How to learn a new language yourself, for free, at home?
Is it even possible?
Where should I start off?
These are some of the questions you might be asking, like many others.
Is it possible? Definitely!
But it’s not for free as to the time you need to spend with it. And there are certain thing I’m pointing out to give you well-meant advice.
So what should you do?
1. Surround yourself with the new language
When we learned our first language as children, we were surrounded by it. Our parents talked to us, as well as other adults. Then we started to repeat after them and say our first words. If we want to be able to understand, speak, read and write in the new language, we have to create the environment for that. Surround ourserves with French, Spanish or Japanese.
It means you should write stick notes with words and put them on things at home like mirror, chair, fridge etc., write down sentences and phrases and have them around you, listen to the radio or TV while doing other things.
It’s source for our subconscious mind. Even though you think you’re not learning, your brain is perceiving the sound. It hears the intonation, wording, phrases. Without you being aware of it.
2. Use smart apps
There are many smart apps for your phone. I wrote an article about one of them lately, the app called Mooveez. If you are interested in more details about how this app works, read this post: The best app for learning Spanish.
Some of the apps are free, some have a trial period and then you pay monthly subscription. Such apps enable you to have contact with the new language every free moment during the day.
3. Watch YouTube videos or TV series
There are so many videos on YouTube made by native teachers (Like Butterfly Spanish) with lots of explanations, grammar examples and phrases. But not only that! There’s also a lot of short instructions, vlogs and best moments from various TV series. The choice is yours. Watching videos you get your brain used to listening to native speakers.
One big advantage of YouTube is the fact it is free of charge and you can choose from many channels and videos. If you don’t like one, you can look for another one.
My favourite channel for Spanish is Butterfly Spanish, a channel of a Mexican girl who is very enthusiastic and can explain grammar in a simple way. But I’m sure there are many other ones.
4. Self-talk
Self-talk is all about creating sentences in your head, just thinking in the new language. You can, but don’t have to, say the sentences aloud.
You can also talk in the new language with your dog, right? 🙂
Or imagine that someone asks you questions like “what are you going to do today” or “how was your day”, “what did you have for lunch” etc. It’s not about the content or level. Not at all.
The thing is you are forcing the brain to remember vocabulary and create meaningful sentences.
There is a nice video about language learning here:
5. Find a partner for talking
An ideal partner for that is someone who can speak your new language well but if there’s noone around you, talking about your friends and family, find some chat partners using the app HelloTalk, for instance.
If you, for instance, want to learn Spanish and your husband or child speaks the language a bit, you can agree on a Spanish evening, or even a Spanish day. At first, you’ll just say simple sentences but there will be gradual progress visible, you can be sure of that.
So how to learn a new language for free?
At best, combine all the tips above. Surround yourself with the new language, choose some of the smart apps, pick a YouTube channel you find nice or watch TV series (even with subtitles). Talk to yourself in the new language and find someone to practise simple talk with.
It’s not necessary to do it all at once. Just choose what you like. Don’t stress. Have fun.
However, if you want to see some progress, you have to BE IN CONTACT WITH THE NEW LANGUAGE EVERY DAY.
If you want to choose some smart app or program for learning, read the post Best language learning apps 2019
Also, if you want to ask me something, write me in the comments section below.