5 methods for learning a language

I have been teaching languages for several years and one of the things I hear most often is: “I am not capable” and “thank you Maria I had fun today”.

You might think that these two things are contradictory but I will explain why this is not the case.

Hi, I’m Maria and I’m a teacher of Italian and English.

When a student has difficulty with speaking the language or completing some exercises, I first make them feeling comfortable. I then ask them to repeat the exercise and they always manage to do it correctly.

Why does this happen? Have you ever tried to change your mindset and think that learning a language is not impossible?

So, instead of thinking that you are not capable, think that learning can be a challenge and can even be fun! This will immediately give you much more enthusiasm.

So, first relax and think that you don’t have to learn everything at once, but you can take small steps day by day.

There are five simple exercises you can start doing right away, when you finish watching this video.

1. An exercise that I myself did when I lived abroad is watching a TV series in the language you want to learn. So, if you want to learn Italian, you can watch an Italian TV series with English subtitles. Or, if you want to learn English, watching an English TV series with Italian subtitles.
2. You can take the calendar off the wall (if you have one) and write the months and days of the week in the language you want to learn. In that way you will be forced to see them every day.
3. You can take your phone, go to settings and change the language to Italian or English, depending on the language you want to learn. This is one of the first things I did when I lived in England. I remember that it was a bit difficult at first, but that I was forced to learn new words every day.
4. You can take post-it notes and write the names of the rooms in the house and stick them on the various doors and you can do the same with the furniture.
5. Fifth and last point, if you have a blackboard in the kitchen, you can write new expressions every day and use them during the day. For example, you could write: “buongiorno”, “buonanotte” or “buon appetito”. Then try to use these expressions with those you live with or with your friends. It might be fun for them too!

By doing this you can bring this new language into your everyday life.

Thank you for reading this article!

Don’t forget to let me know if it was useful 🙂