How to be successful when learning English

3 months ago

Hi guys,

When I studied French and Spanish at University (full time) I really enjoyed it but when I started Valenciano a few years ago I felt like I was *back to square one.

My first piece of advice would be not to worry about making mistakes. Often, when we start learning a new language, we are ashamed of the mistakes we make, so prefer not to speak, however, that's exactly how we improve, don't worry about sounding *ridiculous, it's totally normally! Everyone has *to start from scratch.

Secondly, *surround yourself in the language, the more you hear/see and experience the language, the more you will learn. 

Thirdly, set a goal and *stick to it! It's very easy to start doing something and stop because we get distracted/bored or even when we loose motivation but sometimes you have to motivate yourself. It doesn't matter how small your goal is, even if that means 5 minutes a day, try and keep it up*. That way, you'll be able to see your progress little by little. It's also harder *to get back into something once you *give up. 

Finally, have fun with it! Why learn a language if you don't enjoy it? I loved going to language exchange groups and practising my new skills while I was travelling (even if I only knew a few words). 

Hope that helps! Keep trying! 😄 

PHRASAL VERBS/VOCABULARY:
*to go back to square one = to go back to the beginning 
*to start from scratch = start from the beginning (with no prior knowledge)
*ridiculous = very silly 
*to surround yourself = be all round (someone or something)
*to stick to something/to keep something up= to continue doing or using (something) especially when it is difficult to do so.
*to get back into something= to re-engage in an activity or situation after being away from it for some time
*to give something up/to give up something= to stop doing or to stop having something