Do you dream of teaching yourself a new language, but you’re not quite sure how to start?
Or if you learnt a language in the past and want to refresh your skills, you’re wondering what to do beyond evening classes at the community centre?
I'm an experienced language coach and have worked with CEOs, professionals, expats and students all over the world to help them learn languages.
These 10 simple tips will make starting your new language a total success, and help you stay motivated for many months and maybe even years.
1. Tidy Up Your Mind
Have you heard about the life changing magic of tidying up? I mean that Marie Kondo book and Netflix show. In Marie Kondo’s world, the simple act of letting go of your less exciting stuff is a way to improve ALL of your life. And that advice works for language learning too!
Ask yourself: “What do I believe about teaching myself a language right now?”
Write down your beliefs, examine each one to find out which ones are actually useful to you. In Marie Kondo terms, find the ones that spark joy and throw out all the others.
Your brain will be clutter-free and ready for a positive new start!
2. Connect with Your Why to Learn a Language By Yourself
As you’re currently reading this article, you are probably excited and keen to jump into learning your new language. This is awesome! Let me ask you one more question:
What are your reasons for learning this language?
You have got to know your reasons and hold on to them, because the world is going to start getting distracting. Textbooks and evening classes make lots of assumptions about why you’re learning.
For example, if you’re truly in Japanese class because you love manga, you’ll soon get bored of a textbook for busy travellers. When that happens, it’s easy to assume that you have lost your love for everything in the language.
The best way to do this is by using my Language Habit System, a revolutionary guide to finding your learning routine.
3. Get Great Gear for Self Teaching Languages
Every new project deserves some gear. Runners buy shoes, knitters buy wool, and language learners buy notebooks, dictionaries, textbooks and other delightful things.
If you’re someone who loves to start a new project with an optimistic shopping excursion, go ahead and indulge! For tips on what and how to buy, read No More Hoarding! How to Organize All Your Language Learning Resources.
Don’t forget that libraries and second-hand shops always stock a few shelves of language resources that you can use.
Make the Most Out of Your Notebook
Interested in starting a language learning journal? Grab this $9 training and I’ll tell you my best tips!
4. Get the Right Language Learning Apps
Beyond your paper resources, your smartphone is a good language learning tool. The most famous language learning app you might know is Duolingo, but don’t stop there.
Every language learning app uses a slightly different system. Get yourself a whole range of different apps to test drive and make it your goal to find out which one’s the most enjoyable.
It is better to choose the right app and invest, than to waste your time on something ineffective just because it doesn't cost money.
Here's my review of the most effective language apps.
Switch notifications off completely as they can easily make you feel bad about your progress when you’re actually doing well.
5. Read a Story
Research has shown that learners who learn by reading and listening to lots of interesting input at the right level can learn languages up to six times faster than those who study rules and textbook dialogues.
The trick here is to find something you’re interested in.
Don’t be afraid to immerse yourself in something you only half understand, see if your brain can start seeing any patterns, and make best friends with your dictionary.
It’s surely challenging, but you’ll be amazed at just how much you can learn just from enjoying something you love.
6. Research Music in a New Language
There are so many cool ways of using music for learning a language that it deserves its own place in this list. You can start by searching online for artists that make your favourite style of music in their language (rap and hip hop are amazing for this), or by investigating local music styles.
Then just hit play and enjoy.
To go a little further, you can start reading the lyrics or researching artist interviews or attend a gig.
7. Act Like You've Already Taught Yourself a Language
Most people think that they have to wait until they can start speaking a language. What if you could flip the script and START by expressing yourself right away?
Expressing how you’re feeling can start with something as simple as one word (“hungry” - “tired” - “headache” and so on). It will help you learn the most important vocabulary.
Your act of self-expression can be
- long like a diary entry or short like a tweet
- a colourful art collage, or by writing
- the same word written with 20 different pens
- an audio diary entry or podcast
- a video on Insta, TikTok or YouTube
Click here for my full guide to improving your memory for learning more vocabulary.
What matters is that you signal to yourself that you’re ready right now, instead of having to wait for some kind of future level.
8. Make Daily Contact with Your Target Language
While I’m on the subject of avoiding anything that makes you feel like you’re “not good enough yet”, I have another tip that has served me fantastically well with every language I’ve taught myself since I left full-time education:
Make daily contact with the language.
That’s all. No need to study 200 flashcards every day or go through four Duolingo levels. What you want is contact. Switch the radio on, watch a video, say hi to a friend, read a page in a book, do a grammar exercise, it does not matter.
How does this simple step help you teach yourself a language? Join my training video here and find out more (no payment required).
9. Use Social Media for Language Learning
Most of the time, we think of social media as a distraction and a waste of time. But there’s another way of looking at it.
Follow accounts that share content in your target language, and you’ll instantly have a cool and relevant library of interesting stuff to study. As you get better and feel confident, start making comments in your target language and creating your own posts.
Why not start by following me on Instagram? Username @kerstin_fluent
10. Teach Yourself a Language When Life's Chaotic
Life always gets chaotic, and it's important for you to build a routine so you can be ready for it.
Many attempts at building a routine fail because you get busy, bored, or frustrated. Here are my best tips for creating a routine that works!
How Teach Yourself a Language FAQ: Your Top Questions Answered
How Long Does it Take to Teach Yourself a Language?
The time it takes to teach yourself a language depends on the pace that is right for you, your learning methods, your motivation, and if you have any previous language experience.
Teaching yourself a language will allow you to be in charge of the time you want for your target language. It is the best way to bring in your love for the language that you are learning and to enjoy the process.
What Is the Easiest Language to Learn by Yourself?
Rule one should be to follow your heart and do what you enjoy the most. Therefore the easiest language to learn by yourself is the one you are most interested in.
You could also check the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) website, where they rank languages based on how long it takes native English speakers to learn each language to proficiency. I highly recommend making sure you’re always studying with all four core language skills. Here’s a blog article explaining how that works.
How Hard Is It to Teach Yourself a Language?
Teaching yourself a language is definitely challenging and requires a certain amount of self-awareness and self-motivation. However, it is also one of the best rewarding experiences, where you would be able to develop an effective language learning strategy for yourself.
You could follow the same system I use in the Language Habit System. There are lots of ways to learn a language successfully. I believe my method is flexible enough to allow for many learning variations. The core principles are what matters, and they are the best way to progress.