Strategies for Learning a Foreign Language

Courtesy of Duke University, an Abroad View Foundation Sponsor

Foreign language learning...
• is cumulative. Each chapter or lesson will build on all the ones that came before it. The vocabulary and grammatical structures that you learn one week will recur in future assignments. Therefore, you have to learn everything well, and retain that knowledge long after you have been tested on it.

• requires daily study. Because foreign language learning is cumulative, it is important to not only keep up with new material, but also find the time to review past material regularly. This goal can be most easily accomplished by studying every day instead of saving up foreign language homework or review for just a couple of days each week.

• requires mastery, not just familiarity. Many people stop studying vocabulary words when
they can go through a stack of flashcards and get them all right. However, at that point in the
learning process, you are only just beginning to truly learn the words. In order to make those
words a permanent part of your foreign language vocabulary, you need to continue to review
beyond the point of familiarity to achieve true mastery – having as much command of your
new foreign language vocabulary as you have in English.

• is actually useful! If you find yourself unmotivated in your foreign language class, imagine
all of the opportunities you might have to use this language – international job opportunities,
travel, cultural events, foreign films, getting to know new immigrants, and more. Thinking
about the usefulness of the language in your future can motivate you to study harder.

In Class
• Be there and participate. Foreign language learning depends on regular contact with and
use of the language. Class meetings are one of the few opportunities you will have to listen
to and speak the language spontaneously. Class sessions also provide an opportunity to ask
questions.

• Take notes. In discussion-oriented classes, you may not think that there is much need to take
notes. But many foreign language teachers write key vocabulary words on the board, or
explain grammar and verb conjugations during the discussion – it makes sense to write down
these important details. Also, make a note of any word or phrase that was unfamiliar to you,
or any topic of conversation that you had trouble following. Jot down questions that your
teacher asks in class so that you can practice answers to those questions and similar ones
later. These notes may help you figure out what material you need to study more extensively.

• When someone else is called on, think your about your own answers. Don’t just go on
autopilot because you dodged the bullet and didn’t get called on. Instead, think through your
own answers to the questions that others are asking. Doing so will keep you more actively
engaged in the class (and less likely to zone out!) and will also help you learn the material
that others are talking about.

• Take chances! Many students resist participating in class because they fear looking stupid or
sounding funny. But taking chances and trying to communicate in the language is the only
way you’ll learn to be a fluent and comfortable speaker. Practice phrases like, “I don’t
know,” and “I need some help” in the language you are studying so that even if you don’t
know an answer right away, you can at least respond to a question in the language.

In Your Study Sessions
• Practice the skills that you will need for the test. Test preparation should be, at least in
part, guided by the requirements of the test itself. For example, if your test will require you
to write passages in the foreign language, writing should be a part of your review and if you
will have to listen to questions and write down answers during the test, you should
incorporate listening activities into your study sessions.

• Make flashcards to learn vocabulary. Create flashcards for each new vocabulary word in
your chapter or unit. Write the word in English or paste a picture representing the word on
one side of the card and write the foreign language translation on the reverse. Be sure to
write out any variations of the word or special information as well – plural spellings, whether
it is masculine or feminine, special uses of the word, etc. Pay special attention to spelling and
accent marks as you review – some people find it helpful to spell out each word letter-by-
letter while reviewing in order to memorize spelling.

• Reduce your reliance on English. While reviewing vocabulary, instead of focusing on the
English translation of words, try to associate the word you’re learning with the concept it
represents. So instead of reading the French word “chien” and thinking the English word
“dog,” try to read “chien” and picture a dog in your head. This may help you eliminate the
“middle man” of your English vocabulary and help you start to think in the language.

• Try color coding. Use packs of multicolored notecards or different colored pens color code
your flashcards. You might choose one color for nouns, one for verbs, one for adverbs, and
so on. Or you might write all masculine nouns on blue cards, all feminine nouns on pink
cards, and all neutral nouns on white cards. Find a system that works for you.

• Use big flash cards to learn larger groups of information. Try 5x7 or 4x6 notecards for
learning larger sets of information. For example, you could make one large flash card to help
you learn all the days of the week, numbers 1-20, or colors in your new language. You could
also write up a card for the conjugations of a particular verb form, writing the verb ending
and a sample conjugation on one side and then writing a list of verbs with that ending and
their meanings on the other side. By using small cards for individual words and larger cards
for groups of words of broader concepts, you’ll review both the “big picture” and the details.

