Growing up, I didn’t have much interest in taking the time to learn a language. I thought it was annoying when I’d hear my dad suddenly read out loud in some language I didn’t know while I was trying to watch TV. But as I got older I realized it was very frustrating to hear my parents speak Spanish and not be able to understand more than a few words. I also realized that the fact that my mother was bilingual and my father could communicate in eight languages meant their worlds were much larger than mine. I’m currently learning Spanish, one of the easier languages for an English speaker, and Korean, which is a much more difficult challenge. Here are some tips based on my experiences with learning new languages:

1. Choose a language you can commit to.

Learning a language is a process that takes a lot of your time and energy. It is also a skill that you have to keep working at if you don’t want to lose your progress. Not using the language means losing what you’ve already learned. Choose a language that you want to have as part of your life for a long time. Choose a language that interests you, a language that you won’t get bored of easily.

2. Speak your target language as often as possible.

The only way to be able to speak a language is if you practice speaking it. Recently I was able to spend a little bit of time with a toddler that understands more Korean than I do. I took this as the perfect opportunity to practice my Korean. I can’t form very many sentences in Korean, but neither can she. She understood my simple words and sentences without judgment. I also speak to my dog in Spanish pretty often. Unlike the toddler, he can’t actually understand me, nor hear me since he’s deaf. Consequently, this also means I can practice Spanish with him all I want without him being bothered by it.

3. Find a native speaker to practice with.

As helpful as it is to practice with a dog or a toddler, it is much more helpful to practice with someone that can not only understand everything you say, but also speak back to you. There have been many times when I found myself afraid to use languages with native speakers because I didn’t want to sound stupid. The truth is, most people will just be happy that you’re trying and will not expect you to have perfect grammar with a perfect accent. Find someone that you can regularly speak to in your target language. Someone that can kindly correct you and explain what you don’t understand about the language.

4. Immerse yourself in the language with music and TV.

I first started learning Korean accidentally because I realized that I was picking up quite a few words and phrases by watching Korean dramas with English subtitles. Try to find shows, movies, and music in your target language that you enjoy. You will learn without even realizing that you are learning. And while dramas are great, it’s also good to find shows that aren’t quite as scripted as dramas, such as talk shows or even reality shows. Those will give you a little bit better of an idea of what natural conversations sound like than a show in which every single line of dialogue is scripted.

5. Beware of false cognates!

Sometimes languages that have shared histories will have words that are pretty similar. These are called cognates. For example, since both English and Spanish have a lot of Latin influence, the word “chocolate” has the same meaning and spelling in both languages, just pronounced a bit differently. However, some words that look or sound similar don’t actually have the same meaning. You might think “Estoy embarazada” means “I’m embarrassed.” But if you say this to someone, you’ll actually be telling them that you are pregnant. Just because something sounds like an English word, doesn’t mean it will have the same meaning!

6. Read out loud.

It was annoying to hear my dad do this when I was a kid, but when I started learning languages I understood why he did this. I have a lot of books in Spanish and when I read them I find time to read them alone where I won’t disturb anyone by reading them out loud. Practicing saying the words out loud as you read them can help with your pronunciation. It also helps that you are using your sense of hearing and not just your sight. The more senses you use, the easier it is to learn something.

7. Travel to a country that speaks your target language.

Travel is expensive and not everyone gets this opportunity, but if the opportunity arises, take it! My Spanish was best during my time in El Salvador and Spain. Not only are you surrounded by your target language with countless opportunities to use it, you also get to experience a culture associated with your language. Language cannot exist without culture and having experienced a culture that uses your target language will help you understand some of the nuances of the language.

Learning a new language is very hard work, so hopefully these tips can help make it a little bit easier for you. Good luck on your language learning journey!