7 Unusual Ways to Learn a Language (VIDEO)

Recording & Getting Feedback

The first unusual way to learn a language is by recording yourself speaking with voice recognition software.

This method is great, especially for new learners building their confidence or people who are shy about speaking in their target language. This is a great way to develop your speaking skills and adjust your pronunciation!

To do this, you can use your phone or computer to pull up some sort of voice recognition like Google, Alexa, Siri, or whatever else you prefer. Say something in your target language and see if the program recognizes what you said! If your pronunciation isn’t clear, the recognition software may not know what you’re saying. But stay patient and repeat as many times as you need! And if you need help with pronunciation, try listening to a native say your sentence and copy how they say it.

While Google and Alexa may help you by listening and giving you results, an even better tool is MosaChat-AI. With this e-tutor, you can have a real conversation that evaluates your pronunciation, corrects your mistakes, and helps you create learning flashcards based on what you need to change. How cool!

Video Games

That’s right! You can learn another language while playing your favorite video games!

Games usually have repeated vocabulary that force you to learn new words. In some games, if you don’t pick up on the words, you may even die in game. But besides the basic vocabulary, you can also pick up on natural vocabulary by engaging with other players. Many online games have chat functions (text and/or voice), that can immerse you in fast, real-life conversations.

You’ll be leveling up your language skills without even realizing you’re studying!

Micro-Stories & Flash Fiction

This one is for the creative minds out there! Instead of boring grammar exercises, try writing short stories, just 50-100 words long. Use all your new vocabulary in the story or try out the grammar you just learned.

This method helps you focus on clear, concise communication, forcing your brain to process how to express ideas in a compact way. And the best part is you can be as creative as you want! The more you play with the language, the more you’ll feel comfortable with it.

Subtitles in Reverse

This fourth one literally “flips the script.” Normally, we watch foreign movies and use the subtitles in our native language. But instead, try watching a movie in your language with the subtitles in the language you’re learning. This helps your brain make connections between what’s happening on-screen and the new vocabulary in the subtitles.

Since you can already follow what’s going on in the plot and dialogue, your mind can focus on absorbing new words in your target language. It’s a subtle but powerful way to boost your vocabulary and your understanding of grammar. And getting to watch movies never really feels like studying!

Dubbing Your Life

Dubbing your life just means narrating what you’re doing in your target language. As you go through your day, remind yourself what you’re accomplishing in your target language. For example: “I am getting up. I’m brushing my teeth. I am getting dressed.” And so on.

In this case, we only used present, but as you learn more tenses, you can practice them to tell yourself about your day. You can rewind your whole life and practice using the past tense in your mind. Or you can imagine your future and describe what you will want in the future tense!

In any case, the best way to dub your life is by speaking out loud. Obviously, that won’t be possible all of the time, so if you’re out in public, you can always just tell yourself in your mind.

Cooking

The previous technique helped you describe your life, but this technique will bring your language skills to life! Not only to you get to turn up the heat on your language skills, but you can literally turn up the heat on the stove and make yourself a meal (or a snack)! The idea is simple: cook a recipe, but use only your target language through the process.

Start by finding recipes in your target language. Thanks to the internet, if you don’t already have a cookbook in your target language, you can find blogs or videos readily available in the language you’re learning. Then, all you have to do is follow the recipe, go through the steps, and say each step out loud as you’re doing it. It’s like dubbing your life, but you get a tasty treat at the end!

But don’t stop there! Challenge yourself to write your grocery list in the language, watch cooking shows for tips, or explain the recipe to someone else afterward. You’ll be building your reading and listening skills in an immersive and hands-on way. Cooking in your target language might just
become the secret ingredient to your fluency!

Meditating

While cooking brings flavor to your life, this last unusual way to learn a language will bring you peace. Meditation isn’t only for relaxation, it’s also a fantastic way to build vocabulary and practice your listening skills.

English learners will have an advantage for this way of learning, as many meditation apps are created in the U.S. If you’re learning a less common language, and can’t find a meditation app in that language, then instead you can create your own meditation routine. Think of some simple sentences or affirmations like “I am calm” or “I feel peace” as a part of your practice.

Meditating in your target language is a double win: You’re learning while improving your mental clarity. It’s the perfect way to combine self-care with language practice. No stress, just progress.

VIDEO – 7 UNUSUAL Language Learning Hacks that REALLY Work!

To go over the 7 unusual ways you can learn a language in a fun and engaging way, check out this video our teacher Lisa-Joy made! The video is in English with subtitles in 7 different languages if you want to try out another fun way of studying while learning these methods. You can change the subtitles by clicking the gear in the bottom right corner.

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