Best Language Learning Tools

My first weeks in Ecuador were spent just surviving; I was afraid of accidentally getting into some kind of trouble, so I stayed hidden. After my first month I realized I had developed the ability to go through a variety of simple interactions without actually saying any words. I knew that if I wanted to get better at Spanish, that had to stop. So, my goals went from just getting by to really trying to have a conversation. In the past, as my skills have grown, I’ve had to adjust how I study Spanish. I learn so quickly here, though, that I am constantly pushing myself further out of my comfort zone to learn more and more.

One day a taxi driver who had just started taking English courses asked me what I thought the key to learning languages is. I told him that I don’t think there is a key; there are simply too many aspects to learning a language for one thing to be the secret to reaching mastery in all of them. Rather, there are certain activities that, when combined with a regular class, are best for helping people at different stages in their studies.

For beginners, language-learning apps and podcasts are great tools. Apps can help teach accents, sentence formation, spelling, vocabulary, and word order. They tend to fall weak when it comes to grammar. Many of them, rather than explaining even simple rules of grammar, leave the user to figure it out on their own. Not everyone can make these connections without help though, so I still think that apps are no replacement for a traditional course. When it comes to podcasts beginners need one in their native language about the target language. Podcasts excel at teaching grammar and exposing students to a wide array of accents. They’re the closest thing you can get to a class without paying.

Spanish Obsessed is one of the best podcasts out there for building listening and conversation skills. The hosts are Liz, who is from Colombia, and her husband, Rob, who is from the U.K. Colombians are knows for having easy to understand accents, which is perfect for a podcast that's all about having natural discussions. The best part is there are beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions of the show, so Rob and Liz can be with you throughout the language learning journey.

Once students reach the intermediate level reading becomes more important. This is something that can’t be done at the earliest level because new students don’t have enough vocab to handle more than a few sentences. To gain from reading, the book must be one or two levels below what the reader’s overall level, so the book can be read more naturally. If you have to stop every three words to look something up, chances are you won’t remember that much. However, in a book where you know most of the words, you’re much more likely to be able to remember the few that you do learn.

At the advanced level it’s time to really push it in all the real-life skills: talking and listening with native speakers. This can be done at all levels to an extent, but a lot of learning is required before even simple conversations go well. I reached a point in the U.S. where I felt that no matter what I did I never improved. I tried changing up my study techniques several times and was still stuck. For years I had been planning on studying abroad; I just couldn’t decide when. My struggles told me it was time. Being in a foreign country has jump started my learning again and I feel that I’ll be able to keep practicing and improving when I leave.

The one method I have heard about that may be the closest to a key that we have is the T.V. method. Japanese instructors have reported students reaching surprising levels of proficiency just by watching anime with subtitles in English. The one caveat to this is that it requires extreme attention. An interviewee in one article described how the viewer must be “near obsessed” with the show. This method has never worked for me, as I never fell in love with any Spanish T.V. shows. For anyone that does, however, this is one of the best ways to learn. All my friends from other countries who speak the English fluently watched tons of American T.V. However, it is important to note, they also spent years in formal classes.

Club de Cuervos, or Club of Crows, is my favorite Spanish Show. It features two siblings, the responsible sister and her impulsive brother, fighting for control of the family company after the death of their father.

Hopefully, these tools will be helpful. They are what have best served myself and other students I know. The main goal isn’t to focus on using specific techniques; these are just what tend to be the most helpful to the average language student. There are many popular study methods I never liked and dropped quickly after trying. The thing to remember is to find what tools best benefit you based on your learning style and areas of weakness. There are more language learning methods than anyone can count and, while we may feel like we study in a million different ways, we are only capable of taking advantage of a handful. I hope this list gives you some that work for you or, at least, a starting point to find those that do.