The Language Learning Tip No One Told Me (But Everyone Should Know)

Why your next language breakthrough won’t come from studying, but from living.

If you want to throw your ego for a spin, try learning a second language as an adult. Bonus points if you’ve never learned another language before.

You might compare the language learning journey to a Spartan Race, just when you make it through one set of obstacles, you find yourself faced with another set. But you can certainly maximize your learning if approached properly.

Today I’m here to share a helpful, and absolutely necessary step in your language learning journey! It’s a tapas-sized post with a punch.

The most important language learning tip I can provide for you is…drum roll please…

Do an Activity in the Language You Want to Learn

Go sign up for a class right now in the activity of your choice. Ideally one you’re genuinely interested in or already have experience in.

Repetition Is Your Bestie

Doing an activity in the language you want to learn has two hugely important benefits.

First, it forces you to practice the language in a real-life setting. It’s a dedicated hour or two, each week, of an activity in the language you want to learn. You will hear the same vocabulary over and over, the repetition your brain needs without needing to study boring flashcards in your room.

I can’t truly capture how beneficial this is. You need to live it for yourself.

When I first moved to Sevilla I wanted to get into yoga so I signed up for a local yoga studio. I barely spoke any Spanish at the time and my vocabulary around the body and physical activity was nonexistent.

Shoulder blades? Hamstrings? Had no idea how to say those in Spanish.

I spent most of the first month in class with my mouth agape and furrowed brows, trying to untangle the string of andaluz that I couldn’t make sense of, despite the calming namaste tone of the teacher.

I felt so awkward in class trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. Humbling experience, it was.

I immersed myself in the class anyway. And much like the repetition when you watch a series week over week, the exposure to the same words week over week, what do you know, teaches you the word through osmosis!

Isquiotibiales. That was a tough one. I heard it for months before I finally learned it. But now I’ll never forget it.

The second benefit of attending activities in the language you’re trying to learn?

Making Friends with Locals

I went to literally one class at my yoga studio and immediately made a friend. Sevilla quickly went from being a city I loved, to a city I felt a part of.

And this experience of making friends through activities hasn’t happened just once. Any group activity I’ve done here I’ve made at least one friend. Not all of them turn into best friends or people I hang with on the regular, but it still makes an impact.

The benefit of making a friend from the native country you’re living in is priceless.

I’ve met some foreigners who’ve said how hard it is to integrate into the culture. That is a post for another day, but this post starts to scratch the surface. We need to do things (outside of our houses) to make adult friendships, and if you’re going to a guiri meetup well of course you’ll meet guiris. But if you go to ceramics in Spanish, you’re more likely to meet locals and really integrate.

I can’t overstate the value of having connections with people who are from and live in the country you’re living in. It makes a huge difference if you plan on living in your new country for the long haul. And you get a much more personal up-front view of cultural nuances!

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Learning a new language isn’t just about textbooks and podcasts. It’s about living experiences. Each moment pulls you one stitch closer to belonging, while strengthening your language skills.