How to Avoid Forgetting a Language in 9 Brilliant Tips

How to Avoid Forgetting a Language in 9 Brilliant Tips How to Avoid Forgetting a Language in 9 Brilliant Tips There are plenty of ways to learn a language.There are just as many ways to let it fall into disuse and become like an abandoned building in your mind.Stop using it.Stop studying it.Fill up so much of your brain space with Starbucks secret menu items  that theres no room left.Any language learner can tell you that they forget some information over time.You might remember how to conjugate verbs but not what each verb tense is called.You might remember common vocabulary words but forget some of your more advanced expressions.But worst of all, you could eventually forget your target language altogether.So why not keep it in the front of your mind with a few simple strategies?Abandoned buildings can actually be pretty cool. But theres nothing cool about letting that language you worked so hard to learn fade from your memory. Why You Should Actively Maintain the Languages Youve LearnedYouve put a lot of time into learning a language, so you dont want your study time to be wasted. Not on ly did you choose  which language to learn  and figure out the  best way to learn for you, but you put in countless hours of studying that you could have set aside for other interests. If you dont work to maintain your language skills, all this time and effort could be wasted.Like with any skill, if you dont practice your target language regularly, youll forget a lot. Case in point: How well do you remember how to do long division?  You can spend almost as long trying  remember a language you forgot  as you spent learning the language in the first place. Simply staying in practice can save you valuable time.You might not even notice how much language youve lost until you need your trusty language skills and they arent there. No one wants to travel abroad thinking theyre fluent only to find out they dont actually remember their target language at all.How to Avoid Forgetting a Language in 9 Brilliant Tips1. Change your mindset to consider learning a language a lifelong process.Most pe ople forget their target language because theyre no longer using or studying it. One of the simplest ways to prevent this is by considering learning a language a lifelong process rather than a limited-term course of study.With this in mind, dont give up on your learning routine. Whether youre building new vocabulary or working on tricky grammar rules, keep studying. Even fluent speakers dont know all the vocabulary, so theres always something new to learn.You dont have to commit as much time to studying as you did when you were just starting out, but remembering to put in some time will help keep you in practice.2. Use FluentU.FluentU is a fun, flexible way to prevent yourself from forgetting your target language. In fact, you might actually find your skills continue to grow in just a few minutes a day.FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse ScreenFluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Videos with Interactive CaptionsUnder the Vocab and Dialogue tabs, youll find words and phrases from the video and a complete interactive transcript.Interactive Transcripts on FluentUYou can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs Learn Mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples. FluentU is convenient enough to fit into any lifestyle but rigorous enough to ensure you learn, remember and continue to improve.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.3. Maintain a set schedule of when to use your target language, whether or not you actually need to use it.If youre no longer actively studying a language, one of the main reasons it may fade from your memory is simple lack of exposure. Maintaining a set schedule of when to use your language will help keep it fresh in your mind.For instance, on Saturdays, you could go to a grocery store or restaurant where native speakers of your language congregate. Or every night before bed, watch clips from variety shows in your target language rather than your favorite native language late night shows.Working language opportunities like this into your schedule will prevent you from forgetting by ensuring that you never go too long without using your skills.4. Set specific goals to continue improving your skills.Setting specific goals will help motivate you to continue improving your skills by giving you clear objectives.For instance, you might try learning 20 new vocabulary words per week, reading a book a month in your target language or spending 10 minutes a day studying the language.Regardless, making your goals specific is key because it makes them easier to meet. For instance, deciding youre going to learn five new vocabulary words today is a lot easier to achieve than a vague goal, like I want to study sometime today.5. Get addicted to a Netflix series in your target language to refresh your skills effortlessly.Theres nothing as satisfying as a Netflix  binge except for a Netflix binge that keeps you from forgetting your target language.And luckily, its easy to get addicted to a foreign language TV series that will give you regular practice with your target language. Netflix is constantly expa nding its offerings, so theres plenty of great foreign-language content to help reinforce your skills.For instance, Spanish students might enjoy a great series like  La casa de papel  (literally the house of paper, but its English title is Money Heist).French students could get deep into Au service de la France  (literally in the service of France, but its English title is A Very Secret Service). To find TV shows in your target language, just search the name of your language and TV shows.6. Change your bedtime reading habit into a language refresher by reading works in your target language.If youre one of those people who loves to read a good book before bed, you can easily convert your bedtime reading habit into an excellent language refresher by reading books in your target language.For free books, you might try Project Gutenberg, which offers an array of classic books in foreign languages.To stay up to date on the latest books in your target language, you might try perusing Goodr eads lists to see what other readers are enjoying. For instance, there are plenty of lists of Spanish-language books. From there, there are links to help you find where to purchase a book. All you have to do is double-check to make sure its in your target language.To get the most out of your evening reading, try reading aloud. This way, youll not only reinforce your reading skills, youll also keep up your speaking practice.7. Make friends with native speakers for easy, continual practice that will make you happy you learned your target language in the first place.Its nice to have friends, but having friends is even nicer when those friends help you keep your language skills up.If you already have a friend who speaks your target language, all you have to do is converse with them in that language to keep from forgetting it.If you dont already have a friend who speaks your target language, there are plenty of ways to make friends.For instance, you might connect with native speakers on  italki, an online service that makes it easy for you to browse and connect with tutors and exchange partners who are right for you.However, theres a difference between simple language exchange and long-term friendship. In fact, language exchange usually isnt intended to be life-long. So if youre hoping to turn your language exchange partnership into a long-term one, its important to select the right partner. Look for people with shared interests, and be sure to share your main interests in your profile. The more you have in common, the easier it will be to make a deeper connection that can last a lifetime.If you find a friend who speaks your target language, practicing it will just feel like socializing rather than studying, making it easier and more enjoyable to continue long-term.8. Hire a tutor for occasional one-on-one check-ins to make sure your skills havent regressed (and discuss personalized solutions).What do you do when youre not sure of whether your skills have regressed ? And what if you know your skills arent what they used to be, but you just cant figure out what to do to correct them?Hiring a tutor can be helpful for both these concerns. You can hire tutors online through services like  TakeLessons  and  Preply, and most tutors will help you with whatever you like. This means you can talk to a tutor for occasional checkups to make sure your language skills are still intact.Best of all, if your tutor notices youre struggling with something, they can give you personalized instruction on how to correct your errors and improve your skills.9. Travel abroad to refresh your skills and improve your motivation to keep learning.If you need to travel abroad to keep your language skills fresh, so be it!Traveling to a place where the language youre trying to maintain is spoken can help you practice using your skills in context. Over the length of your trip, you might even notice more and more of your language skills coming back to you.But beyond that, travel ing abroad can also increase your motivation to keep studying your target language. After all, if you have a great trip, youll want to make your next trip even better by better understanding the language.But the learning doesnt need to be reserved just for your time abroad. You can research your trip in your target language for an extra learning boost. Look for the official pages of tourist sites, peruse hotel websites (both big and boutique) and assess restaurant menus to see where you might like to eat. All of these activities can help reinforce your language skills while getting you excited for your upcoming trip.Dont let all your hard work be for naught!Use these simple steps and strategies to ensure you never forget your target language.