As the basics of a language for your next trip in four steps to learn

As the basics of a language for your next trip in four steps to learn -

I have always bad in languages. I have hardly through high school Spanish and forgot all French I hired a tutor to teach me. I'm cursed. Or so I thought until I became a friend of Benny Lewis of Fluent in 3 months. Benny has a method for learning languages ​​mastered that helped me break languages, into smaller, easier to learn parts. With his help, I remembered a lot of my Spanish, learned Thai, and took some Swedish up.

Today I turn to blog about Benny (just a book published for language learning) to share how to learn the basics of a language for your next trip. just knowing a few simple sentences, goes a long way when you go and will bring you into the favor of the locals

Here is Benny .:

Way too often we have in a country and think we arrive, "man, I wish I took some time to complete the basics of this language to learn before I here!" Or maybe you think anything less than to speak the language is not useful enough even if you have to invest time in. But only a month or a week before your trip, or even if you are flying tomorrow, you still have time, some learn basics of the local language. You only need a short time to master a few key words and phrases. And no, you need to be a linguist to quickly pick up the basics.

I only spoke English until I was 21, I not almost German in school, and I lived in Spain for six months without the language to learn - because I'm doing it wrong. Fast forward to now: I speak a dozen languages ​​and counting, and it is because I do my studying hours of work for me to practice speaking the language immediately and not waste my time studying, which I do not need. Even with just the basics in a language I've made amazing experience, as my Chinese name in the middle of China ... just because I understood on a train receiving the question, "What is your name?"

Here are four steps to basic fluency:

Step 1: make a lot of people trying to take on much at once Be specific with your goals

A big mistake. to have high goals and want to be fluent in a language, or even to master one day, is a noble goal, but that is not now not help with imminent travel plans.

To be successful in learning what you need for your trip, you need as much specificity as possible. I am fortunate to have three months typically before a trip, where I get most of my day to devote a language, and that makes a realistic goal fluency.

I have had tighter deadlines, however, and was able to work with them. Hell, even if I had one hour of time before my trip to Poland, because I needed to prepare for my TEDx talk on language learning in Warsaw in English, I still took that time enough basic Polish to learn to be able to stretch them in half an hour Skype call (constantly look up words to keep living the basic chat on).

The way you do that is to know exactly what you need to learn, and just learning that

Add your Mini Project:.

• you must specificity - DO NOT vague target who like "learn Spanish." If you want to go, say abroad in June to yourself that you want to be given "basic conversation in three months", that you will put into it 10 hours a week. If you have only one month, then go for "very confident tourists in 30 days", and put an hour a day or more in if you can. If you have a flight in three days, then take two or "obtained by well with basic necessities in 72 hours." More hours each of the next three days, and the goal for
• need guide are for general phrases such as "how are you?", But they are more complicated than that - build a you specific vocabulary. To spend your studies your vocabulary will be tailored to your specific needs. Step 2 below shows you how to start

. Step 2: the words Learn to use

When starting out from scratch, the first thing you need to do is to think about the words you are in what situations with most on a daily basis, you could be in - starting a conversation, sitting at a bar, talking about yourself, order in a restaurant, whatever it is. Then:

• Sit down and write a self introduction in English - Imagine an imaginary stranger. Tell them where you are, what you do, why you are traveling, and so on. Then take a look at what you have, and certain words out looking think is most important for your foreign vocabulary, translate, and then a site like forvo.com use (actually by a native speaking) or Google Translate (manufactured by automation) to hear how they are pronounced in this language. In my case, the first words that I always need to be first are "Irish" (my nationality), "bloggers" (my work) and "vegetarian" to learn that I'm a traveling vegetarians. Find out what your words are and commit to it first in the memory
• Make a list of foods that you like what you want to do, and other things of everyday use -. Everyone has need for "Bad" pretty much on her first day abroad, so go ahead and add the word to know that on your list. But also things you can as an individual not live without. Whether coffee or diet soda, sandwiches or oysters, the words your go-to food know. And if you try something, while you are there, such as yoga, zip-lining or dipping in a hot spring, learn those. Because I'm a vegetarian, for example, I have the words for pork learn, ham, bacon, sausage, chicken, beef and fish - so I can ask the waiter for something without these foods in you. What ever it is that you are asking yourself, write it down, look up the translations, and make yourself a cheat sheet.
• to look up a list of related words or words that are similar between the languages ​​- There is actually impossible to really "start from scratch" if you are learning a new language. Many languages ​​have very long lists of words you already know the importance of (albeit with slightly different pronunciations). If "sandwich" is on the list of favorite foods, for example, you already know how to say it in French. In Spanish, the hospital nor the hospital, and in German the word for fish is exactly equally pronounced. Even a completely different language like Japanese has a ton of this "loan words" for everyday things you might need such as coffee, milk and glass
• Use mnemonics to learn on unfamiliar words -. Reminder new words really fast, which are nothing like what you are used to in English, try with a fun mnemonic - an image or a story that will take you to a specific word in connection. Sounds silly, but it works. When I learned French, for example, I remembered that gare was "Station" by a big fat orange visualization Gar field breathlessly running through a station to catch a train to a lasagna-eating contest, to make it with a lot of color and sounds in my head really hold. This technique works wonders, and the creation of this that made my head gare station federation Stick much faster than it ever has memorized repetition alone would.

