My mother loves to remember how, at the age of 4-5, I would sit down with a book and “learn English” myself. The teacher of the intensive French course “from scratch” refused to believe that before that I had never studied French a day in my life. I learned to understand Portuguese without even opening a single textbook.

In general, I am one of those who are considered “with abilities”, and today I want to debunk the myth of abilities.

1. Listen a lot

Listening is generally the simplest thing you can do with language. Headphones in your ears, and go about your business. Simply listening does not require any special willpower or extra time to practice. Everything happens in parallel with our daily activities.

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Zhanna, thank you very much, just huge, for such useful and very relevant information for me! I'm learning English now, but I have a big bias towards reading in the language, and a minimum of conversations (only two hours a week with a teacher on Skype) and listening.

Today I’ll look for scripts in English and finally start watching “Alpha” with subtitles, because... I heard that there is just a simple level.

Svetlana, I’m glad the information was useful! Indeed, many sitcoms are built around straightforward dialogue, which is an ideal place to start. The main thing is to choose one that will truly captivate you. By the way, “Friends” helped me at one time - the characters there speak very clearly.

Sorry, I was in a hurry: “they say”, of course :)

I fully support it, but I still need a grammatical base, I don’t understand any conjugations there by ear, unless I read it in theory a couple of times. But then it is perfectly reinforced not by cramming, but by context, especially since not all forms are popular. I learned Spanish almost effortlessly at the level of tourist needs; when I go there, I don’t use English at all. The arsenal includes 1.5 months in a group for beginners, a bit of private lessons and a week in a Spanish school (all this is spread out over three years). When I read, I understand a lot, but now I also speak without embarrassment, the Spaniards think it’s good for a foreigner :) I listened to dialogues (English-Spanish course, read magazines, menus, signs, + a dictionary on my phone - translated everything that was interesting). I also advise you to listen to a lot of music in foreign languages ​​and from time to time translate the lyrics of your favorite songs. And don’t be shy, few people speak 3-4 languages ​​perfectly; a couple of dozen phrases are enough to understand and you’re fine! No one will judge you for bad pronunciation, just remember foreigners, even if they know five phrases in Russian, everyone is very happy)

Christina, thanks for the comment! I in no way meant that there is no need to open textbooks at all :) I just wanted to emphasize that the amount of practice should exceed the amount of theory by tens, hundreds and thousands of times.

As for the level, it all depends on the goals. Buying a handbag in a store is not at all the same as defending a PhD :) But, in general, I agree with you: even a little knowledge of the language can be very useful. For example, I feel uncomfortable when I can’t read signs in a foreign country.

Thank you! Very useful information.

Olga, good luck with your languages!

The advice is good, but still the author underestimates the role of his abilities and overestimates the role of his correct advice. This leads to disrespect towards someone who has no abilities and for whom languages ​​are really difficult (the phrase itself “In response, I usually want to ask: “Tell me, how many languages ​​have you already mastered?”, but, as a rule, I restrain myself out of politeness ." talks about this).

I’ll speak for stupid people like me - it’s really difficult for us, your contempt is absolutely in vain. With all the advice (I came to about the same point on my own) and dedication - at most one language, at a decent, but far from ideal, level.

Personally, I was only good at English. Despite the fact that I studied it at school and at college (with straight A's, but without any special achievements). When I took it seriously (there was an incentive) - I spent three years of intense daily work for two and a half - three hours, on weekends - four hours. And since that period, every day I have been practicing, reading and watching for another hour, because I am afraid of losing even the little that I have achieved. Yes, there was progress, what I needed - I got it. But I wouldn’t dare to say that it’s within everyone’s power to take so much time away from life. And I won’t dare to say that anyone who hasn’t learned plus one language is just very lazy.

Although the advice itself, I repeat, is absolutely correct, yes.

Maxim, I'm sorry, but you are wrong. Especially about “contempt” it jarred. Despising a person because he does not know how to do something is a sign of narrow-mindedness. For example, I don’t know how to ski, so what? Moreover, I do not believe that every person is obliged to speak one or more foreign languages ​​(especially perfectly). My advice is exclusively for those who want this.

As for my abilities: I have been studying English for a total of more than 20 years, and in parallel with school I had a language school, and in parallel with the university there was also an additional linguistic department. You can't even imagine how many thousands of hours I spent on English. This, by the way, was one of the ideas of my article - we often think that something is easy for others, simply because we do not see all the enormous work that is behind this “ease”.

