A language expert who masters 12 foreign languages ​​teaches you 12 effective learning methods

Before talking about the method, I think it is definitely not a waste to spend a little time to reiterate the attitude towards learning methods.

There is a way to learn anything. Based on certain principles, there will be many training or learning methods. Each is effective for some people, but not so effective for some people.

So the way that suits you is really important. However, there is no fixed way in this world that is necessarily suitable for who is not suitable for whom. Suitable and unsuitable are different from person to person.

There is no optimal solution for all kinds of different content and different methods, only which one is relatively best for you. And our task is to keep trying, keep understanding of ourselves, and find and continue to use the most suitable method for ourselves.

Okay, let’s get to the topic, let’s talk about the effective methods that the authors who master twelve foreign languages ​​have shared with us in the book “Anyone from all over the world”. (PS: What a coincidence, most cats have tried it, some are not suitable, and some are my unique weapons)

Here, let’s look at an outline first:

1. Start to develop an action plan

The author of “Anyone from all over the world” shared his own study plan in the book: to reach the level of A2/B1 (fluently communicate with others) in three months.

Why is it three months? Because authors often only have 3 months to prepare to go abroad.

Of course, don’t be too obsessed with the degree of “fluency”, here we mean that you can use this language to carry out basic life and communication abroad. Everyone who has suffered from language must know that we have been struggling for this level of fluency for many years and yet to no avail.

When we talk about the author’s approach, the point is not that we have to spend three months to become fluent in a foreign language like him, but that we need to learn the author’s way — to set learning goals specifically.

Because successful learners always make their goals as specific as possible.

If you are interested in watching 10,000 hours, you will find that almost all effective progress will be mentioned in small modules for training. Using a language to communicate is not only passive learning in the classroom, but also a skill mastering process.

And mastering the skill of language is like practicing a piece of piano. It requires us to train each piece of music repeatedly, split each piece of music into one measure, and train each measure repeatedly, and finally achieve it in one go.

If you look at the process of mastering a language in this way, you can gradually let go of your eagerness for quick success in your heart. Because, no skilled pianist can be obtained by embracing the Buddha’s feet, all of them have to go through enough practice. The language is the same, advanced bit by bit.

If you learn to look at language learning from this perspective from the beginning, start to set stage goals honestly, formulate action plans, and implement them firmly; if you continue for 1 year (or even shorter), you will gain more than just Visible progress is a way of thinking to obtain and do anything that requires long-term investment in patience, planning, and action.
2. Use mini-tasks to force yourself out of the “comfort zone”

After talking about the plan, let’s start talking about action.

According to the first point of view, suppose I have a bad foundation, suppose we have set a target study time of 1 month, then my task for myself is to complete the reading and recitation of the first 20 lessons of the first book of the new concept — one lesson per day .

If you are not confident enough, ask yourself to read aloud proficiently (50–80 times for each follow-up). If you are confident enough, ask yourself to recite one every day. (PS: The new concept is very short… completely Doable)

Completing the daily reading/reciting recording is a “mini task” every day.

Of course, you can also arrange to memorize 30 words every day (reciting the voice + recite 1–2 simple example sentences).

You can also arrange yourself to sing a short song every day, etc.

These are all “mini tasks” that require you to take action to produce results. Forcing you to leave your “comfort zone” to prevent you from doing nothing all day long and expecting the results to get better.

Many friends are constantly looking for ways to learn languages ​​more effectively. Reading more articles, listening to more sharing, and collecting more information is not a process of language practice.

If the articles you read are of quality, they can only be counted as a small part of language learning, not language practice. To communicate in language, you need to practice listening-speaking-listening-speaking repeatedly.

Many friends will come and ask me if there is a good way to learn a language. Today we are also talking about methods, but the really effective methods are essentially forcing you to do “listen-speak-use” exercises.

The only difference is whether you follow this method or whether you can use this method for a long time. This is the basis for whether a certain method is suitable for you.

3. Find your own way to remember words quickly

I have also said words before. Words are not the most important, but they are definitely a very important and necessary foundation.

As for words, we can neither turn the whole learning process into numbly memorizing words, which is a disguised form of tactical diligence to cover up strategic laziness; nor can we say that I just stop memorizing it.

What we need is to find a way to remember words that suits our goals or suits us.

In the book, the author talked about three kinds of memory methods: associative memory method, interval repeat memory method and music learning method. We can learn from and apply it to our own learning process.