2023 has made me push my language learning goals. It has also shown me that this is an extremely slow and tedious process and that I need to be patient and take things slowly. In January 2023 I started to receive tutoring for Korean on italki and I am happy to say that it has truly shocked me. If I had more time (and money), I would be at B2 because my tutor is just that good. However, I am still getting accustomed to this new B1 level. Although it is a challenge but I am enjoying the process. Because Korean learning was going so well for me, I even decided to revisit French, so for the last two months, I have been juggling both languages. How do I keep up with both? I dedicate 80% of my time to Korean and 20% to French. I have a Korean class and one French class weekly. Each class is only 30 minutes, so I do an hour of learning on the platform weekly. Here is what I have learned while learning both languages simultaneously.
Make sure one language is intermediate before jumping into another new language. I was already familiar with French but hadn’t studied or reviewed it in almost a decade. Because I reached an intermediate level in Korean, I decided to start French in May 2023. The process has been mainly focused on vocabulary and re-learning grammar. Having a tutor has allowed me to be more accountable so I do not slack off, even when I am tempted to.
Respect the allotted time for each language. I study Korean on my own for 6 hours a week, which is a much slower pace compared to last year when I was studying 4–6 hours a day and averaging 30+ hours a week. Right now, I do an hour a day and take Sundays off. I listen to podcasts, review grammar points and do the homework assignments my italki teacher has given me. I know I could have reached a higher level but this year I am extremely busy and do not have the time I had last year. For French, I am listening to audiobooks to learn and it has helped me a lot. I do 30-minute French reviews daily. 20-minute audiobook or podcast on days I am not feeling it. The rest of the time I do vocabulary review on Drops for 10 minutes daily.
I will say that with French I have an advantage since I am fluent in English and Spanish. However, I am still at the A1 level because vocabulary is keeping me back. I also need to master the future tense so I can enter A2 territory. The grammar is different from Spanish but there are also a lot of similarities, making it easy for me to make sentences, however, I still will make errors by confusing the future and present tenses.
Speaking in French has been a lot less dreadful than in Korean. I tried a language exchange with Korean and felt too overwhelmed. I still feel overwhelmed with simple conversations with my tutor, but I am more confident compared to January 2023. However, French is another beast for me. After a month, I dived into language exchange apps and confidently spoke, even with my confusing tenses. I receive a lot of feedback and have improved. I am more confident speaking in French because I already studied this language years ago.
If I continue studying French at this pace, I will be at the same level I am in Korean, which is B1 in a few more months. By the end of the year, I can probably reach B2. There is a massive advantage to knowing a romance language because it makes learning it easier. However, we still need to do the vocabulary building, the grammar studies and work hard to see some success.
With all these languages this year, I will give italki the credit because it has allowed me to stay on track and to keep at it, even when I do not have the energy or focus. My motivation drastically decreased last year but this year I am more motivated and focused on taking both of these languages to the intermediate levels.
Maybe in 2024, I can finally start Japanese. Good luck on your language-learning journey!
Originally published at http://thoughtsofang.wordpress.com on July 16, 2023.
