Do you love road trips and want to learn a language? This blog post is for you. Check these tips to learn a new language in the car.
How to learn a new language in the car
Let’s face it: New languages aren’t easy to learn. Even if you have experience with other languages, you might struggle to pick up a new one.
And when you’re trying to learn something that requires lots of listening and reading comprehension, things can get even more challenging. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to master a new language – or even pick up the basics – while driving.
Getting your new language practice in while behind the wheel is an excellent way to ensure you never miss your daily lessons again! Here are 5 tips on how you can do that.
Why learn a new language
First things first:
- Why do you want to learn a new language?
- Is it because you’re traveling to a new country and need to be able to speak to people there?
- Is it because you’re hoping to advance your career?
- Is it because you want to be a more well-rounded person?
- Or is it just because it looks cool?
Most people who try to learn a new language have at least one of these reasons – but some have more than one! That can make language learning even more rewarding: You’ll have much to be proud of when you reach your learning goal.
However, if you’re trying to learn a new language purely because you think it will be an easy feat, you need to think again. Languages are complex and challenging to learn, and it takes time to master one.
Benefits of learning a new language in the car
If you’re wondering how learning a language can work while driving, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Most people would rather use this time to listen to music or podcasts or maybe even catch a nap.
But why use a time that’s usually unproductive to learn? Let’s look at a few reasons:
- You can use a hands-free device, so your hands are free to drive, and you don’t have to worry about holding a book or even finding a parking spot where you can put the book down.
- There are no interruptions. You don’t have to worry about being interrupted by other people or pausing your learning because someone else needs to use the language.
- You can use your drive time to work towards your daily goals. You can use the drive time to learn toward your language goals and ensure you’re not missing those daily goals.
Assign a short learning session to your driving time
When you’re learning a new language, you want to ensure that you’re keeping up with daily progress – so you don’t get discouraged from your long-term goal.
One way to do this is to assign a daily learning session as short as possible since you can’t stop for a break or take a nap while driving. Learning a language while driving is the perfect solution!
However, make sure you choose a learning session that can be built around your short break.
For example, you might decide to work through a section of chapter one of a language-learning book – or practice a few new words with a language-learning app.
You also need to ensure that you’re doing a language-learning session relevant to your goals.
Use listening games and apps to practice your hearing
Besides reading and writing, listening is another important language skill. First, you can use your daily drive time to practice your hearing skills – like hearing how the language sounds and how words are pronounced.
You can do that by using listening apps and games, selecting a language, and then listening to content where that language is spoken.
You can also use your drive time to listen to radio stations from the country where the language is spoken. This is a great way to practice your hearing skills and lets you hear how the language is used in real-life situations.
Use reading games and apps to practice your reading skills
Being able to read in a new language is an important skill. It’s a way to ensure that you’re learning something, not just listening to a language.
You can use your drive time to practice your reading skills and read short articles on the language you’re trying to learn. You can also try reading short stories or just a few pages of a language-learning book.
If you’re learning a language that uses a different writing system, you can also use apps that let you practice reading that new writing system.
Use speaking games and apps to practice your speaking skills
Finally, you can use your drive time to practice your speaking skills. This is a great way to become more confident in your new language and help you remember what you’ve learned better.
There are many different apps and games that you can use for speaking practice. You can try speaking for a long time or until you make a mistake.
You can also try speaking to a photo of the language you’re learning or speaking to a friend who knows that language and is willing to help you.
Don’t forget the vocabulary!
While listening, reading, and speaking are all important language skills, vocabulary is still a key part of language learning. So don’t forget to add it to your daily drive time! You can do this in a few different ways:
- Use flashcards. A quick and easy way to learn new words is to use flashcards. You can use paper or electronic flashcards to make this even easier.
- Use an app. There are also lots of language-learning apps that include quizzes and vocabulary sections.
Learning a new language is a challenging but rewarding experience. However, finding the time to fit into language-learning activities isn’t always easy.
Thankfully, driving to work or school is an excellent time to practice a new language. You can easily learn a new language while driving with the right apps, games, and tips.
To maximize your time behind the wheel as a language learner, you’ll want to ensure that you’re listening, reading, and speaking in your new language as much as possible.
And don’t forget to mix some vocabulary learning to ensure you’re making the most of your time in the car!
