Good day, dear community!
To write this article I was prompted by the publication of the respected Mumlum How to learn a foreign language . It was thought that my experience might be useful to someone.
To begin with, very briefly about myself: I am 39 years old, 14 of whom I live abroad. Currently, I speak 5 languages, including 1 native (Russian) and 4 learned (Ukrainian, English, Greek and German). I happened to experience many approaches to learning. In addition, I spent a lot of time helping my children learn one language or another, with very different results, so I believe that my experience is worth drawing conclusions on its basis.
I want to say right away that learning a language is a painstaking job! I am capable of languages āāand manage faster than most. At the same time, it took me 1.5 years to study to level B2, and now, after almost 2 years, I came close to passing C1. Moreover, itās not at all a fact that I will hand over C1 the first time. Really very difficult exam. Therefore, forget about 2, 3 or 6 months, forget about the year. The minimum required period for mastering a foreign language that is not in the same group as the mother tongue is 2 years. I really donāt know anyone who could handle it faster. Perhaps they are, but itās definitely not worth orienting yourself to a quick study!
So let's go :)
Review and comparison of different approaches to learning a foreign language
The first thing I would like to mention is the school-institute level
I was not a very diligent student, even rather a complete idler. Having spent a total of 10 years learning English at school and college, my communication skills came down to London is a capital of Great Britain and How do you do? Fine, thanks. And you? ".
Suddenly moving to Greece for permanent residence and having 2 Greek words in my vocabulary, both uncultured, the problem of communication with the outside world became acute for me. English at that time was the only alternative, so if you want / not, you had to use it. What happened? It turned out that my knowledge was in some kind of sleeping state. As soon as I started to really need them, as a miracle, in just a few days I could already formulate phrases, and after a couple of months I noticed for myself that I speak English quite well. The word "not bad", I think it should be clarified. By it I mean the ability to express any thoughts / desires / reactions to events, in an understandable way for the interlocutor and without resorting strongly to the use of fake constructions, such as āwell this thing, which can often be seen on the table, so it not only flies, but also moves up and down ā->ā the fly can not only fly, but also jumps ā. I was lucky that for those with whom I spoke, English was also not native, so there were no special problems with understanding. It turned out that my school-institute vocabulary was enough to comfortably conduct a conversation without asking each phrase again.
Of course, at first I did a little home work to refresh my knowledge, did some grammar exercises, listened to something, but the main thing was not at all that.
Most importantly, I want you to understand that those who studied English at school / institute and did not pass it for sweets already have knowledge sufficient for simple communication. Such people, after the "course of the young fighter", I would recommend, if possible, to go for a few months to some non- English-speaking country. There is a very popular Au Pair program in Europe, which allows you to live abroad at minimal cost. With a lot of options and travel agencies that do this. Choose a country (Italy, for example) and the communication language English and go!
Now about the "immersion" method
āImmersionā for me is a method when you, not possessing a sufficient level of language, hope that once you get into the environment with native speakers, learn it from them. This is the most difficult and long way! I do not recommend you go to England if you do not have at least a strong B2 level. I happened to encounter this method in the same Greece, because As it turned out, in my city there were no free Greek entry-level courses. Blinking my eyes for 2 weeks in the classroom, I threw this disastrous business and a little later I got a job in a Greek company. I talked with the boss through a translator (one of the employees) and most of the time I used English in my work. In the office, with the other guys, I was deaf-mute, because naturally, nobody was going to switch to English in everyday communication. In addition to the fact that it is very difficult psychologically, the results of learning a language from such an immersion are not the strongest. After 6 months I began to understand a little and say something simple, but Iām sure that if I just studied at home with textbooks (I hate textbooks), there would be much more sense. It is just as stupid as watching movies / shows in the language you are learning without having enough skills. What is the use if you do not understand 90% of what you hear? Inexplicable muttering in a magical way will not become clearer to you! Immersion works well only in 1 case - this is when you can already communicate well, but your language is ādead, bookā and you sound very unnatural. Immersion will help you learn conversational phrases and constructions for yourself, teach you how to use them, help you learn to instantly understand your interlocutor and speak fluently without difficulty. But do not make mistakes, do not try to master this level without sufficient preparation!
