Three ways to practice your target language while relaxing

We all know that learning a language is hard and sticking with your practice after classes are over is even harder. But now that we are faced with more free time than ever due to isolation, you can take advantage of this and integrate your daily vocab practice into your procrastination quarantine habits. Here are three ways to do so:

1. Movies and series

Binge-watching should be considered an Olympic sport by now, and if you’re already going down the Netflix rabbit hole why not consider watching something in your target language? Most streaming platforms have an international film section and there are also plenty of great hit shows in different languages (Money Heist anyone?). Disney+ also offers most of their repertoire in many European languages and trust me there’s no better or funnier way to learn vocab than to listen to your favourite Disney songs in different languages.

If it’s possible you should aim to watch content with both audio and subtitles in your target language, even if you don’t understand some words, you can write those down for future vocab practice. Or alternatively, you can mimic phrases as you watch along, it sounds funny, but it actually helps improve your speaking and pronunciation skills.

2. Music

Pictured: Mexican interpreter Natalia Lafourcade in ‘Danza de Gardenias’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT5ejVJhios

Listening to music in another language is just relaxing, period. Sometimes you just need to tune out and not think about all the problematic lyrics in songs… but if you listen to catchy songs in your target language it might even be more productive. Search online for popular bands or singers in your target language and give them a listen! Try to understand the different words and phrases, and then read the lyrics to see if you got them right. After all, repetition is a guaranteed way to memorise vocab.

3. Reading

This is a bit of a more advanced approach but reading will help wonders in your language journey. Even if you are at a beginner or intermediate level, you can look for fables, fairy tales and children’s books to practice. And yes, you should definitely consider re-reading a book you have already read but this time in your target language, it’s not cheating at all. You can also consider audiobooks, podcasts and other mediums if reading is not your style. Keep an eye out for our weekly Facebook posts, where we recommend a variety of audio-visual resources to help with your language learning!