Business Insider Tips From Language Experts

Learning a new language, whether for business or pleasure, can be daunting. Business Insider consulted experts who have successfully acquired multiple tongues for advice.

Matthew Youlden speaks nine languages fluently and understands a dozen more, offering his top language-learning advice here on Ask the Polyglot.

1. Listen to native speakers.

Most English learners begin their journey towards comprehending native English speakers by getting exposed to their language. Watching films, listening to podcasts or radio stations, practicing in front of a mirror are great ways to improve listening comprehension and become familiar with natively spoken English.

Listening in chunks is the quickest way to understand native speakers, rather than deciphering individual words or grammar rules. I advise my students to listen for repeated words, articles, or phrases in conversation – this will allow them to discern when someone refers to something they already know or something culturally significant.

Searching for words with distinctive pronunciation when they are stressed (e.g. no and know, one and win) can also be very helpful in understanding how native speakers pronounce these sounds and how their stress changes their meaning; additionally, this exercise will teach you how to identify unstressed sounds within words.

2. Learn the most common verbs.

Verbs are essential in understanding and communicating any action; yet they can be one of the more challenging language topics to master; this is particularly true of irregular verbs.

To make learning simpler and take your time, start off slowly and simply. Don’t try memorizing a whole verb table at first or fret over which prepositions go with certain conjugations forms – instead focus on learning the most popular verbs with their regular forms first.

One effective method for remembering verbs is creating a list or flashcards, while writing stories using as many verbs as possible will also help strengthen productive skills and strengthen memory retention.

Grouping verbs into word families (e.g., actions, auxiliaries, transitive verbs and linking verbs) can make understanding their conjugations and behavior in sentences easier; for instance it is key to know that transitive verbs require direct objects while intransitive ones do not.

3. Learn the most important vocabulary.

Vocabulary is an integral element of language proficiency. It helps you comprehend what other speakers say while making expression simpler in both spoken and written forms. According to studies, possessing an impressive vocabulary has been shown as a predictor of occupational success even among native speakers.

Finding and studying the most frequently used English vocabulary words are of utmost importance for success in any academic discipline, whether that means flashcards, word exercises or simply reading books and articles that incorporate these terms. Learning new words through context rather than just memorizing definitions will yield better results.

It can also be helpful to try learning a different set of vocabulary each day; this way, you can concentrate on mastering all four aspects of language learning (reading, writing, speaking and listening). Setting SMART goals (see our blog post for more info) can also serve as motivation to learning new words daily.

4. Learn the most common expressions.

One of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to familiarize yourself with its most frequently used expressions. These are words and phrases native speakers rely on frequently, so knowing them will help you sound like one. Below are tables listing English idioms and proverbs used frequently – start learning them first then move on to less frequent versions once you have mastered those first.

Catrin suggests tracking your study sessions regularly as another tip from her experience as a runner; it’s an effective way of building habits and pushing yourself further. Even if it can’t happen every day, try tracking often enough so as not to lose the habit!