我是一名会计，今年23岁。我对外语很感兴趣，但不知道现在开始学一门外语是不是太晚了。我的母语是中文，我想学习法语。
【Gruff Davies】
有一个窍门可以让人在短短几个月内学会一门流利的外语。但是由于担心学生们不敢尝试，大多数老师甚至不会告诉学生。但实际上，这点很重要。
事实上，这里所提的帮助你学习语言的并不仅有一个窍门，而是一整套的技巧。我会以法语为例，但是这个建议适用于任何一门语言。
1.理解语言学习的过程
令人震惊的是，在语言学习过程中半途而废的人不计其数。只有4%的学生在通过三年学校语言课程之后能够达到基本流利的标准，剩余的96%无法达到流利的水平，甚至有的人完全放弃了课程学习。
人们几乎都错误地从中推断出以下两件事：
误区1.）学习语言是很辛苦的
误区2.）天生擅长语言学习的总是别人（而不是自己）
放弃的一个最主要的原因是学生感觉不到任何进步。一个在GCSE（英国普通中等教育证书）上拿了A等的学生想要去法国，却发现他们竟然连基本的对话也不会。错误的预期设定是人们放弃学习的主要原因。
突破误区1.）学习一门语言并不困难，只是很漫长。
突破误区2.）每一个人天生都擅长语言学习，你已经学会了一种，还记得么？你只是忘记了这花了多久的时间。
下面我会用比喻的方法，希望能帮助你掌握到诀窍。
我认为学习一门语言有点儿像爬一座山（这是一座很大但却不费力的山，只要坚持，人人都可以登顶）。
这些是大部分老师都不会告诉你的：在经历了超过600个小时的学习和练习后，才能流利地使用法语（除非你已经会说另一门拉丁语系的语言，也就是罗曼语）。想一想，如果你每周学习一个小时的法语，那么40周就学了40个小时。照这个进度，如果不把在学习间隙中所遗忘的内容计算进去的话，你将需要15年来将法语水平变得流利。（像俄语或者普通话这种更难的语言需要1200个小时！）
反之，如果将学习力度加大到每星期40个小时，那么有可能（但不能保证）在10到12个星期后就达到流利的水平。不过大部分人并没有这么多空闲时间做这种程度的集中学习，但是理解这个过程能帮助你认清自己能达到何种程度，因此你不会变得消极。
2. 强度对快速学习一门语言来说至关重要
提高学习强度是个一箭双雕的方法，因为1）将你自己尽可能深地沉浸在这门课中，这使你进展更快。2）记住的东西不用就会遗忘。低强度的学习（例如学校的法语课）效率低下，因为学习强度太低会造成大部分知识学过就忘的现象。因此，在时间允许的情况下尽可能高强度地学习。
运用我的山脉比喻说法，地面冰冷且滑，如果你走得很慢，你滑回去的路程和你前进的一样多，你爬得越快，你滑回去的就越少。
3.善待你自己
我用山上的阳光来比喻，让你明白在不同的层次上是什么感觉。直到你的法语水平达到了B1/B2，你才会开始觉得说法语感觉非常棒，就像看到太阳出来了一样。如果在此之前你从未学过第二语言，这种感觉在你学了350到400小时后就会出现。
预计在最初的几百个小时内会有很多迷惑和混乱。这很正常，并不是因为你不聪明。每个人都会这么觉得，就算是那些看起来在语言方面真的有天赋的人。区别就在于，那些经历过这些并且已经看到了阳光的人预料到了这个阶段，这并不会是他们困惑，因为他们知道最终一定会成功的。所以，如果你发现自己觉得“我在学法语这方面就是废物”或者“我很愚蠢”时，休息一会儿，提醒自己你不是那样的，而且只要坚持，你会成功的。
4. 为这段征程做准备
如果你完全是个初学者，在开始认真的学习之前，在语音方面全神贯注是很重要的。我听了数个小时的音频（有声读物对这个很有帮助），并没有打算去理解内容，但仍然积极听音频并将它们嵌入脑海中。我发现，这样过了一会儿以后，我常常能够像一个小孩牙牙学语一样进行一些发音，虽然这有点傻，但也带来了我下一条建议。
5. 看起来傻的练习
不自在和难为情是你最大的敌人。说一门外语的时候，你不可能不在某个时刻感到自己蠢蠢的。你必须克服它。你必须像个漫画人物一样，张开你的嘴巴来适应新的奇怪口型。你说的话可能别人听不懂，别人说的东西你也可能不明白。这种情况比比皆是。这对语言学习来说不是什么大问题，实际上也是必须的。想一想，这才多大点事儿啊？因此就算你看起来很愚蠢，有谁会在意呢?
