Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery.
Amy Chua
As a foreign language learner myself, I understand the challenges it can sometimes present. If you’re looking to learn la language on your own but aren’t sure where to begin, I believe I can help. In addition to practical and useful tips, I’ve learned firsthand that the most crucial aspect is mental awareness and preparation.
How can I learn a foreign language by myself?
Have you ever dreamed of learning a new language on your own, but felt overwhelmed by the prospect? You’re not alone.
Learning a foreign language independently can seem daunting, but with the right approach, tools, and mindset, it’s entirely achievable.
In this article, we’ll explore practical tips and strategies for self-study in language learning, tailored to your needs and goals. From understanding your current level and setting realistic goals to choosing the right resources and learning techniques, we’ll cover everything you need to start your language learning journey confidently.
Ready to break down the barriers and enhance your linguistic skills on your own terms? Let’s dive in and discover how you can master a new language by yourself!
1. Learn a language with and without a teacher
The teacher’s figure
The role of the teacher, especially in foreign language education, has evolved significantly over the years.
Traditionally, teachers were seen as the primary source of knowledge, responsible for transmitting this knowledge to learners. However, over the years this vision has changed a lot, along with the whole teaching-learning process. Modern pedagogical theories now describe teachers as facilitators, expert guides that both accompany and support the learner through their learning process.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that the very importance of the teacher has been questioned. On the contrary, teachers are now required even more differentiated and extended knowledge. Since learners are now at the centre of the process, teachers need to somehow adjust their actions and expertise to the learner needs. And I assure you, this is no easy task.
Along with other requested competence, foreign and second language teachers are primarily language learners themselves. They know first-hand what does it mean to learn a language. They have experienced it and, hopefully, they will constantly continue to experience it, in a life-long learning perspective.
Learn a language by yourself
Of course, studying a language within a class or with the guidance of a teacher or a Language Coach would be a big help, as long as you find the right person. But there could be many reasons to want to learn a language by yourself – lack of money or time, to name a couple.
With all this in mind, let’s get to the root of it.
2. Find out and understand your level
Knowing your actual starting level is a key factor to achieving success.
This is true in every aspect of our life, if you think about it. A novice chef cannot start working in a Michelin star restaurant. An A2 level cannot start attending a C1 course.
You can reach whichever level you want, if you really want to. You just have to be patient, willing to work and commit yourself seriously. But no worries, learning a foreign language can be enjoyable and fun!
I have created a test for you to find out your current level of Italian. If you have a few minutes, you can click here and take the test. I will send you the results by email, together with personalised feedback and advice. Don’t worry, it’s free! 😉
This below is the self-assessment grid of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It is an exceptionally useful tool to better understand what is your starting level and why.
As you can see, every descriptor consists in a series of “can do with language” statements. We are going to deepen this concept further ahead. The important thing for now is that this grid allows everyone of us to collocate our foreign-language-self into a precise moment of the learning process. To put it simply, based on things you can actually do in this precise moment with the foreign language, you are now able to identify your starting level.
Please note: you could be a B1 in the Understanding abilities whilst an A2 in the Speaking and Writing ones. Believe it or not this – be better at Understanding the language than at Producing it – is a pretty common situation for foreign language learner. This is commonly due to a lack of opportunities to actively practice the language.
Don’t worry, we are about to discover a few tools and methods to practice Speaking and Writing abilities.
3. Be aware of your goal(s)
What is my goal? What am I learning this language for?
Based on the answer to this question you will be able to understand which aspects to focus on and to what extent. Let’s see some practical examples.
Travels
Travel to Japan is on my bucket list. I would love to know some Japanese before going there. So my primary goal in this case would be to practice my speaking and listening abilities. I should be realistic and realize that learning to read and write in Japanese perhaps is not worth it, especially since Japanese language has four different graphic systems – kanji, hiragana, katakana and romaji. Clearly, it would be an unnecessary effort. The question is “what do I need the language for?“. Obviously, in this particular situation I would need it to speak with people: to ask for direction, to correctly interact in a restaurant, a museum and so on. I should know the effective way to talk to different people, that is how to greet elderly men or women, how to draw attention or make a request without the risk of being considered impolite if not worst.
On the other hand, a total different scenario would be if I had to go to Japan for work or academic reasons. As a matter of fact, if this was the case I will need to have at least a basic knowledge of the graphic systems. Therefore I will have to be skilled in all four the languages abilities. Additionally, I should be familiar with specialized language.
