How can you turn learning a foreign language for example spanish to english into a nightmare? There are seven points mentioned in this article, but as a rule, two or three are enough to make you hate learning languages once and for all.
1. See the translation of each word in the dictionary.
If you do not know the meaning of a word, or doubt that you remember it, immediately look up the translation in the dictionary, and do not even try to understand the meaning from the context. Be sure to look for a translation of ALL unfamiliar words, and not just those that are necessary to understand the meaning of the text, and then you will definitely read one page of the book for at least half an hour.
2. Memorize dialogues and word lists.
Memorize every dialogue you come across in a textbook, as this will help you speak naturally and fluently like a native speaker. Make long lists of words taken out of context (rare, and it is not clear why you need them), and memorize them every day. If you’re learning English, don’t forget to include abaculus, jactitation, and taffeta on your list, it might come in handy.
3. First, learn the language properly, and only then start speaking.
Do not even try to start speaking unless you are sure that your speech will be perfectly correct. Don’t you know that you will be mocked for every mistake you make? In no case should you even try to ask a passer-by where the nearest metro station is if you have not done daily grammar exercises for 2-3 years before.
4. Remind yourself often that learning a foreign language is very difficult.
Always remember that learning a foreign language is a long, very difficult and very boring process. Books? Movies? Blogs? Social network? Music? Don’t even think about it! There is nothing better than an old tattered textbook published in 1980 that way.
5. Learn a language just to get a grade or pass an exam.
You don’t need a language to feel confident while traveling. You don’t need a language to meet new people, read books in the original, and watch films without dubbing. Learn the language just for the sake of passing the exam, because only the mark on the exam matters, everything else is irrelevant.
6. Try to learn as many grammar rules as possible.
Buy a thick grammar book, and diligently memorize all the grammar rules presented in it. Don’t try to use logic or common sense to analyze the speech and formulate the rules yourself.
7. Never experiment with approaches and techniques.
For the past few years, have you been learning some method but feel like you’re not making any headway in the language? Do not look for new methods and approaches. Keep studying as before, just study more often and longer, and sooner or later you will feel that your efforts were not in vain!
I think that each of us can be a little Grigory Oster, and give a lot, a lot of bad advice to language learners. If you have interesting ideas – welcome to the comments.