如果每次在你感觉自己蠢的时候，你都能给自己赞美的话，情况就会有所转变。每次你感到自己愚蠢的时候，给你自己一点精神上的金星勋章进行自我鼓励吧。因为这样的时刻就是学习的时刻。感到愚蠢事实上是进步或者是即将进步的标识。
6.找准自己的定位（接下来才能确认下一阶段要做什么）
我强烈建议你用CEFR levels来测试你自己的水平(https://www.french-test.com/blog...)。这些是欧洲的标准测试。
如果你想精确地知道自己处于什么水平，你可以采用Kwizip法语测试https://www.french-test.com/（Kwizip是一个可以评估语言水平并帮助你提高的语言训练）
7．设定目标
分阶段地计划你的语言学习，你就能够知道整个过程会有多长。就像爬山，分阶段做好攀爬计划是个明智之举。
设立目标(通过实施这些目标来测量自己有多大进步)是在你语言学习中最有效率的方法之一。我强烈推荐设立短期以及长期的目标。
短期目标可以设得简单点，类似于你每一周将会学习几个小时这样。如果说你打算每天花一个小时学习，那就在一张纸片上画7个格子，你每学习完一个小时，就在一个格子里打勾。这会让你感觉很棒。尽管有时你不能明显地感觉到自己的进步，但你还是能用眼睛看到自己进步的过程。
设立长期目标，比如通过特定级别的CEFR测试。
参加DELF/DALF考试是非常值得的，这些都是跟CEFR等级相匹配的法语考试。
还有DILF, DELF and DALF，这些也是你需要知道的法语考试证书。
8.不断地背诵
背诵对于学大部分事情来说都是至关重要的，尤其是在语言学习这方面。它听起来很乏味，但也不一定是这样。在一段时间里多重复背诵。我再说一次，只是为了防止你没有理解:背诵对学习来说至关重要。
9.回想比复习更重要
事实证明，回想的有效性比复习高3倍。换句话说，你必须挑战自己来“创作”法语，而不仅仅是理解它。我把记忆比作一片长满高草的草地。假设你掉了很多东西在这里，但是为了更轻易找到它们，你必须试着找回它们。每做一次练习，都是在就踩实你找回它们的路径，让你能更轻松地回想起来。
你做的任何回想练习都会帮助你学习法语。
如果可以的话，最好的方法当然是跟真正的法国人练习对话。（有条件的话你还可以去那个国家待一段时间，最好是跟那些一句英语也不会说的人呆在一起）
Kwizip的网站提供了数以千计能够根据你的情况进行调整并且测量你在每一个阶段有多少进步的测试，还会告诉你接下来要怎样提高自己的水平。测试这么有效的原因在于它能迫使你回想你所学过的东西。
以上所有的内容构成了我一整套的语言学习技巧。
如果我们把这些点都结合起来（特别是第8点和第9点），就会得到一个显而易见的结论，那就是我发现学习语言最快的方法是…
10.死记硬背法语课文
这是我最重要的技巧，也是快速获知一门语言最有效率的方法。
选择一篇你能在一周内学会的课文（你必须有音频，这很重要）
选择一篇有趣并且适合你的课文（有一点挑战性但不是特别难）。如果你是初学者就选择短一点的，一次几句话。形象的漫画对初学者来说很适用（就像Peanuts《花生漫画》），这些都可以在网上订阅的。
当你不断进步，你可以选择长点的，一次学习几个段落，或者几页对话。我喜欢用电影或者戏剧台词，或者我在孩提时代喜欢的书也很好，因为它的语言通常很简单。
在打算学习这个片段之前至少听10次(重复)。开始用心记忆（练习回想）。你会发现这在一开始很困难，但接下来你会知道它是多么重要。
给你自己一周的时间来学习这个片段，为什么?因为在7个晚上的睡眠之后，一些魔性的事情发生了…
11.睡眠
睡眠对于记忆力至关重要。事实上，研究表明你白天的睡眠时间并不重要，白天打个盹很有效果。学习或练习过后，不要长时间剥夺自己的睡眠。当你处于睡眠状态时，你的大脑开始建构，将短期记忆转变为长期记忆。这可能因人而异，但我发现，大约7个晚上的睡眠时间之后，回忆起一篇文本就变得十分容易(配合白天的练习)。
12.锻炼&营养
我们倾向于认为大脑是与身体分离的，但是当然大脑也是身体的一部分。锻炼能让你精神焕发,这可能听起来很怪异，但是保持身体健康有助于语言学习。你甚至可以边锻炼、跑步，边听法语音频，一举两得。
确保你给身体和大脑补充的能量是有益的。吃的健康，就像锻炼一样，有让人意想不到的好处。如果你曾经“大脑迷糊”的话，可能要更多地关注你的饮食。问问自己在先前的24到28个小时内消化过什么。是的，两天内你吃过或喝过的东西都会影响你的认知能力。
13.学会学习
我发现在学习如何学习方面，每投资一个小时，我掌握实际内容的效率都提高好几倍。一般而言，你可以学会对任何人适用的学习方法，也可以总结个人的学习技巧，只是要花时间反思哪一种最适合你，如何更进一步。
希望我的建议对你有帮助！
近期热文：
为什么俄罗斯坐拥世界最丰富资源储存量，大美国两倍的领土面积，少美国2.5倍的人口总量还是很落后？
文章最后可参与讨论
英文原文：
【Gruff Davies】
There is a trick to learning languages that can shorten the journey to fluency from decades to mere months. There's also something most teachers won't even tell students for fear they would never start, but in fact, is vital that you know.
