One of the first questions that students ask us here at is how long do I need to take classes to be able to speak , etc. The problem, is that this isn’t the right question to ask. What do students mean when they say “speak the language”? Do they mean being able to order a coffee or do they mean being able to hold a conversation about existential philosophy? Knowing when learning a language can help to learners to avoid frustration that can result from having an unrealistic or unclear idea of their progress. Check out the following tips below to learn how to sustain your motivation when learning a new language by setting realistic and achievable language goals.
2. Think about how you are going to use the language
Try to relate your goals to actual language functions such as “order a coffee” or “understand the main points of a news report” rather than grammatical functions like “learn the subjunctive tense”. This will help you to not get bogged down in mastering the nitty-gritty elements that won’t necessarily improve your communication skills in practice. Relate this list of goals to the list of ways that you think that you will learn the language. For example, if you know you are going to use the language in a restaurant, set a goal for yourself to learn the words for 50 different food items. The more concrete and specific you are, the easier it will be to see when you have achieved your goal. a link to examples of concrete language goals.
4. Set a schedule and stick with it
Obviously, you will learn faster if you spend more time studying and practicing, but most of us have jobs, families, and other responsibilities that prevent us from being full-time students. Therefore, it’s important to be realistic about how much time during the week you will have to work on homework, review flashcards, etc. Try making a for yourself so that you have a dedicated amount of time blocked-off in the evenings or on weekends. And don’t bite off more than you can chew for the sake of advancing faster. Even 30 minutes a day of review can make a big difference in your progress.
5. Make big goals and small goals
Good Luck!
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