5 learning secrets of someone who is fluent in 11 languages

Fluent in between nine and 11 languages, Luca Lampariello and Matthew Youlden have come up with five tips for learning Spanish, as well as any other language.

Luca Lampariello is Italian and knows 11 languages, including English, Russian, Mandarin, and Japanese. Matthew Youlden is American and can switch between 9 languages ​​as quickly as a chameleon and understands 12 languages.

Matthew and Luca (from left) can comfortably sit and talk to each other in many languages, switching flexibly. Photo: Babel.

After learning Spanish, both language "prodigies" have drawn out 5 secrets to learning this language, which can also be applied to learning any other language.

Link that language to your life

Don’t isolate language learning from the rest of your life. Learning a language isn’t just about learning it, as this can quickly become frustrating. Instead, think of Spanish or any other language as a new way to experience everything in life. You can change the language on your computer to the language you’re learning, watch movies and TV shows in that language, read about your favorite celebrities, or research the culture and history of the country you’re learning the language from. Then learning the language will become a natural reflex instead of a chore. Remember that language is a means. It’s not a goal in itself.

Talk to native speakers

The best way to incorporate a foreign language into your everyday life is to spend time talking to native speakers. If any of your friends speak the language, persuade them to speak it with you.

Learning goes hand in hand with practice, and speaking is the best way to achieve that. Once you have reached a basic level of conversation, find a language club to practice with.

Luca has put this into practice, saying: "A few of my parents' close friends speak Spanish and come over for dinner every week, and I take the opportunity to practice the language with them. If you have the opportunity to speak multiple languages ​​every day, you will never forget it."

"All roads lead to Rome"

Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian share a Latin root, and have similar vocabulary and grammar like siblings. This makes it quite easy for an Italian like Luca to learn Spanish, but he still maintains and focuses on practicing Spanish every day.

English speakers are at a disadvantage when learning Spanish, as English is of Anglo-Saxon, Germanic origin. However, English and Spanish have a lot in common. Half of English's vocabulary comes from French and Latin, so although it is not a blood relative of Spanish, English can still be considered a cousin of the language. For example, you can learn all four words "democratisation", "democratización", "démocratisation", "democratizzazione" from four languages ​​at once.

Imitation game

The native accent is the final obstacle. To pick up on the intonation, you need to listen carefully and imitate what you hear. Think of yourself as an actor. You are not just listening to the lines, but getting into character, trying to imitate the native speaker's accent. This way, unfamiliar sounds become familiar. At first, this "acting" can be a bit silly, and it can be annoying to others because of the accent. But once you practice enough to get the pronunciation right, you will truly be in character when speaking the foreign language.

Say it now

The above tips will only work if you start right away and don’t wait until tomorrow. Starting gradually, for example spending 10 minutes a day is also a good choice. Learn little by little, regularly every day with the above tips, you will quickly turn any foreign language into your own language.

According to VNexpress