"Don't put yourself in a situation where you could easily be misunderstood". One of my golden rules when it comes to learning a foreign language. And believe me, I've been put in that situation plenty of times already. Is this ringing any bells? If you're like me, you have gone out of your way to be sure this does not happen again.
Well, we all make mistakes. And, when it comes to studying a new and exciting language, there can be plenty of them. One of them would be: misunderstanding a conversation because you did not fully grasp what was spoken. But why not save yourself a little embarrassment? No problems. I can surely give you a leg up here.
When it comes to language learning, one of the most important elements would have to be your listening skills. You could know every word that exists in the dictionary, but, without having developed your ability to interpret the words, what good is it? So, here is something I've "cooked up" especially for you. I give you my list of tips to help you to conquer your desire to succeed - with minimal embarrassment.
- The buddy system - Practice conversing back and forth with your linguistics partner[s]. Listen carefully and make necessary corrections if needed. Then provide feed back for each conversation.
- Make it a movie night - Frequently, watch movies or TV programs dubbed in your target language. You might be able to catch a flix on www.netflix.com or even a video on www.youtube.com. The internet is a pretty resourceful tool when it comes to finding what you need. Just don't burn the popcorn.
- Listen to foreign music - Because the lyrics of a song are played at different sound frequencies and variations of tones, your mind must be more focused when listening.