Resources:

• list of very useful online free dictionaries
• Memrise.com (fantastic online resource Suggest fun and easy to remember mnemonics)
• Forvo (hear words pronounced by a native speaker)
• Google

step 3: Learn all sets

with the short time frame you have, you do not have time to try to understand the grammar of the language. I recommend that you skip grammar studies later in the language are better for learning anyway, and instead memorize a part of all sets , so that you in your position already can convey. ignore them -formed sets

• to get a guide, but most - counselors for essentials, but you do not need most of what is in them. These books try all needs and all needs are not tailored your needs. Skim through the book and mark the phrases you will need, such as "Where is the bathroom?" Or "How much does it cost?" Or "Excuse me, do you speak English?" Ignore the rest, and focus only on what makes sense for you. , I like Lonely Planet Phrasebook, or you can use this online list of basic phrases
• Build your own phrases, and have them checked, if possible - Try you, create your best translation of piecing the words together, or change (ideally) a single word in a pre-made kit in your phrase. For example, I could replace the word "Bad" with "supermarket" in the pre-sentence: "Where the bathroom is," And the resulting set is likely to be grammatically correct. You can even translate using Google for the entire sentence. You can pre-set on the website Long-8 have native correct free , if your sentence submit short enough, and it can surprisingly quickly get back to you.
• Start focuses on how you sound your sentences in the language - Once you have your master list of words and phrases, you need to hear native speakers pronounce it. If you do not know any native speaker of the language, it does not matter - there are free sites like Rhino Spike who let phrases you want to hear rich spoken, and they will send back a translation of your phrase, spoken by a native.

Once you know how the words sound, you need to keep them in memory. A trick that works for me is to sing sets from me. When I learned Italian, for example, I sang, "Where is the bathroom" ringing in the tune of the Big Ben and took Dove si trova il Gabinetto? and had it roll my tongue easier. Putting the words to a tune she is to cement in your memory and give you great solo pronunciation exercises

resources .:

• For a good list of phrases you need: Lonely Planet Dictionary or Omniglot phrase list
• Lang-8 (you are trying corrected translations by a native speaker)
talked hear
• Rhino Spike (whole sentences by a native)

step 4: Use it before fly

Using these tips you can actually cram enough of the language to mind, something really useful when you arrive to have in the country. But there is one last - and very useful - what you can do before you go to make sure everything is going smoothly:

• Practice with a native speaker in advance - It does not matter where you live. Websites like italki you can have a free exchange either up (so you "pay" for a language teaching from someone with their English for 30 minutes first help) or get really affordable tuition (I have Japanese lessons for only $ 5 / hour, for example), and set out a quick session on Skype to use what you know with a native now from home. You will hear what someone really feels spontaneously speak to you, like, see where your weaknesses in advance will need to use the language in the real world, and be able to problems or questions that have been on. Your spirit
• RPG to discover what he has missed - Use will be your time with a native online chats, the real situations to play abroad. For example, you can create a complex vegetarian meal or rent a hotel room good practice order before you really have to do it. As you walk, you will find there are words that you need that you do not know. For example, maybe you do not realize how often you want to talk about your cat or significant other. If you find these holes in your vocabulary, write the words you need down and paste it into your master list.

In this way hit the ground running and are already "experienced" speakers to know how it is to speak with a native, and are simply your momentum Keep up.

Think it, it's OK to make mistakes!

When I was learning German, I tried once to tell my (female) friend that I had just made a "cool" video, and asked if they after wanted to come to see above. Sounds innocent enough, right? Somehow, I actually said was, "I'm horny, and I want you to come in me" because the German word for "cool" and "hot" ( cool ) and "come" has in German sexual connotations as it does in English, if you use it wrong

We had been friends for a long time, so that they knew that I was not flirting with her -. I explained my mistake and we were laughing at him. It turned out that the world we are not at the end, and to this day still good friends.

I have also managed to let it slip that I pregnant in Spanish ( embarazado / a ), and learn French in my first week, always kind say: "Thank you, nice-ass!" instead of "Thank you very much" ( merci beaucoup compared to merci beau cul ). And when I came to Brazil and wanted the immigration officer to say "thank you" ( obrigado ), I said instead "chocolate candy!" ( brigadeiro ).

In each of these cases, the person I spoke to the fact also was aware that I was still a student, I knew did not mean what it sounded like, and was smart enough from the context to see what I actually meant. Instead of scolding me for my "unforgivable" mistake, she smiled and thought it was great that I tried, in many cases, congratulated me for my trouble.

So do not worry to be perfect in a new language. You do not need a lot of time or even a lot of skill to bring the language of your next destination. You just need a plan. Make your study time to get bogged down everything about you, and do not remember in irrelevant words, phrases and grammar you do not need.

While many people think that learning a language can only be a challenge that requires years time, I hope that you saw in this article, which is essential in a phase with some very useful to get for your trip in a very short time. You just have to be very specific about what you aspire to learn the words and phrases that are relevant to you and what you're likely to say, and not try to absorb all of the language.

Finally, you do not need to come to see if you are ready. It is better to go online and someone speak today to clarify and questions, so that you arrive safely ready to use what you know all of your recent problems.

Benny Lewis was in school a language dud, but after a engineering degree, he found that the language is irrelevant talent and that with the right attitude and approach, everyone can learn a language. His cultural studies language learning has earned him the title of National Geographic Traveler of the Year. His book, Fluent in 3 months, was just published by Harper Collins and shares all its best language learning tips.

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