As such, it’s part of your job to make your language learning software interesting for yourself.  After all, you’re the one who will be stuck working with it week after week.

How can you make your language learning more fun?

1. Don’t beat yourself up when you don’t understand the lessons.  Truth is, we’re usually responsible for our own negative feelings.  When lessons get a little hard, for instance, some people will start on with negative self-talk, eventually ruining the whole experience for themselves.
2. Mix things up.  If you find yourself getting restless with your primary language learning software, then start alternating it with a secondary material in your schedule.  Try to pick something that’s in a different medium, such as a CD or a video or a book.  You can use the software one day and the secondary material the next.
3. Do it with a friend.  Things are always more fun with a friend and it’s no different with language learning.  For instance, you can take the lessons separately during the week, then do the exercises together on Saturdays.



Summaries are very helpful for a variety of reasons:

1. They force you to recall everything you went over in the lesson, an activity that quickly doubles the amount of attention the information receives.
2. They give you a chance to filter the significant parts of each session.  Not everything taught is equal — some things are usually just more important than others.  Summarizing gives you an opportunity to revisit each part for evaluation.
3. They help you retell the lesson in your own words.  As anyone who’s read a book for class knows, writing ideas in your own words is a great way to solidify committing them to memory.

When you summarize a lesson, you will tend to use two things as reference: whatever you remember from the language lesson and the notes you took.  If you’re using a language learning software, you can use that as a third source: when any part of the lesson you’re summarizing is unclear, simply fire the software again and go back to that.  It’s one of the advantages of language programs, after all — a benefit you just can’t get from more traditional classroom lectures.

Personally, I encourage students to develop study techniques based on their personal strengths. Even the best techniques can get you mediocre results if it’s not a good fit with the way you naturally learn. The following items are some things you can do to ensure a better experience of learning a new language, whether you’re working on the skillset using an audio course or a language software.

1. Acquire an ear. Even before starting your lessons, try to listen to songs or watch videos in your target language, without attempting to decipher or speak it. That will help you develop a familiarity with hearing it – an invaluable tool as you progress towards your overall skill development.

2. Think phrases. The best way to learn a language is to work on phrases, instead of individual words. That’s the reason why early language practice usually involves common phrases, instead of single-word lessons. Phrases give the words context as well as start you on the path to adopting the nuances of grammar.

3. Imagine stories around words and phrases you learn. As humans, we learn better when there’s an emotional component to anything we try to master. Stories crafted around your target language can make learning all that much easier – not to mention more fun.

4. Involve your life. If you can find a way to involve the target language into your life, the faster the learning will be. If you are living in a foreign country where the target language is the local vernacular, this becomes a default part of your everyday studying. Under different circumstances, though, you’ll have to be creative and find out how you’ll best be able to integrate it into your daily activities.