In fact, there's not one trick but a whole suite of tricks to help you learn a language. I'll use French as an example, but this advice applies to any language.
1. Understand the Language Learning Journey
Language learning has an appalling abandonment rate. A mere 4% of students embarking on language courses in schools achieve a basic level of fluency after three years. 96% fail to achieve fluency and/or abandon courses completely!
People almost always wrongly conclude two things from this:
Myth 1) Learning languages is hard.
Myth 2) Other people (but not them) are naturally good at languages.
One of the biggest reasons cited for abandoning is that students don't feel any sense of progression. A GCSE student with an A* will visit France and find they can't even have a basic conversation. People largely give up because they had the wrong expectations set.
Myth Bust 1) Learning a language isn't hard. It's just LONG.
Myth Bust 2) Everyone is naturally good at languages. You already learned one, remember? You've just forgotten how long it took.
I'm going to use a metaphor that I hope will help you get the knack.
I think of learning a language a bit like climbing a mountain (a large but easy mountain, the sort that anyone can climb so long as they keep going).
Here's what most teachers won't tell you: It takes 600+ hours of study & practice to reach fluency in French (unless you already speak another latin-based language - a so-called romance language). Think about this. If (say) you learn 1 hour of French per week, then in forty weeks you'll do 40 hours. You'll need fifteen years at that rate to become fluent, not counting all the stuff you forget because of the gaps between study. (Harder languages like Russian or Mandarin can take 1,200 hours!)
At the other extreme, if you study really intensively, you can rack up 40 hours in one week! It's possible (but not guaranteed) to achieve fluency in ten to twelve weeks at that rate. Most people don't have the spare time to give that level of intensity, but understanding the journey helps you be realisticabout what you can achieve so you won't get demotivated.
2. Intensity is vital to learning a language quickly.
This is a double-whammy. 1) Immersing yourself as deeply as possible in the subject allows you to rack up the hours as quickly as possible. 2) Memory fades unless it's used. Low-intensity studies (i.e. school French) are ineffective because their intensity is so low that you end up forgetting a large percentage of what you learn. So, try to learn as intensely as time will permit you to.
To use my mountain metaphor, the ground is icy and slippery and if you go slowly, you'll slip back as much as you progress. The faster you can climb, the less you will slip back.
3. Be kind to yourself
I've used sunlight in this mountain metaphor to give you an indication of how it feels to be at these levels. It's not until B1/B2 that the light comes out and it starts to feel really good speaking French. That happens around the 350-400 hours mark if you've never learned a second language before.
Expect a lot of fog and confusion for the first few hundred hours. It'scompletely normal and you're not stupid. EVERYONE feels this way, even the people who seem really gifted at languages. The difference is, anyone who's already been through that and reached the sunlight expects this stage, and it doesn't phase them because they know they'll get there eventually. So, if you catch yourself saying things like, 'I'm rubbish at French' or 'I'm stupid' just stop for a moment and remind yourself that you're neither and you will get it if you persevere.
4. Prepare for the journey
If you're a complete beginner I find it's really important to absorb the sounds of the language before beginning serious study. I listen to hours of audio (audio books are great for this) without trying to understand the content, but stillactively listening to the sounds of the language to embed them. I usually find after a while I end up babbling them a little like a baby which can feel a bit silly . Which brings me my next piece of advice:
5. Practise looking stupid
Being self-conscious is your biggest enemy. You cannot speak a foreign language without feeling stupid at some point. You have to get over that. You have to twist your mouth into strange new shapes that make you feel like a caricature; you will speak and not be understood and you will listen and not understand. A LOT. It's really okay and in fact necessary to learning. If you think about it, what's the big deal? So you look stupid. Who cares?