Regarding human abilities as such: this is not my personal opinion, this is the position of specialists in this field. If you look closely, we are all unequally gifted in our native language: some lexicon more, others have more literate speech, others have more pronounced literary abilities. And yet, we all speak our native language. Lack of ability is a common excuse, although in reality their role is much less than it might seem.

A much more serious problem, in my opinion, is the lack of practical application of at least the same English language for the overwhelming population of the Russian Federation. My advice is aimed at solving this problem within our capabilities.

Zhanna, well, I’ve been studying this for over 20 years)). True, there was no language school, but in parallel with the institute I received a second degree in English. I am sure that our results are still far from the same.

Experts say out loud good, correct and politically correct things (“everyone is equal”, “ability means nothing, the main thing is 10,000 hours of work”), but when they need to achieve results (as in sports) they recruit only those who are capable, and weed out the rest.

It was this phrase that jarred me “In response, I usually want to ask: “Tell me, how many languages ​​have you already mastered?”, but, as a rule, I restrain myself out of politeness.”

It sounds as if you are ready to take into account the opinions of only those who have managed and mastered a couple of languages. And for those who tried, but couldn’t cope and quit, gave up - these are just “excuses”.

I agree about the importance of practice. With the advent of the Internet, this has become easier, and the number of speakers is gradually increasing.

Maxim, I am very sorry if this phrase seemed offensive or arrogant to you. I didn't put anything like that into it. I meant that such methods of “immersion in the environment” are primarily rejected by those who have not tried. The result is a vicious circle: practical use language is postponed until “better times”, which never come precisely because there is no practice.

Again, I didn’t say that any person can “perfectly” learn 10 languages, and whoever couldn’t is a lazy person, a wuss and a total loser :) I wanted to say exactly what I wrote: “I will never believe that Some people do all of the above and make no progress in learning the language." And you yourself, although you consider yourself “incapable,” confirm this. And the fact that you are dissatisfied with your level - there can be many reasons: both how exactly you studied (one can only admire your hard work, but it’s not only about the hours spent, but also about their quality), and your motivation for studying , and you write about the present tense, what you read and watch, but the question immediately arises - what about conversation practice? In general, you can dig in different directions.

Or, for example, some language school in my childhood against the background of your second higher education now seems like an insignificant detail, but do you know how much blood it “drank” from me? :)) And they taught me to speak English there. At the age of 12, I spoke better than many of my fellow students at university. But they, too, probably thought that I had it from somewhere “by itself,” “by nature” - after all, where else could it be if we go to the same classes!

Dear Zhanna. First of all, thank you for trying to help those suffering.

And, secondly, essentially.

The first set of such recommendations was given by Kato Lomb, who is probably known to you. Then there were dozens more, including Zamyatkin and you. Now I'm studying Italian language, I know English and Bulgarian quite well, but I still don’t have a method, despite the heaps of recommendations I’ve read. I am an example of a person who is incapable of languages. I will try to explain why almost all recommendations do not help. There are two reasons:

1. Recommendations give an external picture, for example, listen to audio materials. No one, or almost no one, says what to do with your brains. Or speaks incompletely and unclearly. Kato Lomb and Zamyatkin have something about this, but without focus and without a system. The authors of the recommendations do not attach importance to this precisely because for them it goes without saying.

Let me give you an example:

In the first grade, an uncle came to us to take the children to music school. He sat on a chair, and the children were brought up to him one by one. He would play a note on the clarinet and say, “Say a.” No one said what needs to be done and what the goal is. And, considering that everyone previously had to say “ah” only with a spoon in the doctor’s mouth, you can imagine how everything happened.

Of course he selected a couple of children. Those who ACCIDENTALLY fell into tune, or those who, again, ACCIDENTALLY, for example, had parents who studied music, knew what was actually required of them.

We are in the same position, incapable of languages. We know and listen what to listen to, but we don’t know and don’t do what to do with our brains. Therefore, all labor costs go down the drain or with a microscopic effect.

The “capable” ones know how to do this, one might say, by accident, they were not taught this, but at some point in their lives they got “in tune” and guessed what to do. I would like these respected people to pay attention to HOW they listen, or read, or do something else, in accordance with their recommendations. And then they would formulate clearly and in detail for us, who are incapable of WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BRAINS.