Move abroad
Needless to say, if I had to move in a foreign Country I will have to acquire a deeper knowledge both of the language and the culture.
Language certification or other exams
If I needed to know the language to merely pass an exam, for starters I will have to understand what I will be asked to demonstrate during the exam and also to become familiar with its structure.
For instance, I need the B2 certification in the Italian language. First of all, I need to know what my options are – for the Italian language’s official certification you can choose between CILS, CELI, Cert.it and PLIDA. The first three are issued by public universities whilst the last one is issued by a private association. They share more or less the same structure and validity. All this kind of language certification go from A1 level up until C1. It is highly recommended to make sure to reach the chosen level before even trying, otherwise it could easily be a waste of money and time. Of course, the exam’s difficulty rises with increasing levels.
Once I made up my mind, I can easily find all the information I need – about structure and functioning – and download facsimile or exam’s examples. Lastly, I can finally do some practice. One advice is to dedicate some time to exam’s simulation, respecting the timing of each activity.
Pleasure
But what if I do not properly need the language? What if I wanted to study a foreign language simply because I like it? Here the line of reasoning could be a little bit different: maybe I am a pro at grammar but I cannot figure out how to use grammar rules in a conversation. Or perhaps I launch myself in conversation but I lack in accuracy. Once I’ve identified and light-heartedly accepted my weak points I can finally get to work on them and improve.
In short, depending on my level in the different language abilities and what my objectives are, I can choose what to practice more and how.
4. Don’t be afraid, don’t get discouraged
We have been used to fear and avoid mistakes. We have been “punished” with bad marks at school, with punishment at home, with lectures at work. It is a deeply internalized paradigm and, as such, it can be extremely difficult to dismantle.
When I was in high-school – and even during the first years of university – I for one barely spoke during the foreign language classes. I had many insecurities and I was terrified of committing mistakes in front of everyone. As a result I denied myself the possibility to learn and improve. It was only when I began to study Didattica dell’Italiano L2 that I understood the incredible value of errors and mistakes.
Sbagliando si impara
Every foreign language learner speaks what in linguistic is called interlanguage.
Imagine your interlanguage as a journey up to the native level. The thing is, every single step of the way is important and every phase during this journey has its unquestionable dignity.
Error and mistakes are an integral part of our interlanguage. They are not the exception nor something to avoid. Making mistakes is not only inevitable but it’s what we all need to learn and improve faster.
In Italian we say Sbagliando si impara – “By making mistakes one learns“. Think about it, I am certain that you can remember clearly something that you learned to do right only after getting it wrong. Perhaps you felt ashamed but since that moment you have never made that very mistake again. During the learning process, a part of our brain shows us the mistakes we make and memorizes them to prevent them from being repeated in the future.
There are tons of studies in the foreign language teaching field about the importance of errors within the learning process. For example, I bet that when you’re doing grammar exercises and you make a mistake, you rub out the incorrect element and replace it with the correct one. As a matter of fact, you should not. When you make a mistake it is highly recommendable to keep the error in plain sight. For instance you could draw a thin line on the incorrect sentence or word and simply write the correct one above or near it. Returning on those very exercises the next day can help stabilize learning.
To sum up, errors are a natural and an extremely useful tool that you should actively use to your advantage. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes! Embrace them, and always remember, ‘Sbagliando si impara!
5. Useful tips and tools to learn a language by yourself
I have read many articles on this matter, each of which suggests to watch movies or TV series in the foreign language and with foreign language subtitles. This is certainly true. Back at university I remember a professor of mine suggesting me to watch movies in English and with English subtitles, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand everything nor if you miss some words. This is an excellent exercise to train your brain and to familiarize with sounds and pronunciation”.
Now some years have passed and technology has evolved. Therefore we have limitless resources we can use to learn a language. This is an advantage, of course, but could be also confusing, not to say chaotic. Let’s try to put things in order together, so that we do not lose ourself in the high quantity of the available material.
All in due time
Remember the second point: discover your starting level and begin to learn from there. For example, if you are an A1-A2 level, let’s say in Italian, it is not advisable to watch movies in which the majority of dialogues are in local dialects – e.g. Italian TV series Gomorra. Actually, for lower levels it is recommended to start with films or series dubbed in Italian. Of course, in this way we lose cultural factors. However, at very the beginning it is useful to be exposed to the standard language, that is to say, the language as it is found within dictionaries. And dubbed movies and series provide exactly this kind of language.
