For years we've heard stories about the 25th frame, language 3 weeks courses, or even hypnosis. Have you seen at least one person whom it helped? Let's figure it out together.

Clarify motivation. What is a foreign language for you?

Do you need to pass IELTS? May be your dream is to have 29 in TOEFL? Or you are just going to learn English to have a possibility to start a smart talk with your friend from the United Kingdom? They sometimes say that nowadays everything can be translated with the help of online tools. But this is a myth. If you still have doubts in it think about hundreds of IT companies hiring experienced translators and interpreters.

One day, a friend of mine got a strange short message in English. It began with the phrase “Expensive Pole on”. I dare say the girl was astonished. Her name was Polina. It took her several hours to understand that the message was written by a Google translator. The author of the text just wanted to say: “dear, Polina”. My friend told me in a while that the author of the message had decided to start learning English after such an unpleasant incident. So, it is important to grasp that one should not rely 100% on a Google translator. The idea is to build coherent information chains.
Many professional teachers propose spiral language learning. The idea is to upbuild a certain matrix using basic speaking skills. And then new grammatical constructions should be added as well as new topics that we can talk about are coiled around this main spiral. Once you feel sure that you can talk about the most trivial topics, you can start moving forward.

On a way from A1 to C2

Let’s try to deal with language levels. Usually they speak about 6 main stages of language acquisition:

Each level has its own characteristics. For example, an A1 student is able to understand and use very basic phrases while the vocabulary of an A2 student is a bit wider. A B1 learner is supposed to accept the principal points of a clear dialogue on familiar matters which are regularly encountered at work, university or leisure, etc. C1 can express himself freely and spontaneously. Usually it takes a student an average of 12 weeks to complete one level. It often takes longer to reach the exam standard in listening and reading.

And again, about motivation.

I should insist that the main thing is not to invent motivation. In each case we will have different starting or proceeding points. Motivation can be related with job or studies. Meanwhile, somebody needs language for changes in people’s personal life. I am speaking about marriage with a foreigner. Others may search for access to resources that are not available in another language. For example, serious film critics surely would like to watch movies in their original language.

Learning language is always about expanding your personal space. A person who speaks more than one language lives in a more spacious world. It goes without saying. Do you really want to perceive the world around you more subtly? Then start learning languages and you will see the changes that apply to both emotional and physiological levels.

Have you noticed that usually merchants all over the world easily switch from language to language? Really, there are no restrictions on age or depth of study while speaking. Pay attention to the Egyptian spice merchants. They have a minimal vocabulary, but that's a stock in dozens of languages. They learn to communicate from childhood, helping their parents in the shop.

When we study languages, we break barriers. Forget about fears. One should never say never. The process of learning a language is a natural gift. And every person can do it. The only question is whether he uses this gift or not.

Types of language learners

Teachers speak about 3 temperament types of language learners:

1. 1. those who prefer to study only one on one;
2. 2. those who like to be a part of rather small groups (3-5 students);
3. 3. people who are comfortable with large audiences.

Linguists know that there are about 200-300 active verbs in any language. So, it is beneficial to start learning them by heart. Plus, one should memorize words by clusters. And remember that it is useless to learn many words at once. 10-20 at a time will go.