2. Different rules apply at different stages of language learning. A recommendation that is valid for an advanced “student” is not suitable at an early stage, and vice versa.

For example, both Zamyatkin and you advise “getting rid of” your native language. This is debatable. At the initial stage, you can’t do without your native language. By the way, Kato Lomb doesn’t talk about this. For example, I had a wonderful English grammar in English language. Do you think she helped me a lot in my life?

I would like here for the “capable” and experienced to explain to the incapable what stages in language learning should be completed and with the help of what techniques and exercises. And what should be abandoned in subsequent stages.

Zamyatkin has quite a lot about this, but his method as a whole did not help me, so he lost confidence.

Kato Lomb has a periodization of the process, but fragmentarily. Well, and, of course, her tools corresponded to her time; now it has expanded significantly due to video and the Internet.

Anatoly, thank you for such a detailed comment! Let's go in order:

1. In the comment above, I was once again classified as “capable,” but all these books in the style of “How I learned 30 languages” do not help me in the same way as they do everyone else. Yes, sometimes it’s interesting to read them at your leisure - to compare your own experience with the author’s experience, but nothing more. For me, this is the same as the books from the series “How I built a successful company”, “How I became a writer”, etc. Yes, they can inspire or even give a couple of worthwhile ideas, but to take one of the books as the basis of your life like that - of course not, they are not intended for that. Perhaps it's more a matter of marketing creating high expectations and trying to sell readers exactly what they want. (With the same Zamyatkin, as you quite rightly noted, I have similar ideas, but I would never use his method in my life (which, however, does not deny its effectiveness)).

2. I did not try to present any unique method in my article. By and large, I simply listed the main aspects of language activity and pointed out the importance of the development of each of them. As for “how to” listen/watch/read, I can only explain how I do it. I focus on the plot, not on words or grammatical structures. All unknown words that can be ignored, I ignore. The main thing is not to blame yourself for every incomprehensible phrase. Otherwise, you can very quickly despair and give up everything without having time to achieve the result. If the narrative line is completely lost, this only means that you need to take a simpler book.

3. I didn’t suggest “getting rid of” your native language. I wrote specifically about audio courses in Russian - indeed, all the ones I came across, in my opinion, were very unsuccessful. A beginning student simply needs to take an audio course for their level (fortunately, there is plenty of information now), instead of getting frustrated trying unsuccessfully to understand British radio news reports.

4. I haven’t written anything about studying “grammar from context,” so I can’t comment, sorry.

In general, I think you are in vain classifying yourself as “incapable” if you are already learning a third language. As for the lack of a method... I don’t know if it’s possible to give links here, so I’ll explain it in simple terms: I have a link to a blog in my profile, one of the last posts there was an interview with Vadim Bakirov. Vadim speaks ten foreign languages ​​to one degree or another and also notes that he does not have a single method: every new language he tries to study in a new way. What remains constant is the emphasis on practical application. I think you can listen to his words :) Good luck in your languages!

Zhanna, thank you for the interesting article.

I liked it so much that I sent it to my subscribers. I agree with almost everything you recommend. I have experience with many languages ​​and now I help others learn English and other languages. Glad to meet you, even this virtual one.

Ruslan, thanks for the response! It would be interesting to read about your experience.

Zhanna, thank you for your detailed answer. I caught something useful in it. Don’t be surprised that there is something in my comment that does not apply specifically to you: this is a generalization of all the recommendations that have been encountered, they have a lot in common, which is what I wrote about. I'll look at the link to V. Bakirov, thank you.

I wish you success in learning languages ​​and in life in general.

Anatoly, thank you, and all the best to you! (forgive me for writing “you” with a small letter - I don’t share the modern trend towards widespread capitalization :)

Let's start with the main thing. Talent for learning foreign languages ​​is a relative concept. As translator and writer Kato Lomb said, “success in language learning is determined by a simple equation: time spent + interest = result.”

I am confident that everyone has the necessary resources to make their dreams come true. Yes, there are a number of objective reasons why learning new languages ​​becomes more difficult with age, but at the same time, it is with age that an understanding of oneself and one’s needs comes, and actions become more conscious. This helps you achieve your goals more effectively.

