How to Study Any Language Effectively 7 Common Study Time Mistakes to Avoid

How to Study Any Language Effectively 7 Common Study Time Mistakes to Avoid How to Study Any Language Effectively: 7 Common Study Time Mistakes to Avoid We all make mistakes.There, its out there.Thats probably no big newsâ€"but when you learn a foreign language, you might be surprised by just how many mistakes you end up making.Too many language learners assume that this is a bad thing and end up feeling discouraged.But mistakes can be very productive!The best way to improve your language skills and make the most out of the learning process is to identify  these mistakes, learn from them and try to avoid them as best you can.Even if you study languages at school or college where professional educators help you deal with pitfalls, mistakes are still bound to happen to you, in class and after class.Now, were going to discuss  how  to turn  these mistakes into productive learning experiences.Language study cant be called a one-size-fits-all process. Learning styles vary, learning techniques develop and upgrade and students open up to new ways of learning, but we all want one thing: to master the language were learning.We have something else in common. There are some common mistakes that far too many of us make! Lets learn from those who have gone  before us. Here come 7 common mistakes  for you to remember and avoid while learning foreign languages. These are so common, and so very subtle, that they often arent recognized as mistakes that make an impact on learning. How to Study Any Language Effectively: 7 Common Study Time Mistakes to Avoid1. Try to remember tons of new words at onceWhen you learn a foreign language, its needless and virtually impossible to remember ALL the words.Even native speakers dont use them all, only regularly dealing with 2,000-3,000 on average. For example, while an adult native English speaker might have tens of thousands of words stored in their brain,  you only need about 3,000 words to be able to read the vast majority of modern English texts in existence.The same goes for most languages: To understand and speak a language, several thousand words will be enough to get by in convers ation and while reading modern writing. Youll need more if youre going to tackle more specialized or academic writing, or perhaps if youre going to become a translator or interpreter. But we all have to start somewhere.How do you know which words to learn and remember?We live in the digital era when the Internet surrounds us everywhere. So, check the list of most widely used words in the language youre learning or download some applications that show you popular words, helping you to remember them along the way.You can also watch FluentU videos in your target language. Thanks to the vast array of modern, relevant video content here, youll be able to become more strongly familiar with the most common words used by natives.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them.Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes store  or  Google Play store.Tip: Using vi sual elements is the best method to learn new words, as they cause associations in our head, making it easier to remember permanently, not just learn by rote. (Another reason to try FluentU!)2. Try to memorize  all grammar rulesCertainly, grammar is important, and no one is going to say that you shouldnt learn it.Regardless of the language, grammar is always tricky for non-native speakers (well, let’s be honest: it’s often tricky for native speakers, too). All those gerunds, tenses, infinitives and exceptions are useful when you write academic essays,  do research or write professional emails. You need to build a foundation of great grammar in order to speak and write correctly.However, if your primary goal is to communicate, prepare for a trip abroad or master just the basics, dont stress about this too much. If youre seriously turned off by the nitty gritty of grammar, dont torture yourself trying to remember all the rules at once.Many learners get discouraged by the idea of s tudying grammar and end up avoiding their daily practice. Dont procrastinate. On days when grammar fills you with dread, treat yourself to some movies, games or music videos in your target language. Keep building familiarity with the language every day, and  youll start learning grammar naturally.Some educators recommend starting off with full immersionâ€"constant exposure to the language through a diversity of authentic materialsâ€"and never cracking open a textbook or starting formal grammar study until youve developed basic proficiency in the language. You can always give this route a try!Tip:  Write something every day. Write blog posts, diary entries, shopping lists, notes to yourself or anything else that is already part of your daily life, but do it all in your target language.  Using grammar in practice will improve your skills many times over.3. Forget about listeningWhile learning a foreign language, we usually pay lots of undue attention to vocabulary and grammar. Our goa l is to learn how to read, write and speak.That’s all well and good, but we often forget about listening to a target language despite the fact that its key to understanding and communication.Learners too often discover the hard way that speaking a language and understanding it arent the same thing.Sometimes one can speak but can hardly understand native speakers at all while listening to songs or watching a movie in the target language. Never underestimate the importance of listening skills; you need to practice them on a daily basis.Tip: To develop your listening skills, you can watch movies or TV shows with subtitles, listen to a radio show in your target language, play games, try to understand all words from your favorite songs and so on. Keep it fun and casual! Listening to  TED lectures  is always a good decision, too.4. Read classic literature to learn new wordsFive bucks say Im right: Your past or current language teachers have assigned  you the task to read a book in the l anguage youre learning, make a vocabulary list  of unknown words from it, learn them and discuss the book in the classroom afterward. I got those five bucks, didn’t I?Such exercises are great unless your teacher asks you to read classic literature