Learning a language from scratch can be an emotional roller coaster: it’s exciting, fun, scary, daunting, and everything in between. When you’re learning a new language from scratch, it can be difficult to know where to start and what to focus on at first.

Founder of Lingomee.com shared his knowledge so you can dive right into learning the language you chose and enjoy it at the same time. Naturally, there will be tough days, but when you’re using the advice shared here, you’ll have a better experience in general.

Find Your Motivation

Why are you learning this new language from scratch? Knowing your ‘why’ is important in staying motivated and sticking with it until you’re fluent.

Get in the Right Mindset

You need to be in the right mindset before you even start picking up dictionaries and textbooks. Try your best to never have a negative or pessimistic attitude while you’re learning.

Plan Your Studies

Although many people like ‘organized chaos’, having a well-thought-out plan is the key to effective and successful language learning. Come up with a plan that suits you best and stick to it.

Find Good Resource

There are many language learning sources out there, but they’re not all created equally. Some are simply better than others. Research the best ones and make a list; then choose the one that appeals to your way of learning and only use it for your initial learning. You can use other resources once you’re better at the new language.

Sounds Are a Good Start

You can begin by learning the ‘sounds’ of your chosen language. This means you need to master pronunciation as soon as possible. Even when you make mistakes, if you pronounce words correctly, you’ll be closer to speaking well than if you couldn’t pronounce them properly.

Learn the Alphabet and Characters

Unless the language you’re learning uses the same alphabet as the one you’re used to, you should first learn the new language’s alphabet and characters. Languages like Chinese and Japanese have vastly different characters and knowing how they sound will improve your learning experience.

Immerse Yourself

Immersion is one of the best ways to learn a language from scratch. Getting to know the culture of your chosen language can help you better understand it. It’s also a lot of fun learning about other countries’ ways of living.

Personalize Your Learning

Make your learning experience personal, and you’ll learn faster. Focus on your favorite topics, listen to your favorite genre of music, and watch movies and TV shows that you will really enjoy.

Slowly Learn Common Words

Your vocabulary will expand gradually if you don’t rush it. Try to learn about 100 words and master them before moving on to 500 and eventually 1,000 of the most common words in the new language.

Enjoy Your Language Learning

There you have it—the best ways to learn a new language from scratch. The rest is up to you and your determination to learn the language you chose. Have fun, and good luck!

John Mali Director of Media Relations

Director of Media Relations at AboutBoulder.com

john@aboutboulder.com