A good language study plan is worth a thousand “I wish I could speak XYZ“s. Unfortunately, many people wind up abandoning their language studies, never attaining their dreams. The reasons vary, but ultimately often involve a lack of concrete objectives, a solid schedule, and a strong commitment to learn, which means people don’t see results and quickly lose motivation. To make sure you’re not one of those learners who gives up halfway to the finish line, start with a bulletproof language learning schedule.

5 tips for successfully planning your foreign language study

Create a Solid Language Study Plan…

  1. Determine the frequency and duration of your learning sessions

Studies show time and time again that when you start to learn another language, realistically estimating how much time you can commit is essential. Based on your level of commitment and motivation, you can create a personalized schedule that takes into account the number and duration of learning sessions and activities to complete.

What does a realistic commitment look like?

I’ve said it before: it’s better to spend 10 minutes per day learning a language rather than doing one 3-hour learning session per month.

Repetitionconsistency, and regularity are the most important elements of any learning plan. Ask yourself: How much time can you commit to learning?

15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour per day?

Perhaps you can’t commit 7 days a week. At this stage, err on the side of caution. Start thinking about your time and goals now by sketching out your learning plan on a sheet of paper and be sure to include any other weekly commitments.

When I was in college, I spent a lot of time learning French. Every day except Sunday, I spent 2 hours per day studying French since I had to learn the language quickly. I was taking intensive courses for work purposes and was able to complete my French courses within 5 months.

Now, I’m learning Spanish. Although I still work and have other commitments, I dedicate 20 minutes per day to my studies by doing short, 10- to 20-minute sessions. (Running and improving MosaLingua takes up a lot of my time!)

If time is a concern for you, read this next 👉 How long does it really take to learn a language?

  1. Plan how you’re going to stick to your learning plan

5-tips-for-a-successful-foreign-language-study-plan-mosalingua

This is the hardest part. You’ve decided to commit time to learning a foreign language, but are you sure that you will be able to honor those commitments? Or are you going to give it all up after two weeks?

It goes without saying that planning your foreign language study and actually sticking to a schedule are two very different things. Take time to think and learn to reflect on your own commitments, while trying your best to meet them.

People who take the subway or other forms of public transportation to work or school can take advantage of the morning, an optimal time for the brain’s capacity for memorizing new information (check out our article on how to boost your memory). Why not also take advantage of the time after you get home from work or school (or after an hour of relaxing)?

Use visual reminders

I would advise you to record your activities in an agenda, calendar or laptop to make your commitments “official”.

By writing them down, you are more likely to honor them. You can even make your commitments public by telling your friends and family or on Facebook, for example. Making your commitments public increases the likelihood that you’ll succeed in meeting them.

I would also advise you to set a reminder in your cell phone and maybe write a motivational phrase like “a new step today toward speaking perfect Spanish,” for example. Personally, I used a notebook at first, but now I set a reminder in my iPhone. I have friends who use an agenda in an Excel file. Every method can work as long as it helps keep you on track and from missing your learning session.

Now you have some basic but super useful tips under your belt.

  1. Set goals to measure your progress

Studying regularly is not only highly effective but also very motivating. In fact, the more you review as a language learner, the more quickly you’ll progress, which will motivate you to keep going. To remain motivated, you should set realistic objectives, and then assess your results later on.

For vocabulary, you may decide to learn 10 new words per day with MosaLingua. In just 5 minutes, you can memorize 10 new words. At the end of one month, you will already have enriched your vocabulary by around 300 new words (10 x 30 days), 600 in 2 months, and so on. You see, it doesn’t take much time as long as you’re studying regularly.

As you know, memorizing vocabulary and typical phrases is very important, but it’s not enough!

How to set measurable goals for skills that aren’t as easily quantified

For listening comprehension, you may decide to watch the news every day on a television channel that broadcasts in the language you are studying. You may decide to watch a television show or subscribe to a podcast on your iPhone or MP3 player. I suggest taking note of your difficulties at the beginning (e.g. “I only understand a few words”). At the end of the first month, assess your progress. Your visible results will provide positive reinforcement so that you continue studying at the same pace or step it up if you’re really feeling motivated!

With practice, you’ll have no problem watching a film in French, English, Spanish, or whatever language you dream of speaking.

In sum, it’s important to set realistic objectives, write them down, commit to meeting them, and assess your progress long term.

 

And Stick to It!

Now that you’re done creating your language study plan and you know how to stay motivated, learn how to vary your learning activities to avoid boredom, which can kill your motivation.

  1. Diversify your learning

5-tips-for-a-successful-foreign-language-study-plan-mosalingua

Even if you’re devoting only 20 minutes per day to learning, you can vary your activities to stay engaged and to allow you to work on different skills.

The key is using mediums that interest you. Thanks to the Internet, you can always find something that will intrigue you.

If you like current events, you can start by watching the news for 5 minutes on TV or online.

Then, you can spend 5 minutes memorizing the new words that you heard. Finally, read and re-read articles on the subjects that interest you (10 minutes).

The next day, try a different activity, like 10 minutes of writing. For example, you could write short articles (maybe start your own blog) and devote the rest of the time to enriching your vocabulary.

If you don’t have the guts to start your own blog, you can participate in target-language forums (e.g. WordReference forums) or find yourself a language partner with whom you can e-mail back and forth. You could even get a native speaker to correct your writing with italki’s Notebook feature.

*Our team has tested the services mentioned in this article. We recommend them wholeheartedly because we like them and we think they are useful. For the sake of full transparency, we may receive a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase. Don’t worry, there is no extra cost to you.

Some people enjoy more structured exercises typical of classroom learning. Buy a used textbook or a short book of grammar exercises and devote a bit of time to it every week. If mechanical exercises are not your cup of tea, don’t worry! You can learn grammar rules intuitively by reading comics, poems, novels, online articles, etc.

Once a week, you could have a conversation with a friend who is fluent in the language you’re learning. Or, find a language partner in linguistic exchange communities (see the best sites for language exchange).

There are tons of ways to diversify your learning methods. Just make sure that you choose methods you truly enjoy. Learning should always be fun!

Varying your language-learning activities helps you not only maintain interest, but also improve your skills at all levels (reading, writing, speaking, etc.).

 

  1. Make learning fun

planning your foreign language study sessions can be fun! read magazines about topics you like

OK, so you have a learning plan and know how to stay motivated. Now we’re going to look at how to improve your skills effortlessly with fun activities. It is very important to enjoy learning, otherwise you risk giving up easily. In addition to your study sessions, you can improve your language skills by participating in your favorite activities.

One classic example is watching a foreign film with subtitles.

If you like games, why not play language-based games? For example, play Scrabble or do crossword puzzles. These will help you not only grow your vocabulary, but you can also make new friends. There are plenty of free games online, for instance:

    1. Merriam-Webster Word Game
    2. Lexulous (similar to Scrabble)
    3. Pogo

You can also search the app stores for Scrabble or crossword applications—there are tons.

If you want, you could browse through a foreign-language comic book—they are way easier to read than novels. You could even listen to foreign-language music in karaoke mode so that you can read the lyrics (see our article on learning a language with music). This way, you learn effortlessly and have fun, integrating learning a language into your favorite hobbies!

 

There you have it! Please don’t hesitate to leave us a comment to share your own tips about planning your foreign language study sessions. If you enjoyed this article, click below to share it with your friends.