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What is the best way

to learn a language?

Learning words in context, using associations to learn

phrases or using the subconscious? What is the best

way to learn a language? Read the answer in this

article.

For more information on the Birkenbihl Approach, visit

this site: Best way to learn a language

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Many people aim to speak various languages. Motives are different, ranging from the

goal to speak a view sentences while on vacation, via being able to chat with business

partners through to the desire to flirt with a nice foreign person.

Howbeit, what is the best way to learn a language? Several methods exist, but what is

the best one?

Studying single words is not sustainable. The biggest problem is that the learner usually

is not able to apply the previously learned word or phrase in a different context.

Moreover, the learner is often not capable of identifying the word or phrase in another

situation. Additionally, the learner may mostly try to translate the words before he or

she speaks the desired language. Here is a limited selection of different language

learning techniques:

Learning words and phrases in context

Studying words or phrases from a list is very boring after some time, it takes

considerable time, is not at all long-lasting, and does not help to recognize or recall them

in another context. One possibility to overcome this challenge is to learn words in

context. Try to imagine in which situation you might use the word and write down other

words that are similar or can be used in the same situation. Make a list, a mind map or

draw a picture of the situation, and you will remember the words in context very easily.

Of course, this takes some time as well. But the advantage is that you will learn more

than one word at a time. And the most important advantage is that you will know in

which context to use the word.

Mnemonic technique

This technique is an association technique. In order to remember a word, you come up

with a short story around the word. An alteration of this method is to recall a word that

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sounds similar in another language. This might also be a language learning technique on

its own.

Many of your stories you will come up with will probably silly or even unrealistic. But the

motto is: The sillier the better! Humans tend to remember silly things easily. The

disadvantage of this technique is that you need a lot of time to remember the words or

phrases, as coming up with different and creative stories takes time.

Birkenbihl Approach – using the subconscious to learn a language

This technique is definitely the best way to learn a language. The best aspect about this

method is that fact that learning form vocabulary lists is forbidden! It is the method of

decoding, active listening and passive listening, called the Birkenbihl method.

1. The first stage includes a translation of a foreign text word-for-word into your

mother tongue. This will end up in a succession of words that probably will not

make sense at the end. But this meant to be, as the goal of this learning method

is to recognize and being able to recall foreign words without studying

vocabularies by hard.

2. After this first step, you listen actively. This means to listen to the text while you,

at the same time, read the decoded text into your mother tongue. You will get

used to the rhythm and melody of speech very soon. The best way to learn a

language would be to find a native speaker of the desired language who records

the text for you. It is very important that the text is read by a native speaker, as

you should learn the correct pronunciation. It is possible to use the text of a

movie or part of a radio program, as finding a native speaker might be a problem.

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3. When you understand the text well, you can move on to the next stage: listening

passively. At this point you listen to the same foreign text as in the first stage,

while you concentrate on other tasks in your daily life. You can listen to the

foreign text while cooking, taking a shower, sleeping, going for a walk.... You can

listen to the text almost anytime and everywhere. The voice should be loud

enough, but not too loud, so that you are not disturbed in working on your main

task. The subconscious will get used to the foreign text and prepares you to speak

the new language. It is a good idea to save the text on a portable device, such as

a phone, laptop, mp3-player etc.

4. The last stage includes a lot of practicing: Activities. You may translate another

foreign text from the Internet or from a book, listen to foreign radio, watch a

foreign movie in another language or go on vacation to the country where the

learned language is spoken.

The Birkenbihl method is based on imitating native speakers and uses the subconscious

to learn languages. There is also computerized language learning software that is based

on the Birkenbihl Approach. Different language programs for PC and MAC are offered by

Birkenbihl Sprachen, for example.

The described methods in this article are all ways to learn a language sustainably.

However, the most effective and also easiest is the last one – the Birkenbihl Approach.

Try the amazing language learning software and you will see the big difference to

learning from vocabulary lists. The Birkenbihl Approach is the best way to learn a

language.

For more information on the Birkenbihl Approach, visit

this site: Best way to learn a language