The #1 language learning tip for 2020

Welcome to 2020!

We hope you had a great 2019, we certainly did, and we want to thank all of our students for their support. Our teachers all over the world truly, genuinely thank you.

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Some of you reached your language learning goals, others didn't. And that's ok! If we all reached all of our goals all of the time, the world would be quite a strange place.

If you didn't quite reach your language learning goals for 2019, this post is for you.

If you're not sure how to reach your goals this year, this post is also for you.

The #1 language learning success factor

Let's get right to the point; you're busy, we're busy, we've got goals to accomplish this year!

The #1 success factor we see with our students regardless of age, experience, ability level, etc. is simple: frequent use of the language you're learning

That's it. In order to learn a language, you need to use it. What does "use" mean? You've got tons of options!

Take lessons with a native speaker (hey, we can help with that!) Watch a movie. Listen to music. Read an online article. Speak to a friend. Do practice exercises/homework/flash cards.

When we say use the language, that's it. Obviously, taking lessons with a professional, native-speaking teacher is a very good way to get practice using and learning a language. Beyond that, technology gives us so many options for using a language that there's really no excuse. Like watching movies? Netflix translates tons of movies into multiple languages. No, you probably won't understand the entire movie; if you're a beginner, turn on English subtitles. If you're at an intermediate level, leave the subtitles off, and learn through immersion.

Listen to music in the language you're learning. Again, don't worry if you can't understand much of what is said. You're using the language, and that's the key. You'll pick up words, context, intonation; grab a dictionary and translate some words, then listen to the songs you like again. You'll learn!

But if you don't use the language you're learning, you'll have a really tough, frustrating time progressing. If you've got the budget, schedule recurring lessons with a teacher, and stick to your studies. If you're on a tighter budget, practice more on your own and take a lesson here or there to keep you moving down the right path. Here at LanguageConvo, you can even take one short half-hour lesson a month for little more than the cost of a cup of fancy coffee.

Follow this tip, and by the end of the year you'll be amazed to find you've reached your language learning goals!