12 Non Traditional Ways To Learn A Language.

There are so many non traditional ways to learn a language that can make language learning so much more fun than the usual boring language class and textbook work. That is why I have compiled a list of the best unconventional ways to learn a language so you can have more fun during your journey to fluency. 

#1 Watch Trashy Tv 

Start watching reality tv or soap operas in your target language. Soap operas are a good genre for learning because of the over the top acting which makes it easier to understand what they are saying. Another genre that is good for language learning is reality tv as it will give you good experience listening to spontaneous conversation that you wouldn’t find in a scripted tv show. 

Just remember that when you watch tv in a foreign language it is a good idea to actively watch it by simply making a list of vocabulary and useful phrases. You can make a great list of vocabulary by using a digital language learning planner.

It is really easy to make a list of new vocabulary while watching tv by using a vocabulary list template with a revision tracker. Here is a screenshot of a vocabulary list from my personal language learning planner:

Whatever genre you choose we can all agree that these types of shows are super entertaining and now you have a good reason to watch them!

#2 Play Online Video Games

A lot of online video games have the option for you to chat online with other players so if you can change your language options or find a region specific game you should definitely play it! Some games that are popular are Sims, Fortnite and Clash of Clans etc. But I’m sure there are many, many more options out there. 

Next time you are playing your favourite game look in the settings to see if there is a way to change the language from english to the language you are learning! If you are more advanced or you want even more of a challenge, find a game where you actually speak out loud to chat to other people, so not a texting/typing chat.

#3 Sing Your Heart Out With Karaoke 

Karaoke is a great way to improve your listening skills and your pronunciation of the language you are learning. Firstly, look for songs online or on Spotify in your target language. Spotify is a great place to start as you can find songs in the playlist for the country such as the Top 50 (country name) or from playlists other people have made in the language. Then start listening to some songs and make your own playlist with your favourites. 

Once you have a fair few songs in your target language that you like, search them up on youtube to find a karaoke or lyrics version. There should be one, unless it’s an unknown song, as lots of people like to make this type of content on youtube. Karaoke is a really useful way to enrich your vocabulary and put the spelling of a word to what you hear. As you repeat or sing the words of a song with a native singer you are drastically improving your pronunciation skills as well. 

If you are interested in learning more about how to effectively learn a language from music I suggest you read my article about it here.

#4 Use a Digital or Printable Language Planner

Another non-traditional way to learn a language is to self teach it to yourself using a digital language learning planner as an aid. I wrote a whole article on the easiest way to teach yourself a language if you want a more in depth, step-by-step guide, or you can read the short summary here.  

You can find the printable language learning planner or digital language learning planner at my online shop called StudyStuff on Etsy.com. Both of these resources are super helpful for improving your language skills and motivating you to learn. Just as a little snippet or overview of the product I will tell you about my two favourite pages: the language goal setting planner page and the vocabulary revision page.

The Language Goal Setting Page

There is a full page giving you a comprehensive overview of how and why to set academic goals which is paired with a template to help you make achievable language learning goals. This planner outlines all the steps you need to take to make SMART goals including defining a focus, making a time frame to achieve it in, writing down the reason why you want to achieve the goal, making motivation, outlining an action plan, defining milestones that you can check off as you complete them and also a reflection once you have finished the goal. An example of a language learning goal would be to move up a level for example from A2 to B1 or learning a certain amount of new words each day for 30 days. 

Vocabulary Revision Page

The other page that I’m previewing in this article is the vocabulary revision page. This is one of my favourite vocabulary pages out of the lot (the other ones are an ordinary vocabulary list and definition and look, cover, write, check page). There are three columns on this page, one where you can write the word in your target language, the second column where you can write the definition in english or in your target language and the final column which has three dots per row which you can tick each time you revise the word and the definition. This is my favourite page as it really encourages and motivates me to learn my vocabulary lists well!

#5 Follow Native Speakers On Social Media

I’m sure that you spend quite a bit of time daily on social media so it makes a lot of sense to start following influencers/social media users that speak the language you are learning. This could be on instagram, twitter, tiktok or youtube. The great thing about following native speakers is that you will be exposed to a little bit of the language you are learning each day by reading the captions of photos or the titles of youtube videos. By subscribing or following it can also encourage you to do more language learning as a video popping up in your youtube subscription box will make you want to watch the whole thing. 