• Shuffle your study cards often. While it is helpful to learn information in groups, it is also
useful to isolate words from related words in your studying from time to time. It can be easy
to remember the word for “Friday” when you study it in relation to other days of the week,
for example, but it is much more challenging to recall that word when it is shuffled in
between the word for “grapefruit” and the verb “to employ.” By mixing up words of different
types and from different chapters, you will challenge yourself to remember the words
independently, without the “crutch” of related words to lean on. (Of course, on the test, if
you can’t remember the word for “Friday,” there’s no reason not to run down a list of the
days of the week in your head to jog your memory!)

• Sort your study cards based on your level of learning. When you review your study cards,
sort them into three piles, (1) I Know It, (2) I Sort of Know It, and (3) I Don’t Know It. Go
through the third pile until you seem to know them, then add in the second pile and shuffle
them. Go through that pile until it seems familiar. Finally, add in the first pile of cards you
initially knew and go through the whole stack again. By reviewing what you don’t know
first, but continuing to add in more familiar material as well, you’ll build up your knowledge
of unfamiliar material while retaining your knowledge of the material that you initially knew.
Set the cards aside and, later in the day, go back to them and try this sorting again – you may
be surprised that things you thought you knew in one study session seem unfamiliar again
later in the day.

• Study vocabulary well beyond the point of familiarity. It is tempting to quit studying
vocabulary as soon as you can go through a stack of cards and know all of them, but this is
just the beginning! Go through your notecards longer than you think you need to, and come
back to them after a few hours, days, or even weeks to make sure that you continue to know
the material that you learned a while ago. This sort of “overstudying” will help make your
new vocabulary a permanent part of your knowledge base.

• Not everything is as boring as learning vocabulary. Early study in foreign language can
be frustrating and/or boring because it feels like all you’re doing is learning new words.
Never fear! Once you have built up a working vocabulary of a few hundred words, you’ll be
able to figure out new words from context in conversation or in readings. This kind of
learning is much more interesting and rewarding than simple vocabulary memorization.

Speaking
• Study out loud. In most foreign language classes, you will be asked to speak the language
on a regular basis, and may well be tested on your ability to do so. Practice this skill while
also learning vocabulary by reviewing your notecards out loud. Read any written passages
aloud, practicing your pronunciation of unfamiliar words.

• Record yourself on a tape. When reading a passage aloud, start a tape recorder running,
then go back and listen to the tape to critique yourself. If you have access to a language lab
or other spoken word source in the language and can get access to two tape recorders, set one
player to record and set the other tape recorder to play the native speaker. After each
sentence, pause the native speaker tape and repeat the sentence aloud. When you’re done,
listen to the tape you recorded and compare the native speaker’s pronunciation, inflection,
and accent to your own.

• Practice with a friend. Probably the best way to practice speaking a new language is to
converse with another person. Pair up with someone in class and practice. Ask each other
questions that will require the use of new vocabulary words or verb forms and help one
another when you get stuck.

• RELAX. You made a lot of mistakes when you learned how to speak English and, chances
are, you’ll make mistakes while speaking your new language, too. Understand that sounding
a bit funny is part of the learning process and that the more you speak, the sooner you’ll
sound like a pro.

Reading
• Focus on overall meaning first, then deal with details. Use the title, pictures, captions,
headings, or other clues to help you figure out the context and main topic before you read.
Read through a passage once quickly to try to get the overall “gist” of the text, then go back
to try to figure out confusing passages or unfamiliar words. Forcing yourself to read without
trying to translate every word will help you become more comfortable figuring out the
language on your own.

• Avoid word-level translation. Whenever possible, try to figure out the meaning of the word
from its context. If you can’t discern the meaning, then at least figure out some information
about the word – is it a noun? Is it masculine or feminine? Does it seem to have something
to do with color? Then when you look up the word, see if your guesses were close.

• Don’t write English words into the book. Some people like to write English words in the
margins or between the lines of the text, but this strategy doesn’t help you learn the word in
the new language. Instead, make flash cards of unfamiliar words and their meanings.

