There are many people who live abroad and never make big improvements on their ability to speak and write in a new language. When you learn a language, you immerse yourself more fully in a new world. That process will allow you to experience yourself in exciting ways. Below are some ways to make learning a foreign language an interesting activity even before you leave home.

1. Read about a topic of interest in your destination language. Whether you are interested in American basketball or British rugby, anime, politics, or art, read about it in the destination language media. Make sure that you write down the words that you do not understand and look them up right away.

2. Make flashcards. All those words that you looked up from your daily reading should go on flash cards. You can pull these out when you have a little time, such as waiting for a bus, standing on a line, or if you find yourself with nothing to do. Flip through them.

3. Use the new words in conversations. Make an effort to use new words in daily conversation or writing. Only by using the words will you truly learn them. In the process, you will be able to express yourself with more precision and depth.

4. Work on your grammar. Whenever you learn new grammar, apply it in writing and conversation. Let’s say you learned some of the modal verbs, like could, should, might, or may. Rather than use “maybe” all the time, use a modal. Instead of saying, “Maybe I will go to lunch,” say, “I might go to lunch.” Or, instead of “maybe people should jog every day,” say, “People ought to jog every day.”

5. Listen to yourself. If your teacher has corrected you, but you continue to make the same mistakes, it will help to listen to yourself. Are you having trouble telling the difference between the “t” and “th” sound? Then record yourself reading a paragraph, and catch your mistakes. Repeat this until you have read the paragraph with perfect pronunciation.

6. Read the comments to articles or YouTube videos. A powerful way to learn to converse in a foreign language is through the comments sections of any online article or video. Choose a YouTube video you enjoy and try to understand what the comments mean. Write down anything that does not make sense to you and ask a native or your teacher! This is a fun way to learn new everyday expressions and gain insights into a foreign culture.