It so happened that after this work in the office I began climbing the career ladder from the bottom and this was my salvation! At the first work, I did the most primitive work and talked with people who did not know Greek very well. They gave me a basic understanding. Then, at another company, I was already dealing with more intelligent colleagues, and thanks to them I went up a notch in terms of language. Then there was work in the Russian-Greek office, where some of the employees were educated Greeks and spoke a little Russian, they helped me develop my skills. Well, in the end, I got a serious job without a single Russian in an environment where I needed to hold meetings, correspond, communicate with the ministry. There, my knowledge reached its climax. But guys, it took me almost 5 years! That is why I say that this method is the most irrational.
Now for the classic approach. Those. with teacher
At the beginning, some tips:
First, I would advise you to attend courses as often as possible. Ideally, every working day. I admire people who have such strong self-discipline that every day, regardless of mood / well-being / circumstances, they conduct independent classes at home. Unfortunately, I am not one of them and sometimes it happens that Iām "rushing" and I canāt get out of the learning process for days, and sometimes I canāt even force myself to watch something interesting for educational purposes. Therefore, daily lessons in the courses are salvation. Conscience will prevail and you will go there anyway. And there, no matter how lazy you are, you still work out. It turns out to be a good help for systematic studies.
In addition, I would like to reassure you a little. In my communication with other students and on my own, I personally can say that everyone has periods when itās even disgusting to look at this fucking tongue and āmy eyes wouldnāt have seen it, but my ears hadnāt heard!ā This is normal, usually lasts from 3 to 5-6 days, and after such a period, skills usually increase noticeably. For myself, I explain this by the fact that the brain collects enough information for processing and deals exclusively with it, to the detriment of new knowledge. After the process of ādigestionā, which by the way takes place without our influence and control, is over, he is again ready to learn new things, and the processed information receives stable cognitive connections. Therefore, I rejoice when this happens and give myself a rest, because firstly, all the same, there will be no sense, and secondly, this means that I worked hard on this and filled the ābufferā of my brain with a sufficient amount of new information.
You also should not be afraid that sometimes you say ālike a godā, and there are days when you cannot formulate 2 words normally. I donāt know if this has anything to do with what I wrote before, but the level of language proficiency is developing in waves and this is absolutely normal. It's a shame only if the minimum point of this function coincides with the exam. But then nothing can be done. Do not forget that you can always retake and do not panic!
Itās also absolutely normal that when you speak a foreign language, you donāt āstart for health and end for peaceā. On my own and my colleagues, I can say that when you need to conduct a long (more than 30 minutes) conversation, or just at the end of the day the brain gets tired and stops promptly delivering the necessary words. Therefore, I recommend not to overexert yourself on the day of the exam, because you run the risk of running out of brain resources to the right moment.
So,
How to plan your time? How much to spend on studying at home?
Practical tips:
- in the initial stages, the most useful, in my opinion, is memorizing small texts by heart. The text, preferably, should be such that it uses competent, beautiful vocabulary applicable in the conversation. Well, if you can give someone who understands several options so that he chooses the best one for you. The text after this, of course, you need to tell someone. Again, it is highly desirable that this person can adequately evaluate intonation, pronunciation and errors.
- as for the now popular method of ālistening and reading at the same timeā. It will help again, at the beginning, when you are hard of hearing. And then, itās better not to look at the book at the same time, but just listening to have the printed text at hand, in order to stop playback if necessary, read the piece that could not be understood, and then rewind and listen again. If you are listening / looking to develop a dictionary, then this will probably hurt you, because in order to read, listen at the same time and understand all this, one must already have very extraordinary language skills. Have you noticed how in the classroom, when someone reads a text out loud, do you need to reread it to understand? This is because in order for this method to work, you must listen or read fully automatically, without losing any meaning. Otherwise, instead of 2 actions (reading, translation), you are faced with 3 actions (reading, listening, translation), which is much more difficult.