True motivation and a real goal are the key to success

Decide on your motivation. Why are you studying or want to start learning a foreign language? What or who motivates you? Is this your desire or a need caused by external circumstances?

Form a goal. What deadlines do you set for yourself and what do you want to achieve during this time? Think about whether your goal is achievable and realistic at all. How will you know when you have achieved it?

Perhaps you want to master one season of Sex and the City in English without subtitles in a month, or translate and start recite funny dialogues from The Simpsons in a week. Or maybe your goal is measured by the number of words you need to learn, or the number of books you would like to read?

The goal should motivate you to exercise regularly. The more realistic and understandable it is for you, the more noticeable the progress will be. Write it down on paper, tell your friends, plan your actions.

How to find time?

Make a timeline. Use a smartphone app that can track everything you do from the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed, including your cigarette breaks and all the cups of coffee you have with co-workers, or record everything you do in a notepad throughout the week. I guarantee you will learn a lot about yourself in a week!

Analyze what your day looks like. What or who is consuming your precious time and energy? Social media or an overly sociable colleague? Or maybe telephone conversations"about nothing"?

Found it? Gradually minimize the time you spend on chronophages - absorbers of your precious minutes and hours.

Time has been found. What's next?

Let’s say that as a result of the “audit” a little time has been freed up. Think about how you can use it to maximum benefit. What gives you the most pleasure? Listen to podcasts or audio lessons? Read books, play on your smartphone using special language applications?

I'm currently studying German, so my tablet is loaded with German music, podcasts and audio lessons, which I listen to on the way to work or while walking. There are always adapted books and comics in German in my bag: I read them on public transport, in line or while waiting for an appointment. I write down unfamiliar but frequently repeated words and expressions in a smartphone application, checking their meaning in an electronic dictionary.

Communicate. If you don't speak the language you're learning, it's dead to you. You cannot experience all the melody and rhythm of a language without saying the words out loud. Almost every language school has conversation clubs that anyone can attend.

I am sure there is a person in your circle who knows the language at a sufficient level. You can communicate with him while walking around the city or having tea at home. This is a great opportunity not only to practice, but also to spend time in good company.

Find like-minded people. It is much more interesting to learn a language with a partner, girlfriend or child. Like-minded people will become your resource for maintaining motivation.

Turn obstacles into helpers. Don't have enough time to study a foreign language because you are caring for a small child? Learn the names of animals, play children's songs for him in a foreign language, talk. By repeating the same simple expressions many times, you will learn them.

Whatever language you study, consistency is always important. The tongue is a muscle that needs to be pumped up for definition and strength.

about the author

Oksana Kravets- coach in the search for a professional calling.

Elena Devos

Journalist, writer, teacher of Russian, English and French. Author of the novel “Russian Lessons,” which talks about teaching Russian to foreigners in modern Paris.

1. Motivate yourself every day

There is no age threshold for learning a language. The only thing a person of any age needs is motivation. It’s great if you have an interest in the language itself or, if you like, in a certain reality that is in this language (when you like films or books, songs or video games, an artist or writer, or just a young man or girl).

Let us recall that Ludwig Wittgenstein learned Russian in order to read Dostoevsky in the original (and in the process of studying, he added all the accents in the novel “Crime and Punishment”). And Leo Tolstoy also studied Hebrew because of the book: he became interested in how the Bible was actually written.

Sometimes there is no interest in a language, but you need to learn it: for work, for business trips, to live in another country. Take the time to jot down a list of what you generally like in life and connect these hobbies with language. Do the same thing you always liked, but now using your new - foreign - language.

2. Don't be afraid to experiment

There is also no ideal language learning method that suits everyone. A variety of methods, different language schools, and different theories flourish and compete, become fashionable and are forgotten. So far, none have defeated the others.

Try several tutorials before settling on one. For lessons with a tutor, take part in choosing a textbook. If you realized that you made a mistake (even if others are happy, but you are uncomfortable), change it. If there is no choice (at school, in group classes), and you don’t like the textbook, find another one and read it yourself - as a mandatory dessert for classes.

In general, try to personalize your approach to language as much as possible. Explore websites, YouTube channels, films that interest you. Look for like-minded people, exchange experiences, communicate: language, whatever one may say, is a social phenomenon.