Surely, there are also original Italian movies that provide standard Italian language. You will be able to consult a detailed list of audiovisual materials in Italian, divided by levels, at the end of the article.
By the same token, if you are an Italian language beginner, you will find pretty difficult to watch or listen to Italian radio/TV/podcast programs. What you need at the beginning of your journey is a more facilitated language input or, in other words, a “less authentic” language input.
Practice Speaking/Conversation
Provided that the best way to practice your conversational skills would be to attend a class – with an expert figure that would guide you – there are some other ways you could take into consideration, without having to spend money.
Language exchange
There are several apps which provide this service. Language exchanges allow you to find Italian natives with whom you can interact. Essentially, if you are an English native speaker who wants to speak Italian you will have to look for an Italian native speaker who in turn wants to practice their English.
Once you have found a match, you will be able to interact with the other person by chat, audio or video. It’s up to you.
Although this seems a perfect solution, I feel duty-bound to warn you. Back in my days I have tried this kind of apps to practice my Spanish and I experienced some difficulties in finding people who really wanted to practice the language. As a matter of fact, many people use this apps to find a date or to simply flirt a bit. But this is my personal experience. I would still encourage you to give it a try.
Here’s a link with a list of free language exchange apps and websites.
Speak along
A good exercise to practice your speaking and pronunciation skills is to speak along with the audio while watching a movie or other video resources. I tried this myself when I had to practice my English oral skills. I used to speak along with a lot of my favorite characters and, believe me, it is both an effective and pleasant exercise. Check out the Italian audiovisual materials list for some inspiration.
Read out loud
I am used to dedicate some time reading books or other contents out loud. I find this – along with the “speaking along” exercise – an exceptionally useful way to improve my pronunciation and also boost my confidence. To be exact, I usually record myself while reading and, once I stop, I listen to the audio and seek mistakes. When I am unsure about a word I’ll check the dictionary for its exact pronunciation. Here’s an Italian dictionary where you can look for the word needed and you can listen to the audio for pronunciation by clicking on the red word in square brackets.
Otherwise you can look up to multilingual dictionaries such as WordReference or other useful tools such as DeepL or Reverso Context.
Speak! Make mistakes!
If you have the priceless opportunity to interact with native speakers in your everyday life, do not waste it!
During my Italian teaching experience I noticed a peculiarity that all my English speakers students had in common: although many of them lived in Italy, they barely spoke Italian outside classes. Nowadays almost everybody understand English. Moreover, as English is used as a lingua franca, many Italians want to practice it whenever they have a chance. If you relate to this situation I have an advice for you. As I always tell my students, even if a person speaks in English with you, try to answer them in Italian or you could even directly ask them to speak Italian with you. Speaking in stereotypes, Italian people are very nice and clement when they are in front of a foreigner who’s trying to speak our language. It is very likely that your self-esteem will benefit from their compliments and excitement!
Work smarter not harder!
Choose whatever self-help book, in everyone of them you will find the same advice: do your very best every single day; divide your bigger goal into multiple daily micro-goals.
Let’s make an example. I want to learn Japanese. This is my macro-objective. If I do not divide it into daily micro-goals I will lose my focus. Additionally, not everyday goes the same way. Today I am energetic, I feel motivated and productive. Tomorrow I could feel tired, sad or lazy. I don’t have to study for hours every day. I just need to be honest with myself and make sure that I give my best every day. I tell myself that I must do things sensibly without taking myself too seriously. I just know that I have to dedicate some time to Japanese everyday. If I am particularly tired from work, I would simply watch an anime or listen to Japanese songs and sing along.
“I want to learn a language” is way to broad to be manageable; it lacks focus. We have been told to live in the present. This means that we have to focus in present-day aims rather than wasting time being tormented by long-term ones. It’s all a matter of organization and mental focus. Trust me, everyone can do it.
A piece of advice I was given was to make an effort to readjust my habits to my new requirements and objectives. Or, in other words, to make room to the new habits I need to reach my goals.
Download here the list of audiovisual materials in Italian, divided by levels:
(Don’t worry, you won’t receive unsolicited mail from me, I promise!)