Languages are really hard sometimes, but these tricks might help make learning them a bit easier.
1. Review, review and review again.
I can't tell you how many times I've been told to read my notes every night to better prepare myself for a test. And while I can't quite vouch for the validity of that statement, I do know that looking over your notes a few days before the test does wonders. That way you can see what you're really comfortable with and what needs to be high on your list of things to review in depth.
2. Take handwritten notes.
In class, some teachers say that taking notes is optional, but I'd say that it's one of the only ways to really solidify what you're being taught. If your teacher goes too fast for you normally, it's not a bad idea to go through the vocabulary and verbs in the lesson a night before so they stick and make more sense when the teacher goes over them in class. Handwritten notes are great for both visual and written learners, as they reinforce what is being spoken aloud with something more concrete.
3. Write down your conjugations.
One of the most helpful things I have ever done is take all of those tricky verbs that I always mixed up in conjugations and write them down repeatedly. I'd do so until I felt confident enough that I could write it down without thinking too hard about it. Even absentmindedly writing down the conjugation a few times every day over a week helps it stick more than writing it once in your notes and just visually studying it.
4. Make Google Translate an acquaintance.
Treat Google Translate like that person you always wave to when they walk past you in the hallway or your locker neighbor who you only really ask what period it is. It is so easy to get caught in the trap of always looking to Google Translate for full sentences and paragraphs when you really don't want to do that essay assignment, but your teacher will almost always notice, or you'll miss a glaringly obvious mistake that the translator made and won't do as well as you wished. So please do yourself a favor and try to only look up a word or phrase at a time if you really need to, and invest in a translation book (or a website that gives you all of the synonyms at once).
5. Speak it out.
If you attempt to pronounce the words you are writing, it'll make you really see the connection of the spelling and the pronunciation. Speaking is also another way to improve memorization and understanding.
6. Get quizzed (before surprised).
Asking a fellow student (or teacher or tutor) to quiz you on flash cards that you've made for vocabulary or on verbs or culture that is a part of the lesson on the upcoming exam. This way, you'll have a head start on studying and you won't get surprised by something on the test you thought you understood but obviously didn't.
7. Ask for help.
Whether the help is a teacher, a classmate or a tutor, recognize when you need help and let someone know. Preferably, this would happen before a failed major exam, but we all know it doesn't always happen this way. But if you ask for help, you are only bettering yourself and learning a valuable and difficult lesson in humbleness.
8. Double check.
When you're doing homework or worksheets or on quizzes and tests where you're given extra time, go back through and really critically think over all of your answers. A lot of those little minor mistakes that you may make from speeding through an exam can add up to a lower score than you'd expect. So give yourself a better chance and look at the answer you've given and kind of work backwards, looking at whether what you've done has really answered the question. Your report card will thank you for it.
9. Translate everything.
Especially on assignments that are not the most time sensitive, translate everything into English (or your primary language). You'll get to really understand what the question is asking and how to best answer it. With the minor exception of a few weird verbs and phrases that get lost in translation (see faire attention in French; literal translation: to make attention), getting used to translating will help you understand and eventually learn the other language without having to actively think about the translation.
10. Get over your FOMO.
Please, please, please don't let your fear of missing out on a big party or event keep you from having ample study time for that test or quiz. You can always go back and hang out with your friends later, but that exam only happens once and that grade will stay with you.
I hope you find these tips and tricks helpful in your endeavors to learn a new language. I know I will revisit this list as I learn Thai and any other foreign language!