3. Choose a teacher

The person with whom you study the language will have a huge impact on the effectiveness and result of your lessons. If you are uncomfortable with this person, he is unfair to you, you do not understand him - without any hesitation, look for another. Especially if we are talking about a tutor for children: the child’s opinion will be decisive here, even if you like the teacher for his rigor, responsibility and all sorts of other adult qualities.

Again, if there is no choice, and you don’t like the teacher, be sure to find a way to learn the language at the same time in an environment where you feel comfortable and comfortable. These could be Skype classes, private lessons, and so on. Do not believe the prejudice that the best teacher is a native speaker. On the contrary, sometimes grammatical subtleties and rules can be better explained to you by a person for whom, like you, this language was not native.

Be careful about lessons with close people (when the teacher is a parent, husband, wife, sister, etc.): nothing good comes out of them if the “professor” bluntly criticizes and ridicules the “student.”

All good teachers have common feature: they don’t scold for off-topic questions (and don’t scold at all) and if they don’t know something, they say so. And they come to the next lesson with an answer to your question. This is sacred.

4. Five minute rule

To learn and maintain a language, two conditions are needed:

• you use it;
• you do this regularly.

A person who devotes 30 minutes a day to studying will progress faster than someone who sits over a textbook for three hours every Saturday and does not open the textbook the rest of the time.

Moreover, just 5 minutes in the morning and evening can work wonders. Place your textbook next to your toothpaste. Brush your teeth - look at the rule, at the conjugation table. Use your smartphone to take a photo of the page with your homework or dictionary. If you're standing in line, look at your phone and check yourself. Before going to bed, write two or three phrases (if you do two or three exercises, then it’s absolutely wonderful). And so on. Little by little, but often is better than a lot and never.

5. Don't cram - learn

There is no need to cram the rules and names of cases - you just need to know how they work. But you must learn the correct phrases, words, sentences, language structures, its conjugations and declinations by heart.

Try not to cram, but to learn: to understand and use it in practice. Learn poems, sayings, lyrics. And not those that the teacher asked, but those that you yourself like. This will be an excellent lexical aid, and in general will have a beneficial effect on the ability to speak and think, including in your native language.

6. Correct the error immediately

The sooner you correct a mistake, the less time it will remain in your head. Therefore, when studying on your own, do not start with long tests where the correct answers are given only at the very end. They only suffer like this during exams.

Ideally, after an error, you should absorb the correct version immediately, that is, correct it with the help of a teacher, textbook, or language program. Especially it concerns independent work: exercises and tests.

Everything should go according to the scheme “your option is the right option.” This method is very effective for several reasons: you reinforce the rule unless you have an error. And if there is a mistake, you see what it is, and your next step will be correct.

Do not trust textbooks without keys (correct answers to exercises). At the same time, it is advisable to show your work to the teacher or native speakers from time to time. After all, even in high-quality textbooks there are typos and errors, unnatural expressions of the language.

7. Write more

Write and type in the language you are learning. Do not correct what you have written, it is better to cross it out and write the word again. When spellcheck shows you a misspelled word, take three seconds to type the word again - correctly.

The memory of correct spelling always remains at our fingertips.

8. Praise and encourage yourself

And one last thing. Whatever your teacher, whatever book you study from, whatever language you learn - praise yourself. For every task completed correctly, for taking the time today to open a book, for every success, even the smallest one. If you are unlucky with the teacher, praise him doubly. For perseverance and patience.

“A person needs to be complimented every 15 minutes,” said Carlson, and he was absolutely right. This is another type of motivation, only subconscious. Therefore, if you want to learn a language easily and joyfully, celebrate each of your achievements. Don't compare yourself to others. Compare only with yourself: how much you knew yesterday and how much you know today. And enjoy the difference.

My mother loves to remember how, at the age of 4-5, I would sit down with a book and “learn English” myself. The teacher of the intensive French course “from scratch” refused to believe that before that I had never studied French a day in my life. I learned to understand Portuguese without even opening a single textbook. In general, I am one of those who are considered “with abilities”, and today I want to debunk the myth of abilities.

1. Listen a lot

Listening is generally the simplest thing you can do with language. Headphones in your ears, and go about your business. Simply listening does not require any special willpower or extra time to practice. Everything happens in parallel with our daily activities.

