Tips and Tricks For Learning a New Language for University Students

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Learning a new language can be downright infuriating, challenging and difficult at times. The countless theories, learning styles, tips and tricks, rather than helping you learn Italian, tie you up in a web of confusion and spaghetti. Even when you think you have memorized the nouns, you end up forgetting how the grammar works. With so much information out there on how to efficiently learn a new language, it can easily get overwhelming at times.

But the act of learning a language is one of the most fulfilling life experiences for some people. Exploring another culture and practicing a foreign dialect fills many with immense satisfaction. Even though it will take time, you don't have to struggle senselessly. Here are some of the best ways to learn a new language.

Find the Tutor

A foreign language tutor has seen it all, the pitfalls that you will most definitely fall into, the concepts that you will find difficult, and the things that you are bound to struggle with. If you are serious about learning a new language, finding a good tutor will be well worth your effort and time, as they will be able to give you the personal attention that you need—working with the problems that you are struggling with the most.

Finding a tutor doesn’t need to break the bank. Depending on your current skill level and your time constraint, you have a variety of options to choose from. You can find tutors running weekend language classes in your city where they teach in small groups. Many people find small groups to be highly beneficial, as everyone in the group is at the same skill level. 

If you want more personal attention, one on one language tutoring online is becoming increasingly popular. Working with the tutor, you will discover the perfect learning pace and style for you. Having a tutor greatly increases accountability, holding you accountable even on days when you feel like skipping class, sleeping in, and binge-watching Netflix all day. It pays to be a student, as some online platforms will offer you great discount packages.  

Learning a new language is a beautiful continuous process. It will prove to be one of the most satisfying things that you ever do. By being consistent and finding out what works for you, you will be fluent in no time.

Make New Friends

The key to gaining fluency is to simply speak. Just speak in the language you are learning. Simple, right? Well, most of us find it nerve-wracking to muster up the courage to speak a sentence out loud, fearing the collapse of our ego. To overcome this, work with a foreign language exchange partner, who can provide you with a safe environment to do just that.

If there are communities of people who speak the language you want to learn in your city, start by attending events and interacting with people. Being part of a community is one of the easiest ways to learn a new language. You will pick up on accents, slang, intonations, and mannerisms that you would never have found in a book. You can casually practice what you have learned so far and gain valuable feedback which is highly authentic.

As you interact with natives, you will also pick up non-verbal communication notes as well, like body language, hand gestures and behavioral notes. A simple conversation which may seem dull on the surface is filled with hundreds of tiny things which you need to master the language of your choice.

Finding a language exchange partner who can guide you throughout this process will help you build a solid foundation, — enabling you to continuously hone and refine your skills. But remember, your language exchange partner is not a replacement for an actual teacher but merely a native speaker.

They will be able to teach you many things that you may not find in books, but don't expect them to explain grammar rules and concepts like a teacher would. They learned how to speak the language right from birth, which means many grammatical concepts that you find incredibly difficult to grasp will come easily to them.

Many of us who are trying to learn a new language can often get stuck in certain places, struggling to make the progress that we thought we would, inevitably feeling hopeless. While you may sometimes succeed by putting in a gruelling amount of effort, you can rely on a foreign language tutor to help you in such situations. They provide a no-judgement learning environment for students by removing the hesitancy behind asking questions.

Not only will you be able to cut the time that it takes to become fluent, but you will also learn the intricacies of the language. Though you will need to put in significantly more hours, a well-managed schedule will come in handy.

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