Alice Teh Larsson

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How I Learn a Foreign Language

I have done a few posts in the past about how learn Italian; however, for this post I’d like to revisit my methodology and summarize what had worked for me right from the beginning. Using Italian as an example, I did the following without attending any classes.

Listen to the sound. Like a child learning to speak, hearing and mimicking sounds are important. The main resources I use are:

  1. YouTube: Children's stories; for example, this playlist is a great place to begin.

  2. Netflix: I queued a few Italian movies for viewing.

  3. CDs in Phrase Books: Lonely Planet and Berlitz are my default.

Books. I have a tonne of these ranging from basic to advanced. I bought a substantial lot of Italian reference books while I was in Italy. However, what had really worked for me in forming a strong foundation were the following examples, which I’ve standardized as my go-to books for the other languages I’m learning:

  1. Phrase Book: Berlitz (and Lonely Planet)*

  2. Easy Italian Step-By-Step

  3. Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Italian

  4. Correct Your Italian Blunders

  5. Teach Yourself: 50 Ways to Improve Your Italian

  6. Oxford Beginner's Dictionary: Italian

I carry the smaller volumes with me while commuting to work. The key here is DAILY exposure. While waiting for the bus to and after work, I just whip the book out for a quick revision. The thicker tomes are for studying over the weekends—I’d dedicate at least 4 hours for this from lunch time to coffee break.

Apps and websites. There are many free and cost-effective websites, but the following are my favorites. For those I paid either a subscription fee or for purchases, I mark them with a star.

  1. News sites or online newspapers such as La Repubblica and La Stampa

  2. About.com

  3. Duolingo

  4. *Babbel

  5. *Zinio (This is a great way to read foreign magazines without bursting the piggy bank and cluttering your space with physical magazine copies.)

There you have it—this is how I learn any foreign language and is now my study formula. Oh yes, I changed my iPhone and iPad settings to Italian too.