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most people don't like to hear this but
consistent hard work is one of the
biggest factors in your language
learning success
the course or method you choose makes a
difference too but at the end of the day
you ride or die by the work you put in
the quantity of time spent studying
language doesn't necessarily determine
the quality of your study
spending three hours a day watching
movies doesn't help you learn much if
you're not actively engaging with the
language
in this video we'll talk about three
ways to actively engage your mind while
studying a new language
number one think of your brain as a
muscle
you're probably familiar with the phrase
feel the burn or maybe no pain no gain
if you've been to your local gym
recently there's a chance you might have
heard one of these phrases or seen them
plastered on a wall
there's an idea in the world of sports
and workouts that the discomfort you
feel when running pumping iron or doing
some other physical activity is what
brings results during a healthy workout
the muscles of the body are affected at
a microscopic level the discomfort you
feel is your muscles being pushed to
their limit
it's the limit pushing that strengthens
your muscles so that over time your
performance increases
in the context of language learning it's
helpful to think of your brain as a
muscle just as we need to push our
physical limits when exercising we also
need to push our mental limits when
learning a foreign language have you
ever studied or practiced your target
language in a way that left you tired or
even exhausted if so you've experienced
what it's like to push your brain out of
its linguistic comfort zone
number two practice active listening
one of the easiest ways to push your
language skills is to practice active
listening active listening is when you
listen to someone speaking your target
language and you do your best to
understand what you hear the best way to
accomplish this is by using audio that
you can't completely understand on the
first listen
preferably you want to use audio that
has subtitles or transcripts for you to
double check your understanding after
you listen to it you can use movies
youtube clips or even our language
program which has very useful
transcripts for each lesson
during a practice session you should
listen to the audio several times the
first time around it's okay if little to
no words stick out to you simply make a
mental note of any words or sounds you
recognize
the second time you listen you're likely
to recognize a little more than you did
the previous time
expect similar results with your third
or even fourth time listening
after you've hit the ceiling of words
you can decipher go ahead and look at
the language subtitles or transcripts
listen to the audio again reading along
with the text
odds are that you will see words in the
text you know but didn't hear correctly
you're also likely to encounter words
that are new to you completely as you
play back the audio and read along try
to guess what these words mean from the
context of the words around them
after you've read along a couple times
feel free to look up the remaining
unfamiliar words in a dictionary or
translator app this active listening
exercise routine is a great way to
increase your listening and
comprehension skills while picking up
some new vocabulary along the way it
also allows you to learn new words in
context which itself is a powerful
method to help you retain what you study
number three practicing with native
speakers
practicing with native speakers is the
epitome of pushing your language skills
using what you know to communicate in
real time is where the rubber really
meets the road
try to connect with a native speaker on
a weekly basis
regularity is what makes the difference
when you're learning a foreign language
if you live in a large metropolitan area
then there's a significant chance that
there are some local native speakers
nearby
try hitting up a local language exchange
or meetup group to make the necessary
connections if you're unable to find a
practice partner locally then you can
take your search online
there are a number of sites out there
that help you find and connect with
other language learners from around the
world there are tons of language
learners around the world who have
learned or are learning a second
language you're likely to find someone
who knows your target language and is
looking to improve their own language
skills as well
learning a new language isn't always
easy but it's the discomfort that comes
with pushing your ability in the
language that produces results in your
studies don't be afraid to step outside
of your comfort zone the further away
you get from your native language the
closer you'll be to attaining fluency
also remember that language learning is
in every way a lot like an adventure
there will be fun times and times when
it feels like you're swimming up the
proverbial stream it's by keeping your
head up long enough through these ups
and downs that you will experience the
priceless satisfaction that comes from
learning a foreign language
just keep moving forward for more help
to engage your mind while learning a new
language check out our complete language
learning program sign up for your free
lifetime account by clicking on the link
in the description get tons of resources
to stay engaged with your target
language and if you enjoyed these tips
hit the like button share the video with
anyone who's trying to learn a new
language and subscribe to our channel we
release new videos every week i'll see
you next time bye
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