Learning a new language can be a fun and rewarding activity. To help you gain fluency while having fun, we have put together a list of easy-to-do activities that will help you improve your language skills:
1. Watch movies and TV shows : Watching movies and TV shows in your target language is a great way to improve your listening and comprehension skills. Add subtitles in the language you’re learning to shows you know to feel comfortable. It also helps to pick a movie you have already seen as it will help you with the general understanding of the plot. You can also watch a movie or TV show from your target language’s country; it will o immerse you in the culture and motivate you to get even better at the language.
2. Listen to music: Music has always been known as the language that brings people together. Listening to the top hits and classics of a specific country can help you become more acquainted with hearing the language. Looking up the lyrics and trying to guess the lyrics is a fun way to practice too.
3. Find people to talk to: One of the best ways to practice your new language skills, even if you are new, is to talk with others in the language. You can try and talk to natives or other beginners in that specific language. You can find buddies on online forums like reddit or twitter, or on apps like Hellola that are specifically designed to bring you closer to other language learners. If you have a friend or acquaintance that speaks that language, ask him or her to have a coffee and speak uniquely in that language. Only by practicing you will improve and become fluent.
4. Cook : Cooking is something you most likely have to do anyway, so why not make it more interesting? Start out by picking out a local recipe in its original language and try figure out the ingredients and instructions. After you’ve got an overview, start cooking and enjoy your meal!
5. Change the language on your phone: A simple but effective way to immerse yourself is to change the language on your phone. You will always be connected to the language and forced to read it whenever you use your phone. Not to mention that the autocorrect feature will actually be useful for once!
6. Read books, news articles, blogs, and more: There is no better way to improve your reading and comprehension skills than to practice reading. Your local library or bookstore will have books and stories for every reading level; some even come with vocabulary explanations or translations. You can also look online for some interesting quick reads. Alternatively, search for news articles or tweets in the language you’re trying to learn. It will help you learn the common expressions and words to use in conversations.