Learning a second language can feel like climbing a mountain. The hardest bit is learning in the first place, but once you’ve learned, you also have to be careful not to fall off the mountain.
The reality for most people is that without anyone around to practice with, there’s a good chance you’ll simply end up forgetting much of what you learned.
As Anna Zhang, Head of Marketing at U7BUY, says, “With learning anything new, like a second language, it’s not necessarily the initial big climb that’s hardest or most important. It’s the daily ‘don’t forget to water it’ part. You can study for years, then stop using it and, before you know it, it slips away. It happens to everyone, but a few minutes of practice daily will prevent this.”
The good news? You don’t have to start over. You just need some simple tricks to stay productive in learning your second language when life gets in the way.
Speak Consistently
The first rule is to keep speaking, even if it’s messy at first. This will help you build the learning habit and will keep your brain forming sentences in your second language, which is essential for maintaining the neural networks responsible for your ability to speak this language.
If it doesn’t feel too weird, you can try talking to yourself. For example, you could narrate little events in your day to yourself, such as: “I’m making coffee,” or ” Why is my cat staring at me like that?”
You can also try using apps like HelloTalk or Tandem, which let you text or voice chat with native speakers. Don’t worry about making mistakes or not being able to match the level of the people you’re speaking with. People on these apps will love the fact that you’re trying, and they won’t expect you to be perfect at it.
Watch or Listen to Others Speak
For Adrian Iorga, Founder & President at 617 Boston Movers, the key is consistency. As he puts it, “Like anything else, the trick to keeping up with your second language is being sure to engage with it as often as you can. If you don’t have someone to practice with, the next best thing to do is listen to other people converse in that language.”
If you’re not talking, at least be listening. Ideally, you should do both, but if you find that you don’t have the time to practice speaking, or perhaps you find it overwhelming, simply listening to others speak in things like movies, shows, podcasts, YouTube, and so on is a better alternative than abandoning your second language altogether.
Start with stuff you already know in English, like rewatching your favorite series in your target language. You’ll already be familiar with the content, so you’ll understand better what is being said and more readily pick up on the nuances and technicalities of the language.
You can also try watching movies that come with subtitles in your native language, then switch to subtitles in the target language for deeper immersion.
Read Regularly
So far, we’ve talked about speaking and listening. But reading can be a game-changer, too. When you read in a second language, you’re forced to think in that language to some degree, which will help you internalize the language. You might even find yourself using it with your internal dialogue from time to time.
Don’t worry about not being good enough at the language to read in it. Instead of jumping into complex texts, you can start simple with kids’ books, short stories, or “graded readers” written for learners.
Write in the Language
Want a harder challenge than reading in your second language? Try writing. Even two sentences in a journal, or a quick social media post, will train your brain, over time, to think deeply in the language, not just recognize it.
That’s what really deepens your understanding. You don’t have to produce perfect essays. You can start by keeping a simple journal where you jot down your day, or jump into online forums where native speakers hang out.
Even a few sentences here and there can help your brain to think in the language instead of constantly translating. The more often you put words on the page, the more natural it will feel to use them.
Incorporate Language into Your Routine
Once you’re comfortable with the basics of a new language, your goal should be to retain your progress through constant repetition.
A simple but powerful way to create the time to practice is to incorporate your new language into your routine in small but meaningful ways. For example, consider switching your phone or apps to that language.
When you do this, every time you check a notification or scroll through settings, you’ll be practicing without even trying.
It might feel tricky at first, but that’s the point. You’re giving yourself constant little nudges to think in the language instead of merely translating in your head.
Over time, these small, everyday interactions will add up and make the language feel much more natural.
Use Language Apps for Quick Practice
In addition to finding practical ways to use your second language, as we’ve advised above, you can also try using language apps.
You probably used one or two in the beginning, when you first set out to learn this second language. Don’t stop using them!
Apps like Lingualift make it easy to slip in quick lessons whenever you have a spare moment.
In language learning, frequency matters much more than intensity. Just ten minutes daily will do far more for your retention than an occasional marathon session.
Apart from making it easy to keep up with your lessons, using an app like Lingualift will also help you learn words and phrases the right way.
Cultural Immersion When Possible
Language is inseparable from culture, and the more you understand the cultural context of a language, the easier it will be to retain it long term.
Wherever possible, try attending local cultural events. And if you’re not keen on these or there aren’t any around you, watching movies or following content creators who display or partake of that culture can help. This can be a great way to break through intermediate language learning stagnation.
If you’re up for a challenge, you can even try working with cooking recipes written in your target language and following the instructions as they’re written. This one has a bit of potential to go wrong, so perhaps only try this when you’re comfortable.
Teach Someone Else
Ian Gardner, Director of Sales and Business Development at Sigma Tax Pro, shares, ‘One of the best ways to really lock in what you know is to teach it to someone else. When you try to explain anything, whether it’s an accounting principle or a new word, to someone else, you’re forced to slow down, think it through, and make sure you actually understand it yourself. This is where true deep learning often happens.”
If you can’t find someone to teach or you aren’t comfortable with one-on-one interactions, you can try documenting your learnings in detailed blog posts or videos. To make sure your posts are actually getting read, be sure to share them widely and apply SEO best practices.
A bit of keyword research will show you the aspects of the language people are interested in learning about. And, over time, be sure to keep an eye on your domain authority score using a domain authority checker. This will give you a good idea of how useful other people find your lessons.
But even if you don’t have the time to devote to keeping up with a serious blog, remember that even something as simple as writing a caption or explaining a phrase can help to keep you accountable.
Final Word
Keeping a second language alive doesn’t mean you have to speak it perfectly or understand everything you hear. It’s about showing up consistently, even in small ways. Catching a lyric in a song, recognizing a word in the news, or understanding part of a conversation. All of these count as wins.
For more help with learning your new language perfectly, check out our guide to the common mistakes language learners make.
