By Liam Rockwell
Everybody is familiar with Duolingo and other online platforms where you can learn how to speak different languages. However, there are some ways you can use the Internet to learn languages which you may not have thought of. You can use these methods creatively to learn a language.
- YouTube
YouTube is a great way to learn languages. For one, there are plenty of videos about the learning process itself. Along with that you can watch any video you want with the subtitles of whatever language you’re trying to learn. And there are a plethora of videos in whatever language you’re trying to learn so you can practice your listening skills as well.
- Podcasts
You can use Spotify and other podcasting services to listen to podcasts in the language you want to learn. These range from podcasts created specifically for teaching that language (which are generally spoken slower, more articulately, and about similar subjects) or if you’re a more advanced listener you can listen to a podcast which is meant for native speakers of that language. This makes podcasts a very great tool for learners on any level.
- Netflix
Netflix (as well as any other streaming platform) is useful in a very similar way to YouTube. It provides immense immersion in whatever language you’re trying to learn. The thing with Netflix is that not only does it provide immersion, it provides engaging stories with visual cues that can help you learn a language.
- Spotify
Whether it’s English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin, German, or Swahili, Spotify has a playlist for songs in any language. Put whichever language you’re trying to learn on shuffle sometime. Not only will you be discovering some new tunes for your rotation, you’re also going to learn what the lyrics mean and have a better connection with the music. And not only that, you’re immersing yourself with the culture of that language as well. So Spotify (and any other music platform, really) is great for language learning.
- Online Classes
If you believe that the best way to learn a language is immersing yourself in it, you’re going to like this one. Not only can you take online classes in that language itself, but you can also take classes in whatever you’re interested in, such as cooking, music, cinema, etc. But if you take those classes in the language you want to learn, all of a sudden you’re talking about what you love and sharing your interests with other people with similar passions, and eventually you’ll get so carried away with it that you won’t realize that this whole time you’ve been making the Duolingo owl proud of you.
If there’s one thing that you should take away from this article, it’s that you don’t need to pay a monthly subscription to learn a language, nor do you have an excuse to just sit around and not learn anything. There are language-learning opportunities all around, especially nowadays with the Internet. So get out there and start learning!
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