If you instead give yourself credit every time you feel stupid you can turn this around. Give yourself a little mental gold star each time you feel stupid because those moments are learning moments. Feeling stupid is actually a sign of progress, or the moment just prior to progress.
6. Find out where you are (and therefore what the next stage is)
I strongly advise you measure your level using CEFR levels (https://www.french-test.
If you want find out approximately what level you are, you can take the Kwiziq French test here:
https://www.french-test.c
(*Kwiziq is an A.I. Language Coach that will assess your level and then help you improve.)
7. Set goals
Plan your language learning journey in stages. You've seen how long the journey is, so just like climbing a mountain, it's advisable to plan the journey in stages.
Goal setting (and measuring progress against those goals) is one of the most effective tools in your learning arsenal. I highly recommend settingshort term and longer terms goals.
Short term goals can be as simple as how many hours of study you will do each week. If you (say) want to study one hour a day then write seven boxes on a sheet and every hour you study, check a box. It feels good and you're measuring progress which is visible to you even when you don't feel like you're progressing.
Set longer terms goals like passing a specific CEFR level.
It's really worth while registering to take DELF / DALF exams which are French exams that match the CEFR levels:
DILF, DELF and DALF - Everything you need to know about French Diplomas.
There are similar diplomas for most languages.
8. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
Repetition is absolutely vital to learning most things but especially important when learning a language. It sounds boring but it doesn't need to be. More on this in a moment. One more time, just in case you didn't get it: repetition is vital to learning.
9. Recall is more important than revision
Practising recall has proven to be 300% more effective than revising something. In other words, you must challenge yourself to 'produce' French, not just comprehend it. The metaphor I use for memory is a field of long grass. You drop lots of things in it, but to make them easy to find again, you must practise retrieving them. Every time you do, you tread down the path to the thing you're recalling and it gets easier to follow.
Anything you do to practice recall is going to help your French.
If you can, the best way is of course to practise speaking with a real French person. (If you can, go to the country and spend time there, preferably with people who don't speak any English.)
Our site, Kwiziq French offers thousands of tests which will adapt automatically to you and measure your progress at each level, as well as telling you what to do next to improve. The reason testing works so well is because it forces you to practise recalling what you know.
All of this is building towards my ultimate language learning trick.
If we combine these point (especially 8 and 9) there is an obvious conclusion:the quickest way to learn a language that I have found is to...
10. Rote learn set texts in French
This is my number one trick and I've found this to be singularly the most effective method in acquiring a language rapidly.
Find a text that you can learn in a week (you must have audio - this is essential).
Pick a text on a subject you find interesting and at the right level for you (i.e. a bit challenging but not too hard). If you're a beginner keep it short, i.e. a few sentences at a time. Graphic comics are really good for beginners (things like Peanuts) which you can order online.
As you progress you can pick longer texts and learn a few paragraphs, or pages of dialogue at a time. I like using film or theatre texts, or books I liked as a kid which are also good because the language is usually simple.
Listen to the piece at least ten times (repetition) before starting to try to learn it. Start to commit it to memory (practise recall). You'll find this very hard at first and it will show you just how important it is to practise recall.
Give yourself a week to learn the piece. Why? Because after seven nights ofsleep, something magical happens...
11. Sleep
Sleep is vital to memory. In fact, research shows the time of day that you sleep is not that important. Daytime napping is very effective. Don’t deprive yourself of sleep for too long after you've learned or practised something. When you sleep your brain starts to build structures to turn short-term memories into long-term memories. It may be different for you, but I've found that after about seven nights of sleep is about the amount needed (with daily practise) for a text to be effortless to recall.
12. Exercise & Nutrition
We tend to think of our brains as separate from our bodies, but of course the brain is part of body. If you exercise, you get huge mental benefits. It might sound bizarre, but keeping fit will help you learn a language. You can even combine the two efforts by listen to French audio during a workout or run.
And make sure the fuel you're putting into your body and brain is good for it. Eating healthily, just like exercise, has amazing cognitive benefits. If you ever get 'brain fog', you might want to pay more attention to what you're eating and drinking. Ask yourself what you consumed in the previous 24-48 hours. Yep, it can take as many as two days for something you ate or drank to affect your cognition.
13. Learn about learning
I've found that every hour I invested in learning about learning paid off many times over in my learning speed of actual content. There's general stuff that you can learn about learning that works for everyone, and then there are your own personal learning tricks that can develop; this is about just taking time to reflect on what work best for you and thinking about how to improve on what you're doing.
Hope that's helpful!
联系客服
