Skip to main content

Lyd Explains: Learning a Language

Today I wanted to talk about learning a language! I am learning because I want to speak the local language when I tackle my travel list. In this post I am going to share the free methods I'm using on my language learning journey.

There are more than 6000 spoken languages in the world and more than half of people in the world speak more than one language! So I figured why can't I.

I am improving my French and trying to pick up Spanish too. I took 4 years of French in high school and use online learning tools, like Duolingo, to practice. My language learning is completely self structured. Over the last year, I was struggling for it to stick. I was learning the sentence structure and vocabulary but I still wasn't sure how to use it.

I needed to practice my comprehension skills and instead of translating, focus on understanding. So now I am listening to French as much as I can. I listen to podcasts, news (because they speak slowly) and even watch my favorite movies in French (since I already know the words). It has been amazing to see how much I am understanding and continuing to learn.

My next hurdle to fluency is speaking. I understand that speaking will be challenging and I will need to gain confidence to be comfortable. In Pittsburgh I found free clubs that meet to just speak in French. There are also online language exchange programs where you can speak to someone in exchange for helping them with English too.

I have been able to speak French a few times in pubic and it was the most amazing and connecting feeling. I am so excited to learn more and travel to Quebec and France to use it. Learning Spanish will give me the opportunity to use it here in the US and abroad.

The best advice I received was "Don't be afraid to make mistakes when you speak, you will learn it as you use it." All you need is to be able to be understood! Language is a great skill to have and makes it easier to connect with people of different cultures too. I will keep you posted on my learning journey and I hope this post inspires you to learn a few too!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lyd Explains: Grocery Shopping

Today I’ll show you how 15 minutes of prep and thoughtful shopping can save you hundreds each month on groceries instead of eating at restaurants every day. We’ll cover some cost saving tips so we can make the most of our food budget and be creative with it too!    Thanks for Watching!  I hope I’ve made you a smarter shopper and empowered you to learn something new and share it with someone too! 

Blog Travel Page

Welcome to My Travel Page!  Here is a collection of my favorite travel things, including links to my YouTube channel and TripAdvisor page. Check back for links to my YouTube Travel Essentials and posts from my recent trip to Italy and France. Below you'll also see my favorite travel blog posts. You can find more on my travels on my Instagram Page too! Click on the image captions for links to their pages.  Happy Travels!  My YouTube Channel Check out my TripAdvisor Page My Favorite Travel Blog Posts  Virginia Beach - Chrysler Glass Museum   Planning a Trip Mini-Guide

Travel: Pittsburgh,PA - Carnegie Library

Since I moved to Pittsburgh in 2015 it has been on my list to got to the Carnegie Library in Oakland! This year I made it a goal to get a Carnegie Library card and explore some of the free services they offer. I know we have great libraries in Pittsburgh but I had no idea what they offer. My friend and I took a tour of the main library in Oakland - is was a perfect way to learn about the libraries history, how to navigate it and the services and resources they have. My favorite part of the tour was learning about the history of the library, how and when it was built (1895) and how it has changed through the decades. It was also great to see all of the historic photos they have of the library and surrounding land. The photo below is of a one of the larger vaulted rooms in the library and it is said that the centers of the molding once held windows that were then covered during WW2 to not attract attention from above. The tour also took us to the room that was later added above