Learning strategies

Which learning strategies pay off? I'm not talking about what sort of input or activity will help you learn best; rather assuming you have the right material what frame of mind will help you get the most out of it?

💨Be good at guessing: instead of obsessing over what you don't understand, see how what you understand might help you understand the rest. Guessing is an art and cannot be clearly defined in my opinion. I learned to do it more and better with time. Despite my dislike of language certificates the kind of exercises you get there helps you become better at guessing.

👳Use circumlocutions: So you don't remember how to say bakery? Instead of freezing and thinking really hard (as if this would help remember) say it with more words "the place where I buy bread". Similarly, a house can be "the place where I live" and your mother "the wife of your father". Circumlocutions aren't elegant but allow you to keep the flow of speech without those awkward moments of silence - which often make the conversation switch to English.

💚Prioritize getting the message across: Sometimes you don't have the right word and you can't say it with a word combo either. Then use a gesture or point with your finger or even throw a word in English and then return to your target language. Don't obsess over "correctness", when talking communication takes precedence.

👍Don't worry too much about mistakes: well, obviously, worrying will only make you self-conscious and hesitant to speak but...

👌Notice what native speakers do differently and be willing to learn from it. 

👀Be sensitive to context: notice how the language changes from region to region or according to register. Noticing in general is a great skill to have as a learner, but like guessing it's hard to put it in exact words. It's something you know you have it only when you use it.

👃Understand your limits and be patient: there are plenty of "fake news" about language learning out there. Even an easy language (eg Italian for Spanish speakers or Dutch for German speakers) should take more than 600 hours to get to C1 according to the US Department of State. A step at the time is a great approach to learning languages.