Learning a new language can be extremely difficult. That’s probably why people that know more are so desirable. That, and there are so many people that speak so many different languages. The more you know, the more people you can talk to. That alone is an incredible thing.

Speaking another language can be really rewarding, especially when you learn it as you’re older. Knowing a second language in general, is admirable. I think it’s important to know a few languages.

As we all know, learning a second language is an ordeal. People don’t know where to start or what to do or how to do it. So here are some tips and suggestions on how to pick up a second language.

First thing’s first. Learn how to introduce yourself! Know how to greet people, say your name (and maybe age), ask “How are you,” and how to respond. Take it a step at a time. Remember, take it at your own pace. Whatever makes it stick! Another piece of advice: some names are extremely difficult to pronounce in other languages. So if you can, use a nickname that’s easier to pronounce or give yourself an easier name. For example. My name is Viviana, but there are no “V’s” in Korean. My childhood nickname was Mimi so I use that instead. Learn how to form questions too. Most importantly, learn how to ask “What does that mean”?
Once you’ve got the introduction, I suggest learning sentence structure. This way you can put your own sentences together. Next, you can build your vocabulary or you can learn particles (some languages have particles) and tenses. Sometimes forming your own sentences or translating simple sentences can help you get into the flow of things.

Speaking of getting into the flow of things, start to keep a diary! Write about what you did that day. If you want to take things a step further and you’ve got it, learn times of days so you can clarify when you did certain things. Once you’ve gotten the hang of that, learn how to use conjunctive words like “and,” “but,” and “because.” This way you can elaborate on your sentences.

It also helps to get books. Vocabulary books. There are plenty of books for verbs, and nouns, and suggested phrases. There are even workbooks you can try! If not, you can take it upon yourself to make your own worksheets.

From here, you can go in whatever direction you want!

There are others learning the same language as you, and even more who speak it as their first language. Go online and find a study buddy ( but be careful and don’t give out personal information). Two apps I’m aware of are Amino and Hellotalk. On Amino, there are hundreds of communities for people with similar interests. I can almost guarantee that there is a community of people that studies the language you wish to learn. As for Hellotalk, it is a platform on which people form a profile and add what language they know and what language(s) they’re learning. You can link up with native speakers. For example, if you want to learn Portuguese, there are Portuguese speakers on there that you can message. It especially helps if they’re trying to learn a language you already know fluently. There are other apps that are simply for practice, like Duolingo for example. I’ve heard good things about the app. There are literally hundreds of other apps that have the vocab or everyday sentences for you to learn!

Watching shows, movies, and videos can also help you with learning another language. It’s really interesting to immerse yourself in another culture and learn from their practices.

Overall, speaking a different language is fun! When you say something successfully in a different language, it brings about its own special joy. These are some tips and tricks but by all means, try a different order, try your own methods, figure out what works for you. At the end of the day, you said something in your language in a new way! And you just opened up a whole new world to explore.