So how to teach at home?
This is not such a simple question as it seems. It is clear that you need to do homework. It is clear that you need to repeat what they worked on in the classroom. But then what?
I can advise an approach that helped one very lazy person, i.e. to me. First, I do "how it goes." Those. sometimes 30 minutes, and sometimes several hours. Secondly, if "going" and the training is delayed, then I must every 45 minutes. I do 10-15 minutes. a break, while I get up from the table and do a little stretching to disperse the blood. At the same time, you can climb into social networks, or turn on YouTube. But only if you have self-control of the level of "God."
1st day - my āfavoriteā part is grammar. There are always topics where you make mistakes all the time. So you need to work with them. On the Internet on any topic, a million and a small cart of tasks. You will definitely find something to your liking.
2nd day - reading. And not the book that I like, but the texts corresponding to the studied level. From a workbook. Yes, and on the Internet you can find a lot of things. Reading, translation, full understanding, answers to security questions. Everything is as it should be.
On the 3rd day, work with the dictionary. Everyone probably has their own personal dictionary, which is updated in the learning process. Something from the class, something from life, something they themselves found. So I work with this dictionary. For level B2, I can advise you to devote as much time as possible to stable combinations of n. + Gl. and prepositions (from, to, on, till ...) - with which verbs what is used. At the C1 level, persistent phrases and expressions play a key role. For levels A1 - B1 I can recommend the application Memrise. At one time, it helped me a lot. Also at any level the AnkiDroid application will be useful - there are tons of free dictionaries on any topic and level. Well, my choice of an online dictionary is of course Multitran! I hope everyone understands that you canāt navigate in Google translations!
Then on the 4th day listening to audio. It is not so important that you listen, how much the choice of the appropriate level of audio materials. In the initial stages it should not be too difficult, otherwise it will stop the hunt, in the later stages it is too simple, otherwise it is useless.
Well, on the last 5th day - watching the video. Something that gives real pleasure. Up to level B2, I do not recommend watching something in the original. Watch series adapted for students, podcasts from teachers, etc. Starting from delivered B2, you can switch to any video content. Moreover, if you get something really hard, where half is incomprehensible - just skip it.
Separately, I mention the famous Rosetta Stone program . This is a noteworthy entry-level solution. Before B1, it will definitely come in handy for you. The only thing you need to feel when it's time to stop. Throw it when you see that you have grown and it is no longer of great benefit. Actually this applies to any applications and computer programs for study. All of them are good at the initial stages, then they just take the time.
Over the weekend, I rest, and I advise you. Yes! And do not forget about what I wrote about the days when, well, I really don't want to do it at all. Do not ignore these body signals, give yourself a week of rest, otherwise the study will be associated with negative emotions and a persistent aversion to the language being studied will develop. Do not complicate the situation. If this happens once a month, this is normal.
The main thing is that you understand that the progress of the study depends not only on your efforts, but also on the physiology of the brain itself. The brain is not able to "digest" and remember as much as you want. He has his own capabilities and limits. It is because of this that it takes a lot of time to learn a language; it is because of this that children learn faster than adults. New neural connections are formed in a certain finite amount, so even if you work out for 10-12 hours a day, it will not work faster.
Now for exam preparation
I didnāt give up in Russia, but I think that the principles are the same everywhere. At least in Greece and Germany they are the same.
1) Reading. If you are not lazy and periodically read, then this part should not be a lot of work. The main thing to remember at any level will not be that you understand 100% of the words in the test. Unfamiliar words were and will be. Do not pay special attention to them. Have you read it several times, didnāt reveal any links in the word with what you already know? Move on. Typically, the meaning of the word is clear from the context, if not - well, then, no luck. Especially unlucky if this word was the key in the sentence. Do not go in cycles and do not waste time.
Synonyms Accustom yourself from the very beginning (from B1) to look at synonyms. Do not think so that "ah, I know this word." Take the trouble to do a reverse translation and see what other words in a foreign language correspond to this Russian word. You do not have to have them all in the active dictionary, but it will be very useful to you if they are somewhere in the back of the memory.