Experts advise listening to foreign speech for at least three hours a day. At first glance, this figure seems monstrous, but I can confirm from my own experience that it is quite realistic. For example, I listened to Spanish audio courses on the way to university and back. In total, I spent three (and when there was an “unexpected” snowfall for Siberia, then all four) hours a day in transport.

How much time do you spend on the road? For example, in 2016 we are promised 247 working days. If you get to your place of work or school for at least an hour one way, then on weekdays alone you can listen to almost 500 hours of audio recordings. But on weekends, we also usually go somewhere.

If you work close to home, or right from home, or don’t work at all, it doesn’t matter. Physical exercise, housecleaning, and even blissful idleness on the couch are perfectly combined with listening.

It is worth discussing separately what exactly to listen to. It is best to listen to live everyday speech, or training courses that are as close to it as possible. Audio lessons in which the speakers speak slowly and mournfully usually only make you feel sad and sleepy.

I also advise avoiding courses based on the Russian language. When our native language is interspersed with a foreign language, it does not allow our brain to tune in to the right wavelength. But learning one foreign language with the help of another one you already know is a great idea. For example, I found a wonderful audio course in Portuguese for Spanish speakers. Understanding Portuguese, starting from Spanish, turned out to be much easier than starting everything from scratch based on Russian.

2. Watch videos

Watching is like listening, only better!

Firstly, by watching native speakers from video materials, we not only learn words and phrases, we also absorb their facial expressions, gestures, emotional condition. These components are often overlooked, although in fact they play a huge role in language acquisition. To speak Spanish, you need to become a little Spanish yourself.

Photo source: Flickr.com

Secondly, when watching videos, we have more opportunities to learn new words from context. If when listening we rely only on hearing, then when working with video the whole picture helps you expand your vocabulary. It was in this way that in deep childhood we memorized the words of our native language.

I also want to talk separately about subtitles. Many “experts” have a negative attitude towards the practice of watching films with Russian subtitles, but I categorically disagree with them. Of course, in this case, our brain tries to follow the path of least resistance, that is, first of all, we read the text in our native language, and only on a residual basis we try to understand something by ear (but we are trying!).

I insist that watching films with Russian subtitles is a very important and necessary step for people with a low language level.

When we try to watch a film without subtitles, in which almost nothing is clear, it tires us very quickly, and we immediately want to quit “this is a disastrous business.” The same thing happens with foreign subtitles - we simply don’t have time to read them, constantly stumbling over unfamiliar words.

On the contrary, you can watch films with Russian subtitles from the very first day of learning the language. Then, as your language level improves, you can move on to watching films with foreign subtitles, and then “without crutches.” For example, I started watching Portuguese videos with Russian subtitles, not understanding a single word by ear. However, when the subtitles for these videos ended, it turned out that I could easily continue watching without them.

Finding time for watching a video is a little more difficult than for listening, because driving a car and watching a movie at the same time is unlikely to be possible. However, most of us, one way or another, watch something every day. You just need to take the same content and watch it in the language you're learning. Turn on foreign news (at the same time it will be interesting to know how they look at us “from there”), watch your favorite films and TV series in the original, subscribe to foreign language YouTube bloggers, etc.

3. Read everything you can read

To be honest, I started reading in foreign languages ​​not at all for the development of languages, but simply because, firstly, I love reading, and, secondly, I really like books themselves. Nikolai Zamyatkin in his treatise “It is impossible to teach you a foreign language” very accurately described the phenomenon associated with fiction: usually authors (most likely unconsciously) try to “stuff” the first chapters of their book with the most complex literary expressions, the cleverest words and florid thoughts. If you have the patience to wade through these jungles, then you will find a completely normal “edible” text.

Photo source: Flickr.com

So, at the “wild” stage, paper books really help me out: beautiful covers, the smell of paper, the rustling of pages - all this pleases and distracts me from complex grammatical structures. Before you know it, you find yourself in the center of a very exciting novel. In general, this is my little life hack - works of art I read foreign languages ​​only in paper form. Electronically, I read mostly non-fiction in English. Such works are usually written in simple language and are filled with useful practical information, so you can do without “entertainment”.

