Current Events > What's the best way to learn a new language as an adult?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Not a particularly smart adult, either.

Move to the country that speaks it.

Online language courses/apps.

Pay money

Go to prison in a country where its the native language

youll have to learn to survive

moving somewhere where that language is spoken. it's also the best way to learn a language as a kid

Talk to a native speaker.

But online/software courses aren't bad. You'd get a decent, functional proficiency if you put the effort in.

Develop a crush in a woman that only speaks that language. Your horny will motivate you

Just wait and hope that the language becomes compatible in a future firmware update

Jiek_Fafn posted...

Develop a crush in a woman that only speaks that language. Your horny will motivate you

Doesn't work

Honestly, immerse yourself.

Apps like duolingo will only take you so far. Youtube channels will only teach you certain things.

If you cant go to the country where the language is prominent, then you're gonna have to do some boring shadow writing and speaking. It takes a ton of repetition, making mistakes, and listening to how it is properly done.

But you will be missing out on a key factor: cultural context. Ever meet a weeb who speaks really weird Japanese? Its because he learned from a weirdo youtube channel or anime. He doesn't understand nuance, cultural norms, references, idioms, or historical things that go into language.

So my best suggestion, watch people talking, write what they say, repeat it. Every day. Its boring, but unless you actually know multiple native speakers, it is all you have.

Im a second language teacher, btw.

_____Cait posted...

Honestly, immerse yourself.

Apps like duolingo will only take you so far. Youtube channels will only teach you certain things.

If you cant go to the country where the language is prominent, then you're gonna have to do some boring shadow writing and speaking. It takes a ton of repetition, making mistakes, and listening to how it is properly done.

But you will be missing out on a key factor: cultural context. Ever meet a weeb who speaks really weird Japanese? Its because he learned from a weirdo youtube channel or anime. He doesn't understand nuance, cultural norms, references, idioms, or historical things that go into language.

So my best suggestion, watch people talking, write what they say, repeat it. Every day. Its boring, but unless you actually know multiple native speakers, it is all you have.

Im a second language teacher, btw.

Youre not wrong.

I realise my reply may have come off as flippant, but I was being genuine when I said that moving to the relevant country would really help.

Ive been in Vietnam less than a year and while learning the language sometimes feels like a very slow process, Ive learned enough to pass the driving test over here, which is only available (theory and practical) in Vietnamese, so Im definitely getting better.

Glob posted...

Youre not wrong.

I realise my reply may have come off as flippant, but I was being genuine when I said that moving to the relevant country would really help.

Ive been in Vietnam less than a year and while learning the language sometimes feels like a very slow process, Ive learned enough to pass the driving test over here, which is only available (theory and practical) in Vietnamese, so Im definitely getting better.

Yeah. The other thing is to remember that you never stop learning. There is no end. You just learn more each day. Thats why most people give up. They imagine language as something with an end goal.

Submersion. That truly is the way.
Music can be very helpful as well.
I learned most of my limited German because of Bach.

As janky as English is, it does pull from so many different places that it can be helpful.

Go to community college and start with the basic classes.

Wake up in a max-security prison in a foreign country. You'll need to learn the language right quick