At this very moment, you probably have a notebook and a pencil ready to start learning a new language, but then you realize something. “What do I do exactly?” You’ve probably been looking for a study method but then thought “Which one’s the right one?”, don’t worry! This is normal. I also take a long rewarding journey in learning a new language.

First of all, I’m about to say is a bit contradictory. There’s no perfect study method. If you’ve been spending most of your time researching for the “perfect language study method” out there, then I’m sorry to say but such a thing does not exist. The reason why I say this is because everyone’s learning style is different. There are those who have a better memory than others, those who acquire a language much faster than others, and those who speak it better than others.

Babies are The Best Example (Input, Output, and Refinement)

The last thing that I would like to point out is that no matter what age you are, you can learn any language easily. Babies are like sponges. They absorb things much faster than adults (Input). They can speak a lot of new phrases or words easily without any disruption from others (Output). And then, their parents help their child to more intuitive and understand concepts better (Refinement). They correct the mistakes in grammatical structures and abstract words (e.g. “span” or “prosperous”).

1. Youtube (Imitating Videos) as an Input and Output

The best way for imitation learning is to practice with a native speaker. But, there is an easy way which is practice imitating what native speaker said on Youtube. Every day, I take 25 minutes to practice “Imitation” videos on Youtube. You can learn new words and phrases (input) also you can also speak based on their accent and pronunciation (output). Here are the recommended videos:

For English:
Slow and Easy English Conversation Practice – for ESL Students
Basics of English speaking for beginners – Slow and Easy
Learn Spoken English for Daily Life | Slow and Easy
English speaking practice at slow speed and at the speed of a native

For French:
Slow and Easy French Conversation Practice
Learn French Pronunciation with Basic & Useful Phrases

For Chinese:
Slow & Easy Chinese Conversation Practice (Mandarin Chinese)

2. Busuu and Lingodeer – as an Input (Grammar and Concept)

I recommend Busuu as the best online program for self-study. Busuu offers the 11+ languages and 4 language level that you want to learn for (Beginner A1 – Intermediate B2). The most interesting feature in Busuu is written exercises and we will get corrections from native speakers about text relevant to a specific topic. Unfortunately, you have to pay a high fee unless you download the full version app by Google.

For feature, Busuu and Lingodeer almost the same, but Busuu offers an official certificate from McGraw Hill Education (if we can pass a level). However, Busuu doesn’t have completely grammatical materials in most Asia languages, such as Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and Japanese. So, I chose Lingodeer for learning Chinese rather than Busuu.

3. Tandem – as an Output and Refinement (Native Speakers)

This is the best app that I recommended you to practice your speaking to native speakers (output) and improve your mistakes as a beginner (refinement). I will say it won’t be easy because it’s hard to find native speakers who are looking for someone like us to help them with their target language (such as exchange language). But, keep persistence, I believe you can find someone with similar interests.

It can be pretty daunting to send your first message on Tandem. Try sending more than a simple “Hi” to your Tandem partner such as “Hi, Patricia, I need someone who refines my french language, I have learned possessive adjective and I wanna practice it. Could you please correct my pronunciation and grammar?” After she gives you a suggestion, you can have an informal conversation about the same interest and hobbies.

As long so far, you will find new resources that will improve your abilities such as Anki card, flashcards on the wall, and so many on. But, I wanna stressed that the three resources that I mentioned before. If you have those resources, I will guarantee you to get move from nothing to become an elementary level for a month. Keep fighting and stay safe while #dirumahaja.

Btw, what are the resources that you use to learn language? You can mentioned those resources in the comment. Can’t waiting your response 😀