnout and emotional strain. This method, in fact, is specifically made to prevent that from happening.
4. Believe In Yourself
In order to succeed in this endeavor, it is important to be confident that within the next 3 or 4 months, you will have learned the foreign language to a level suitable for an exam, study, or work. The confidence here makes half the success. Without this, you won’t get anywhere. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. As an ordinary person without much aptitude for languages, I set myself the goal, believed that I could, and found ways to do it, and so can you.
Moreover, confidence will play a critical role not only in communication but also in passing formal tests. All of them include the speaking part. While the written language can be improved by about 50-60% in a short time, with the right attitude, it’s possible to boost your speaking level by 80-90%, thus achieving the desired 70% overall score, which is more than enough for admission to a foreign university, for instance.
5. Focus on Pronunciation First
Pronunciation is often underestimated when compared to learning grammar and vocabulary. But trust me, this is exactly the part that will make a difference in achieving your goal. In a language environment, people will assess your language level by your pronunciation 90% of the time. You may know as few as 100 words, but if you pronounce them flawlessly, you’ll be immediately deemed as someone who speaks the language well. On the contrary, somebody who knows 10,000 words but speaks with a very strong accent may be labeled as someone who speaks the language poorly because locals simply won’t understand what the person is saying half of the time.
When talking about making a fast breakthrough in language, learning and mastering the pronunciation will secure you the required boost. Train it, imitate native speakers, and perfect it as much as you can. Try repeating after voiceover in Google Dictionary or switching to movies and songs in the original language. Whatever way you prefer, you need not just to listen but to repeat. Do it in front of a mirror at home or in the car. Record yourself, and re-listen for better results. By understanding how all sounds and their combinations are pronounced, you will be able to correctly read a sentence even if you encounter one-third of the words for the first time. It’s going to come in very handy when hearing words for the first time. You will be able to write them down almost accurately to translate, find out their meaning, and learn.
6. Use Any Opportunity to Practice New Vocabulary
I believe this point is very important, so I’ll emphasize it separately. Take advantage of any opportunity to practice new words and phrases. Attend any gatherings with native speakers of the language that are available for you. Try approaching native speakers and start a conversation, finding a common topic that will be interesting to both of you. I remember discussing the difference between socialism and capitalism with a guy at a party. I don’t remember his exact points, but he turned out to be one of those people who was glad to talk with someone who was just learning the language. He was willing to help and was ready to repeat or rephrase if I didn’t understand something. And my experience shows that there are plenty of people like that. You just need to look around and enthusiastically enter the conversations.
7. Balance The Grammar
Understanding tenses, prepositions, cases, etc. is essential for learning the language. However, try not to fixate on the number of grammar rules you’ll learn or the specific level you’ll achieve. The key point here is that you’d need to learn grammar, not going too deep into the jungle. Most languages have basic grammar rules that can be learned in a few months. Then there are additional tenses that even native speakers rarely use in everyday conversation. In this express method, I’m suggesting that you focus on learning basic grammar and continuously expanding your vocabulary.’
8. Choose the Process that Aligns Well
I recommend selecting the process and tools that resonate with you personally, provided that all tools you use get you maximum ROIs so that rapid learning can be achieved. If you’re uncertain, begin by testing for a week each until you find the ones that suit you best. The time spent on this will be completely worthwhile. Establishing the right process will ultimately save you a hundred times more. So don’t limit yourself and experiment to find the best tools that work for you.
9. Bet On Diversity
The ultimate pillar of learning the language fast is the diverse approach. I’ve put together best practices I used studying other disciplines, such as UX design, and applied them to language learning. Here’s my main finding: No single best course (app, online course, etc.) by itself will give you the level of result you are looking to achieve. No matter how hard you try, putting all your great efforts into a single activity stream may result in burnout or emotional strain. For example, if you download the best app with a program designed for a year but try to master it three times faster. Going through the same format of presentations and exercises repeatedly can become monotonous, and even if you reach the end of the intended path, you risk losing your love for the language. I’m sure you don’t want that!
The solution? Hack the system by enrolling in several (at least 3-4) standard-flow courses with different methodologies at the same time. This way, you can trick your brain into thinking you are constantly doing different things, switching from one to another. This way, you can progress with each course at a normal pace, allowing you to absorb the information effectively without feeling overwhelmed, but the result will be mind-blowing, and most importantly, burnout-proof.
My Experience
The first time I learned a language to prepare for a test required to apply for a foreign Master’s Degree. I spent about 25 hours per week in total including homework time to boost my level from A2 to C1 in four months. My schedule consisted of classic courses for my level, learning the language through movies, group speaking clubs as well as individual lessons with native speakers, and finally specialized courses preparing for the exam I needed to pass. Although this may sound scary, in reality, it wasn’t monstrously much, and it certainly didn’t feel that way.
When I learned another language two years ago to start a new job and relocate to a different country, I had a similar agenda consisting of online sessions with a native speaker, a full daily course of 4 blocks with grammar and exercises explained in my native language, apps for learning words, a comprehensive video lecture course on YouTube, and finally a small module with the analysis of famous songs. Again, switching the activities did the job and made it possible to get me to the level I needed.
I am sharing my experience so that you can use it as a guideline and develop your own method. Chances are you may do better than I did with less time and effort. Yet, I highly recommend preparing for the “worst” when planning your agenda for learning a new language fast. In this case, if you pick up things quicker and easier, you’ll enjoy this even more.
To Wrap Up: the Bonus of Such an Approach
The main thing is to maintain an element of fun because you need to love the language, but I have no doubt that with this method, your learning will progress so quickly that your mood will be great along the way. As a bonus of this approach, get ready that all your teachers on all your courses will praise you and be amazed at your abilities, and at the end of the journey, upon arriving in the country or starting work or study, you will hear the same praise from colleagues and new acquaintances. These emotions will overcompensate for a few missed outings to the bar or movie screenings.
This path is not easy, but it will seem so when you look back. Don’t hesitate to ask questions in the comments to this post – I will gladly answer them. And get ready to tell people how you learned the language because you will be asked a lot.
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