How can I learn to speak languages fluently?

Question

I really want to learn Viet, Spanish, german, latin, and french but i dont know where to start w/o spending too much money and i cant go to the actual countries....what is something i can use that will teach me everything?!

Answer 1

There are a few different things you could do.

1.You could take a class that specializes in one of your target languages however this could take time but it will result in increased efficiency in all of your languages.

2. If you are just trying to learn to speak them without learning anything else, you can attempt to read books on each language to build a basic unserstanding. Then immerse yourself in each language by watching tv shows and other media forms becasue this will increase your comprehension of each of your target languages.

3. Buy Rosetta Stone for each of the langauges, pretty pricey but it will work.

*It may help to only learn two languages at a time because if you do more than that, it will become increasingly easier to confuse the languages while you are learning them.

Answer 2

First, don't waste any time with Latin. I speak French and Spanish and I can read Italian, yet, I never learned Latin. But I know word origins. If a French word looks like a Spanish word -- who cares about Latin? It's dead, period.

Second, I would recommend you concentrate on one language at a time. It's not that you can't learn 2, it's just that the level of devotion will be rather extreme. As a Linguistics major, I studied many languages and I once took Intensive Japanese AND Intensive Mandarin classes at once and I ended up dropping Japanese. Mind you, I also took Spanish, Italian and German at once and it worked fine. Again, if you take more than one language at once, be prepared for an intense workout.

Finally, as for what to do to learn a language, I suggest not giving to much attention to the method you chose. What I mean is don't waste too much time finding the right lesson plan with the idea that the lesson will make it or break it -- it's almost irrelevant. They are all usually well built and you -- the learner -- will, by far, make the biggest difference. Use several methods if you can. You'll quickly see what works and what you like. Attack it from different angles. Watch movies in the language to immerse yourself in the sounds and intonation and feel the rhythm of the language. Listen to the music, read news from a country where the language is spoken. Most of all, do what you need to stay interested and motivated and keep it fun and challenging. Learning a language is a very natural thing for a human to do, but it's a very holistic activity in the sense that you entire being is needed -- don't make the mistake of keeping the exercise at the intellectual level. Feel the language. Speak the language. Hear the language. Become a speaker and feel like a native speaker.

If you know English, you should start with French or Spanish depending on which is most accessible for you and for where you live. Vietnamese will be an intense experience. If you intend to learn several languages, keep that one for later on.

HAVE FUN!

Answer 3

If you have any friends or co-workers that are native speakers, practice with them and ask if they'll help you learn the basics.  Also, there are some good programs on the market that will help. Rosetta Stone and Berlitz are excellent programs.  Check with your local colleges to see if there are any students who would be willing to tutor you.  They may do it for a really inexpensive rate.  Good luck in your endeavors.

Answer 4

by practicing that language

Answer 5

the best things to learned many languages is to try other people to teach you. be friendly to them.l

Answer 6

I use Rosetta Stone.  It a fabulous program, it is pricey, but it works.  

Answer 7

I'd start one at a time with Latin... after all it is what most languages are based off of. Spanish is also a pretty easy language to get the hang of because many of the words are similar to english words, and you can generally guess what someone is saying if you've got the basic language.