My top and flop methods to learn a language – part 1

So, you’d like to learn a new language. You’re looking for the best methods, but on the Internet there are just so many sources, which one is the best? What if your chosen method ends up being a massive waste of time?

As someone who has been self-studying languages since 2018, I’ve been there. I tried out apps, notes, textbooks, websites and other sources, I watched a plethora of videos on Youtube to find the best study methods and, while some of these strategies are valid, I definitely have to call bs on some other ones.

So, I will list my top and flop study methods for language learning (with reasons!). Since I’ve tried a lot of methods, you will get a part 2.

Top: Vocabulary and flashcard apps

As I mentioned some years ago, when I started learning Korean by myself, the first app I downloaded was Drops, an app that focuses heavily on learning vocabulary.

While Drops was not a comprehensive app at all, it’s still one of my favourite apps to have a good deep-dive into vocabulary. Recently, it was acquired by Kahoot, which made the whole learning experience more interesting thanks to the adding of Learning Showdowns, namely competitive multiplayer learning sessions.

Even without the Kahoot-style learning features, having an app to learn and review vocabulary is very convenient in our busy world: you can carry it anywhere as long as you have a reliable Internet connection and you can set regular reminders to review every day and stay consistent.

An app that uses spaced repetition is even better. One of the most famous apps that use this method is Memrise, which is another great app to learn vocabulary. I was skeptical when I first installed it to learn Korean, but once I re-installed it to learn Slovene, it eventually grew on me.

One of my favourite features is its “Videos” section, where you get to watch a video in your target language, taken from Youtube, and then you get to learn the vocabulary that they used. It’s a great feature that combines listening in context with vocabulary learning.

If you want to make your own flashcards, then apps like Anki or Quizlet might be your best bet. Anki (or AnkiDroid) allows you to create flashcards and repeat the concepts, whereas Quizlet also has more learning options, ranging from the tetris-style game of Blocks to the “Combine” method, which works like a memory puzzle.

No matter which app you use, learning vocabulary is just as important as grammar. I’m learning this the hard way with my Turkish learning progress: the grammar concepts are clear to me, but I’m having the hardest time retaining vocabulary, which is why I have re-installed Drops.

Flop: methods to “speedrun” your progress

Besides actually learning my target languages, I also like doing a lot of research to find new sources, methods and opinions online.

At some point, I’ve come across a plethora of videos on Youtube promising to give you the ultimate secret to fluency to reach level C1 in three weeks or something.

Now, if it wasn’t clear, these videos made me raise an eyebrow to say the least. I have been studying foreign languages my entire life, I went to a language-focused high school and I majored in Modern languages for both my Bachelor’s and my Master’s degree, and it still took me more than 10 years to reach level C1 in English, seven years to reach level B2 in French, and nine years to reach level B2 in German.

Learning a language is something that naturally takes time, and thinking you could speedrun the learning process that much is just unrealistic. If you’re working, you are probably unable to study while on the job, and if you’re still in school, your homework probably takes up a lot of your free time. Same goes for college students.

But this is not the trickiest issue: if you keep looking for the best method to speedrun your progress, you’ll end up spending more time looking for the shortcut than actually studying your target language.

So, choose a method, stick to it for a while and, if it doesn’t fit you, then feel free to switch to a different one, but don’t forget that no matter how many shortcuts you take, the only way you can learn a language is to actually start in the first place.

Top: Textbooks and grammar books

Yes, language learning apps are great to practice, especially vocabulary, and they are very practical for our day-to-day life. However, if you don’t grasp at least the most basic grammar concepts, retaining vocabulary will be much harder, because you won’t know the structure, and therefore the “logic”, behind more complex idioms or expressions, making them a thousand times harder to learn and remember.

Grammar is, yet, one of the biggest weaknesses of most language learning apps: yes, some of them do teach some concepts, like LingoDeer or Busuu, but their explanations are very short and might be lacking, especially if your target language tends to have a lot of exceptions.

If you’re like me, being able to take notes might also be helpful to retain more theoretical concepts, including grammar, and language learning apps do not seem to be designed to slow down and take notes.

So, for me, the best way to retain grammar concepts is to take notes from other sources, which I perceive as “slower”. Some examples of said sources include:

• actual grammar books (which sometimes you can also find in PDF format for free);
• websites like HowToStudyKorean or Turkish Basics, which offer a comprehensive range of grammar topics;
• long-form Youtube videos, although I suggest checking carefully and using a textbook or a grammar website for any detail the video might miss. I learned this the hard way when I decided to use this video as my foundation for Turkish grammar. While very comprehensive, the video itself fails to mention declensions in a clear and explicit way, so I ended up writing grammatically wrong sentences for a while.

I am also a big fan of using multiple sources, so having a notebook is a great way to have all the concepts in one place.

Flop: ignoring grammar, or “learn like a baby” methods

I know, I know, grammar is boring and, in certain cases, it can turn into an actual headache (I’m looking at you, Korean grammar).

However, thinking that you can ignore it is just impossible. As I said before, if you have no clue how sentences work in a certain language, how can you expect to be able to create your own, original sentences?

While browsing Youtube, I have also come across people championing the “learn like a baby” method, which consists in immersing yourself in your target language as much as possible, without learning any grammar, and, allegedly, you’ll eventually become fluent.

Yes, learning your target language in context is important, but these people fail to mention a crucial thing, which was brilliantly explained by Zeynep, one of the language teachers from the Youtube channel Turkishle:

As an adult learner, you need to study grammar

We are not babies anymore. As we grow up, we tend to lose the neuroplasticity that babies and children have (Source), so why should we adopt a learning method that is not suitable for our brains anymore?

That’s how you set yourself up for failure.

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This was the first part of my (maybe not so) hot takes on some of the most popular language learning methods, I hope it can help anyone who might feel overwhelmed by all the advice that pops up online.

Now I’d like to read your opinion: have you tried some of these methods? Would you recommend them? Do you agree with my “flop” methods?

With that said, thank you for reading until the end and stay tuned for part 2!