Another aspect of this that many people don’t think about is that there are region specific social media apps and websites out there. So if you really want to immerse yourself in a language I highly suggest that you do a google search to find out what social media platforms natives are using. Then go make an account and you will be fully immersed in the language!

#6 Play The lyricstraining Game

If you have read any of my other articles (I highly recommend that you do if you haven’t already) you would know that the lyrics training app/website is my absolute favourite language learning tool. If you want to learn the lyrics to a song and improve your spelling and listening skills of a language you should definitely check it out! (also this is not sponsored at all). 

Pretty much this website/app takes youtube hosted music videos from lots of different languages (french, english, spanish, japanese, italian – just to name a few), and then converts it into a game where you fill in the blanks by listening to the song and then typing in the missing words. You can choose from beginner, intermediate or advanced levels which have progressively more and more gaps. There are also leaderboards which can be very motivating for improving your score and learning the song even better. 

As I said above in the karoke section, music is a very easy way to learn new vocabulary and because of the fact that you often listen to songs on repeat it will drill the new words into your mind to be never forgotten! 

#7 Talk To Your Pets 

You might not learn much of a language from your pets, unless it’s a talking parrot from overseas, but they are a great no-judge way of practising your speaking skills. So if you ever want to try out some new phrases or sentences I suggest that you say them to your dog or your cat, get it perfect and then try it with a real person in your next conversation.

#8 Browse Reddit

I know that everyone has at one point in time everyone has fallen down the reddit hole looking for answers to questions that you probably don’t want to admit. Anyway if you find yourself a frequent reddit user there is no reason why you can simply type in your question to the search bar in the language you are learning or change your language settings in the preferences. You might as well spend some time getting value out of reddit with language learning and then you won’t feel so guilty about wasting so much time on it!

Don’t forget if you come across some great new vocabulary or phrases to jot them down in your vocabulary list on your digital language learning planner!

#9 Change The Language Of Your Phone (+ Speak To Siri In Your Target Language)

Talking about changing the language setting of reddit, you might as well do it to your phone as well while you are at it. Changing the language of your phone means that you will be exposed to the language you are learning multiple times a day and you will also be exposed to a lot of new vocabulary that you wouldn’t come across otherwise from a textbook!

Pro-tip: If you have an iPhone (or an Apple device) try talking to Siri in your target language!

When you switch the language of your phone it also changes the language Siri speaks. I recommend trying to have a conversation with Siri or at least ask a few questions to her. It’s actually a lot harder than you think because you have to be very accurate in what you say and also say it quick enough that Siri doesn’t stop listening thinking that you have stopped talking. To whatever degree of success it goes Siri can be a very fun way to learn a language and you can have quite a few chuckles out of it. 

Here are some questions/things I suggest you ask Siri (you can translate them to your target language) to get you started:

• Tell me a joke
• What is the weather today?
• Tell me a story
• Can you sing? 

#10 Date In Your Target Language 

As I said above in the social media section, you can find apps that are region specific. This is the same for dating apps. If you are living in the country of the language you are learning and you are single you should find region specific dating apps and give it a go. Kill two birds with one stone is the saying…. But maybe only attempt this if you are at a very advanced level of language acquisition (or you are extremely confident). 

#11 Find Recipes In Your Target Language and Cook Them

Baking is one of my favourite hobbies so when I came across this tip I put it into action straight away. You can find so many recipes in the language you are learning by simply searching the thing you want to cook in your target language on google. For example if I wanted a chocolate cake recipe in french I would search “recette pour un gâteau au chocolat”. This is a fantastic way to learn food and cooking specific vocabulary too which can come in handy when you go overseas for shopping etc.

#12 Learn Some Jokes 

I think it would be pretty impressive for a native speaker to hear a learner tell a joke as it indicates a very high level of language knowledge. So if you want to impress someone or are just curious about jokes in your target language you should totally search up a listen of them online. This can also be a really interesting cultural lesson and can help you get an idea of the sense of humour native speakers have.

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