in the target language. They often dont, and instead opt for abridged and otherwise simplified reading material.Why?First of all, it can be difficult to understand a plot and get pleasure from reading a book if you dont know the meaning of most words. The extensive reading method encourages learners to choose texts where they know 95% of the words on any given page.Secondly, books of classics may contain lots of  archaic vocabulary (lets take Shakespeare, for example). Theres no real need to learn all words from classics, as no one uses them in everyday language anymore.However, many language learners make the mistake that teachers strive so hard to avoidâ€"they dive into deep, complex literature and other texts that are well outside the ir reading level. They want to read what they want to read, even if they cant read it! As you may already know, it can be very discouraging when you dont understand most of what youre reading.Youre not giving yourself the chance to develop good reading habits. You wont learn how to get into the flow of a native text if youre constantly stopping to use your dictionary. You also wont be able to pick up words via context if most of the language is way above your head (for the time being), and this kind of deductive work is critical for learning a language effectively.So, what to do?If youre at the beginner level of learning, childrens books would be the best option  for you. Intermediate and advanced learners can always try reading simplified versions of classics to learn some new words and grammar rules. If youre pretty advanced, you can start tiptoeing towards the classics. Start with modern classics.No matter your level, always  read books that suit  your learning level.5. Spend all your time studying from textbooksGoing by the book is  one of the biggest mistakes you can make while learning a foreign language.The textbook can give you all the essential building blocks, but it cant take you much farther.Have you ever heard the people speaking in the audio files accompanying English textbooks? Theyre speaking perfectly correct English, but they sound a bit forced and awkward at times. Thats because theyre reading a script designed for learners. Its easy on the ears, and great for becoming familiar with the basics of language, but youll probably never hear a native speaker who talks quite like that.Slang, idioms, jokes, regional dialects, pop culture referencesthey usually cant be learned from standard textbooks. To really understand native speakers, you must learn casual language.This doesn’t mean that you shouldnt use textbooks at all. Some of them are worth trying, and one can find many reasons to use modern textbooks: Theyre well-designed, they provide use ful content and a road map for learning, they give lots of practice opportunities and they usually offer audio components.Just don’t make them the only instrument  you use for  learning that target language.6. Consider the target language a task to completeSome learners arent super passionate about languages, and instead  consider reaching fluency  just another task to complete. Its just another task on a life list, bucket list or resume building plan. There are a couple of noteworthy problems with this:Its very difficult to pinpoint the exact moment you reach fluency, so you may never be able to check the task complete box.You dont know a language just because  you score all As and 100s on your exams.You need to find some personal motivation coming from within to really master a language without ever losing focus.You cant just study for the test. Fluency doesnt come until after youve put your language skills into action, spoken with natives for hours, listened to native speakers intently and followed their directions. You also need to learn the culture behind the language to a certain extent, or youll find a large gap between you and natives while communicating.Not to mention, you have to constantly be updating your language knowledge. Languages change and develop all the time. Don’t miss a chance to learn the culture of those people whose language you learn, chat with your native speaker friends, watch movies, listen to songs, travel to countries and interact with locals.If you make the language enjoyable and something you genuinely look forward to studying, it will be much easier for you to master it.7. Rely on language schoolsThis may be the most common mistake made by language learners. They rely on whatever course theyre taking, whether theyre taking it  through a college, university or institute online, at home or abroad. This reliance comes in two forms:Relying on the course to give you all the material and exposure you need to learn.Holding the co urse or teacher responsible for your successes and failures.When you learn a language, its good to have a teacher who will help and support you, but it doesnt mean he or she can  do everything for you. Teachers guide youâ€"they cant inject the language straight into your brain. Its only you whos  responsible for your learning.If you feel like  the books and materials your school gives you arent effective or sufficient on their own, find a different textbook or other language learning materials to accompany the coursework. If the coursework doesnt target your preferred learning style, learn how you learn best on your own time. If you learn best through music or visual cues, but simply dont get enough of that in class, take care of yourself at home later.Dont only do your homework, study for tests and call it a day. Read and listen to your target language every day, communicate in it, go to language exchange clubs, make friends with native speakers and seek out new articles, blog post s, YouTube videos and more in that language. Become ravenous. Consume as much of the target language as you can on a daily basis.Ask your school to assist you where needed, manage your emotions and try to stay motivated and optimistic.If you dont study properly and perform poorly on tests, take responsibility for this. If you ace all the reading and writing assignments but cant speak without a heavy accent, then take responsibility for this and double up on speaking practice. The teacher and coursework can only get you so far.Its you whos learning the language.Its you who needs it.And its you who will succeed.