7 TIPS ON LEARNING LANGUAGES1) Keep a small vocabulary book.A small notebook you can carry with you everywhere. Write all thenew vocabularyin the book that you learn. Physically copying the words down on paper makes you twice as likely to remember them. Also write thetype of wordand anexampleof how to use it in a sentence. The more information you have about a word, the more you will remember it.Reading the book for five minutesbefore you go to sleep is ideal. The book is guaranteed to be extremely boring so you will get sleepy quickly and your brain will remember the vocabulary while you sleep. Win-Win.2) Talk to your catOr cat, or teddy bear, in your other language. I know it sounds stupid, but it really is useful. Your mouth will get used to forming the words and your speaking will become more fluent (speed and pronunciation in particular). Youll also become more confident; the cat cant judge you, so you will feel better about speaking the other language.

3) Watch TV with SubtitlesEven if you have a high level, I recommend always watching programmes with subtitles. This way, both your ears and eyes are absorbing the information, so you are twice as likely to remember it.Its also a good idea to watch TV with a pen and paper. Every time you see a new word you can write it down (the subtitles will tell you how to spell it). You can look the word up in the dictionary later.TED talks are very good for students learning English. They are only 10 minutes long and have subtitles.Do notwatch TV with subtitles in your own language; your brain focuses on the written information in your own language and not on the aural information in the language you want to learn. Itspointless.4) Use MusicMusic is the best way to expand your vocabulary quickly:people are more likely to remember words when they are sang to a rhythm than when they are spoken. I dont know why, but its true. We can all remember song lyrics from years and years ago, so learning songs in another language will ensure you remember vocabulary for the rest of your life!Find a song you like in the language you are learning and listen to it while you are doing something else (for example travelling on the bus). Listen to it three times and try to understand as much as you can.Then, find the lyrics of the song online and listen to the song and read the lyrics at the same time. Sing along with it if you like (this helps your pronunciation). Look up any words you dont know.In the future when you listen to this song, youll understand it all and the vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar structures will be in your brain.

5) Read the NewsIt is very important to see vocabulary in itsnatural habitat;to see how words are used correctly and how the language flows. Many learners often ignore the importance of reading, but it is the best way to really get a feel for the language.I find reading the news more helpful than reading stories because the vocabulary and grammar structures are more useful. In stories, the vocabulary is usually more creative and romantic; not what people say in everyday life.Some newspapers can be very difficult to understand, especially broadsheets. For lower levels read magazines (Cosmo! or Hello magazine) the vocabulary is practical and the articles shorter.

6) Dont rely on your mother tongueIt is very easy to do: when you dont know a word, you say it in your own language instead. This is a bad habit. If you dont know a word try to find a way to express yourself using different words that you do know.It is also very important not to translate from your mother tongue. Many expressions just dont work, or dont exist and cant be translated.

7) Never be ashamedI know that this is easier said than done, but in my experience the students that progress quicker are the ones who do not care what others think.Never be ashamed of your level (we have all been a beginner!).Never apologize for making mistakes(just say thank you when you are corrected!).Most people will try to help you communicate and will not judge you for making a mistake.So smile, try, and dont give up.Thats the best advice I can give.