2) Listening. There is nothing to say. Listen more and you will be happy. Pay close attention to the questions, you must clearly understand what is being asked, because very often precisely in questions lies a catch. Forget about your personal opinion, remember that we are talking about what they say on audio recordings - respond accordingly. Actually, this also applies to reading.
3) Grammar. Learn grammar ... Donāt worry, the main thing is usually very few points. Therefore, you donāt need to score on it, of course, but you also should not give the main role to grammar in the study.
4) Written assignment. Everything is very individual here, in the sense that there are a million options for written assignments and I do not know what can be advised in a global sense, except for training. Write at home at will and let the teacher check. Pay attention not only to grammar, but also to the logic of your text, the use of various synonyms, stable phrases (suitable!), Writing complex sentences. All this is taken into account when checking the examination papers. Try to find a study friend in the Tandem application who needs help in learning Russian (there are many of them now) and in return would be ready to help with your language.
And finally.
Even after passing B2 / C1, do not be discouraged if you still find it difficult to understand native speech. For this we need experience in communication in society, because language is not grammar or vocabulary. Language is a collection of established constructions, expressions, proverbs, etc. Language is the use of certain grammatical forms in certain situations.
The highest (for me) level of understanding is when I understand the conversation of two indigenous people with each other. At the same time, theyāre āgoing into battleā: distorting words, not ending endings, speed as in a message about contraindications in advertising, āleftā grammar, persistent phrases, slang, etc. In Greece, it took me 6 years to begin to understand this. Therefore, if you study for 2-3 years and do not always understand the netiva, this is normal. Even more, when Iāve been in Germany and studying German for almost 2 years, I still open my big eyes when they accidentally (for 1-2 short phrases) take me for āmineā and start talking to me accordingly.
Please note that most of the time people say āon the machineā using standard phrases and expressions. You have learned the language, if you understand most of them spontaneously and spontaneously respond with their own help, but this comes with time, subject to abundant communication with native speakers.
Just a few words about forgetting.
Once caught in an active vocabulary in adulthood, it is not forgotten! It is normal that in the process of studying you move from the use of one word to another, the "baggage" is not lost. Moreover, without using the language for even a long time, you will need very little time to again begin to speak and understand freely. I felt this on myself when I went to the exhibition from Greece after I had not spoke English for 4 years. It took me just a couple of hours to start feeling comfortable in the dialogs.
The situation is completely different in children. Here are 2 examples: My daughter was born and lived in Greece before the 1st grade. She spoke Greek indistinguishable from local children. Now (after 3 years in Germany) she does not understand Greek at all, because at home we concentrated on German and did not speak Greek. The son came to Greece at the age of 10. After a period of adaptation of 1.5 years, he went to a Greek school, where he mastered the language very well. He, like his daughter, has been living in Germany for 3 years now and is learning German, but he still remembers and knows Greek and speaks almost perfectly.
It often happens that in immigrant families children (or almost completely) do not speak the language of their parents. So, as I understand it, it depends on the age at which the child began to comprehend a foreign language. As you can see, even 12 years old is enough for me to fixate forever. What to say about adults? For example, I speak Greek, ā1 in a year, 2 in a five-year periodā, but it doesnāt make any difficulty for me.
And the last one. All that I wrote about the study fits the definition of "learning a language for communicating with native speakers (to whom the language is native)." If you do not work with the British / Americans / Indians / Australians, etc. then do not bother. Get your B1 - B2 and live in peace! Any native speaker will be able to communicate with you at your level so that you understand him. And if the work does not depend on constant communication with them - do not fool your head. In the business and international environment, for people who have learned the language, the level B1-B2 is considered normal. Good B2 is already very cool. Therefore, do not set yourself high goals, do not waste time!
So my story came to an end.
I hope someone will find it useful. I will be glad to discuss in the comments.
Good luck to everyone and teach "high", do not force yourself!