I’ve been learning foreign languages for a long time and over the years I’ve come up with a kind of routine that I use to become conversational and eventually fluent in my target languages.

I thought I’d share it with you guys because it’s kind of unconventional and I don’t see advice like this given often.

It’s split into 3 stages. Here we go:

First stage: getting acquainted
Basically in this stage you want to get down the basics of the language. Learn common phrases, work through the grammar, and learn as much vocabulary as you can. The end of this stage might come when you finish the Duolingo tree, finish working through a language book, or finish any other course you were using.

Second stage: absorbing the language
Here, you want to come into as much contact with your target language as you can. Watch Youtube videos, watch TV shows, read books, listen to podcasts… anything involving the language. Try changing your phone’s default language as well as following some people on social media who speak it. This is also the time to practice pronunciation and speaking (I recommend reading aloud from a book). This stage will end as soon as you can confidently understand most of what you hear/read in a variety of topics.

Third stage: using it yourself
This is when you actually start speaking the language. Because you’ve now had so much experience with the language, it will be a lot easier to use it yourself. Find a language partner and speak with them as often as you can. Keep speaking with people, reading books, watching movies, etc. and eventually you’ll be fluent!

Well, there you have it. Feel free to implement any of this into your own language learning if you like it. Above all, have fun with your target language and don’t take it so seriously!