Use or lose the progress you made in learning a language

It is important to put anything you learn into practice. This is especially true for language learning. If you don't use the language you are learning, you will forget it. No one wants to put in hours of practice only to lose that progress a week or month later. This is why it is important to use the language by speaking it, reading it, and writing it.

Information is forgotten if not used

Daniel Schacter, a psychology professor at Harvard University, identified "transience" as one of the seven sins of memory. Transience is the process of forgetting over time. Information that is stored but not used is vulnerable to transience. If your brain does not find information to be useful, it will find it unimportant and forget it.

Tests are a great way to make language learning information useful. They force you to recall information and use it. However, if the subject matter is not reviewed in later tests, the information will still be forgotten. Your brain finds it important to memorize information for the test, but after passing the test, your brain could find the information unimportant and forget it.

Be sure to give yourself a reason to learn the language. This could be a trip to a country where the language is spoken, a friend who speaks the language, or a job that requires the language. Do anything to convince your brain that the language is a useful skill.

Consumption is great, but not enough on its own

Active listening is an important skill to practice while learning a language, but it is not enough on its own. You must also practice speaking and writing the language. Other parts of the brain are used when speaking and writing a language, and creating activates your mind in a way that consuming does not.

Make efforts to use the language in your day-to-day life. Take notes in the language, practice speaking to yourself in a mirror, and write using the language online. Consider changing the language of Siri or other voice assistants to the language you are learning. This will give you more opportunities to practice listening to the language.

Most native speakers will not be offended

Try not to worry about making mistakes while practicing in real life situations. Speaking a language you are learning to a native speaker can elicit a variety of responses. Most native speakers will not be offended if you make mistakes. They will appreciate the effort you are making to learn their language.

Remember that comprehension is more important than perfection. If you can understand what the native speaker is saying, you are on the right track. If you can communicate your thoughts to the native speaker, you are doing well. Ask questions if you do not understand a certain word or phrase, and pay attention to how the other person forms sentences.

Conclusion

Language learning is an enjoyable skill to practice, but your brain will find the information unimportant if it does not anticipate using it. Be sure to give yourself a reason to learn the language and practice speaking and writing the language.

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