Carlex has material geared towards young ones, including Disney movies in foreign languages. What child doesn’t like to have their favorite Disney movie?
Videos can be a great source of culture, especially if you purchase or rent an authentic movie made in the foreign country. For a list of movies to watch, click movies. The answer to this last question depends much on your purpose for learning the language. Whatever your ultimate goal is in using the language determines where you begin. If you are learning for personal pleasure, what interests you most? Sports? Crafts? Animals? You can start learning the vocabulary for each of these subjects.
And, learning the alphabet won’t hurt either. Last week we talked about the first 20 minutes of learning. After 20 minutes, perhaps, you can change the material you are learning. You may decide to learn the hard-core grammar the first twenty minutes and then listen to music in the foreign language for the next twenty minutes, etc.
What Other Ideas Can You Think Of To Change Your Language Learning Activity? A person’s brain learns the most within the first twenty minutes of studying something new. After that, efficiency decreases. Therefore, study in increments of twenty to thirty minutes per setting, but no more. Take a break, and then come back to studying.
“Learning a foreign language adds variety and flavor to your life.”
The late Dr. Paul Pimsleur estimated that it takes about 1500 words to know the basics of a language and about 5000 words to become fluent. How long would it take you to learn 1500 words? Many language experts agree that, with moderate to intensive studies, three months to a year. |
AuthorAurelia McNeil is a TOEFL and ESL Teacher. |