Learning a language is not a matter of reaching a B2 or C1 level as quickly as possible, it is about learning the language well to be able to communicate effectively in that language.
A language is much like your fitness level. If you try to learn quickly, you will forget it in no time. What you want to do is learn in a long-lasting way. If you want to feel comfortable in a language and get by with ease, the best thing to do is to relax and to take your time.
The best way to learn is to do it consistently and in a way that you enjoy. We seem to be in a hurry to do everything quickly nowadays, this is detrimental to progress and we need to change our mindset if we want to succeed in reaching fluency.
This is why we offer you several tangible methods of learning a language that you can follow every day with ease. Click on the buttons below for exam technique
The science behind it
To remember something long-term, it doesn`t just happen- memories need to be constructed. It is a long process of converting things from the short-term, or as it is more commonly known the working memory, into the long-term memory. There are many things that can impede learning something effectively like distractions, but most of all it is due to lack of consistency. It is a question of recall. What you need to do is review things on a regular basis. If not, the memory gets rid of things it believes are unneeded. This is why you need to go over things to make sure this doesn´t happen. Each time we access something in our memory, it becomes easier to retrieve. When we learn consistently, we are just making information more accessible.
Another key aspect of making something stick in your memory is enjoyment. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will remember it easier. We can all remember our favourite subjects at school and coincidentally, these were probably the subjects we got our best grades in. This is no coincidence.
For a few extra ways of enhancing your memory, look at our post on 10 ways to improve the memory here
So, one final piece of advice. Take your time, enjoy your progress, don´t just think about your exam results or the chances are you will forget everything you have already learnt.