If you don’t like reading books in principle, then I don’t recommend tormenting yourself with it. Switch the language on your phone, tablet and laptop to the one you are studying (translate Facebook, VKontakte and all other sites where possible to it), subscribe to the profile of your favorite rock band on Twitter, read sports news and film reviews of the latest blockbusters in a foreign language , find a carrot cake recipe and bake it. In general, the principle remains the same everywhere - do what you love!

4. Communicate with native speakers

When I first started communicating with native Spanish speakers, my vocabulary allowed me to answer three questions: what is my name, how old am I, and what country am I from? It is clear that with such baggage one cannot count on even the slightest meaningful conversation. However Spanish brought me such sincere childish delight that I wanted to start using it right here and now.

Now there are many sites that allow you to meet foreigners for language exchange: italki.com, interpals.net and others. But “in those distant times” I only had access to the Internet through a telephone line (which is not much different from its complete absence) and icq on my mobile. So ICQ helped me out. With her help, my first penfriends appeared from Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Spain...

Photo source: Flickr.com

At first, each phrase was difficult. I had to painfully remember the necessary forms of verbs, select prepositions, look up nouns in the dictionary... But word by word, phrase by phrase - and now I could calmly discuss matters at school and at work, the vicissitudes of my personal life and, of course, eternal questions about frailty of life. It was in these simple correspondences that my active use of the Spanish language began.

However, writing is much easier than speaking. Firstly, we simply have time to think, better formulate a thought, look up the right word in the dictionary or remember how a verb is conjugated. In spoken language there is no such luxury. Secondly, unlike writing, speech is a physiological process. From birth we hear the sounds of our native language and a little later we learn to reproduce them. We train our articulatory apparatus every day, without holidays or weekends.

But when it comes to a foreign language, for some reason we forget about it. No matter how well we know grammar, no matter how rich our vocabulary, when we first open our mouths and try to speak a foreign language, what we get is not at all what we wanted to say. After all, our vocal cords are not trained at all, they are not accustomed to reproducing the sounds of a foreign language. This is why it is very important to find someone to talk to. For example, at first I communicated with Spanish-speaking friends on Skype, then I met with volunteers who had been brought to our Siberian hinterland from Latin America, and went on trips around Spain.

By the way, communicating with native speakers is much more pleasant than communicating with a strict teacher in the fifth grade. If a teacher scolds you for mistakes and gives you bad grades, then foreigners are usually very flattered that a person from another country is trying to speak their language.

As Nelson Mandela said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.” If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” (“If you speak to a person in a language he understands, you speak to his mind. If you speak to him in his native language, you speak to his heart.”)

5. Finally, grammar!

And only now, when we complete all (or at least several) of the points listed above, will the grammar reference book turn from a terrifying enemy into our friend. I firmly believe that it is impossible to learn a language from textbooks. Language is a living system that has developed over many centuries, under the influence of territorial, socio-economic and other factors. Language can be compared to a river, which makes its way where it is natural and convenient.

All grammatical rules are formulated after the fact. Rules are not the basis of the language, but just an attempt to explain it and find some patterns. That is why for every rule there are a bunch of exceptions, and the rules themselves often look very vague and far-fetched.

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How to defeat the villainous grammarian? Practice, practice and only practice. When you intuitively know how to say it correctly, because you have memorized it after processing a huge amount of authentic material (listening, reading, speaking), it will not be difficult to look at a sentence in a textbook and say: “Well, yes, of course, here present perfect, because the action is over, but the period of time is not yet.”

I will not argue that we should learn a foreign language like little children - this is not true. In adults, the brain works completely differently. But what about adults - according to research by neurolinguists, the opportunity to master a foreign language at the native level (which implies not only a masterly command of grammatical structures and vocabulary, but also a complete lack of accent) is slammed in front of our noses already at the age of two or three years.

But I know for sure that language is a practical skill and it does not develop in any other way other than practice. Learning a language “in theory” is the same as learning to swim in theory. So go ahead, slam your textbooks shut and go use language for its intended purpose - as a means of exchanging information. To begin with, use at least one of the above methods.

Post Scriptum

Surely there will be those who disagree. Surely, someone will say: “I watched the film in English and didn’t understand anything.” I constantly hear excuses like: “It’s no use anyway.” In response, I usually want to ask: “Tell me, how many languages ​​have you already mastered?”, but, as a rule, I restrain myself out of politeness. I would never believe that someone does all of the above and does not make progress in learning a language. You're either doing too little or you're just cheating yourself.

