Studying a language made easy!

Languages are some of the most difficult subjects to study. You need to learn tons of new vocabulary, odd grammar rules, and a novel sentence structure. However, it is possible to learn a new language! If you’re studying Spanish, French, or any other language, try out some of these tips to help you succeed and get good grades!

Studying vocabulary

For studying vocabulary, quizlet and anki are your best friends. It’s highly likely that you’ll be able to find pre-made vocabulary sets for your target language on quizlet. Try practice a couple of words on these apps everyday until you get familiar – this is very effective since it’s a method of active recall. Remember to also practice writing these words so that you’re familiar with the spelling (and any accents!)

Use your logic

This might come as a surprise, but you don’t need to know every single word in your target language to be able to speak it well. Try to notice patterns in word formation, and use these patterns to help you guess new words. For example, English words ending in -ly usually end in -mente in Spanish. Generalmente (generally) and prácticamente (practically) are good examples of this. You can then use this to guess new words that follow the same pattern, like basicámente (basically).

Practicing grammar

Another very important thing to do when studying a language is to practice the new grammatical structure. I usually like to write out how to conjugate verbs whenever I learn a new tense, then I write some example sentences to help me practice. You can also do this when you try to learn pronoun rules, advective-noun agreement, and other grammar rules in your target language.

Take risks

“I like food. Yesterday I had a sandwich. It was very delicious. My sister eats lots of cheese.” Does this remind you of your writing style during language tests? Don’t be afraid to experiment with the way you say things. I usually like to think about how I’d say my sentence in English, then translate it to Spanish in my head. This way, the sentences are much more complex.

Learn fancy sentence structures

You can’t just rely on accuracy and a wide range of vocabulary to get high-level marks on your language exams. Try asking your teacher for ways to incorporate more complex sentence structures, such as the present and imperfect subjunctive tenses in Spanish. For these, I learn the basics of the tense, then I write some practice sentences using the complex sentence structures. Try memorising some examples you could easily incorporate into your writing as well!

Surround yourself with the language

Finally, you need to start to include the language in your daily life. I listen to Spanish music and the duolingo Spanish podcast. This way, I can practice my listening comprehension and learn new vocabulary. As well as this, you can watch TV shows in your target language with subtitles in that language, or you can label things in your room with their names in your target language.