ArrivingHow to learn faster while you are there
Being in another country does not teach you the language. Using it does.
3 min read
Studying abroad helps enormously. But simply being in another country does not mean you will automatically learn the language. You have to use it.
Speak from the start
Do not wait until you speak well. If you wait to be ready, you may spend much of the trip in silence. Use what you know. Making mistakes is part of it.
Do not live entirely in your own language
It is natural to look for people from your own country when you arrive. They understand you, they make you feel at home, and they help. The problem starts when you spend the whole day speaking your own language.
Make friends from home, and also make an effort to meet people of other nationalities.
Turn ordinary situations into lessons
Restaurants, supermarkets, the gym, the bus, cafés, social activities. All of them teach you words and expressions that rarely appear in a textbook.
Keep studying outside school
Podcasts, television, music, reading and apps all complement your classes. But there is a better tool: the city you are living in. Use it.
Set a goal
Do not think only "I want to improve my English". Choose something concrete: I want to hold a fifteen minute conversation without switching back to my own language. Small goals make progress visible.
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