As an example, I can give you my story with the French language (the very language for which the teacher suspected I had hidden knowledge). I listened to a couple of dozen audio lessons, watched several films and educational videos, took intensive courses for beginners for 1.5 months, started reading The Little Prince and went to France.

By the way, in France I spoke mostly English and for some reason also Spanish. In French, I only beautifully answered the people who addressed me: “Je ne parle pas français” (“I don’t speak French”), which puzzled the French a little. Oh, yes - I once again told the maid at the hotel that I was afraid to ride their prehistoric elevator! Upon returning home, I decided that neither French, neither the French actually inspire me, and I haven’t studied the language anymore.

Formally, of course, I can tick all the boxes - I listened, and watched, and read, and took grammar courses, and even, in some way, communicated with the French. But in fact, I believe that I did nothing at all to learn the language. Instead of diving headlong into the tongue, I only touched the water with the toes of one foot. The results are appropriate: now I can understand fragments of French songs and part of the French lines from War and Peace. However, considering that I spent almost no effort, this is a good result. So be honest with yourself and learn languages!

I'll answer the question with a question. Why are some people better at cooking (driving cars, playing musical instrument, solve crossword puzzles, etc.)? As with many other skills, achieving mastery in learning a foreign language depends on the interaction of various factors. The result can be compared to preparing a complex dish. Neurobiological factors are the ingredients, cognitive factors are the arrangement of the kitchen and the cooking process itself, and affective factors are the desire and motivation to cook something tasty.

As for directly neurobiological factors, the age of language acquisition is critical. A child is born with a large number of neurons, but as he develops, many neurons die off due to the narrower specialization of different parts of the brain, while axons (the processes of neurons through which the signal is transmitted) in many parts still lack the myelin sheath, which accelerates the propagation of the signal. According to some scientists, people who begin to learn foreign languages ​​before the end of the process of myelination of the speech zones (that is, approximately before the end of puberty) have a greater chance of success. Indeed, as practice shows, the older a person is, the more difficult it is, on average, for him to learn a foreign language.

Many scientists have tried and are still trying to find the “holy grail” - those neurobiological prerequisites for successful language learning that would solve the “Tower of Babel” problem, but the data, alas, are very ambiguous and varied. Geschwind and Galaburd, who studied the phenomenon of polyglots, suggested that a predisposition to languages ​​may be associated with an enlargement of the left hemisphere, which may be influenced by fluctuations in testosterone hormone levels during pregnancy. Other scientists have noticed that polyglots have a more developed area of ​​the brain responsible for the motor organization of speech, and that they have a larger volume of white matter in the parietal and frontal regions of the brain.

Despite the contradictory data, one thing can be said with certainty - the “inability” to foreign languages does not exist (unless it is due to general learning difficulties). Under favorable circumstances, the right approach and methodology, proper motivation and hard work, successful mastery of a foreign language is quite realistic.

I agree with much of what Anya wrote, but it still seems to me that certain psychophysiological characteristics affect language learning abilities. And it seemed to me that the question itself is not about why some achieve greater results and others achieve less, but rather about why the process itself is difficult for some and not for others.

I know a lot of people who have direct motivation, time, and perseverance, but at the same time their language learning is very slow and difficult. I know people who can know perfect grammar, have a colossal vocabulary, live in the very country of the language they are learning... and yet be unable to master pronunciation even a little!

Naturally, all this does not mean that some person is not able to master the language at all, but he may need, say, 5 times more effort and time than others.

In general, it probably depends on the development of the corresponding areas of the brain - the motor cortex, auditory cortex, sensory-speech zone. If these areas have organic damage, it will be difficult to learn the language. How severe it is depends on the extent of the damage.

If the question is more practical than theoretical, then I’ll add a little about practice.

I don't really believe in a complete lack of ability to learn a language. It seems to me that any person immersed in another language environment will learn to express his thoughts in another language. The question is time and how much he needs it.

If without immersion, then you rather need to choose a suitable method of learning the language for yourself, study it regularly and be really interested in the result.

I really like the Polyglot system by Dmitry Petrov. But I would also add a daily expansion of the dictionary. If you are a visual learner, then use signs with pictures (or applications), if you are an auditory learner, then the busuu application and website helps.