Recently, I have taken up a new language. Due to slow progress in learning German, I decided to take a break and try French. Over the past month or so, I have made tremendous progress in perhaps five or ten minutes each day, every day.
This is how I am doing it.
First, as a go-to resource, I use Duolingo. It currently provides a wonderful platform for learning a language that, I’ve heard, boosts one up to an Intermediate level in reading and writing a language. Currently, English speakers can learn Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, and French (Dutch, Irish, and Danish are in Beta). Duolingo essentially creates a tree for the target language, being French in this case, and the tree is to be followed. There are certain lessons to complete; once all lessons in a category are completed, a new branch on the tree is unlocked. Lingots are awarded for multiple language-learning endeavors (see https://www.duolingo.com/show_store for more information); they are basically a form of currency that can be redeemed for “power-ups” and other interesting objects. Best of all, Duolingo is fun, addicting, and COMPLETELY FREE! Sign up and try it today!
An excerpt from my French Tree.
As a vocabulary supplement to Duolingo, I absolutely adore Memrise. It is also free (I never pay for anything), and contains hundreds of user-created courses for a very large number of languages. If you’d like a post as to what courses to use for French vocabulary, don’t hesitate to leave a comment! You also receive points for answer questions correctly; these allow you to move up in the rankings, all the way to the prestigious title of Overlord (I believe that’s correct!). A brilliant, effective supplement to language learning; for the purpose of learning foreign tongues, I highly recommend it over Quizlet (which is wonderful for other things… it just depends on what).
Finally, there should always be a speaking aspect involved in languages. And of course, the first thing that comes to mind is Skype (apart from face-to-face conversation in reality, which is even better!). In order to find fellow language-learners to chat with, YOU MUST USE italki.com. It is very effective, especially for those learning a language such as French, Chinese, German, Russian, etc., as there are so many people out there who want to learn English, but need a partner to practice with. Ask them for help with their your target language, while you help them with theirs! It’s a system made in paradise.
As always, don’t forget to leave a comment with feedback and suggestions; if you enjoy the blog, give it a like! All compliments and criticism are greatly appreciated!
http://www.italki.com/dashboard
Duo the Owl eagerly awaits your arrival to Duolingo!
proficiencyinlife 