• Don’t use online translators. Typing a passage into an online translator and hitting “send”
doesn’t accomplish the goal of reading comprehension assignments, and it doesn’t guarantee
an accurate translation. There are subtleties of the language that word-by-word electronic or
dictionary translation simply can’t capture. There is no substitute for independent reading
and learning from context.

Writing
• Read a lot. Skilled English-language writers are often avid readers; and reading in your new
language will help you become a better writer in that language by familiarizing you with
grammar, sentence structure, turns of phrase, and idiomatic expressions.

• Learn from earlier writing assignments. Instead of just discarding graded written work,
use it to learn about your habits as a writer in your new language. Look for patterns of error:
Do you often make mistakes with –ir verbs? Do you have trouble with gendered nouns? Is
your vocabulary limited? Review words and grammar that you used incorrectly on your
assignment and then edit with an eye toward catching similar errors in future assignments.

• Make sure you understand English grammar. Many students struggle with grammar in
foreign language writing, but it can be hard to learn grammar in a foreign language if you
don’t fully understand grammatical concepts in English. How can you learn the past
participle in German, for example, if you don’t even know what “past participle” is? Find a
good English grammar books and learn what all those terms mean and how they work in
English – you’ll find that your understanding of foreign language grammar becomes much
clearer.

• Practice making sentences, not just conjugating verbs. While learning verb forms or even
vocabulary, practice using the new ideas and words by writing new, complete sentences.
Doing so will allow you to learn the new words while also practicing your writing skills.

• Keep a diary or write letters in the language. By writing regularly about the things that
matter to you, you will improve your ability to express complex ideas in the language you are
studying.

Listening
• Use language labs or practice tapes. If your book has a recorded lab or practice guide, use
it regularly. You may even want to make your own practice tapes by recording yourself
reading questions or passages, and then listen to them to make sure you can understand the
spoken word as well as the written word.

• Study with a friend and read passages to one another. Group work can speed up your
listening practice considerably. Read to one another or ask each other questions and hone
your skills at understanding the language outloud.

• Practice the kinds of listening that you will do in class or on a test. Use your notes or old
tests to develop a list of questions like the ones your teacher has used before. With a partner,
take turns asking random questions from your list and answering them orally or (for test
preparation) in writing.

Opportunities for Extra Practice
Foreign language learning can be greatly enhanced by additional contact with the language. Seek
out opportunities for extra practice wherever you can. Set a goal of incorporating one extra
practice activity each week.

• Study abroad. There is no substitute for total immersion in the language. Take advantage of
Duke’s study abroad opportunities to travel to a new place and study your chosen language in
an exciting location surrounded by native speakers.

• Watch foreign films. Even if you can’t go abroad, you can immerse yourself in a new
language and culture via foreign films. The Duke library system has several films available,
or you could check out the offerings at local movie theaters and video rental shops. If you are
watching the movie at home and want to practice listening, tape a sheet of newspaper over the
bottom few inches of the screen to get rid of the subtitles. Eliminating subtitles is also an
option on many DVD menus (as is listening to your favorite American movies in some
languages, especially French or Spanish!).

• Read newspapers on the Internet. Check out the internet public library for a list of international newspapers available online. It includes links to hundreds of newspapers in dozens of languages. You might even try reading a news story in German (for example), then finding a story about the same event in
an American newspaper and comparing the two, using the English version as a guide to help
you figure out the words or sections that were puzzling in the German version.

• Read books in your new language. Seek out good books in the language you are trying to
learn. The classics in your language are always a good place to start, but many people find it
interesting to read more modern novels or short stories which might give you a better sense of
how people actually speak the language today. You could also consider getting copies of
books you have read in English in their original language, or getting foreign language
translations of popular American books for added practice. The Harry Potter series, for
example, is available in several languages and children’s books usually have a simple enough
vocabulary to make it easy for beginning language learners to read and comprehend the text.

• Look into on campus activities. Many colleges offer opportunities for foreign language housing and
clubs. You could also form a group of your own to meet for lunch or dinner once a week and
practice the language.

• Get to know your college's international house or international student group. Through these venues you can meet native speakers of your language and help them with their English while they assist you with
your language learning. This is a great way to get to know interesting people and learn more about the many cultures that come together at your college.

• Volunteer with an ESL program in your community.